January Flash Back

BYU Marriott School of Management, oh how I have missed you.  I feel at home again.

Thank you hairdresser Tim, for saving myself from the rats nest my hair had become after 8 months abroad...

This is just the start of my adventures cooking Indian Curries.

It only took stepping out of my car on the BYU campus to realize that I do not fit in with my leather briefcase, Oxford flats,  long scarves, and neutral colored wardrobe.  Send me back to Europe.

The first two weeks of school, Kailey and I commuted from her families home in Alpine to BYU.  It meant waking up at 6 am to get to class by 8.  Flashback Portugal.  This is what happens when you arrive at University the day that school starts with absolutely no idea as to where you are about to live for the next several months.  Flashback Portugal once again.

Thank you Fernwood #207, now we have a home!  Kailey and I were able to score an incredible deal on a spacious apartment right next to campus with one of the best views of the mountains.  Sydney, our only other roommate, just returned from serving her mission in Germany--great, we all have the travel fever.  It couldn't be more perfect!

January 13, I became Qualtrics newest part-time employee.  I work on the sales team, and spend all day calling Executives from the largest companies in the United States.  Starbucks, Wells Fargo, PayPal, you name it... The best part is the 3 floor Corporate Office is filled with 10 plus refrigerators filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, hummus, almond milk, etc... and the counters surrounding them are stuffed full of snacks... I can't stay away from the chocolate covered almonds.

This is a peak of what the inside of Qualtrics looks like.  It seems more like a giant house than an office building.  I mean, who has a cotton candy machine and a snackbar built out of the side of a Volkswagen?

Every week since I have been home in Provo, I have been immersing myself in as much cultural activity as possible.  The first week of work, one of my colleagues invited me to enjoy some empanadas at a party of her friends.  They all served in Argentina and wanted to share a taste of the local cuisine.  I almost loved every moment of the deep-fried, grease filled meat pastry-- I only ate one... But the cultural experience was one I will never forget!

I knew Qualtrics was special, with a culture unlike any other emerging fortune 500 company, but heading off on friday to get paid while skiing the slopes of Sundance topped it off.  Qualtrics hosted it's annual conference and awards ceremony at the Sundance Lodge and provided free skiing and a never ending buffet of food for all of the employees.  Qualtrics summed up in two words, Fun and Food. 

Yes, this is homemade Yogurt.  Kailey and I are trying to hold onto as much of our experience in Europe as we can.  This means not sacrificing our cuisine choice to that of American burgers and fries.  The next adventure--making cheese.

Sometimes we get a little too adventurous and our sink starts flooding our kitchen...

I am lucky that I live with a master of Central American Cooking.  The flavors of good Mexican food were ones that I dearly missed in Europe.  While the Indian food is abundant, there is not a trace of Mexican or Central/South American food.

The first Sunday in our new ward in Provo, YSA 170th ward, Kailey and I finished church and went home to experiment with our spice collection and curry ideas.  After creating a dish that ended up not tasting as good as we imagined--alright it was tasteless, we decided we needed to change strategies.  Just on a whim, we decided to take a trip to the Hare Krishna Hindu temple in Spanish Fork and see if we could dig any secrets out of the Indian locals as to how they cook so good!  This was the start of many friendships, and a weekly commute on saturday mornings to volunteer in the Temple Kitchen.  This was also the tip of the iceberg on our dream to travel to India this summer.

After attending the Hare Krishna Temple on Sunday, we returned the following saturday to help Nandarani and Andrea in the Kitchen.  They have taught me more than I ever thought was possible about how to use fresh spices and herbs to get the flavor that you want.  It is incredible how they do it.  My future husband and family will be forever grateful for their assistance in teaching me the art of flavoring dishes... We have decided that we are going to volunteer each and every saturday. 

Ever since I arrived home, I have been working on a business venture that began when I was in Portugal.  aCanela is a spice line that brings stories and culture into kitchens by authentic, organic, and fresh spice kits.  These spice kits are all you need to cook from any cuisine around the world.  In the above pictures, Kailey, Britney, Rachel, and I had a DIY spice popcorn party and watched travel movies.  It was a blast.  aCanela is still in the works but should be launched here shortly.

Evidence from our second Saturday helping in the Hare Krishna Temple kitchen.  It is so hard to cook all of this great food and not be able to smell or taste any of it.  There are strict rules in all of Indian culture, several of them pertaining to the "control of all your senses" while you are in the kitchen.  All of the food must be offered up to Krishna before anyone can partake of it.  I have no idea how they get their food to taste so good without ever sampling it while in the kitchen.  This just proves that Indian cooking is a real art.

Nandarani's husband offering up the food to Hare Krishna.  He chants a prayer over and over again and waves things in the air as part of the ritual.  I do not know what most of it means, but it is very interesting...

For the past several Sundays, we have been going to Kailey's home in Alpine for Sunday dinners.  This evening in particular we had PORTUGUESE FOOD and PORTUGUESE GUESTS.  It was fun to reminisce what we had experienced in Portugal here in Utah with Portuguese food and conversation in Portuguese.  The cheese, bread, bacalhau, etc...  was all incredible.

My family came through at the end of January for a bittersweet occasion.  My brother was leaving for the MTC to begin his journey serving the people or Arkansas and Tennessee.  We spent the evening together eating at the Banana Leaf (Sri Lankan food), bowling, and having a good time together.  Madison had to stay home because of basketball, but it was so good for the rest of us to be together one last time before Derek was off to the mission field.

Spices continue to fill up much of my days and it is so fun.  My perspective on the power food has on so many aspects of life has changed.  Some the funnest nights here in Provo have been filled with friends, food, and fun conversation.  Thank you aCanela for starting this and for spicing up my cooking with culture, fun, friends, and memories.

Another Saturday at the Hare Krishna Temple.  Do not worry, I am not switching religions...I just really love to cook Indian Food and use spices all day long. 

The month was finished with a photo shoot of aCanela spices.  I cannot wait to see how everything comes together!

So I want to apologize for talking off the past two months from my blog.  I love sharing my stories through pictures and words, but life has been crazier than ever trying to settle down here in Provo while continuing to dream and plan for future trips abroad that are only a few months away.  With all this said, I believe I am back--I have missed sharing my experiences with you all.

New York City