Tuesday..

So once again I find myself sitting here with class at 5:30 am and not able to sleep! But at least tonight I feel a lot more okay with it for some reason. There is only three more days of this class, and believe me I CANNOT wait for it to be over! I enjoy making bread but not in this group. The next class will be a lot more individual work and I am very ready for that change of pace! It was amazing to go home for thanksgiving and great to see all the family who could come to Grandmas =) Coming home is always a great way to relax after a stressful week of classes and studying. Senique and Hope enjoyed meeting the family and said everything was delicious! We also got to see our first snow of the year (less than an inch but still was very exciting!) This weather is crazy, I cannot believe its practically December 1st and it hasn't snowed once here at school! Well I had planned to write a lot more but time has gone quickly and I should be getting ready to sleep =(

love and prayers to all <3

a little thing called procrastination..

Yay! It is already tuesday and tomorrow I get to go home for Thanksgiving :) So today class was slightly frustrating because my partner didn't show up and I was left alone on oven team (which is the worst station to run alone) I had some help from the chef and from a student worker that came to help. Overall it wasn't a bad day though, its just very difficult working in this group sometimes because I feel like they are less motivated and don't have strong teamwork skills. I generally get along with all my classmates, just wish that some were more professional in the bakeshops. Its very hard to believe my old group is graduating in less than two weeks! I miss working with all of them, however still get to see most of them frequently. This is my last weekend with two of my best friends here at CIA. They are coming home with me for thanksgiving because they are from further away. Senique is from the Virgin Islands, and Hope is from Detroit, Michigan. I am excited for them to meet my family and see my hometown again! 

On a positive note we were able to finish class early and leave around 12 instead of 1:30. Chef was also not there today so we took a 20 minute lunch break and didn't have lecture either. No nap time for today because I have my costing practical at 3:00. I studied a fair amount and reviewed the material I learned about 12 weeks ago and feel pretty confident going into this test. I also took it upon myself to shower and do my hair so I can wear business casual instead of my whites (which are covered in flour from baking today). Its a personal preference but I feel more comfortable and confident taking a test or doing a presentation when I feel good about myself or as I like to say "everything seems better when you feel cute" :) Well thats all for today cant wait to see most of you very soon! love you all <3

It has been a while since I last updated because class is keeping me very busy and exhausted. In the last part of chocolates I learned how to make sugar confections such as liquor cordials, gummy bears, orange slices and an assortment of hard candies. This was all very fascinating to me and fun to learn about the science and techniques behind these creations. I am now in a new block called Specialty Breads. This class is less of an experimental class, we produce all the breads for the five restaurants and various kitchens. Everyday as a class we make the following breads: Baguettes, Sour Dough, Cut Rolls, Semolina, Ciabatta, Multi Grain, Corn Rolls, Sunflower Rolls, Challah, Brioche, Focaccia, Cheddar Onion Rye, and an assortment of sweet breads depending on the order. Production begins at 5 am and goes till 1 pm, each dough is mixed, divided, proofed, egg washed, cut/marked and put on peels, and baked in a large oven. It is a very extensive process and makes for a long exhausting day, however its enjoyable and educational just the same. 

Today I made the final decision that I am going to stay at CIA after my associates graduation and finish out the bachelors program. I have been back and forth on whether or not its a good financial decision however the program at CIA is specialized to my field and therefore it is unique to another colleges business or hospitality degree. In addition it gives me a lot more opportunity to work with chefs on my free time and further my education here. I also decided that I need to look past the financial aspect and just remember that the better degree and more experience I have, should pay off in the end. The future is a very exciting thing to think about and we all just need to hope for the best. Well thats all for tonight, 5 am comes much too early! 

Guess what...

I GRADUATE IN 15 WEEKS!!! :) 

A few things I've learned..

 Life is full of disappointments and people you trusted will sooner or later let you down. 

I've learned that often those you love will love someone else and there's only one way to fall; fast and hard.

 
I've learned that out of thousands of smiles, it takes only one to touch your heart. 

I've found that words can be deceiving, but the truth always lies in a person's eyes.

I've learned that everything can change in the blink of an eye and tears often come without invitation. 

I've learned crying can make us stronger and there is never too much love to go around. 

I've learned that prejudice helps no one and that weapons don't hurt people, people hurt people. 

I've learned sticks and stones may leave cuts and bruises but harsh words leave scars.

 
I've found that every time you give someone a piece of your heart, it's a piece that you will never get back. 

I've learned the past is meant to be put behind us and we can't dwell on regrets, for what's done is done. 

I've learned that trusting yourself is the first step and that forgiving is remembering that helps your own heart more then theirs. 

I've found that family isn't always blood and everyone is someone's hero. 

I've learned life is unexpected and that God CAN do anything. 

I've learned some things aren't meant to be understood and that only time heals. 

I've found that imagination is our greatest gift and that we are meant to dream for a reason. 

I've learned it is never too late to fall in love and that being beautiful is all on the inside.

 
And finally, mistakes are our best teachers and everything happens for a reason. 

A little about chocolate =)

Well apparently I have not been very good about keeping up with this lately but heres a quick update. Tomorrow will be day 7 of Chocolates and Confections class. I am thoroughly enjoying this class and all the new information I am learning! I have become so much more accurate and diligent about working with chocolate and sugar at the proper temperature, consistency, and crystallization structure. Although I don't enjoy having class so early, I look forward to and am fascinated by all the interesting facts and techniques my chef is teaching. Although it is rather complex and hard to explain, for anyone interested I can try to teach you about working with chocolate.
An interesting fact for many of you will be that when you make those "chocolate candies" for the holidays with the wafers from wegmans or walmart, they are in fact not real chocolate. This type of product is known and referred to as "coating chocolate." Real chocolate is made up of chocolate liqueur and cocoa butter (which are both extracted from a cocao bean). Coating chocolate contains vegetable oils, rather than cocoa butter. This makes the product, easier to work with, less expensive, and gives a higher melting point (which is why they work great for frozen candies.)  However compared to real chocolate, the taste is a lot less rich in flavor and the overall texture, snap and crunch of the candy is different.

If you take a very close look at the picture you can see three different stages of the chocolate. The test on the bottom right is the first one. This test came out with a grainy texture and was slow to set up. The second test (top right) set up a little faster however is streaky. And the third an final test on the far left, showed up shiny, and smooth. As a side note - perfectly tempered chocolate should have a shiny smooth texture, a good snap, and should set up within 5-7 minutes. (Like I said, its a lot more complex than it sounds but its a very interesting process to learn and experiment with.) Heres a few more pictures of the products we've been making in class: 

Well that's all for tonight, love you all and feel free to leave comments or questions =)