Wow, my last submission was in March? Well, I can tell you it's been a hell of a year. A year full of adventure and change, for the better. It's scary and unpredictable, but you only live once, so make the most of what you have. Now, where to start?
This year, I chose to get the most out of living in Chicago as I could. I was trying to train for a marathon, planning travel, dining at as many new places as possible, and cooking my heart out. Most of these I was able to accomplish. My marathon attempt was a miserable failure, being sick, with no time, and an overwhelming feeling of doom, I had to step back and bow out. But, one promise I've made to myself, I will run it next year and it will be the experience that I want!
Outside of running, I had changed firehouses. Went from the South East side to the West side, which really helped my mood. Who would've thought that just changing which part of the city you worked in would make that much of a difference. I do miss the guys at my old firehouse, but I needed this change.
Restaurants. I can't even tell you the different number of restaurants I've had the opportunity to dine at. And more keep popping up. I feel very fortunate to live here, where the restaurant industry is booming and easily accessible. Too many to list, too many photos to play catch up, so I will be starting fresh. I can tell you that not a bad meal was had, whether I was here in Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, or any of the cities and villages I visited on my trip to Italy.
Cooking. I've been trying to experiment. I've done that most of my life, experiment, but what I have learned is that you need a base to learn from. You need to know that if you want to make the best Mac and Cheese, you should know how to make a beschamel, as your base. If you want to make the best chicken pot pie, you should know how to make a proper Veloute to fill that pie. Hell, you should know that what you are filling your pot pie with, the sauce is called a veloute. Then you get a feel for what you are really doing, then experiment from there. Get the basics down, keep it simple, and go from there. My outlook on cooking has changed dramatically, especially since I'm now a student at Le Cordon Bleu-Chicago.
I am just finishing up week 6 at Le Cordon Bleu. There has been mostly observing, learning the Mother Sauces, because that's where it all begins. Learning about Escoffier and Careme, learning about how and why to use a Chinois, what kind of material is best for sautee pans, roasting pans, and pots, and safety/sanitation. It's been eye opening, but now I'm ready to put that knowledge to use. I did whip up a roast chicken, with a glaze of creme fraiche, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper, roasted on a loaf of Italian bread, with a layer of pepperoni. Not bad, for my first roasted bird. But I could go on and on about what I've learned, I'm not going to, because as I said, new beginning. Tonight is the last night of class, taking our final in Foundations 1, and I'm ready to move on to the next stage. I'm already thinking about externship.
The Fire Service. I've worked with many, many great people in the past. From my humble beginnings as a Volunteer in Pontiac, moving my way up as a Medic in Morris, Firefighter/Paramedic in Romeoville, East Joliet, and Channahon. Working in Chicago, it's been an experience,but I'd give it all up to go back to what I didn't think I really wanted. There is something to be said about working in a firehouse with 4 or 5 guys, where you can truly bond. Where you know the guys that are coming in from surrounding departments to help you out on your fire. Where you can fight that fire, then when it's all said and done, you sit down with each other, have a cup of coffee, and exchange stories. I had many, many good years in the burbs and not a day goes by that I don't think about them. I can rattle off the names of everyone that I worked with out there. Here, it's like I meet someone new every shift, and I can't keep the names straight.
That is just a brief summary of my Summer. There will be more to come, like the trip to Italy, but for now, I'm going to study up a bit more for tonight.
More later, Ciao!
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