I think it's about time I sat down to keep whoever reads this thing posted....For those of you who don't know, I was very unhappy with my first OB choice. I went with MCV and hated it. Lots of reasons, and I won't go into to much detail. Let's just say that when I go to the emergency room and am told I have a "threatened miscarriage," and to follow up with my doctor, I expect to get in to see my doctor. Within 24 hours. All is well... I have found Dr. Lucas! He is the nicest, kindest doctor on the planet, I think! He explained everything to me, including the reason I was having spotting. He's assured me that everything is fine, that I'm growing the way I should be, and we'll have THE ultrasound in the next 10 days or so.
On the ultrasound note....I'm thinking boy. Don't ask me why. I can't explain it. I just do. However, one bored Wednesday, I gave in to the Ancient Chinese Gender Predictor. It claims 90% accuracy, and showed me a picture of baby in a pink blanket. Well, that got me excited, so I decided to look into all the wives' tales I promised myself I wouldn't buy into. My wedding ring on a chain suspended over my belly moved in a circular motion....girl. I crave sweets....girl. I have a wicked case of teen-age acne...girl. Apparently even my breasts can indicate the gender of this tiny being inside me! All old wives' tales point to girl. I'm not getting my hopes up. I still think it's a boy. I'm stuck on sailboats for some reason every time I look at nursery stuff.
It's almost nine, which means it's almost past my bedtime. ;-p I will TRY to be better at this blogging thing. TRY. Love to all!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
What a difference two months makes
What's happened since my last post? There's a baby in the belly, I'm unemployed, Brian finally got his bonus, my GI Bill finally came in, and I've started Christmas shopping!
We found out I'm pregnant in the middle of last month. I think I'm about 9-10 weeks. My first ultrasound is Friday, and we'll know more then. I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will make this feel "real" to see something on a screen. I had morning sickness pretty bad for about three weeks. I'm almost afraid to say it, but I think it's going away. Or, I've learned what to eat to keep it from rearing it's ugly head. Food cravings hit me like a ton of bricks, and need to be fulfilled immediately. Current obsessions include salad, peanut butter sandwiches, grapefruit, and bean burritos from Taco Bell. I think I'm over the pizza kick. Things I refuse to put in my mouth that I loved in a former life: GARLIC, coffee, and poultry. Speaking of poultry....
Thanksgiving is at our place this year. Mom is coming up. I've invited Daddy, as well as Rhonda. I put this plan together pre-pregnancy, when the thought of roasting and basting a bird for hours sounded like fun. It's quite possible that mom will have to handle the turkey. I get really excited when I think about all the other yummies that go along with Thanksgiving dinner. Fresh green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn! Is my baby a vegetarian???
On the job front, Brian and I have talked. I'm not going to look for a job until after the new year. We're much better financially now that he got his bonus and my GI Bill is coming in. Here's my logic...I have two HUGE projects I need to do for school (one involving 32 recipes, cost analysis for each one, and development of 4 restaurants). More than that, the reality that our lives are getting ready to change in a big way has hit me pretty hard. We've only been married for a couple of months. I want to take this time to get closer to my husband (not that there's a problem there in any way). I'm also looking forward to having a significant amount of time off around the holidays, something I haven't had since I joined the military. Basically, I want some "me" time before it becomes a bit harder to do so. I'd been kicking the idea around in my head. I'm just lucky enough to have a husband who agrees with me!
I started my Christmas shopping today. Bought some cute decorations for the apartment that I'm dying to put up. I actually contemplated it, the decided I didn't want to hear my husband poke fun at me for decorating before Thanksgiving. Soooo....I will decorate on Black Friday. I'm totally looking forward to it.
I think that's all the news from Richmond today. I have class all day tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me...I'm hoping we don't have to use garlic in any recipes. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.
It is said that the present is pregnant with the future. ~Voltaire
We found out I'm pregnant in the middle of last month. I think I'm about 9-10 weeks. My first ultrasound is Friday, and we'll know more then. I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will make this feel "real" to see something on a screen. I had morning sickness pretty bad for about three weeks. I'm almost afraid to say it, but I think it's going away. Or, I've learned what to eat to keep it from rearing it's ugly head. Food cravings hit me like a ton of bricks, and need to be fulfilled immediately. Current obsessions include salad, peanut butter sandwiches, grapefruit, and bean burritos from Taco Bell. I think I'm over the pizza kick. Things I refuse to put in my mouth that I loved in a former life: GARLIC, coffee, and poultry. Speaking of poultry....
Thanksgiving is at our place this year. Mom is coming up. I've invited Daddy, as well as Rhonda. I put this plan together pre-pregnancy, when the thought of roasting and basting a bird for hours sounded like fun. It's quite possible that mom will have to handle the turkey. I get really excited when I think about all the other yummies that go along with Thanksgiving dinner. Fresh green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn! Is my baby a vegetarian???
On the job front, Brian and I have talked. I'm not going to look for a job until after the new year. We're much better financially now that he got his bonus and my GI Bill is coming in. Here's my logic...I have two HUGE projects I need to do for school (one involving 32 recipes, cost analysis for each one, and development of 4 restaurants). More than that, the reality that our lives are getting ready to change in a big way has hit me pretty hard. We've only been married for a couple of months. I want to take this time to get closer to my husband (not that there's a problem there in any way). I'm also looking forward to having a significant amount of time off around the holidays, something I haven't had since I joined the military. Basically, I want some "me" time before it becomes a bit harder to do so. I'd been kicking the idea around in my head. I'm just lucky enough to have a husband who agrees with me!
I started my Christmas shopping today. Bought some cute decorations for the apartment that I'm dying to put up. I actually contemplated it, the decided I didn't want to hear my husband poke fun at me for decorating before Thanksgiving. Soooo....I will decorate on Black Friday. I'm totally looking forward to it.
I think that's all the news from Richmond today. I have class all day tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me...I'm hoping we don't have to use garlic in any recipes. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.
It is said that the present is pregnant with the future. ~Voltaire
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Oysters
This week has been interesting to say the least. Let's start with Monday evening. Chelsea wanted to work, so I gladly gave up my p.m. shift to her. It would have been my fourth double in a row. Yuck. Brian and I decided to have a cheap date night and headed to The Hard Shell (nice to work in a restaurant...cheap food and wine). All was going well. Brian enjoyed his crab legs. I did a tasting of some of our wines so that I could explain them to customers. And then came the plate from the kitchen.
A pristine white, square appetizer plate beautifully garnished with micro greens and a lemon wedge. And a raw Chesapeake oyster.
Brian looks at me in disgust. I look at the guys in the kitchen, who are smiling with anticipation at me. I think Brian says something like, "You aren't really going to eat that, are you?" Yes. Yes, I am.
All the guys in the kitchen know I'm in culinary school. We talk about it all the time. Sunday, I asked Andre to show me how to shuck an oyster. It's difficult, by the way. We got it open, and he asked me if I had ever eaten a raw oyster. I walked away. Monday morning, I told him that I really did want to try oysters. I'm going to be a chef. I need to stop being afraid of food. That's how the single oyster ended up in front of me.
I take it over to the kitchen so they can give me a pep talk. One. Two. Three. Slimy. Funky. Yuck. The guys are laughing. And then I told them that I wanted to try a Blue Point oyster. I mean, let's just get this oyster tasting business out of the way all at once. That was my theory. The guys couldn't believe I actually wanted to eat another one. I go into the kitchen and help Cory shuck it. I didn't put lemon on it, or cocktail sauce, or anything else.
One. Two. Three.
Delicious!
It tasted like sea water. Like summers in Ocean City. Like vacationing at Chincoteague. Like warm, lazy days. I'm hooked. And proud of myself for trying something so repulsive looking. The key is to not chew. Just drink it.
A pristine white, square appetizer plate beautifully garnished with micro greens and a lemon wedge. And a raw Chesapeake oyster.
Brian looks at me in disgust. I look at the guys in the kitchen, who are smiling with anticipation at me. I think Brian says something like, "You aren't really going to eat that, are you?" Yes. Yes, I am.
All the guys in the kitchen know I'm in culinary school. We talk about it all the time. Sunday, I asked Andre to show me how to shuck an oyster. It's difficult, by the way. We got it open, and he asked me if I had ever eaten a raw oyster. I walked away. Monday morning, I told him that I really did want to try oysters. I'm going to be a chef. I need to stop being afraid of food. That's how the single oyster ended up in front of me.
I take it over to the kitchen so they can give me a pep talk. One. Two. Three. Slimy. Funky. Yuck. The guys are laughing. And then I told them that I wanted to try a Blue Point oyster. I mean, let's just get this oyster tasting business out of the way all at once. That was my theory. The guys couldn't believe I actually wanted to eat another one. I go into the kitchen and help Cory shuck it. I didn't put lemon on it, or cocktail sauce, or anything else.
One. Two. Three.
Delicious!
It tasted like sea water. Like summers in Ocean City. Like vacationing at Chincoteague. Like warm, lazy days. I'm hooked. And proud of myself for trying something so repulsive looking. The key is to not chew. Just drink it.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The sharper your knife, the less you cry
That's the name of the book I finished two minutes ago. It's by Kathleen Flinn, who got fired from her job at 36 and decided to go to Le Cordon Bleu. I cried. I can't remember the last book that reduced me to tears.
I've been reading it between work and studying for the past week. It has me dreaming of Paris, eating at little cafes, and shopping for baguettes every day. Sigh. Is that something I will ever get to do? I thought I'd gotten all my wanderlust out of the way. It appears I have not.
I loved the book for more than the Paris brain candy. She went through a (much tougher) version of what I'm doing. It's nice to know I'm not the only culinary student to get lost in knife cuts. I can do it all day. Peel, square, trim, slice, julienne, brunoise, repeat. Very cheap therapy. It's also nice to know that not everyone starts culinary school with a clear goal in mind.
Because honestly, I don't know what I want to do with all this learning. Ask the majority of my class what they want to do, and you will get one answer. "I want to own my own restaurant." I've managed one, and I've got to tell you...It's a TON of work. Kiss the family life good bye. Be prepared to work 60-80 hours a week. And by the way, it will take you at least six months to start making money. If you're any good.
I've become increasingly interested in the farm-to-table movement. I grew up blissfully unaware of fois gras and duck confit, and I really don't feel I've missed anything. Isn't the beauty of cooking making something fantastic out of something simple? And does fantastic have to be elaborate? Why not let the green beans speak for themselves? My husband requests my meat loaf more than anything else I make. I think I want to make the food that people really eat.
But, all that is two years down the road. I mentioned moving after graduation to Brian last night. He was tentative, but not opposed. He said he'll need to know where I want to go so he can find a job. He instantly said, "The valley!" No. I'm not taking my cooking skills to Harrisonburg to cook for students and townies who don't know sea salt from kosher. (That's awfully snarky of me. I apologize.)
Off to read about eggs for school.
I've been reading it between work and studying for the past week. It has me dreaming of Paris, eating at little cafes, and shopping for baguettes every day. Sigh. Is that something I will ever get to do? I thought I'd gotten all my wanderlust out of the way. It appears I have not.
I loved the book for more than the Paris brain candy. She went through a (much tougher) version of what I'm doing. It's nice to know I'm not the only culinary student to get lost in knife cuts. I can do it all day. Peel, square, trim, slice, julienne, brunoise, repeat. Very cheap therapy. It's also nice to know that not everyone starts culinary school with a clear goal in mind.
Because honestly, I don't know what I want to do with all this learning. Ask the majority of my class what they want to do, and you will get one answer. "I want to own my own restaurant." I've managed one, and I've got to tell you...It's a TON of work. Kiss the family life good bye. Be prepared to work 60-80 hours a week. And by the way, it will take you at least six months to start making money. If you're any good.
I've become increasingly interested in the farm-to-table movement. I grew up blissfully unaware of fois gras and duck confit, and I really don't feel I've missed anything. Isn't the beauty of cooking making something fantastic out of something simple? And does fantastic have to be elaborate? Why not let the green beans speak for themselves? My husband requests my meat loaf more than anything else I make. I think I want to make the food that people really eat.
But, all that is two years down the road. I mentioned moving after graduation to Brian last night. He was tentative, but not opposed. He said he'll need to know where I want to go so he can find a job. He instantly said, "The valley!" No. I'm not taking my cooking skills to Harrisonburg to cook for students and townies who don't know sea salt from kosher. (That's awfully snarky of me. I apologize.)
Off to read about eggs for school.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Chiffonade, Brunoise, and Tourner this!
Life as a student is progressing nicely. I'm over the uniform. It doesn't feel so bad when I'm in class with 30 other people dressed like me, and it's pretty cool to have students from "smart people" majors ask me how cooking is going.
Yesterday was an interesting day. We've learned the basic knife cuts (julienne, brunoise, chiffonade, etc.). Time to learn to tourner. Why do I hate tourner? First and foremost, it's a veggie cut into the shape of a football. Please explain to me how football has taken over not only my husband, but also my schoolwork. The irony is too much to handle. Beyond that, it's a pain in the arse. Take a potato, give it seven even sides, and make it look like a football. It sucks. And I suck at it. Everyone sucks at it. I went to the grocery store this morning and bought 2 pounds of potatoes for practice, in addition to the Red Bliss potatoes I already had. The later I used for practice/dinner tonight. I did 13 of them. One was maybe close to being correct. I will get this right if it takes me 20 years.
We also made clarified butter. (Which I hate because I work in a seafood restaurant with an all-you-can-eat crab leg night.) I burnt mine. Yay me. It was quite disheartening to have Chef Maxwell take my pan off the burner and show other groups as "what not to do." Awesome. Give me some potatoes to tourner and butter to burn and I'm good to go!
And I still love it. I love that class gets me thinking about food in a completely different way. Instead of asking if something tastes good or bad, we speak in terms of spice, seasoning, specific flavors, texture. It's really, really cool. Chef has relaxed a little. He's still difficult, but in a good way. I can't believe I'm actually doing this. It feels......right.
Wine of the moment....Kluge Estates Cru. Unfortunately for most of you, this is a Virginia wine. It's a Chardonnay, fortified with VA brandy, and aged in Jack Daniels barrels. It's beyond sweet. It's fantastic. Who needs dessert when you can have wine? Very fruity, vanilla, almond, creme brule. My sister would love it. And so do I.
Yesterday was an interesting day. We've learned the basic knife cuts (julienne, brunoise, chiffonade, etc.). Time to learn to tourner. Why do I hate tourner? First and foremost, it's a veggie cut into the shape of a football. Please explain to me how football has taken over not only my husband, but also my schoolwork. The irony is too much to handle. Beyond that, it's a pain in the arse. Take a potato, give it seven even sides, and make it look like a football. It sucks. And I suck at it. Everyone sucks at it. I went to the grocery store this morning and bought 2 pounds of potatoes for practice, in addition to the Red Bliss potatoes I already had. The later I used for practice/dinner tonight. I did 13 of them. One was maybe close to being correct. I will get this right if it takes me 20 years.
We also made clarified butter. (Which I hate because I work in a seafood restaurant with an all-you-can-eat crab leg night.) I burnt mine. Yay me. It was quite disheartening to have Chef Maxwell take my pan off the burner and show other groups as "what not to do." Awesome. Give me some potatoes to tourner and butter to burn and I'm good to go!
And I still love it. I love that class gets me thinking about food in a completely different way. Instead of asking if something tastes good or bad, we speak in terms of spice, seasoning, specific flavors, texture. It's really, really cool. Chef has relaxed a little. He's still difficult, but in a good way. I can't believe I'm actually doing this. It feels......right.
Wine of the moment....Kluge Estates Cru. Unfortunately for most of you, this is a Virginia wine. It's a Chardonnay, fortified with VA brandy, and aged in Jack Daniels barrels. It's beyond sweet. It's fantastic. Who needs dessert when you can have wine? Very fruity, vanilla, almond, creme brule. My sister would love it. And so do I.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Why are chef's pants so ugly?
My school uniform finally arrived on Tuesday. It's definitely something. My chef's jacket is way too big. It covers the majority of my hands when the sleeves are rolled down. They sent me the wrong apron. And the pants....I understand that I'm working in a kitchen. Does that mean that my pants have to be high-waisted, tapered-leg monstrosities? I mean really. Food is art. Fashion is art. Can't one be fashionable while making food? I'd be happy with a boot cut pant. That's all I'm asking for.
Kelly Sue's first day at school went well. I was really nervous at first. It's a big class. About 30 of us. I'm not the oldest. I'm not the youngest. I wasn't the only one in those awful, dreadful pants. And it was awesome! Everyone in there loves food the way I do! We talked about knife skills, different kinds of knives, different ways to cut veggies, the difference in various types of salt, seasoning vs. spice, and the need to have a cookbook and food magazine obsession. It was awesome! My only gripe is that we were only in the kitchen for about 2 hours. Considering the class runs from 9 am to 9 pm, that's not much.
There's not much else that's new to report. I worked a ton last week. I'm starting to feel like I fit in a little better there.
Oh!
I bought myself some wine this evening. Geyser Peak Reserve Cabernet. I normally wouldn't spend as much as I did on wine. I won't tell you how much. But it's super, duper yum. It's certainly a big, California cab. Every time I take a sip, it tastes different. I've not had a wine of this caliber before. Good stuff.
That's all the news for now.
Kelly Sue's first day at school went well. I was really nervous at first. It's a big class. About 30 of us. I'm not the oldest. I'm not the youngest. I wasn't the only one in those awful, dreadful pants. And it was awesome! Everyone in there loves food the way I do! We talked about knife skills, different kinds of knives, different ways to cut veggies, the difference in various types of salt, seasoning vs. spice, and the need to have a cookbook and food magazine obsession. It was awesome! My only gripe is that we were only in the kitchen for about 2 hours. Considering the class runs from 9 am to 9 pm, that's not much.
There's not much else that's new to report. I worked a ton last week. I'm starting to feel like I fit in a little better there.
Oh!
I bought myself some wine this evening. Geyser Peak Reserve Cabernet. I normally wouldn't spend as much as I did on wine. I won't tell you how much. But it's super, duper yum. It's certainly a big, California cab. Every time I take a sip, it tastes different. I've not had a wine of this caliber before. Good stuff.
That's all the news for now.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Dinner this evening
Dinner tonight...Roasted Chicken with Spicy Herbed Olivada, Green Bean and Tomato Salad, and Orzo with pine nuts and feta. Yum. Wish I could say I made it all up, but epicurious.com had a lot to do with it. The husband loved it, though. "This chicken is so perfectly cooked!" I think he's a little biased. But, I'll take it. :-)
I'm loving the new job. Not only is the atmosphere nicer, but the hours as well. I don't have to work again until Saturday (a double). I have all this time off to clean house and cook fancy-schmancy dinners. It's lovely.
I got an e-mail from Sissy yesterday. She's in Paris, and loving every minute. Apparently, she's loving it in spite of her luggage being lost, getting stuck on the metro, being attacked on the metro (to this, I demanded more details and the use of taxi's for the rest of the trip), her credit card isn't working there, and the hotel didn't have her reservation. And all she could follow up with was that she loves Paris. I'm glad she's having a good time. I'm also jealous that I'm stuck in Richmond. I did a quick restaurant search for her and found a place called Il Vino. The menu lists only wine. The chef plans your menu based on what wine you order. How cool is that?!?!? I told her that she better take notes if she goes. I want details!
Oh! How could I forget? I have a beautiful new cookbook. It's actually a textbook from the CIA. But that just means it's a big, beautiful, helpful cookbook. It was WAY more that I would ever spend on a book. Or a pair of shoes. Or jeans. But I love it. I figure it will come in handy during school. I can't stop looking at it. Over 400 pages of recipes and instructions. I'm such a geek.
Wine of the day...Twin Fin Sunset Rose (I paid $6 for it, so we're not talking serious stuff). I've been reading about rose's lately. They're supposed to be great summer wines. It is not what I expected, which was sweet and light. This thing is full of flavor. Think strawberries and raspberries. A very light, chilled Merlot. I say Merlot because you can taste some tannins. Nice. Different. Good on a hot summer night.
That's all the excitement from downtown Richmond. Two more days of playing house until work on Saturday morning. Off to chat with the husband. Love you all!
I'm loving the new job. Not only is the atmosphere nicer, but the hours as well. I don't have to work again until Saturday (a double). I have all this time off to clean house and cook fancy-schmancy dinners. It's lovely.
I got an e-mail from Sissy yesterday. She's in Paris, and loving every minute. Apparently, she's loving it in spite of her luggage being lost, getting stuck on the metro, being attacked on the metro (to this, I demanded more details and the use of taxi's for the rest of the trip), her credit card isn't working there, and the hotel didn't have her reservation. And all she could follow up with was that she loves Paris. I'm glad she's having a good time. I'm also jealous that I'm stuck in Richmond. I did a quick restaurant search for her and found a place called Il Vino. The menu lists only wine. The chef plans your menu based on what wine you order. How cool is that?!?!? I told her that she better take notes if she goes. I want details!
Oh! How could I forget? I have a beautiful new cookbook. It's actually a textbook from the CIA. But that just means it's a big, beautiful, helpful cookbook. It was WAY more that I would ever spend on a book. Or a pair of shoes. Or jeans. But I love it. I figure it will come in handy during school. I can't stop looking at it. Over 400 pages of recipes and instructions. I'm such a geek.
Wine of the day...Twin Fin Sunset Rose (I paid $6 for it, so we're not talking serious stuff). I've been reading about rose's lately. They're supposed to be great summer wines. It is not what I expected, which was sweet and light. This thing is full of flavor. Think strawberries and raspberries. A very light, chilled Merlot. I say Merlot because you can taste some tannins. Nice. Different. Good on a hot summer night.
That's all the excitement from downtown Richmond. Two more days of playing house until work on Saturday morning. Off to chat with the husband. Love you all!
"Dandelion wine. The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered."
RAY BRADBURY, Dandelion Wine
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