From the convent to the rectory, and over in the sacristy

Does this sound tasty?  Additionally, I need a chef icon.  Please help...

Edited to add: the ( V ) denotes items that are vegetarian or vegan

Appetizers and Soup-

Edamame Guacamole  (V)- Smooth and creamy edamame puree blended with just a touch of heat and served with warm pita bread.

Pear and Blue Cheese Puffs (V)- Delicate puff pastry wrapped around thin slices of Anjou pear and tangy blue cheese.

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup - Cheesy tortellini nestled in a rich beef broth, along with tender vegetables and juicy Italian sausage meatballs.

Lentil, Garlic, and Rosemary Soup (V) - A hearty soup of simmered red lentils, savory roasted garlic, and aromatic rosemary, served with warm French bread.

Salads-

Thai Chicken Salad - Crisp romaine lettuce tossed with salty peanuts, bean sprouts, verdant cilantro, and shredded carrots, topped with grilled chicken and a spicy red chile dressing

Baby Greens with Spiced Pecans, Grapes, and Gorgonzola Crusted Flank Steak - Tender baby lettuce with sweet red grapes, crunchy pecans, and juicy flank steak topped with sharp Gorgonzola cheese.

Greek Salad with Lemon Tofu  (V)-  Baby spinach, fresh cucumbers, salty Kalamata olives, ripe cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and lemon marinated tofu.

Sandwiches-

Falafel  (V)- A middle eastern classic of seasoned chickpeas baked until crispy and nestled in toasted pita bread.

Mushroom, Leek, and Cheddar Panini (V)- Hearty portobello mushrooms, fresh leeks, and sharp cheddar cheese toasted on thick slices of oatmeal bread until golden-brown.

Veggie Burger (V) - Fresh roasted veggies chopped and blended in to a health conscious patty and grilled, topped with mozzarella cheese and served on dark rye bread.

Blackened Salmon Po' Boy - Atlantic salmon blackened with Cajun spices, tossed with crisp cabbage and creamy mayonnaise, served on a toasted french roll.

Desserts-

Cupcake Trio - 3 miniature cupcakes: dark chocolate with whipped peanut butter frosting, vanilla with delicate lavender frosting, and golden butter with Nutella frosting

Pumpkin Creme Brulee (V)- Creamy pumpkin baked in to a smooth and rich custard, served with golden caramelized sugar on top. 

I'd post pictures, but I dont have enough photographic ability to convey my fear. First week of culinary school, done. Its going to be very hard, and very fun. My excitement and passion for food are at an all time high...

...which makes my job all the more frustrating. Im not cooking...and neither is anyone else. We use premade sauces, canned/frozen vegetables just get tossed in steamers, meat gets grilled or roasted in giant batches. The closest thing to a creative cooking outlet was when I got to work the Seven Star (highest tier of player) Appreciation Dinner last week, where I got to sautee berries in butter and brown sugar, and then flambe them with cognac, right in front of customers. I was informed by EVERYONE I came in to contact with though, that this is one of the only events in a year that that sort of cooking thing happens.

I dont know what to do.

Im so excited about all the things Im learning about food. I'm so excited about my profession. This just isnt fufilling me. Hell, it doesnt seem to be fufilling any of the people I work with that have the same mindset. The only advancements that I'm able to look forward to are promotions to a sous chef position...which means I would never even get to see the inside of a pot again. The sous chefs at Harrahs are just supervisors. I mean, there's a picture of one of them actually cooking that one of my coworkers snapped on her phone last week, because it was like catching the Loch Ness Monster.

Im very afraid, and I dont know what to do.

At least my baby is home, and my new psychiatrist is pretty decent. Life is good, in general...this is just frustrating.

So tired.

Instead of telling you how busy we've been, or all the stuff we've done, I'm just gonna show you some pictures. More will be coming tomorrow or some other day when Im not so tired.

Love.

( My home in pictures )

Damn you, alcohol! Not fufilling the promises you made...not solving all my inconsequential problems!

George Carlin makes most situations better.

So, Travis's company is opening an office in London and Travis wants to apply to go there. I told him he can go straight to hell, that as much as London sounds like a lovely place, Im not moving out of the country. Especially not for an undetermined amount of time, when Im supposed to be going to culinary school, when he cant guarantee what his salary would be over there, and when we could still be over there when we want to start having kids. Not happening. That, and I know all of 4 people in all of England. It's not happening. No way, no how. Call me close-minded, tell me I'm silly for not taking this opportunity, but its just not happening. No trans-atlantic flights to see friends and family for me.

However, there is another possibility fuzzily appearing on the horizon. Nothing formal has been offered yet, so this is really just me being anxious over things I cant change. Because of the new London office and everything, there will be some restructuring in the company. This means that there is a good likelihood that they will be talking to Travis about being promoted to a manager level position. This means that, again, they will be pushing us to move to Philly. As opposed to the times they've pushed in the past, this would actually be for a pretty sizeable promotion, which most likely means a pretty sizeable raise.

I still dont want to move there, and here's why:
1.) Its almost a 13 hour drive from Lake Zurich to King of Prussia. While I may not want to live all that near to my parents, I sure as shit dont want to live 13 hours away.
2.) I dont want to either delay culinary school or go through the pain in the ass of finding a new school to go to out there. Once I've started culinary school, any and all suggestions of moving are off unless the moving includes a raise to six figures.
3 (quite possibly the biggest issue). We dont know a soul in King of Prussia or Philly. We have one friend in the whole state, and he lives all the way over in Pittsburgh. We both absolutely SUCK at making new friends, and would pine for our old ones. I dont want to have to deal with making a new group of friends.
4.) My navigation skills suck, and their roads are insanely hard to figure out. I'd never stop getting lost.
5.) We might get shot if we root for the Bears when they play the Eagles. I dont wanna get shot.

So that's the scoop, kids. Terri freaking out about something that isnt even really guaranteed to happen yet. You know, the usual.

PS - Play opens tonight, biatches! Come see it!

Moses is coming to visit me!

Not like old guy in the Bible type, like Ed type.

WINNER IS ME!

Okay kids, I have a question, and a brief CD review.

Question is this: Im looking for a new purse. I love the one I have now, but the zipper keeps snagging, and I'd like somewhere in particular to put my cell phone. Im looking for a purse with a long strap (not one of those ones thats only armpit length, and not a handbag either). I like canvas, because its fairly forgiving, but Im not addicted to the material. I'd like something that looks a bit more grownup than big cartoon characters, but not as "grownup" as couch upholstery. I dont give a shit about brand names, and thusly, I will not pay for them. Im looking for about $30. Please help!

CD Review: "Not Too Late" by Norah Jones.

Some people loved the jazzy sound of her first album. Some people loved the country sound of her second album. Her third album is...different. I havent been able to listen to the title track yet, but there is seemingly a threeway tie between the jazzy sound, the country sound, and a very nightclubby sound. Her throaty voice is back in full force, and even the "country" sounding songs are less country than last albums. I predict that most people will like "My Dear Country" and "Sinkin' Soon" because you all seemed to be bigger fans of the jazz sound than the country. Regardless of your poison, its a good album, and well worth the purchase.

Okay, kids, I dont talk politics very much at all because I know that I am friends with a good deal of people all over the political spectrum and I dont feel articulate enough to argue my viewpoints most of the time. Today, however, Im pissed off and willing to argue.

For those of you that read fark, you know how common it is to see a tagline that starts with "Having solved all other problems." That, in fact, is my favorite tagline, and so I will use it here. Having solved all other problems in America, our President decides to request a $2.9 trillion dollar budget, $258 billion of which will be spent in Iraq and Afghanistan in the next two years."

Now, I know that we are one of the richest nations, if not the richest nation in the world. I believe that as a country that has more than others, we are socially obligated to help less fortunate countries when they have some natural disaster. I believe that we should work with the U.N. to strive for fair labor practices and a living wage that allows people to work a reasonable number of hours a week, put food on the table, a roof over their head, and clothes on their back. Other than that, I think that our damn money should be spent at home. We have kids in our country that arent getting an education that will even allow them to perform basic math and reading skills. We have a large percentage of our population living without health insurance, some with serious chronic illnesses. We have parents that work hard, but have to make the choice to feed their kids or feed themselves. Choose between the gas to drive to work or keeping your heat on in the bitter February cold.

Now maybe this sounds a little Pollyanna of me, but damn it, I'd be a lot happier to spend money to improve the country in which I live before my government goes shoving its nose places it doesnt belong, fighting in wars that arent any of our damn business. Im sick to death of hearing the death reports every day on the news, American and Iraqi and Afghani. Im sick of a lot of things in this country...and while I know money doesnt fix everything, it sure is a damn good place to start.

/rant.

PS - Im driving to Roseville to see a doctor today. Arent you all proud?

Or...um...instead of rocking the house, we could let them run on us like we had the word "welcome" tattooed on our foreheads. You know...whatever.

Please win, Bears. Please, please, please.

GO BEARS!

Yes, I want my team to win. Yes, I know that the Colts are a good team, and Peyton Manning is a good man that has worked hard to get to the big show. I dont give a flying fuck today, and i hope we make every single member of the Cclts eat enough turf that even their mommas wont recognize them.

This has been your first Bears announcement of the day.