Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!!

So I am way behind in my writings here, and a lot has happened since my last update. On December 16, 2011, I graduated from the California Culinary Academy, with a perfect 4.0 gpa. I completed my externship at Station 1 on December 15, with a very nice and positive review from chef Ryan. I had a decently fun time working at the restaurant, and I certainly learned some valuable lessons. And I am looking forward to going back to the restaurant to enjoy a beautiful meal soon. To share with you some of my work from my time there, here are two pics of the dishes that I plated each night during service...

Beet Salad

Mixed Green Salad

After I left the restaurant, I quickly needed to focus my attention to my upcoming move. My lease was about to be expire on December 31, and with the holidays also right around the corner, I had a lot to get done! And to my surprise, and huge relief, I found a great apartment in Alameda. I was excited to get settled in to the new place and get to know my new surroundings. I had some wonderful helpers that helped me move the masses of boxes, the ginormous bed, and couch that had to be taken apart in order to fit through the doorway( thanks guys, I couldn't have done it without you!). Once we got everything moved in to the new place, and somewhat made into a liveable space, it was time for Christmas.

This year, I wanted to do some baking. I thought I would break in the new kitchen with baking off some Christmas cookies....looking back, that probably wasn't the best way to test out the oven. But now I know, the oven runs hot! And I can not leave anything on top of the stove, especially plastic, because they will melt! I also have about a third less counter space in this place as I did in my last place, so trying to bake multiple cookies, and also make some dinner at the same time, was really not a great idea. The losses of the evening were: a melted pepper grinder, burned cherry sauce, burned saffron rice, one batch of burned macaroon cookies, and an apartment filled with smoke. The wins: two good batches of yummy chocolate orange macaroons, peppermint meringue cookies, and the knowledge of what not to do in my new tiny overheated kitchen. But, after a few glasses of Bailey's martini's, all was right with the world again.....

Chocolate Orange Macaroons, and Peppermint Meringues

And now that the school is all done, I am mostly settled in to my new apartment, and the holidays are over with, I gotta get in to gear and figure out what my next step is....till then, Happy New Year!