Getting in the kitchen!

Hello family and friends!  Well, I have completed my first week of the new quarter and am in the kitchen baking up some delicious stuff!  I am having a lot of fun and learning about the fundamentals of baking.  Here are some pictures from my first week!!

Our work area with all of our dough resting (I work with a partner)

My new favorite thing to do... braid rolls!!  I seriously could do this all day...  These have sun-dried tomatoes and basil in them-delicious!!

Blueberry scones...  SO good!

Cloverleaf rolls

Baker's rack with some of the class's creations

In addition to having fun and baking stuff, I will be tested on my knife skills.  We have been practicing on potatoes and have to know all the cuts (small, medium, large dice, and julienne are some examples).  I have to produce 1/2 cup of 4 different cuts in 1 hour.  It sounds like it wouldn't be that bad, but it is actually kind of hard!  I made some potato soup over the weekend to practice!  =)

Before coming back to school, I have a few pictures from my last week of my break.  I went skiing at Snow Trails in Mansfield, hung out with some friends, and went out to an Indian restaurant with my Uncle Thom and his friends (which one is taking pastry classes in Paris!!!  She is really awesome).  Here are some shots....

Don't know if this is going to work, but I have a video of Kevin doing some crazy jumps at the slopes!

Here's the Indian food I ate, it was SO good!!  I think it might have been the first time having it, so I was excited to try it!

And, of course, I'm going to try the native beer!

Besides school, I may have a potential job opportunity at the local hospital system here as an RD.  I am waiting to here from the boss, so hopefully that will work out.  I have a lot of free time here and since we have over a foot of snow on the ground, it is hard to get motivated and out and about!!  I hope to plan a few trips visiting family this quarter.  Hope everyone is staying warm out there!!

Christmas and the Cruise

Hello all and Happy New Year!!!  I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday!  I am back from the family cruise and have lots of pictures to share!!
First: Christmas.  I was busy making cookies and helping mom with Christmas Eve dinner.  Here are a few things that I helped make...

Mocha cookies with chocolate and caramel dizzle 

My Gingerbread house!!  Haven't made one since I was a kid, so this was a lot of fun!!

Spritz cookies using my fancy cookie press for the first time.  Also, lots of fun!

Sugar cookies decorated my me, mom, and Nena using the good royal icing and lots of fun sprinkles!

I had a nice dinner with some friends on the 23rd, then we had the Loughrin's over for Christmas Eve dinner (minus Kevin, who was missed!) and finally, Christmas at home in the morning.  Here are some of those pictures!!

From the right: Michael, Brook, Geoff, Jess, and me at J.Gilbert's

Nena and I in our matching Christmas sweaters!

The appetizer table at Christmas Eve: artichoke dip, goat cheese log rolled in pistachios and cranberries, punch, and cookie trays in the background

Christmas morning!

Me torturing Jasmine dressing her up for Christmas (it lasted about 2 minutes!)

Here I am with mom and Nena with our pretty rings on!

Next: The Cruise.  There were 20 of us representing the family.  It was a 4 day cruise to Key West, Nassau and Coco Cay, Bahamas.  The weather was a little bit chilly the first few days, but it did warm up for our "lay on the beach" day.  It was a great mix of relaxing, visiting with family, drinking, and eating (well, it was a little heavy on the eating, as expected!!)  Here are some of my best pictures.

The view from the top deck

Inside the boat

Rachel and I in our room.  We had a view of the front of the boat. Sweet!

Me, Rachel, and Nena on my aunt and uncle's balcony as we set sail from Miami

The bar crawl group in Key West (it was 10:45, by the way...)

Nena and I at the formal night

Trying escargot for the first time!  Did I like it?...

It was really good!!!

All the kids and Uncle Thom (with hair!)

The midnight buffet fruit display and ice sculpture-so awesome!!

Last day at the beach with our boat in the background

Well, that's it!!  It is a new year and hopefully new opportunities.  I am still home for the next week and will probably be shopping, hanging out with family, and getting ready for my next quarter.  I will hopefully have many pictures from my lab classes to share!!  Happy New Year again to all of my friends and family!