We did a rustic dish that showcases what spring has to offer in Michigan - Mushrooms (we were supposed to use Morels - but too expensive!) and asparagus. The recipe recommends that you serve it over a chewy noodle, such as a STROZZAPRETI, but we chose instead to serve it in a phyllo cup, as it is a one bit dish. It was so much fun to make! It also had crème fraishe, goat cheese, shallots, garlic, and button mushrooms. We served it on a simple bed of arugula dressed with a lemon vinaigrette.
Our dessert - YUMMY! We played around with a lot of ideas, but finally came up with three tiny brownies - cherry, pecan, and plain, topped with Cream Cheese ice cream (that recipe was the BOMB!), and then the plain brownie was topped with a chocolate sauce and then banana brulee. The cherry brownie was topped with the ice cream and a cherry coulis. The pecan brownie was topped with ice cream and a wonderful pecan caramel sauce. I made chocolate covered cherries at home that sat for about 5 days that were pretty good, although not exactly as I would have liked them to be. Too hard on myself. But, got an A in the class!
Today I present my portfolio in Creative Writing. I'm very proud of how my portfolio turned out. It's a culmination of our best works from the semester, set up as if it were a published book. I poured a lot of my heart and soul into those pieces of writing - a lot of closure, which is good. I've got 500/500 points in that class so far, so I'm sure I'm gonna get an A in that class!
Then, after that class lets out at 5:00, I'm driving into downtown Detroit to a Cuban restaurant - taking four other students with me - for our Spanish final. We're going to taste 8 or 9 tapas dishes and we have to describe them in Spanish. The second part of the final is going to be hard - I hate Spanish, to be honest. Our teacher went way too fast in the class. Less than half of the class has had Spanish. The rest of us are just hanging on. I'd say he's tutoring at least a third of the class - including me. I ended up purchasing Rosetta Stone and I'm going to work with that until I have to take Spanish II, which I've decided to put off for a while. Anyway, we'll probably not leave Detroit until about 10 or so, which makes for a long day - but - then it's all over!
I started Internet dating. What an experience - mostly bad - except I have met a very nice guy - Bill. We have a lot in common, he lives about 5 minutes away from me, and it just feels right. We're going to Toronto while I'm on break for a weekend and I'm so excited because I've never been there. We've talked about quite a few things to do, so I think this summer is going to be one of the best I've had in quite awhile.
Still training for the triathlon.
Here are the photos of the dishes from class:
Seared Scallops in a Strawberry Balsamic
Grilled Flank Steak Salad
I don't remember the protein, but the sauce was awesome!
Braised Venison, Fried Potato Pancakes, and Asparagus
An Asian Curry Dish
Brownies Three Ways
Our tweaked Morel Mushroom, Asparagus and Garlic Rustic Pasta Dish in Phyllo Cup
