Hard Crack

So, little known fact that I'm going to share with you all: my neighbours smokes the pot. He smokes a lot of the pot. In fact, he smokes so much pot that I may be high now, just being on the same floor as him. It's ok though as I find the kittens to be much calmer when under the influence...

School was fun today although I did feel my blood pressure raise a few times. We were randomly put into teams of two and I was put with the artist/bar-tender who still has yet to pick up her uniform, or her tools for that matter. I'm sure she is a nice person but when she, who is a little snotty anyway, invites the girl who was almost a half hour late to class and who also seems to be a non-breather, it irks me. Then, she, the artist, takes over. I wanted to get in there and use my tools and work that caramel but I had to shove to do it. Usually I am not a person who shoves, but I figured that this whole going to cooking school in New York thing is kind of a once in a lifetime thing and I ought to push in there in order to get the full benefit of the experience. So I did. And our caramel was perfect. Basically, we heated a pound of granulated sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice until it resembled liquid amber and then we played with it. This stage is called hard crack stage, hence the title of the post today. With the caramel, I made a basket. Isn't it pretty?!


Tomorrow we actually get to bake. It will be interesting I am sure. Hopefully artist-girl has her tools and jacket -- if I have to wear the pants, so does she.

In other culinary news of interest, Collin and I made our first New York City roast this evening. It was darn tasty. The roast was an eye of round which we roasted with garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil on a bed of diced red potatoes, orange, red and yellow peppers and red onions. It was lovely and we would have taken a picture for you all but it was just too tasty looking to compose a picture around. Personally, I think it was the horseradish sauce that Collin concocted that really made it scream yum, yum, yummy!

Ok, that's all for today. Sorry for the short post, but we are doing laundry downstairs in the community laundry room and it's our first time. Constant attention must be paid to those socks...Toodles!