Baker's Choice- Gold.

I thought I would post a few pictures from my hourish long adventure yesterday with JCon. This picture was taken of the Hudson from the Vanderbilt Mansion. We had to cross a sketchy one-way bridge and drive from Route 9 back on the property to the Hudson. The Hyde Park Trail goes all around the city of Hyde Park, but one part stretches from the FDR Estate to the Vanderbilt Mansion (3 miles), starting (or ending) here. My goal is to hike the entire trail before I graduate.
This is the Vanderbilt mansion, one of many. I believe, from my reading, that this was used for several weeks in the Fall and Winter and for an occasional weekend in the Winter, when the Vanderbilts were not living on Fifth Avenue or vacationing, of course. I am excited about going inside one day.
This is the Stone Cottage of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of FDR, at Valkill, her residence. To the right of where I took this picture is the swimming pool, which is not usable now. I want to take a tour of Valkill and the FDR Estate to better understand all about the Roosevelts and their properties and why there are so many. Did you know that FDR's cousin was Theodore Roosevelt, who was Eleanor Roosevelt's uncle? Think about that for a second. Eleanor lived here from FDR's death in '45 (I think) to her death in the '60s.
This is what is known as Valkill and is the main house on the Eleanor Roosevelt's property. It is relatively close to the Stone Cottage, which was the original house on the property. The fence on the right encloses a beautiful garden. To the left of where I am standing is what is left of the tennis court and beyond that is the Valkill Pond (or Lake?). JCon and I were surprised by the upkeep of the property, thinking it would look better than it does. In our exploring, we found many places that would make a great backdrop for a wedding or other big events.
I did not intend to cut my head off in this picture, but I actually like it. Here I am, in my chef whites, the whole reason I wanted to become a chef. (Can you see my Apalachee shirt I am wearing underneath? That is totally against dress code, but GO PANTHERS!) Okay, the comfortable pajama-like pants are not the only reason I am here at the CIA, but they are an added plus. The gold inscription of my name is recognizable of baking and pastry students. Culinary students have green lettering. I had the option of including my middle initial: good choice? The outfit is not complete without houndstooth pants, a neckerchief, a toque, black shoes, and an apron. One word: HOT! I will post the whole get-up one day soon.

JCon let me stay with her in the hotel to get away from the roommate life. I woke up around 10 to get ready for the day. JCon drove me to the CIA, I dropped my things off at my room, and we walked to the fountain in front of Roth Hall. We asked for someone to take our picture, our one and only picture of her visit, where I am not looking my best. Oh well. We said our goodbyes, and I walked to class.

Today in Product Knowledge, we talked about fungi (mushrooms) and stalk vegetables. I think you can gather from my previous blogs about this class that there are a lot of variety in produce. Who knew there were so many types of mushrooms? Wild or cultivated. Dried or frozen. Open veil or closed veil. Chef Mattel offered different types for us to try. I have always liked mushrooms but the shiitake we tried today were some of the best I have ever had (and they were dried). A fellow student brought truffles for us to try, as they are the underground portion of the fungus. Some truffles can sell for $3000 per pound. (Waste of money, in my humble opinion.) We talked about immature stalk vegetables, such as asparagus and celery. We tried fennel and rhubarb. No to the fennel. Yes to the rhubarb, which I have never tasted. As a baker, I guess I must try the rhubarb pie now.

This week has been exhausting. I mean, it was my first full week of classes here at the CIA. Therefore, after PK, I came back and took a nap. Glorious. Since it is graduation Friday, we did not have Banquet last night or tonight. (We also do not have it on Monday with new students arriving and eating there for Orientation.) So, Danielle and I went to the Cuisines of Asia tonight, where they were serving Indian food. We both ordered the eggplant curry, and it was delicious. People say that I will get sick of the food over time, but I do not see how.

Math tonight did not last too long. We reviewed calculations with as-purchased values, edible portions, and percent yields for our quiz on Monday. After we went over a few problems together as a class and finished the remainder of our worksheet with our group, we were free to go. Professor Nothnagel will not be in town next Friday, and therefore we will not have class but will have class for two hours next Wednesday and the following Monday, instead of the hour and twenty minutes. I feel like its going to be a win on Friday and a lose-lose on Wednesday and Monday.

Now, sitting here, I am just being lazy, and that is okay with me. Sometimes, it is frustrating not to have a car, but I only have to really live without the Acura for another three weeks. Then, I will fly home in early July and drive back to New York in August. I do not feel like I even live in NY most of the time; if I had my car, then I could just drive a few hours to Georgia, right? I wish, especially this week/weekend.

EAT MY WORDS
XOXO

Haley

*Thank you, JCon, for coming to visit. I had a blast, and I hope you enjoyed exploring Hyde Park/Poughkeepsie. I cannot wait for you to come visit again sometime, and I promise, we will go to NYC and see a Broadway show TOGETHER.