Sugar & Snowstorms: WHOA!! It's been awhile

So.....um, yes, it has indeed been awhile since I have updated on my Arctic Adventure. I'm going to go ahead and blame the excitement of finals, my journey home, and Christmas for the lack of updates....that sounds good doesn't it?!

I have encountered an array of activities since I last wrote home, I suppose I will condensed week by week synopses of my adventures. (With the New Year I have resolved to write bi-monthly if not weekly from here on out)

December 5-11
Week three in my Roomies's 6 week stint in New Zealand galavanting around with sheep and kiwi's.

Many learning moments occurred that week in class.

I was assigned original cakes and tarts that week so I took the opportunity to practice for my final and I am soooo glad I did because my experiments definitely needed some adjustments. I discovered that maple syrup may taste delicious, but it isn't a great substitute in baking due to its water content- maple extract is a much more successful product.
We made strudel, a really really REALLY thin dough, like cheesecloth thin, that is layered with a sweet filling. Kinda like those really really thin pancakes.....but not really.
I accidentally, unintentionally tempered chocolate when I wasn't supposed to. I had chocolate melting throughout class to make large ruffles for the top of a cake, but the fluctuation of temperatures caused it to come into temper, which wasn't ideal for the project I was working on, however, Chef Philipe was impressed with the ordeal.

Chocolate Ruffle

I experienced the variation in different Chef's teaching styles. Ugh. Some teach and some do, well try to do.

Ginger cake with pear filling and white chocolate buttercream

Local crazies can try to hold up a bakery with a knife and they will be released from jail within a matter of hours. "I don't have any money, but I can offer you a muffin?!"

In addition to learning moments, my social life took a turn for the better. I had a little gathering with some block-mates in which we watched The Wizard of Oz, made Tornados (a very fitting beverage for the evening), played some Just Dance, and dined on some funfetti cupcake batter.

December 12-18

The anticipation for my journey to Kansas was making me stir-crazy, it was an incredible.

Raspberry Mousse cakes, Hazelnut Marscapone Cakes, White Chocolate-Lime Curd Cakes, Ladyfingers, 27.5 lb of buttercream, hazelnut sponge cake, and prep for my final.
The Battle of the Mods, a domestic dispute between a wicked Mod 2 and a blockmate. The result was a juvenile lecture from Chef John, Trenton regaining possession of HIS spatula, a few curse words from Chef Philipe, and blubbering.
A DAY OF CHRISTMAS. I was longing for it to feel like Christmas so Peter, Caitlyn, Jessie, and I had a day of purely Christmas. Ugly Sweaters, Christmas Music, Sleigh rides, The Wayside Diner for Game Night, a sobriety checkpoint in which we exchanged business cards with the cop, and a Christmas themed Farmers Market. "I feel like I just got B*tchslapped by Christmas!"

Competition

Vermont Family Photo

A fantastic viewing of Elf and Dirty Dancing and a dinner of Scooby-Doo waffles (I indulged in TWO) with a great friend.

December 19- January1

IT FINALLY ARRIVED!!!!! The week in which I would return home to my loves. But first I had to do my practical final exam for Cakes and Tarts. 20 White Chocolate Cranberry Mousse Tarts, 3-6in Maple Pecan Mousse Cakes and 10 individual cakes. I passed! Boom! Additional Montpelier excitement included a Mod 3 Tapas dinner to celebrate the completion of Mod 3, A cookie catastrophe-too much drama up in here, the return of my roomies literally 2 minutes before I left for a trip to Burlington to send me off on an airplane!!

Maple Pecan Mousse Cake

White Chocolate Cranberry Mousse Tart

Individual Maple Pecan Mousse Cake

Mod 3 Block A/B

Tapas!

Cookies!!!!

Hand made kisses courtesy of yours truly!

Home was everything I imagined it would be, it just went entirely too fast. I already miss it oh so much.

Wednesday: The angry elf of a security agent took my only two Christmas presents in airport security. ugh. Seeing my Mom, Kodah, Laura, and Mandy for the first time in four months, oh it was spectacular. Driving home 3 hours to see Papa Bear and Baby Brother.
Thursday: A wake-up call from Curtis informing me he was on his way to pick me up to go Christmas shopping. A day full of Kodah's photography, Baby Brother's company, and my Friend to start off the glorious time at home. My first visit to TARGET!!! Then a visit to Curtis's best friends house to see the beautiful new babe.

Baby Brother, Photography by Dakotah

Friday: Another shopping extravaganza this time with Momma and Laura. The day started off at Sam's to get ingredients for the Spaghetti dinner for the troops. That took a bit longer than planned due to the transformer that was blown causing the power outage in NE Wichita, shopping in the dark and a human powered transaction. Chipotle=delish. Dinner with the fam and troops.

Family dins

Saturday: "Aunt Hannah, wakeup, we have sooo much to do today!" Gingerbread house, Gingerbread house accident, Eggnog cupcakes, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Tollhouse Pie, Cranberry Salad, Breaking bread for the stuffing, dicing celery and onions. "We need to get ready for Church, Santa's on his way!!!" that was at 5:30, Church started at 11:00. Traditional Chicken and Noodles and Clam Chowder, opening Christmas Eve ornaments, and A Muppet's Christmas Carol. Dakotah discovered Santa Doppler and was freaking out from the time he got to Senegal to his arrival in the the U.S. Laura and I had a slumber party with Kodah where we were scolded for being too loud, "Zip.Your.Lip. Santa will know you are awake!!!"

Incredible attention to detail

Love them bunches

"SHHHHH, Santa can hear you!!!"

Sunday: "Do you think Santa is gone yet?!" Opening presents, cinnamon rolls, coffee, and nap before the preparation of Christmas dinner began. The production schedule kept Mom, Dad, and I on task while Curtis played princesses with Kodahbear. A perfect Christmas. Then the nomadic adventure began. Curtis and I departed for Hutch and finally saw Shelby and Derek!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An incredible evening of chatter and laughter! When we arrived at Curtis's house I was greeted with 2 hour chat with papa Schriever pertaining to baking-pure bliss.

Morning Monster

Monday: Curtis's family Christmas. Ultra nervous but I survived! Football with the cousins, carriage crossing photography, and country road jaywalking. Then back to Augusta to pack for our trip to Manhattan!

"Jaywalking"

Tuesday: MANHATTAN!!!!! Colbert's reunion! Derek and Shelby's new home, and capturing the lease signing! A Target adventure with Shelby and then the best dinner I had while back home: Derek's Enchiladas and Orange Leaf. A Silly Mr. Gourlay, and the reunion of 1768 Cassell including G-Baby. A quick trip to Aggieville for Nancy's at So Long Saloon and a quick visit with Mr. Maddux.

Grown-ups!

1768 Cassell Family

Wednesday: Return to Augusta to lounge with the fam, a quick run, and a lovely trip to Barnes and Noble with Kodah and Laura. Then game night with the Brenner's and the Minard's with lots of Man Vs. Food and sticky corn.

Reading baking books!

Thursday: A relaxing day with the fam at home, a challenging run, and a AHS ladies reunion at Larry Bud's. Thank you Katy Little, Suzanne Cocke, Mallory Hurst, Jessica Emry, Jenny Hromek, Courtney Schwemmer, Brooke Burns, and Kali Taylor for an incredible evening of Karaoke, dancing, and company. "She bleeds hair powder", Jess I can't wait for you to come visit me in the NE!!!! Oh and an accidental reunion with Kristen Case and Aimee Schumacher!!!

Jessica Emry with the Volcano Shot, Thank you!

Friday: Shopping with the fam, orange leaf with Mandy, Kodah, and Curtis, Mandatory Family Game Night where we discovered Kodah's very competitive nature-it ended in tears.

"Papi, you're embarrassing me!"

Saturday: Shopping with Ma, Pa, and Kodah, Date Night!!!!, grown-up chat with Curtis, and champagne with Dad at midnight......sadness knowing that it was coming to an end.

I kinda dig him

Sunday: Pack, say goodbye, and set out for KC. bah, it was awful. A very very short goodbye with the rents because of terminal confusion, more devastation. Having my name called over the loud speaker for last boarding call. A two hour delay turned into a four hour delay, complete boredom, then arriving to Burlington and having a fantastic friend be so accommodating in his retrieving me from the airport.

Goodbye's are Gross

Back to reality. Gross.

A New Year, a new mod, and a new class. Advanced Chocolate and Sugar, Noon-6pm M-F, Chef Adrian, an incredible small British man. Professional Development to prep for INTERNSHIP!!!!!

In addition, my Friend Curtis is officially a New Englander now!!! Only four and a half short hours from me, and I hope to visit soon to check out his new digs!!! Also, I have had my first glimpse into the harsh Vermont winters, just in time for my return to the NE we had snow and sub-zero temperatures. Boom.

So far so good. Lots of playing! We started out the week with Chef Dan, a very tall majestic man with hands the size of frisbees that create the most amazing and delicate sugary treats and art, he conducted my first ever Brigade check, I was a bit nervous but I passed. Day one was prep for petit fours and scrubbing the rust off of half-dollar tart shells for two hours. My hands are still pruney and cut up. Day two and three we created beautiful petit fours and Chef Adrian thought I had mental incapacities due to my not understanding the sharing of our cakes. We got through it when he literally held my hand until I understood. We then moved on to caramels and couverture, each of us had a different caramel recipe, we executed them and tested them, mine tasted like Vermont (honey and espresso, not a tasty combination). Our final day was a glorious day of tempering chocolate and creating chocolate art. Chef Adrian commented on my tempering job and used my chocolate to demo, a very rewarding experience, oh then he called me a corpse from the neck down. Fantastic.