Whats been happening?

Well what has been happening in my life??
The usual, I go to pastry school and make amazing creations everyday!

I just had two weeks of making these incredible cakes that you would only imagine getting in the store. My favorite was this raspberry silk cake....it was so delicious.


When you add the right flavors and textures it makes the perfect cake. I am not kidding these cakes aren't those store bought cakes that are vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. These are so much more than that.

We learned how to glaze cakes which was a really cool technique to learn.

Simple things you never really think about or think man that is something I want to learn...you learn and everything changes.

I am so blessed everyday for what I get to do.
Lucky Me!!

Easter Weekend

So last weekend I went to Ohio, you want to know why??

Well Micah just turned 3 and I had to be there for his party!! Also it was Easter and it was time to see my Benjamin again and my amazing family I have!!

So my great idea was I would leave friday morning, which meant at midnight and start driving to Ohio. Around 5am I had been up for 24hrs and it was sinking it so I pulled over at a gas station and took a nap, then woke up and did the rest of my drive. Oh and this whole time I hadn't told anyone I left yet because I wanted to surprise them all!! And that is exactly what I did!! It was a early drive but totally worth it because I got to spend a few more hours with my great nephews!! Right when I got there we left for the zoo, which was packed!! The weather was so nice!!


It was a great time getting to hang around with everyone.

But we did get to celebrate Micah's 3rd birthday!! I made him a cake!! 3 Down, many more to go!
And there was coloring of the eggs! Eveything is always fun with you have a little kid around.


Well that was my weekend, it still involved baking, but wasn't in my life anymore?? That is a good question. Ill be posting more about this week!! In cake class now!! Trying to get excited about it all, but in the middle!!

Tarts

Here is a quick update because I am so behind!!
But two weeks ago we made Tarts!! A whole week of Tarts!! It was amazing, it was my first time making them and lets just say I am in love <3. I think it is something I may want to go into...well at least work in a restaurant making them for a couple years.

Fruit Tart

Lemon Cream Tart


Lemon Curd Tart


Mini Lemon Curd Tart


Chocolate Tart


Cream Puff


Something Really Yummy


Awesome Tart Shell

Sometimes the simplest things can make you so happy.

Such a joy in life!

In the end I have nothing to complain about just so much to be happy about. I went into school thinking I would find a couple things I really like to do and just go for those. But now i have realized I love everything about school, and I love everything I can do.

Just had exam week and I think it went awesome!!

Now starting cakes!! Lets see how this goes.

Put more up during the week!

Sculpture Weeks!

Sculpture weeks are insane, I know I never expected to know the stuff I learned these last couple of weeks. With chocolate sculptures I learned how to make a rose and a daisy! It is just so amazing, to come out of class know how to make them. These are things you see people make on TV and think man how do they make them, and there I was making these things in class. Its just another mind blowing experience, I loved making the rose, it was just so pretty and delicate, I am glad I came out of that week knowing how to make something like that.




What is crazy is I got into wanting to do all of this because I was watching TV one day and Jacques Torres had a show on and he was showing how to make different things for sculptures. So knowing me I went into the kitchen to try to make this stuff and it was a total fail. But I didn't know what I was doing at the time. Now I understand why, and I understand what to do. It is just so exciting, to look back and know nothing, and now I know everything I need to know.



After chocolate sculptures we had sugar sculptures, lets just say its exciting to see how it is all done, but thats it. Making it is not as exciting, pretty frustrating. It was fascintating to watch how to blow sugar, and make roses, but I can say that it was just not my thing. I just couldn't do it. I tried to make a bird out of blown sugar, and I tried and tried but I couldn't do it. I even told me chef I couldn't do it, he tried to help me out, but I still failed at doing it. My rose came out pretty well, I liked it, maybe not up to standard, but it was up to standard to me.



These last two weeks have taught me a lot, more than I ever thought I would learn. But it has been an amazing experience. I learned a lot about myself also. I did not let myself get as frustrated as I usually do, things didnt allways go the way I wanted it to, but I let it be. I did my thing and just went for it.

This is why school is so awesome, I am learning so much about myself, and learning so much about baking and pastry arts, its an amazing experience. I never want it to end.

Besides my exciting times at school, a really exciting thing that happened is my lil brother came into town!! It was so awesome, he makes me complete. It was so nice just to get a chance to hang out with him. I missed him so much.

He just makes me so happy, he is my best friend and I wish I could see him everyday!

I took him on my tour...we went and saw the bean...

It is one of my favorite things to check out, I think its pretty cool. Also they had dyed the water green for st. patricks day so that was pretty aweosme to check out.

And then I had to take him to my favorite place...Al's Italian Beef which I hadn't been to since november, but we went twice while he was here so it was all good.




Somtimes it is just nice to be around family, and feel at home. These weeks have been crazy, but I feel like every week is crazy.

This week tarts!! Sounds yummy!

Long Weeks.

So here is a quick post, its been pretty crazy and I haven't had much time to write on here.
But I just got done with two weeks of chocolate candy making, it was awesome!! I am pretty sure that this is what I want to do, I am so sure that I am taking a trip to New York City to check out Chocolate places and learn more about the business!! I know way exciting, my life is an adventure right now, and I am just going to take it all in.



Chocolate candy making is so much fun, well at least to me it is. Im not sure why this excites me so much but it does, probably because it is what I started out with. If it wasn't for seeing a show that Jacque Torres had who knows if I would of ever gotten into it as much! But who knows life takes you to crazy places, and I am letting it take me anywhere.

It was so awesome we learned how to use an enrobing machine, most people thought it was boring, which yes if that is your job everyday, 9 hours a day I bet it gets boring. But I thought it was very fascinating.


What is really awesome though is we starting making Chocolate Scultpture, I know crazy right?!?! I made a chocolate rose in class, I never thought I would be able to make something like that. But hey I did, and I think it turned out awesome!!

All I have to say is I am living the life, I love everyday and can't believe everything I am learning. When I get some more time I will write more and post more pics up. Get to assemble our daisy tomorrow!! I am so excited!!

I start trying to write more short blogs so I can write more!! Have so much more to tell everyone, but I will for sure get it all out there soon!! Check out my facebook for more pics!!

Crazy Couple of Weeks

It has been a long couple of weeks; I was finishing up plated desserts, started my job, and had my first exams!!

We finished plated desserts and it was one of my favorite things ever, I loved doing it so much. I am just very glad I got that experience and now I am ready to go into a restaurant and really see the production. I want to learn way more about plated dessert, because I think it is something I do want to go into. Work at a few restaurants and hotels doing more of it.

Crepes

Rhubarb

Cappuccino Creme Brulee

Then in groups we got to make our own desserts.

So besides plated desserts, we had our first exam!! I know its crazy I am almost 1/3^rd through the program. This is just going by so fast that sometimes you don’t even notice it.

Exams were not bad at all, I went in thinking whatever I can do this. I just couldn’t even worry about it because I knew there was nothing to worry about. In the end there was nothing to worry about, the first day was a little stressful I had to make my meringues 3 times, but that could be a bunch of dumb things. I could have not gotten all the water out of the bowl, or not all the fat out of the containers. But then the second day I got all organized, make labels for everything, and got all my notes straighten up, I had plenty of time and was able to make my crepes and made my pastilles. And then the final day, got a bunch turned in right away, found a time slot to make my soufflés right away, and got my cake done and had about 3 hours to spare. It was the best thing ever!! I realized there is not reason to get stressed out for a baking exam, its not even worth it, just take your time and call it good.

Well besides school, I started a job, its been tiring getting home late having school work to do then going to work early n the morning but someone has to do it. In the end you just remember what you are doing is because you love to do it, so if you need to put a lot of hours in and get no sleep so you can do what you love then that is what happens. So tough love right?!?!? That’s what I just keep telling myself.

So I love school so much, school makes me love life more and more everyday, there is something about it all that makes me just excited. Well I would say besides being in Chicago and going to FPS there are only a few other really big joys I have in life.

But the biggest joy in my life is my family <3!!!

I just love them all so much, and so the only thing that could make everything even better here is the Ohio gang came and saw me this weekend!! <3<3<3!!

I got to see my two nephews, my awesome Micah Man who I love so much!! It is sad I don’t get to see him everyday!! But the time I spend with him is precious and I take every minute of it I can get. And then there is Baby Benjamin, when I got to hold him the first time it was the best thing ever, and now I got to see him three and a half months later and it was just precious. Holding him is the best thing in the world. Because after being with Micah for so long I know they know you and remember you and if I have to I will brain wash him so he will remember me…Jking. But those two kids are the loves of my life; I just love them so much.

It was also so awesome to see Jeremy and Kim, I just have the best family ever and I am just so happy they drove out here for the weekend to see me! They are so supportive and so loving; I just love them so much. I wish I could see them more often, but I will get to see them in a month!! While they were here I made dinner for everyone, and celebrated Kim’s birthday! They got to try all my stuff from school.

They were having too much fun at the Childrens Museum, Micah was soaked after they came out of the WaterWay.s

Well starting a new unit this week. Chocolate!! I am way excited, I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Have a great night!

I Am Living the Life

As always this week has been busy, I am pretty sure busier than the others. I have been running around, well taking buses and trains all over the place. With job interviews, getting things taken care of for applications, and school it’s been a crazy week. I have been getting pretty exhausted, and with a really busy weekend it didn’t help much. But I was able to get some sleep in today so that did help.

This week started another unit; which is now my third unit, I am up to plated desserts. I love plated desserts, its one of the reasons why I went into pastries, I remember going to Las Vegas and seeing all these Buffets and even though it was way busy, and just a piece of chocolate cake they still plated it so delicate.

The one thing I do love is all the little things that go into it, you may have a piece of chocolate cake, but then you might have to think of a sauce, flavor ice cream and garnish. And then in the end every piece comes together. In just one week we have already made quiet a few desserts, and still have another week. Each dessert is so good and even though you think you’re not going to like it, you end up loving it. In one week I have had pears, plums and grapefruit which I never eat but now I love all three!

One of my favorites was the Chocolate Lover’s Obsession, because I do love chocolate and we paired that with coffee ice cream. Two of favorite things, then we added some crushed up nuts, and chocolate swirls and it makes the dessert so elegant.

I thought the unit was going to be a lot harder just because we haven’t learned that much but really each component is separate so you just learn one thing at a time. Also we just changed instructors and you can tell our instructor for this unit really thinks about everything she does. You don’t just throw everything onto a plate; you have to think about what needs to go where. There are so many components to one plated dessert.

Warm Papillotte and Exotic Fruit, Strawberry Sorbet and Spiced Tuiles

Vanilla Chilboust with Fresh Red Wild Berries

Warm Vanilla-Roasted Pineapple with Mango Sorbet and Mango Chips

Those are just a few that we have done, I have been so happy with everything Katie and I have made. We really work well together and both have different styles on how to plate things so its really helpful. We really help each other out.

This weekend was a crazy and busy one; it was the schools biggest event, For the Love of Chocolate. The even is to raise money for Scholarships, and man do they go all out. People are set up all over with savory food, and then tons of desserts. There is body painting, messages and hookah, everyone from the school was there to help so we didn’t get to enjoy everything but we got to walk around and see what was going on. A bunch of us already said that next year we will be back but we will be attending and enjoying the event. I do have to say the highlight of my night was meeting Courtney Clark, she is a past student of FPS but she is always a Food Network Competitor I am always rooting for her when I am watching the challenges. She was so nice, and just talked to me for a little bit and was just giving me some advice with school. I have to say that made my night!!

So besides us at the school all day Saturday, we decided we would be good student and get up in the morning to help clean. So a bunch of us went to Danielle’s house around midnight, had something to eat, we finally decided to go to sleep, and guess what we had to wake up…haha, it was way tiring but it was good to help, plus I got a piece of this Chocolate Moose cake, it was awesome!!

Not much else here, last weekend Barb, Annie and I went Ice Skating. Pretty cold out but had a great time.

Well I better get it going, I just spent the last hour getting a package ready to send out to my parents, pretty much just emptied out the fridge and sending it all to them. Made cookies using a cup to roll them out and cut them. But then I had to use a baking mat on top of a cupcake sheet because I don’t have any baking pans. Man each day is just another adventure. But it’s always a good one.

Hope everyone has a great week!