30 Things: I Want a Damn Grill Already!

Outside, Where We Belong

August I feel like I never had the chance to get to know you. And just like that, you were gone. How is it September next week? I demand a recount. Mike and I are both trying to gracefully accept the inevitable melding of summer into fall, but we all know what comes after fall, don't we? (Closes eyes, takes a deep breath, and chants: Live in the moment, live in the moment, live in the moment). Good thing I love fall with all it's leafy, football-y, butternut squashi-ness. And really, we've had a good run in the weather and summer fun department. Such a good run in fact that I don't think I've sat down in three weeks. No really, my feet are killing me. It may be time for an edition of 30 Things because this feels like a day for bullet points and abstraction. Without further ado, here are 30 things that we've done in our most recent 30 days in New York. (We're up to 485 days here in case you lost count...seriously I feel like I'm living in fast forward mode).

1. More concerts in the park. Metric at Prospect Park in Brooklyn with some fun couples. We picnicked and drank wine, and approved of our friends new-ish boyfriend. So much so that they are coming over for dinner and board games tomorrow night...which will probably ruin our friendship. If you've ever played games with me, you are nodding knowingly. (Flips Risk board over scattering armies into every nook and cranny of the room. Months later, continues to find said armies in things like vases and serving dishes. Cringe).

2. We had a friend in town from LA a few weeks back and we decided to take him to Washington Square to listen to some of the musicians. He wanted to take his glass of wine which I transferred to a plastic cup with a stern warning to be discreet. We are not in New Orleans and cops regularly wander through the park. We're sitting listening to a drum circle and Matty is sipping out of his pink plastic cup when he spots a cop. Let's just say his reaction was the exact opposite of smooth or cool. He sees the cop, makes eye contact, yanks his cup from view, leans over and whispers loudly "DUDE, THERE'S A COP!" as the cop watches with amusement.

The cop of course walks over and says "Whydya move ya cup like dat? Got booze in deh?".

Matty, attempting to be casual: "Oh, you know, just a little wine". (Shrugging like the actual volume will make it less against the law).

Cop: "Do me a favor and dump it out, wouldya?" (Walks away).

US: (Pointing and laughing at Matty).

The rest of the weekend was spent asking each other if we "Got booze in deh?"

3. Wow, I'm only on the third thing and I've already written a screenplay. I may have to tone down the 30 things to a more manageable number. Or be more succinct. Let's continue and see how this plays out.

4. I hit some Long Island wineries with our friends Susan and Tommy to help them pick out some wine for their upcoming wedding. Mike stayed at their place in LI and studied poolside for his PA re-certification exam that he has to take every 6 years. We came home after and grilled up steaks and other deliciousness with some of our purchases and talked for 3 days after about how much we miss having outdoor space and a grill.

5. Mike passed his boards! Not that I was concerned, but still it's nice to have another 6 years before he has to study like that again.

6. We went to the Poconos with A la Grecque, which is where her lovely parents, Bill and Lizzy live. They were having a big family party and apparently we are now adopted Greek cousins. Seriously, the Big Fat movie is no joke. Neither is her Yia-Yia Mary, who has awesome spiky white hair and wears leopard print tops and purple toenail polish. It was a great weekend of food and family, even if it wasn't ours. And we spent the next 3 days talking about how much we miss having outdoor space and a grill.

7. I got an invite to a wine dinner at SD-26, an updated version of the New York Italian staple, San Domenico, through Food & Wine mag and brought Mike along. We tasted wines from the small Italian island of Pantelleria, which were paired with things like a chilled San Marzano tomato soup with Burrata cheese, the most delicately sweet, fresh Gamberi di Mazzara shrimp with cannellini beans and rosemary oil, beef cheek ravioli, oxtail with grilled radicchio, and something chocolaty. The wines were fantastic, the food was delicious, and our dining companions were a lot of fun. Hopefully this free dinner thing is a trend.


The Best Shrimp Ever at SD-26

8. One of my favorite cousins, Erica, moved to New York this month to attend grad school at Columbia for a curatorial art program. She has stayed with us for a few days here and there until her housing opens up and she is such an easy roommate. If you've been to our place, you know how small it is, and if you add another person and 4 of the biggest duffel bags you've ever seen, it could be considered crowded. She's lovely to have around though. And not just because she picks up fruit tarts at Italian bakeries and my favorite goat cheese and aged chorizo for snacks, it's just nice to have her here.

9. We spent a good part of the last week in San Diego, a trip we made for our good friends, Nate & Melissa's wedding, which was beautiful. Melissa may have been the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. The wedding was outside in Pt. Loma right on the bay and the weather was perfect.


All of my pics of Melissa came out blurry, so you'll have to settle for these dapper young men

10. I miss San Diego. We spent quite a bit of time at various friends houses sitting in their yard, chatting, sipping on wine, and grilling. As you can imagine, we spent the next several days talking about how much we miss having outdoor space and a grill.

11. We spent a day in IB (Imperial Beach for those not from the greater San Diego area) with our friends and old roomies, Emmy & Curtis. We did what we used to do with them: bike around town, get tacos, hit a dive bar, make a fantastic meal, play beer pong, make fun of each other, and sit in the jacuzzi. I wanted to have that day on repeat for like a week. Except for the part where Emmy ate almost the entire topping off my peach cobbler before anyone had a chance to eat it. (Love you Em!)


Sunset in IB

12. I got to see two of my best girlfriends and it was so bittersweet. I love them so much and I miss them so much and it's so much fun to be around them. We have big plans to have a Golden Girls style house someday that we can retreat to together and wear tunics and rayon dresses with shoulder pads whenever we need to get away from life. I've already called dibs on having the peach chiffon bedroom, although I may try to trade with Donna (who can't decide if she wants to be Rose or Sophia) for the one with the Bird of Paradise wallpaper and rattan bedroom set. Jill (aka Dorothy)is going dusty rose, which I think is the same as mauve, but she disagrees. I am Blanche because I want to be the saucy one.


Dorothy & Blanche

13. We also got to spend time with some of our oldest friends, the Mora-Steinland-Gravers, who have apparently been at it like rabbits since we moved. There are 5 tots between the three couples now and we had a lovely meal (in the backyard of course, hmph) with the whole gang. The kids are all adorable and the babies are so squishy and cute. It was especially fun to tell them that Uncle Mike would give them horsey rides...because how can you not crawl around on the ground for a two year old with ringlets?

14. Work has been going great and is super busy. I love the balance of cooking, which can be physically demanding, and being at the Food & Wine offices immersed in wine. At Etsy, the staff is so friendly and appreciative of the meals we are making, and we started putting out snacks like granola, fresh squeezed lemonade, and warm zucchini cake. It's pretty cool, and rare I think, to get an instant reward for your work and have people stopping by your work station to say thank you for a job well done. My feet are usually killing me by the end of the day and I typically have all manner of minor nicks and cuts on my fingers, along with blueberry stains under my finger nails, but it's definitely worth it.

15. Well, it looks like I made it halfway through my 30 things, which seems like a satisfactory accomplishment for a Saturday morning. Now if I can only figure out how to be bicoastal so we can have our friends, our yard, and a grill in San Diego, and the jobs, friends, and life I love in New York. This may just be the year of cake and eating it.

Smiling Through the Stench

I just got the new issue of Time Out New York magazine (TONY for short) and the cover in bold typeface screams:

THE COOLEST JOBS (AND HOW TO GET THEM)

I tossed it, along with my knife kit, on the kitchen counter, locked our old, heavy door behind me and opened the fridge. I found a half full bottle (ahhh...optimism) of Sauvignon Blanc that I brought home from work and dumped its entire contents into a very large glass and kicked off my flip flops. I took a swig, set the glass on the bathroom sink and turned on the shower. I peeled of my sweaty, smudgy, flour dusted clothes and stepped in. It was only then, with the cool water raining on my face, washing away the days work, did I realize that I had been smiling the whole time.

Before I terrorize you anymore with images of me alone and grinning creepily in the shower, let me explain. Or at least wax poetic. Standing here, looking back at the past 9 years in which I searched and struggled and talked myself into jobs or career paths that I hoped would work out, trying to make square pegs fit in round holes, wishing I had that certainty that I was doing the right thing, it all makes sense now. I can identify those defining moments that led me to this point. I can see all of the choices, that at the time seemed like an exercise in futility, as key experiences that I needed to arrive at this moment. It's funny because some of the worst of the lot ended up yielding the biggest opportunities in the end.

I'll stop romanticizing now and just say I feel like a lucky girl who is getting what I want. And it only took me 9 years of looking to find it. I can use that TONY issue to line the proverbial bird cage because I'm finally working a full-time schedule for the first time in (cringe) three years. I'll be working 2 - 3 days each week at Food & Wine and 2 -3 days each week cooking a market driven, seasonal menu for the staff of Etsy. (If you aren't familiar with Etsy, you have to check out the website). For a better idea of the job, check out this article in the Wall Street Journal about the really cool chick (and chef) that I am working for. So, in short, I get to immerse myself in wine a few days each week and then I get to cook great food on the other days. Even better, I get to work week days and have a normal schedule and free evenings and weekends to spend with Mike.

Okay, I'm now convinced that a piano is going to fall on me as I walk down the street whistling happily. Or I've made everyone ill with my gushy bliss. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be back to cursing out strangers and complaining about bad smells on the subway any second now. Oh seriously, speaking of, yesterday was like a game of "What the hell IS that?" - picture me looking like someone just farted in my face, which I do think was one round of the game on the C train. Other rounds included "I haven't brushed my teeth ever and you're stuck next to me on the F train", "Standing water that may be raw sewage", and "This actually burns". See? Back to my old self.

On another note, Mike's been taking really cool pictures lately with the Hipstamatic for iPhone app, so I am going to post some every now and then. The two here are of an evening walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Enjoy!

Champagne Wishes on a Miller High Life Budget

Everyone has wish lists right? It's not just me that makes up outrageous dream scenarios like "If I could have a permanent home anywhere and two vacation properties, I would live in (fill in the blank), have a beach house on (fill in the blank), and a rustic retreat at (fill in the blank)".

I know how the listing for my dream New York City apartment would read: 2 bedroom, exposed brick, private rooftop access, chef's kitchen, high ceilings, hardwood floors...I could go on.

I also have a restaurant wish list of gastronomic temples that I must visit before I leave this earth. There are a disproportionate number on that list that are right here in Manhattan and while I've managed to check a few off that list, I don't exactly have the bank account that will allow me to pop into Per Se, Daniel, or Le Bernardin anytime soon. Those have to be saved for special occasions because in all likelihood, I will never be pulling in the kind of cash that permits Tuesday night dinners that cost more than a car payment. And that's okay because how sacred is a temple if you can get in any time?

For now, I've learned to make other kinds of wish lists. Mike would call it the New York bucket list because it's our list of things to do while we live here since we know we won't live here forever. We did the same thing when we knew we only had a year left in San Diego - made a list of everything we wanted to do but hadn't and everything we had done before and wanted to do again. It was a great little personal guide book for those days when you can't decide on what to do, can't agree on anything, or just can't find the creativity to come up with something. Our New York bucket list is pretty food heavy. So while we may not be able to afford a four course meal cooked by a culinary master, we can still enjoy the roots of this city's vibrant dining scene. I've learned two things in my recent transformation into Stingy MacFrugal. First, it's insanely easy to walk into a bar or restaurant in Manhattan and spend $12 on a drink or $75 on a mediocre meal for two. Second, it's also insanely easy to get ridiculously cheap meals that are exponentially more delicious and interesting than the $75 dinner date. And by cheap I mean, a pocket-full-of-change cheap. Here are some recent finds that have kept our bellies and wallets full.

1. Raffetto's


We are kicking ourselves for not discovering this spot sooner since it is exactly 3 blocks from our apartment, on Houston between Sullivan and MacDougal. It's an Italian specialty shop that makes fresh pasta, cut to order. You can get a pound of plain egg pasta cut into pappardelle or tagliatelle for little more than $2. So for the same price as a box of Barilla, you can have fresh, tender, toothy noodles. The plain is best for more complex sauces, but you can order pasta flavored with things like saffron, rosemary, black pepper, and squid ink that work beautifully tossed with some butter and parm. They also make delicious ravioli and tortellini stuffed with everything from wild mushrooms to pumpkin to lobster for about $5/pound. Everything else you would expect to find in an Italian specialty shop is here: sausage, cured meats, cheeses, housemade sauces, prepared foods, and quality imported oils, tomatoes, grains, and anchovies that are a must for a good Italian pantry.

2. Jackson Heights, Queens
One hour walking around this seriously mulit-culti neighborhood and we had spent about $10 and eaten food from 6 different countries. We followed the $1 Jackson Heights eating walk outlined in Time Out New York magazine (a great weekly guide to what's happening in the Big Apple) and were rewarded with savory Columbian pastries, steamy, spicy tamales, and aromatic veggie samosas. Stepping off the subway onto Roosevelt Ave is somewhat transformative as you realize just how big New York City is and how many different kinds of people call it home. And not just call it home but make it like the home they came from. With each block it was like a new pocket of Latin America, China or India. It kind of feels like the world is at your fingertips and you can just reach out and eat it.

3. Picnicking


While we are certainly not the first to discover the joy of the picnic, we've been packing our meals into a small soft-sided cooler (with a San Diego Chargers logo, of course, courtesy of my sister) and taking lunch or dinner al fresco. Our recent picnic spots have included: Brooklyn Bridge Park, which sits below the bridge on the Brooklyn Side of the East River (pasta salad and spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline), Central Park for free Summerstage concerts (Jimmy Cliff and a bag of summer cherries), Prospect Park in Brooklyn for their Celebrate Brooklyn free summer concert series (Ozomatli and watermelon salad), and Washington Square (street musicians, a drum circle, and sangria).

4. Any bar on MacDougal or Bleecker.
While we typically avoid the madness of MacDougal and Bleecker street bars because they cater to NYU undergrads and tourists, we sometimes get lured in because we live right down the street. Some are less douchey than others but all have drink specials so cheap, I sometimes think I am back in Buffalo. Draft beer for $2, pitchers for $5. You can't even get a beer for $5 in a most places here. So we stop in from time to time with a deck of cards or a set of dominoes and ignore the crappy Top 40 tunes, bartenders who look like Jersey Shore extras, and general lack of character (from the bar and patrons) because a $2 beer is a $2 beer. Best bang for our buck: Off the Wagon and the Fat Black Pussy Cat.

What Does This Have To Do With Anything?

While I don't have any earth shattering news this week, I am determined get back to regular posts and avoid having to write another apologetic "where has the time gone?" entry. (See February - July). I actually have plenty to share, but if I write about the new job I have to get it approved by my editors to make sure I am not giving away any industry secrets I suppose. So I guess I will just say that so far it's been fantastic and that the magazine is aptly named because there is an abundance of both food and wine for the taking. I'm hoping I'll be able to report back at this time next week that I have a second very exciting part-time job cooking and am finally employed full-time (goodbye empty pockets!), but if I don't bring it up, just pretend like I never mentioned it because that will mean that I didn't get the job and I won't feel like explaining.

In other news, over the past several months, I've been volunteering at Edible Magazine events with my Wanna Spoon partner in crime, Linda Lou (you may also know her as A La Grecque). Here's Linda at the Brooklyn Uncorked event in May that featured Brooklyn chefs and Long Island wines.



Edible magazine is a fantastic local publication that focuses on well, everything that is edible and local. You probably have an edition in your city or region and I highly recommend checking it out. They feature lots of interesting people and places that are worth getting to know. Plus they put on and sponsor fun local food events. A few weeks ago, Mike and I volunteered at Meatopia, a BBQ and beer event held on Governor's Island featuring 25 chefs doing their take on natures gift to us: dead animals. We spent the day handing out copies of the mag and eating a ton of meat and drinking local beer from Sixpoint Brewery. It's a great way to attend cool events for free (it's the cheapskate in me) and meet great people who like to eat and drink. Here's me at Meatopia:



Tonight we (Mike, me and our adopted Greek baby, Linda Lou) are attending Good Beer at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It's 22 chefs cooking 22 dishes to pair with 22 beers. This time we are attending, not volunteering because they throw you a freebie every now and then for helping out. I am very much looking forward to it. I don't think I was always this way and I'm pretty sure it's because Manhattan is a money pit, (Side Note: Remember that movie with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long? For some reason, as a 9 year old that movie really spoke to me and I watched it every single time it came on TV. It probably had something to do with the scene where the bathtub crashes through the floor, but whatever, I loved that movie), anyway, I was saying, I get so excited about getting free stuff now. It's almost like "HA! You can take 40% of our income for rent, and charge me twice as much for eggs, and force me to spend $8 on a single load of laundry that I have to carry down three flights of stairs and around the corner to the laundromat, but guess what city, I win this time!".

So in addition to be cranky with strangers, I am now cheap. Maybe when I turned 33, my brain got confused and thought I was 83 and I am now an old woman trapped in a young woman's body. Kind of like Freaky Friday, but the version with Jodie Foster, not Lindsay Lohan. Or EVEN better Like Father, Like Son, which is the male version of Freaky Friday with Kirk Cameron (sound of 4th grade me sighing) and Dudley Moore (crickets). In this case, I am not actually switching bodies with anyone, just slowly going crazy, obviously.

Does Anyone Know Where This Train Is Going?

I don't know how this happened. I have been known to avoid things I don't have the energy to deal with until they become this dark cloud hanging over my head or a weight on my shoulders constantly reminding me that I have unfinished business. The best analogy I can come up with is that the last few months have been like the aftermath of a wedding. If you're married, you probably know what I'm referring to. You spend months, even years planning your big day, endlessly researching invitation styles, centerpieces, favors and a bunch of other crap that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things (no offense to my friends about to tie the knot). You have this perfect day, a week of honeymoon sex and bliss, and then you come back to reality and what do you have? The rest of your life. Which if you're like any other bride, you've only thought about one day for the past 12 months and have neglected to think about the day after that or the day after that. Not to say that those following days aren't great days, but there's an adjustment period where you have to switch gears and refocus your energy on sustaining day-to-day happiness and rid yourself of the princess fantasies. So basically, graduating culinary school was a lot like that. There was this huge sense of achievement and possibilities, a lovely vacation and then what did I have? The rest of my life.

I've spent the past few months interviewing, working here and there, and doing a fair amount of traveling. And every time I sat down to write about it, I just felt lost. I didn't know what to say because I wasn't sure what the hell I was doing or what direction I was moving in, so I did what I tend to do when I become overwhelmed. I distracted myself and pretended like this blog never existed. But I always knew it was there, waiting for me to come back, and in a way taunting my writers block. So I bit the proverbial bullet today, dusted myself off and got back on the wagon (cliche hat trick!). I thought about writing in detail about all the things I've done and the ups and downs, but I am nothing if not lazy, so you're getting a blog equivalent of a recap episode so I don't have to linger in the past and can look ahead at what's to come. Here we go!

Previously, on Emily's life:

1. We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary in May. I am happy to report that the aftermath of our wedding has been a great ride.

2. In May, I applied and interviewed for several jobs, thought each interview was a raging success, and then was repeatedly punched in the face with rejection. While it's amusing now, had I blogged about it, I would have had to send anyone reading free Xanax to recover from the downer. And let's face it, I needed it more than you.

3. June was a much better month. I was able to do some giving back. By giving back, I mean fly off to Paris on a whim to comfort a lonely friend who had just moved there. And by comfort I mean wander aimlessly around the City of Light eating, drinking, and people watching with a side (trip) of Brussels sprinkled in. Interestingly enough, it was better than Xanax and gave me a fresh, conquer-the-world perspective.

4. I picked up some freelance catering gigs in June with some fantastic women chefs. I got to cook alongside a Top Chef contestant for a bunch of fashion industry types (and models) and I did a really fun party up in Connecticut for some arty people with a beautiful country home. Hopefully this will turn into more freelance work because I very much enjoyed it.

5. Mike had a conference in Atlantic City for an entire week, so I took a bus down and joined him for a few days. While it was lovely to spend some time laying on the beach and walking hand in hand on the boardwalk in the evenings, there are two things I won't be doing again: taking the bus to AC or doing anything that involves AC. I'll try to explain this delicately. People watching in New York City is always entertaining, sometimes a train wreck, but mostly just wacky fun. People watching in Atlantic City, you just want to take a giant broom and sweep everyone there under a rug. Then roll up the rug, put it in a weighted garbage bag and toss it off a pier. Better yet, we could put the rug in the Greyhound bus I rode down in and drive it off the pier. So much for delicately.

6. We spent the weekend of the 4th with our good friends Trisha and Mike, boating the days away in the waters of the great white north. Or whatever Canada is nicknamed. Despite the fact that everything that possibly could go wrong related to our plans went wrong, we had a fantastic weekend with perfect weather. It was so nice to be away from the city.

7. I finally reeled in a job from the endless sea of interviews and one that I am very excited about at that. It's a part-time, six month position at Food & Wine magazine in which I will be assisting the two wine editors with story research, wine tastings, wine inventory management (I have built a three bottle cooler into all of my purses so the bottles won't clink together when I make off with them each evening), and hopefully some website writing. It should be a great opportunity that will bring more of the same.

8. I'm still rowing through the endless sea to fill in the rest of the work week as well as the gaping hole in our bank account, I'll keep you posted.

9. I turned 33 this weekend and I am convinced that this is going to be my best year yet. I don't know why, but there's just something about the number that makes me think it's magical. That's the koolaid I am drinking today anyway.

10. I think I am becoming too New York for my taste. I was walking home from yet another interview today, which was on the Upper West Side (73rd and Columbus). I called my sis and decided to walk for a while and chat since it didn't feel like the inside of a dragon's mouth outside. I cut through Central Park and then headed down Broadway, which of course took me straight into the lions den of Times Square. I caught myself telling two different people to "Watch it!" when they stepped in my path because they were so busy staring dumbly at the pretty lights. About 20 blocks south, I was chatting with Mike (earphones in) and some kid approached me with a clipboard for Greenpeace or gay rights or whatever, it was easily the 14th kid who had approached me while I was walking. As he started to talk, I cut him off with a quick "I'm on the phone" and tried to maneuver around him. He ran alongside me, telling me he knew I wasn't actually on the phone. I stopped and loudly said "Yes I am, NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!". Mike just laughed. I tried to recall the exact moment in time when I became a rude, surly creature, but I think it may just be a transformation that everyone who lives here goes through from the constant barrage of leaflets, campaigners, panhandlers, drug dealers, knockoff accessories pushers, tourists, crazies and morons.

So now you are all caught up on my last few months and can picture that I will soon need Botox to get rid of the lines I am getting from scowling at people.

Vacation: The Nor Cal Edition

Nice To See You Again, Pacific...

Vacations always seem to come just when you need them, don't they? I guess that's because we plan them that way, but still, we needed this vacay...bad. Typically with vacation, I am counting down the days before I go. I have every day mapped out, restaurant reservations confirmed, and plans A, B, and C on paper. I know, I am so "fly by the seat of my pants". Look, it works for us. I get to carefully orchestrate the perfect symphony of activities that will culminate in the most beautiful vacation ever experienced and Mike gets to be surprised on a daily basis about what we are doing. And lest you think I am completely rigid, I always have options for us and am more flexible than I sound. This time around was different. I have been so busy with school, internships and volunteering (i.e. begging for jobs), that I didn't have time to do my usual research and development sessions for this trip. It was literally the day before when I realized that school was over and now it was time to pack for a week away in Northern California! The big things were squared away like hotel reservations, car rental, and loose plans with family and friends, but I didn't even have a consolidated itinerary...in a notebook...with all confirmations and travel documents...and contact information...and restaurant reviews. I know, I know, I am a complete control freak. Anyway, valuable lesson learned: Overplanning a vacation turns out almost exactly the same as a loosely planned vacation. With one exception, without all the obsessive planning and coordinating, I had no time to build the trip up to unreachable expectations, so anything that happened good or less good, was just gravy. My whole belief system about planning and execution is crumbling around me. (Assumes fetal position).

Regardless, it was a fantastic trip filled with great friends and family, terrific food and drink, and glorious, wide open spaces filled with green things and clean air. It was also accompanied by that familiar feeling we get when we visit somewhere we love (and we looooove Nor Cal), where we have a daily discussion of if we could live there, where exactly we would want to live, what the pros and cons of living there would be, before we ultimately decide that it's not a decision we need to be making right now.

We spent a full week blowing around the Northern California coastline with a stop in Sacramento and the East Bay for reunions with friends and fam. We made sure to set aside several days of time for the two of us because, as I said, we sooo needed it and as I'm sure anyone who lives far from home knows, it's easy to get caught up in trying to see every person you have ever known while you are in town for a few days. Following are pictures from our week of (mostly) bliss.


I Left My Heart Here


Good Friends, Good Food at One Market Street in San Francisco


Does It Make You Want To Throw Your Arms Out and Twirl?


Our Room at the Glendeven Inn in Mendocino

The Final and the Finality

That gorgeous hat would not be possible without this man

As evidenced by me rocking the toque above, I passed my final. That, of course, does not tell the whole story. The night before, I went to bed early, ready to rest up and be refreshed for the final push (and the subsequent festivities) thinking that I was calm, confident, and prepared. I could not sleep to save my life. It's what happens when I am pretending to not have anxiety about something. My mind won't turn off and I lay there thinking about things like what outfits to pack for my trip and if I have time to get my brows done. Then when I finally acknowledge that I might be stressed about the thing that I am avoiding thinking about and deal with it, I fall asleep. So I woke up feeling like I got hit by a truck and proceeded to drink way too much coffee while reviewing my recipes over and over. There were only 3 dishes I did not want to draw for my final: the dreaded duck, the cod dish (which I had only done once in class), and the stupid lemon tart. I got the cod and lemon tart combo obviously. I was half expecting them to throw in the duck as an added torture.

My attitude quickly passed and I reminded myself that I knew exactly what to do and just had to stay organized and on time. For the first few hours I was clickin' along, I got my tart dough done right off the bat so it had time to rest. I made my lemon curd and got it chilled down. I made my potatoes, kale and chorizo for the cod dish. I cleaned and cooked my clams. I rolled out my tarts and baked them. I got my station set up with a hot water bath, clam broth, and clarified butter to cook the cod. I put all my garnishes on ice on my station and I started to sear and baste my cod. I felt great. Then before I knew it I had like 5 minutes to plate and get out the door. Chef Jason was shouting at us to push and plate and GO! GO! GO! It was totally unnerving and I started to panic. I knew I was going to be late because there were so many damn components on the plate. And I was late and the plates were a little sloppy, not too bad, but a little. And my cod was a little dark. I ran the four plates on a giant tray down to the judges room and then ran back to finish those stupid tarts.

My station was a disaster and I still had to candy the pineapple, which still had to be cut into rings, make gingered whip cream, and fill the tarts with the lemon curd, which still needed sour cream added to it. And then I had to plate it all. I only had 35 minutes and I was a wreck. I spent about 10 minutes working like a complete disaster in panic mode before I got a grip, cleaned up my station and calmed down. I plated my tarts on time and despite several attempts at ruining them, they actually looked pretty darn good.

I was so relieved when it was over but I was also somewhat disappointed in myself. I just didn't expect to be in panic mode. I hadn't worked that way before and I was sort of dumbfounded that I briefly fell apart when it mattered most. That feeling mostly washed away as we walked into the judges room and were handed a glass of champers. Something about tiny bubbles calms me down.

I got nice feedback from my judges, two of which were Andre Soltner (look him up) and Andrea Beeman from Top Chef Season 1. The only complaints were that my fish was too dark, which I knew. My tart was perfection, which I almost wanted to tell the esteemed French master Chef Soltner, was a total accident, but instead took a giant gulp of bubbly. Once we walked out of judges room, it was pure pandemonium. We changed and practically ran to our local watering hole O'Neail's (which is coincidentally Steve's bar on Sex in the City for all the ladies out there), where our favorite bartenders where waiting with congratulations and shots of Jameson. The rest of the night is a blur of squealing, jumping up and down, drinks, more drinks, cab rides, karaoke (which was more of a scream-a-long complete with light up tambourines), and an early morning trip to McDonald's in which we bought everything they had left to sell. This included 6 chicken sandwiches of various shapes and sizes. We complained about the lack of fries and were told that we could kindly wait a half hour until 5:30 when breakfast service began. One of my favorite classmates, Sheries Jubilee (as she is sometimes called) pointed out to the cashier (in Westchestah accent) that they didn't serve fries with breakfast so we would be passing on that offer. I don't think those were her exact words.



Sheries Jubilee and Me

After a snooze til noon, I managed to get up, shower and get a mani/pedi for only the third time in a year! We can't wear nail polish in the kitchen and my nails have looked raggedy since I've been in school. The good thing it that when you decorate your hands with cuts, burns, blisters and black fingernails it distracts from the lack of polish and shaping.

Graduation was a big, smiley, lovefest between classmates and chefs, with several jokes about our all nighter thrown in. Afterwards, we celebrated with our good friends, Susan & Tommy, and her hilarious parents, who we like to call the Senator (because he looks like one) and the Commissioner (for her inquisitive detective skills). We went to Peter Luger for some insanely good steak in a sort of Old New York mafia atmosphere. It was delish and I was ready for bed by 9pm.

Now that the dust has settled, the finality of it all has really settled in. I can't believe my school days are over and that I won't be roaming the kitchens of FCI any longer. I already miss my chefs and classmates, even my favorite dishwasher, whose name I don't know because we always called him Amigo. I miss butter sandwiches (stolen baguettes smeared with butter and sprinkled with sea salt). I don't miss those dumpy pants, boxy jackets and ill fitting hats. I do miss coming home with duck and short ribs and tart dough and vanilla beans. I miss Wednesday night at O'Neail's. And sometimes Monday. And Friday. I miss the camaraderie. But life goes on and now it's time for the next chapter. And that next chapter happens to be a vacation.



A La Grecque, Chef Jason & Me

It All Comes Down To This

Chef Jason drops some knowledge on Michelle and Vera


Why must all good things come to an end? It's a stupid, stupid expression that I wish weren't true. I suppose if good things never ended you wouldn't be able to appreciate them and they wouldn't be worth nearly as much. I cooked last night at L'Ecole for the last time as a student and it was bittersweet. I'm ready for the next chapter, but I can't believe my days of sweating, minor cuts and burns,and causing mischief are over. Not to mention the fact that I may actually have to start paying for vanilla beans instead of swiping them from pastry. And parchment paper. And peppercorns. Although I'm pretty sure A La Grecque has stockpiled enough FCI loot through her knife kit smuggling system that I could call on her if I need a pastry bag.




Jamie (Farmer Chef), Susan, and Apphia (far right) pay attention while Linda (A La Grecque) is in typical form

Tomorrow is our final exam, which we've been anticipating for nine months, and the reality and finality of this whole experience is starting to sink in. I remember back in July when I was just finishing up Level 1, I volunteered along with a few classmates to help Chef Nic set up for his Level 6 class final. The final works like this: Each student draws a number (literally from a bowl). The number corresponds to a pairing of dishes, either a garde manger and saucier dish (appetizer and meat) or a poissonier and patissiere dish (fish and pastry). Each number also has two corresponding times, when you will present your first and second dishes to the judges. You're graded on how you work in the kitchen while preparing your food: Is your station set up correctly? Do you work neatly and efficiently? Are you demonstrating proper technique? Are you wearing gloves when plating your food? Is your food being held at the proper temperature? Did you walk out the kitchen door with your plates for the judges at the appointed time exactly? When it arrives at the judges table: Is your food the proper temperature? If it's hot food, are your plates hot? Is your presentation neat and clean? And then of course, is it cooked and seasoned properly and does it taste how it's supposed to taste? These are all things that have been drilled into our heads since Level 1 in preparation for this day. When I helped Chef Nic set up the final last summer, I remember assembling a tray for each student containing the ingredients they would need to prepare their dishes. I could not comprehend being able to make a pan roasted halibut and baked alaska all under the pressure of a time clock and the prospect of failure and not graduating. As we watched the Level 6 students file past the classroom windows on their way to draw numbers, they waved at Chef Nic with big smiles on their faces. They looked excited. I remember Jersey and I looking at each other like "How are they smiling?! I would be freaking out!".

And now here I am. Tomorrow, it will be me and my class, who I have grown to know and love, well, in some cases it's more like tolerate, but mostly love. But tomorrow will be our one day that this last year has been leading up to. A few hours to show what we've learned and make all the chefs who've taught us what we know proud. I'm excited, I'm sure I'll be nervous, but I'm ready to kick ass. Send me some of those vibes tomorrow night around 9pm Eastern time, so when my hands are shaking as I put the garnish on my plates (with gloves, of course) I know that there are lots of people rooting for me.


Me & Jen Brown (the only student who EVERYONE calls by her full name, or JB for short, I've also referred to her as Michael Phelps in previous posts)

Good Intentions, Bad Execution: 30 Things Minus 10

I'm a bad blogger. Granted I haven't had two seconds to sit down and pull myself together let alone do laundry, pay bills, and attend to the things that make a person feel like they have some sort of a grip on life. But it looks like the day has finally arrived where I can take a breath...and gear up for the next wave of madness. Seeing that it's already almost April (how did that happen?!), I may as well bring you up to speed via 30 Things. This edition is somewhat momentous because as I write, I only have 4 classes between me and graduation and accomplishing something I still can't believe I am actually doing. With that, here is the March Madness edition of 30 Things I've been up to.

Editor's Note: Since I am such a bad blogger and started this entry in March and it is now April, I am posting this with 20 things because I fear I may never get to 30!!!

1. I haven't spent any amount of quality time with my dear husband in exactly 3 weeks. That changes tonight with date night. As well as Thursday, Friday (no school!), Saturday & Sunday date nights! I miss him.

2. I made a quick trip out to Salt Lake City a few weeks ago for the funeral of my dear cousin's 21 year old, who was killed in a car accident. I was totally blown away by her family and their ability to celebrate his life with such love and joy in the wake of such a senseless tragedy. It was touching.

3. Funerals are never fun, but I did get to see some of my favorite cousins, aunts & uncles, and my parents. It was brief, but there is something comforting about being with family that reminds you how important they are.

4. I also got to see a few old college friends, including my partner in crime during my Idaho days. She's this amazingly talented and creative woman who runs a successful business and I am in no way surprised, but when you become friends with someone freshman year of college because they hatch a plan to rent a U-Haul because you don't have a car and you only need to be 18 to rent a moving truck instead of 25 and then drive around town picking up cute boys and storing them in the back...it's nice to know our decision making skills developed over the years.

5. Also, she introduced me to the Kouing-aman at Les Madeleines Patisserie, a ridiculously buttery, salty-sweet, flaky, crunchy, chewy pastry that originated in Brittany, France. I am determined to find a New York equivalent. Kudos, Salt Lake City.

6. A la Grecque, Farmer Chef and I volunteered at superstar chef competition called Cochon 555 a few weekends ago. It features 5 heritage breeds of pork, 5 top chefs and 5 family owned wineries. We spent about 9 hours doing everything to folding tee-shirts to pouring wines to passing out cheese samples. It was a great pork-filled networking event.

11. I've completed my rotation on the Possoinier Station (fish) for Level 6 and it was my favorite so far. Our fish dishes include Pan-Seared Bass with Artichoke and Buckwheat Crepes and a Pan-Seared Cod with Chorizo, Clams, Kale & Saffron Potatoes. I like both dishes, but the bass has a definite edge. The artichokes are in really lovely curry sauce that doesn't overwhelm the flavor of what is probably one of my favorite veggies.

12. We had Chef Marc for 2 nights on this rotation because Chef Jason had some other obligations. Don't get me wrong, I like learning from other chefs because you learn variations in technique and process. What I don't like is inconsistency and being told that the other chef's way is incorrect. Grrr.

13. Poissonier was great because it involved a lot of care in handling the fish, especially the cod, which is super delicate, and timing was tricky with all the elements that go on the plate. I definitely enjoy the more challenging stations. There's a sense of accomplishment when you have to fire 6 bass on one burner at the same time. And usually several burns and cuts.

14. After Poissonier was Saucier (the meat station), which sort of dragged by, partly because Chef Jason was only with us one night because he had to attend to some family business and we had two different chefs fill in. Again, nice to learn from someone different, frustrating at times as well. One thing I do like to see is the chefs different styles of teaching and communicating. Chef Marc is pretty arrogant, obviously good at what he does, but not necessarily endearing himself to anyone. Chef Justin finds a teaching opportunity in every communication so you really understand the why, not just the how. Chef Herve is very direct, quietly encouraging, and nearly impossible to understand with his thick French accent.

15. Our saucier dishes were a Braised Beef Short Rib with a Sweet Potato Puree and Celery Root Foam and a Sauteed Duck Breast & Braised Duck Leg in a Spiced Broth. Short Rib = yum, Duck = meh.

16. Monday we start on our final station of the entire program - four nights on Garde Manger, which is the appetizer station. I am so excited because we get to work with Chef Janet, who was with us in Levels 3 & 4 again! She is this tiny platinum blonde dynamo that can slaughter and break down a whole pig singlehandedly, while wearing red lipstick nonetheless. Love her.

17. In other news, A La Grecque and I entered a competition called the Brooklyn Brunch Experiment, in which we competed with 19 other cheftestants to prepare 300 brunch themed bites for a crowd of people as well as a panel of judges. The judges included: Andrew Knowlton from Bon Appetit magazine and Iron Chef judging fame, Sean Rembold, Executive Chef of Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn, and Emille Castillo, Executive Chef of Norma's at Le Parker Meridien.

18. Our team name was Wanna Spoon? and we prepared (after much trial and error), a Savory Cornbread Cupcake with a Bacon Buttercream Frosting. Because it was brunch themed, we also included a Bloody Mary Shooter with Candied Bacon. We were really happy with the results.

19. It turns out that the judges were also happy because we won first prize, which was a Cuisinart Stand Mixer and Le Crueset grill pan. These items will be sold on Craigslist for cash that we'd like to put toward a Wanna Spoon? foodie adventure in San Francisco.

20. You can read more about our adventures together on our website Wanna Spoon? or on Linda's blog, The Cheeky Chef. Pictures from the competition are at Wanna Spoon as well!

A Belated 30: The Spring Forward Edition

Oh dear! Here we are approaching the Ides of March and I totally neglected to do the latest edition of 30 Things. I don't know where my head is at. Better late than never? Here goes. Following are the things that I have learned, experienced, discovered I like, made plans to do, and in some cases slept through or avoided in our most recent 30 days as New Yorkers.

1. The winter blahs should be listed in the DSM-IV. Not to be confused with the winter blues, known clinically as Seasonal Affect Disorder or SAD. The winter blahs are a mood disorder that presents in the form of grumpiness, irritation, and sudden fits of snippyness.

2. Sunshine is an instant cure for the winter blahs. It helped soften the hard edge I've had lately about this city.

3. I love New York when the weather is great. I would even broaden that statement to include good, decent, not half bad, it's not even that cold, it could be worse, and at least it's not bitter/windy/raining/snowing.

4. When the weather warms up, the city has a life to it that is missing in the winter months. Happy people sit outside and sip their coffee and watch the other happy people strolling along. Even though we only had a short spell of warm, sunny days, it was a glorious preview to the coming months and a nice reminder that the dark times are almost over.

5. Mike and I have been trying to get out more on the weeknights instead of holing up in our apartment and watching TV, which has become our usual routine this winter. Let me tell you, we were not doing ourselves any favors. Who knew that being a lazy shut-in wouldn't make me feel like my best self? (As I write this, I am being buzzed by the delivery guy with my Chinese takeout since I didn't feel like leaving my apartment...hey, I never said I was perfect.) Here's where I've been lately:

6. Bourgeois Pig for fantastic fondue and French wine. Dark, cozy, candlelit and very Parisian.

7. Perilla for killer duck meatballs, the perfect Manhattan, and great service. The space is clean, but not stark or simple, and invitingly warm.

8. Death & Co. for a mixology lesson with A La Grecque. Rockstar bartenders Alex Day and Thomas Waugh gave a great class on cocktails that was made of equal parts history, technique, and tasting. Stirred, not shaken. I'll definitely be back.

9. Gottino for an intriguing selection of Italian wines and bowls of walnuts you can crack yourself at the bar.

10. Casellula for peppadew peppers stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in speck, a fantastic cheese selection, and a well-edited wine list.

11. I just wrapped up my latest rotation in the L'Ecole kitchen: Canape (Can-Uh-Pay). We prepare the amuse bouche (uh-moos-boosh), the welcoming bite given to each patron compliments of the chef. I have a love hate relationship with the canape station. On one hand, it's not stressful, there is plenty of time to chat with my teammates, load up a plate from family meal, and watch the rest of the kitchen buzz with orders. On the other hand, it's boring and there is too much time to eat. (Loosens belt a notch).

12. Our first canape was a tuna crudo: raw tuna loin chopped in a small dice, tossed with lemon juice & zest, olive oil, finely chopped arugula, parsley, chive, capers and grated parmesan. Delish.

12. Canape number 2 was supposed to have been pate a choux filled with a foie gras mousse (pate a choux is the dough that makes the shells of cream puffs and eclairs), but the order for foie gras somehow got lost, so we ended up making agnolotti (a tiny half moon ravioli). We made the pasta dough, filled it with ricotta that had been seasoned with lemon and basil, served it over a classic Sauce Tomate (a cooked tomato puree with smoky bacon) and a roasted cippolini onion puree and then topped it with a dot of bright green olive oil, shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil chiffonade (chiffonade is when you take the leaves of any green or herb stack them, roll them up like a cigar and then finely slice them into strips). All of our canapes are served in a white porcelain spoon meant to be taken in one bite.

13. Our third night on canape, I ended up filling in on Saucier (Saucy-Yay)since that team was short a couple people and they get a lot busier than Canape. But my team did delicious things to oysters. Coated in cornmeal, then deep fried and served with something pickled and some kind of tartar like dressing...I can't remember, but it was a yummy little bite.

14. Our final night on Canape was our triumph. It's not like it's difficult to make pork belly taste delicious, but this was just sooooo good. If you've never had pork belly, you should stop wasting any more precious moments not knowing this delicious pig part. As the name implies, it comes from the belly of an oinker and it's what bacon is typically made from. We coated ours in all sorts of spices and slow roasted it in a tangy barbecue sauce glaze. We cut the belly into bite size cubes (picture the layers of meat and fat like you would see in bacon), served it over a bed of brunoise (broon-wah, which means a very fine dice) purple cabbage, carrot, asian pear, red onion, and red bell pepper, with a sweet cole-slaw like dressing, topped the belly bite with a dot of barbecue sauce and a tiny pommes gaufrette (a waffle cut potato chip) and a single sprig of arugula microgreens. All the little elements were time consuming but the end result was hog magic.

15. I start on Poissonier (Pwah-Sun-Yay) tomorrow night and Chef Jason will be out so we have a substitute chef filling in: Chef Marc Pavlovic who was just featured on the Food Network's Chopped. Spoiler: He wins. If I've learned one thing, every chef has a different style and technique and I have something to learn from each of them, so it should be fun to get his perspective.

16. Knowing I only have 12 more classes between me and the end of my time at FCI is enough to make me misty, but I'm getting more and more excited about my post school plans. I am going to miss seeing my classmates three nights a week (most of them, anyway) and learning from our fabulous chef instructors, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. I'd like to find whoever coined that expression and throttle them. I mean, really must all good things come to an end? The more I think about it, the less I want to get out of bed in the morning. If good things don't last, what's the point?! (Angry and confused, deep breath).

17. I do have some exciting things in store for me that take the sting out of finishing this chapter of my life. A la Grecque and I are competing in The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment, in which we will prepare 300 brunch themed bites for guests who will vote and a panel of judges that includes the restaurant editor for Bon Appetit magazine. It should be a lot of fun and who knows, maybe we come home with a prize?

18. We are calling our team Wanna Spoon?, look for a new culinary adventure blog from us to be unveiled very soon.

19. I'm interning with a really fun wine website called Wine Flirt, which takes a fun, fresh approach to understanding and enjoying wine. I'll be working with wine retailers and wine bars to set up Wine Flirt tastings and events.

20. I'm starting to test my hand at the private chef/catering thing with a few wedding gigs this summer for good friends. Very excited about the possibility of doing more things like this!

21. I'll be volunteering next weekend at Cochon 555, a competition featuring 5 rockstar chefs, 5 heritage breeds of pork and 5 local, family owned wineries. It's a pricey event so volunteering is a great way to experience it without the wallet hit, and network at the same time. A la Grecque, Farmer Chef and one of my favorite instructors from school, Chef Janet, will also be there.

22. I'm looking at the next year in New York as a time to further my education, hone my skills, and narrow the focus of my career path. I've got a list of things I want to do and at the top of that list is wine.

23. I'm strongly considering furthering my wine education through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust at the International Wine Center here in New York. Now if I could just figure out how to turn water into money to turn that into a wine diploma...

24. I want to work in a wine shop. It may sound like a silly, unimportant job, but it's a great place to learn and potentially a place to work my way into wine education and events.

25. I want to learn a lot more about cheese.

26. I want to learn how to make bread and really good pizza...this may have to wait a while, at least until I figure out the formula for turning water into cash.

27. I want a bigger apartment, a bigger bank account, a book deal, and free clothes for life from Anthropolgie. Oh wait, that's from my wildest dreams list, not my plans for the next year list.

28. On a more serious note, a tragic accident this week reminded me how important it is to make the most of the time we have here because you just never know when it's up. For me, that means not being afraid to pursue my dreams even if I am scared sometimes. It means taking care of the people that are important to me. It means taking care of myself. It means leaving a positive mark on the world when I do go.

29. The weeks events also been a reminder that life is fragile, we're not invincible, and a split second decision can have very real, lasting implications that aren't easy to make sense of. The only way I know how to make senseless loss have meaning is to honor the lost by appreciating the life I have.

30. In times like these, the only things that matter are family and friends. There is so much to be said for having people in your life that you know you can lean on. I am so lucky to have friends like this and their support, love and kindness is appreciated and inspires me to be that person to more people. So in that spirit, carpe diem friends!

Is That a Smile or Just a Crack in Your Scowl?

15 more classes stand between me and my chef's toque. Yikes. I just completed my pastry rotation for Level 6 and it turns out the grumpy chef wasn't as grumpy as I expected. Either that or my expectations were so low considering Vegas set the over-under on total number of smiles cracked by Chef at .25, which I imagine is like one smile for a normal person since I've only seen one small corner of her mouth turn up in what I presume is her happy face. Or maybe she just had powdered sugar in her eye, there is no way of knowing because I am too afraid to ask. I may be exaggerating a tad (am I?) because she did seem to warm up to me and some (not all) of my teammates. Consider that a segueway into my Level 6 team introduction. For the 4th level in a row Evil Cheese is on my team. Thankfully he is super considerate and has not seemed to tire of me yet. Also making a repeat appearance from Level 5 is Farmer Chef. In pastry we had a tendency to follow each other around verifying if we were doing things right while Chef Frosty had her back turned to us. She's a great ally. It may have been mainly me following her around now that I think about it. Another repeat appearance is...drumroll...Korean Spiccoli! So happy to have him back on my team although last night I thought he was going to start throwing tart shells at one of the Level 5 students we are sharing the kitchen with who apparently dribbles a trail of uncooked custard around the room in case she gets lost. Or she is messy. I can't tell yet. Finally, I have the honor of working with the loud-mouthed Israeli who I referenced in this post from August. He is pretty amusing in an evil cartoon character sort of way. Pop Quiz: When I said that chef has warmed up to some of my teammates, guess who is not included in the word "some"? (Hint: the usage of the word "some" in this situation should be taken to mean most or nearly all.) Post your best guess in the comments section.

Our pastry dishes this time around are a pumpkin sponge cake layered with chocolate mousse served surrounded by a spiced apple reduction with tiny diced apple bits floating in the reduction, the cake itself is topped with a perfect quenelle (more on this in a moment) of cream cheese frosting and a perfectly thin crisp apple chip. It's delicious! The other dish is an individual tart filled with lemon curd, topped with a candied pineapple ring and a quenelle (there's that word again) of gingered whipped cream and a shard of macadamia nut brittle, accompanied by a blueberry compote dusted with brittle crumble. Next stop: Yummytown. (Yeah, I know that was terrible, but I have been eating a lot of sugar lately). So a quenelle is a shaped dollop of cream or ice cream or really any condiment that can hold a shape. We were taught in earlier levels to make a quenelle using two spoons, but Chef Quarter Smile does it with just one. To get a better idea of what the hell I am talking about, you can watch this 30 second clip on you tube. Don't be fooled by the fluid motion with which that berry sorbet becomes a perfectly smooth oval. It's not that easy and I think we frustrated chef to no end with our, at first, sloppy quenelles that she told us looked "as if someone already ate it". The key to a perfect quenelle is steaming hot water. Or two spoons...but using two felt like failure under chef's watchful eye, so I'm happy to say that with some determination and an ever boiling pot of water, my quenelles were pretty darn good.

Pastry is still not my favorite thing to do in the kitchen, but I've warmed up to it. I even took some of the leftover pumpkin sponge home and proceeded to make a layered dessert with carmelized bananas, whipped cream, and a rich caramel sauce. It turned out great except for the part when I brushed my hand over the spatula I had just used to stir the boiling hot sugar syrup and it glommed onto my palm like a flaming hot leech. I enjoyed the sweet treat with one hand in an ice bath and now have a blister on my palm the size of a horse tranquilizer. Mike named it Doug. Chef looked horrified when she saw it and I thought she was going to offer me some sympathy, but I should have known better. What I got instead was "That is disgusting! Cover that thing up I cannot work and look at that thing. Wear a glove! What if it explodes in the food! Oh that is so disgusting!". (Me: Slinks away toward box of gloves).

And with that my first rotation of Level 6 is over. It's on to canape where we will prepare a one bite amuse bouche to serve each restaurant patron upon being seated. We will get slammed with orders early in service and then stand around for a few hours watching everyone else work. At least we get to be creative and come up with ideas for the food. Our first canape will be a tuna carpaccio: very thinly sliced raw tuna with arugula, parmesan, lemon, capers, olive oil, salt and pepper all rolled up into a neat, little bite of flavor designed to wake up your mouth and ready it for the procession of courses to come. I could make a weak analogy about school being the amuse bouche for the procession of greatness that is to come but Doug keeps getting in the way and hitting extra keys so I will leave you with the image of my blistered, cut, and scarred hands and forearms so you will think I am hardcore.

Side Effects May Include Awesomeness

I'm back! And I don't just mean on my blog. I am mentally back to the me I know and love. California (or as I like to call it, Utopia) gave me a new attitude and completely revitalized my mind, body, and Vitamin D levels. When I returned to class last Friday, my classmates kept telling me how refreshed I looked, which maybe isn't that big of a feat considering my previous look was somewhere between downtrodden and inconsolable. So get ready for a great big dose of sunshine because I'm practically tap dancing around my apartment...not that there is room to tap dance in this place, yep, just stubbed a toe. Not even the fact that someone seems to be chiseling their way into my bathroom from the apartment next door can get me down. Not even now when my shower caddy just gave way from all the hammering.

Anyway, I spent 5 days basking in 75 degree, blue skied sunshine and the joy of unadulterated girlfriend time. I rode beach cruisers with my Bestie along the Hermosa Beach strand. I sat out on decks, patios, and sidewalk cafes sipping on whatever beverage seemed appropriate for the moment and remembering how lovely a gentle breeze feels as opposed to how a smack you in the face wind stings. I enjoyed sitting face to face with my friends and catching up and laughing and then missing them again before I was even gone. There were moments when I was sitting with my dearest friends in the sun taking in the palm trees that I was so happy I literally thought I might cry. (I could be a commercial for the side effects of winter). The best part was that it brought things for me in to such sharp focus. Well, maybe not sharp, but a clearer focus, which again, not a huge feat considering my outlook before was like someone had rubbed mud on a pair of scratched up ski goggles. That were tinted orange. And it's nighttime. So my trip helped me turn on the lights, wash off the mud, and just throw away those old goggles. I may still have astigmatism in my right eye, but the view is much better. Wow, I really should lay off these ridiculous analogies and get to the point.

California is home. And it's home in a way that I can't quite identify. My friends that love me, the familiarity, the weather, my favorite spots...they all play a role, but there is just something that feels like it's home for me. Even with all these silly sunlight induced emotional swells, I wasn't worried about getting back on the plane to Frostytown. Being THERE made me realize that I was in no way done with HERE. New York still has so much to offer me and going away made me realize that this experience is far from over. (Plus, the entire time I was in SoCal, I kept thinking about Mike shivering under a blanket waiting for me to return and how he should be with me. He was actually brewing his next batch of beer: a Belgian Wit flavored with orange, coriander, and honey...yummmers, and probably enjoying having the apartment to himself). Anyway, it renewed my excitement and my sense of purpose in being in this great city. Winter is slowly, painfully creaking towards Spring, but it's coming and there are more and more days where we being outdoors isn't an exercise in toughness.

All of this new found zeal comes at a perfect time because we begin the final level of our culinary school program tomorrow. Just six more weeks and this amazing experience will be behind me. (I can't even think about that right now because I can't believe it's almost over). We finished up our final station of the Level 5 rotations and I think Saucier (the meat station) might have been my favorite. It's challenging because you have to cook the meat to specific temperatures and orders to tend to fly in big batches. I love, love, love my team and am sad to have to part with them. We work well together and have had a ton of fun being on the hot line together. Last night as the final plates went out and the graduating Level 6 girls next to us realized that they had just fired their last order in the school kitchen, eyes started to well up. A la Grecque and I couldn't help but look at each other and exchange a "We are so going to be crying like babies 6 weeks from now" look.

So for the next 6 weeks, my plan is to kick ass. Even if it means putting on a happy face for Chef Pastry Grump as I start Level 6 with my new group tomorrow. I am going to squeeze as much as possible out of my final days in L'Ecole and I am going to enjoy every moment of it. No more inconsolable face. No more muttering under my breath. And no more worrying about what the future holds. I'm all in. (This message was brought to you by Vitamin D and the Sun).

A Fake Blizzard and a Lazy 30

With the blizzard in DC last week and subsequent snow days they were blessed with, my irritation with winter reached new heights. I felt cheated. Here I am, suffering through frigid temperatures and bitter winds yet we never get enough snow to merit a snow day. Apparently someone heard my grumbling because Wednesday was our first SNOW DAY! By noon, we only had a few inches on the ground, but classes were canceled and Mike's office had closed, so I could care less about the accumulations. It was to be a day of Netflix, board games, and catching up on things like my sometimes neglected blog. Another 30 days has come and gone and although we're well into February (my least favorite month of the year), I have too much to share to forgo the latest edition of 30 things I have seen, experienced, learned, tried, and wished to never do again. Except in honor of the winter blahs, I am going to do a half ass job and only share 15. And that should tell you exactly how I am handling winter...with apathy.

1. I finished my pastry rotation in the restaurant kitchen and I say good riddance to you measuring and precision.

2. We had three chefs in pastry: 2 nights with Chef Anna, 1 with Chef Mimi, and 1 with Chef Mark. It is unbelievable how much teaching style and method of delivering feedback can impact your success in the kitchen. My confidence and feelings of competence swung wildly from night to night. The chef's styles ranged from direct instruction with questions for students designed to make us think about and understand the process, to less than constructive criticism accompanied by head shaking and eye rolling, to a more laissez-faire style with helpful tips on technique. (In no particular order). Let's just say that being told something looks disgusting accompanied by an eye roll does not exactly inspire me. What it does is make me question each and every decision I make all the while trying to block my mixing bowl from scrutinizing eyes lest I be called out for being a moron again. Like I said, good riddance.

3. On the flip side, most of our chefs have been encouraging and supportive and seem to truly enjoy the teaching process. Our lead chef, Chef Jason, clearly understands the impact of his instruction, praise, and constructive feedback. He gives simple, direct instruction and demonstration, gives praise as you work, and looks at mistakes as a learning opportunity rather than a disaster. Love him.

4. Having experienced a small dose of a less than kind chef, I do wonder how this all bodes for me if I choose to work in a restaurant kitchen. I have got to develop thicker skin and carefully vet potential employers.

5. Putting the personality of one dreadful chef behind, I did learn some useful things in pastry. We prepared two desserts from the menu each night: a chocolate walnut cake with eggnog mousse and caramel sauce and then a creme brulee baked apple with an orange and ginger florentine (a thin little cookie). We also came up with a dessert special each night and made plates of petit fours and cookies to send to VIP guests.

6. My favorite thing about pastry was the plating. We used sauces, berries, candied nuts, spun sugar, and cocoa powder stencils to decorate the plates and elevate the dish from simple to sublime. These are tricks I will be practicing at home until I get that squeeze bottle of sauce to make perfect swirls and lines.

7. Tonight would have been my last night on the Poissonier (fish) station had it not been for Blizzard 2010 that at this point appears to be a total bust. It's definitely my favorite station thus far because it's busier than most and requires more in terms of timing and communication.

8. We make a brioche crusted scallop dish with butternut squash hollandaise, which is easily the most popular dish on the menu and probably my favorite. We also do an Italian seafood stew that has more components that I can keep track of: octopus, mussels, clams, branzino, fennel, calamari, shrimp, croutons, basil, olive oil, and a rich tomatoey broth. It's tricky to get it plated quickly and in synch with the other plates.

9. Mike and I decided to call Blizzard 2010 "Diet Blizzard" because it didn't seem blizzardy at all. I know I am from California but recall that I did live in Buffalo for three winters, the first of which gave me 8 feet of snow over a two day period. They didn't call it a snow day until well into day 2. We couldn't see the house across the street and the snow was so high you couldn't tell where cars were parked save for the antennas poking out. Diet Blizzard produced about 8 inches of snow over 12 hours. I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth (remind me to revisit that later), so I'll take the snow day, but a blizzard? Who is to blame for this misrepresentation of weather? And what exactly defines a blizzard. We were not impressed.

10. I tried to research the origin of the expression "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" and all I got was a bunch of gobbledygook about Henry the VI and horses having long protrusive teeth. No clear origin...

11. Gobbledygook on the other hand is attributed to US Representative Maury Maverick in 1944 in reference to his frustration with the convoluted language of bureaucrats.

12. And now back from that tangental interruption, winter sucks.

13. It is doubly sucky living in a glorified walk in closet in which you cannot control the heat. The closet warms up to sweat inducing levels which forces us to open windows and let in the sounds of jackhammers and the shrill old lady living below us. These sounds are typically accompanied by aromas of stale tempura and cigarette smoke.

14. Spending so much time in the apartment/closet has also alerted me to the shocking volume of dust in this city. I feel like I am living with a sneaky society of dust bunnies that leave trails all over everything as soon as I leave the room with my pledge multi-surface spray.

15. Luckily I will be escaping the blahs, the dust bunnies, the pretend blizzards, the jackhammers, and grouchy pastry chefs. I'm headed west for sunshine, friends, and hopefully a revitalized spirit. Even though I won't be sharing Valentine's Day with my Valentine, sometimes he knows when it's better to ship me off and hope I come back a happier, more pleasant Valentine. XOXOXOXO

Level 5 Menu Project

In Level 5, a big part of our grade comes from a menu project in which we have to plan a 4 course menu for 8, choose a theme, write up the recipes, photograph the finished dishes, pair at least one course with wine, and write a brief essay on one main ingredient. I chose to do a seasonal menu because that is how I cook at home, but I added honey to each dish in honor of my late grandfather, who was a beekeeper. My uncle carries on the tradition of beekeeping today and I used his honey in each recipe. I'm really happy with each of the dishes, although I think the panna cotta is my favorite and it got rave reviews from the test kitchen team (which included Mike, and some random friends who stopped by).



Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets, Purple Haze Chevre, & Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Serves 8

5 oz. arugula
4 medium beets (about 1 pound)
1 4 oz. disc of Cypress Grove Purple Haze Chevre
2 blood oranges
1 small shallot, ciseler
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for roasting beets
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
Salt & pepper


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash beets well. Wrap individually in foil and place on a sheet pan. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour until a thin-bladed knife pierces each with little resistance. Remove from oven and cool. When cool, peel and cut into quarters, set aside.
2. Peler a vif & supreme 1 blood orange, reserving any extra juice. Zest and juice the other orange. Combine the reserved juice, zest, honey, shallot, and vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Adjust the seasoning and add salt and pepper.
3. Divide the chevre into 8 pieces, forming a quenelle of each. Set aside.
4. Wash arugula and toss with the dressing, just to coat. Place a small pile of arugula in the center of each plate. Place on one side two beet sections, a quenelle, and 2 blood orange segments. Serve immediately.



Seared Sea Scallops with Honey Mustard Glaze, Brussels Sprouts, and Pancetta
Serves 8


2 pounds dry sea scallops (about 3 per person), tendons removed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup of honey
¼ cup of Dijon mustard
Butter for the pan
1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
8 oz. thick cut pancetta, cut into one inch jardinière


1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the Brussels sprouts. Add sprouts and cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, just until tender. Drain and refresh in cold water. Cut in halves or quarters depending on size. Set aside.
2. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of butter and continue to heat until melted. Add pancetta and cook until fat has rendered and pancetta is just crispy. Turn off heat and leave pan on range.
3. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Combine the honey and mustard in a small bowl. Brush the scallops lightly with the mixture. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add a tablespoon of butter to the hot pan. When the foaming subsides, as half the scallops to the pan, being careful not to crowd them. Cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Turn scallops over and cook just until the all but the middle of the scallop is opaque. Transfer to a warm plate and cover. Repeat the process with the remaining scallops.
4. Heat pan with pancetta over medium heat. To the empty scallop pan, add the remaining honey & mustard mixture and cook over low heat for about a minute until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add Brussels sprouts to pan with pancetta and cook over medium heat just until hot, about 3 minutes.
6. To serve, place 3 scallops on each plate. Divide the Brussels sprout mixture evenly among the plates, scattering around the scallops. Drizzle with pan juices. Serve immediately.


Honey Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Parsnip Puree and Watercress
Serves 8

3 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper
1 ½ pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cream
White pepper
5 oz. watercress, cleaned and divided in half
Olive oil
Aged balsamic vinegar for drizzling


1. Adjust oven rack close to heat source. Preheat broiler. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Combine the honey and balsamic and coat the pork evenly with the mixture.
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch half of the watercress. Refresh in cold water and drain. Blend the watercress and about 3 tablespoons of olive oil together in a blender. Season with salt. Place oil in a squeeze bottle and set aside.
3. Place pork on a sheet pan and broil for about 15 minutes, turning to brown all sides, until the internal temperature is no higher than 145 degrees. Brush the meat with any additional glaze, once or twice while cooking.
4. Meanwhile, place a steamer basket over a pot filled with about 2 inches of salted water. Place the parsnips in the basket, cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until they can easily be pierced with a thin-bladed knife. Drain.
5. Toss the remaining watercress with olive oil and salt.
6. Remove the meat from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes. Puree the parsnips in a food processor along with the cream and butter. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Slice the pork in ½ inch thick slices on the bias.
7. To serve, divide the parsnip puree evenly and place a small amount in the center of the plate. Place 3 or 4 slices of the pork (depending on size) in a fan on top of the puree. Top with watercress and dot the plate with watercress oil and drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.




Orange Blossom Scented Panna Cotta with Honey & Tangerine
Serves 8


1 cup whole milk
2 ¾ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy cream
1 piece vanilla bean, 2 inches long, cut in half lengthwise, seeds scraped
6 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Honey for drizzling, about 8 tablespoons
2 tangerines, peler a vif and cut in supremes

1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan; sprinkle the surface evenly with the gelatin and let stand 10 minutes to hydrate the gelatin. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the vanilla seeds and pod, along with the orange blossom water into the cream, set aside. Set eight 4 ounce ramekins on a sheet pan.
2. Heat the milk and gelatin mixture over high heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 90 seconds. Off the heat, add the sugar and salt, stir until dissolved, about 1 minute.
3. Stirring constantly, slowly pour the cream with the vanilla into the saucepan of milk, then transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set the bowl over the ice-water bath. Stir frequently until the mixture thickens to the consistency of eggnog and registers 50 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture into a large measuring cup or pitcher, then divide it evenly among the ramekins. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic does not mar the surface of the cream; refrigerate until just set (the mixture should wobble when shaken gently), about 4 hours.
4. To serve, pour 1 cup boiling water into a small, wide-mouthed bowl, dip a ramekin filled with panna cotta into the water, count to three, and lift the ramekin out of the water. With a moistened finger, lightly press the periphery of the panna cotta to loosen the edges. Dip the ramekin back into the hot water for another three count. Invert the ramekin over your palm and loosen the panna cotta by cupping your fingers between the panna cotta and the edge of the ramekin. Gently lower the panna cotta onto a serving plate. Drizzle with honey and top with two tangerine supremes. Serve immediately.