It has been quite some time since I have written here. I have returned to relay news of my many exciting adventures.

Cooking Class

Today I attended the first session of my Techniques of Baking class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts where I learned to make pâte à choux a pastry dough used for a number of desserts including eclairs and cream puffs. We also made the cream filling, crème pâtissière. The cream puffs turned out quite well! Have a look here.

The next three sessions will focus on pies, breads, and cakes!

Crème Brûlée

Continuing the theme of cooking, I have made crème brûlée for multiple weeks now (I wonder if some of my friends only stick around for the desserts). I first made this when I was home in Dallas for Christmas. Photos are here. For the past couple of weeks I have made crème brûlée casserole which is simply crème brûlée in a casserole dish instead of ramekins. This allows me to serve more people without having to buy more ramekins and make multiple batches. It works quite well and people love it when they get to torch the crust.

Improv Class

I completed level 4 of improv training at the Improv Asylum last Thursday! I have had a great time in classes and learning how to be a better improv actor. I have not yet decided if I will continue to level 5.

Archery

I tried archery for the first time on Saturday and it was both fun and frustrating. It looks a lot easier on television and in the movies but is not nearly as easy in reality! Also, archery hurts if the string hits your forearm which it did. I have a small bruise on my forearm and a bit of numbness in my left middle finger. There are a few pictures here.

Photography

I am still enjoying snapping pictures with my T1i. Here are a few photo sets:

By the way, my birthday is approaching in June. I would love it if someone surprised me with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens!

WordPress

You might have noticed that the design of the site has changed significantly. Along with the front-end I migrated the back-end from Drupal to WordPress. I discovered WordPress when working on a site for a group at MIT, International Development Design Summit (IDDS). I recently updated my dad’s site to WordPress as well. I highly recommend WordPress as it is a simple and easy to use CMS. Those wishing to start their own blogs should consider the free blog hosting offered at WordPress.com.