Post turkey day wrap up

So I made all of Thanksgiving all by my little ol self. All pies were from scratch with the exception of the crust for the banana cream pie, I also made some gravy whichsnt sound like a big deal but trust me it is i tend to struggle with what seem like the simplest of dishes i.e. rice, beans, gravy etc. And this year we had something new glazed carrots they were so darn good. I also made a gallon of turkey stock, 12 cups of pureed pumpkin and 12 cups of shredded pumpkin to use in breads, cakes, and pies kinda proud of myself for doing it but now i want to do more but i have no freezer space so im gonna have to look for a cheap chest freezer and figure out how to hook it up outside on the porch.
We didn't go out shopping for black Friday its not like it used to be where people would show up at midnight now they show up a week before hand so they can save a few hundred bucks and im sorry but my time and comfort is worth more to me than that not to mention if you have a job you are either taking unpaid time off which means you are spending alot more money on that tv or paid vacation time which again is dumb what kind of vacation is sitting in the freezing cold in a parking lot. SO we stayed in and the only time i went out was to sign up at the gym it has been so long since I've gone and i figured they must be having some kind of special and i was right. And today was my 1st time in at least 6 months going to workout and man it was tough I lost a lot more upper body strength than i thought (booo) and I somehow hurt my left hand it hurts to close it so I have it wrapped up right now but i will be going back tomorrow and make an effort to go daily most likely as i get back into town after school since its right by the freeway i want to start feeling good about my body again. 
Im also kinda excited as we are going to be putting up our Christmas lights on the house its only the 2nd time in my life to have lights up the 1st time was 2 years ago. I love the way they look in the fog.
-EGG

My first pie & herb garden

Now this isnt my very first ever pie I have gone from making straight up frozen pies, to buying just the pie shell and making my own filling to what i did yesterday. I made Ree's Perfect Pie Crust and I used Fresh Pumpkin Pie Filling and baked. Now before I started any of this I of course was going to do it from scratch all the way so I even roasted my own pumpkins and acorn squash specifically for pie. And upon discovering that I do not in fact own a pie plate I would have to improvise so I decided to make it in a spring form pan and have it come out like a tart. Brilliant. Or so I thought until I realized that again I know longer own a spring form pan. Back to the drawing board. And decided on a 10 inch cake pan would have to work and after painstakingly lining it with parchment paper I put the dough inside and than the filling both of which I made by hand no Kitchenaid. placed in the oven and one hour later I took out my pie/cake only to see that the top of the crust that was above the filling had leaned in towards the center, it was a little work getting it out and it broke some on the sides but for the most part it worked (i'm going out asap to buy a spring form pan).
After we had dinner of spaghetti I cut into it and gave my husband who has never had pumpkin pie (or so he says) the first slice. He said it was pretty good. My son had some and as its his favorite I knew he would like it and he did he actually had 2 slices (hey its all natural right?) and than I had my peice and you know what it was pretty good, the crust was flaky and the filling was just right real silky smooth and not too pumpkiny just enough. So I am no longer afraid of pie crusts Im going to embrace them and try out different recipes til I get my perfect crust.
Also since school has started i have been thinking about having an herb garden I knowing myself and the fact that I lose interest quickly I figured the easiest most fool proof way for me to keep up with it was to have a windowsill herb garden. So today I picked up a few pots, a 4 planter set of herbs, additional herbs and soil. After less than 5 minutes of work I have now started my own windowsill herb garden containing cilantro, rosemary, thyme, chives, basil, and oregano. I thought these are the most common herbs that I would get the most use of.

-EGG

1 Potato, 2 Potato, 3 Potato, More

This week we learned the parts of an egg, the different cuts of meat on a cow (both of which I need to study for a test). We also learned the reason hard boiled eggs sometimes get that green ring around the yolk is due to sulfur created when they are over cooked. We are learning which parts of the cow are best for what types of cooking like those closest to the hooves and horns need slow and low cooking to help break down the collagen to make for a tender cut of meat.
In my lab we cooked potatoes in many ways some of which were new to me like lyonnaise & gratin, we also made mashed, croquette/duchess and baked. Now I didn't think i would like potato gratin as I don't favor dairy based dishes but whoa man was this good it had things in it I thought i didn't like such as swiss cheese, sliced onions, & cream (I knew I like potatoes), I am making these for dinner sometime next week most likely with a pork roast.
My mid term grades arent to bad they arent the best but they are good I have an A and 2 B's, a few in my lab class think the quizzes are some how being misgraded as alot of us expressed surprise at only getting 3 out of 6 questions right, so I think Chef is looking in on it, maybe i'll bring it up tomorrow.
This weekend will be a busy but fun one for me Saturday Im going to join my first school club the Artisan Bread club and happy day come to find out Chef T. is the one in charge of it. I've always had a desire to learn how to make bread. I cant wait to see what other clubs form as the year goes on. And Sunday is the football team party it is going to be so much fun 30+ 13 year old boys running wild on bouncy house type things should be he-larry-us they deserve it they put in the work and had a great season (6-1).
Over and out.
-EGG

Dawn of a new day

Today I start my diet. By diet I mean back to how I was exercising regularly, eating right, proper portions, all the things you are supposed to do. The reason it is starting now and not yesterday or last week is football is over, I can now devote more of my time towards my health instead of babysitting a bunch of parents, and sitting at practice and games for 10+ hours a week.
I want and need to get to my goal weight. I want to be skinny and feel good about my body again. I ran a 5k this weekend and had not my worst but also not my best time, now I still have the cough but I cant blame it all on that I know alot of it is I have slacked off from my running and especially my weights I defiantly want my arms to be more defined and toned when I get my other tattoo.
And away wee go.
-EGG