Chateau, Tournee, Work.

Well, clarified butter was fairly simple. I got a pretty decent yield out of mine, I think right around 12 oz which is what you should yield from a pound of butter. What a lame process, though. There has GOT to be a more simple way than skimming the milkfat from the butter and then ladling the butterfat into another container while trying not to disturb the water on the bottom. *shrugs*. As far as chateau and tournee'd potatoes go? *Kicks* SUPER lame. Thankfully, most everyone couldn't produce a good one, so I didn't feel totally inadequate, but I mean, what a lame process and what is the point besides having a pretty little vegetable... yes I suppose that IS the point. (Tournee/Chateau is basically just a 7-sided football shaped vegetable such as potato (refers to Chateau if it is whole) or carrot, beets, etc. I also made an herbed cream reduction with a tarragon compound butter that Robyn made the week before (my compound butter was black sage honey, and a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg, so we didn't use that for our sauce....) Anyway, Chef said it tasted delicious.... but I felt it was too thick (I think he mentioned the thickness of it, also). We initially felt it need more salt, but I suppose if we were serving it with ham or some other cured meat, it would be perfect.

I actually NEED to get lots of work done this week. I always feel like I am slightly slacking, but then I tend to know just as much if not more information than most everyone else in the class. This is comforting. I think my current grade rests at a 98, I've realized that some people don't even read the book or do the assignments....??? I have a practical exam next week, as well as a portion of my excellence project (personal mission statement section) and a midterm in my sanitation and safety class, so this week I will be working most of the week on those things, particularly the project.

On another note, tonight I am starting at Rendezvous. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I, of course, have the vision of myself mixing cocktails and making cash hand over fist.. I am trying NOT to let the images of me standing around awkwardly, wondering where things are or what I should be doing creep into my head. I'm doing this for fun, for extra cash, and for some time out of the house. This will be fun. *shakes head firmly*.

i think now I will enjoy a nap before I have to get ready to actually work for the first time in almost a year.


Oh, and today Lillian is OFFICIALLY one year old :D

Rendezvous and Clarified Butter

It's Tuesday night and it's almost 9 PM. Clearly, I should be finishing homework, watching videos on microorganisms, and working on my excellence project. Even more clearly, I should be writing a blog so I can put off doing things I really need to be doing. I wanted to clarify a pound of butter tonight since I know we are doing that in class tomorrow, but I didn't want to spend 3 dollars on a pound of butter.

I scheduled my ASAP finally today (finished the first 16 week class, must now attend the 10 week class) and it's not until November 8th!! I haven't smoked pot in a while, but I am SOOO going to now, since it's like 2 months away.... that gives me a month to toke here and there and still a month to get it out of my system. Not only that but by January 10th I CAN GET MY LICENSE BACK! :D That makes me most excited of all. Oh, and then I could smoke bud whenever I want to.

There is a surplus of flies in my house and I would totally like to know where they are coming from. I mean, when I say surplus, sometimes... when I go in the bathroom, there are anywhere between 5-9 flies around. GROSS. I hate flies more than any living insect. They are so creepy and gross. They are always flying right past my laptop screen at night and buzzing around my head. I hate buzzing.

Oh, in bigger news. I got a job. First of all, I've worked for pretty much only corporate restaurants. You know Olive Garden, Friday's, Applebee's... that kind of thing. I interview with this guy and he just LOVES me. First, though I had to submit a head shot and a profile shot... I was kind of worried that I wasn't going to be skinny enough to get hired.... I think my head shot photo made up for it (it's the same one I am using as a default photo here). Anyway. I go in, and when he asks about my availability, I mention that I am in the culinary program at J. Sarge so Wednesdays are out. He graduated from that program. Bonus for me. Then, he asks me about serving, and I was like "No, I'm a bartender".... He says: "Can you bartend?". I look at him and kind of laugh and say "Of course". He asks me what's in a particular drink, I name the first liquor and he says "Oh, that's good, you know it's a rum drink!". Then, I explained that when I was in on Friday I noticed most people just drinking wine, basic cocktails and a few martinis. He asks if I can make martinis, I shoot off a few I could do pretty well (based on the liquors I see behind his bar): Mudslide martini, espresso martini, blueberry martini, cherry limeade martini..... He brings me a notebook with like 7 martini recipes in it and I look at them while he goes to tend to something else. He comes back and I tell him that I love the sound of the cinnamon red heart martini.... and then I point to the red apple martini (with crown royal) and say "I like this one.... but it's just a Washington Apple in a martini glass..." His mouth drops to the floor. "Just the fact that you know that is the best thing ever". Their bartenders suck. I am going to make them all look stupid. My first night is Thursday night. I rule.

I haven't worked in a year... I will certainly let you all know how it goes!

I really need to get back to doing school work so I can get to bed at a decent hour... I am still not adjusting to 12 hours straight of class, lecture, work, class, lecture.

So What Is It the VP Does All Day?

See, here's the thing. When McCain chose Palin as his running mate, I shrugged. I'm not Republican so I don't really care who he picks.

Then, the more I found out about how scandalous she was, the more I started to like her. She's all... normal. She can relate to the common people. I liked that.


Then I found out she has a baby with Down's Syndrome. Now, I knew that she FOR YEARS voted to slash funding for special needs programs in schools. I usually attribute that to perhaps the fact that she felt the money needed to be better spent elsewhere. Oh, so, now all of a sudden, since YOUR baby is special needs, you want to promote more funding for special needs children and programs. I have a brother who is autistic, and all that money you took away from him going to public schools and being taken care of makes me upset. And NOW, now that YOU know what it's like... SORT OF (since her child hasn't even entered into a school system yet... GOOD LUCK TO YOU) to have a child with special needs, you change your tune. I call this hypocrisy, and it totally changed my mind about Sarah Palin. I now have no respect for her. And if old McCain kicks the bucket.... we want THIS CHICK (and the title of my blog is a DIRECT QUOTE from Palin) to run our country? No thanks.

I see many problems with voting Obama into office. Most of those problems stem from the effect it will have on certain people groups.... (do you catch my drift) But I see just as many, if not more, problems with voting McCain into office. Our country is doomed and I want to get out. I don't even feel like I can vote, because it's like choosing which one you think is the lesser of two evils, and I just don't want ANY evil running my country. I want out.


Please, don't be offended by this blog. I very rarely discuss politics openly, and NEVER blog about them, but I am truly upset about Palin's hypocrisy regarding funding for special needs kids. *shakes head* Isn't that karma, though?? You slash funding for special needs programs for years and now all of a sudden your baby has Down's Syndrome. Ouch.

*Disclaimer: I love all people, Democrats and Republicans alike. I am affiliated with neither party*