Why Don't You & I

Hey y'all! So it's been little over a month, so here's the dl on cp :)
Started at my new job first week of December. It is going splendidly, I love it, and overall it's awesome.
Started a new and final set of labs. This first segment actually ended yesterday, and I was finally taught by my academic advisor. He's awesome. I was late the first day, 20 minutes because I woke up at 6:56, and class started at 7. Formally apologized to Chef and he was forgiving. To continue, one day I was getting plates for dessert, and he was in the connecting beverage room getting hot water. Had bread pudding in the oven and was in a bit of a hurry. Chef noticed this and commented on my urgency, asked if I worked in a kitchen outside school ("yes") and further commented on how a number of the kids in culinary don't work in a kitchen outside school during school, made me smile a bit. Next day I mentioned I was a kitchen assistant at Sur La Table, and he mentioned he goes there every now and then, another small smile. Thursday of last week, I believe, I was French braiding a girls hair before class, and Chef noticed. He asked if I was good at braiding bread and asked how many strands I preferred to work with. Said I always enjoyed doing 4-6, the more strands the better the challenge. Yesterday, as we were working on our practical, Chef came around and asked questions and what not. He looked at what I was doing and said "I might have a job for you." Mind, he has a thick German accent, and the guy is pretty cool. Finished up plating and called Chef over to grade. Here's the plate

  Bottom left: a pistachio honey lace cookie with pomegranate seeds

Middle: Pistachio and ginger Jasmine rice pudding
Top right: pistachio honey lace cookie with a pomegranate-orange granite

 

He looked at it was like "may I try the pudding?" Sure. He tried, liked, and complimented on the uniqueness. Fast forward to after class today. Spoke with Chef. Asked if he knew of any good bakeries in the Dallas area. Paraphrased "Yeah, I know a couple. I would have to make some calls, but let me see what I can do." "Oh Chef, it wouldn't be until the end of May." "Oh, so not for a while then :)" "Yeah Chef." "Perfect then. Let me make some calls though and see what I can find. I know some people and if it were me I would hire you in a heartbeat." :D Long story short, he was sad I only got a B+ in the class, and not an A. Loved my take on things, it was different, and basically it was me and one other person that he wished had gotten A's in the class. But, commented on my view of flavors, coming to class early, hard working, diligent, the whole spiel. But yeah, I don't have a class with this guy for my whole freshman year, then I have one class with him and he's pretty much offering me a standing job. Yup, God is good.
 

Sorry for the novel, just a bit excited :)

So yeah. Two more days of class left for this calendar year. Leave for Michigan on Christmas night, flight takes off 8pm Denver time, and I get in to Detroit 12:30 the next morning. Call me crazy, but it's what worked and looking up Christmas Day travel, it's pretty desolate actually. Get to relax for ten days: sleep in, see family, relax, see the Hobbit twice, enjoy vacation. Yup, this has been a long time coming.
 

The first Wednesday after break, I am helping lead a worship night for Fellowship. This first year and I have collaborated on songs, gonna look over them during break, and then we get to rock out and worship God. Honestly, if I wasn't going for baking, I would look in to music because it is awesome to sing and be crazy.  

 

Decided I'm going to get dreads the summer of 2015. Have been wanting to get them for some time now, just haven't had the money and hair; imagine that :) This is the general idea, minus the beads

 

 

 I get to go on a missions trip to Peru, with Fellowship, during Spring Break. So pumped for that, just  need passport, raise support, and yellow fever shot.
 

There have been things that have gone since the last post, but with God the good things will outweigh and have a longer affect than the bad.

 

Here's the video. Suggested from a friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jGYkAZo_8I

Weapon

What a day.
Trayed up 34 dozen chocolate chip cookies for lunch service. Thank goodness they were pre-portioned so all I had to do was put them on the tray :)
The guided interns each term do a Mystery Basket event; that was today and it went amazingly well and was a great time.
Gathered and were split in to teams, there were eleven of us so two of four and one of three; I was on the three team and somehow each team got just one BPA student. We had twenty minutes to plan our menu, then two hours to cook and plate, then a few minutes to present to the judges. One was the executive or sous chef from Vesta Dipping Grill, executive chef from Angel Heart, then the Pastry Chef at my site :) We had to do an amuse bouche, an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. Pics with description and what the judges said about them.

Appetizer-Butternut Squash soup with eggplant skin garnish
Loved it, but wish we had put bit of the eggplant in the actual soup,
and it was a tad salty.

Entrée- Pork Loin, apple chutney, sautéed squash, and risotto.
Risotto was a little dry, and had no seasoning; which we found was at the bottom of the pot afterward :(
Squash was a little overdone, and the chutney was slightly acidic.
Pork was perfect though. The pork was just at temp when we pulled it out. We let it sit for a minute before cutting and plating. It was juicy and delicious to no extent.

Amuse Bouche- Shrimp Pico
Flat top seared shrimp with a pico de gallo. They loved everything about this dish, from what I can remember.

 

Dessert- Kiwi, Orange, and Mint Upside Down Cake
This was my doing :) So, I kept checking the cake and the front two were not baking all the way. Jacked up the temp a bit on the oven, and five minutes before pulling them realized the back of the oven was hotter than the front, so rotate, bake a bit, pull. Threw them in the cooler to chill for a few minutes, then flipped them on the plate. No joke, they were done bout 30 seconds before we had to send the plates out. The judges loved it, and all of them confessed the kiwi orange was an interesting combination, but they were impressed. Said it was nice and moist and warm, yeah it came out of the oven five minutes before I should hope it's not too dry. The only comment was to maybe add a cream component to it, and maybe a bigger plate.

We ended up winning the competition based on what the judges said about the dishes, back of house sanitation and what not, presentation of plates, and something else. The prize was having our picture taken with the judges, and then the spinning rubber chicken award- yes, I'll see if I can find a picture once they're posted- and that being put in a case in the culinary building with our names on a plaque :)

It was a fabulous day overall, busy but great.

Not really sure what this song is about, should probably look in to that. The artist is Canadian and love his sound. Enjoy   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo1hY2qNd3Y

 

 

 

 

Here's the team, with the rubber chicken trophy

 

 

 

And then all the interns and the judges

Waiting for Superman

Welcome to November Everybody!

Class registration went wonderfully! I had the numbers I needed, got to the page, typed them in, and within 20 seconds was all signed up for my final set of labs, and final academic. Really pumped to be starting up with classes again, and since enrollment is less than it has been in the past couple years, lab times are back to 7a instead of 6a. Hallelujah! That extra hour will make all the difference, really it will. Looking forward to the chefs I have, and I finally get to have my academic advisor for a lab.
Hmmmm....
Towards the end of September, I think, school held a career and job expo fair thing. As required for a grade, went to that and met a few people. Here's the short version, which is really isn't since this is a blog and I tend to ramble :) A company similar to Williams and Sonoma, in the kitchenware department, was there. Small table, and they're always hiring, especially at the location down the road from me. Inquired about the company, told the lady I might be interested, that whole spiel. Later that night, I applied for the kitchen assistant position at the Cherry Creek location, one nearby. Now, the kitchen assistant helps with classes in the kitchen in the back of the store. They help buy groceries for the class, prep, help the chef with students, does dishes, clean up.... kitchen assistant. So, no joke, the next day the store manager calls me to set up a phone interview. Play phone tag, and I think two weeks later, I am on the phone with an assistant manager doing, you guessed it, a phone interview. She asks some questions, availability, and other stuff. Fast forward a week, I am in the store doing an interview with the store manager, in the middle of the store. So... she asked me a few questions, and then took me back to the class kitchen, and then went to go get the floor manager on duty. Meanwhile, one of the resident chefs is getting things set up for a class or something. Floor manager is busy, so the chef interviews me instead. He finishes with the questions and asks for references. Silly me, I don't really have that many professional ones since I've only really worked for one company in the past three years. He asks for my academic advisor, I tell him, and he's like "oh, you have him. Cool." So, obviously this guy has a general idea of who this chef is. He gets the store manager, and she says she'll call references and get back to me in the next two weeks. Week goes by and I almost call her to check on things, but then she calls me and needs one more professional reference. Give her the assistant manager at work and the pastry chef at my internship site. Few days go by, and I planned to call her on Monday in case I didn't hear anything. Well, this afternoon the pastry chef gets a call. She comes back and says "That was the lady at Sur La Table. I gave you a good reference." BOOYAH!! So, the plan is if I don't hear anything by Thursday, to call and be like "hey, so am I in or not?" Huge prayers on that.
I honestly have no idea what I would do without my parents, whether they were someone else or no longer alive or stuff like that. Bible study has a trip planned to go to Peru during spring break and help out with a bunch of random stuff down there. I didn't go last year because I wasn't comfortable with the idea, but once they came back and talked about it I was determined to go this year. So, by the grace of God and love of my parents, they are paying for my reservation fee for this trip. Last year, the group was fortunate enough to have everything paid for through donations and fundraisers, for the most part, with a little left over in the end. I just need to write support letters, get passport updated, and vaccinations up to date. It would be a huge blessing if this were to happen.
Last thing
So, this all started on my birthday. A couple of us were early to Bible study, and we just chill and talk before it starts. Well, it was mentioned that it was my birthday, and people asked what I had done that day to make it special and what not. I had gone to breakfast that morning at a well known A.M. eatery in town. A friend mentioned that I should have said something, he would have come out and said "hi" to me or something like that, I had gone to a different location than the one he works at. He also joked that we should go together next time, or along those lines. A few weeks later I threw the idea at him again, and he said since he works there it gets boring and he gets the food for free; but, there was this other place he had been meaning to check out. Turns out, one of the two locations is half a block from my apartment. I texted him and we planned to meet up and what not. Well, lovely money issues, I texted last Sunday and said I wouldn't be able to go since money was tight. He replied that he had his heart set on going and would cover me because he didn't want to go alone. So, forward to Tuesday morning. I am sitting with a friend and we are enjoying a delicious breakfast. We talked and chatted, and joked and enjoyed each others company (I hope). We finished up and walked out and parted ways. It wasn't until a few hours later that I realized our waitress hadn't asked if the checks were separate or together, and she had put it on one bill and handed it to him. It was mildly humorous once I figured out what had happened. I had a good time though and it was quite enjoyable.
Long story short- I know still rambling, you were warned- I will not be going home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, because finances are tight and stingy. However, I will be going to Peru at the end of February, and then joining the family in Cancun a few weeks later.
It has been a long term and year. But, it has all been worth it in the end and God has a reason for it.

This song is off of Daughtry's new album. It was released as a sneak peak single a few weeks ago, the album release is November 19. So pumped :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXjXKT98esw

Awake and Alive: Far From Home: Life is Beautiful

What a day. Had work this morning, in at 4 :) Time to register for classes again, and through personal confusion I'm not permitted to register until Wednesday, so 4 or 5 am on Wednesday I will hopefully have my winter labs and academic, or it looks like I will be taking a term off.
Internship went well, and I had bought a baking book at Tatterred Cover on Saturday. Brought it in and we're using about 5 items from it for desserts this week :)
Got back from internship and ran a few errands, almost got hit by a car but that was my mistake. Picked up a slice of pizza for dinner, and as I was coming out a middle aged man in army garb came up to me, with the general phrase "I'm homeless, do you have any spare change?" Not wanting to really pull out my wallet, I said "Sorry, I don't." As I was walking away I sincerely felt bad for not giving him the change in my pocket that I had just gotten back from the pizza. Now, the place isn't far from my apartment and I had the box in my hand. Two guys were walking the same sidewalk as me, but going the other direction. Jokingly one held out his hand and asked "For me?" "You guys want it?" "Sure?" "Here ya go, it's bacon cheeseburger. Enjoy."
Now, this pair of men looked a little worn, but not as bad as the first gentleman. I had no problem handing them a slice of pizza that cost me more than the change I would have given the first guy. This is my dilemma for today, and honestly it will bug my heart for the rest of the day, and probably week.
Asked a friend for these song titles for post title. Have the first two in my personal music, but the last one is uhhh.... interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aJUnltwsqs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7JvWbHSG7E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJDDxHIaaVk

Wake Me Up

Well, as of this past Wednesday I am 21. It's kinda scary but somewhat surreal. Was up early for work, then went out for breakfast with me myself and I, internship, then Bible study. It was a long day, but well worth it.
Internship is going quite well. Love the people in the kitchen and they are awesome to work with, even when it rains for almost 24 hours and the basement starts to flood :)
Work is another story. I'm not getting many hours to begin with because of school and the fact the store isn't open after 5 in the evening, but I when I am there I feel like the GM is taking advantage of that. Feeling underappreciated and a lot has gone down in the past few days, and the next week or so to come, so combined with whatnot I am about two seconds away from quitting. I can't bring myself to do that though, leaving the store in a rut with other employees lessening their hours. The Panera nearby is hiring a café associate, basically a general use person. It would be a huge blessing to get that job because then I could have more hours since they close later in the evening. It's also well within walking distance so I would be saving on gas too.
On a better note, the worship leader at church helps run the Bible study at school. I had mentioned to him that I was interested and have been watching rehearsals these past two Sundays. Church is starting up with Tuesday night services, same thing as Sunday mornings just on a different day. He asked me to sing harmony with another lady for this Tuesday and then Sunday and Tuesday following. It would awesome to be able to get that opportunity.  
It's been a hectic week altogether and I don't think the next couple are going to be any better.
I had heard this quote before, but a couple times it was mentioned at camp by some of the resident staff. In a nutshell it explains what I feel right now, and how I want to feel in the long run:

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." C.S. Lewis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcrbM1l_BoI

I Am A Stone

To say that today was eventful is an understatement-

Had an informational meeting for internship stuff at 9a this morning, at school. I woke up early with the anticipation of leaving early, getting there on time, that whole spiel. It's a good thing I did leave early, 45 minutes before I had to be there, which would have given me 30 minutes for morning traffic and what not. Got in car at 8:15, and by 8:17 I was walking; because some lovely imbecile had taken the front tire off my bike. Yes, walking.
About a week ago my parents and I returned from an escapade in northern Colorado, my car was parked in a secure lot, and all was well. I went to turn the key, and the display panel said "Steering locked, turn wheel/try again." After much frustration and deliberation my dad got it to work. He said if this ever happened again to call him and to let the dealership know what had happened when I took it in for service next.
Fast forward-
Little under and hour and a half to walk about 3.5-4 miles to school. Was 30 or so minutes late, but didn't miss anything important. Got whites for this year, and filled out some paperwork, and I headed back to the apartment. Grand totaling little over 7 miles of walking today :P
Around 1:30 my car was being towed to the dealership. They diagnosed the problem and gave me the general numbers. Not a pretty sight for a poor college student let me tell ya. So, for the two hours it took them to fix the problem I was balling my eyes out. How was I gonna pay for this? I had some in savings, which meant all that overtime from this week was going straight to next months rent. Called dad, he called mom, she called me and assured everything would be alright and that we are most fortunate to be able to afford these kind of surprises.
I walked in to a place to get some ice cream, right after talking with mom. Guy at the counter said hello and asked how I was doing (general 'customers walking in be friendly stuff'). I wanted to say good, but pretty sure my massively puffy eyes said otherwise. He asked what I wanted, and I told him. Got to the register, and he said he'd cover it. "Are you sure?" I asked. "Yeah, don't worry about it." That gesture made my day and actually put what the ice cream would have cost in to the tip jar plus some. It was raining, which actually made the end of things even better.
Got back to the dealership and everything got finished.
It is now 7:53p and I am snuggly in bed, candle lit, listening to Philip Wesley Pandora station, just had some sour cream and onion kettle chips, and a bowl of blueberry flax granola. The past 12 hours have been the craziest I've had since being back, but I will look back on this and figure that God had a plan for this happening and live on in life.
Back in the whites and houndstooth tomorrow :) So excited to be back in the kitchen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNtx3IB-Y64

 

Lost in You

Hey blog world!
What a crazy past couple months.
Camp was awesome as usual, but as usual it was came with lessons that I thought I would not be learning. Started off as kitchen assistant on East Side. Some things happened and I took a break from that for the rest of the summer. Did archery for a week, west side trading post for one, then back to archery for weeks 9 & 10. The PTS were a huge blessing, and the kids that came down to the range were sweet hearts and a pleasure to be around. I honestly don't know how to describe this summer without either breaking into tears, or yearning to just be done with school and go back for seasonal staff for a bit. As always though, it was an honor and blessing above all to serve at camp again, and I don't think I can thank God enough for the people He has put in my life and what He has taught me those three months.
Was home for a week, packed, got some things sorted out, then headed out to Denver.
I have been living in my apartment for about a week and a half now. The location is quite perfect, persay a few things. Whole Foods is half a mile walk, Denver Public Library is half a mile walk, and Panera is .3 mile walk :) There is a lovely little coffee shop just around the corner, and downtown isn't too far off either.
I'm on the fourth floor, and no joke the people across the alley are no more than 5 feet away, but it's not too bad overall. Layout is a studio, which basically means one big room. Fridge, stove, sink, little oven, microwave, the basic works to get by without too much fanciness; but the company that runs the apartments feels the need to charge top dollar, whoop tee doo :P
Back at my old job, along with the internship (further detail below), for a few hours a week. The manager was more than happy to have me back, but was kinda sad to hear my limited hours. I love this location though and would be more than happy to go back full time if the occasion arises. Internship: it's basically Monday through Friday, 7a to 3p, but that could change with special events and such. At the moment I am the only intern, but there is the pastry chef and she told me it was going to be hard work, but it is fun at the same time if we make it that way.
More in the past few days. I worked 10.5 hours because someone had to go home early, which wasn't too bad because it was closing and it was the assistant and myself so we got everything done in a timely manner and what not. Oh, and work is little over a mile walk so been doing that walk twice a day for the past four days, yay for exercise at creepy hours of the morning; but no, it's actually a pretty safe and decent commute.
Was coming back today from work, and my bike is in a locked enclosed area on the side of the apartment building. Quickly took a look, and my front tire was missing. So, unless I can learn to do wheelies anytime soon, thinking I should bring the bike up so further damage does not ensue.
Furnishings are almost complete, except three drawers on the kitchen table. Story on the sofa. I was coming back from something a few days ago, and a couple was putting a recliner and loveseat on the curb; signs saying free. I inquired and the guy said I could have whatever I wanted. Long story short, I now have a lovely light tan leather loveseat in my apartment, and minus a little sweat from putting it in the elevator, it was free. Could use a little TLC, but thanks be to God for the provision and blessing; especially since it's leather, aaahhhh (angelic singing :). Anywho....
That's life up to this point.
Actually quite anticipating the start of school, seeing friends, and to get on with life and start new adventures and meet new people and to keep going.
Oh, and Ikea tells people to put their furniture together with someone because then you can both have blisters on your hands from putting a table together :)   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpH_iYJNAq8