Nothing to really report.  I got a lot faster at cutting celery and a lot better at not cutting my hands.  I didn’t even clip a nail!  Though i do feel bad for Julie and Athena.  Julie is still nursing her thumb and Athena burned her thumb today.  So the tally is three thumb issues and two by the hands of an onion.  Onions dislike people and thumbs are the unlucky finger.

Everything came out pretty well.  I was the only person who kept, cooked, and ate their roe.  The roe is the internal ovaries of the fish.  It can also be the eggs themselves.  The more you know, brought to you by Wikipedia!

This week we had two guest Chefs, Chef/Sgt. Behr and Chef/Sgt. Brown.  Chef Behr was teaching us how to de-gut the fish, how to cut off the fillets as well as skin them.  It was a really interesting class.  I enjoyed the fact that we got to make our own recipes and cook what we wanted.  I was a little lost at first, but once I thought about being home and just cooking whatever, it was pretty easy.

I make fish tempura with a mixed spice I found in the stock room.  I was called “5 Chinese Spices.”  I figured it would be spicy, until I added it to my batter.  I learned two things; Once, smell/taste it before you use it; Two, accidents can make some pretty interesting things.  My tempura came out pretty sweet.   After I added the spice, I smelt how sweet it was.  It reminded me of cinnamon and nutmeg.  I was going for spicy and ended up with sweet, but it was really good in the end.  I still wonder if I should have added a little of confectionery sugar on top of it instead of salt.

The second dish I made was a pan-seared fish.  It didn’t come out how I wanted it to.  I tried an old recipe I got from Bon Appetit.  It was made for shell fish, not fish, and it needed to be simmered in the sauce.  So it was a disappointment.  It tasted as though it needed something.  We tried to add salt, we tried cocktail sauce, but nothing worked.  I wouldn’t mind trying something different in the future.  Especially since now I’ve eaten more then just salmon, tuna, and mahi mahi.

I think it helps to have the chance to be creative and try your own thing, but at the same time, a structured classroom also has it’s advantages.

I’m pretty happy that I was able to eat my work.  Everything came out great.  I’m not looking forward to lab next week because by the time my class will get to the fish, they will already be de-gutted.  That’ll be one less thing I get to learn.  All my money has going into affording schooling and housing.  Even if I got a job my money would go into paying off my student loans.  While Chef Miller is trying to get us to think about summer internships, I’m busy worrying about how I’m going to afford next semester.  I’m dipping into nonexistent funds just to chase a dream.  It’s sad that the reality that my parents and brothers have lived are hitting me.  Looks like being a cop is the best I can do ’cause “education is a luxury” and it’s one that I can’t afford.  I can’t afford to practice on my own.  I can’t afford the education.  I can’t even afford the future I’m trying to build for myself.

Silly me.  I thought I could get the education that would allow me to work at a place I’m excited to go to every day.  It seems that I’m destined to follow the footsteps of all the other poor and middle-class people, work myself to death at a dead end job and hope my children do better then me.

In all, I have learned a new appreciation for what the butchers go through at the supermarket.  I also learned that I will not be taking CULN 265 [Advance meat cutting & i.d'ing].  So this weekend I will be lifting weights and maybe talking my mom into buying a chicken.  Though after looking at my hand, she wants me to rethink my culinary path.  So I’m not too sure she’ll let me cut up my own chicken!

It does make me a little sad that I couldn’t bring my food with me.  I have to say, my sauteed and grilled chicken came out pretty good.  I was disappointed that I couldn’t try the stuffed chicken thighs.  I can’t wait for next week.  I believe we are going to be working with the chicken again.  That should give me time to better my butcher- I mean fabricating skills.

After that little snafu, class continued as normal.  We learned how to make white roux, batter & breadcrumb fry some veggies, glazed carrots, creamed spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower.  This week was the first time I felt so useless.  I was walking around half the time not knowing what to do. I was completely loss.  I think I now understand how Athena must feel since she’s partner-less.  The worst part was that I barely could do anything with one hand.  Even frying the onions and zucchini was hard.

I’m disappointed in myself because I feel like I could have done better.  Better on the practical and better in class.

I finally learned what gnocchi was.  Ever since Olive Garden came out with it, for some reason I thought it was a new type of vegetable. Don’t ask. It’s pretty cool since it’s just riced potato’s and flour.  It’ll come in handy when my mom makes mashed potato’s.  We always seem to have left overs the next day and it feels like, “great, potato’s again?”  But with the gnocchi, we can get some use outta it.

The spaetzle was nice.  It tastes just a little plain by itself, but not in a bad way.  It reminded me of bread dough for some reason.  I liked how it was small and oddly shaped.  It’s something I would love to make for my niece and nephew. Lorn knows they need to try new things besides chicken fingers!

I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to make any sauces for the pastas, but at least I learned how to make Alfredo.  Who knew it was so easy? Kinda like spaghetti. You would think there was more to it then flour, eggs and a pinch of salt.

I’m also glad Nic and I are getting along.  I’ve learned to speak up and he’s learned to share.  All’s well that ends well, as the saying goes.

Everything was great. It was nice that we got to switch stations and try everything out. Although I didn’t get a chance to fry the potatoes, I did get to do everything else. I have to learn to speak up and not assume things. Being quiet is a really bad habit of mine. The duchesse potatoes where a little bland and kinda dry. Personally, I think it needed more milk or butter or something. My gratin dauphinoise came out great, except for the fact it was a little under cooked. It was mostly the middle portion so I think it’s how I placed them in the oven. Next time I’ll follow what Chef said and put them in horizontally instead of vertically.

And word to the wise, no. Even if you nuke potatoes they will not cook. Whether they’re in an egg omelet or with cheese and cream.

I think the hardest part was cutting because the way I hold my knife is incorrect. So I’m trying really hard to keep it in mind when I’m working. To be honest, it hurts my writs to cut the right way. I think it’s because I’m tensing up trying to do it the right way. I also have to remember to keep my blade down. It’s hard trying to beat 21 years of stake knife cutting skills outta ya. But the way a chef does it is a lot easier then the way I have over the years that’s for sure!

I think the hardest part of all of this will be remembering the names of all the cuts and blogging. I’ve never been one to put out personal information on the net, so to remember to blog every week will be kinda hard. I think I’m better off doing it the day off, that way it’s fresh and I don’t have to worry about forgetting it!