Today was the last day of cooking classes in my culinary basics class. *sniffle* We covered starches and vegetables. A sampling of the dishes covered tonight includes polenta, gnocchi, braised leeks, risotto, béchemel and butternut squash soup. I took the task of making butternut squash soup since I suggested it last week and would've felt a little stupid not doing it since the instructor actually remembered I asked about it. It turned out very nicely: a nice creamy, slightly sweet rich fall soup.

Probably the most amusing thing I've gotten out of this class was a description of the people that are going to culinary school. Asides from the career changers (like yours truly), people already in the industry and the food nuts, there are also individuals going because they're either going to be getting divorced & need a career or are looking to hook-up with someone that'll be an excellent chef. Nutty, isn't it?

Thankfully, I'll be continuing my education next week with a knife skills class. I even get a "free" Wüsthof paring knife out of it. Unfortunately, I think I might break down and take advantage of the 20% off Wüsthof knives that night. Pity the poor bank account if that happens.