Auditions

Hello internet friends. I'm sorry for neglecting you these past few weeks.

Right now I'm in the jaws of audition season. My first audition is tomorrow, in fact, and then I have two more shortly after. Ew.

I used to think that I was pretty knowledgeable about auditions. However, I've found that university auditions are a whole other emotional beast entirely.

First of all I went though a blind panic phase. This included questions such as, "WILL I HAVE MY PIECES READY ON TIME?!", and generalized superlative statements such as, "I AM THE WORST AT EAR TRAINING!". Secondly I went though a major doubting my abilities phase with fun thoughts such as, "I WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED INTO ANY UNIVERSITIES!". Thirdly I went though an existential crisis phase where I said things such as: "WHAT IS MY PURPOSE ON THIS EARTH?! DO I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE MUSIC THAT MUCH? I SHOULD MOVE TO CHINA."

Right now I feel like I've reached stage four, an odd mix of calm acceptance and perfectionism. After much thought, I've decided that yes I actually do like music that much, that I want to spend my life helping people through the medium of education, and that the stress I'm going through right now is probably worth it if I can improve the lives of others in the future. And that in a couple weeks, life is going to get a lot calmer, and I will be happier.




Sometimes life is hard. But it's sort of like a pendulum on a clock - there will be dips, but it always swings back up again.

I just have to remember to breathe now! And if it goes terribly, I could always open a bakery. Cookies are another way to improve people's lives, I think.

But wish me luck, internet. And best wishes to all the young musicians out there going through the same thing right now.

E

Baking Adventure #3 - Carbs

I've noticed that the songs I put on top of these posts no longer relate to the subject matter, and are just what I'm listening to. Oh well. Enjoy the Earth Wind and Fire.

(does this make up for last week)

Today my family went out for dinner without me. New Semester is fantastic, and I now have way too much time on my hands. So basically I made a three course meal. 

I think bread is widely regarded as something extremely finicky and difficult to make. I don't really understand how it got such a bad rep, because really it's not like that at all. I made this loaf in about an hour and a half by just throwing together 2 c. of flour, 2 tsp. of quick rising yeast, 1/2 tsp. of salt, and about 1 c. of water. Let rise for about an hour until doubled, shape into a loaf, and bake in a hot oven (mine was 385 degrees F.) for about half an hour until it looks pretty and sounds hollow when you knock on it. 

This method makes a good loaf of bread in a short amount of time, but it's quite dense. If that's not what you're going for, I'd suggest trying a recipe for 'No Knead' bread. There are a bazillion on the internet. It makes a super easy loaf with lots of air bubbles. 

Gnocchi is one of my favourite things to make. I learned how to make it at a cooking seminar type thing a long time ago, and became slightly obsessed. It's so versatile! Nowadays when I make it for just myself, I use a large potato then freeze half of the pasta for later. 

You sort of need to mess around with the ratios for gnocchi until you find a consistency you like. I prefer a firmer piece of pasta, so I use about a 1:3 ratio for flour to potato, and then one egg for every 900 g. of potato. So today, I had 300 g. of potato, 100 g of flour, and 1/3 of a beaten egg. 

Roast the potato until really soft, take off the skin, then squish it though a potato ricer into a bowl. Mix gently with the flour and egg, roll into ropes, then chop into what my cooking teacher called 'little pillows'. Boil them until they float to the surface, drain, and enjoy with pretty much any sauce on the planet. 

I had mine with brown butter and sage. Yum.

I have also recently fallen in love with 'rustic tarts', which are basically pies without all the fuss. I got the recipe for the dough here, but made up the rest myself. Roll out your dough quite thinly, then arrange apple slices on top in a spiral like pattern. Fold in the edges until it looks vaguely hexagonal: 

Dot the top with butter, brush the dough with melted butter (Julia Child would be proud), and then dredge the whole thing with sugar. Transfer it onto a preheated baking tray, and bake for about 30-40 minutes at 385 degrees until it looks nicely browned on top. 

Ah, the single life ain't so bad. Happy early Valentine's day to me. 

Hope your New Semesters are treating you well,

E