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 :)