haleyl20

[haleyl20]

Pastry Baking Week #4

A lack of yeast at the grocery store forced me to alter my baking plans slightly this week! What was supposed to be chocolate croissant week turned into macaron week. Macarons are technically a pastry, made by mixing sugar and almond flour/meal with a sugar syrup and egg whites. The process making the macarons, I discovered, is not complicated, but it is slightly time consuming. The sugar syrup took the most time to make, because I was being careful to keep the heat on low so as not to burn the syrup. 

There were two rest periods for the macarons, the first of which came after piping them out. According to the recipe I used (from my Mary Berry cookbook, linked here), I needed to let the macarons rest for at least an hour before baking them. This allowed them to harden slightly in order to achieve the crispy exterior and the soft interior. The second rest period came after baking. Once the baking time was completed, I turned off the oven and left the macarons inside in order to for them to cool off gently and slowly. While this is surely a good tip, I discovered that my oven stays a little too hot for a little too long, and as a result, some of my macarons came out quite dry. The ones that were not dry, however, tasted great! 

In the future, I would be very careful to consider my oven cooking speed with the demands of the recipe so as not to overbake the macarons. Still, however, I’m glad I got the opportunity to bake macarons, as they are fairly simple to make and are delicious! 

[haleyl20]

Pastry Baking Week #3

For my third week of pastry baking, I decided to make a shortcrust pastry as the base of goat cheese, apple, and honey tartlets. I adapted the recipe for the filling from this source: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/02/the-crisper-whisperer-apple-goat-cheese-and-honey-tartlets-recipe.html. 

The shortcrust pastry was surprisingly easy to make, with only three basic ingredients: flour, water, and butter. I sourced the recipe from a Mary Berry cookbook I had on hand. I had a slightly difficult time figuring out the consistency of the dough, but I was able to roll it out and form the tartlets with little trouble. 

In hindsight, I should have doubled the filling recipe so there would be more in each tartlet; however, they turned out delicious! 

[haleyl20]

Pastry Baking Week #2

I decided to make puff pastry with a cherry filling for my learning technique this week. The hallmark of a puff pastry is also the hardest part of the pastry to master - hundreds of flaky layers created by cold fat (unsalted butter in this case) baking into the pastry. These layers are achieved by repeatedly folding and chilling the dough. The dough has to be folded into thirds each time and then left to chill for hours at a time. Without this step, the pastry would be flat, without any flaky layers. For the pastry recipe, I used my Cooks Illustrated cookbook (link to cookbook here:  https://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbook-Americas-Magazine/dp/1933615893). 

Making the cherry filling was a simple process, and I was able to use some frozen berries I had in my freezer. I used the filling from the following website: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/simple-cherry-pastry-pies/. 

In the end, I was pleased with the number of layers my pastry dough produced! Were I to try this recipe again, I would put an egg wash on the top of the pastry, so I could more easily discern when the turnovers were done cooking. I would also crimp the edges with a fork to make their appearance more decorative. Overall, this was a lengthy process, but I am pleased with the results! 

[haleyl20]

Pastry Baking Week #1

This week, I began my work on learning how to make pastry. I began with Choux pastry (Pâte à Choux). This is a basic pasty that can be used for a variety of treats, such as cream puffs, profiteroles, gougères, and eclairs. I elected to use the pastry to make eclairs, and I was met with varying levels of success! 

I primarily used the blog Sally’s Baking Addiction for a step-by-step process on how to make the pastry (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/choux-pastry/). At its most basic, choux pastry is simply a combination of flour, water, sugar, salt, milk, butter, and eggs. The difficulty comes with managing the heat distribution to make sure the pastry doesn’t congeal, as well as knowing when to stop adding eggs in order to achieve the desired pastry texture. 

Piping out the eclairs was a surprisingly straight-forward endeavor. Before piping, I read about the importance of adding moisture to the baking trays to create a moist environment within the oven. Without moisture, the pastry will dry out and sink, instead of rising to become puffy and light. I added moisture by lightly sprinkling water on the parchment paper lining the trays, and this seemed to work well. My eclairs did not sink, and I was pleased with the overall texture of the interior. 

The second component of this baking process was making the vanilla cream. I used a different source for this recipe (http://frostingandasmile.com/archives/1077), and this is an area upon which I can certainly improve. My pastry cream did not have the light and fluffy texture I was hoping for, but it was still a consistency I could pipe, which was a positive. In the future, I needed to work with lower heat on the stovetop so my pastry cream does not thicken and curdle quite as quickly. 

I returned to Sally’s Baking Addiction for the third portion of this bake (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-eclairs/), which was making the chocolate ganache. I had never made this before, but it was actually extremely accessible and quick to make! 

Overall, I was satisfied with the choux pastry and chocolate ganache, but if given another opportunity, I would try and perfect the pastry cream. I would also experiment with different flavor combinations and presentation styles. 

[haleyl20]

Calligraphy Week #4

For my final week of calligraphy, I used my calligraphy skills to begin hand-lettering a piece for a friend. I have enjoyed trying out different styles of lettering; while I appreciate the look of classic calligraphy font, I found that a more modern hand lettering style was more accessible for me to learn in this period of time. Therefore, for this project, I ultimately decided to create my hand-lettered projects with a modern calligraphy font. 

Practicing this technology at home was a fairly easy transition for me; I was able to set up a makeshift calligraphy station and practice. Throughout the past four weeks practicing calligraphy, I have gained confidence using the skills I have practiced to create hand lettered prints for family and friends. Overall, I am so grateful for the chance to take this time to learn a technology I have always wanted to learn!  

[haleyl20]

Calligraphy Week #3

For week #3, I continued my left-handed practice and made adjustments to my technique as necessary. I am working to create hand-lettered prints to be given as gifts, so I am trying to make sure my letters are crafted with as much care as possible. One aspect of calligraphy I seem to have to learn each time I pick up the pen is the patience that is always required of the writer. If I approach the learning process without truly engaging in the project, I find that my work is sloppy and disappointing. I have had to train my mind to focus on each letter individually so that I remember to how to create the think/thin lines calligraphy requires. In the coming week, I hope to hand-lettering a piece, working to make sure I do not splatter ink and keeping in mind my need to diligently focus on each letter. 

[haleyl20]

This week, I focused on strategies for left-handed calligraphy. I found several videos that were helpful, one of which is embedded above. The others can be found at the following links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOjh0SkwyCM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfmmMdzNGfk.

A strategy that was effective for me was to hold the pen in a different way than I would normally hold a pencil. This allowed me to form the strokes without applying too much pressure. In turn, this week, I splattered less ink and was able to form my letters easier. 

Additionally, I learned from the videos that in order to create the classic calligraphy letters, I need to apply light pressure on the upstroke and heavy pressure on the downstroke.  In one of the videos I have linked, posted by Connie Chen Calligraphy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOjh0SkwyCM), there were interesting tips for left-handers. The calligrapher suggested rotating the paper forty-five degrees when forming capital letters and ninety degrees for lowercase letters. When creating flourishes, rotate the paper back to forty-five degrees. The calligrapher also suggested moving from the arm and not from the wrist. This creates cleaner lines without much of a break. 

Although I did struggle with calligraphy basics at the start of this project, I am making progress in my calligraphy skills, and I am enjoying the learning process! Next week, I plan to continue practicing the uppercase alphabet, to work on lowercase letters, and to begin crafting sentences. 

[haleyl20]

Calligraphy Week #1

This week, I began my calligraphy project. I am using the Speedball Complete Calligraphy Kit, which comes with ink, two tips, two pen styles, and a textbook. I spent most of the class on the introductory steps, which included learning how to hold the pen in order to achieve the desired letter appearance. I am struggling, however, with following the book’s instructions for how to hold the pen. As a left-hander, my strokes are looking much different than those achieved by a right-handed person. At this point, I am considering either rotating my paper 90 degrees (as suggested by the textbook) when writing or simply embracing the unique calligraphy style my left-handedness will bring.  Next week, I am planning on looking up instructional videos of how to adjust pen grip as a left-hander so I can hopefully follow along with the textbook better. All in all, though, I am looking forward to developing and practicing this skill! Calligraphy is something I have wanted to learn how to do for a long time, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn it now! 

[haleyl20]

Learning Python Basics Week #4

*Information from: codeacademy.com*

Slicing Lists and Strings: 

Definition! Strings- a list of characters. Remember to begin counting at zero! 

    example: in a list of three things, [:3] means to grab the first through second items

Inserting Items into a List:  print listtname.insert(1, “ “)     Note: the “1″ is the position of the number in the list/index. The “ “ is the item to be added

“For” Loops

This lets you do an action to everything in the list

Format of “For” Loops: 

for ___(variable)________ in ____(list name)_______: 

Organize/Sort Your List

Use this code: listname.sort( )

Key

This is a big part of building a variable/line of text. Definition: any string or any numbers. Here, you can use the fun brackets! { } 

Example of a key: key 1 = value 1 

Dictionaries: 

You can add things to dictionaries! 

length is represented as len( )

length of dictionary equals the number of key_value pairs 

Code example breakdown: 

print “There are” + str(len(menu)) + “items on the menu.”

“There are” = your sentence 

str = string together lines of code. In this case, the lines are adding key_value pairs to a menu. 

len( ) = length 

(menu) = list name

“items on the menu” = the rest of your sentence 

Format: print _(list name)__[’   ‘] 

This line of code returns information associated with the item in the line of code 

Delete things from a menu: 

del__lsit name__[key_name]

Add something new! 

dict_name[key] = new_value

Remove some stuff! 

listname.remove(”the thing you want to remove”)

Example: add flowers to a grocery list: 

inventory[’flowers’] = [’rice’, ‘apples’, ‘lettuce’]

inventory = the name of the dictionary 

[’flowers’] = what you want to add to your dictionary

[’rice’, ‘apples’, ‘lettuce’] = things already on the list 

Sort the List: 

inventory[’grocery’].sort( )

inventory = dictionary name

[’grocery’] = list name 

.sort( ) = type as is! Remember, we want to sort this list! 

Now, using the example from above, remove “apples” from the grocery list: 

inventory[’grocery’].remove(’apples’)

inventory = dictionary name

[’grocery’] = list name

.remove = the action you want to perform on your list 

(’apples’) = the thing you want to remove from your list

Add a number value to “rice” from above example: 

inventory[’rice’] = inventory[’rice’] + 5

inventory = dictionary name 

[’rice’] = thing you want to add value to 

+ 5 = number you want to associate with [’rice’]

Looping 

Definition! Looping- perform different actions depending on the item, known as “looping through” 

Format for “Looping Through” 

for item in listname

String Looping

string = lists

characters elements

For a “Loop Through” Example: 

“Looping through the prices dictionary” is represented with this line of code: 

for __the thing in your list, ex. food_______ in __dictionary name____

*Remember: for lists, use standard brackets [ ]. The items do not have to be in quotes.*

To create a sum list, do the following: 

def sum(numbers):          *This is a defined function, named sum, with

                                         parameter of a number. *

  total = 0                          Since we haven’t added anything yet, we need to set 

                                         the total to 0.

   for number in numbers: Create a “loop through” for your category that’s being

                                          added, and don’t forget the : 

  total + = number             We are adding our numbers to our total, which is 0

                                          right now. 

return total                        Give us the total! 

print sum(n)                       Final result! 

Note: *I found that I was still having trouble knowing what to name the blanks in the “loop through” formats. It seems like the rules change each time. By “name the blanks,” I am referring to which element of the code to use. Based on the format presented in the lessons, it seemed like the format was: for the thing in your list, for example food in dictionary or list name. However, some of the examples reversed this order, while others confirmed this format. This source (https://www.dataquest.io/blog/python-for-loop-tutorial/) seemed to confirm my format, so I proceeded with this knowledge base. *

List Accessing

Definition! List accessing- reming items from lists.

Removing items from lists: 

n.pop(index)           removes item at index from list, returns to you

n.remove(item)       removes the item itself

del(n[1])                   removes item at index level, but does not return it

follow these commands with: print n, where n is the list name.

Example: 

If needing to write a function, structure it as so: def string_function( )

Remember: “string concatenation” is just putting two elements together, like so: return n + ‘hello’

Python Learning Reflection: 

I selected Python as my learning technology, because I wanted to strengthen my knowledge of coding. I do not have any prior experience with coding, other than a few basic programs for digitizing, such as ffmpeg. While I learned many basic skills for python, I also realized several things about my learning process: 

1. I learn best when I interact with the material in a variety of ways. Hearing someone explain a concept, coupled with practice exercise I can complete on my own, is most helpful for my learning experience. 

2. Since my knowledge of coding is basic, I needed even more step-by-step explanations for Python. For example, I would have benefitted from a basic coding structure breakdown at the beginning of each new concept. Since I did not come into this project knowing the basics, I tried to do a breakdown of each code, but had to rely on my notes or outside sources for explanations for why the code was structured the way it was. 

3. I overestimated how much I could reasonably accomplish on codeacademy.com. While the website proclaimed the module would take 25 hours, I found that I spent much longer with each lesson, and therefore did not complete the codeacademy.com “Learn Python” course. Despite this, I gained a strong foundation for Python.

4. There were moments when I became frustrated at my lack of knowledge. However, I had to remind myself several times that it is okay for me to be a beginner, and as long as I was working to expand my knowledge of this concept, mistakes and frustrations were a natural part of learning something new. 

[haleyl20]

Learning Python Basics Week #3

*information from codeacademy.com*

Used https://www.quora.com/What-is-difference-between-a-parameter-and-a-variable-in-programming-languages-like-Python-read-details as a resource

Functions: 

If you’re trying to do an “if yes, say this” / “if no, say this” structure it as follows (s= type of shutdown): 

def shut_down(s): 

   if s == “yes”: 

      return “Shutting down”

    elif s == “no”: 

       return “Shutdown aborted”

    else: 

        return “Sorry”

Importing Modules: 

How to import the math module: type the following: import math

If you’re needing the square root, or any other specific math function, you can type the sequence as follows: 

       from math import sqrt

       print squat( ) *inside the parenthesis, put the number of your choice

Quick review of : argument, function, and parameters

Function is like a paragraph, argument is like the sentence, parameters are like words.

Function Breakdown: 

def________________( )      1. Define the name of the function with the (parameter mane, ex. num)

    if type ( ) == int or type( ) == float:     2. Type of if/or statement with int or float

        return abs( )                                   3. Give us the absolute value of ( )

    else:                                                   4. else, give us “Nope” 

         return “Nope” 

Using Python to Plan Things

To calculate costs per night: 

def hotel_cost(nights) 

    return 200 * nights 

City/Cost: Structure as follows: 

def plane_ride_cost(city)

    if city == “city name”: 

       return 200

    elif city == “city name”:

       return 450

To Add Costs: 

double(n) = double the return 

triple(n) = triple the return 

add(a, b) = gives sum of a + b

Lists: 

Definition! Type of datatype- here is where you can store a collection of information as a sequence 

Lists joins the group of datatypes we’ve already learned: strings, numbers, booleans

Format of a list: 

list_name = [item_1, item_2]

Index: 

Definition: gives item’s place on the list- helps you find an item on a list

Format: Use brackets! Remember, you begin lists at zero in python! 

Add things to a list: 

To get the number of things on a list, use: 

len(list_name)

Formatting a list example: 

grocery = [ ]

grocery.append(“apples”)

grocery.append(“salt”)

grocery.append(“carrots”)

grocery.append(“pizza”)

list_length = len(grocery)

print “There are %d items on the grocery” %(list_length)

print grocery

List Slicing: 

Definition: When you only want part of a list

create a list named: letters

the subsection is stored in a slice

ex. letters[1:3]

this means the 1 is included in the element, but the 3 is excluded. 

[haleyl20]

Learning Python Basics Week #2

*information from CodeAcademy.com*

Datetime Library

keeps track of when something happened

Command line: 

from dateline import dateline

print dateline.now()

Displaying the Date and Time 

current_year = now.year  

current_month = now.month

current_day = now.day

print now.hour

print now.minute

print now.second

Example line of code: %02d/and%04d/% 

the slash makes it fit mm/dd/yyyy format, while colons print the time. 

Example of date and time:

print ‘%02d/%02/%04d’ % (now.month, now.day, now.year) 

print ‘%02d:%02d:%02d’ % (now.hour, now.minute, now.second)

Control Flow 

this lets us select an outcome once the program provides a selection of outcomes

There are six kinds: 

Equal to (==)

Not equal to (!=)

Less than (<)

Less than or equal to (<=)

Greater than (>)

Greater than or equal to (>=)

Definition! Boolean operators- compare statements. Results in boolean values. 

Three kinds of boolean operators: 

and (checks if both statements are true)

or (checks if at least one of the statements is true)

not (gives the opposite of the statement) 

More information on the three kinds of boolean operators: 

or spits out TRUE if at least one expression in the “or” expression is true

not spits out TRUE for false and FALSE for true

Order of Boolean Operations: 

1. not

2. and

3. or

( ) ensures that what’s inside will be evaluated as its own entity. 

Conditional Statement Syntax 

if (once you check to make sure an expression is TRUE, if will run a specific code. 

Example: (notice the indention on the second line, also called white space)

if 10 < 15

   print “Ten is less than nine” 

Command Line Structure for Conditional Statement Syntax: 

if some function():

   indented line

   indented line (and so on) 

 if/else (gives alternate lines of code depending on the truth of the statement) 

Example of the if/else syntax: 

if 10 < 20: 

    print “This won’t be shared!”

else: 

    print “This will be shared!”

elif (represents “else if,” or otherwise) 

PygLatin

move first letter of the word to end and add “ay” suffix

Strings with Numbers 

Use .isalpha() to make sure the string is just letters, with no numbers included! 

To build a string that includes >, and, .isalpha():

if len(original) > 0 and original .isalpha(): 

   print original 

else:

    print “empty”

Functions 

There are three main parts of a function: 

1. header: includes def keyword, name of function, and parameters of the function

2. comment (this line is optional): explains what a function does

3. body: describes procedures the function carries out. Make sure this is indented! 

Example (follows the three parts):

def greeting_people():

“““Prints ‘Greeting People!’ to the console”””

    print “Greeting People!”

Don’t forget: functions must be called to work! 

Square

Definition! Arguments- the values of the parameters that are passed into a function. Arguments are when you are using the function. 

Definition! Parameters- defining a function, what placeholder variables are called. 

Note: when asked to define something, use def at the beginning of the code

Sample Line Structure: 

def_________:

   return 

OR 

def_________:

   if_________:

     return_________

  else________:

     return_________

Definition! Module- file that contains definitions (for example, variables and functions). You can use them once imported. 

For importing the math functions, use “import math”

Definition! Function Import - pulling in a single function from a module 

Universal import line of code: 

from module import *

Here, “module” can mean whatever file you want to run, such as “math”

[haleyl20]

Project #1: Learning Python Basics January 29, 2020

Resources:

I am learning the basics of Python through a free online course on CodeAcademy

(https://www.codecademy.com/learn).

Helpful blogs/subreddits for learning Python and Python introduction:

https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/comments/609p5x/selftaught_people_how_did_you_learn_python/

https://stxnext.com/blog/2019/06/17/top-10-blogs-python/

https://www.codecademy.com/forum_questions/5170307264a7402d9a0012f5 (used to answer: what is dot notion?)

Today’s Goal:

As the Learning Python class is divided into different lessons, my goal for January 29 is to complete the following lessons:

Python Syntax

Strings and Console output

Conditionals

Personal Notes: Python Syntax*

*Notes based on information contained in the “Python Syntax” lesson via CodeAcademy

Basic format for commands: print “ ”

Definition: Strings: Text in python. Linked by “ ”, or you can add strings together with a plus sign, ex. “ ” + “ ”

Example:  print “Hello ” + “Haley”

Error Messages:

SyntaxError = Mismatched quotes

NameError = No quotes

Definition: Variables: Things subject to change. Example: the date, greeting message, etc.

Arithmetic: You can enter arithmetic command lines into Python, and it will generate an answer. This involves naming new variables for different parts of a math problem and writing the command line in the correct way

One issue I faced while trying to execute this task was assigning the word “product” to a multiplication problem. Doing so didn’t seem to yield a result for the math problem, although the command line looked and was correct.

Instead of using “product” to delineate my answer, I switched back to the standard python command line, “print” to achieve my desired result.

Comments: a # (no space after the #) adds information for you (a human) to read that it (a computer) cannot. These comments can help explain what you were intending to do at the time you created the code.

Numbers:

Definition: Integer: whole number, no decimal

Definition: Float: a number with a decimal point

*Note: “print out” means type the command as print space “command” Additionally, the command is the variable you want to run.*

*Note: begin every command with print space “variable”

Division

Write out division problems that result in an integer answer as 6/2

If there is a remainder, write it as quotient = 7./2 or float(7)/2

Multi-line Strings: If you want one line of text to be spread across many lines, use triple quotes

Definition: Booleans: a true/false integer

a = True = 0

b = False = 1

ValueError

Let’s talk datatypes! Using 4 as an example, here are the different ways to represent that number:

4 = integar

4. = float

“4” = string

Converting between datatypes:

Integer to string is +str()

String to numeric:  +int()

If integer is a float, follow this example:

string_num = “7.5”

print int(string_num)

print float(string_num)