Procrastination!

Columbus Day is this Monday and the students have the day off. Of course, teachers do not have the day off and instead have "professional development" which basically means we are forced to come in and work on our websites or curriculum mapping. Based on reading the "maps" of those in my department, I do not get the sense that this task is taken very seriously.

Since I do not teach on Monday, I've been a bit more lax than usual and slept a total of 14 hours (12 hours straight, then a 2 hour nap). On top of that I got a haircut and have been watching episodes from The Office. I just made a list of items that I need to finish before Tuesday and then reality hit me. Even though I do not teach students on Monday, I still have a ton to do. The work never ends. . .

First month

Teaching has been quite challenging. I am learning the material along with my students and have to manage their behavior, grade their work, and ideally try to stretch them and inspire them to want to learn.
I don't think I am doing a good job and I have not been sleeping much. Maybe next month will be better? Maybe I will get into the swing of things? I just think that since everything is new, no matter what, there will be no real break until December (and then I will be madly cramming and planning).
Back to School night is this coming Wednesday. I hope I won't be too awkward!

Brief, Brief Listing of the Trip

I had a great time in England and France - both countries have such impressive buildings/historical sites and museums. There is still so much left to see!

A recap (not in order):

Westminster Abbey
Big Ben
Horse Guards
British Museum
Covent Garden Market
Tower of London
Borough Market
Camden Lock Market
London Eye
Tate Modern
Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason
National Gallery/Trafalgar Square
Bath - Roman Baths
Brighton
St. Paul's Cathedral

Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin de Tuileries
The Louvre
Notre Dame
Eiffel Tower
Le Marais
St. Germain de Pres
Strasbourg
Versailles

Cystic Acne

I have come to the sad (but accurate) conclusion that the cause for my cystic acne on my chin is due to consuming lots of sugary treats, fried foods, and spicy foods. That certainly takes the fun out of eating, doesn't it! Even in moderation, I have noticed a difference. What am I going to do when I go to Paris??

EDIT: It turns out I did not get any cystic acne while I was in Europe! I ate many desserts and foods with lots of butter, though I do realize I did not eat much spicy food and drank lots of coffee. . . I don't think I will ever understand my skin!

Great Essay

I loved reading this essay. Sigh.

Chicken Pot Pie

This post is quite overdue. I had made this two weeks ago and learned some things after making it. I used the recipe from The Best Chicken Recipe. I made several changes to the recipe and will note those before I type the directions. I took some photos, but was very dissatisfied with them, plus they're in reverse order. I have tried uploading them in different order, but I keep getting the same result! I think I am going to try using Photo Bucket once again. . .

Ingredients

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3 celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium onions, minced
Salt
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry vermouth
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 medium), trimmed
1 (1-pound) bag frozen pea and carrot medley (about 3 cups; do not thaw)
Ground black pepper
1 recipe Savory Pie Dough, chilled

The above is for the filling. I already knew based on reading the recipe that it would be a lot of work so I took some shortcuts.
First, I did NOT make pie dough. I bought already-made dough, Pillsbury Pie Crusts, though I am sure you can use puff pastry.

Second, I did not buy chicken breasts. Instead I bought a rotisserie chicken that had already been roasted and took off all of the meat off the chicken and cut it into pieces. In retrospect, I think I did not save that much time doing this since the above recipe calls for poaching the chicken breasts in the sauce. Also the texture of the already cooked chicken in the sauce was not as "solid" as I would have liked; it was at times stringy. Interestingly enough, the recipe requires that you cut up the chicken after it has been cooked. I am wondering if it would make a difference if I chose to cut up the pieces first and cook in sauce. I think one can tell either way if the chicken was fully cooked.

Third, I added 2 teaspoons of celery seed to add more flavor to the sauce. Next time I might even add other spices such as turmeric though the color of the sauce would change. But for me, flavor is more important!

Fourth, I did not use vermouth since I did not have any on hand and substituted with white wine; I think it was a pinot gris that happened to be in the refrigerator.


Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the celery, onions, and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 1 minute.

2. Gradually whisk in the vermouth and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the broth, cream, and thyme. Add the chicken, partially cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover completely, and cook until the thickest part of the breast registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 1o to 15 minutes.


3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and set the Dutch oven aside, covered. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the sauce with the peas and carrots. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Pour the mixture into a 13 by 9 inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of a similar size). Roll out the pie dough, fit it over the baking dish, and crimp the edges tightly to seal.


5. Place the pot pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the filling is hot and the crust is golden, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Afterthought: I had written some of my thoughts in the beginning, but one major one to add is that I realize that I do not like eating flaky pastry with heavy, savory filling. For me, a better complement would be eating this filling with biscuits. Some people advise to place biscuit dough on top of the filling and bake as usual. Other people suggest baking the biscuits separately and serving the filling and biscuits separately so that the biscuits will not get soggy. And just like pie crusts, you can buy already-made biscuit dough though making biscuits is not too difficult. One brand that I do like when in a pinch is Trader Joe's - no preservatives or funky ingredients.

Reading List

There are so many books that I want to read or at least try to read.
Current Reading List:

1. Momofuku by David Change and Peter Meehan
2. Ratio by Michael Ruhlman
3. Julie/Julia by Julie Powell
4. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
5. Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall
6. Three Cups of Tea by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson
7. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper and Cecil B. Murphey
8. Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson
9. Photography by Barbara London
10. Lit by Mary Karr
11. Cake Love by Warren Brown
12. Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Beranbaum Levy
13. Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells
14. Mindset by Carol S. Dweck
15. The Best of America's Test Kitchen (2008)