Done!

Whoo Hoo!

I'm done with this semester! I don't go back to school until January 9th! I so need this break. All I had to do today was attend our skills class and assist the students taking the final today, like they assisted us yesterday when we took the final. It was sooo stressful because of the time constraint. I did work with a sense of urgency....and panic....and...and confusion...disorientation...then urgency. It was crazy! I went over the time allotment - which I knew I would - by 1/2 hour. Luckily he gave us a half-hour extension. Some of the students took almost an hour longer. But, I got everything done except the parsley dust...I chopped the parsley for my garnishment, so I got a 2 out of 5. I knew I was in trouble when I went off the rails and stopped following my time line. When he told us it was 9:30 and we had one more hour, I panicked. I seriously didn't know what I was doing. I skipped a whole prep section I had built in. Oh, well, I thought I had truly bombed it but I ended up with a B+. Unbelievable. The chicken fabrication was going great...until I got to the breast and I sort of forgot what I was doing. I think I tasted my dishes. I think it was just way too much to try to get done in that short amount of time. I didn't really get to do the twists I wanted to - like sauteing the green beans with a little garlic, or adding some additional butter to the Risotto. I did something I picked up in open lab on Saturday. For our Spinach Gratin - which was really, really easy, I added some Parmesan cheese to the Bechamel (making that mother sauce a mornay sauce), and then adding additional parm before broiling it. But, guess what I did? I put the dish under the salamander (broiler), was counting in my head, went to do something real quick, came back, grabbed it and it was beautiful---except it wasn't mine---mine burnt by the time I realized what had happened. I got upset, chef said I didn't have time to be disappointed, I could scrape the burnt cheese off. I said no way, even thought I was behind. I just started over. Actually, it took only a couple of minutes. You take a bowl or casserole and butter it. Then you take spinach that's been blanched for maybe a minute, then shocked, then squeezed to get all of the water out of it. Then you layer the spinach on the bottom of the casserole, take your Bechamel sauce and add the parm., stir until it's melted, pour just enough over the spinach, not that it looks like soup, but just covered. Then add additional parm and broil it about 90 seconds. Add some salt, or some lemon juice before serving, whichever you prefer. Yummy! My mashed potatoes were good, my Bechamel perfect, but my knife cuts weren't as good as I'd hoped. Probably because I was shaking! LOL! Anyway, I've been through a final in the kitchen and now I know what to expect. They are just going to get harder. Yesterday, after I'd finished, I invited two of my friends from class - Evelyn and Patrick - out for a drink.  Oh, I had my English final yesterday, too. I did well. I saw the teacher today and he said I got an "A" in the class. I ended up with an A in my skills class, and an A in my Nutrition class, so I maintained my 4.0. Whew!! Don't know how long that will last, but it sure makes me feel good now! Next semester will be harder I know, plus I'm trying to get a part-time job at the school. So, now on to getting ready for Christmas. I can't wait to see my boys! I've got a lot to be thankful for! My family, my friends, my new friends from school who've been encouraging me, two new friends in my life -  Connie and Gina - who are also so encouraging - and my friend Ramzi who is my biggest cheerleader. I could just sleep the next three weeks, but too much to do!