Here I am! Let me tell you, this last few weeks have been crazy. As you may or may not know, I am graduating next Thursday! So you can imagine the amount of work I am covered with. But it's ok, all of that will be done soon, which on the other hand makes me sad....After three and a half years it is hard to image that the place I considered my second home will not be mine anymore.
Now it's time to move on and start playing with the big kids.

Within next two weeks I will know whether the the next chapter is in the new or the old world.

Here it is at last!



Last summer, two of my friends and myself were helping Chef Kastel with recipe testing and photoshoot for his first book - Artisan breads at home -
It seems like yesterday when he said the book will be out in January, and here it is now. I am proud to say I contributed with two Croatian recipes "Orahnjacha" and "Utopljenici" and it is very unusual seeing it published in a book. The picture you see is how the final products looked like, but it didn't get printed, but you still have the recipes!



The book itself is amazing and I am not reccommending it because Eric Kastel was my Chef, but because it is written in such detail supported by many step by step photos. You are introduced from the fermentation process to different starters, mixing, lean doughs, enriched doughs, and everything you need to know about bread and how to make it at home! (My favorite is the pita bread, it looks so cool during baking!)

If you are interested, it is possible to order on Amazon

A New year, a new start.
Last one was fantastic, I hope this one to be even better and it will definitely bring some new experiences because guess what? I am graduating in 5 weeks!! Crazy.
It is so hard to believe that it's happening already, because the Culinary Institute has been my home for 3 years and that's a long time.

I am sorry for the lack of updates, but I had a wonderful Christmas break in sunny Arizona and I forgot to bring my card reader so here are some pictures at last!
Let me tell you, Arizona is like nothing you have ever seen before. It's a big desert with lots of cactuses, mexican food, western stores, and very warm and dry weather. I was fortunate enough to go on a day trip to the Grand Canyon and I was absolutely amazed. I think photos will say everything.









I went to an amazing coffee shop called Avenue Coffee in Tucson. It is owned by two young and talented individuals with great passion for coffee culture. The latte, as you can see, was beautifully done.



Then I visited another great sandwich shop called ''Pane Bianco'' which serves 3 types of sandwiches but what makes is so good is the bread that is baked there filled with local and fresh ingredients.
Right next to it was another amazing cofee shop where I enjoyed my espresso con panna.







I must say, sunsets in Arizona are the most beautiful I have ever seen. Do you agree?



The cactuses are huuuuge.



And to top it off, I really liked Arizona because of its Western flare and lots of country music! Yep, that's Stacey and me during the sunset with a train going behind us :)

Each Bachelors class in the last semester has a Resturant Operations class. What we have to do is create an event for which all profit will go to a charity, in our case facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and also to the CIA Scholarship fund. The purpose of the class is to combine everything we learned so far and put it into this project. Let me tell you, it's exciting and challenging but I am enjoying it a lot. We get a chance to come up with the theme for the event, food, decorations, music, everything!
I signed up for the food service team and there was a lot of effort in trying to develop a plated dinner with a really nice dessert along with four different petit fours (they will be stunning!).
So our theme is - The Roaring '20s: A Night of Wonderful nonsense. There will be reception with stellar cocktails, hors d'oeuvres,silent auction, plated 4-course dinner, silent movies, dance (Charleston!) and a 10 piece orchestra. If you are interested, the event is on January 30th, here is the web site for reservations and a more detailed menu: The roaring '20s





Here are just two pictures from out recipe testing and I am sorry, but I can't reveal more and there have to be some final touches put into it! ;)
And if you do decide to come, make sure you dress up, we will be giving awards for the best outfit!

This past weekend was very busy again, I don't think there was ever a not fun and action filled one in the City that never sleeps (including me).
This time I had my camera with me and I finally bought a new battery after three years so I am good to go! The first picture is my absolutely favorite coffee place - Stumptown - a part of the Ace hotel, located on 29th and Broadway. If you are in NYC, it's a must! I think that's one of my main motivations to come to the City.
They have fantastic coffee, great espresso shots, Hudson Valley milk, beautifully done latte art by skilled and charming baristas and amazing atmosphere. Please visit.







And here are some more Christmas scenes that I just couldn't skip.









I hope you are getting that shopping done and thinking about what you are going to bake these days! ;)

The beautiful stars at the Time Warner Center are a sign we are not so far from th Holidays. There is a Christmas anticipation everywhere you go in New York City, even though the weather has been unusually warm for this time of the year.
I hope everyone has a restful Thanksgiving, because I certanly did. From eating at the Oak Room in the Plaza hotel, going for Bellini's at Cipriani's, shopping on black Friday, having Japanese desserts and Kyotofu, trailing at Eleven Madison Park, and enjoying my favorite caffč latte at Stumptown. Was it restful? Maybe not quite, but I enjoyed it.