Monday, February 21, 2011

Just some deliciousness

Do I like Paris? 

Hmmm... nah, definitely not enough chocolate!

What's this? A letter!? Let's see whom it's addressed to!

Hmm... I can't quite read that. Let's try again.

What's that? It's for a Mademoiselle Caiqian WU? Me? Mademoiselle?  SWEET!

Something I meant to remember but forgot to post here was something that happened a few weeks ago. My gardien (superintendent/caretaker) for the building I live in told me he needed to talk to me. Being the clumsy gets-in-trouble-easily girl that I am, I was scared that I was getting kicked out! So the gardien prefaces with "I  like you very much..." and tells me about how a trashcan I put in the bathroom was technically not allowed since "private property" weren't allowed in "public space", a.k.a. the shared bathrooms. All this while I'm wondering where I'll go if I lose the apartment. Then I zone in and hear "... I was so moved that I called my mother". Huh? "What day would you be free for dinner?". HUH? Apparently I'd just been invited to dinner for being a caring and inspirational soul. Huh, and all I was trying to do was have somewhere to toss my toilet paper. Hey, I never turn down a free home-cooked meal!

While we're on the subject of home-cooked meals...
Did you think that I could cook? No? That's alright, I didn't think so either. Until.....

What!? WHO made this? I DID? REALLY? 

Yeah, I was surprised that it wasn't burnt, too. 
 I don't even have measuring cups! I don't even have tablespoons! I didn't even follow a recipe! I just magicked some "creme fleurette" and some milk together with some butter and flour, with some garlic, salt, mushrooms, penne rigate, and chicken (ok, that was precooked)! What!? Ok. Don't worry, it probably wont happen again. I'll go back to eating my burnt foods now.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Dear Bryan, Paris has...

that's right! Come back soon :)



(Longer post to be followed... soon)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Crepe day!

Yesterday I got something in the mail :)

what could it be?!
:)

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

and more shopping-ness (knife, mixing bowl, whisk, pitcher, flat spatula, miscellaneous CHOCOLATE)

...but I had to go to class :( and didn't get home until 10:30pm...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SO TODAY
IS
CREPE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

I gave up my only chair to be a crepe table
FIRST (holey) CREPE on my new crepe maker! A bit on the crispy side, but a crepe nonetheless
SECOND CREPE! Shabbier, I know... but nothing a little nutella can't fix :) I sure didn't discriminate - I ate it all the same!

THIRD CREPE - this time it's serious(ly BIG)!!!
Definitely edible :)
That's all for today, folks!!

(Except for Bryan - I need to remind you to come back to Paris)
French TV4! Just for Bryan - come back to Paris every Saturday at 8:35PM!
P.S. I will GLADLY make crepes for anyone who wants to visit!!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Bubble wrap & INTERNET (for real this time)

Bubble wrap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BUBBLE WRAP!!!!!! So much bubble wrap!!!!!!! This is the result of having to mail in my laptop to get it fixed - lots of bubble wrap. WHICH WAS GOOD, because my laptop came back with a brand new hard drive but no operating system and no drivers, and I DEFINITELY needed all that bubble wrap to vent out my frustration. (*pop*)

Right, REWIND! So I was dumb and dropped a glass of curry powder on my laptop. Not on purpose, mind you! But apparently I dropped it hard enough that my hard drive died. Completely. (*pop*) SOOOO I called my parents, Toshiba international warranty something center (*pop*), Bryan, Toshiba's French branch (*pop*), more dumb French people (*POP*), and.....more dumb French people!!! (*POP POP*). Then I proceeded to run around looking for a printer, followed by trying to fill out repair forms in indecipherable technical French computer language. Then! I went to the post office, and bothered the worker for about an hour while she found me enough bubble wrap and a large enough box to mail my laptop safely (with insurance!) (*POP*).

Anyway, upon getting the laptop back, the most wonderful Croppers helped me get my laptop functional again, and it has been lovely since then :)


SO! Classes!!!

Let's just begin by saying that it's hard to find classes - no, not just course selection, but actually finding what classes are being offered. It's more like a scavenger hunt. Posted around the school are these:

These suck (and are located in different parts of the campus) and sometimes even lie!

I've finally found 4 classes to take, and may have to find one more just in case I don't get enough credits from the 4. The consequence of not having 12 or more credits transferred to UT? Losing about $24K in scholarships. Eek. I'd rather take an extra class just in case. Good thing my university offers ONE class in English.
So I'll probably be taking a class on Napoleon III, a general psychology class, a Parisian history class, and a French cinema class (IN FRENCH), and an international relations class in, (hallelujah,) English!!!

Onto more fun things....

So I spent another hour looking for chicken broth...
...even with two people pointing me in the direction that it's supposed to be at
... until I finally found this!

Bouillon de poule-au-pot

... which is apparently chicken broth in powdered? square? form. cool, though. I like them! it's like having 15 cans of chicken broth in one little package :)

Something fun I did: TOUR DE CUISINE

cool place

me and my partner Nick's work station

making caramel!

...and other ingredients :)
making croissants
...brushing on egg yellows with the coolest brush ever!

....and we made.....
just kidding! this is the yummy stuff the last class made ;)
a yummy shrimp-avocado-pineapple shot
and an olive dip

Our croissants!!! All yummily baked. It's not even burnt! (which you know means that I didn't do the baking)
...and as for our other recipe? Let's just say that IF there so should be a time that chocolate caramel mousse is made in a French kitchen, it tends to disappear before a certain gluttonous girl remembers to whip out her camera.