Thursday, March 27, 2014

Fourth Day of Class

Kitchen Measurements print by Betty Turbo for Bake & Destroy, available on Etsy

I am now officially halfway done with my Kitchen Skills class. I had a really great time in class yesterday. First thing, we got our tests back and I was surprised I got a 99%. I was really expecting something in the low 80s. So I guess she gives lots of homework and challenging tests, but is pretty lenient about grading, and generous with the extra credit, so maybe it evens out a bit. There were some answers I gave that I wouldn't have let someone get away with, hah! So anyway, that was a little boost of confidence and the rest of the lecture was fun...all about herbs and spices. Then we went into the kitchen and paired up in groups to work with a variety of herbs and veggies. Each pair made a herb butter, which we used to melt over noodles. Our herb was dill and it was really good, although I don't know about hot dill buttered noodles (would be good on taters though!) We each also made a simple tomato sauce, ours had marjoram, which I had never used before. Each student had to make a few tourner cut potatoes, which is one of the more complex cuts of the classic knife skills we are learning. It's like a little 7 sided football. I did ok, but I need some practice with that one. The potatoes were all roasted with more herbs and they were delicious! My partner and I made salsa as well, and one of the other groups made pesto (which I couldn't eat because of the pine nuts, boo) and another group made an herb marinade for grilled chicken and the last team made saffron rice.

Measuring Conversions Notebook but the Happy Pencil Shoppe on Etsy

At the end of class, we sampled everything, which was much fun to taste all the different flavors. We also tasted a few fresh herbs that we didn't use in class, just to be able to identify them. My partner and I worked really well together, even though we were a little slow. We were slow, but accurate and organized while being laid back, which suits me well. There was some friction within the pair working in front of us, so I think we were both silently grateful to be working well as a team. We signed up for a two hour shift in the bakery together for our required practical hours. I think I do need to work on stepping up my pace a bit and being more assertive when it comes to things like squeezing in on the range to get my foods cooking. I don't like being pushy or bossy, but I am going to have to push a bit more to get my work done too. I am getting more comfortable with finding things in the kitchen, which is very helpful.

One of two banners I designed and ordered to take advantage of a big banner sale. One day I will use it to set up a table and sell baked goods! One day...

Last week's homework was hard for me, with the recipe conversions. It reminded me of doing story problems in grade school, which I always struggled with. I think I am getting the hang of it, though. The biggest challenge for me is remembering the measurement equivalents, because we have to switch back and forth. So I am trying to look at a lot of charts and diagrams to help me remember. I found a lot of cute illustrations on Pinterest and Etsy that are very pleasing to my eyes, like the two prints shown above. I am inspired to do some similar artwork on ceramic mugs and plates, I think that would make a fun table setting! And maybe it would help me memorize how many teaspoons are in a cup, etc.

This is the other banner I got on sale. I really love them both and have been slowly accumulating other packaging and display ideas and materials for that one day...

So, speaking of painting on ceramics and being creative, I haven't been doing much along those lines lately. Not with ceramics or with cookies, either. I have been doing the clay work I need to do for orders and for the website, but I just haven't had much time for new designs moving in the direction I want to go. I need to work harder on that. I am going to make it a goal to decorate some cookies this week (baked them this morning!) and to do the ceramic painting tests that I have been putting off. I would really like to at least sketch more. I have a lot of ideas, but not enough time, as usual. Balancing all the things is always so challenging!

 

No comments:

Post a Comment