Hello world outside of NY! (Yes, there actually is one, for those of you living in NY…) Apologies for the extreme delay in posts and pictures! We have been so extremely busy in school and there was hardly time to snap a shot worth sharing. I’ve now completed MOD2 and MOD3 and will be starting MOD4 tomorrow, bright and early!!! The best part?? MOD4 is PASTRY!!! I have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet (and I’ll soon have the biggest ass, as well.)

For a quick review:

In MOD2, we moved through all types of cooking methods at a rapid pace. I’ve pan seared, roasted, toasted, deep fried, pan fried, braised, broiled, grilled, whew! You name it, we did it! (Could make a sex joke here..?) Many burns were suffered throughout the learning experience, and many more calories were consumed. All in all, I feel pretty confident that I can handle anything in the kitchen at this point. But let’s not test it… we have baking coming up soon and I don’t want to jinx myself. #mathishard

ratatouille in the making.

chicken tagine.

chicken tagine a little later on...

eggplant lentil stew.

plated tagging with couscous.

pomegranate molasses, a.k.a. crack for your tastebuds.

artichokes.

leaning tower of to go containers.

chocolate souffles!

wine pairings.

wine essentials - learning to love even more wine!!!

#actionshot trying to save the booty... and bonding time with the bear :)

little baby quail eggs!

parson's garden salad. finally some green!!

curried chicken salad.

we call these canapés.

sammies for the office - you're welcome, A2!

In MOD3, our taste buds travelled around the world, starting in France, then Italy, then India, Thailand, China, Japan… apparently those are the only countries that count when you’re in culinary school. I’ve told Robert that I need to personally visit these countries pretty soon, as I need to continue developing my palate and form a strong flavor foundation to further my culinary understanding. It’s an investment in my future!!! (This was received with a good laugh, an eye roll, and a brief expletive – but I am NOT a quitter!!!)

re-inflatable cheese souffles.

cotes de porc normande.

homard à l'amércaine in riz en couronne.

teeny, tiny rolling pin for rolling out a traditional indian bread.

sushi!

plating exercises.... need to work on my dots and squiggles.

my most favorite note yet ;)

We finished MOD3 with a few exercises in plating. These lessons were some of the most informative and interesting lessons yet because we learned the elements of creating a visually stunning presentation. The phrase, “you eat with your eyes”, has never been more true than now and you can see this demonstrated below. Can you guess what this dish is???

One last note before signing off again - it seems the culinary bug is biting in our house. The hubs is getting a little jeally of all of my sweet skillz and decided to embark upon a culinary journey of his own. With the help of Blue Apron, an amazingly affordable and delicious meal delivery service, R prepared a delectable dinner for two one night. He was so impressed with himself that he felt the need to share his culinary feat with me and now, I am sharing it with all of you!!! After all, he is the one with the good looks in the family. Enjoy!!

here's the prep:

and the saucy finale:

Want more of where this came from?? Subscribe below and get what you really want outta life!!