Bonjour Mes Amis!

Israel Day 10

2008-07-10T05:40:00.004+02:00

Woke up at 6:15 to finish packing and eat breakfast. At 8:30 we had a closing group activity. Everyone was an emotional wreck! It was a beautiful closing though. At 12ish we packed up our stuff on the bus and left for the airport. We said quick goodbyes and then pretty much stood in line for a few hrs. We boarded the plane at 3:30 pm and I proceeded to sleep for about 10 hrs. We landed at 8:30 pm and I went to the NY hotel room to meet my mom :)

Overall...AMAZING experience. I love Israel, I love my new friends, and I love life :)

To view my pictures...click on these links!
Israel 1
Israel 2
Israel 3
Israel 4
Israel 5
Israel 6
Israel 7
Israel 8

Sorry but this was the only way I could do it! Click open in new window if you don't wanna stray from this page! ENJOY!!!

Penny
P.S. Stay posted for school happening! I start Monday July 14th :)

Israel Day 9

2008-07-10T05:35:00.003+02:00

I woke up at 6:30 and ate breakfast in the tents. We were supposed to go on a hike after that, but because of the heat wave, plans changed. We left and went to David Ben Gurion's grave. It was a beautiful landscape. Then we drove to Jerusalem to Ben Yehuda Street to go shopping. I didn't do too much damage but enough :) I loved the stuff I bought though. Then we went to the Kotel (Western Wall) one more time before we headed home. It was one of the most special moments of my trip for many reasons. From there we went to Har Hertzel which is the cemetary for all of the soldiers and famous leadings of Israel including Golda Meir and Theodore Hertzel. I was a mess there. Just couldn't stop crying. We then went to the hotel room and I showered (best shower ever since i was SO dirty!!!) We left around 8:30 to go to one of our Israeli friend's school bar where they had a party for us. They served us food and we bought drinks. We stayed til around 12. Then we came back and I was super exhausted. But I didn't have a roommate that night so I got lucky. Went to bed around 2ish.

Israel Day 8

2008-07-10T05:15:00.003+02:00

I woke up at 3 am for what was about to be an AMAZING day!!! We grabbed a mini breakfast and coffee and left the hotel by 4:15. At 5 am I was climbing Mount Masada! I made it to the top in 35 min and I was one of the first in my group to get to the top. It was by far the most amazing experience I have had since my Bat Mitzvah! I got to the top and called my parents just crying from what I had just accomplished! We spent from 6 am to 9:30 on the top watching the sunrise, taking pictures and learning history of Israel! Best EVER! Then we ate breakfast at the bottom of the hill which was one of the worst breakfasts I had ever had! We changed into our bathing suits at that point because we were going to the dead sea!! Another amazing (and stinging) experience! First I floated for a little while and then mudded myself up! It was SOOO hot being covered in mud! Then i cleaned off and at 12:30 we went to grab a quick lunch. After that we drove to the bedoin tents to drop off our stuff! Then we took a camel ride! This day just kept getting better!!! The camel ride hurt a bit...but was fun nonetheless! After we sat and learned about Bedoin Lifestyles. So cool! Then I fell asleep (or tried to) for an hr and 30 min before 7:30 dinner. Dinner was pretty cool. Then i took a MUCH needed shower and went to the group bonfire for a little bit. A 10 pm I was exhausted and Josh and I crashed in the tent!

Israel Day 7

2008-07-10T05:05:00.003+02:00

Woke up at 6 am and got dressed and went outside a bit early to take pictures and the gorgeous scenery around! At 7:15 we loaded the bus, ate breakfast, and then at 8:45 we headed off to hike the cliff of Arbel. We hiked a downhill climb which was pretty steep. After we got lucky because we had free time and did a water hike! This was REALLY a water hike because the water was up to our necks! We had to wear our bathing suits! There were two water tunnels which was super cool. However the water was so dirty! It was a pretty amazing experience though! Then we went to a little town to eat lunch and once again I had schwarma. We then hopped on the bus and went to a youth hostel where we talked to young israelis. I have to say...it was pretty lame. They didn't care that we were there. Then we drove to the hotel and got there right as they were finishing dinner service so we ate quickly. After that we had to shower quickly and pack a small back for the next few days! At 10:30 we dropped our luggage off and had a mini mtg to prepare for the big day tomorrow! At 11 pm I went to bed. My roommates were Melinda and Alison!

Israel Day 6

2008-07-10T04:45:00.003+02:00

Late wake up day!!! It was Shabbat so they let us sleep til 10:30! We met for coffee and a mini breakfast. At 11 we talked about the Parsha and Torah portion for the week. Then at 11:30 we took a break for an hr. Then lunch was at 12:30. After lunch we had a huge break to do nothing til 3:30. I helped some people with their speeches for the B'not Mitzvah ceremony in the evening. It was nice and i loved helping them. I also wrote in my journal and took some penny time! At 3:30 we got into three groups and talked about judaism like keeping kosher and marrying jewish. We chatted til 5:30. It was a good discussion! We had a 30 min break and then at 6 we went to a really cool cemetary which according to Shahar it's a different type because Jewish cemetaries are usually not pretty but this one was. At 7:30 we had an hr to get ready for the B'not Mitzvah/Jewish naming ceremony. 4 people were B'not Mitzvah'ed and 2 got a hebrew name. It was really fun to watch my friends up there! Then we had a night out in the town of Tiberias. Josh and I had our first date :) It was so beautiful, the food was unreal, and the night couldn't have been more perfect! We got home and I went to bed around 1am.

Israel Day 5

2008-07-08T04:32:00.003+02:00

Woke up at 6, got dressed, met by the bus at 7:15 to drop off luggage. We had breakfast and then we went on our first hike!!! We hiked the Jiboon water mountain- in the Golan Heights. It was a little less than 2 miles but to most of us it felt like forever! Right after the hike (i was the first to the top!!!) there was an ice cream truck. Brilliant man! We then got on the bus and drove to a town called Katrina. We ate lunch there. It was a small town and the only one in Golan Heights. There I had a great greek salad. From then we got back on the bus where we drove to the lookout point/bunker/border of Israel and Siberia. Being so close was a little scary but so amazing! McDonalds owns one of the fields we were looking at just to grow potatoes for the french fries!!! Then we hopped back on the bus and drove to the hotel where we were staying for 2 nights. We got to pick our roommates. There was only one double and Kate and I snagged it! We then had an hr to shower before Shabbat services. The girls split off from the guys and we went to light candles. The boys were prepping for what was next. We then met back with the boys where they were on their knees waiting for us. Each boy had to chose a girl. Josh obviously came up and grabbed me. I was so confused but they were just supposed to talk to us for 5 min. We took a great picture that night :) Then we all met at the garden to say Shabbat prayers. Then we split into three groups. 1) orthodox service 2) secular service and 3) Judaism 101. Josh and I went to the Orthodox service but it had just ended so we went to Judaism 101 where I actually learned a lot from Shosh! Then we went to Shabbat dinner where we said all of the prayers and had one of the better meals. At 10:30 we had a group activity which finished by 12. I spent some more time with Josh and then went to bed at 3:30 am!

Israel Day 4

2008-07-08T04:27:00.002+02:00

Woke up at 7 am, got ready, and dropped off my luggage before breakfast. We departed at 9 am and drove to Independence Hall where we learned about David Ben Gurion. This was where he declared Israel a State. It was very moving. We then got the lucky fortune of going to the beach from 11:30 til 1:30. I layed out for an hr and then went to get lunch! I managed to get picked up at the beach 3 times...two of them Israelis! But nasty ones :) Then we took a 2 hr drive to Tsfat. We arrived a little late but it was ok. We heard an artist speak about the Kabballah. It was the highlight of my trip! I bought a beautiful painting and then 2 necklaces in the town after. Then we took the bus to the hotel and at dinner at 8:30. After dinner we had a little free time so I showered. At 11 pm we had another ice breaking session and my partner was Clay. I went to bed around 1 am. My roommmates were Sarah and Karen!

Israel Day 3

2008-07-08T04:20:00.002+02:00

Woke up at 6:45 and got dressed. Went outside a bit again before breakfast. We took off at 9:30 for our first excursion. We stopped first to take a group picture and a beautiful look out point. Then to Yad Hashem which is the Holocaust Museum. It choked me up a bit and was very touching. We then listened to a Holocaust survivor. It was nice to hear but I was so hot that I was falling asleep. We then left to go to Tel Aviv! We got there around 2:30 and I met up with Dina and Dori (friends from other places who live there!!) I was treated to a wonderful lunch of more schwarma and then a freshly squeezed juice with mango, orange, passion fruit and pineapple. It was delish! And it was so good to see my friends!!! We only spent an hr there but it was a great hr. Then we went to Yitzhak Rabin square where the prime minister was murdered. From there we went to the Tel Aviv Beach and walked the water from Old Tel Aviv (Jaffa) to New Tel Aviv. Then we got back on the bus to go to our hotel in Batyam. We ate a crappy dinner at 8 pm and then got dressed for a 10 pm departure to the bar across the street on the beach. We spent 2 hrs there and came back to the hotel. I talked to Josh til about 2ish and went to bed at 2:30. My roommates were Melinda and Lindsay!

Israel Day 2

2008-07-08T04:15:00.003+02:00

Woke up at 7 am, showered, and then wandered a bit around the hotel. It was beautiful. We all, as a group, had to wait for Kate who missed the flight completely and had to come in today. Then we met as a group and played a game about getting to know you. We had to throw a shoe in the middle and people had to grab a shoe and then question the person whose shoe it was. Then we shared. At 11 am we got on the bus to go to Jerusalem. We first went to this gorgeous look out place where we learned some history, had a sip of wine, and wrote our personal goals for the trip which were then sealed! Then we went to lunch where I ate schwarma on a plate. It was delicious. Josh and I walked over to the bakery which was one of the coolest places I'd ever seen. Then the group went to the old city/western wall. This was one of the most moving experiences I have had to date. I gave tzedaka and the woman wished me luck and said g-d was sending me a good husband! I also wrote a note and put it in the wall and prayed. Then we came back to the hotel and played more getting to know you games. Then dinner was at 7:30. At 9:30 we met and discussed the holocaust. Most people hung out after that but I was so exhausted so I went home to shower and got in bed by 11. Roommates were again Kathy and Blake!

Israel Day 1

2008-07-08T04:08:00.003+02:00

Well...where do i start. Blogging about Israel is NOTHING compared to the time i had, the people i met, and experiences I experienced. But read on and enjoy the photos!!

My flight originally was supposed to take off at 5:30. It got delayed til 6:40 and then 7. We left the house at 5 and arrived at 5:20. My parents dropped me off and I went to check in. It wasn't until then that I learned that my flight to JFK was canceled!!!! I freaked out and called my parents. They weren't far so they came back. Luckily in line I met 5 others who were on my flight and were going to Israel with me! So...with 3 jewish moms complaining, Delta got us on flights. Some to Newark, some to Laguardia. And we all met up at JFK. and even more lucky was that our Israel flight got delayed as well! We scored ;) After almost two hrs of arguing to get on a flight, we all left for NY! Me, Lara and Brian took the flight to Laguardia and arrived at 11:30. We met up with Karen and then took a taxi to JFK. We met up with the group around 1 am. The flight to Israel was delayed from 2:20 to 5:40 and we didn't even take off til 6:30 am! It was a long night...but i got to meet a bunch of people in my group! When I got on the plane I crashed for about 7 hrs. Then I had 3 hrs left in which I read a little of my magazine, ate dinner, and proceeded to fall asleep again :) We arrived in Israel and 12 am Tues morn- so technically we missed a whole day! We got out of the airport, changed money, and got our phones. We went directly to the hotel where we had a brief orientation and then went to bed at 3 am. That began my week of no sleeping! My roommates were Kathy and Blake!

Moto

2008-06-15T23:18:00.002+02:00

I can't say much because when I first walked in, I had to sign an agreement not to say anything...but i will tell you I had an amazing 2 days of work!

A little background. The kitchen is below the restaurant and there are these famous red stairs to get up to the restaurant. If there were 80 covers a night (80 people fri, 80 people sat) and there is a minimum of the 5 course meal, if not 10 course or 20 calculate that to figure out how many times I ran up and down those stairs to run food!!!! HOLY MOLY! I am not exaggerating when I say I was in bed ALL day sunday because I couldn't move. I was in so much pain! But it was worth it.

I learned some things and got to taste GREAT amazing food. I met some great people. But overall, i just feel like i advanced my career in a good direction. I was happy that I did these two days and proud of myself for sticking through with it. I would love to work there if the hours weren't so insane! 12 (noon) to 1 or 2 am depending on the day! A 70 hr work week...plus school would NEVER work. But they know me know and I did well according to the chef. It was a blast!

More to come on the job front!!!

Arizona

2008-06-15T23:15:00.002+02:00

I know this a long time in the making! I apologize for all the people who wanted to see these photos!

They are from hiking-by myself and with my dad (make sure you check out the pics of him...they are hilarious!)-, out the night before the wedding and then Wedding Day of Jamie and Morgan Hodges.

Enjoy! I'll post more when I get back from Israel/NY! Kisses

my friend Jaimee

2008-05-24T21:36:00.002+02:00

So my friend Jaimee got engaged a little bit ago and she so nicely asked me to be a bridesmaid...so i accepted! With her cute little package that asked me the question (hahaha) i got a book entitled "how to be a bridesmaid". I have been reading it religiously. I have learned a LOT of stuff. So when her and her fiancee Joe moved back to the city I offered to help them move into their new pad! I had to start my bridesmaid duties early! And included in those duties are taking pictures of the couple throughout their entire engagement...so thats where the slideshow comes in! Enjoy!!! (my arms were KILLING me the day after the move! But it was fun!)

Bank Lane Bistro

2008-05-24T21:31:00.001+02:00

So the first week I got home, my friend Bob and I went to Bank Lane Bistro in Lincolnshire. He used to work there and the chef happened to have graduated from my HS. I took pictures of the food and I wanted to post them...but i never got around to it. Now I have time. So enjoy the beauty! We did the 9 courses and it was GREAT and a lot of fun seeing Bob!

Thesis

2008-05-24T21:28:00.001+02:00

So i can finally post a blog about my thesis...IT'S DONE! Yes...i've been working on it since november of 2007 and I am finally done. It should be in France. If anyone is interested in reading it please email me and I will send it to you. Although it was about 2 pages short and not the best quality, I learned a lot about myself, the topic and it was the best experience I've had with schooling! I am proud to have finished this! I hope i get my diploma and that I get to go to Paris in October to receive it. Thanx for bearing with me through my struggles...but it's OVER now :) YIPPEE!! Off to celebrate.

Table 52

2008-05-24T04:53:00.001+02:00

Have you heard of Art Smith? Oprah's Chef. Well, for Jen's (my favorite person in chitown!) bday I took her to Table 52, Art Smith's restaurant. It's southern home cooking! It was AMAZING! I mean you can just see in the pictures. I surprised her and she had no clue...but she had expressed the want to go there. So it killed two birds with one stone...her b-day and me getting to try this new famous restaurant!

Enjoy!

Rising Stars!

2008-05-24T04:33:00.004+02:00

Sorry again for the time off. I have a few posts I want to post though....so you'll get a handful of them :) Anyway, I went to this tasting on May 19th for Rising Star Chefs. It was AMAZING! Not only did I get some interviews, possible jobs, and some Stages...but i tasted some of the best food in chicago from the best chefs!

Here is my slideshow of the evening! I wish I had taken pictures of me :) but instead you have pictures of the beautiful dishes that the chefs made!!! (i did the best i could...but i think i left some pictures out! I was way too excited to be taking pictures! hahaha)

Click here! to get the list of chefs, restaurants and dishes that they prepared along with some great recipes! I wish you all could have experienced what i did :)

LONG overdue

2008-05-14T01:51:00.003+02:00

I am sorry I have been so slow to post. I, however, feel a little more adjusted now. I've seen most of my friends, I have a job working at Moe's Southwest Grill (on the corner of Willow and Waukegan- come visit or email me for more details)...temporary...helping out my cousin, and I have gone to see all of my Dr's. Overall things are great. I'm a happy camper. I still miss Paris, but I know being home is good for me! So far I've seen two shows and I'm going to another one Thursday night...so i'm LOVING the fact that i get to see more theatre! School is still up in the air...but I'll keep you posted and I do have an expected start date of Aug 18th. My thesis is pretty much done. It will be signed, sealed and delivered by next week. If you want to read it, let me know! I've been cooking EVERY night (except for the nights I go out...which haven't been many) Mom and dad appreciate that....but NOT the whole food grocery bills!!! Other than that, here is a picture from mother's day with my family that I went to lunch with!

Btw- I have a new website that is my professional website (it's on my new business cards!!). it's still under construction but stay tuned and I also promise I will be blogging more often now that I have my life under control! www.pennyshack.net

Shoot me an email and tell me how you are all doing and if you read this thing anymore. should i keep it up?!? i may start doing restaurant reviews...what do you think!?

Back home again in...

2008-04-27T19:35:00.002+02:00

Illinois (not indiana...u know the song?!?!) anyway, I haven't forgotten about my blog readers....i just needed a few days to adjust! And although I am not PERFECTLY adjusted...i am better! My flight home was sad. Manuel took me to the airport and it was very sad leaving him. I got on the plane and bawled my eyes out. I was sitting next to some 21 yr old who lived in the marais and just got married to his 40 yr old boyfriend in paris. He was going to school out there. How sad. Anyway, I cried for a good part of the way home. The flight was under 9 hrs and we got home early. I stayed up the entire time! When i got to the airport I started bawling again cause I knew it was for real! I had to go through customs because I brought food home. Oh well. I saw mom and dad and it was surreal. Anyway, I knew I had to deal with what was at hand for me at that moment. That night I went to bed around 7:30...i stayed up as late as I could (woke up at 5 am paris time...7:30 pm US time was 2:30 am Paris time!).

The past few days I have been running errands and trying to take some time out for myself to get readjusted. I keep hearing things on the radio or seeing signs about Paris or Greece/Turkey (my cruise) which just makes me sad. Every once in a while I will break out in a crying spell...and then realize well, i'm kinda here for a while so suck it up! The coffee sux, I miss my roommate, my friends, and just life in Paris. I know this is a good change for me though. I am looking forward to what's next. I have been making dinner for mom and dad and I'm going to start baking next week for my friends who's shows i'm going to see.

In the meantime, stay tuned because I will be blogging...just not as often! Thanx to all who read my adventures while I was in paris! I promise i will have a life after paris ;) A bientot for now!

Au revoir Paris :(

2008-04-24T06:32:00.002+02:00

Just a short blog. I am waiting for Manuel to pick me up before we go to the airport. Just saying one last online goodbye while i am still in Paris. I have too much reflecting to do that I can't even begin in the 10 min that I have left. Just know that I am a better person for living my life in Paris for a year and a half. I look forward to what's in store for me. I know it can only get better from here. I'm so very fortunate for these opportunities and I have to take them when they come. Stay tuned for US adventures...this is A Bientot Paris....I will be back :)

Last Day in Paris/Moulin Rouge

2008-04-24T06:09:00.002+02:00

So it was my last day in Paris and I was a mad woman! It was great though because I saw everyone I wanted to see (except manuel but he is taking me to the airport). I saw Alex (who I haven't seen since I graduated cause he went to Australia), Kaitlin, and Fernando! It was a day filled of love. I felt very special. It was also hard because I truly don't want to leave these people. They know I care about them and will miss them a lot.

At 7 pm I went to the Moulin Rouge alone...but it was something I wanted to do in Paris and what a great way to end my travels here. I went to dinner and the show. The dinner...I could have done without! The Show...great! However...I have never seen so many perfect bodies on a stage at one time...more like perfect titties :) And the men...they weren't even good looking per se....they were all like Ken...just perfect! They show was a spectacle. The singing was dubbed...the dancing wasn't in sync, but the costumes and lights were amazing! And the little ponies they had...wow...i was in awe! Overall I enjoyed the show SOOOO much! I was very happy I went. I could tell you more...but I don't wanna give the show away. Honestly, if I told too much it may give the excitement away from seeing it. If anyone comes to Paris...I would say it was a must see. And for my friends that didn't want to fork out the money...I would say to fork it out :) It was worth it. Even just to see the perfect bodies! hahaha. (and make you a little jealous!) Anyway...it was a great last day/night!

Cruise Greece/Turkey

2008-04-23T13:48:00.002+02:00

Ok...Postings are up! The way you have to read it (if you wanna read them chronologically) are by going back a few days and starting with Begin Athens (not End Athens). And then work your way through to End Athens. There are about 8 postings. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed my trip! Thanx for reading!!!!

End Athens

2008-04-22T18:56:00.004+02:00

I woke up at 6 am and finished packing and ate breakfast. I met some couple who got married at Santorini the day before. So sweet. We all got off the ship as a group at 7:30ish. We then took two separate buses, 1 for people going to the center of town and 2 for the people doing the excursion. However only 4 of us did the excursion and Ryan. The excursion took us to a bunch of places I already went to when I was in Athens but this time I got to go to the top of the Acropolis. I was actually a little disappointed. Oh well.

Afterwards we dropped our stuff off at the Hotel we had stayed at and said goodbye. From there Ryan had directed me in the way to get a Harley t-shirt for my daddy :) Then we just grabbed some lunch together and he showed me how to get to the airport from the metro around 4ish. I flew home around 6ish (plane was late as usual). I got into paris around 8ish and took a cab home because I was miserable to be finished with my cruise and depressed that I was leaving Paris soon. I came home and CRASHED. I couldn't even talk to Asima.

THANK YOU to everyone on this trip. I had an amazing experience. You all truly touched me in some way. I hope to stay in touch! It was a pleasure meeting you! What a fun trip!!!

St. Nicolas/Santorini

2008-04-22T18:49:00.004+02:00

What a mistake to wake up this morning but I did at 8 am. I ate breakfast and went off to the ship to experience St. Nicolas. It was essentially an hr away from crete. If you didn't do the tour, you couldn't get there. The group didn't do the tour for many reasons. However I took the mini train ride through the town for 40 min. Waste of time and money. The town was pretty dingy, but the architecture was ok. I got back on the ship at 9:45 and layed out til 12.

I wasn't feeling well so I went to my room to get ready and then at 1 pm we took a group photo. Then lunch and then a group mtg at 2 pm. After that I went back to my room to read and relax til about 4 in which we started to port into Santorini. At that point I went to the top deck to take some pictures and then we all got off the ship to take the excursion to Oia and Fira. They were 2 very cute towns. We primarily just walked around and took pictures. I tried a sweet wine called vincento. Ryan got a free bottle, so he gave it to me because he knew I loved it but didn't wanna buy a bottle. So nice! At 8 pm we had to go back to the boat but we had to decide if we wanted to walk down the hill, take the cable car or a donkey ride! what do you think i did?!!?! DONKEY! it was hilarious! One of the best experiences of my trip! It was shitloads of fun! (literally) We then took the tenderboat back to the boat. I then dropped off my stuff and met my group for dinner at 9 and after dinner we caught the tail end of the last show. I was still feeling sick so I went to my room after and packed and went to bed around 1ish.

Rhodes/Lindos

2008-04-22T18:38:00.003+02:00

I woke up at 6:30 and went to breakfast by myself where i met some nice people from Nashville who actually used to live in Chicago. Strange! Then today's tour was only me Eric and April. We took the Rhodes/Lindos excursion. The other people could only see Rhodes (that's why i took the excursion-so I could see Lindos). We first went to Lindos. We saw the Acropolis and St. Paul's Church. It was so gorgeous. On the bus ride back (about 45 min) we stopped and went to a family run pottery shop where we watched a guy make pottery. It was fascinating! He then cut what he made in half so we could see the ridges. Really neat. Then we went to the old town of Rhodes. We walked around a bit with the tour guide. Then at 12:15 we finished and I went off on my own. Eric and April went back to the ship and I stayed in town. I had a great greek salad and then may my way to the beach from 1:30-4:30! The sea was nice, but the sand was horrible! Like big rocks! I then walked back to the boat. Once on the boat I sat with the group for a while and chatted. Eventually I went to my room to read for a while and pack (sad). The boat was super rocky today but Ryan said it was normal on the day they ride through Rhodes. Eventually I got dressed for formal night. Like i said, no one was really formal, but I did the best I could. Then Eric came over and I flat ironed his hair! He always wore a hat, so I was happy to help him out! At 8:15 we had captain's cocktail hr. free drinks again! I had bad wine :) We were introduced to the staff which was nice. Then dinner was at 9:15. At the end of tonights dinner they made baked alaska and all the servers ran around with the alaska on fire. They were dancing to Zorba. At 11 pm I quickly ran upstairs to take pictures of the HORRIBLE chocolate buffet the pastry chef made (who i was introduced to-as well as the head chef) Then i ran back downstairs to watch the horrible show which the theme was musicals. Needless to say, I had a good laugh! I think this was the worst show of all!!!! After the show I chatted with people from the group for a bit and then went to my room and read a little and went to bed around 3:45 am.

Patmos/Kusadasi

2008-04-22T18:30:00.004+02:00

I randomly woke up at 6 am. I wasn't hungover at all. I'm lucky like that :) But I didn't know where I had to be when so luckily I woke up then. I showered, ate breakfast and met the crew at 7:30 (after reading my sheet). We then went to the island of Patmos. Ryan gave us the tour today. We went to St. John's Monastery and the Grotto. It was quite a trek but really worth it. It was so beautiful and great views!

We then got back on the boat early and I layed out from about 10-12:15. Then showered again and at lunch and re-met the group at 1:30. We then took a guided tour through the next island we landed in which was Kusadasi, Turkey. It was super cool!!! We went to the House of Virgin Mary and Ephasus. You see that type of stuff in photos but when you are actually up close and near it, it's unreal. Almost unbelievable. Then we walked the town individually and I bought a necklace and leather coat. I also got pegged for a french woman and hispanic (which i got all week actually). I also met the HOTTEST turkish guy. He gave me his email and told me to stay in touch and he would come visit. It was hard NOT to talk to him because his eyes were so gorgeous. I told him that. hahaha. He told me I was good looking too...and i was in sweats! hahahah. I got back on the boat at 7ish. I then made a toga out of sheet since it was Greek night. Yes I wore it to dinner (no pictures though! sorry). First it was Contiki Cocktail night (30 min of free booze) from 8:30-9 and then greek dinner at 9:15. Not as bad as the other dinners. Then the show tonite was a greek theme. A lot of greek dancing and singing. Pretty different. After the show I went to my room and read a little and went to bed around 2 am.

Mykonos

2008-04-22T18:25:00.004+02:00

I woke up at 9ish (i think this was the latest I slept in all week!!) and layed out from 10-1 (that was the longest I had all week!) and then had lunch at 1 pm and then a mtg with contiki and then proceeded to lay in the sun again from 2-4. At 4 I finally got dressed to get off the boat. Mykonos!!!! I walked around with Eric for a while. We went to a store Ryan suggested and a guy from CHICAGO sold me a ring for my mom! It was beautiful. Then the night gets crazy! I went to dinner with Eric where we sat less than a foot from the sea! We ate lobster and it was SOOOO fresh and tasty! Along with that we had two bottles of wine and then a shot of some yumminess at the end of dinner. Then I went with Ryan and Eric to a bar and had 2 bourbon and cokes plus another shot. I was completely fine (luckily though I went to the bathroom while they had another shot!) After that we went back to the boat (i think around 11) And as we were on the elevator all went to hell. Luckily they got me overboard where I proceeded to get sick. I think it was too much sugar (since it's out of my system now!) The both of them were super sweet and took me to my room and put me in bed. I owe them everything!!!!

Istanbul, Turkey 2

2008-04-22T18:07:00.005+02:00

Woke up by the 6:45 am wake up call set by Ryan (tour manager) and quickly threw on clothes and at breakfast to meet everyone for the 7:30 tour! First we went to the blue mosque! It was gorgeous. We had to remove our shoes because people still pray inside the mosque. It actually has a real name, but when you see the pictures of the inside, all of the tiles are blue, so to the tourists that's what it's called. Then we went to the ayasofia. It was first a church and then a mosque and now a museum. It was also rebuilt three times! Then we went to learn about turkish rugs and how they make them and the different types! It was then that i tried a turkish coffee! bad idea! The second I drank it my heart started to pound and then I bought two rugs! hahaha. We then left and a few of us went to a TURKISH BATH! It was super cool! I mean so unreal! You go in nekked (or with undies) into a steam room and lay down for about 15 min. Then a woman screams for you and you get scrubbed up and down for another 15 min. She uses a scrub brush and soap and even washes your hair. It feels like an exfoliation! After that I was super relaxed and we went back to the boat for lunch time. Then i tried to get some sun but it was too cloudy so i read for a bit and then had a cup of tea with Ryan. Eventually I got dressed for dinner (woah that was quick- but i actually had a lot of relaxing in there!) Dinner was semi formal tonite. And you know me, i love to dress up! Then we went to the once again horrible show at 11:15 which was a latin theme! HAHAH. I had a dirty martini which was almost as bad as the show. Then to the disco again...but again...shit. I went to bed around 1:30 am.

Istanbul, Turkey 1

2008-04-22T09:23:00.004+02:00

At 6:50 am there was such a horrible turn by the captain (or so we hope) that things in the room started to fall so I started to wake up. But eventually at 7:40 I got out of bed. At 8 am I took a walking class and then a stretching class!! It was a fun way to start my cruise ship life ;) Then at 9:20 i ate breakfast with Eric. Then at 10:30 we had a contiki mtg and then it started! At 11 am I went tanning on the top deck. I was there til about 12:30. The weather was goregous! 27 degrees celcius (uh...i dont know it in F) I had to go and get ready then because we needed to be back on the top deck to take pictures of our arrival into Turkey. The island really is large. Part of it is in Asia and the other in Europe! So cool! At 2 pm we docked and took our first excursion. We first went to the Topkapi Palace. It was beautiful. Then we went to the Grand Bazaar! THAT was fun. I bargained a bunch. I bought a plate, a bowl, and a shirt. Then we went to the egyptian spice market where i bought some tea and honey. We then took the turkish metro back to the boat at 7:15 and got ready for dinner at 8 pm. After that we left to go to Bubble street which is comparable to times square in NY (however not THAT elaborate!) We went to a Hookah bar where Eric and I shared a cappucino hookah and everyone else had apple tea. It was a blast and I have to say I was pretty high for a while :) We came home around 12ish.

Athens/Cruise Boarding

2008-04-21T18:01:00.005+02:00

I woke up at 8 am, got dressed, packed my suitcase and went to breakfast where I met up with Eric from Cali. We decided to go tour the town together. We went to the changing of the guards at the Parliament, the National Gardens, Zapion Exhibition, Congress Hall, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, Panathinaikon Stadium (where the original olympics were held), then to the Lycabeitus Theatre which is the highest point in Athens. There were so many steps just to get to the funicular (almost as many as sacre coeur) It was a beautiful view and the theatre was cool except for the fact that you couldn't go into it. When we arrived back to the hotel we had just enough time to grab our suitcases and meet the group. At 12:15 we all left to go to the bus and go to the boat- Louis Hellenic Cristal! We checked in as a group and after we boarded we went to the buffet at 2 pm. After that we had a mandatory life safety mtg (u know those annoying orange vests!). Then we had a contiki mtg where we talked about optional excursions and kinda just hung out from there. I then left and walked around the boat to get my boundaries. I activated my on boat account and drink card. I only bought the non alcoholic one because i knew I wouldn't take advantage of the alcoholic one. I didn't need to drink THAT much (although it was a good deal-all u can drink for 140 euros-mine was all u can drink non-alcoholic for 56). I then went to the piano bar to listen to name that tune! I didn't participate...but i did listen :) I then read my book for a while...so relaxing! Off to a great start! Then went to my room to change for our 8:45 dinner time slot. We met at the Caruso dining hall (that was the name of my jr high!). We ate til around 10:30 and then went to the Metropolitan show lounge to see the show! The show was HORRIBLE! I mean, i can't believe I sat through it! It lasted 45 min, thank g-d! We then went to the disco, which was also pretty lame! I decided to go to bed at 12:15.

Begin Athens

2008-04-21T17:11:00.005+02:00

Let me start off by saying...this was an amazing experience! One i will never forget! Thank you to everyone for my memories! For those of you reading this and looking at the pictures, I will be as precise as I can, but most of the pictures I can't remember exactly what they were...so I'm prolly just gonna post slide shows! So enjoy it all...cause i know I did :) And P.S. A fun little fact about Greece- they don't flush toilet paper...so you had to wipe and then put it in the trash can! That took a little time to get used to! WEIRD!!!

I woke up at 3:30 am because my Paris shuttle picked me up at 4:15. SO annoying. I arrived to the airport at 5 am which was 2 hrs and 20 min before my flight. However the shuttle was so cheap I had to do it. I waited one hr before I could check in and then another til I could board the plane. What a waste of good sleeping time!!! I had a couple of coffees to perk me up and to get started on my vacation! I then boarded the plane which took off on time and got me into Athens, Greece at 11:15 (one hr later than Paris). I got my baggage and took the bus to my hotel. The bus driver had longer hair than mine and he spent about 5 min in the mirror fixing it! It took about an hr to get there. I dropped off my luggage, got settled into the hotel hermes (4 stars) and immediately left! I took my coat with me because i was a bit chilly, but as i started to walk I was boiling! It was gorgeous out! I first walked to lunch and before hand managed to pick up some dude. I tried to walk away from him, but he wouldn't shut up. Anyway, at lunch i had a greek salad! I had to start right away eating greek food, especially feta cheese! It was yummy. Then I walked the Plaka area. I didn't want to go into the Acropolis because I was going to do that the last day of my vacation. After that I went shopping and all I bought was a belt because my pants were falling off of me and it was annoying! Then I came back to the hotel and showered and relaxed a bit before my 7 pm mtg with the contiki group I was going with. So we finally had our briefing with the other tour mates! There were 14 of us (plus our tour manager). Supposedly this was a very small group. Normally they are 30-60 people. I think it was good so I could remember everyones names and we were actually very close by the end of the trip! So the people are Eric-California, Mark- New Zealand (lives in London), Louise- Australia (lives in London), April- Australia, Carrie and Bed- Australia (lives in London), George and Geri- (newlyweds)- Kentucky, Tuly, Jose, Maria and Marcela- Columbia (live in London) and then our tour manager Ryan- Australia (lives in Athens while touring) and then me!! So it was a good group. At 8:30 we went to an authentic Greek restaurant for dinner as a group. There was dancing and singing and just overall Greek Fun!!! We got home at 11 and I went to bed around 11:30!

Back home...well Paris!

2008-04-19T19:26:00.001+02:00

I am back in Paris and my Portugal trip blog is up! Give me a few days and Greece/Turkey will be up! I had an amazing time. I make my trek back home to the US on April 24th. See you soon. Toodles

Lisbon, Portugal Day 3

2008-04-19T17:00:00.000+02:00

Today we woke up at 9:30 and layed around for a while. We eventually left the house at 11. We drove to Cascias which was about a 45 min drive to another town just outside of Lisbon. We made a pitstop before getting there to the famous pastry shop called Pasteis de Belem. They make a bunch of pastries but the specialty are the mini custard pies. I bought one for Asima. It was a madhouse there. (when i took the bus tour-there was a line out the door) We also walked the mini market. Portugal is known for the tiles they put together on walls to make a collage. I almost bought one from a 16th century building but it was 150 euros...so i didn't :)

Then we continued on our journey to Cascias. It was a cute town for shopping, walking, touristy stuff, drinking tea and most of all beach! We did it all! I fell asleep on my back a little too long and I got a little toasty! Ooops. Eventually one of Maria's friends, Teresa met up with us for some tea. It was nice because she spoke english. Then around 6 pm we headed back to Lisbon.

We relaxed til 8 and then went to the mall to a chain restaurant called Portugalia for some traditional Portuguese food! I had a sirloin with a fried egg on top. Interesting to say the least. Lots of protein!!!! Then we came home and at 10 pm I crashed. THANK YOU MARIA! I had a blast :) You are the best!!! What a great vacation!!!!!

Lisbon, Portugal Day 2

2008-04-19T16:00:00.000+02:00

On Saturday we woke up around 9:30 and Maria insisted she go to the gym...so of course I went with her (although not too happy of a camper about it until after i went...duh!) We got home and showered and got all pretty because today was the day she was taking me to the restaurant she worked at for almost 2 years called Eleven. It's the ONLY 1 star Michelin restaurant in Lisbon. The chef is Joachim Koerper. She is friends with everyone there! We met Maria's daughter there around 2ish for lunch. I had the menu which consisted of 3 courses, plus an amuse bouche amongst other tastings. I thought the meal was ok...but not outstanding. Maria actually agreed with me and was perplexed as to why? She said it's normally not like this. Anyway, it was a beautiful atmosphere.

After lunch, Maria and her daughter went to a fish and wine expo and i took the bus tour of Lisbon. It was an hr and 40min and it was really pretty. We then all met up at 7 pm in the main square where we started.

Then we dropped Maria (daughter) off and went to the Casino to walk around and have a cup of tea. As we were drinking our tea we decided to go home and change for the night and come right back to eat at the second best restaurant in Lisbon called Pragma. Now this meal was OUTSTANDING! Maria knows the sommelier, so that was part of the reason we went there, but the other part was because of the talk it had. And this was worth the money and the time! I, specifically, had 9 courses and Maria had 5. Everything was perfect! I wanted more ;) I took pictures of everything of course. As we left the casino Maria said to me someone called me a model (i had to throw that in my blog! hahaha). We then picked up her friend Nuno. We went to another set of "Docas" because the first place we went to said it was going to be 180 euro cover....i mean WHAT?!! So the docks had a bunch of bars. First we went to a karaoke bar. Pretty lame...but MUCH better than the second one we went to which was 70,80, 90s music. OLD people. hahaha. But it was funny to watch nuno and maria laugh! We had a good time. We were in bed by 3 am.

Lisbon, Portugal Day 1

2008-04-19T15:49:00.000+02:00

What an amazing vacation! I am SOOOO glad I went. Starting on Friday April 4th, I left for the airport at 12 and as usual with me, my flight was delayed. So i got into town about an hr late. When I arrived I had to change shirts since I spilled on mine. But it was ok, because I put on a tank top and I was already wearing flip flops! It was GORGEOUS there! It was almost 80 degrees (compared to the 50 degrees in paris). Anyway, Maria was waiting for me in her convertible :) We first drove around Lisbon so she could show me the town. Then eventually we went home to Maria's apartment to drop off my stuff.

Then right off the bat we went to the mall. It's SO close to her house so we walked around. I didn't buy anything. We have the same things in Paris, but i still wanted to see. We did buy a few groceries. We then went back to her house and I cooked dinner for myself. Maria eats at 9 or 10 pm...but 1) i was still an hr later (b/c of Paris time) and 2) i had eaten lunch early so I was starving. So around 7ish I ate dinner. Then we waited for her daughter at 9:15 to arrive home. We all then proceeded to go to Las Docas (the docks) where Maria (the daughter) split off from us and Maria Laura (my friend) and I went out so she could eat. I had a diet coke and we caught up! It was so good seeing her! Around midnight I got sleepy. It was a beautiful night so we walked the docks a bit and then left shortly after. I got to bed around 12:30ish.

Portugal Posts

2008-04-09T16:03:00.001+02:00

I have 3 posts about Portugal waiting to be posted....however every time I try to post the pictures...it won't let me! SOOOO...you will all have to wait patiently until I get home from my cruise to Greece and Turkey :) Then you will get double the postings! Sorry to keep you waiting. I am just as anxious as you are and pretty frustrated myself!!!

Toodles and happy vacation to me!!!!

La Defense!

2008-04-08T15:43:00.002+02:00

Sorry it's been so long! Like I said...I have no internet and no phone. So currently I am at McDonalds! Anyway...Last week on April 3rd, I went to an area called La Defense! It's half a touristy area and half a VERY VERY new business district with huge buildings that doesn't really fit into Paris at all :) I went for two reasons 1) cause i have never been there before and I wanted to finish out my time in paris as a tourist and 2) they have the largest mall in continental Europe! So needless to say I conquered both things. I went up the grande arche and took some pictures and walked around to look at the art work, and i shopped. They even have a toys r us there?!?! Why haven't i gone there earlier? Anyway, it was a great day! Enjoy the pictures.

Europain

2008-03-31T20:27:00.002+02:00

Today I went to the Concours (competition)/pastry show with Asima and Tyler. It was at Parc de Exposition which is just outside of Paris. We left at 8:30 and arrived around 9:30. We then proceeded to spend all day there til 6ish. They pretty much ate all the baguettes and gelato in sight...when i stuck to coffee and diet coke ;) In anycase...the fun things that we did (besides get really great info for opening up our own pastry shops) was meeting Pierre Herme (the g-d of macarons in Paris) and watched the Competition with 11 countries competing. The France team actually were my friends. I worked with them at Plaza Athenee. Jerome and Alice are two young very talented Pastry Chefs. I think they are 22 and 21 (in that order) YOUNG! But i have a major crush on Jerome...hopefully you can see in pictures why (however...i didn't take many!) In any case...out of the 11 teams....FRANCE CAME IN FIRST! You will def see pictures why. They are AMAZING!! I was so proud of them...i had tears in my eyes! All of my Plaza friends were there and some from Gerard Mulot. It was nice to see them all. Overall it was a great day...but a LONG one! ENJOY THE PICTURES!

(on a side note-an IMPORTANT ONE-my internet gets shut off tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! and my cell phone gets shut off on april 8th!!!!) I apologize for the inconvenience! like all u peeps actually contact me! hahahaha! I'll blog when i can :)

Alain Ducasse's Jules Verne

2008-03-28T17:02:00.001+01:00

To finish out my birthday week, I went to eat at Alain Ducasse's Jules Verne which is his restaurant at the Eiffel Tower. For those of you who don't know, Alain Ducasse is another 3 star chef with restaurants all over the world including NY and Tokyo and the one I just worked at Plaza Athenee. This was a TREAT! The meal was exceptional :) You can view for yourself in the pictures. As usual, I took notes, so feel free to contact me for further information! I would send anyone here in a heart beat! It was worth the money :)

March 27, 2008

2008-03-27T18:31:00.027+01:00

It's been a year since my last birthday...duh. So i thought I would post pictures of me through the year (well...since i arrived in Paris). Enjoy...i know I am just laughing my ass off! I've changed A LOT(and not just in looks) The caption is to the right of the picture. I hope it's not too confusing!

This was me on the first day of school Jan 3, 2007

Eiffle Tower on Jan 7, 2007

Basic Dinner Feb 23, 2007

Basic Pub: March 9, 2007
My 26th Birthday March 27, 2007

Intermediate dinner April 19, 2007

Versaille May 5, 2007

Pride June 30, 2007

Visit with Casey July 15, 2007

Superior Dinner July 27, 2007

Out with my friends Aug 4, 2007

Superior Party August 26, 2007
Superior Graduation Aug 28, 2007

Friend's lasts night Sept 29, 2007

Professional Program Oct 11, 2007

Disney Oct 27, 2007

HEG November 23, 2007

New Years Eve Dec 31/Jan 1 2007/8

Gerard Mulot Jan 4, 2008

Cabaret Jan 20, 2008
Pompidou Center March 3, 2008

And now a slide show of my birthday day! However...I had a glass of champagne in my hand the entire party...so I didn't take any pictures of the actual party! Ooops :) (check out my ADORABLE new red sexy top from Italy that Asima got me for my birthday!!!)

Guy Savoy

2008-03-26T08:26:00.003+01:00

It's my Birthday week...yes I said week...and because of it, I am treating myself to a wonderful week in Paris! So to start off, Monday was my last day of work. And Tuesday I went to Guy Savoy! My roommate knows the Chef de Partie there so she got me a HUGE deal. For those of you who don't know Guy Savoy he is a famous Chef in Paris and his restaurant is 3 Michelin starred which is a HUGE deal! So being able to eat there was a TREAT! I was also able to get a picture with him! He has 4 other restaurants around Paris and now one in Las Vegas! (if you are in the states I recommend it!) Anyway, I took pictures of my meal. I also took notes. Feel free to contact me if you want to hear them :) (i was picky as usual)

It was a GREAT first meal for my birthday week! I have to give a shout out to Ms Glaze for making this all happen for me! Hopefully I'll get to meet her shortly! Thanx! Stay tuned...other exciting things are going to happen :)

LAST DAY!

2008-03-25T09:52:00.003+01:00

Today was my last day of work! I worked in the morning and the crew was a bit different than I normally work with. But nonetheless, it was fun! Here are a couple of pictures of a rocher that I got to pack in little P.A. bags! Then I smuggled one home for Asima :)

Other than that I glazed all the cakes and got to make a fruit coulis at work! It was a pretty boring day...but it went quickly! And the big clean today was short...and then I got to leave early! 6 pm :) However, right before I finished work, I spoke to Chef Michalak and I told him I loved him. No joke. I asked if i could speak to him in English and he said yes. So i told him I was in love with him and I thanked him a bunch for letting me work there. He thanked me for being so dedicated. He said it's most important to have people who put their heart into their work, so remember that when I open my own place! He also said he'd be in Chicago often so I should stay in touch ;) ;) I feel better now that I told him...even though I don't think he understood! Anyway, i came home and my wonderful roomie had dinner ready! Then I packed and cleaned/organized my room! I feel so much better about sleeping in my room now! I'm going to post often because my internet shuts down next week so I have a lot to get in before that happens! Keep checking! toodles.

Winding up!

2008-03-23T10:57:00.006+01:00

I am almost to the finish line at my job...so I wanted to just show some pictures of some chocolates from Plaza Athenee! Since my camera was lost...I had to take these from Asima's blog (thank you). However...I got to powder these with gold powder! And then I brought one home for her :)

Then this was a gift given to me by my favorite person Philip, for my birthday! It's an astrological sign chocolate bar! How cool!

Then on Saturday night I got to do more plating! First, the new vacherrin came out!

The base is a rhubarb compote, then sliced raspberries, then a quenelle of raspberry/rhubarb sorbet, raspberry meringue and almond foam on top! (of course with big red sugar lips!)

This is a picture of the Mi-Cuit (like our version of the molten lava cake--that one is for you mom!!).

(btw- I don't know why blogger is being so funky...i'll work on that! sorry) Other than that, getting ready for vacations and what not! I'll post more this week because it's a BIG week (if you don't know why...you should!) Joyeuses Pacques/Happy Easter!

The man I love...

2008-03-20T20:56:00.005+01:00

Work! Today was the beginning of my last week. And I worked the morning shift! I HATE the morning shift. I like my evening hrs. I worked from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm! BOGUS! I had one 30 min break. ARGH! Anyway...I was busy...but I took a few pictures of not necessarily things I made. here are a few to browse.

These are the new tarts at work that I got to make today. One is a pear in strawberry juice with chestnut cream. The other is a pineapple chutney with mango in a szechwan pepper sauce.

Then the other thing I did at work for HOURS was finish the decoration of eggs! I got to put on the belt and the little chocolate circle that says joyeus pacques! Here are some pictures! I did 160 of them.

And now onto the title of my blog! I got a REAL surprise when I walked in today and I saw the man I love...Chef Michalak...standing there in a suit and then leaving but later returning to work! I was told last week I would never see him again! And there he was! It made my day! SO...i had a camera and I knew today was my day! So i approached him...in French...and asked to take his picture! So here it is folks. I apologize for my rosy cheeks...but i was NERVOUS! and with that i say...au revoir :)

Asima's Graduation

2008-03-20T20:31:00.004+01:00

Hi all! I've had a few days off. They have been nice. For St. Pat's day I didn't do much except pack and drink a Guinness in my room alone :) Half fun...half not.

I also bought a camera on my day off. Yes...if you read my blogs and pay attention, you should know this is my 4th camera in Paris! AHHHH! Oh well. It's cheaper to buy a cheap digital than a very cheap disposable with pictures you have to develop! I also hung out with Raj, Asima's Husband, a bit while waiting for Asima to finish her final exam! We had fun :) Other than that, I did some grocery shopping and relaxed. The highlight of my days off was Asima's graduation! I cooked the two of them dinner for the occasion. It was a great day! I am so proud of her! Below are some pictures. Enjoy.

lost camera

2008-03-16T13:43:00.002+01:00

Yes. It's true. I lost my camera. In a cab I think. In any case...no pictures for a little. My apologies for all that ONLY look at my pictures and don't read my blog ;) Anyway...overall things are pretty good. Asima's husband is in town. I'm so happy for her. Last nite I got to take some pastries home from work for them! It was a party for them :) This was just a short blog to mention my camera. I'll post more after my weekend! Hope everyone else is just as good as i am! toodles

sad news

2008-03-14T09:44:00.002+01:00

Yep. I know. Not only did i find out too late...but i have 6 more days of my stage left and i'm sad about that also. but the sad news is....I will not get to see Chef Michalak the rest of the time i am there. I know. He is going to be in the states the entire time. How horrible!!! I mean...good for him...but sad for me! However, I will send him an email asking if I can come back and take a picture with him! :) There is someone i like though. He is working on the competition! I will get a picture as soon as I can! His work is great...but I can't take pictures of that till the competition which I am going to at the end of the month to support him :)

Also on a sad note, I had a bad day yesterday at work. BUT I believe everyone is entitled to one bad day...right? First I over boiled the milk (i was doing 3 things at once because I was told to) and then 10 min later I broke a container of a cremeaux all over the floor and had to clean it up! Later in the day I sliced my hand practically open. It felt great when i poured bleach on it too :/ but...at the end of the day i had enjoyment hearing the Prince called and wanted a cake, in any flavor, in 30 min. Then they realized it couldn't be done he called back and said he wanted 2 desserts of each kind we serve but NOT the kind from room service. It was rather interesting to see the people running around. I loved it!

Other funny things at work. The dining staff that serves me, finds it weird that an American orders meat and veggies, no sauce and no carbs. They always go to serve me carbs and sauce. PLUS i always get a salad. They laugh at me or question me. They think Americans are fatties! In the same notion...the lady at the dry cleaning...when I told her I was a size 2 (chefs uniforms are different) in both the top and the pants...she smirked. I'm not sure what that meant...but it could only mean a few things! (perfect body?! haha right!)

Also, my landlady is home this week and this morning she gabbed to me at how different I look and she couldn't figure it out till I told her I was going jogging. Then she said to me "beaucoup changer" meaning a lot of change. She said I lost so much weight and I look good. I guess I see it...but others see it more. I see it in my pants. I'm not trying...honestly. But alls the better!

Here is another recipe I made last week with cod fish! Enjoy

Cod fish (or any kind you chose-the original recipe called for tuna)
Peanut Oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, chopped
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Lime wedges (optional)

Cook cod in oil in pan til done. Remove, set aside and cover to keep warm.

In a skillet add butter, sliced green onions, cilantro, ginger and chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant (very quickly). Mix in mushrooms and soy sauce and simmer under a minute. Add whipping cream and simmer until sauce lightly coats back of spoon (also very quick). Stir in lime juice. Voila :)

Lunch date!

2008-03-11T19:04:00.003+01:00

Well it wasn't a real date. My french friend, Guillaume, came over because he INSISTED i cook him lunch! So i did ;) I went the asian route and this is what I came up with! Try it out for yourself...maybe you will enjoy it as much as he and i did!!!

Tuna with Marinade:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 5-ounce ahi tuna steaks (about 1 inch to 1 1/4 inches thick)
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Mix first four ingredients together and pour over tuna to marinade, in the fridge, for at least 3 hrs. Turn occasionally.
When ready to cook, remove tuna from marinade. Spray large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil spray. Heat skillet over high heat. Add tuna steaks to skillet and cook about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Place on top of mashed potatoes. Spoon sauce on top.

Ginger, Miso, and Cilantro Sauce:
1 1/2 teaspoons oriental sesame oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth (i used bouillon cubes)
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I used fresh orange juice)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons yellow miso (fermented soybean paste)* or soy sauce (i used soy sauce)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and ginger and sauté 2 minutes. Add broth, orange juice and vinegar. Boil until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup. Stir in miso (or soy) and cilantro. Simmer 1 minute. Season with salt (probably won't need much) and pepper.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes:
3 pounds Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 tablespoons wasabi paste (horseradish paste)*
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1 cup chopped green onions

Bring potatoes to boil in large pot of water. Reduce heat to medium; cook until tender. Chinois. Mash.
Meanwhile, bring cream, butter, and wasabi paste to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Season with salt and pepper. Keep hot. Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat; add green onions and sauté until wilted. Stir in hot cream mixture into potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in green onions.

I also made some red pepper, shitake mushrooms, and peapods that I just sauted in some sesame oil with salt and pepper for the side dish.

DESSERT:
Chocolate Ginger Mousse:
1 3/4 oz dark chocolate, 64 % cocoa, Valrhona Manjari
1/4 cup (minus 2 tsp) milk
1 gelatin sheet
1 tsp finely grated ginger root
2 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup (minus 1 Tbsp) cold heavy cream

Whip Cream. Put in fridge and set aside. Melt chocolate over double boiler. Soak gelatin in cold water. Boil milk and ginger. Add sugar. Add gelatin. Pour over chocolate. Softly fold into whipped cream. Pour ontop of raspberries in a ramekin or a mold. Let sit for an hr or til set. VOILA :)

HAVE A GREAT MEAL! Ours was!!! and great company!! Thanx Guillaume

work update

2008-03-10T19:14:00.009+01:00

Well I can finally upload my pictures...but it's only letting me do them one at a time! it's kind of annoying...but I wanted to put them up! They are also all over the place also- blogger must be having an issue but oh well! So here you go :)

I haven't actually made any of these, but worked on some parts of them. I more just took this picture to show you the beautiful stuff they make there!!

These are pot de creme. I made ALL of them from scratch. The parfumes are vanilla, earl grey tea, chocolate, coffee, and pistachio! YUMMY! They are all made primarily the same way, but i had to do all of the weighing first and then it was a long process after that to make them all!

This is my friend Gabrielle cleaning our area ;) She only staged for 2 weeks...but it was great having her around! she is from vermont and goes to the other famous school out her called Ferrandi. I was lucky because she spoke fluent french and english so it was helpful! But Gabrielle was also a great person! Glad to have met her!

This is my friend Philip. He is one of my FAVORITE people at work! He wants to learn english (he's actually pretty good) so we speak franglish all the time! i teach him new words every day! can you believe I'M the translator at work?!!? hahaha.

This is the GINORMOUS eclair they make and plate for The Relais restaurant.

These last two photos are their version of the vacherrin! I've actually cut the fruit for it a few times. Starting from the bottom and working up the dessert is: a mix of litchee, mango and pineapple brunoise, coconut meringue, a quenelle of litchee sorbet (hidden), exotic fruit foam with lime zest and a raspberry with a sugar decoration! I got to put it together and also put the sugar on the glass. I was fortunate enough on saturday night to help my friend Fabien plate desserts at the Relais! It was a BLAST! I love it so much. We plated mi-cuit, baba rhum, ice cream/sorbet, eclairs, vacherrin and some others! It was great!

Anyway...hope you enjoyed those! more on the way! Stay tuned for some recipes this week from cooking at home :)

jour de la femme

2008-03-09T13:19:00.003+01:00

Don't ask me what it is...but it's a day that celebrates woman. Anyway...the blog has nothing to do with this...but i needed a title. I have so much to say, post, and do (yes...in my life) that I don't know where to start! So i will just start with work...obviously! It's taking over my life. BUT...i love it. I spoke to Chef Michalak yesterday in French. I got so nervous that I messed up what I was saying, but he understood. He's so good looking I get so nervous. And I've never seen a man eat so many desserts...but i love it! As far as the fight...all is good! We made up ;) Production wise...I have made SO much stuff! I have some pictures of some of it, so I will post and then explain. One thing, yesterday I was cutting more of the cakes (which I got to glaze the chocolate one) and someone said to me "you just cut those for the prince of Qatar" I was like...um ok! How cool!

I seem to be having a problem uploading pictures. SO i will post this blog so you can see my slide show and then I will post my pictures as soon as I figure out the problem! sorry!!!

oh what a night!

2008-03-07T09:22:00.003+01:00

It started out to be a great night! Then things kinda just tumbled down. Nothing horrible. But I did manage to take a few pictures!

These are three cakes that i got to cut. The fruit cake (or cake anglais as they call it) i didn't do anything with it. The marble cake I got to make a few days ago from scratch. The lemon cake (cake citron) I got to make the icing tonite and put it on and then eventually burnt myself which started my bad night :)

These are the financiers that i pipe almost EVERY night. That isn't even half of them. I pipe about 6 trays. Like I said...my piping has gotten better and i don't mind doing this!

This is a dessert for the banquet room which is one of the desserts that won Chef Michalak his Coupe de Monde Championship in 2005. I asked what it was and we lost track of time so they forgot to tell me. But i will find out. But isn't it amazing!?

Anyway...I got to use the spray gun as well...which isn't as much fun as I thought. I guess it's just the sticky stuff that makes it annoying. But it's going to be my job every night...so I have to get used to it. The only bad part about of my night (besides my huge burn) was that I chopped chocolate for almost 2 hrs (and that wasn't bad at all...i didn't mind it!) it was that I got into a fight with someone about it. Yes...an actual FIGHT! Him yelling in french and me in English. Luckily there were no major chefs there. So...I apologized and then went home at 12. I'm over it...but he didn't seem to be when i left. Oh well. It was overall a VERY fun night at work. I really like working the night shift (although chef M isn't around as much! hehe). Anyway...off to start my day! Toodles

Meeting Michalak :)

2008-03-06T11:14:00.004+01:00

Well the big day came! I was a MESS the day before. Even Asima kept asking me what was wrong. We couldn't figure out til the end of the day and we realized i was just nervous for the next day :) I managed to get some sleep though! However during the day I primped forever!

I also had a coffee before work because I got there so early. Ok...so this is how it went. I dressed up and went to work a little early because i had to give my other chef, Jean Marie, some papers. Which is true. I did have to give him stuff, but I could have given it to him during work, but this was a good excuse to look hot and give it to him early. So since i couldn't walk in the kitchen i walked by and asked for him. Well he wasn't there. Then I asked Gabrielle, the American, if my love was there. She said yes. I said I can't wait to meet him. She was like "get your butt into work then" I told her i wanted to meet him like I was (meaning in normal clothes) but I could see he was in his office doing work (ie; putzing on the computer!!!) So I changed and still looking good went into work and said hi to everyone. Last stop, Chef's office. I said Bonjour Chef and he replied. I told him my name and I went to the French Pastry School and I emailed him. He remembered and asked where i was from and then he said he spoke English. The rest of the convo was in English. He told me to eat everything and soak up as much knowledge as I can. I then proceeded to speak his ear off because I was nervous. I quickly stopped myself. Then 3 T.V. channels came during the day, but i managed to see him often. The only other time he spoke to me was 1) when the cameras were near me he told me to quier down a bit (i was pouring choc into a bowl) and 2) when he said goodbye and see you tomorrow. One of the other head chefs knew I was in love with him so every time he saw me looking at him he laughed at me. We started snickering and then Chef M would look at him and ask what was going on. Then once I was joking with another worker who purposely tripped me and Chef M saw and i just gave a little smirk. All day I was smiley and everyone was so confused. I just told them I was in love ;) So one of the chefs said he was going to try and help me. Don't think it's gonna happen though. BUT...it's nice to have high hopes!!! And it's nice that I just get to look at him all day. It makes the day go quicker. As for working the night shift...i like it. It went by quickly. I think it's going to be different stuff every night. Last night I did a LOT of weighing for someone who is prepping for a competition. Other than that....I'm a lot less nervous, but I still wanna look perfect because that's the first thing they see when you get to like someone and as of now it's the only way I can catch his attention! Stay tuned for updates!

Tourist day!

2008-03-03T10:11:00.002+01:00

What a great start to my weekend(which are now Sun, Mon and Tue)! I woke up, got back on my jogging regime and went off on my day! I put on a cute outfit (new shirt and my cutie boots) and met my friend Sarah Fritz (who now lives in Germany) for a GREAT lunch!!!! We spent a few hrs catching up which was well needed. I miss her terribly!!! Then after that I met Asima and Tyler at the George Pompidou Center. Inside is a museum of modern art and since the first sunday of every month is free, we decided to take advantage of that! Enjoy the pictures!!

After that I went to a mtg then came home and cooked myself a great dinner since Asima had already eaten! Then it was downpour so I went to bed around 11:30ish. But it was a GREAT day and I felt so accomplished and very touristy!

ahhh....work

2008-02-29T20:43:00.004+01:00

I am sooooo happy there aren't enough words to say how much i love my stage! I got really lucky. Anyway...there are a few things I wanted to mention. Small things...and VERY random. First has NOTHING to do with work...but it's pretty funny and sad! Last nite after work I went to the store to pick up some things and I dropped a 6 pack on my forehead. Luckily it was under the side of my bangs...so my big welt isn't seen. And sadly...it was a 6 pack of DC...not beer...so the story is kinda lame! But OUCH!

Anyway...work stuff! My piping (meaning, into a mold with control and speed) has gotten SO much better as well as my cutting (preciseness, speed, and correctness). The other thing that has improved in just a couple of days, believe it or not, is my french! I KNOW! I am trying to speak only french! It's unreal. And they love to speak English...so it's kind of a fun game! Oh...I got to work with chocolate yesterday! Most stagieres don't get to do that...so it was exciting for me! I was DIRTY...but had loads of fun! I also got to make a few new things today like different creams and batters meaning I picked up some recipes. Also, today there was a water/food fight amongst some of the boys. It was pretty hilarious! I managed to stay out of the way, but I couldn't help but laugh. The best part about it, was that the head chef (not michalak) was a part of it! Hahaha. He's so great! And his English is not very good...but he loves to try. Today he asked me if "Al Bundy" was from Chicago! HAHAHA. Today I also did 2 things wrong. First one was half my fault, half chefs. He likes to speak to me in English, like i said. So he told me something in french and then repeated it in English. Well i tried to get the french and then when he said the English that's all that stuck, but he missed a part. So i followed the English directions. And i did it wrong. The second time, no one (including chef) told me to put water in with the sugar and it wasn't written on the recipe. So i had to toss the sugar and start over. No big deal. It's unreal how much they throw out there! I'm like...i can take that home if you need me to ;) However...they won't let us! It's their money! Oh...And Chef Michalak is coming back Tues! YAH! But i don't go back to work til wed...so wed is my big day! I have to look PERFECT! I'm nervous already :) Other things...after work i usually come home, eat dinner, reply to some emails and then go to bed! I'm so exhausted by the end of the day! 10 hrs is a LOT...but i love it so it goes by quickly! I also have MANY MANY cuts and bruises already...but that's to be expected. However i think I'm accident prone. It's from stupid stuff like moving a box or even just cleaning. Nothing big...but it stings when i wash the dishes! Which by the way...washing the dishes is nothing here! I don't mind it at all because i get to use the BIG washing machine which is ONE button! SOOOO simple! Other than that, work is just great! i'm busy ALL day and the time flies. I have work tomorrow, sat, then my 3 day weekend and THEN i work afternoons! So i am sure i will learn all new stuff! HOW FUN!!!! So stay tuned. Plus I hope to have some more pictures...maybe with Chef Michalak?!?! Heehee. toodles

1st day at Plaza Athenee!

2008-02-27T19:48:00.006+01:00

WOW! no words to describe how amazing this was! lucky for you guys...someone generously said to me "feel free to take pictures as a souvenir" so of course I started right away!!! I don't think I'm going to tell you what I did in order, but I'm going to post pictures and then tell you what I worked on within that product! (plus there was A LOT more that i didn't take pictures on!) Also...small tidbits....we do clean. That wasn't a rumor. 3 times a day. The first two are just table tops and small mop of the floor (plus the squeegee-like a windshield wiper-which i LOVE) and the 3rd clean is the MAJOR clean....top to bottom. I don't mind the cleaning. It's actually fun because everyone gets involved (including the chefs!!) and I know that after the last one i get to go home! Now...dishes. YES i do have to do dishes...but 1) they have a dishwasher and 2) i have to do it MAYBE once a day! and the dishes in the sink i do voluntarily because i am a nice person! Oh and get this. Since we don't have to do our laundry after lunch we were told we HAD to change our uniform everyday during lunch time and go get it switched at the "laundry mat". CRAZY! But it was so nice to be in a clean uniform during the second part of the day! We are STARK white! And if i get dirty, I still have a 3rd one i can go change into in my locker! it's great! Other than that, I start at 7:30am (on the days I work in the morning with a 30 min lunch break at 11:30-early but then again i eat breakfast at 6:30) with an ending time that no one has told me an exact time yet (however my first day i got off at 5:30 and my second day 6:15...so somewhere around there)! My days off are going to be Sun, Mon, and Tue. I will be working some night shifts (i think from 2pm-12pm?!) because I asked if I could plate and they said yes! Which means I will be working at the famous Alain Ducasse Plaza Athenee Restaurant. OMG that's amazing! Otherwise, the people are SUPER friendly, the boys are pretty cute (AND SOOOO nice), and I'm loving what I'm doing! I'm super happy here! I wish it was longer than a month :( Anyway...here are some pictures to start off with! Enjoy and there will be more to come :)

This one I got to put on the streusel, the orange peel, and the chocolate squares.

The chocolate I coated in chocolate glaze and sprinkled with almonds covered in gold powder, the pink I put onto the macaron and added the orange peel, the green I put onto the macaroon and added the green glaze dot on top, the white I place on the coconut sable and did the red lines and put on the wild strawberry!

These two cakes I got to make by adding the almond cream and then either the strawberry or pineapple chunks. Then it's baked. Then on top is for the strawberry: strawberry compote, powdered sugar, strawberries, glaze and strawberry marshmallow squares. For the pineapple (which I haven't personally done yet-except for cut the pineapple!) is pastry cream with Malibu rum (ARGH-that's for people who know Ben!), powdered sugar, pineapple, and glaze.

Now other things I've done but haven't posted....cut brunoise, made cookies, made mi-cuit (real version of the molten cake), made a few chantillys and creams, weighed ingredients, assembled a few petit gateaux (mini cakes), first in-first out the fruit in the fridge (i actually LOVE doing that...it's a working in a restaurant thing! haha), and some other things which I know I did but i can't remember cause i left my notes at work! but i WILL keep you posted! Hope you enjoyed those few pictures! I can't wait to do more :) yipee!!! off to get some rest! toodles

Orientation/Plaza Athenee

2008-02-25T20:12:00.003+01:00

YAH! Finally! I've been waiting for this day FOREVER! However....today was a little longer than I imagined/wanted it to be! I started my day bright and early with a jog at 6:30 am. Not going to be doing that anymore, because i need to eat before i jog or I get nauseous...so from now on I will be jogging after work! Anyway, then I got all dolled up (hoping i was going to see the love of my life...chef michalak) because i wasn't allowed to wear jeans to orientation day (i should have at least worn flats-STUPID penny!!!) Well...the first thing we did was meet in a room with all of the other people that were newbies! This girl walks in right after me and starts speaking to me in french. I understood her, but i pardoned myself and told her I didn't speak much french. She asked me if i spoke English. I said yes and was thrilled. Then I asked her where she was staging because today wasn't just for culinary people...it was for everyone who works within the hotel...and boy did i get lucky! She was staging in pastries like me! However...only for two weeks! But at least two weeks with someone who can speak English is better than nothing right?!?! Anyway, she also lives off the same metro line as me and we just chatted up a storm all day. There was another person who spoke English as well. But everyone else spoke french. So besides that, the day was planned out really well, but they didn't tell me where I was going, they just told me to leave my stuff...so VERY sad but true, i didn't bring my camera with me when i left the room so i took no pictures. I'm very depressed! Anyway...I got my uniform/locker first thing in the morning! How exciting. They do the laundry for us also. EASY!!!! They also served us breakfast! So nice!! Then we toured half of the hotel (the rest we did later in the day). Then we had presentations up to wazoo! Then we had lunch, more touring of the hotel, more presentations, and then finished! So the day went from 9 am to 6 pm. LONG DAY! All I know is I start tomorrow at 7:30 am...nothing more. No schedule, no ending time...nothing! I got a fun little goodie bag at the end of the day which was cool! And I have some fun Plaza Athenee facts that you may want to know!

-580 employees at Plaza Athenee (of that 25 in Pastry- 20 patisserie/5 boulangerie
-280 of those employees are JUST service (meaning working in and around restaurants)
-a basic room goes from 565-4,600 euros
-The Eiffel tower suite (entire view you can see the Eiffel tower) is 6,600 euros (a night!)
-The royal suit, 450 m2, is 18,000 euros a night! (the princess of Fatar rents out 5 floors of this hotel yearly for one month-imagine how costly that is!!!)
-Alain Ducasse Plaza Athenee (the big restaurant) is a 3 Michelin starred restaurant which has wines from 25 euros to 14,000 euros per bottle.
-Plaisir menu-220 euros, collection menu-320 euros and the average person spends 386 euros when they eat dinner there.
-They do 5 dinners a week and 2 lunches.
-P.A. is part of the Dorchester Group which also owns a hotel in Beverly Hills, Milan, Le Meurice in Paris, London, and they are about to open up a hotel in NY.

I learned a lot more...but since the entire day was in french...it kinda filtered through...in one ear, out the other :)

I am VERY excited to start my stage tomorrow. I will bring my camera into the kitchen...but I don't wanna start taking pictures too soon! But i promise I will take as many as I can! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this blog more than I enjoyed my long day :) Now, I am going to bed because I know I have a LONG day ahead of me. Check back tomorrow for some more fun! toodles

Disney take 2!

2008-02-24T18:41:00.004+01:00

So Saturday I went to Disney with Manuel, Chris, Tyler and Asima! The reason we went was because Manuel is a year pass holder. He got an email for the month of February saying that he gets in for free and can bring up to 5 people for 10 euros a piece for 2 parks one day! So we were like...let's go!!!!! it's only about 35 min away and it's a 12 euro train ticket...so it was SO cheap to go! It was a BLAST! We left Paris at 8ish and got into Disney at 8:30ish. Then my friends went to eat while i waited in line. Luckily i did! By the time 9:30 rolled around...the line was SO long! They eventually came in and met me and we entered the park at 10 am going to the Studios first because it closed earlier. We didn't quite get to do everything we wanted because some of the rides were closed and we wanted to wait around to see if they would re-open...which they ALL did and we got on pretty quickly. But then when we got to the second park, all of the fast passes were gone so we had to wait in line for a LONG time. The longest wait we had was Indiana Jones which was 80 min. But everything else was under that. The second longest was Space mountain which was 50 min. Other than that...nothing was longer that 30. What else?! We ate dinner at Planet Hollywood which was good and LATE....around 9:30ish we ate! We arrived in our houses at 11:30 and in bed by 12! (after waking up at 6:30...that was a LONG day!)

So this is a special blog! Not only do i have fun pictures (and FINALLY a picture with my amazing roommate Asima!) BUT there is a video...nothing big...that Tyler filmed (and you can hear her cute laugh!). But the music Chariot's of Fire was playing and I thought of doing that slow motion running....you get the point! Anyway...it won't be as funny if you watch with out the sound. So enjoy!

Well...Disney was a success and i was with GREAT people! I came home exhausted! But WELL worth it. Enjoy the pics! I start my new stage tomorrow...so I'm off to prepare. Check back this week for fun updates!!! Toodles

Always look on the bright side of life

2008-02-22T21:28:00.005+01:00

Wow...what a great day. Great week. Great life. Ok...so I'm pretty positive! I went for a jog today (and the song that was playing when i first started was the title of my blog!)...day 12 (in a row- tomorrow is my day off) As I was jogging, I saw SOOO many dogs including a Dalmatian which just made my day! Then a little girl, who was just adorable, started to jog with me...which was even cuter! Then I came home and went to an appt with a new friend and we had a VERY uplifting and inspirational talk. I had one yesterday too with another new friend. I hate that i am meeting people finally and leaving soon! In any case, I'm getting a lot of positiveness. Then I walked around for a bit and picked up Asima's graduation gift! Can't say what it is in case she reads this...but she graduates March 19...so soon!!! Anyway...then I came home and on the metro home there was a woman playing the guitar who was singing VAN (thanx jon!) Morrison's "moondance". She was OBVIOUSLY not french. Something in my mind told me to give her a euro...so i did and i said to her, "you're not from France I'm assuming" and she replied to me "I'm English, but i live in France, like you once" And i thought to myself "like you once" and i just smiled. And i thought...wow...i live here. How magical!!! It was a great feeling and i knew it was the right decision to give her the euro. Then I came home...ate lunch, reconnected with an old friend from HS and whipped out a few more pages of my thesis!!! All things more positive! Then Asima made dinner for Tyler and I. She made a GREAT dish of whole wheat pasta with veal meatballs and homemade sauce and grilled eggplant! PLUS...for dessert was mango pannacotta with splenda! GREAT ending! So...overall it was a GREAT day!

I made two dishes this week that I wanted to post (also Asima asked me if I could post them). Since my AMAZING friend Kaitlin introduced me to this new feature (which I felt like a dummy because I didn't know how to do this) i am going to test it out. The two dishes I made were Chicken stuffed with zucchini, red pepper, and goat cheese in which I didn't follow through and make the sauce. I just cooked the chicken in the oven and actually used the rest of the filling and mixed it in with some whole wheat pasta and it made it kind of cheesy...which was delicious! I also made Smoked Haddock and Potato Pie. For this one I made a SMALL batch...and i mixed emmental and cheddar cheese. And the fromage frais was creme fraiche which I think back home is sour cream?!? Anyway...it was delicious! And because Kaitlin was so good to me...I will share her blog with you all...check it out!!!. I thoroughly enjoy it ever day.

Well...i must go to bed because I am going to disney tomorrow :) Check out the blog because I will be posting pictures! Toodles!!! (and stay positive! i'll try to also!)

Say goodbye to the freak show...

2008-02-21T09:15:00.002+01:00

(it's a line from the musical sideshow if you don't know the title of my blog) In anycase...i'm sad to say that a great era is ending. I can't use the name (for if i did...i may get sued if they find me) But if any of you recall me being Bitty Bear...the company I used to work for had decided to close all the theatres (chicago, new york, and l.a.) and just be a regular, old store. Some say it's financial reasons, others say that they just want to create a new look without live performers. Whatever the case...I am saddened that my friends are losing jobs and at the same time, proud to say that I was part of something so special. It was always my dream to work there since I was a little kid...and to say I did, will always hold a special place in my heart. So i sign off saying best of luck to my second family in chicago. I will come visit when i get home! As Bitty Bear would say "we're just a great big part of a great big..FAAAAmily tree" so that doesn't mean because we are seperarting we need to lose that feeling! kisses!!!

Plaza pictures!

2008-02-20T17:27:00.007+01:00

I keep forgetting to put up pictures of the Plaza Athenee...where I will be starting work on Monday! When I was there last week I took some pictures of the outside! Mind you...this place is VERY fancy. I took only ONE picture of a Maserati...but there were TWO there! And that's not even it...there was EVERY kind of car imaginable there!!! They have a fancy door man and we chatted when I was there! I also saw an adorable chihuahua when I was there. This is the place where I saw Don Johnson when my parents were intown. In anycase...enjoy the pictures that i took!
(if you click on the last picture you can blow it up and see some of the desserts I HOPE I will be making!!!)

just keep swimming...

2008-02-16T08:29:00.002+01:00

So i am. Too much going on since i last posted. So my greece trip has changed dates. Not too much. But instead of April 3-11 I am going April 10-18 which means after my stage I have from March 25 to April 10 to pack all my stuff and send it home. Then when I return i have about 4 days to finish packing and leave! Then I finally got the approval from Birthright to go on a trip...so I am planning that for late june or july! However I won't hear officially til march. But like i said...just keep swimming!

I had my interview yesterday with Plaza Athenee. I am in love with Christophe Michalak. If he asked me to move to Paris to be with him...i would! hahaah. He is beautiful but most of all...talented as hell when it comes to Pastries!!! I admire him so much. I didn't get to formally meet him yesterday, but he came out of his office yesterday and did a double take when he saw me :) Good sign, right? But i am SOOOOO excited to start working there...even if it is only for a month. I am going to make the most of my month!

As far as cooking goes at home...I made the most wonderful Salmon dish this past week. It was a thai salmon with vegetables. I found the recipe on epicurious and I've been eating leftovers all week! It was outstanding and it's now in my book for good! I will be making that at home a LOT!! Also, on valentine's day me and Asima threw a mini dinner party with 4 other people, 6 in total. I made a rumpsteak and mashed sweet potatoes and asima made spinach and some amazing appetizer that i don't know the name of plus some other starter things. There was also bread and wine and everyone enjoyed it very much! We had fun! It was a love filled evening :) Asima also made a GREAT lamb dish this week. I don't know how she does it...but she kinda throws things together that taste good. I'm still in the "using a recipe" phase! But either way...we make a good team.

So today will be my 6th day jogging straight. I'm still at it...even though the temperature dropped. But it feels good and it's getting easier. I also fit into another pair of pants which is a good sign! And i went to visit Gerard Mulot (my old job) and they told me i lost weight and looked great. So i think i'll keep up the jogging! Plus I got some pictures sent to me from my HEG program in Nov and WOW have i lost weight. I might post them because it's crazy to see how long ago that way now!

Oh yah...the sales end today...but I bought ANOTHER pair of boots a few days ago when Asima and I went shopping! NO MORE THOUGH! hahaha. These ones were too cute though. Aren't they all! haha.

Anyway...i'm off to go jogging! Then tonite I think is movie night ;) Hope everyone in the states is ANXIOUSLY awaiting my arrival home! I know i'm preparing myself already...

It's Official!!

2008-02-12T22:40:00.004+01:00

Well yesterday, for some crazy reason, when I was "waiting for life to begin..." it began!!!! It kinda all just fell into place! I don't know how it happened...but it did! Well...I went jogging again. Day two. My body hurt...but in a good way. I think this is good for me! In anycase...after that I came home and went right back out...to buy shoes (but they didn't have my size- so i didn't buy any!) So i came right back home. And then it all happened. I got the call I've been waiting for...I GOT MY NEXT STAGE! Plaza Athenee. However, it will only be for one month February 25th- March 25th. If you click on the link on the right- Christophe Michalak- he will be my head chef...and he's AMAZING! So i am VERY fortunate and lucky to be able to even go there for one month!!!! So i am pumpped! After that happened, I called to see if I could change my greece/turkey cruise to earlier and they said it was ok! So (for a small fee) I changed that. THEN i had to change the flight...and with a little bit more than a small fee, i changed that flight. So I will be going on that from April 3rd to April 11th. THEN i FINALLY booked a flight home (and now that it's done...i'm kinda sad) which is April 24th. So i will be in Chicago- April 24th, which is a whole month earlier than I expected. But it was something that needed to be done. I am also planning my Birthright Israel trip sometime in June I think which is also very exciting! So as you can see...life is beginning and all coming together. I can't wait to see what's instore next...

productive!!!

2008-02-12T15:54:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I found a WHOLE new meaning to that word...i actually was :) hahaha. In anycase, I woke up and I jogged outside. It's a first for me...but since i don't have a gym membership I am trying something new. Asima said she was going to go with me and train me how to do it, but since she was still asleep and i was highly motivated, I went with my gut and just left the house. I jogged for 25 min. Mind you, it was SLOW but I did it :) When I finished, I felt like i ran a marathon...not that I was tired...but proud. I actually wasn't tired at all. The ONLY reason I stopped was because I was bored! Even listening to music I was still bored! Oh well. Atleast i jogged right? Then I came home, got dressed asap and was going to go to starbucks to work on my paper...but i thought to myself "i feel so inspired that I'm gonna stay at home and work" The reason I felt inspired was because someone who took my HEG program before sent me some tips on how to write a thesis and their old paper so I had more of an idea on where I was going with this whole thing. So what I did was made a nice pot of coffee and sat in my living room and just started to write. Well a few hrs later, I got out 7 pages! GO ME! that was amazing for me! Plus i got some extra research in there! I was pleasantly surprised. Eventually i left the house to go get a few groceries and then came home and made a GREAT dinner. I made a white fish just broiled with garlic, lentils, boiled asparagus and HOLLANDAISE sauce :) Yep you read that right. I made it from scratch. It's not that easy, and not that hard. I had to make it twice though. The first time it broke and i KNOW how to save it, so i did. But then it broke again because it sat around too long (not knowing when A was coming home) and i couldn't save it. So i started over again. No biggy! But then dinner was FANTASTIC! Just light and healthy and VERY tasty! Then after that I felt so good, I went and read a few chapters of my new book which is VERY uplifting. I went to bed around 10:30 and just thought to myself...wow....i had a productive day. I was pleased ;)

Tres Jolie!

2008-02-10T12:00:00.000+01:00

So the past few days I have been walking EVERYWHERE! My friend Maria was intown so I walked to meet her in Saint Michel and then we walked to Bastille and then I walked back home. Overall that was a 2 plus hr walk for me. Then yesterday Asima and I walked to the Marais and stopped to shop inbetween which was an hr walk (without the stopping). So needless to say I LOVE to walk. Plus the weather here is PERFECT! 50 degrees and sunny! I've been wearing my lightweight coat, throwing on my showtunes on my ipod and strolling! And this is why i LOVE Paris! I took some beautiful pictures as well that I wanted to share with you.

I know I complain about being bored when I am not working...but just walking and taking in the surrounding is really helping me to appreciate where i live and what i do more. So I hope these pictures help YOU capture that too. This is truely a dream to be here.

In other stories...Asima, Manuel and Chris and I went for pizza last nite. I had a wonderful salad with shrimp and avacado! YUMMERS! Then A went home because she saw the movie...but me and the boys went to see Juno! GREAT movie! And I LOVE having Maria in town! She is an AMAZING FRIEND! I am so lucky to have her in my life. After we left each other a couple of nights ago i got really depressed because i realized that when i move back to the states I can't just hop on a plane and say, "i'll be there in 2 hrs". How sad huh? So I really need to appreciate the time i have with her when i do have it! We are going for mexican food right now!!

Small things-did i ever mention i have an elevator again? well i do. It's pretty updated now too. I have a glass door for those of you who actually saw it. And it moves quicker now too! Oh and my gym membership is over. So I think Asima is going to train me how to run! I KNOW I KNOW. But it's super healthy and I wanna get some exercise...so we'll see! And that medicine...it IS making me a bit bloated. One more day of it...and then hopefully i can get back on track. How annoying!! As far as the job...i should find out this week and then I am also planning my birthright trip this week and then my trip home! It's all happening so fast! EEKS! But i'm ready to begin my new journey...ready to join?

oh great...

2008-02-08T11:43:00.000+01:00

So my wonderful jean day yesterday had a HUGE unterruption. I looked adorable. As you can see in the pictures ;) (with my cool new boots...and i got tons of compliments on them! Guess they were worth the price!)

Anyway...but i had to go to the dr. Well he gave me more amoxicilline and then prednisone. I knew I heard of it before but I didn't remember. So my mom called and i told her what the deal was. She is like "you are gonna HATE taking that" I was like why? She said...i took it in HS when I had hives to reduce inflammation and it's a pill that makes you GAIN WEIGHT! I was like GREAT!!!! after all this achievement. ARGH! in anycase...i'm only taking them for 5 days and it's only a low dose...so i'll just be very careful on what i eat!

After that I came home and Asima and I went out to run an errand and then I went to LCB again for a visiting chef from the 2 star (3 star for 31 or 32-cant remember- years...lost one recently) restaurant called Taillevent.

The pastry was Arnaud Vodounou and then his asst was Andrea. They made two desserts.

Craquant aux feves de tonka (crunchy shortbread with tonka bean cream)

Fantasie de fruits exotiques (tropical fruit fantasie)

Then I came home for about two seconds and I met up with Maria from Portugal (my very good friend from the HEG program!) and we ate a restaurant in paris that specializes in fruit dishes called Paradis de fruit. It was ok. I had a crab salad. Then after that we quickly grabbed some starbucks and then I went out with Fernando and then introduced him to teddy! I KNEW that was a matchmade in heaven!!! I'm so good ;) Then fernando and I went back to his place to chat and before i knew it, it was 3ish so I walked home. I went to bed around 3:45! CRAZY day for me!!! But atleast I wasn't bored out of my mind!

In other news (so i don't have to write a new blog!) I watched the movie Across the Universe (the beatles one) on my computer...but for some reason the last 9 minutes didn't work! ARGH! So whatever...i'll find a way to watch it. But then a few nights ago Asima and I watched Sicko (FINALLY!!) and 1) the SOS medecin that came to my house last friday was IN the movie...hilarious and 2) I'm moving to canada or cuba :) JK! But seriously...i guess i don't realize how bad it really is! CRAZY!!!

Other news...that's it. I need to be working on my thesis...and i'm NOT!!! But i sure am enjoying living the life in Paris...

jeans!

2008-02-07T10:20:00.000+01:00

I woke up this morning and I am about to go to the dr because i STILL can't hear...but i decided to try on one of the two pairs of jeans I've been avoiding. I know i've lost some weight...but i'm still avoiding them because i'm in denial. Anyway...i tried on the one pair...and they FIT! So i had to blog because no one is up yet that I can share my joy with! So i'm blogging about it to get it out of my system. Everything slow...but in time. No rush this time...and not doing it to lose weight...but for some health concerns that I'm having...this is just a bonus! And they look ADORABLE with my new boots. I'll try and take a picture. Maybe next week i'll be brave enough to try on the other pair...

Il de la Jatte

2008-02-06T18:57:00.000+01:00

Well today I was miss tourist with Manuel. We had a lovely day!! (besides the fact that i still can't hear-but im going to the dr tomorrow!) anyway, my friend Nick is in the musical Sunday in the Park With George, which is based on George Seurat's painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Well he asked me if I had heard of the island. I said no, but I would look for it. He wanted me to take some pictures so he could show his cast. Now it's called Il de la Jatte and it's on the border of Paris and the suburb Neuilly. It was about 30 min away from my place. But pretty easy to find and just beautiful! Anyway... Manuel and I met halfway there and went together to the actual island. When we got there we went to the Park which is where Mr. Seurat did his painting which is now called Square Alfred Sisley who was also an impressionist. Anyway, I had read that that the area was very commercial now and that this park was now a garden which was open during certain hours. Well we got there and it was CLOSED. Meaning for good. No one could enter because of the high tides! AND THEY WERE HIGH! But no one was around and I just needed a few pictures, so Manuel and I jumped fence (and other people must have too because there was fresh dog poop) and i took a bunch of pictures.

Then Manuel and I walked the island a bit more, which happens to be 3.04 km. And we sat down and ate lunch on a park bench. Ofcouse i came prepared. I made tuna salad along with some fresh lettuce, a piece of bread and an apple. It was delicious and we had GREAT weather! Then we walked back to the metro and went to the bookstore so I could get some magazines. Then we went to Laduree for some coffee and then Manuel went to work at 3 pm. We had a lovely afternoon. These are the days I love Paris and never wanna leave!!!! After that I went grocery shopping and came home to cook dinner. I made some fish I never heard of (but it was a white fish and VERY tasty) with dill, white wine and lime juice and as a side dish I made a puree of carrots with carmelized onions. Both I didn't use recipes for and I came up with it on my own! And they were very tasty! Now I'm about to go read my magazine and relax. Have a nice night and enjoy the pictures!!!

unemployment...

2008-02-05T16:09:00.000+01:00

is NOT fun :( However...since i still can't hear...it's prolly a good thing for me that I'm not employed. And yes...I've called the dr. I am waiting for him to call me back. And i've also looked online and it said that for an inner earache, this is normal for my hearing not to be back til atleast a week if not more. And it hasn't been a week! So shush :)

Anyway...I've been doing a lot of napping, and shopping (splurged on a great pair of boots!), and laundry and then I cooked twice. I made my first chili! It was a hit! Who knew?!?! And then because I had so many extra beans I made red bean and jalepeno burgers...they were fantastick! I think coming to france was the best thing I could have done...cause now I can cook and i LOVE IT!

Oh...but major thing happened. Our drain stopped working. So sunday I went out to lunch while Asima stayed home. And the night before I decided to be "penny the plumber" (which Asima finds very funny) and i unscrewed the drain and tried to clean it. Well that was stupid cause all the water came leaking out...so i rescrewed it together. Anyway, Sunday when I was out Asima ran the dishwasher and I guess something is wrong now and it flooded the ENTIRE kitchen. So i had to rush home. However that was Sunday and we are now waiting for Madame to show up today to call a plumber which prolly won't come til the end of the week or so. BUT the catch is...water isn't even going down the drain! So we don't wash many dishes and we throw them in the dishwasher which we can't even run. So it's kinda annoying!!!

As far as a job...I'm still waiting. However I am hoping I should find out by the end of the week. Supposedly my resume has been passed on the HOT head chef and he is deciding if he wants me to do my internship there or not! CRAZY! But we'll see ;)

Other than that, I've been trying to work on my thesis...but I'm pretty bad at it. SO i give up quickly. But i guess I should go work on that now....mmm?!?

I'm playing tourist tomorrow so i'll prolly put up a blog with pictures...so check back! toodles for now :)

Miserable/Horrible/Worst

2008-02-02T08:41:00.000+01:00

I didn't think life could be like this. I think this was the worst day since i've been in Paris...let me rephrase that...worst day of my life! NEVER been in so much pain.

So I know Friday was my big update for you. And only half of the update came. So here goes. I decided to end my current stage early. So Friday, yesterday, was my last day. I was very bittersweet about it all...but I am working it out to come home earlier. I will keep you posted of further plans when i find them out.

Anyway...I woke up on Friday morning and I couldn't hear. Now the past few days my ears were pretty stuffed but Thur my hearing came back and when i woke up I thought it was just because of the bad weather. So i made myself some tea and then i missed my metro which brought me late to work on my last day. Well I got to work around 6:30. I continued to work until the pain in my right ear became so unbearable and I SERIOUSLY could not hear a THING that I couldn't stand or sit or work and I didn't know what to do. So i felt horrible, but around 8:30 I said my goodbyes for my last day of work and i left. It made me feel so bad to leave early...but like i said...I have NEVER felt this amount of pain in my life. I called SOS Medecin, where the dr comes to your house. He came shortly after I called and told me I had an ear infection. I told him 1) the pharmecy wasn't open for me to get the medicine yet and 2) even if I take it right now it's not gonna kick in...so what can you do for my unbearable pain? SO...he shot me up with Morphine?!?! i mean what? that was a first for me i think! Anyway...I was so dizzy and high as a kite that I fell into bed around 9:30ish. The rest of the day went like this. I woke up at 12 to get my medicine. Took it...got back in bed til 2ish. Made lunch. Which took me 2 hrs to eat (which i was nibbling and sleeping on and off) because i was SOOO nauseas but I felt that I was hungry. Anyway...around 4ish I went back to bed for good. And i mean GOOD! My friend tyler came over to make dinner and the thought of food made me ill. I was SO nausiated that I couldn't move. Everytime i moved in my bed i was in pain and felt so sick. So i just slept. Asima checked on me a few times throughout the night but all I wanted to do was sleep. SO i slept until 8:30 am the next morning. So i guess you can say I slept almost 24 hrs straight. Now you may ask am I feeling better? Well I still can't hear :( And it's the WORST feeling ever. I'm taking my meds and I hope to get better...but like i said...i'm umemployed so I have nothing but time to rest for now until I get some news. So...that's what i'm going to do til i get better!!! I don't feel like watching a movie, talking on the phone, listening to music or hell...even eating because it reverberates in my ear TERRIBLY! So...all i can do is lay in bed and sleep :( Leave me a message. And I'll talk to you when I'm better! WHY ME?! argh.

What a mess!

2008-01-31T18:31:00.001+01:00

I'm talking about me! Work today was kind of amusing because everything that could have gone wrong did! But i laughed at it. So i will go through the day and tell you. I am just going to list them because I don't necessarily remember them in order...i just remember them all!

1) I forgot to make the baby brioche which I do EVERYDAY!!!

2) I dropped a tray when Chef Mulot was there and I didn't realise it and when I looked up I saw him and I go "ca va" (meaning all is well) and he goes "ca va pas" (meaning no it's not) and then kept on going. So i just apologized. After he left, Birke looked at me and was just as confused as I was as to what the problem was. But we laughed it off.

3) I forgot to make the second round of Kugelhopf which I do everday as well!!!

4) Alex said to me "deux seau blanc" which I heard "deux cent blancs" (which if you say them outloud they sound a LOT alike!!) so I weighed out 200 grams of egg whites and brought them to him and he was so confused. Then he repeated it...and EVERYONE in the room...including me just laughed. It was hilarious!

5) Alex also told me to weigh 1 kilo of amande...which I thought since at the current time i was weighing almond powder that's what he meant. So i weighed it and gave it to who i was supposed to give it to. Well he asked me and i said yes. He asked if i put it in the oven and i said no why? Then we laughed again because he meant blanched almonds not almond powder!!! OY!

6) I don't know where to start counting the amount of things I spilled today :) But i DID clean them up like a good worker would.

And today's boring job was...chopping almonds in half. And they had to be precise. WHAT?!?! that's a HORRIBLE job! prolly the worst one yet! But I stayed late to finish it. It's fine.

Anyway...it was an odd day for me. It was like I was wide awake...but I was zoning out and forgetting everything! So strange!! Talk to you tomorrow :)

busy few days!!!

2008-01-30T16:09:00.000+01:00

I wanted to say on Monday night I made dinner. The recipe follows below. However instead of using monkfish (which i LOVE- but didn't feel like cleaning it! haha) I used cod and it worked just as well.

Roasted monkfish with curried lentils and browned butter cauliflower

Sauce
4 1/2 cups small cauliflower florets (from about one 22-ounce head)
1 cup whipping cream
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons (or more) water

Lentils and Browned Butter Cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup French green lentils (lentilles de Puy)*
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon paprika
2 3/4 cups water, divided

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
4 1/2 cups small cauliflower florets (from about one 22-ounce head)

Gremolata
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon peel

Fish
4 6-ounce monkfish fillets (each about 1 inch thick), skin removed
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation For sauce:
Bring first 4 ingredients to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, about 17 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer mixture to blender; add 3 tablespoons water and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring, and adding more water to thin sauce, if desired.)

For lentils and browned butter cauliflower:
Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add lentils, curry, and paprika; stir 1 minute. Add 2 1/2 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Uncover; stir until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower; sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water; cover and cook until cauliflower is crisp-tender and water evaporates, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in lentil mixture. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before serving.)

For gremolata:
Mix parsley and lemon peel in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

For fish:
Sprinkle monkfish with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; sauté until just opaque in center, about 6 minutes per side.

Divide sauce among 4 plates. Spoon lentil mixture alongside. Place fish atop lentils; sprinkle with gremolata.

Anyway, the dish was DELICIOUS!!!! It was a last minute decision because i had bought lentils and I didn't know what to do with them...so i found this recipe and it was perfect! Try it ;)

So yesterday was the busiest day I've had in a LONG time! I worked from 6-3:30. It was once again a pretty lame day at work. I got to make some tarts in the morning and then once again lined tarts and made kugelhopf. The big part of the day was when I couldn't eat lunch. It was a stuffed tomato with pork (ham) and 1) i dont like cooked tomatoes and 2) i dont eat pork products. So i was s.o.l. (shit out of luck!) So i ate some almonds and cough drops. After lunch I learned how they make the pizza dough and then made some coulis. Then when they started to clean the fridges (around 3:20) Lisa let me go because I had to be at LCB at 4 pm. So I rushed to get over there. Bruno Lederf (the chef who I went to see win the MOF competition- My blog Nov 5th 2007), was giving a demo at school. So I had to go!!! Anyway...here are the pictures of the stuff he made.

It looked really good. I didn't taste it though. In anycase i saw my friends and it was nice. The demo ran REALLY late. Got out at 6:45. By the time I got home i had to snag some leftovers from the night before and then leave at 7:30 to go to an 8pm mtg. This mtg also ended a little late. We finished around 9:30ish. I got home around 9:50ish and at 10 pm I was so exhausted I fell into bed! I was pooped. Not to mention I hadn't been sleeping because I couldn't breathe!!!

Chef Lederf!

Something he made for the MOF competition

Verrine au chocolat, caramel exotique, et croquant de noisettes du piemont

Bonbons de chocolat: Tendre Passion

Entrement Sauveur Yusu
Anyway, today I had a day off but I had a lot to do. I woke up at 7 am and couldn't sleep anymore. My alarm was supposed to go off at 7:30 so it was fine. I got dressed and then took the train to some place called Sceaux. After getting lost, I finally found the house! I met with my mentor and she said I was on the right track for my thesis! She liked my outline and gave me some sources. She also told me another addition to extend the paper. She told me now I just need to start writing! So i left. However when I left I didn't know how to get out of the front gate so after a few minutes of trying to get out...I finally just hopped the fence! hahaha. Now i have bruises all over my leg! I finally got back to Paris and it was raining. I went to the library and ran some errands. Then finally I had to come back home cause it was just nasty out. I took a short nap and then made some cranberry sauce because I had many cranberries in the house! Now I'm going to do some cleaning and maybe work more on my paper. Check back on friday for a big update!

Asima :)

2008-01-28T10:17:00.000+01:00

So Asima is my roomate. And i have to send a BIG thank you out to her. For many reasons. One is that I am sick. On Saturday night I went to bed around 9:15. At 10ish I woke up coughing and choking. She knocks on my door and asks if everything is all right and if i was throwing up :) haha. I told her i just had a tickle in my throat. Well she offers to make me tea. So she did. I sat in my bed waiting for her. I took 3 sips and then she goes "are you tired? go to bed. You don't want to miss the boat" Meaning the if you are tired the sleeping boat. It was ADORABLE. So she took my tea and put me to bed. I mean...NO OTHER roomate i have EVER had has done that for me EVER!!!

Not to mention she is the BEST cook ever. I dont even have to ASK for dinner. I come home and she goes...dinner is ready...I just have to finish cooking it. And they are gourmet meals! I can barely compete! Just wonderful. And at the end of dinner she makes tea! I don't even like tea...but i like hers!

And recently I have been having some personal issues and she is like a g-dsend. She listens to me when i need to talk and she doesnt question it. She understands it all. And she genuinely cares. I am SOOO lucky to have her. SO Asima if you read this...you don't know how much you mean to me as a friend. I am thankful to have you in my life. Thank you and I wish i could give you everything back that you give to me! BTW- check out her blog....it's on the right hand side of my page!! Toodles

Learning

2008-01-28T10:10:00.000+01:00

This week at work I learned that French people are selfish. I know you are thinking...you JUST learned this?!? Well i guess i always knew it...but this week it bothered me more. And it was something REALLY stupid...but enough to tick me off! I was cutting pamplemousse (grapefruit-but it sounds better in french!). And at the end there is juice that comes from it. And people come up and take the juice. And OFCOURSE i was going to pass it around...WHEN I WAS FINISHED. And the worst part is people would come for seconds. And I said, "but other people haven't had any" and they said "so?" And then I said "well what about chef?" (who always has like 4 glasses) they said "he'll get it next round" and it just bothered me. Same goes with coffee. When I make coffee people want a LOT of coffee in their glass when i have to serve everyone which then makes me have to make a second pot. AND...someone who reads this blog wants coffee when he isn't working!!!!! NOT FAIR :) But i always make him a pot anyway!

Other news...I went to see Sweeny Todd finally with Manuel and Chris (it only came out on the 23rd of jan here). LOVED IT! I was very impressed by Johnny Depp. Who knew he could sing?! However I am used to Mrs Lovett being played differnetly but I liked her interpretation. And the boy who played Toby i LOVED. And a LOT of people told me it was too bloody...but i didn't think it was THAT bloody. I could have eaten through that entire movie...although i didnt't :)

Um...that's it for now. Like i said...this week is a week for life planning...so keep checking regularly for updates!

not much

2008-01-25T05:23:00.000+01:00

So, not much has happened in my two days off this week. On tues I walked to the Marais (1 hr there) to meet Manuel for lunch and then walked back (1 hr back) but i stopped to shop...so it took me longer. I bought a new pair of boots, a couple of shirts and some magazines. The sales are still going on so I'm trying to take advantage of that. My gym membership also ends on the 6th of Feb and I am not sure if I am going to renew that for 3 months or not...gotta decide...meaning I should be taking advantage of that too! hahaha. I also made dinner on tue nite. Tyler had told Asima how good my smokies were so I made those. Then I worked on my paper til Teddy came over for a little bit. We just talked. He likes to see me outside of work. He is genuinely a nice guy. I don't think he wants anything from me which is even nicer. Just a nice companion! On wed I had my appt with seb and then I came home and had to write a CV (resume) and letter of motivation IN FRENCH! I attempted it in French and then my friend guillaume helped me re-write it! He said it was awful. Oh well. I can't even believe I tried to write a letter in french...ha! Then eventually I worked on my paper for a few hrs. I went to bed REALLY early as I think I am coming down with a cold. However I started taking medicine early enough that I think it's just staying in my throat. Anyway...stay tuned...there may be some very important info on my blog within the next week :)

Cabaret

2008-01-21T17:27:00.000+01:00

Well last nite Manuel, his friend (and I've gone out with him a few times now) Chris and I went to see Cabaret the Musical...IN FRENCH! First off...it was at Folies Bergeres. That was the most exciting part! HOW COOL!?!??! I mean I've always heard about it, sang about it, and wanted to know more...but I actually got to go there! It was pretty neat! And then we saw the show. Let's see. Sally Bowles...BLONDE?!?! I mean what?!? That was the one thing that shocked me the most! I mean for those of you who know the show...come on! Sally is NEVER Blondie! But she was talented. GREAT voice and a great actress. However on the opposite spectrum...the actress who played Fraulein Schneider was HORRIBLE! At first i thought she just zoned out when she sang...but no. Her voice was bad and she just couldn't flow her acting into her singing. So every time she was onstage the show just dropped. The energy and everything. I didn't want to pay attention! Haha. The other actors were good though. They interacted with the audience and stuff and "lulu" (if you know the show-she is a lesbian) she talked to me and blew me kisses during the entire show. So i went along with it. Actually right after intermission...the Emcee pulled Chris onstage. He was so embarrassed...but it was funny. He faked grabbing Chris's ass! It was great! I was SO lucky I knew the show very well because like I said it was all in french...but it was SO cool to see it in french. Even the songs were in french! It was done really well and I really enjoyed it. MUCH better than West Side! Ha. The costumes, set, orchestra and choreography were all great! I give this production a thumbs up! AND...before i left my roommate took a mini photo shoot of me in my new dress (a "solde" purchase!)and necklace (that Manuel gave me). Enjoy!

Boring

2008-01-21T05:18:00.000+01:00

Yes...it's true...work has been boring! I know. sad huh? I was told it gets like this when galette season dies down. Notice i didn't say stopped! Nope...it doesn't stop til the 1st of Feb...but it has gotten slower. I find myself walking around asking people for work and they have nothing...so I stand around watching. I guess I'm learning from watching...but I am a hands on girl. So I'm annoyed. If I'm not going to be working on something I would MUCH RATHER be home working on my thesis. Ok well...maybe doing something else...but still!!!! A couple of days ago...chef sent one person home at 11 who normally doesn't go home til 3:30 and another home at 3who doesn't go home til 8! But he made ME stick around! POOP! oh well.

On another note...Asima (my roommate-check out her cool blog) and I went to see Into the Wild. Manuel had a movie date already to see that movie...so that's why I went with Asima. WOAH! Heavy duty. I really enjoyed this movie. It was a change from all of the other movies i have been seeing. It was very deep, intellectual and a NOT what I thought it was going to be. If you want to see a movie where you have to think...then go see this. And i LOVED the music. I really like Sean Penn's style of writing! He is truly a brilliant screen writer.

Anyway...other than that....i should have another post up tomorrow with some pictures of me!

behind

2008-01-17T19:04:00.000+01:00

I am SOOOO behind on blogging. I think i'm just behind on life in general. I haven't been at the computer much. I had to respond to 7 emails that I was slacking on! EEKS! that's SOO unlike me. But i think i'm back on track. AND i forgot to mention last weeks movie that I saw. Asima came with Manuel and I this time. We saw Razzle Dazzle...but in France they changed the name to Dancing Queen. Stupid idea because 1) then you think it's about a bunch of queens running around dancing (meaning gays!) and 2) No one is gonna want to see it then! Anyway...it was a mockumentary about Australian dance teams going to a dance competition! Hilarious! I love mockumentaries. Same line as Best in Show and a Mighty Wind style. SOOO good. But that was last Sunday...oops! See...i told you...I'm slacking!

Ok...so I had two days off. I tried to take advantage of the sales. I didn't do amazing...but i got a few things. i tried on this dress but I wasn't sure i loved it. But i can't stop thinking about it...so i think I'm gonna go get it tomorrow after work since it's on my walk home. It was a cheapy cotton one...not like a super expensive fancy one. And there were a pair of boots i liked too...but i'm still debating those! ARGH...sales :)

OH...and the highlight of my days off was on wed morn I met Edwige (the woman in charge of my HEG-gastronomy program) for coffee at Starbucks! We chatted for a while. It was SOOO good to see her. She looks great...even with her new accessories :) heehee. I have to apologize because I didn't bring my camera and she wanted to be on my blog....next time! PROMISE! But anyway...it was a great time.

Other than that...it's been a hectic two days off. Running around a bunch. One of these days I'm just gonna lay in bed and do NOTHING! Yah right! I can't imagine myself doing that! Oh well. Back to the grind tomorrow. For now...more thesis work. Off to read! toodles

1/15/2008 or 15/1/2008

2008-01-16T20:38:00.000+01:00

Depending on where you are living! Anyway...this was a big day for me. It was the day that I realised why g-d brought me to Paris. It took me over a year to realise it...and it was a LONG journey...but I figured it out. From here...I have an even LONGER journey to go. It's pretty personal to post on my blog...so if you are my friend and care to know...shoot me an email. However I thought I would post that i feel good about where things are going and it's good when that type of realisation comes about. That's it!! Hope everyone is well.

cake!

2008-01-14T20:05:00.000+01:00

So work has been great! I've been obviously working on galettes a lot! Here are a few pics (i did NOT make this one...chef did! DUH!)

That's me serving coffee! hahah. Chef said to me (in french ofcourse) "is there a strike on coffee?" because I was SO busy with making galettes i didnt have time to make coffee! It was funny. Then the next day he was clapping his hands and going "du cafe, sil vous plait" it rhymed. GREAT!!! Ofcourse i made him coffee!
Other than that today(oops...posted a little late) I did a LOT of peeling...mangos and pears. I think I peeled for an hr and a half total! eeks. But i'm still loving it!
Today wasn't the best day though. My metro was late so when I arrived everyone thought I wasn't gonna show up! But i did :) Then I hit my finger with the rolling pin! Ouch! Then eventually I cut myself with the peeler. And to top it all off...it was "joke with penny" day. Ok, not really, but two people made me believe something that wasn't true! I laughed in the end...but argh! The whole french/american speaking thing can be annoying sometimes! Oh and two new people started today. I dont know if they are interns or workers...but yah.
And the pictures below are of Alex decorating a cake (well styrofoam). I took pictures of the progress and then him at the end with it. It was BRIGHT pink. Who in their right mind would order that?!?!

So as i said I posted late...but yah. Now i have two days off. More posts to come!!!

weight.

2008-01-11T16:12:00.000+01:00

Sorry...it feels like forever. But it was really just my two days off ;) Which were really nice. I went to the gym both days. But Seb is on vacation in Thailand so I am alone. Oh well. And Asima (my WONDERFUL new roomie) has been making dinner, so I made dinner on wed night. I made pasta with grilled calamari and endives with a lime and dill wine sauce. It wasn't horrible. I didn't follow a recipe. I tried to just go with it. It worked. I'm trying really hard to be creative! Anyway...I also went out wed night. Me and Fernando went out to a bar to drink some beers. I LOVE hanging out with him. SO MUCH FUN! went to bed at two and still didn't sleep enough on Thur morn. Woke up too early. But i had to because i had to go to the library! ARGH! I spent 3 1/2hrs there (i think the most time i have EVER spent in a library my whole life! hahaha). After that I was DONE for the day. But I got a lot of work done. I also went to school on wed to drop something off, and i went to the bank.

Anyway...my header. Well on wed I had 4 people compliment me on how thin I look AND i had GOD knows how many people hit on me. And that continued onto thurs. When I went to buy fish on wed, the guy said to me (all in french of course-because i can have conversations now) do you want fish or do you want the fish seller? I was like...uh...fish. Then he asked if the fish was for me and him because he wanted to invite me over to cook it for him?!?! I MEAN WHAT? I told him my boyfriend in the states wouldn't be too happy about that! haha. Then on thurs a guy at my market hit on me TWICE! I saw him two times and the second time (after a change of close-1st time was nasty after the gym) he still remembered me. WEIRD! I don't know if it's the weight, or my overall feeling about myself and i'm giving off this vibe...but men are flocking to me! WHY NOW? Couldn't this have happened in Jan 07?!?!

Anyway...I'm reading this book...Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink...it's for my thesis...but it's helping ME more than the thesis. I owe him my lost pounds :)

Well...im off to finish some more research! have a good nite. toodles

PAID?!

2008-01-07T20:16:00.000+01:00

So today at work was another long day. Supposedly, we have to do galettes til the end of the month! WHAT?!?! ARGH! But...my special skill of being fast came in handy today :) I knew it would at some point. We did like a galette line and I had to be SUPER fast! I was! heehee. Anyway...my back hurts terribly. I also didn't realise that I was going to be there for Valentines day! another great pastry shop holiday! I am SOOO lucky :)

So...quick boy update. Asshole is still asshole...but now he flirts. It's SO funny. Today he blew a kiss at me and I guess he said in french that he wanted to sleep with me?!! I don't know...still and asshole though :) my A guy is still adorable and we got to talk a lot today. He said his nickname is "horse". I'll leave you and your imagination :) And the friend of A has a girlfriend (i may have said that already). And then there is teddy :) No update as of now. He stopped calling. Smart guy...makes me more interested.

So...the big news...Chef was passing out paychecks today and he gave me a check. I was expecting one for 3 months of my metro pass. But instead there was a big amount on there. I was so confused. I asked someone and they said I get paid monthly for being a stagiere! WOOHOO!!!! GO ME! Who knew?! But i am SUPER excited. HERE'S TO THE PARIS SALES IN JANUARY :) heehee. Have a good day peeps!

Galette De Rois

2008-01-06T19:06:00.000+01:00

So today was the first day at work that I felt like I was working an assembly line. I felt like I was a slave worker. I actually heard my chef yell and things were mad!! It's because of these Galette De Rois. Those were the cakes I mentioned. I have pictures and I did some research on them as well. This is the explaination (translated into english from wikipedia france)

"Is a cake celebrating the Epiphany and traditionally sold and consumed a few days before and after that date. The cake is made from puff pastry filled with frangipane "similar to the pithiviers (filled cake), or not (dry cake), Belgium and northern France. In half South of France, she is brioche. In Occitania, the galette des rois (called cake of kings) is a pastis, a kind of brioche, flavoured with orange flower and containing fruits and sometimes called kingdom. In Provence this dessert is called cake of kings and consists of a sort of brioche scented with orange flower covered with sugar and candied fruit. Traditionally, it is an opportunity to "draw kings" Epiphany: a figurine is hidden in the cake and the person who gets the bean becomes king of the day and will provide the next cake.
This practice is rooted in Saturnalia of ancient Rome. The Romans used the bean as ballot to elect the king's feast at these festivals. The beans were replaced in 1870 by porcelain figurines or - more recently - plastics. The collection of these small objects is called favophilie. To ensure a random distribution of the shares of cake, it is customary that the youngest is placed under the table and appoint the beneficiary on the part that is designated by the person in charge of the service.
Previously, the practice was that we shared the cake in as many shares as diners, plus one. The latter, called the "hand of God", "part of the Virgin" or "share of the poor" was intended for the poor who are the first to submit homeless. Although it is now increasingly hard to find, the cake of Besançon was once used to draw the Kings. It is a dry cake made from puff pastry covered with sugar and butter."

Now in american it is called the King's Cake. This blurb was taken from Wikipedia US.
"A king cake (sometimes rendered as kingcake or kings' cake) is a type of cake associated with the festival of Epiphany in the Christmas season in a number of countries, and in other places with Carnival. It is popular in Christmas season in France (galette/gateau des rois), Portugal (Bolo Rei), Spain (Roscón de Reyes and in Catalonia called tortell), Greece (vasilopita) and Bulgaria (banitsa). In the United States, which celebrates Carnival ranging from Mobile, Alabama to East Texas, centered on New Orleans it is associated instead with Carnival traditions.
The cakes have a small trinket (usually a small plastic Baby Jesus) inside, and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations.In southern U.S.A., the tradition was brought to the area by colonists from France and Spain. King cake parties in New Orleans are documented back to the eighteenth century. A little bean was traditionnally hidden in it, a custom taken from the Saturnalia in the Roman Empire: the one who stumbled upon the bean was called "king of the feast." In the galette des Rois, since 1870 the beans have been replaced by porcelain and, now, plastic figurines; while the gâteau des Rois often contains both a bean and a figurine. Samuel Pepys (whose wife was French) recorded a party in London on Epiphany night, 6 January 1659/1660: "...to my cosen Stradwick, where, after a good supper, there being there my father, mother, brothers, and sister, my cosen Scott and his wife, Mr. Drawwater and his wife, and her brother, Mr. Stradwick, we had a brave cake brought us, and in the choosing, Pall was Queen and Mr. Stradwick was King. After that my wife and I bid adieu and came home, it being still a great frost."[1] The choosing of King and Queen from the pie, usually by the inclusion of a bean and a pea, was a traditional English Twelfth Night festivity (see there for other early English references)."

So...as you can see...these are SUPER popular. Anyway...we've been making over 500 a day. and i'm NOT exaggerating. So i took some pictures.

First the dough is rolled out. Then I (sometimes- or someone else) puts on egg wash on the outter edge and then pipes on (depending on the type)only almond cream or almond and pistachio cream. At the top is the heart that we put in as the trinket. On the back it says "mulot paris". Then my other job is to put on all of the nuts. I have to put them on in a round. ARGH! And i have to be quick about it because then is the next step.

Someone else puts on the top and then i dust the flour off the top and then make indents on the side three finger widths apart. Then after this is done (a certain amount) there is a HUGE process for storing them. I can't explain it all because even I am confused. But it's timed and you have to put things and out of the freezer. It's crazy.

This is Birke cutting out the circles! EEKS...see the leftover. WOW.

This is the store. and that is NOT the half of them!!!!!!

These are the heart ones :)

I brought two of them home. This is the pistachio one after it's cooked. They are soooo yummy! Chef and a few other people get to do the lines before they are cooked.

Anyway...today was a LONG day. I was happy to leave work :) But enjoy the galettes...i know i am!!!

me...hard at work :)

2008-01-04T20:08:00.000+01:00

So....Today I got to do a few new things (amongst the boring same ole!) I made an apricot tart. Here are the pics.

I also decided to take a picture of myself today working! Well my friend took it ;) So enjoy me hard at work!!! hahaha

That's about it for today. I want to post this brochure i have...but i can't figure it out. when i do...i will post it! have a nice night. toodles

So far...

2008-01-03T19:32:00.001+01:00

the new year hasn't treated me the best! Well...ok...it hasn't been horrible either! I went to see Good Luck Chuck (dane cook and jessica alba) with manuel. HILARIOUS! If you are looking for a funny movie...GO SEE IT! sincere humor. great ;) But after that things went downhill. I had my trainer seb on wed and when I did my second machine I must have pulled something in my head (more like...not enough oxygen in my brain) and i got a MASSIVE headache. So the rest of the session we did things really lightlightly because i was in SO much pain. Afterwards I went grocery shopping (spent SO much money- enough for two weeks) and came home and HAD to lay down i was in SO much pain. And not migraine pain...like pain pain. Eventually i got some work done on my thesis and cooked myself duck with pasta and mushrooms ;) Then I TRIED to go to bed at 9 pm but i didn't sleep AT ALL last nite. I mean NOT A WINK. Things I did differently yesterday....I drank a diet coke, i drank sleepy time tea, and I ate duck? WHAT THE HECK!?!? I don't know what it was...but I woke up (besides sleepy) with the WORST pain in my stomach and normally the pain that i felt would have gone away within a few hrs...the end of the day came and i STILL had the pains! ARGH! So between a headache, no sleep, and stomach pains...my new year hasn't been the best! However I made an AMAZING dinner for myself and my friend Tyler who came over to pick up the keys for Asima who moves in on Saturday. So...since i've never posted a recipe I will post it (i have to thank Pauline for getting it for me!!!) These are the recipe for Smokies from the restaurant called Eden that I ate them in for the first time in Ireland! So enjoy!!!

Eden smokies
You will need:
Splash of sunflower oil
500g (18oz) naturally smoked haddock, skin off, bones removed and diced
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
3 spring onions, finely chopped
250g (9oz) creme fraiche
Freshly ground white pepper
Cheddar for sprinkling on top
Heat a frying pan and add the oil. Fry the haddock on all sides. Add the tomatoes, spring onions and creme fraiche and season with the pepper (you will not need salt, as smoked fish is salty). Bring to the boil and place in a serving dish or individual dishes. Sprinkle with cheddar and brown under the grill.
Bon appetit!

Anyway...work today was good. I talked more to the chef and to some of the other guys :) We were making sex jokes with the nuts. It was horribly funny and I was NOT the one to start them (imagine that!!!) So i'm prolly gonna get ready for bed soon and hopefully be able to sleep tonite! How was everyone's new year? email me! i'd love to hear from you! toodles

THEE BLOG 365

2008-01-01T12:40:00.000+01:00

So. Today is reflection day. If you have been reading religiously or once in a while...or know me REALLY well...you know what today is. Pause. Think. If not...then I will tell you. Today is my one year anniversary in Paris. One year ago on New Years Eve I was on a plane flying to Paris. I arrived on January 1st. Here I am again...January 1st. Strange. I'm a whole new person. I like it.

First off...I really have to be selfish. For me to pick up and move...normal. As an actress I was always going from one job to another in a different state. But to move to Paris (for what was supposed to only be 9 months!!), far from my mommy and daddy, a WHOLE new career, new language, and a place where i know NO ONE and have no "security blanket" with me (except softee! ha) is a BIG step for me. I was scared shitless when I did it. But I've grown because of it. I am proud of myself for taking that step. I know because of it, I can ONLY go further. So i have to pat myself on the back.

Next...i HAVE to thank my mom and dad. I know they read my blog religiously. And I don't know if I tell them enough how much I appreciate this opportunity. But i think they can tell. In any case...I know when I first told them on July 22, 2006 my parents were both very excited...but my mom was hesitant. She still wants me to come home ;) But I think for the both of us...it's been a great experience. Well i know on my part...it's good to be separated (and i know my readers know my mom!) She's great...but a handful! heehee. love you mommy. In any case, I owe them everything. Being in Paris is AMAZING. I couldn't ask for a better life. How many people do I know (besides the ones I went to school with) can say they lived in Paris for a year? I'm so lucky, so fortunate and I have to thank my parents. THANK YOU if i don't say it enough.

Now...my blog. Today was my 365th post. I did that on purpose. And I thought about the reason I blog. Many reasons. My blog IS my "security blanket". I know when I have a problem I blog. When I feel like I've had too much "french" i come to my Americans and blog. It's a place where I can ALWAYS speak English and EVERYONE understands it! And it's a place where I can rant, rave, bitch, complain, brag, share my fun and I don't get anyone screaming in my ear! I can just let loose! I can talk and no one talks back :) It's like a dog! Wonderful. But it's relaxing for me. I can just talk. Now, that being said...i would like more comments from people...but it's OK! Just to know you are reading it enough for me! But THANK YOU for reading. It's nice to know there are some people out there that care!

As far as my change...I've made new friendships this year which I HOPE i keep in touch with them and I've also lost some. And that's OK. That's what life is about. People change. I'm not hurt about it...but like I said in my resolution post...i need to move on (which is hard for me). I keep trying to find a way to make contact with those old friends and it doesn't work. So...get over it! While I've been gone TONS of people have gotten engaged/married. It's like now is the time. I'm happy everyone is so happy. And thank you all for being concerned about my love life...but my career is more important right now...so I'm focusing on that. Love will come...I'm sure of it ;) It takes time like everything else. Oh, and my weight. Yes I've put on pounds. But right now I'm actually losing some weight by just enjoying eating. It's a whole new way of looking at food. And I've never been so happy...and that's the important thing! So if i can eat what I want, look and feel good that's all i can ask for! Other changes...I found a phobia I had that I never knew I had before...stairs. Strangest thing. But I have a fear of falling down/or up stairs. I get scared actually. I don't know if there is a word for this or not. I mean I still take the stairs...but it's a fear I have and every time I walk stairs I think what would happen if I fell all the way down. Freaks me out! It's a new thing though. Otherwise...I really have changed a lot...but you have to be with me to notice them. I am sure when I get home everyone will notice the difference. Whether you think it's a good thing or a bad...it's me. And people change for the better or worse all the time...and you can choose if you want to deal with it or not...but I'm happy :)

So...I am closing this chapter. After this one year in Paris I know anything is possible. I am looking forward to it ;) Keep reading my blog...cause i won't stop...promise.

New Years Eve Paris!

2008-01-01T12:23:00.000+01:00

WOAH! What started out as a mellow night and i thought i would die of boredom...turned into a massive morning hangover :)

So...Since i worked the overnight shift I was sleeping during the day til around 4ish. Then I didn't do much til for the first time in over a month I decided to blow dry my hair!!! I took a picture but it isn't the best!

So as you can see...my hair is getting long again!!! YAH! I haven't cut it since August and I don't plan on cutting it til right before i leave here :) I'm dying cause i have gray hair and split ends...but I'm trying to wait! ha. Anyway...so I put on clothes and makeup and my hair all "did" and i felt great! So at 7:30ish I went over to Fernando's new pad! He lives so close to me now! FUN! And we sat around for an hr waiting for his friend to come over...but he didn't so then we went on a search for dinner. Well obviously things were closed or booked! And i wanted to go out with a bang...so by 9:45 we decided to split. He went home...I went home and I thought...GREAT...there goes my night. I knew it was going to be LAME! So i went home...made myself some good ole' American macaroni and cheese (i need to go grocery shopping) and started drinking a bottle of Absinthe my old roommate Liz left behind from Prague. That's when it started getting CRAZY! Well I talked to friends online. Kaitlin told me i HAD to get out of the house. After 4 glasses of Absinthe I knew i had to do something. I was all dressed and feeling good at this point...so I went to the Moose. It's a Canadian bar where they speak English and french and it's RIGHT next to work. So I had a Guinness and waited for the new year...and Teddy ;) The new year rang before teddy did...but when he came I got my new years kiss. Anyway...we spent a good 30 min together and at that point i was pretty tipsy! I went into work to say hi to everyone (they were shocked at the way i looked!), give kisses and then I went home around 1ish. Well...my drinking had led me to eating. I must have eaten my entire kitchen last nite (didn't notice til i woke up to my mess!!). Went to bed at 2 (one foot on the ground so the room would stop spinning. try it...it works! I learned it in Ireland!!) I woke up around 8:30ish and i walked into my wall (still drunk) and had a POUNDING headache. I took Advil and went back to bed. Woke up and 12...still walking into walls a bit...but no headache. So...was my new years everything i wanted it to be? Nah...but it will do. Till next year...

Resolutions

2008-01-01T12:14:00.000+01:00

I thought if i posted them...i would follow them :)

1) Continue with my healthy lifestyle (this does not mean lose weight! i've already realised beauty comes from within and i don't need to be skinny!)

2) Let it go. I try and stay attached to things too long when they are ready to just fizzle. Whether it be a relationship, a fight I had, an overeating binge I had, a mistake I made in my life...just get over it!

3) Find a good job/apartment/school when I get home!!! How hard can this be?!? hahaha

4) Make the best out of my time in Paris (I will be here for 6 months of 2008!). I really want to take advantage of everything around me. I need to appreciate it more.

5) And since i'm going to make my list short this year...my last one is to enjoy life. I noticed how life flew right by me this year. It went so quickly. And YES...don't get me wrong...i enjoyed every bit of it...but with my new career coming up, i KNOW how i get and how focused I can be. So everyonce in a while I just need to sit back and enjoy life!! Starting now. Happy New Year 2008 Everyone!!!

ONE MONTH!

2007-12-31T16:23:00.000+01:00

Ok....how crazy is this....I've been working at Gerard Mulot for ONE MONTH! WOAH! I only work there for 3 months and this month went by CRAZY fast! I remember the first week like it was yesterday and telling Kaitlin that I was gonna die it was going to go so slowly...but nope! It's going by SOOOO quickly! Anyway...I'm learning SOOOO much!!! I'm SO happy I am in this profession. And I'm more happy that I got hooked up with SUCH an amazing Stage. I got so lucky!!!! The people are great, the chef is great...and the pastries are the best part :)

Oh...and an update on boys :) hahah. Well...Boy B (teddy) we get along really well. If he would stop calling so much it would be better ;) Boy A and E (the ones who are friends) I made progress with them at my overnight. However the friend of A...he's was totally digging the fact that I don't have a boyfriend. ha. and I found out they both are 22. WHY do i go for the younger ones?!? Oh well. Oh...and the funniest one was boy C (asshole) i served him coffee a couple days ago and in a really bad accent he goes "i love you" because i gave him coffee. And last nite at my overnight he was flirting. He flicked water at me...total flirt!

As far as critcism and feedback. I have been getting a lot of that's perfect or c'est bon. Now...before you think I'm tooting my own horn...I always say...well it's not PERFECT, but thank you. I am working really hard. I want to prove to them, and myself that this is my new profession and i AM capable of doing this!!! So it's nice to hear that i CAN succeed at this!!! So that's that. Other than that...work is great...here's to 2 more months!!!! YAH!

Overnight 3

2007-12-31T16:11:00.000+01:00

So THIS overnight started at 8 pm!!! I had about 5.5 hrs of sleep and I thought i'd be ok! I was :) I was a little sleepy when I got there, but i think it was because I was a bit food comatose! I ate a lot for dinner so I would be full. But it didn't matter because for some reason at work I snacked a bunch.

When I first arrived I made kugelhopf. I guess people wanted a lot of it for the new year so I was supposed to make 4 batches instead of 2 and the first two needed to be done the night before! So i did that. THEN...remember christmas with all of the "four sales" (the little quiches and tartlets?) Well we made tons of those again (that's when I was snacking). I didn't take pictures again...but i did thousands of those again. Then the fun part! I got to work with Pierre...the guy who makes croissants every day (isn't that so cliche? Pierre the croissantiere? hahaha). So I made some dough with him. It was SOOO fun! I love making bread. I think that may be my calling...but I'm still not sure! Anyway...here is a picture.

Then I went back to my station eventually. I made the peach tart again and then I got to make a new tart! The (pistachio almond cream) pear/grapefruit tart. I've never tried it before...but it sounds good!!! Anyway...first there is the pistachio almond cream which I didn't put on. But then i had to thinly...and i mean THINLY slice the pears (which we cook everyday ourselves) and lay them ontop. It's harder than it looks! Then after that I put on the grapefruit (remember i mentioned cutting those) and if you see what I'm seeing...that tart looks a little dirty ;)

Anyway...it was fun! Then I went back to petit gateaux and made more buchettes. ofcourse! i think we are done with them though...not sure. Anyway...I got out at 6:30 instead of 6...but it was fine. I was wide awake! I came home and went to bed around 7:15 am. Now I'm planning tonites festivities!!

Crying and Sick

2007-12-30T17:54:00.000+01:00

Ok....this is a random post. But it's about two important things.

1) This girl i work with has cried twice at work this week. Now...I'm not being prejudice...but she is Asian (I think Japanese) But...the asians at my school cried a lot and really easily too. Is that a stereotype? Or an "asian" thing? I mean...I have no clue where it came from? That time of the month maybe? But randomly, something must have ticked her off and BANG...the tears! I've already learned...the ONLY job there are tears in...is THEATRE (you HAVE to be emotional) but there is NO crying in Pastry! Even when I've gotten yelled at or thought i was horrible...i don't think i've cried. Ok...when I got second place at LCB...i cried...happy cry! But otherwise...NO CRYING FOR ME! (maybe this a good job for me! hahaha). But seriously...just weird!

2) Malade=sick. EVERYONE at work is sick. So i said that today. And someone said to me "maybe if you worked more you would be sick too". The same person who said to me 2 days before "you can just leave...you are a stagiare" and the same person who two hrs later said to me (when I said I wasn't sick) "it's because you know how eat all of your vitamins". I mean, the first comment made me wanna snap back! ARGH! but i didn't. I just shut my mouth :) Good for me! hahaha. But anyway...The sick thing. I TRUELY believe it's from the who french "bizou" (kiss) and hand shake. We spread germs like CRAZY! I WILL NOT GET SICK! I wash my hands like every two minutes...i drink my water like a good girl (no one else does) and I don't eat the pastries every two minutes like everyone else does! In anycase...I will avoid this. It's so gross that everyone just blows their nose and then doesn't wash their hands! YUCK! and if you are THAT sick...i can't believe you are at work. ATLEAST try and have a good attitude. I know you feel like shit...but if you come to work like that, you won't produce good work and you're just gonna feel more lousy as the day goes on. Be positive people! ARGH! makes me mad!

Anyway...getting ready for my 8 pm shift :)

Overnight 2

2007-12-30T17:33:00.000+01:00

Once again...I started at 1 am. However today I felt like i was going to fall asleep. And when I got there I expected the same thing as last nite...Galette production (which made my time go by really quickly) Well...there was none today! We just went into normal things! So I KNEW it was going to be a long day!!!! I started with the apples (as usual!!!) Then I got to make a peach tart which I've never done before (and i took pictures!!) They are a lot like the plum tarts...but you have to weigh them. And the way they are finished are different. I forgot to take pictures of the finishd product...which looks completely differnt!

And then...I got to go to Petit Gateaux today!! So i have plenty of pictures :) I got to do new things :) Some I didn't take pictures of. Like i put chestnuts and gold leaf on some barquettes, and I put chocolate emblems on chocolate cakes...but those were little things so I didn't take pictures of them. But the next thing I got to do were framboise (raspberry) tart. I put the rasberries on individually and then had to "paint" them with a glaze.

Then the next thing is the charlotte. I powder sugared the bases then did the same thing, but had to put the raspberries onto a little card, "paint" them and then slide them onto the top so it wouldn't get dirty!

Then after that I went back and lined some tarts and then eventually I wound up making buchettes again :) I actually was TEACHING someone to make them. It was WEIRD! It was like I was in charge. And the girl didn't speak a lick of english...so it was rather amusing. Turns out...she did a shitty job and she had to redo them. Ooops. I felt really bad...but they told me to let HER do them. So what was I supposed to do?!?!

Today I was supposed to leave at 10:30...but since I was working tonite at 8 pm, chef told me to leave at 10 am. So that was nice. And it was weird, because at the beginning of the night I was exhausted...but by the morning i was so awake and I could have kept going for hrs!!!! I had another pain au raisin at 7 am for breakfast. It's also nice to work night shifts because I get to see when everyone comes in :) Other than that...I came home and went to bed at 11. Work tonite at 8 pm!!!!! New years eve production! YAH!!!

Overnight 1

2007-12-29T22:23:00.000+01:00

So this was my third over night really...but my first this time for the next three nights (if that makes sense). And it wasn't bad again. We made galetes de roi (i'm going to do a separate posting about those) and then once again i peeled apples and cleaned mini tartlettes. But seriously...that's all i did! haha. We made those galettes forever!! But, I worked from 1 am to 10:30 am and I wasn't hungry til about 7ish when I ate a pain au raisin. And i didn't get sleepy til 10:30 on the dot in which I KNEW i needed to go home then!!!

But the eventful parts of the day were I got scolded for the first time for something that happened yesterday which I guess no one was going to tell me about. I supposedly rolled out a dough wrong (which was my first time doing it and no one bothered to show me) and i left some dough in the fridge when i left (which i did tell someone i was doing that and they said ok). So...I took the rap and that's fine...but i'm glad someone told me instead of letting it go. It would have made me mad that no one would have told me my mistakes. I need to learn from my wrong. So Lisa (the cool girl-who i figured out how to spell her name and speaks english) decided to tell me. She was cool about it though. And the other thing that happened was i FINALLY (which this isn't the best of things) got to say Oui Chef twice today. That means the chef told me to do something different and I had to answer to him. Once Chef Mulot told me something and then Chef Benault told me something. But i was really excited to say it ;) So i said it proudly. Wow...am i a culinary student or what?!?! hahaha. But it was just that I put too many pistachios on the galette so the first time i said Oui to not put too many on and the second time I said Oui to remove them :) I'm such a good worker. hahaha.

Oh and I forgot to mention that Teddy and i went out for 30 min before work. He had a drink and I went to keep him company :) It's nice getting to know him.

I slept today from 12 noon (after i went to the post office to get my carte de sejour FINALLY after 4 months!!! But it's only til the end of march! ARGH!) til 10 pm! wow!! Well...it's getting time for me to go to work again! I love it!!!! toodles

Crazy work hrs again!!

2007-12-28T13:38:00.001+01:00

So...I went to work at 6 am today like normal. And I looked at my schedule for next week. Well on monday it said I had the 20 hr shift again (meaning come in at 8 pm on that sunday night) However, I was finishing at 4 pm that same day! I thought it was crazy...so I asked Birke about it. Well...I don't know if that was a good thing (because i like night shifts) or a bad thing (cause now i have too many) but she changed my schedule for the weekend completely!! SO today I was supposed to work from 6 am to 4pm and the same for sat and sunday. NOW...This is my new schedule:

Friday: 6 am to 12pm (noon)
Sat: 1 am to 10:30 am
Sunday: 1am to 10:30 am
(Sun night) Monday (the 30th to the 31st) : 8 pm to 6 am
That means the 31st I have all day and night off!!!
Tues (the 1st): OFF (meaning...i can go out for new years!!!)
Wed: off
Thur-Sun: back to normal 6 am to 3:30 pm

So...I like working nights. I get to work with boy B. Which, by the way, has found my blog. SO...we can call him by his name now since he knows who he is. His name is Teddy. We've gotten close over the last few days! He's really fun to be with. Although he knows to cut back on the calling. It was cute though :) Anyway...i'm excited I have a new french friend who speaks english!!!! Always could use more friends!

So...today I slept 6 hrs. I'm kinda mad. I wanted to sleep more like 8...so hopefully at work I won't be tired. But I hadn't eaten ALL day...so I woke up STARVING! I couldn't sleep anymore because my stomach was growling! So i woke up. I feel fine now, but we'll see what happens at work. Now I'm going to get ready for work and maybe start watching a movie. It's so early I don't know what to do to keep myself busy....

days off!

2007-12-28T13:31:00.000+01:00

So i had a LOVELY two days off! On Wednesday I went to the gym and then stayed in all day to do some thesis work and to write my resume! If anyone has resume tips for a chef...send them my way! I need the help! But I got some work done for my paper which was good. Then in the evening I left the house for a bit to go to the grocery store. I went to bed rather early to get back on track. Then on Thursday I had my trainer in the morning and Seb kicked my butt...literally! We worked the lower half of my body this time since my elevator is working and it kills now!!! Anyway...the cute guy at the gym was there...and he talked to Seb and said something to me...but I was SOOO fixated on him I had no clue what he said :) Oh...and guess what...he IS jewish! I KNEW IT!!!! Seb was laughing at me because after he came I was working out so much harder and then I even started to speak french to show off! He's so cute though!!!! Anyway I came home and Liz had left (to Canada) so cleaned ALLLLLLL day :) (liz-if you read this...it wasn't because I didn't trust u...it's because I don't trust the cleaning lady!!!) So i cleaned her room, my room and the kitchen. Eventually i finished and then at 4:30 I walked to the Champs and did some shopping. Ok...mainly a big spree at Sephora. At 7 pm I met Dzintra for Sushi at a place called Kaiten. It's one of those places where you pick off of the assembly line. LOVE IT! I was dying for sushi and it was great to catch up with Dzintra! Came home and went to bed. Great two days off!!

Joyeux Noel!

2007-12-25T22:03:00.000+01:00

Well...i waited to post this til my two overnight shifts were done! So here goes. (plus there is a GREAT slideshow at the end!!!!)

Ok...so sunday night I woke up at 6 pm and walked to work to get there at 8 pm! almost NO one was there! It looked like it was going to be pretty tranquil! Well...NO ONE was working who spoke english and me and Maki (u will see the pics) were the only girls!!! Otherwise the rest were boys! But my french and I managed! It was actually a ton of fun! I started out putting a TON of frozen salty petits fours on baking sheets and then we baked them and then I had to rearrange them onto plaques. (like i said...you can see PLENTY of pictures) When we had downtime or I got bored...I made coffee as usual or took pictures of the bakery so you could see where I work! Chef wasn't there and neither were too many people so I didn't feel bad about snapping shots! At around 1 am a few more people came in. Then at 4 a few more came in. It was around then when I first started to get hungry...but tired...NO WAY! At 6 am when I was supposed to be done (i was working on buchettes at this time) they asked if I could stay! And you know how I can't say no! hahaha. So I stayed til around 7:20ish. So...i worked from 8pm-7:20 am and not ONCE did i stop and take a break! WOW...first experience for me...and i love EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Then I came home and at 8 am I went to bed and slept til around 6ish! I woke up and then did a whole bunch of crap. I did some laundry, read a magazine, talked to some folks online/on the phone, sent emails...blah blah blah. Then at 12ish I went to work. I met up with boy # B and we chatted for a while before work started at 1 am! Then I went into work and because it was xmas- boy B brought Champagne...so he poured us a glass and we toasted...too sweet! There wasn't much work for me so I walked around for a while, learned how to make bread, then eventually I made some prune tarts. Then eventually at 4 am I got to do some work. I made a few pots of coffee and then at 4ish I did apples again as usual and then buchettes :) Then at 6:30 I was done (overtime again!) But chef came over and looked at my stuff and kinda shook his head. I knew there was NO way I could stay today. Even when I first walked in, chef said to me I wasn't smiling...I was..just not at that moment. And at work...I am known as the girl who NEVER stops smiling...YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! i can't help it...i love my job :) anyway...so i went home. I was supposed to end at 6 and i stayed 30 min later but i still felt bad leaving when everyone else was staying on xmas working their asses off. But i went home and at 7:30 I went to bed til 2:30ish. I forced myself to wake up because I wanted to get back on a normal schedule! So I went to see My Blueberry Nights. GREAT movie. I've been doing good with the movies recently! I had no clue what this was about...but i loved it so much! It was a thinker...but it was good for me! Then after that I went to dinner for Pizza (the chinese places were closed! and I am supposed to have sushi on thur...so I opted for pizza). I met two really nice Australian girls so I wasn't lonely at dinner :) Then I went to starbucks for a decaf creme brulee soy latte while I read my Gourmet Magazine. And then I walked home listening to xmas music. It wasn't the most eventful of christmas' but it was a good day. And i LOVE working in a pastry shop ;) And to think a year ago i was singer...hahaha. Sweet dreams and enjoy the pictures!

No way!

2007-12-23T18:32:00.001+01:00

Ok...so before i get to my NO WAY...i'm gonn post some things I forgot to say :) well...my elevator is up and running, BUT for only a week or so. Til the 2nd of Jan. But that's good enough for me since my work schedule is so crazy! Yesterday at work I got to work in the petit gateaux section! It was thrilling! However most of the time i made buches (logs) which you saw a couple of photos of. I'm going to post all of my xmas photos on wed though! And...i don't remember which guy...oh uni brown guy who is the jerk...was incharge of me yesterday and he was actually nice! I'm not sure if it's because he is sick...but i think it's because he knows i actually have talent and I'm not just some girl! He told me something i did was perfect. I knew it wasn't perfect so I questioned him and I actually got a smile out of him! It was funny. Then at lunch time he told me to go eat but I wasn't done...and he insisted i eat and I said NO...i will finish my work and THEN eat. He was like...suite yourself. So 35 min later I ate a cold meal...but I felt good about finishing! AND i went to see the movie about Bob Dylan "Im not there" BRILLIANT! AMAZING! GO SEE IT! It was worth my evening! Manuel and i went sat nite. I'm not the BIGGEST dylan fan but i like his music and the way the movie was put together was GREAT and the music and everything...spectacular! I loved it. We also swapped xmas gifts! Well I gave him his (a new man bag) and he gave me half of mine...this GREAT sliver drop necklace. He said it was for my boobs :) hahaha. WHICH he is totally right about...it will fit perfectly with them! I LOVE IT and i can't wait to wear it!!!!

Ok...so my NO WAY! I get to work this morning (sunday) at 6 am. The girl incharge asks what time i'm done. I say 3:30...the normal. Because I knew monday nite I had to come in at 8 pm. Which is kinda like a day off. Anyway...she was like...u better check the schedule again...cause it's 8pm tonite! I was like..uh ok. SO i looked...I got off at 11:30 in the morn so I could go home to sleep and come back at 8 pm (sunday nite) and work til 6 am (monday morn) HOW CRAZY! So i came home...took a nap from 12-6 and now...i'm about to go to work! So...i'll post more tomorrow when I get up...because tomorrow when i get home at 6, i'll go to bed and then i have to be at work at 1 am in the morn(tue)! hahaha. Oh well..have a good nite...off to work for the second time today! toodles

Fun Blog!!!

2007-12-21T19:21:00.000+01:00

Yes...that's true! This is going to be a mish mosh of tons of stuff...matzoh balls included ;)

So, I will start off by saying...i forgot to mention that yesterday at work I made almost 10 cups of coffee. Chef was so pleased with me. He smiled at me and thanked me a lot for that. He really likes when I make coffee...and I think he likes the way I make it too ;) Duh...i worked at starbucks long enough...i should know what i'm doing! We don't use a conventional coffee maker....i brew it with boiling water and pour it over the grounds. Fun times!

What else. Oh...today I got off of work early because Liz graduated from LCB! I took some pictures. I will only post a few ;) the chef at the end is who got me my internship (well approved it and said I was good enough in both my pastries and my french to work there! so i thank him a lot! MERCI CHEF!!!)

Then I also have a picture that I recieved online from a friend in my Gastronomy program! We took a picture at the end of the course which I never go to post because I recieved it too late. He turned it into a holiday card so I thought i would share it all with you!

And the last picture I am going to post is of my famous dog, Tarzan! He is so cute i don't even know what to say!!! Just look for yourself ;) (i have 8 more of these if you wanna see them...too cute!!!)

Ok...now is the fun part! I got my schedule for next week! EEKS!!! As you all know it's Xmas week. Well...for me...it's workaholic week! I have NEVER been so excited in all of my life! Here goes:
Monday: 8 pm to 6 am (1 pm to 11 pm Chicago time)
Tues (xmas day): 1 am to 6 am (6 pm to 11 pm Chicago time)
Wed: off
Thur: off
Friday, Sat, Sun: my normal work hours (extra 30 min added because of the holiday) 6 am to 4 pm (11 pm to 9 am Chicago time)

So...as you can see...I'll be sleeping during the days at the beginning of the week. THIS is what a real chef does. And i am SOOO excited to experience it :) It's going to be new for me...but i think it's going to be exactly what I need to get my new career started! OOOOH....I'm SOOO excited...if you can't tell!!!

Hanging in there!

2007-12-20T19:26:00.000+01:00

So...it's been a few days and I'm almost at the end of week 3 of my stage. Let's see...I forgot to mention that I saw the Bee Movie on Sunday with Manuel. ADORABLE! It was not what I thought it was going to be(e) but it was SOOO cute and i loved it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see a cute movie! I can't wait to see Sweeney Todd and Fred Claus!!! YAH! What else...I got to talk to my best friend Jon on the phone. It's been a good while...but it was nice. I also rekindled a friendship that has been long lost! Speaking of...i am due for some talks with some peeps...so email me so you can tell me when the best time to call is :) THANK YOU! Oh...I had two days off this week. Tue and Wed! They were great. Manuel and I got to see eachother more. We went for coffee, went shopping and overall had a nice time together. He works at night and I work the morning...so its hard to see eachother. I went to the gym both days and Seb kicked my butt as usual :) But I loved it. He even has me running at 12 KMH...uh...in the US...not sure...but for me...that's high! I'm pretty shocked :) And i ALSO got a membership at the American Library in Paris where i have checked out 4 books for my thesis paper and started to do some research on it :) YAH FOR ME! OH...i haven't told you all my approved topic yet....drum roll please:

"why do we lose our innate ability to be satiated?"

I thought it was good for me because I tend to overeat...and not because i am hungry...but because I just dont know when I am full. However I learned in my class, that you are born with knowing the ability to be full...so i want to research how we lose that! Cool huh? more like HARD!!!!

So needless to say, I had some good days off. I also have some more pictures for you of work. Just some things I haven't posted yet :)

These are some cookies I made. I made SOOOO many plaques of them, I can't even remember. I had to pipe them out, then put this nougat stuff in the middle and then bake them. Quite the fun time i must say ;)

These are from a plum tart I had to make. Well MANY i had to make. (i had to cut all of those plums into 6!) See that large one....well i finished it...and Yoko came over and redid the ENTIRE thing for me. That was my version. She took hers away too quickly for me to take a picture of it. I suck :( hahaha. The way I did it was took the tart shell (that i made!!!) and put some almond cream on it, then some breadcrumbs (which are made out of left over cake-which I also made) and then put on the plums! voila!

These are more pictures of the logs that I made. They are the coffee flavor. I got to try them today at work...they are SOOOO good! I think I'm gonna be buying one of those for xmas :) hahaha. But it was a lot of fun to decorate! And i did it all by myself. Notice my lines are much straighter than last time :)

Anyway...update on the boy situation. I gave letter B (the one who speaks english who worked at Trotter's) my email today because he is sending me some pictures of chocolate work he did. He is the bread baker as I said. I asked him what time he goes to bed. 12pm in the afternoon because he has to be at work at 12:30. I asked him his age too...23. He's been baking bread for almost 10 years he said! EEEKS...makes me feel like I started work to late! hahaha. That's that! I also had a guy confess his love for me today at work...but that's a whole other story that i dont wanna delve into and it's not even worth my time. Well..I am off to continue reading my book for my thesis. This book is actually good. It's called "The emotional eater's book of inspiration" by debbie danowski (she actually emailed me back too which was so nice!) I'm almost done and I've only had it two days! The holidays are just around the corner...but I'll write another post on that...but happy holidays!!!! toodles

Boys will be...

2007-12-17T17:29:00.001+01:00

yes. this blog is about boys. I know you all want to know about my love life. well...it's non existant...so get ready for a great blog :) However first I have to mention a few things. Because I work all day...the boys i am talking about are from work...duh :) Second...i have to tell you about this girl (NOT like that) at work who rocks! Her name is Liza (not Liza with a Z...she pronounces it Leeza). Anyway...she lived in Philly for a little so she speaks english...but she LOVES swear words...so this is our morning convo.
Her: "hey Bi$%h. How are you?"
Me: "fine and u?"
Her: "Good, Slut. C u later Muthafu%^er"
Me: "ok"
Ok...so that's a sample...but yesterday we got talking about how i was a slut...and she said because I slept with all the guys at work because i call them by the short versions of their names...Alexandre= Alex, Christophe= Chris...etc! I was like...DUH! So now this is an ongoing joke! So...it only adds to my men situation. She is by far my fav person at work...HILARIOUS!!!!! 3) this has nothing to do with boys...but I have to thank Jaimee Gilford for keeping me busy this past week on AIM. Without her...I may have lost my mind from boredness :) However...this week I am starting my thesis...so i should hopefully be a little busier!!!!

Ok...first off...this blog is dedicated to my good friend Nellz...who has taken a break from blogging...but if you care to read her FABULOUS blog...it's on the right hand side of my page :) LOTS of boy stuff...which I love! So...Nellz...this is for you :)

Ok...so...work and boys. There are a TON of them. I have written down everyone's name (i think...new people keep poppin up!) But there are approx 25+ boys to about 9 girls or so! that's a HUGE difference. Mind you...some of the guys are dishwashers and some of them are 16...but there are a handful which are good enough for me. I'd say...atleast 10. Ok...won't name names...I don't wanna jinx anything...but here goes.

A) The cute one. He is my top choice...well WAS until today. He is french. Don't know his age. and his english SUX. I mean can't understand the word hi...although he knows hello. So it's great when I'm mad at him and I can rant and he has no clue :) Anyway...He's adorable. He works in entrements (cakes). I've worked with him a few times. He calls me his "amie" (friend). He also winks at me however Kaili used to just wink at people and not know...so I wasn't sure. Well anyway...I thought that was a cute thing...now, i noticed him doing it to others. Oh well. Yesterday I told him it was adorable when he smiles...so he smiled more. Good start. Until today! He was a jerk to me (normal for these french men who have power over american woman in the kitchen---i was worned by liza and yuki!) He was telling me what to do...but I was already 20 min over work...and when I told him i needed to go home to write my thesis...he laughed at me. So i just left. Still adorable...but needs an attitude change.

B) The one that speaks english. Second choice...but TOTALLY in the lead!!! He's the bread guy. Speaks (i think) perfect english. YET...still speaks to me in french (meaning he doesnt treat me like a baby). He worked at Charlie Trotter's in chicago and said he can hook me up (that's just a bonus!haha). We had a convo yesterday (not to be put on my blog-email me for info) and he offered to give me his number today. Well today...he kept coming into the room I work in (two rooms away) for NO reason at all...never has done that before, and when I walked into his room (i go in there often to serve coffee) he told me i was sweet. He tried to keep asking me questions so I would stay in there longer. He tells me I always smell good and that I'm hot (uh...ok). Issue...he has A LOT of tattoos...(visible ones) and i THINK he smokes...not sure though. But overall...he's so cute...and SO nice and yah.

C) The asshole. I also go for one of them u know?!? However...he has a unibrow (hahahah) and a mini mustache (is he growing it/trying/or not shaving). But he's tall, dark and handsome. BUT...he has the asshole thing going. Which, day one, i found out. He told me my french sucked...but he's another one...can't speak a lick of english...so i told him back (in french) that my french is better than your english...so shut up :) he liked that one! hahhaa. In anycase...he's gotten better. I think he's noticed that I actually CAN do things (as far as pastry) so he's letting me work more. So maybe at first he was intimidated by me!?! i don't know!

D) The quiet one. Cute...very cute...but SMELLS BAD! typical french. I don't have much to say about him. We work far from each other...but he is really nice to me. He speaks a little english...but when we speak french...he takes the time to explain to me. Even when giving me directions when i work with him. But can I get over the smelly thing?! UH!!!!

E) The friend of the cute one who LOVES the fact that I make him coffee. Ok...he's pretty adorable as well. Today he called me beautiful because I made him coffee twice. It was cute. But then he was being a dick with his friend. Oh well. Yesterday was funny as well because I was making a joke about changing and i started to unsnap two buttons and he was like all wide eyed and goes "Yah...go for it". I just laughed and go..."you wish!" I don't know his age. But....if I keep making him coffee...i'm in :) hahhaha

F) The YOUNG one. He's not cute. But we chat the most out of everyone. He works next to me and he wants to get better at english because he plans on moving to FL or CA in 2 years. He is 20. He is SUPER nice. We actually got yelled at yesterday for talking to much. But he also helps me learn what I'm doing wrong. He also showed me where the office was one day after work. Just a nice guy!

G) The long haired dude. He has hair as long as mine (down to his shoulders). He wears a headband,is a breadbaker, wears all white (including a white thong) and he is SO quiet that he eats his lunch alone. Sad. I've been there two weeks and i finally asked him what his name was. I feel bad for the guy...especially cause is really cute. Oh well.

And then there are a few others...but those are the main ones!!! So...now you know my dilemnas...I will keep you posted. Feel free to email me/comment/ or do whatever you want regarding my boys blog! I had to do one sooner or later. I mean...i waited almost 12 months to write one! hahaha. Ok...i have two days off...i am going to enjoy them...and take a trip to the american library i think! Toodles.

Movin on up....

2007-12-14T19:41:00.000+01:00

Yes that's right! Not very far though :) I wrote a letter (actually a friend who speaks french did- thanx!) to my chef and asked him if i could come in 30 min later! He agreed and said it was no problem at all! So my new schedule, which I don't mind at all, is 6:30 (so i can take the metro!!!) to 3:30 with an hr lunch break (which I take maybe 15 min of!) 5 days a week (wed I always have off...the other day floats) This upcoming week my other day off is tue! The other thing I asked him was to go to different areas of the pastry shop. He said that it's only possible if you've been working there for a year, 2 years etc...but the woman incharge of me (who was helping me translate) understood what I wanted to do...so she has decided that after lunch, she is going to let me go to other stations! So that's about 2 hrs a day where I get to explore! I am totally fine with that :) So i made progress and i feel great!

As far as todays pictures...
One of the things I do often is make apples. I think I mentioned this before. I peel them, remove the tops and bottoms, cut them in half, remove the insides, and then cut them in half again. From there I put them on a baking sheet and drizzle them with melted butter, sprinkle them withh sugar and vanilla sugar. Today I did 3 plaques. Here is what they look like when they are finished :)

Another thing I got to do was make breadcrumbs. I took a picture of this. I don't know why though. But enjoy.

I also got to peel grapfruits (in which i cut myself and did NOT take photos of this torture! haha). Then, like i said, I got to move to a different station! This was fun...but required a lot more of my attention and artistic ability! In the pictures you will see what I did. But here is my description. I cleaned the cream off the base, put them on the gold cardboard, put cream on the white choc and then put them on the logs, then had to draw a perfect line from the left upper corner to the bottom right corner in lime green choc, then i made a lime green leave in the center, added a red ball (which I mentioned i made a few blogs ago), then added a meringue mushroom and an orange peel...and voila! finished product! It sounds easy...but it wasn't. I got to put some gold leaf on stuff and bring them upstairs to the store as well! Pretty cool! Overall it was a fun day. People are starting to like me more because i am the coffee girl as well. Whoever provides the coffee...they like ;)

I came home and Asima (my new roomie-check out her blog posted on the right), came over for dessert tonite (from GM) and we chatted. I am getting ready for bed (and my extra 30 min of sleeping! Toodles!