I Tried.
The good news is that I definitely did learn a lot in my time there. Even though it ended unpleasantly, it was enjoyable to be back in a classroom again. Learning is great. Just… Not all the time.
Star LaBranche
Like a House Aflame…
You know when things aren’t going well but you’re so determined to ignore it, by the time you actually deal with it you’re well past “not going well” and fully planted into “I am having a mental breakdown right now” territory?
Class Schedule, Updates, & … Graduation???
When I swapped the AAS degrees for certificates, I knew it would be a big change. But get this, if my classes goes according to the schedule above, I will be able to walk in the May 2026 graduation ceremony (!!).
May the herbs be ever in my favor…
Despite the deck being stacked against me, I decided that it was worth a try if I could solve this problem. Also, it would be nice to keep a plant alive for the first time in my entire life. Just one. I’m not asking for much. I hope…
This Spun Wildly Out of Control…
This is the top shelf of our garage fridge where showing the traditional pickles, pickled peppers, and pickled green beans. When I say idle hands are the devil’s workshop, no one seems to believe me. Then I do shit like this…
I Guess We’re a Pickle Family Now?
So, I don’t even like pickles. The texture freaks me out and I’m not crazy about vinegar tastes. But one day at meal prep, T asked me if I could make her some pickles and I thought, why not? How hard could it be?
Stop What You’re Doing Right Now for this Rice Recipe
I might be extremely late to the game on this one, but I don’t care. Everyone needs to know about this. Because if you are also late to the game, you deserve to have your life changed as well.
Dressing Up
I ended up deciding to try making my first dressing out of pure laziness. I needed honey mustard and I didn’t want to go to the store. I was not prepared for how easy it was or how amazing it tasted.
Course Correction
When I first had the idea to go to culinary school, I knew I wanted to earn the Associates of Applied Science in Culinary Arts degree. Unfortunately, as I got more familiar with the degree programs and all of the requirements, I became acutely aware that this might not be the best idea after all.
Sample Paper
My 8-week class Safety and Sanitization has wrapped and I emailed my instructor to thank her and tell her how much I learned. She said she enjoyed having me as a student and asked me if she could use my final paper as a sample paper for future classes! I was honored and shocked and delighted all at the same time
Knife Sharpening Day!
Finally, I knew I had no excuses left. I got my supplies out and I sharpened all the knives. It was actually a lot faster and easier than I thought it was going to be.
Wrapping up Safety and Sanitation Class
So yes, Safety and Sanitation is in the bag. Now I can focus on Basic Food Prep for the rest of the semester.
Update: A Sad Day for Science
I regret to inform you that my science experiment didn’t go to plan. At all.
The Conversion Sheet Shuffle
But it got me thinking about how I spent real time worrying before I started classes about if I would be able to keep up with classes. If I would be simply “too old.” If the younger students would have some huge advantage over me.
For Science! Food Science!
My final project for Safety and Sanitation class is a science experiment. I love science! Even if most of it goes over my head. But I was happy to find an experiment I could understand and order some petri dishes off Amazon that were clearly intended for grade school students. The experiment is simple: I…
Omelette Bar Menu
I decided to do an omelette bar.
This is a great way to clear out the fridge and I got a change to work on my knife skills as I got to cut a lot of different veggies. As I was chopping the veggies and cooking up and bacon, I started wondering how I get everyone’s omelette order.
Ravioli: The Wonky Babies
I had never made pasta from scratch. It simply wasn’t something I had ever been interested it. It always seemed like a lot of work for something that tasted perfectly fine that you could get already made in a box from the grocery store.
Beer, Cheese, Soup?
In class we have been focused on making soups and I decided there was no better way to practice than to make a soup from my textbook. I picked one we wouldn’t make in class, just for variety. After polling the household for their top picks out of several soups in the book, it was clear the beer cheese soup was the easy winner. And I was happy to make it.
Sweet Arepas Success!
When it came to food challenges, naturally, he challenged me to make him arepas. I started with this Arepas recipe from Epicurious. They were good… But they weren’t the sweet arepas he was used to.
Week 3 Down: A Culinary School Update
Wow, time flies when you’re in the kitchen. Culinary school is intense, to say the least. It’s a lot to remember, a lot to keep in mind while you’re working, and — DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE, YOU’LL HAVE TO REWASH YOUR HANDS!!