Cooking Tips from a Severe Chef

Today was the first day I went to check my mail in about a week. I looked through the stack and had four pieces of mail! I was ecstatic. The first was a thick envelope: my absentee ballot. Boom, done, in the mail. The second was a package of pictures from my grandma, Lollie. The third was a package of pictures from my grandma, Lollie. They were from PaJoe's 90th birthday celebration. They're adorable. I can't wait to display them. The fourth was...(drumroll please)... from MICAH COUNTS! She included a comic of my European travels. Bestie, you know me too well.
My body is so tired.
It's from the hours of walking I've done today and this weekend.
Which is a good thing, of course. I can feel my legs tingle when I sit down. And I have to work up the willpower to get back up.
Today I walked to FUA for History of the Italian Renaissance and then to the Florence Cathedral (Il Duomo) for short presentations (I did mine on Santa Reparata, the church from the 4th Century that was torn down to build Santa Maria Del Fiore, a.k.a The Florence Cathedral, a.k.a. The Duomo). Thennnnnn I walked to Apicius (twenty minutes away) then I took the long way home just to explore more of the city. I ended up at Ganzo (another twenty or so), then to DIVA to get my mail, to FUA, the tabacchi to buy a stamp to send my grandmother a letter, and finally I walked to the elevator to go upstairs. My roommates came out of it. They were going to the store. Suuuuuuure I'll go with you.
I decided not to buy anything. That lasted for five minutes. I bought whole wheat penne on sale, whole wheat crackers, a one euro packaged panna cotta (I've never had it before!), and sponges for the dishes.
All I wanted to do was to get home. And now I am. Ahhhhhhhhhh, first time I've really gotten to sit since about 1:30 (it's 8:15 here).
For COOKING CLASS, we had a sub. She was older and much more severe. But she taught us MANY practical things. I will share.
-If your garlic starts to sprout, it's old. Just remove the sprout and use it. (But don't use it if it's too old and tough.)
-Eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers are all from the same family.
-Do not repeatedly put garlic on the skin. It is "caustic."
-If your oil smokes, replace it.
-Buy the produce at the MARKET, and buy the stuff that is cheaper. If it's cheaper, that means there is a surplus, which means it is in season. Common sense, but sometimes we need people to explicitly tell us these things.
-Don't eat ANYTHING burnt. It's carcinogenic.
-To test if your oil is ready for frying, test a piece of whatever you are frying and see if it reacts.
-Do not put too much flour in gnocchi/pasta or it will be too chewy.

We made pesto gnocchi and potato croquettes. Everyone's gnocchi was overcooked and so it was really mushy. BUT, the teacher told us that our croquettes were the best :)
I stayed after class because she asked me to help her turn off everyone's lights. We chatted a bit, and she said to use her and Cecilia as a resource because we can learn so much and they are willing to share everything with us.
I'll put up recipes from this week and last week when I have the energy. I just can't move right now.