It's my birthday, and that's the only thing this post is about.
In celebration of my birthday, several fine and wondrous authors got together and wrote books to come out ON MY BIRTHDAY, so I would not be in desire of any reading materials or happy endings.
Lorraine Heath's WHEN THE DUKE WAS WICKED is about...I'm not sure. Apparently a wicked duke. Lorraine Heath has become one of my autobuys so I don't have to look too close. I know I adored her previous series; and I think this may be the start of a new series. I'm looking forward to reading it!
Monica McCarty's THE RAIDER is another in her series of the Highland Guard, which is like Navy SEAL ops set in early 1300s Scotland. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. It's like having a dose of Braveheart twice a year--just lovely.
Tiffany Clare's newest THE SCANDALOUS DUKE TAKES A BRIDE also comes out on my birthday. I love the color! Red, the color of passion, and definitely the hallmark of a Tiffany Clare novel.
When I'm not nose-deep in a book, I'll be watching THOR 2: THE DARK WORLD, where Loki looks all scrumptious and darling--I forgot what a little git he was in THE AVENGERS, so it's nice to see better "qualities" of him in this movie. Well, as far as Loki is able to allow himself to have good qualities.
The only other thing on the agenda for the birthday is a hair cut...I am entertaining the thought of bangs, longish ones, but definitely something to sweep decently across my brow. I have a lot of hair going on and no style. Which mind you, it's nice to have hair, don't get me wrong.
So what do you wish for my birthday today? :)
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Knife Skills
Incidentally I posted about this last week on Facebook, so I apologize this is almost exactly the same.*
Last week was the knife skills class. For the first hour, he
talked to us and showed us knife cuts that he practiced on various items (and
which if we couldn't see him directly, there was a live video and a tv near
you). He joked with us about why we were taking the class, since he was sure
none of us had ever held a knife before or used one. Yep, we all looked like a
bunch of FOOD NETWORK watchers if I ever saw them. He got through all the
various cuts; he pointed to the cuts on the poster he held up before and after
he did them; he then asked us if there was any cuts we needed repeated or any
cuts he hadn't done that we were curious about.
I said, "Well, it's not a cut we need for the class, but it's on your board and it looks very pretty. Can you show us how to do the diamond shaped one?" Rondelle, I believe, but don’t ask me to pronounce it. He just got done showing us the burnoise cuts, which is uniform little squares that the average layman would called “diced.”
He says, Sure, though I don't think I've had to make that cut since culinary school. "Oh,” I say, “it's like me and algebra then. That's okay if you can't."
"No, no, I can do it." He planks some pieces of carrot like he showed us to make fine dice and julienne. He talks as he's demonstrating, saying turn your blade this way and that and he gets a nice pile. "Any questions?" There’s confused silence.
"Um, I'm an English major, so again, math not my strong suit, but didn't you just make a bunch of triangles and not diamonds?" I ask. Was I missing something? I felt like the kid pointing out the emperor was naked; the emperor WAS naked, right?
Another girl in class. "I am a math major and those do look like triangles rather than diamonds."
"Damn, you're right," he says. "I really haven't done this cut since culinary school. I've got it, I've got it." He does another plank; he makes another batch of triangles. We're all staring at him, not saying a WORD. "We'll figure it out in the other room when we practice. I know how to make the cut, I promise."
We figured it out though. When we got to do just practice cutting on carrots (all the food was prepared and cooking), I made a plank, cut a bias line like he did, then stared at a minute, and made a parallel bias line next to it...diamond shape. Voila! Of course, if I’m ever making carrot cut shapes this precise, just shoot me. Dicing the onion had a neat trick, but in the end, I’m relatively certain I’m going back to my old way of slicing the half onion horizontally in thin slices, then turn the group and slice them vertically in thin slices. Lovely dice, really. Much finer (and faster) than doing the “correct” way, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of practice.
Pam and I worked alongside a lovely couple, Kevin and Angie, and all the food turned out wonderful. We made the guacamole first and salsa to "snack" as we waited for the other food to cook, um, yeah, it was so good and we were so hungry, we ate all of the guac and salsa before the fajitas were done...so the fajitas could have done with a little bit of the guac and salsa on them, but we made do. The corn chowder also came out very delish. I notice that when I’m cooking with complete strangers I’m a lot more obsessed with the outcome than if I was doing it for friends. If I burned up my onions when friends were over, I’d toss them out and start again, no big deal…a little burnt bacon, it’ll add flavor. Nope, I hovered over that pot of corn chowder like a Jewish mother over her only son. “Do you think the bacon is rendered enough? It doesn’t look very crisp” and “do the onions look sweated enough? Too crunchy? Yes, I think so too.” Seriously, they weren’t going to give us anything to make that could be easily fucked up, you know? They didn’t even allow us to do anything dangerous, like cut up raw chicken or fry the sopapillas!
I said, "Well, it's not a cut we need for the class, but it's on your board and it looks very pretty. Can you show us how to do the diamond shaped one?" Rondelle, I believe, but don’t ask me to pronounce it. He just got done showing us the burnoise cuts, which is uniform little squares that the average layman would called “diced.”
He says, Sure, though I don't think I've had to make that cut since culinary school. "Oh,” I say, “it's like me and algebra then. That's okay if you can't."
"No, no, I can do it." He planks some pieces of carrot like he showed us to make fine dice and julienne. He talks as he's demonstrating, saying turn your blade this way and that and he gets a nice pile. "Any questions?" There’s confused silence.
"Um, I'm an English major, so again, math not my strong suit, but didn't you just make a bunch of triangles and not diamonds?" I ask. Was I missing something? I felt like the kid pointing out the emperor was naked; the emperor WAS naked, right?
Another girl in class. "I am a math major and those do look like triangles rather than diamonds."
"Damn, you're right," he says. "I really haven't done this cut since culinary school. I've got it, I've got it." He does another plank; he makes another batch of triangles. We're all staring at him, not saying a WORD. "We'll figure it out in the other room when we practice. I know how to make the cut, I promise."
We figured it out though. When we got to do just practice cutting on carrots (all the food was prepared and cooking), I made a plank, cut a bias line like he did, then stared at a minute, and made a parallel bias line next to it...diamond shape. Voila! Of course, if I’m ever making carrot cut shapes this precise, just shoot me. Dicing the onion had a neat trick, but in the end, I’m relatively certain I’m going back to my old way of slicing the half onion horizontally in thin slices, then turn the group and slice them vertically in thin slices. Lovely dice, really. Much finer (and faster) than doing the “correct” way, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of practice.
Pam and I worked alongside a lovely couple, Kevin and Angie, and all the food turned out wonderful. We made the guacamole first and salsa to "snack" as we waited for the other food to cook, um, yeah, it was so good and we were so hungry, we ate all of the guac and salsa before the fajitas were done...so the fajitas could have done with a little bit of the guac and salsa on them, but we made do. The corn chowder also came out very delish. I notice that when I’m cooking with complete strangers I’m a lot more obsessed with the outcome than if I was doing it for friends. If I burned up my onions when friends were over, I’d toss them out and start again, no big deal…a little burnt bacon, it’ll add flavor. Nope, I hovered over that pot of corn chowder like a Jewish mother over her only son. “Do you think the bacon is rendered enough? It doesn’t look very crisp” and “do the onions look sweated enough? Too crunchy? Yes, I think so too.” Seriously, they weren’t going to give us anything to make that could be easily fucked up, you know? They didn’t even allow us to do anything dangerous, like cut up raw chicken or fry the sopapillas!
Fun class though. If you haven’t tried a cooking class
before, I highly recommend, even if you already know how to cook more than ramen
and frozen pizza. I will be keeping my eye out for one of the more adventurous
classes. Cheesemaking, maybe. That one looked fun.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Spring is Coming!
Not that I could see any evidence of it today. My houseplants are even starting to curl up and give up hope of the sun returning; and I spent fifteen minutes or so removing the ice from my car so I wouldn't have to do it tomorrow morning when I attempted to go to work. In other good news, apparently Tuesday, it's supposed to snow here...3-5" only and then again on Friday, after we've dug out again. Mind you, I could actually live in a state where this sort of snowfall and cold temps would make my complaints look ridiculously whiny, but I stopped thinking Montana would be a cool place to live after the Ruby Ridge event. And probably after Gus died in the Return to Lonesome Dove.
Anyway, I live here in Missouri, and what I would like is some delightfully average weather for a change, with some delightfully average precipitation so we don't go into drought mode and my tomatoes do really great. Really, these are modest wants.
But the groundhog saw his shadow today and you know what that means? It means exactly the same thing if he hadn't: we still have 6 weeks of winter.
So silver lining: 6 more weeks of crappy temperatures in which you're better off inside curled up with a book. There's plenty coming out now and in the next 6 weeks to keep one entertained. I just read ROMANCING THE DUKE (my review is on the Romance Dish) by Tessa Dare and I have pre-ordered Eloisa James and Monica McCarthy and Julie Ann Long and Lorraine Heath.
In the meantime, the Pirates have arranged their own writing challenge so I also have these short four weeks to get some words on the page--so spring should be here before I know it. Though I kinda maintain, it can't come soon enough.
What are you looking forward to?
Anyway, I live here in Missouri, and what I would like is some delightfully average weather for a change, with some delightfully average precipitation so we don't go into drought mode and my tomatoes do really great. Really, these are modest wants.
But the groundhog saw his shadow today and you know what that means? It means exactly the same thing if he hadn't: we still have 6 weeks of winter.
So silver lining: 6 more weeks of crappy temperatures in which you're better off inside curled up with a book. There's plenty coming out now and in the next 6 weeks to keep one entertained. I just read ROMANCING THE DUKE (my review is on the Romance Dish) by Tessa Dare and I have pre-ordered Eloisa James and Monica McCarthy and Julie Ann Long and Lorraine Heath.
In the meantime, the Pirates have arranged their own writing challenge so I also have these short four weeks to get some words on the page--so spring should be here before I know it. Though I kinda maintain, it can't come soon enough.
What are you looking forward to?
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