Have I Reached the Culinary Breaking Point?
Coming back from Spring break, I still feel like I need a break. For our vacation Brian and I went down to Orange, Tx (my hometown) for four days to take care of some wedding stuff and hang out with my family. We took engagement photos, met with a cake lady, met with a caterer and met with a few of my mom’s friends and my M.O.H. (Maid of Honor) who have offered to throw a bridal shower for me.
I enjoyed the break and had fun doing wedding stuff, but we didn’t really have a whole lot of time to relax. I’m still working at Freebirds Burritos, unfortunately the job at the bowling alley didn’t work our for me. I returned to work on Saturday to find that I still have the same schedule from when I was working at both places. This schedule has very few hours. I told the GM at Freebirds that I wanted to stay and go back to my schedule of 30 hours per week, but it hasn’t changed. This is a bummer because I really enjoy working at Freebirds; it’s lot’s of fun, but I won’t make enough money here and it will not count as a culinary externship which is required to graduate from TCA.
I’ve begun looking for another job, and I’ve gotten a few bites. However, because we go to school at night it’s very difficult to find a job at a restaurant because usually you are needed to work at night because dinner is the busiest shift. My current class, International Cuisine, extends through next Friday. The following week we begin work at one of Texas Culinary Academy‘s two restaurants. Some of my fellow students are put off by the fact that we pay tuition to work in their restaurant; I see it as more experience, more learning. If I happen to make some crazy terrible mistake while working at a TCA restaurant, at least I’ve made that mistake in front of an instructor not an employer and I can learn from that mistake and not do it in the future. At any rate, I’m going to request to work the lunch shift at school so I can work night shifts at work. I just wish it could start next week so I can start another restaurant job asap.
In addition to needing a new job to pay my bills I’ve recently found out that the majority of the funding (meaning all of it) for the wedding has fallen through and is no longer in existence. In order to fund my wedding (which is small as it is) I would have to sell a family heirloom that I inherited to a stranger. I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with that.
I know this isn’t a wedding blog, nor is it a ‘Haley’s a whiney baby’ blog, but these are the experiences that I’m dealing with during culinary school, and I need to vent. I’ve been told that I got myself into this financial situation by quitting my web development job and going to culinary school. I suppose the individual who said that meant I need to deal with it myself because during my freak out about the wedding fund I upset my mother. I didn’t think I was being a bridezilla considering the circumstances (I think anyone would freak at this news which btw didn’t come from my mom), but I managed to hurt her feelings and she’s not speaking to me. I really don’t understand what I’ve done, but not having your momma to talk to is really just not fun.
I’m basically at a loss at this point. I want to get married this year because I love Brian and I want to start our lives together, but I don’t think I want to do it at the expense of my family heirloom, my mother’s feelings or my own sanity. My M.O.H. and Brian have both said that I should just stop planning the wedding for now and just keep it on the back burner because there’s plenty of time (it’s not until September). I think that’s all I really can do at this point, so in the meantime I’m going to finish International Cuisine, then work AM in the TCA restaurant and look for a restaurant job that will also count for my culinary externship. I know it’s not good to ‘eat my feelings’ but fried green beans are like a wonderful, fried hug. I recommend you try them. p.s. my apologies for complaining, and thank you for letting me vent.
Fried Green Beans
- 1.5lb fresh green beans stemmed
- 3-4 eggs lightly whisked
- 2 1/2 C AP Flour
- 2 1/2 C bread crumb (panko or whatever you have in the pantry)
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- Black pepper – as needed
- Kosher salt – as needed
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Blanch your beans in salted, boiling water. They should be about 50% still with a pretty good crunch. drain and hold in the colander.
- Prepare your breading station. Spread the AP flour evenly in a shallow 9X13 (or similar shape/size). Poor the eggs in a separate baking dish. In a third dish combine bread crumb, basil, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder; spread evenly in dish. You’ll need sheet pan to hold your breaded beans at the end.
- Heat your oil in a large straight sided saute pan on medium high heat. I didn’t measure my oil, but you want to have enough to cover your beans, but not so much that the oil leaps out of the pan while frying potentially causing an out of control grease fire in your kitchen (no joke, I knew a girl in college who did that…not fun times). a few ways to test if your oil is hot enough: 1. wet your hand and spritz a little of the water in the oil (NOT A LOT!!! just a few droplets). the water will make a tink tink tinkling sound if the oil is hot 2. sprinkle a tiny pinch of AP flour in the oil, if it fries/bubbles up immediately the oil is hot enough.
- While your oil is heating, bread you beans. Remember, make on hand your dry hand and one hand your wet hand. Dredge a handful of beans in the flour with your dry hand, shake of excess flour and drop into egg. With wet hand dredge in egg, shake off excess, drop into breadcrumb. With dry hand shake off excess and place on sheet pan. Continue this process a few handfuls at a time until all beans are breaded.
- Fry your beans. When the oil is hot enough submerge the beans and spread out evenly using tongs. Over crowding the pan will cause the oil temperature to lower so only fry a handful or so at a time. Fry each batch to desired breading doneness/color; 4-7 min. Season the beans immediately after frying and hold them on a paper towel lined sheet pan in a warm oven (if you have a gas oven the pilot will work perfectly). Serve on a pretty platter with garlic aioli, honey mustard or preferred dipping sauce.
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