Sun protection

My skin took a beating from the sun while I was in Niger. I came back to America and saw new wrinkles around my eyes and some lines on my forehead. Nooo!! And I even wore a hat all the time.

Here I am in my trademark hat with Buddy the Camel in the background.


I've been slathering on the sunscreen, but I often forget to reapply and yesterday I got sunburned.

I miss my Niger hat. Yes, it wasn't the most fashionable hat in the world, but it did the trick. I didn't get sunburned on my face or neck even once. But somehow I acquired some more wrinkles, perhaps due to a combination of squinting, aging, and those few times I didn't have my hat on. So now I need to stop that from happening further.

I ordered these hats from Sunday Afternoons.

This will be my bike-riding, walk-taking, doing-stuff-around-the-yard hat.


This is my out-and-about hat:


And here's my fancy hat:

Potential career path

As excited as I am to go to pastry school, I am also considering other career paths. Yesterday I did a presentation to a church senior citizen group (called the Elderberries) about my experiences in the Peace Corps. After my presentation, a couple of people came up to me and told me I should be a teacher and a tour guide.

I'm not sure about teaching. I like kids, but do I really want to make dealing with them and their shenanigans a career? Also, I've come to realize I'm not much of a disciplinarian. I'm more likely to be an enabler (something I'm working on not doing).

But tour guide... I think I'd like that. Travel to exotic places, do lots of public speaking, put my outgoing and enthusiastic personality to good use, eat interesting foods. That would be more my speed. There's a tour guide school in San Francisco that I could attend. But I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself. I should stick with my original plan of pastry school and add "tour guide school" to my list of life goals.

Baking duds

Either I'm getting pickier and seeing my baking faults more easily, or my baking's not been so good lately.

I made some mint-chocolate brownies for Chico's Boy Scout meeting. I had some leftover chocolate glaze from my black-and-white cookies (which, miraculously, turned out pretty good), so I figured I'd use a box of brownie mix that's been sitting in the cupboard for a few months (see? Saving time and using products before they expire - now that's smart), whip up some mint frosting, then top it with the chocolate glaze. In my head, they would look like this:


But the chocolate glaze set too quickly before I could even scrape it all out of the bowl, then when I spread it around it started getting all smeared with the mint frosting and there were green streaks all over the place that could not be confused with a nice marbled effect. A few attempts to make it look better resulted in more streaking and the hardened chocolate glaze wasn't cooperating with me, so I eventually forced myself to stop messing with it before I ruined the whole thing. Overall the brownies didn't look pretty, but they must've tasted great because the Boy Scouts wolfed them all down.

Yesterday I tried making the basque cake using this recipe. The guy mentions in his blog post that the recipe had been scaled down to make enough batter for one cake, but I think his math was off. The recipe made way too much batter for one cake and even though it called for 1 lb of pastry cream, his pastry cream recipe only made 8 ounces. I doubled the pastry cream recipe to accommodate the recipe, but the resulting cake had way too much pastry cream in it and was a big, gloppy mess (a huge waste of expensive butter and vanilla). Also there was enough leftover batter to make a second cake. My solution? I sent him a message asking him to check the recipe, then immediately impulse-bought the cookbook he cited.

My black and white cookies actually turned out okay (this is not my picture, but they basically looked the same).


I also made homemade pizza yesterday, and that didn't go so well, either. I used a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and 475 degree heat. This is normally okay as it creates a crispy crust and cooks the toppings, but this time I amped up the ingredients and used tons of vegetables on the pizza. As the pizza cooks the water seeps out of the vegetables and creates little water puddles on the surface of the pizza. I left the pizza in the oven long after the crust had cooked, waiting for the water to evaporate. However, by the time the water evaporated, the crust had burned - it was completely black. I cranked down the heat to 400 for the second pizza, but the same thing happened. It wasn't as bad that time, but the crust did get scorched. So I need to balance the heat and placement of the oven racks so that the toppings and the crust cook at the same rate.

Tomorrow I'm making chocolate chip cookies for the newspaper guy (he wrote an article about my upcoming African music show) and soon I'm attacking a lemon layer cake. Hopefully that will go better.

Latest baking project

While I was at my baking/pastry class in Napa Valley, I got to eat all the wonderful creations of the other students. One of the pastry arts students made this amazing cake. It was very simple looking - one layer, no frosting, just powdered sugar on top, and not a chocolate chip in sight. It looked like a plain brown slice of cake with a little custard in the middle.



Although it looks simple, it tastes amazing. I was stuffed from eating my huge dinner and already sampling like four other desserts, but I wolfed down an entire slice of this cake. It just had an amazing richness for looking so plain. I asked the pastry students what it was, and they said it's Basque Cake. I did a little googling and found it's from France and/or Spain. Now I want to make this for my family and friends just to show them its deliciousness. I'm using this recipe.

I've discovered it requires six sticks of butter and 5 eggs. No wonder it tasted so good!

Now I must make it.

African music comes to Grayling!

I have to say, I'm better at coming up with ideas than actually organizing things. But I'm trying really hard to put on this drum-building workshop and plan a couple of shows for my friend Djam.

I'm working as a liaison between Djam and the local music venues and the music store to make this a success.

The drum-building workshop will be May 1 and May 3 at Dharma Music in Grayling.

On Saturday, May 1 there will be instruction on building drums and includes carving, sanding and oiling the base and heading the drum. There's also a Ghanaian food luncheon featuring delicious tuwo (you overcook rice to make it a mushy paste, then scoop it into balls) served with okra soup. I have some hibiscus flowers to make bissap juice, too. Yum! The created drums will take a day to dry.

Monday night (May 3) we will tune the drums, followed by a drumming lesson from Djam. The cost for the class is $350, but everyone gets to take home their own djembe along with the instruction on building one for themselves.

Djam explained the class to his friend Tani, and now Tani is going to come to Grayling with Djam and they will do a performance here. Tani plays the kamele ngoni, a Malian instrument that's like a cross between a banjo and a harp. He's a great musician with a beautiful voice and I'm excited about the shows. His music is like African blues with a little funk and I think it will be a welcome change from the usual music scene in Grayling.

I scheduled them to play at Gray Rock Cafe and Lounge saturday night (May 1) with a $5 cover charge. Then they'll do a free, family-friendly show at the local coffee shop (Thanks a Latte) on sunday (May 2) from 10-2.

I've submitted the event to the local newspaper and put an ad in classifieds. Now I just have to make some posters and get them hung up around town. Hopefully tomorrow, when I have a day off, I can get started on that.

Djam's beautiful drums.


Tani and Djam.

An interview with Crystal about Napa

An interview was conducted with Crystal regarding her trip to Napa Valley, California, during the week of April 4-10. She attended the CIA's (Culinary Institute of America) Baking and Pastry Arts Career Discovery course.

Interviewer: Hi Crystal, thanks for meeting with me.
Crystal: The pleasure is certainly mine. I'm so glad I can get my story out to the general public.

I: Would you care for some wine? [holds out a bottle of Folie a Deux's Menage a Trois, a Napa Valley wine]
C: Well, I don't usually mix business with booze, but today I can make an exception. Thank you.

I: So I'd like to start by asking you what the course is about and why you signed up for it.
C: The course is for people interested in learning about careers in baking and pastry arts. For example, working in a bakery or food writing or becoming a pastry chef in a restaurant. I've always loved baking and have considered going to baking/pastry school but wanted to test the waters before plunging in headfirst. So that was the point of the course - to try to make up my mind on whether on not I should enroll in pastry school.

I: And did you come up with a decision?
C: Yes! I loved the class so much that I've decided I'm going to do it - I'm going to go to pastry school, and hopefully this fall. In all my years of college (6-1/2, but who's counting?) I was never as interested in a lecture as I was for this course. I was hanging onto this guy's every word. And I don't feel too guilty about making such a huge jump (from wood products engineering to baking) because baking involves a lot of science, and I'm confident I can transfer my wood science skills to the baking field.

I: Tell me more about the course. What did you do? Did you make food? Who was your instructor?
C: My instructor was Chef Aaron Brown, a really cool, funny, and smart-as-hell guy. He acted kind of laid-back which gives one the impression that he's spacey, but man, that guy is on the ball. You could ask him anything and he'd have an answer. I was totally impressed with him and his vast knowledge of baking. [finishes glass of wine] So here's how the class worked - first we'd attend lecture for about 2 hours, going over each recipe we'd be making and discussing the theory behind it. Then we'd go up to the kitchen and begin working. We were assigned to teams of 2, and were usually given about two different things to complete in the next five hours. My partner and I made:
Chocolate chip cookies and walnut shortbread (where we studied the creaming method),
Lemon meringue pies and tiramisu (making pie crusts, custards, and whipping cream),
Sourdough bread and soft rolls (yeast doughs),
Lavash and pita bread (flat breads made with yeast doughs), and
Chocolate ganache tart and white chocolate-cointreau-coconut bonbons (tempering chocolate = huge pain in my ass.)

I: And what about the other people in the class?
C: There were eight of us, all women. Four of us were between 28-38, and four of us were in their 50s or 60s. The younger women were like me, trying to figure out if they should go to pastry school, while the older women were business entrepreneurs wanting to know more about baking and experienced chefs working on their technique.

C: Oh, and I have to add something. My career discovery class weren't the only people in the kitchen. There were culinary students and pastry students there, too, working on their own creations. Every night I looked forward to dinner, where at 7:00 we'd drop what we were doing and eat. All the food the culinary and pastry students made that day was served. It was just tons of entrees, one after another, taking up two 20-foot tables. The week I was there was "Asian Week" for the culinary students, so I got to eat Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai and Indian food all week. Plus the TAs have to make food just in case the student-made foods don't turn out or are running late, so there were more traditional foods served, as well. And for dessert you could choose from about 25 creations from the pastry class. I had to try at least four different pastries, cookies, cakes, and pies each night. It was amazing.

I: Wow, sounds delicious. I bet I'd gain 50 pounds if I went there.
C: Yeah, I admit I went a little apeshit while I was there, but I think if I were a "normal" student I'd be more careful about not stuffing myself. But since I was on vacation I just enjoyed myself and lived life to the fullest.

I: So are you going to go to school at the CIA?
C: I don't think so. I just can't afford the tuition. As it is, I'm still paying off loans from my first round of college, so I don't want to add onto that too much. I'm currently looking at the Culinary Institute of Michigan at Baker College in Muskegon, so we'll see where that goes.

I: What did you do in Napa besides go to school?
C: Well, I was a couch surfer for the week. I stayed with my friend Anthony and his housemates, who were really cool. I like hanging out with artists and poets and musicians because I feel like they're my kind of people, so I really enjoyed their company. Plus we went out at the end of the week for some dancing, and it was fun to just let loose and have fun (not easy to do in Grayling). Other than that I went to a local museum, ate a great burrito, and did some cooking for my new friends.

I: Did you go wine tasting?
C: No, and I can't believe it. I just didn't get a chance! With my class being from 2pm-8:30pm it just wasn't conducive to taste wine and go to class tipsy. At a normal college that would've been okay because you just sit in class and daydream, but being in the kitchen you gotta be on top of your game to make the best pastries you can. So I was waiting to do it on saturday, but that day there was heavy rain, which isn't good for touring vineyards, and I ate an awesome burrito that unfortunately made me feel sleepy. So it just didn't work out. I bought a $6 bottle of Napa valley wine at the store and called it good.

I: Did you take any pictures:
C: Naw, my camera's batteries died and I never got around to getting new ones. You'll just have to imagine Napa valley with its rolling green hills, vineyards, winding roads, and "quaint" mansions.

I: Well Crystal, thanks again for the interview. It sounds like your trip was a success.
C: Absolutely! And thank you.

Freezing in Napa

Okay, so I made it to Napa in one piece. It was some serious traveling - first a 3-hour busride from Grayling to East Lansing. Then a night in a run-down Super 8, but near the MSU campus so I found some good Thai food and spent some time hanging out at Meijer. Then a 5:00 bus to Detroit. That was interesting because first the hotel's shitty alarm clock never went off, and the cell phone alarm either didn't go off (I guess the phone needs to be on) or I silenced it in my sleep. So I get up at 4:15 and jump in the shower. I had arranged for a taxi to pick me up at 4:30 and they showed up at 4:20 and started banging on the door and calling me. I'm like, "dude, you're early. I'm coming." So anyway, I make it to the bus station, head for Detroit airport, and then proceed to travel until 8pm getting to Oakland. Three different flights with stops in Colorado and Salt Lake City. Good times.

I make it to Oakland and practically have a heart attack when the car rental guy says they need to charge my debit card an extra $250 as "insurance" in case something happens to the vehicle. So today I am at the library to check my account and make sure there's enough money to cover this little incidental.

I'm couch surfing with a guy named Anthony. His house is freezing. It's about 45 degrees outside and it's the same temperature inside. The house has big single-pane windows and is heated by a woodstove that sometimes is lit. But Anthony and his roommates are really nice and I'm headed to the thrift store to pick up some sweatshirts. And soon I will be going to my first career exploration class. Wish me luck!

A new job and Napa

I have exciting news!

A few weeks ago, while I was working at Kmart, this customer, the manager from a bank across the street, liked the way I interacted with customers and encouraged me to apply for their seasonal teller position. I took her up on it, put my application in, had a couple of interviews, and... I got the job! I will be starting at the end of the month. The good thing is I get 40 hours a week and $8 an hour (Kmart is $7.40/hour and I get 25-30 hours/week). I will also have a consistent schedule, none of this weird 3-9 pm stuff one day, 9-5 the next.

The bad news is, I actually like my job at Kmart, and I'm worried this job will be boring. And I have to dress up.

But that's also good news, because I love clothes and dressing up. So I'm kind of pumped to go shopping for "business attire." When I was a little girl and thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I just imagined myself wearing a powersuit and high heels. I never had an idea of what job I'd be doing, I just knew what I wanted to look like. I'm glad I finally have an excuse to wear a powersuit and high heels.

The bottom line is, I'm going to stay at Kmart, as long as I don't get too burned out. I don't want to burn any bridges there. And I was just starting to get tight with the girls in fashions...

So yeah, that's my latest job news.

Tomorrow I'm going to Napa for a career exploration class in pastry at the Culinary Institute of America. I found a couch to crash on, and it's in a good location and the dude has roommates so it doesn't seem too scary. I'm going to rent a car so I can explore the area. Tomorrow I'll be hopping a bus to East Lansing, then spending the night there and flying out of Detroit City. Hopefully this class will help me find some answers about what I want to do next.

A walk down the road

The weather has been beautiful here lately, and I'm trying to take full advantage of it.

I took a walk down my road. I purposely didn't bring my mp3 player because I wanted to hear the birds and see the beauty of my surroundings with no distraction. Here's some things I saw:

Mailboxes hit by plow trucks.


There's a state-owned game refuge along one side of our road.


I liked this knobby-looking tree with its shiny new sap droplets.


I love the ground cover - dead oak leaves with lots of dried-up moss. Very crunchy when you walk on it!


And some nice pussy willow down by the riverbank.


Last but not least, my favorite picture: