2012! Omg!

HAPPY 2012!

Again, I'm on the road. I feel like I spend more time driving than I actually do in with the people I am going to see. Regarless, it has been a great holiday season in Baltimore, Bethlehem and the Pocono Mountains.
It is New Years Eve and Justin and I are spending the night at his dad's house. We could have gone to New York City but I dont feel like waiting in Times Square all day. But hey. To each thier own.

Justin and I have added another goal to our bucket list: to celebrate New Year's Eve in Sydney Austrailia. Especially after seeing this video of their firework show.

Here is a recap of my 2011:





Deck the Halls

Happy Holidays, everyone!
It's that special time of year when friends and family gather around, the smell of baked goods fill the air and people are just, well, happier.
This Christmas I am back in Baltimore, celebrating the season with everyone from back home. Justin will be coming down to visit tomorrow and of course, eat.

Every year on Christmas Day, my relatives on Dad's side come over to share in the Christmas Festivities and then the day after Christmas we go to my Mom's side of the family's annual party. And of course, I have to bring something. I mean I do go to "The World's Premiere Culinary College". This is what I concocted this year. Yes, I know the custard ratio is wrong (typically it is 8 eggs to 1 quart of liquid) but this is how I was taught to bake bread pudding from a lady who had been doing it all her life in the basement of The Johns Hopkins Club.

This can be made the day before, allowed to rest overnight in the fridge and then baked the next day; it still comes out delicious. And as for the sauce, once chilled it will stay good for about 2 days.

"Did everyone get a chance to see the menu?"

So its almost Christmas time at The Culinary Institute of America and let me tell you EVERYONE is excited to go  home and do a whole lot of nothing for 12 whole days. Free time is not something that we CIA kids get a lot of here so although I only have 1/3 of the winter break of other college students, I am ecstatic.
But before I can check out of Hyde Park there is a graduation to be served. That's right, served. I am in the Banquets and Catering portion of my education now which consists of both cooking and serving banquets of 60 to 300 people. My class already had the pleasure of creating the food for 6 days, so we now are serving the creations of our sister class.

Some of the things we made while in Banquets and Catering.

Serving is harder than I ever would have imagined. There's protocol for everything. Set from the right and clear from the right; that's American Service. De-crumb the table with your handy dandy crumber. Be a pessimist-- if the glass is half full, its actually half empty; fill it up! Remove the proper silverware between each course. And yes there is a specific way to hold the clean and dirty plates in your hand.

All of the spoons that were polished for graduation.

All rules aside, there are several reasons I love this class:

1. I don't come home sweaty and stinky.
2. I rarely get dirty.
3. As Justin said "You come home pretty."
4. Servers get to chat a lot during set up.
5. Family meal is always made and plated up for me.
6. I can wave at Justin through the big window.
7. Free cappuccino!
8. I am home, in my PJ's at 7:30pm.
9. I sort of like to fold napkins.
10. Pretty Ties!