The weekend

This weekend was spent adjusting to the idea that school is over...and recovering from the last busy week!
I have been enjoying watching the flowers bloom and the grass turn green. I've never spent a spring in Charlottetown so I've never seen the magnolia's blossom. I never even knew there were magnolia trees here! They are so gorgeous...Tracy and I were driving around and spotted this:a bison in someones driveway!! We drove past it first and then reversed because neither of us believed that someone actually had a stuffed bison on wheels in their yard. Crazy Charlottetown!On Sunday, the most beautiful day of the week, we packed up a picnic and took a drive in the country. We stopped to admire the water but had to eat our picnic in the car, it still a little too brisk out to have an enjoyable meal outside.
Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

That's it! So long Friday!

Some pictures from the last day...

Waffles and blueberries this morning, you gotta have a special breakfast for a special day!

Rootbeer floats!

Saying goodbye to Ashley who left to go back home this afternoon. I grew quite fond of 'Smashley' as I came to call her over the past few weeks. Tracy smushed whip cream in her face moments before this picture was taken!

And my favorite Newfie! She'll be here for grad but we like to hug!

And Taszia, I went to Vancouver with her, she is so cute.
Now I am at home...exhausted. But not really feeling any different...it hasn't quite sunk in that I'm done! I'll give it a few days!

Adios Thursday!

Today was a busy day at school...I had a kitchen practical for meat/game/poultry class and one for baking class too. Oh, and a test!

For my meat/game/poultry black box I was given chicken legs, chicken livers, foie gras, and ox tails (yup, like from an ox's tail) and had to produce a main course. Somehow it magically(okay it was really from a build up of everything I've learned plus Tracy's constant 'just take a deep breath') became this...Chicken thigh stuffed with chicken liver and foie gras, blue cheese gnocchi with braised oxtail, and a spiced butternut squash puree. The flavors were there, but I wasn't overly happy with the plating, a little too messy. I was so happy when it was over! Black boxes make me nervous!

For my baking black box I had to make cream puffs. Ha! Easy pie! I filled them with a coffee pastry cream and they looked pretty cute! I don't have a picture, so you'll just have to imagine them!

And today I crossed the second last day off the schedule. One left!And in the midst of black boxes and tests I handed out these...Graduation hat cake pops! Because everything is better on a stick and because I have been waiting and waiting for the right opportunity to make these...I think I found it!

1 last, short, sweet, and delicious (can you say root beer floats and ribs at 8am?) day!

Au reviour, Wednesday

It is hump day. This is the day that is the peak of my exhaustion in a given week. Today I feel it, but even more then tired I feel sad. Today it really sunk in that I'm going to be leaving in 3 weeks. That I'll leave the friends I've made and the town I've grown used to. Of course I am beyond ecstatic to be going home...but I've had an awesome 2 years and saying goodbye sucks. I seem to be simultaneously pushing forward and digging my heels in...it can make a person very emotional, which is why I almost cried in Bulk Barn today. Two days left that's it. I'll be sure to soak it up.
Oh, the highlight of today was that it was sunny for the first time in a week. That's far too long to go without sunshine. I love the sun.

Bye-bye Tuesday!

Today at school we had a wild game tasting. Each person picked one piece of meat/poultry, things like pheasant, ostrich, alligator, bison, and even horse, and made a dish out of it. It was tons of fun and it's always exciting to see everyone's end product.

I picked bison and made empanadas with a chocolate mole sauce and cumin and lime crema. I was happy with it!

At the end of the morning I was joking around with one of the guys in my class. I wouldn't say that I like him or really enjoy spending time with him, but we do occasionally have fun. Like today when I practiced my 'Zoolander' look with him. I think it's safe to say he is way better at it then me. Listen at the beginning (and really all throughout) for the laugh of Robin, my favorite Newfie!

Did you make you laugh?

3 more days!

Last Monday

Today was a fun day in the kitchen...my morning class is awesome. We have one of the best instructors right now and each day is something new. Today we did some plating demos. Everyone cooked up a bunch of pieces (veg, starches, garnishes, etc) and then played around with plating them with proteins.

Here is Chef Ted doing some plating...

And here is me with the plate I did!
Great day! 4 left! Stay tuned for more 'Lasts'!

The end is near...

Tomorrow is first day of the last week of school. Eek! That's right, 5 days left. It will go by quickly and everyday will be a little bittersweet. By Friday no one will be able to sit still and I'm sure that at the end of class when we all sit down for lunch we'll try and linger as long as possible. It's been a great 2 years!

Last week was lots of fun in the kitchen. We made tons of sausages and Tracy even made hot dogs! They were delicious, unlike any hot dog I've ever tasted!

I confited a pork belly...which means I covered a pork belly completely in duck fat and let it cook for hours and hours. The end product is unimaginably yummy. We made up a wicked platter of all of our work over the past couple of weeks. Amazing.We started the goodbyes. This is me and Joanne, one of the ladies that works in the cafeteria. Her last day was on Friday, I'll miss seeing her face for this last week.On Friday I went on my first, and probably last, pub crawl. Not many pictures from that as I spent most of the time dancing and the rest of it chasing after my little drunken Newfie. I had fun and at the same time was slightly disturbed by 'kids these days'. Here is me and one of the guys I went to Vancouver with...oh, and Tracy's fingers!
Our pub crawl name was "Hey Good Lookin', Whatcha Got Cooking". Appropriate, eh?

I'll keep you posted on the last week!