Baking and Beaverton

BAKING

Week 5: I can't believe it, I'm about half way through my Patisserie and Baking program at Le Cordon Bleu! It has gone by really fast and I have loved every day of it!

I made this miniature pumpkin with marzipan.  (a lesson on miniature things)

Here is an angel food cake with lemon-lime flat icing.  I really like making angel food cake...actually I just really like eating it.

Our class had to work in teams of two to make the baklava.  I'm not a huge fan because it's SOOOO incredibly sweet! 

We also made apple strudel with our puff pastry.  The presentation is a bit messy because I had just pulled them out of the oven.  Also half of the apple strudel is missing because I had already eaten it before taking a picture. :)

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While Eric was gone for the weekend I found my way to the last day of the Farmers Market in the Milkwaukie neighborhood.  My teacher was there selling her ice cream so I thought I'd check it out.  Along with the ice cream, I bought the apples from a cute elderly couple (all of those apples were only a $1!) and I bought the mushrooms from a sweet elderly Vietnamese woman.  Here's a picture of the things I purchased.

Lemon Goat Cheese and Cranberry Buttermilk Ice Cream, Spartan Apples, Chanterelle Mushrooms

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 Week 6 is finals week.  For our final we had to take a written test and a final practical.  For our final practical we had to make Straussburger Cookies, Eclairs and Fruit Tartlets (all of which have multiple components).  It felt like I was on a reality show/cooking competition because I felt like I was racing the clock.  I shouldn't have worried because I still had 6 minutes left. :) 

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BEAVERTON

Eric and I spent a lot of time in Beaverton this past weekend.  We got to visit a Ryan Rallanka S.J., a friend of mine from Seattle U.   Ryan teaches at Jesuit High School in Portland.  Jesuit HS's campus is AMAZING!  (thanks to Nike and some other huge donors)

Here he is pretending to be teaching his Theology class (sans the clerical clothing).

On our way home from visiting with Ryan we saw

and had to go in!

When we walked in Eric said it was like being at his grandparents' house. 

We walked out with

The next day we went back to Beaverton to have breakfast at Biscuits on Baseline in Beaverton (look at all of those B's!) with more friends from Seattle U. We had a fun time at breakfast and went back to Abby and Mike's place for some card games.  (I didn't get a picture of Fisch and Abby.)

Also, a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to have lunch with another friend from SU, Julia Crain.  Julia and I spent a lot of time together at SU since we were in the same major.  She's actually doing what she went to school for!  Go Julia! (nor did I get a picture of Julia)

It's been a wonderful blessing being able to see friends while we've been down here!!  Life in Portland has been pretty great so far.