Thursday, February 9, 2012

It's HERE!!!

So, to preface. This week has been a long stream of un-published posts. I spent two days writing a really awesome one, with pictures and everything, but then it turns out the project is a secret so i can't post it til after The Surprise isn't a secret anymore. Then I wrote another post, which turned quickly into a journal entry instead. Then, I got my mega-on-sale-through-Amazon package in the mail two days early, so I spent what energy I had yesterday in the ooh-ing and aww-ing over my package and its contents.

What was in this package that was so wonderful?

The Bible  
(And that is a metaphorical extension, kids, not idolatry). 
Contained within its 1212 pages are rules, guidelines, explanations, photos, tutorials, tool identifications, resources, advice, recipes, and techniques concerning everything from abalone mollusks to Zingara sauce, from how to run a commercial kitchen to the proper technique for fabricating a rabbit or make terrine.  

This was a tremendous, tremendous boost for me. I decided for sure last week to go to culinary school once I've graduated. That decision helped buoy up my outlook on life, as medical setbacks are causing my undergrad to drag on and on and on. Major senior-itis, to say the least. I made a plan for which schools to go to, how to get there, and how to pay for it (always the kicker). I made an "in the meantime" plan, including how, where, and when to obtain certifications in cake decorating, professional food service (Safe Serve), and how and what work experience I need to make school easier and make me better qualified for scholarships.


Granted, these plans are moving forward at the pace of an overweight land turtle on muscle relaxers. But they ARE moving forward, and I'm seeing how the rest of my life fits into those plans, adjusting both to a point that I have something workable. 


Plus, most of the recipes in here are industry-sized, to purpose. That is fantastic for me, as I hope especially to be using these skills for many a Relief Society dinner, Scouting banquet, prom night dinner,  or just feeding a houseful of hungry people-- mine, the neighbors, mine again, more neighbors. . . oh, the rest of my life is looking awesome.

Journey to Excellence: Phase Two--Culinary Expertise 
 has commenced.