Nuts About Notter

I've been so happy these days...let me count thy ways:

1. We are less than halfway to graduation!! *high five*


2. Tuesday, July 21: I did seven miles!!! The longest run since the NY Marathon!! Woo Hoo!!


3. Wednesday, July 22: our class graduated to the bigger classroom...with MARBLE TOP TABLES ....Ooooooo......Aaaaahhhh!! :o) (and FINALLY get Chef Notter as an instructor )
4. We've started the Candies and Pralines unit...YUMMERS!!! LEMME AT IT!!! *begins to drool*
5. Has consumed tons and tons of nuts and chocolate!!!....and somehow have still managed to lose weight since school started!! OH YEAH!!!


6. Chef Notter said "not bad, eh?" to my creations!! *does a happy dance*....he's such a master at his trade, it's not easy pleasing Sensei. :o)


7. Friday, July 24: Finished the last volume of Kitchen Princess!!!! Najika is incredibly cute and Daichi is soooo dreamy!!! *giggles*


8. Saturday, July 25: productive day cleaning house!!! *admires home*


9. Sunday, July 26: EIGHT great miles at the gym!! *loving my Bengay Patches*


10. I JUST WANNA BE!!! :o) *dancing to a bunch of fun songs downloaded this weekend*
    

Life is like a box of chocolate......Full of nuts!!! *laughs*

Friendship Friday

SETTING THE STAGE FOR OUR DESSERT DECATHALON:

Friday afternoon, as I was getting ready to meet up with Elena to check out Icings Cupcakes' grand opening, I received a text from John seeing if I wanted to grab lunch. Since I already had plans, I invited him along for the ride.

Well, with me, one never truly knows what they are getting themselves into. Ain't that right, John and Elena? *wink wink* It is ALWAYS an adventure!!

BEGIN JOURNEY:

With much enthusiam, John carefully navigated while enjoying what he called a "mini road-trip". *gives John the look of confusion* Were we not in the same state?..let alone city?? Too cute! :o)

I guess one has to understand that Orlando is widely spread out across the state of Florida. So if you live on the east side, you may never visit the west side (unless you hitch a ride with me) :o)

As we circled around Winter Garden, trying to find the cupcake shop and (ahem) Elena , we decided to stop at a Starbucks. You know it's going to be a good day when you start out with an Iced Grande Eight Pump Vanilla Latte. :o) When we were all united, we made our first pit stop at Peterbrooke Chocolatier. While in there, we were entertained by a lady who was excited about her job AND chocolate. I cannot wait until we start the chocolate unit in school.

CONTINUE ON JOURNEY:

We decided that since no one knew where they were going, it was best to take one car. As we followed the directions Google Maps gave us...we ran in to a road block. It dead ended due to construction about 100 yds from the cupcake shop. Grrr....we were so close...we could smell the chocolate (okay, not really, but we were SO close). I had to ask Officer Friendly for directions to get around. After careful manuvering, we made it to our destination (ALAS!!). YAY!!! We saw Renee!!! Hip Hip HOORAY!!! It was crowded but we were offered complimentary cupcakes. However, the one thing that I really wanted to check out, the MAIN reason why I went there, was to check out their shotglass desserts (aka verrines). So which one did we get? ONE OF EACH, PLEASE!!! Yup, ONE OF EACH!!!











CONTINUING ON OUR JOURNEY:


After we devoured the 6 verrines and 3 mini cupcakes, I wanted to show them the bakery that I had once visited in Winter Garden. Unfortunately, there was a sign on the door that said "Gone Fishing..will return July 23rd." *frown* The sign was too hilarious...wish I had a pic. Oh well!




Did that rain on our parade???? Of course not. It was now time to execute Plan Bluezoo.






BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN:

Chef Sally said that if we ever wanted to know what "fine dining" dessert looked like, we should check out Bluezoo at Swan and Dolphin. So, we did just that!!! (yes, another great opportunity to set foot on Disney property!) Because our practical is on Tuesday, we thought this would be an excellent opportunity to get some inspiration. Our inspiration (3 different desserts) was consumed faster than you can say "inspiration". The dessert was definitely FANTABULOUS!!! :o)

TIME TO WALK IT OFF:

Since none of us has ever been to the Swan and Dolphin, we thought it'd be fun to walk off the dessert in order to prevent sugar crystalization in our tummies. Because it was still daylight, many of the shops on The Boardwalk were closed. However, this place definitely seems like it would be a fun place to hang out at...better yet?...MAYBE A NEW RUNNING ROUTE??? Hmmmm...Savitre, put this on the list of places to come back to.







While walking around, we noticed that you could take the water taxi around the resort area...soooo....I decided to kidnap the crew and go for a joy ride!!! Way too much fun!!








Because I didn't want to leave Disney property, our next adventure took us to the Wedding Pavillion by the Grand Floridian. I was hoping to show Elena some of the wedding cakes that they display in their windows...however, there was only one. :o( I love admiring Elena's cakes. Check out her latest creation!! Ooh La la! :o)



TRYING TO FIND SAVORY FOOD:


As the sun was setting, the darkness was rising...and so was our appetite. We were all craving something NON-SUGARY! !! What did we have in mind??? Cici's Pizza Buffet!!! Buuuuut....so did everyone else in Orlando! :o( The line was out the door (literally). It was kRaZy!! So, we drove back to Winter Garden (where we originally ditched Elena's car) and settled for Urban Flats. It was pizza on a flat bread with a flare! Seriously, check out their menu!! This place was definitely yummers!!!

M-I-C (see ya real soon) - K-E-Y (why? because we definitely have to do this again):

I definitely needed this outing trip...but after a long day of fun filled adventures, it was time to say goodbye. Thanks y'all for joining me and giving me a day of laughter and much happiness!

Looking At The Same Thing, But Seeing Different Things

This week we continued the Plated Desserts unit with our new commander-in-chief, Chef Sally Camacho.

Chef Sally Camacho received her Associates Degree in Culinary Arts at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. After completing her externship and employment at Caneel Bay Resort, a Rosewood Hotel property, in the Virgin Islands, she returned to San Francisco to complete the Baking and Pastry Program at CCA. Sally then worked directly under Executive Pastry Chef Donald Wressell at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills for five years. Clearly a turning point in her career and the core basis of her training, she learned all aspects of the hotel industry from plated desserts to wedding cakes as well as helping Chef Wressell train and practice for his many competitions. In 2005, she relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada to open the Wynn Resort as an Assistant Pastry Chef for world renowned Pastry Chef Frederic Robert. The Wynn Hotel is the only five star five diamond casino/resort in the world. She continued her journey as Pastry Chef at James Beard Award winning restaurant Bradley Ogden in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. -2008 World Pastry Team Championship

Her desire (or as she would say "hungriness") for knowledge and success has paid off. I have found it a blessing to have her as an instructor. I have had one of the BEST weeks at school. *mini claps*

Although I must admit that I do NOT have an eye for art, Chef Sally has definitely been an inspiration. Usually when I see things...that's as far as it gets...I just see THE THING! *shrugs* But now she's encouraged looking at things differently, like color scheme, light, shapes, lines,texture, innovative technique, aesthetic appeal, flavor combinations, etc. Not only will this benefit me when I work on my plated desserts, but it will also aid in seeing the world in a different light and hopefully appreciating all that's around me. *sigh of peace*
Usually, as soon as class lets out, the first thing I think about is..."MUST GET TO THE GYM!!!". However, this past week, I have had a lot of fun hanging out with her after school and getting to know her better. She is extremely personable, encouraging, and knowledgable in all facets of life. Very seldom do I meet people I look up to...she definitely makes the list of Top 10 People I Look Up To. :o)

There has definitely been many days that I wake up and say "WHY OH WHY can't I be more artistic?" or "I wish I had dainty hands and fingers!" or "What in the world am I doing here?!?!?!.. I do not belong in this industry!!!!" AND THEN...somthing always happens (a blessing in disguise is what I like to call it)...where my questions and prayers are answered...be it a phone call from Renee, Justin's blog about one of the GREATEST people EVER, Walter E. Disney, or continually knowing that I have the best support group one could ask for!!!!

Boo! The ice cream (that we made and spun) was melting on contact!

I love my blogger fans!!! Thank you everyone who has continually kept me on my feet and encouraged me to "keep going because the race is not over, it has just begun", whether it's from being homesick, keeping on track with working out, pursuing my dreams (whether Big or Sweet and Petite) *wink*, exploring new territory in Orlando, or providing kind words of positive reinforcement!!!

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison

I know I was suppose to work on a plated dessert, but I couldn't resist the temptation of making a verrine out of the popcorn panna cotta we made in class. I'm so rebellious!! *slyful grin* :o)

Just A Bunch of Jokesters

As we say goodbye to Chef Jim, our class surprised him with a "Moustache Tribute". He was always joking around with us and constantly making us laugh...it was only natural for us to bid farewell in the most comical manner possible! :o)


Dont' get me wrong, it wasn't always fun and games....OKAY...so it was. *chuckles* However, I had learned lots and done tons that I have NEVER done before. This was just the first week for plated desserts and we've already made frozen desserts (ie. ice cream), creme brulee, flan, custards, Crepes Suzette (pictured on the left), and more.

I must admit that at first the flames scared the Bee Gee Bees outta me, but after doing it, it was nothing but a mega adrenaline rush. It was like...Ka-BOOM!! tee hee :o)


As I reminisce about my journey with Chef Jim and remember all the tears and sweat that was shed, looking back, I can DEFINITELY say that he has made a difference not only with me, but our class, and the school. Thanks for all your patience and understanding, Chef! ROCK ON!! *sign of the horns* :o)

See Ya Soon June

I finished off the Classical Cakes and Tarts unit by making a "Brooklyn" cheesecake for my practical. It's supposed to be a NY cheesecake but since the outer edge wasn't working out the way I wanted it to and looked a little "rougher on the edge"...I coined it "Brooklyn" cheesecake....I wish I could actually go to Brooklyn and give this to my best friend Aarti because July 9th is her BDAY!!!! FELIZ CUMPLEANOS CHICA!!! :o)


Other fun things for the 4th of July weekend entailed:


Checking out ICEBAR:





This was 27 degrees (fahrenheit) of FREEZING FUN!!! Music blasting, people dancing (to keep warm, I suppose), bartender laughing, drinks gratifying...it was definitely one touristy thing I definitely had to check out while out here in Orlando. *shivers*











Ahhh...never thought I'd say it, but it made me miss Chicago's bitter winter... I love wearing cozy sweaters w/a cute scarf, drinking my peppermint hot cocoa, skating at Millenium Park, and cuddling up with my Chilly Willy :o)

Of course when Kobfa comes out here, we have to go fishing for some really good sushi. I wanted to keep the fun alive and find a Kaiten-Sushi (conveyor belt sushi; aka sushi-go-round) restaurant. I was told that Amura had it. Boy oh boy were we disappointed when they didn't have it. I guess the person misunderstood me when I tried to explain it. Oh well, at least the sushi was good. I tried Googling Kaiten-Sushi restaurants in Orlando...but couldn't find anything...so if anyone knows of one...PUH-LEEEEEEEZ let me know!!!! (Otherwise I'll have to add Sushi Station to my list of places to eat when I get home).

The weekend ended with a BBQ at Star's. I was extremely excited for her when I saw the turn out because this is HER day and she definitely deserved to be the happiest that day! I was just grateful to have met someone that gave me a fun place to go (with GREAT food, FUN folks, and GORGEOUS fireworks). We sat so close to the fireworks, I think I'm still washing ash outta my eyes. Hahaha! OH, and let me say, this was my FIRST time playing with sparklers! *gets all giddy*

So, to June...I say GOODBYE!

A great big welcome to JULY!! :o)

I always said there's always a rainbow after the rain!!!...and it definitely made it's appearance on the way to Star's 4th of July BBQ. This was DEFINITELY one of the best weekends yet in Orlando!! :o)

Wish i had a panoramic camera.

This one stretched all the way across the sky (full arch)

Watermelon Crawl

Rolling out of bed EARLY in the morning after a late night of fun was NOT the easiest thing for me to do! Was I looking forward to another run in what already felt like a sauna bath before the run even started???? Of course not, are ya nuts?!?!?! :o)


The race took place in a small residential neighborhood (in Winter Park), so one can only imagine how crowded the run was. There were 3000 hot, sweaty, enthusiastic runners lined up at the start! The anthem played, horn sounded, and the runners were off.

Amongst the throng of trail trekkers was none other than Chef Ewald Notter! I felt like a completely lazy slug next to him. He had already done 4 miles..BEFORE THE RACE! This 5K run was nothing but a cool down run for him.

Hahaha....too funny because when I get to a race, I always see people running before the race and never understood the purpose....now here I was with the founder and Director of Education of Notter School of Pastry Arts and witnessing to him being "one of those people" *sheepish grin*

He gives me great inspiration to run....helps preserve youth, prevent weight gain (it's got to be his secret since he consumes all that sugar all day), and stay fit...HE is living proof!!

My goal (again) was to cross that finish line in one piece! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! *does a moonwalk* <--- in honor of MJ :o)

The fun did not stop there, Kobfa and I signed up (along with hundreds of others) to do the watermelon eating contest. 5 guys and 5 gals were chosen (at random) to see who could eat their chunk'o watermelon the fastest in 3 minutes.

My name did not get pulled...but once again, people I go with do get chosen. Kobfa's name was chosen, but because there had already been 5 guys picked, he was not allowed to do it. The MC was gracious enough to allow lil o'l ME to do it instead!

Rules of the game were as follows:

No hands, no upchucking, no spitting!

So, how did I do? Welllllllllllllll.....you are now looking at 2009's Watermelon Queen!! WOO HOO!!! :o)

Me, FL's Watermelon Queen, Winner of Men's Division (and son)!

I won rights to never inhaling watermelon like that ever again, a whole watermelon, a crown (aka watermelon visor with "QUEEN" written on it"), and two beautifully hand painted wine glasses.

So what have I learned from this experience? Maybe cooking isn't my thing...but EATING sure is!!! Maybe after pastry school I'll go and train with Juliet Lee and Sonya Thomas and join them in the rankings of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. *laughs hysterically* JUST KIDDING....or am I? *wink wink*

It was just nice to run along side my sweet darling lollipoo. Our next appearance will be EXPEDITION EVEREST!

*Note-I had to use this Post Title because it used to be one of my favorite songs amongst many other country songs. How could y'all NOT like line dancing? :o)