...its been a long time!...this girl has been working hard...my mind & heart are overfilling with thoughts, recipes, & experiences I am desperate to share on here...but alas my time management skills are not to be envied...i wish there was a recipe for that...
tonight i prepared a filling dinner of grilled cheese&turkey with oven baked sweet potato fries...the first time i ever experienced sweet potato fries was at tempations cafe in nyack...ive been a follower ever since! besides tasting fabulous they are healthy for you too! i will never forget my mother always telling me how great they are for you (i think she would always say they were beneficial to your skin?)...& I can still hear her now admonishing me to eat the sweet potato skin...sorry mom i didn't leave the skin on tonight :(...my roommate jenny & i just discussed the shortcomings of boys...which always leads to fabulous baking..so thank you boys for inspiring this girl to bake! I am just now enveloped in the aroma of fresh homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookies...<3<3<3
this past week has been ridiculously full of excitement, & this upcoming week will be even more amazing...I'm headed to Nashville on Wednesday to spend time with one of my bestest, Ronee! I cannot wait for he culinary adventures that await me there...especially excited to go to the Loveless Cafe!...there will be plenty to write about on here when I get back...
this past Wednesday (it seems like Wednesdays are my special day lately!) I was fortunate enough to visit the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY...wow...what can I possibly say to begin with...the hour and a half drive passed by relatively quick...when I turned on campus I was totally impressed by the beautiful campus...with roads named "thyme terrace" & "parsley avenue" I wasn't in Kansas anymore, I mean Yonkers...From the second I stepped onto campus I did not want to leave...As I passed the students in their chef's uniforms I just wanted to be one of them so badly. I stopped myself from walking up to each of them & inquiring what they had cooked that day & if they wanted to hang out with me & cook together..I walked with purpose to the Conrad Hilton Library...I was there to interview the Reference Librarian and take a tour of the library for a class assingment....as a library science student, one of my classes focuses on librarians in specialized settings, such as medical or law libraries...I chose to visit a culinary library. yeah go figure, big surprise, I know. all i can say i was seriously smiling uncontrollably the entire time i was there...the lovely Christine was my host, my librarian, my hero...to me she had the perfect job...i entered the llibrary building...the upstairs filled with thousands & thousands of culinary books...cookbooks, history books, magazines...MENUS....yes menus...they have boxes&boxes overflowing (well not overflowing, this is a library, so they were neatly organized but overflowing just sounds much more fitting) with thousands of menus from restaurants & cities all over the world...so I could see what was served at a bistro in France in 1912 if i wanted to, & yes i want to ...to say I was entranced by the wealth of information at the library would be a sad understatement...very sad...so I won't say it, but yes I was entranced/overwhelmed/excited/enamored...thats it! i was ENAMORED with my surroundings...any culinary question or concern I could ever have possibly had was within my reach...forget the internet for a second, there were hundred years old manuscripts that had been studied & followed faithfully, & brand new publications with innovative techniques all there with me...Christine was passionate about her role & you could see the contentment & love she had for her job...it was definitely inspiring...& made me long for that feeling...
thank you Christine!!!!!!!
...next up was a visit to the Apple Bakery Cafe! the CIA has impressive restaurants available for visitors, but reservations are required...the Cafe was an informal reservation-free way to experience the student's cooking fare...the Cafe was heaven...the air was thick with the mingling scents of freshly baked bread & pastries, french pressed coffee & grilled cheeses & pomme frittes...i was beyond satisfied with my ginormous grilled cheese...thick&toasty slices of crunchy french bread stuffed with cheddar&gouda, bacon&apple slices...again, still grinning like a complete&total food nerd...good times...
next stop...the Bookstore! while a small store in size, every available space was packed with foodie addictions: yes the prerequisite cookbooks were present, but it was the whisks, cake decorating tips, cheese slicers, spice jars, & aprons that caused my eyes to widen & heart to fill...I walked the store repeatedly carefully, strategically deciding what to purchase...I picked up objects of interest, things I did not need, things I definitely wanted, overpriced items, & objects of great desire...i settled on a CIA apron, a spice jar with a space where you could scribe what spice you lovingly filled the jar with, a shot glass that actually served as a measuring device for teaspoons/tablespoons, a coffee guide, and a poulty/fish guide...the guides are laminated pages that provide basic, but necessary information on these oh so important subjects...i was greatly pleased with my finds, & yes I am wearing my apron as I type away on this blog...its true...my visit was a smashing success...I am planning to go there again very soon & spend the day walking the campus, savoring the views, & imagining my future.
& seeing Julia Child's handprints just sent me over the moon...
What a delightful day, Jess. I am feeling a bit of envy.
ReplyDeleteOne of Jordan's friends graduated from the CIA and opened a restaurant in Montclair - Passione (sp.?). Very successful. He was on the food network's show chopped and won the first time he competed.
bless you, dear one.