Bells and Knots

I guess I should begin this post with Friday. It pains me to have to re-live that day in Breads, but I will do it for the sake of the blog. I got yelled at like three different times in class. If you know me, I like to be the girl who does what she's supposed to, stays out of everyone's way, and doesn't make a fuss. I thought the first time I seriously got yelled at by a chef, that I would crumble and cry and want to die.. and quit culinary school. Well, I am proud to say that I didn't. Of course, I do not want this yelling to become a regular thing, but I do feel better knowing I can survive it. This is a tough school and a tough industry, and you have to be able to survive a lot, to become a better chef.

Along with one other person, I was on Rolls on Friday, which basically meant that I made the extra doughs for the day. On this particular day, that dough was Hot Cross Rolls. The day began with me jamming the 20 quart Hobart mixer. In my defense ("no excuses, chef"), the mixer did not work when I started mixing the sponge (pre-ferment) for the dough. After mixing the dough for literally 15 minutes on second speed (high speed) and allowing the dough to ferment, the chef was not too happy with the way I rested the dough on the bread board or with how I divided it. On top of all of this, I kind of got my feeling's hurt when I asked a group if I could help them (and they basically said no), but I attribute that to the emotional day I was having at that point. You shouldn't worry though, people, I survived the day and am better for it.

After class, I literally grabbed my bags, went to the train station, rode the train to Harlem, walked to Fallon's, talked to Fallon (while watching the end of the SMU-TCU game), and went to sleep all in a three hour time span. Five hours later, Mr. Dial 7 Driver was there to pick me up and take me to the airport. 7 o'clock flight from LGA. Arrived in ATL by 9:30. Phew. And for once, there was actually someone waiting for me in the arrivals lobby.

JCon and I met Rabes, Jeff, Brittany, and Bailey at CHICK-FIL-A. Of course they made me wait outside for like an hour and listen to songs like "Butterfly Kisses" before I could enjoy a #5 8 count with a Coca Cola and Polynesian sauce. It was worth the wait. Then, it was time to drive to Jasper, get "pretty," and head to the wedding.

Congratulations, Jacob and Teena Bain! Teena is my second favorite baker (sorry, Teena, I have to give my mom the number one spot), and I spent an amazing summer baking with her at SharpTop Cove. Besides Jacob and Teena having to leave their reception early for a trip to the emergency room, their day was beautiful and a representation of who they are as individuals and as a couple. Yummy BBQ. Unbelievable Coconut Cake. Awesome Dancing. Irreplaceable Company.
JCon, one of my favorite people in the entire world, and I decided to do a little modeling during the reception. What do you think? H-O-T-T, right?
It was an Intern 08 reunion. Love you, Kristin Trimble. We must do better about staying in touch.
It was an Intern 09 reunion. We can clearly all dance (notice the sweat). Miss you guys.
So, after the wedding, a group of us drove to Canton to Taco Mac to watch the end of the Georgia- Mississippi State game. For those of you who do not know, my mom graduated from Mississippi State, while my sister and I graduated from UGA, of course. It is the house divided to the extreme, seeing as we, as a family, love football. Well, the MSU Bulldogs, with their obnoxious cowbells, won, meaning mom has bragging rights until next year (only, hopefully).

Yesterday involved hanging out with JCon and Kristin. The day included QT and taquitos, Lenox Square Mall, California Pizza Kitchen, driving, and some much needed time with two amazing girls! Fortunately, Kristin, who lives in Tampa, and my flight were scheduled to depart within five minutes of each other, and JCon could drop us off at the same time. We said our goodbyes in the pouring rain.

Arrive at LGA at like 8. Bus to Grand Central. Train to Poughkeepsie. Car to CIA?! Oh wait, no, my car was not accessible to pick me up from the train station because Nate had it towed (out of the kindness of his heart, he wants me to add). I do not want to embarrass him over the world wide web, but you should just know that he is an idiot. Basically, he parked in the chefs' lot (which you can do on the weekend), but he did not move it by the deadline last night. He "fixed" the problem today. Thanks, buddy.

Today was a great day in Breads class. I was on the Rolls team again, with a new partner!!!, and we were responsible for mixing Challah, one of my favorite breads. I know the title suggests that the dough is knotted, but it is really braided, with six strands. Inside to the outside. Outside to the middle. That is all you need to know about braiding Challah.
Christie (my partner) and I even had extra time to help with boiling bagels (they are boiled before baking) and dipping pretzels in a lye solution before baking. Chef baked a pretzel without dipping it in lye, and it was disgusting. A basic lye solution is responsible for the signature pretzel color, crust, and texture. Who knew? Okay, maybe I just did not know...

THERE'S A FUNGUS AMONG US (yeast!)

Hay Reh