- The sound of a baby's laugh- No matter how bad my day is there is just something about how sweet a baby's laugh sounds that can always cheer me up.
- Robins- I always love seeing the first robin after a long dreary winter because it means spring is soon to come and the world will brighten up again.
- Hair Dye- I have never liked the natural color of my hair, but thanks to hair dye, I am able to have whatever color I want.
- Red potatoes- I love cooking with these in stews and with roasts. I love how they absorb flavors and become the most delicious part of a dish.
- My Pepper grinder- fresh ground pepper is so much more potent and flavorful than the stuff you buy in the store.
- Hoodie Sweatshirts- I have about half a dozen BSU sweatshirts that I love to wear whenever the weather is a little chilly outside but not cold enough for a coat.
- Clocks- this one is pretty self explanatory. How would we ever get anywhere on time without clocks.
- Sunscreen- With summer coming up, I really need to make sure i apply plenty of sunscreen because I tend to burn.
- Olive oil- This one is for two reasons: i love cooking with it and it is a great treatment for sunburns when i forget to wear sunscreen.
- My new Bread knife- until recently, I did not have a bread knife and had to attempt to cut bread with either a chef's knife or a steak knife. Trust me when i say that neither is appropriate for cutting bread.
- Jeans- Who doesn't love jeans? They're comfy and durable.
- Posters- the quick and easy way to add some color and fun to boring white walls.
- Showers- most people don't believe me when I tell them that my family did not have a working shower til I was 17. Trust me, when you go from taking baths every day to having the convenience of a shower, you truly appreciate how nice a shower is.
- Winco- Another two reason one: They gave my mom a great job and treat her well and they are cheap and convenient for all my grocery needs
- Shaving cream- lets face it, shaving would really suck if we always got razor burn from not having shaving cream.
- Mirrors- they keep me from going outside with my hair sticking up in the morning.
- Stop lights- without them, there would likely be a lot more car wrecks.
- Oven mitts- I found the cutest pink and white polka dot oven mitts the other day. Not only are they cute, but they also keep me from burning myself .
- Colored Pens- I always hated taking notes with boring black pens. Colored pens kept me more interested.
- Coupons- I have gotten some pretty kick ass deals with coupons lately which have saved me a lot of money.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Things to be thankful for: Week 2
Once again I am posting 20 things to be thankful for this week.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Sweet and savory breads
Last week when i baked bread I realized that baking bread is actually cheaper than buying really nice bread in the store and it tastes oh so good. So I set a personal goal for myself and I am going to try to bake some kind of bread at least once a week. When I told my hubby this, he looked like a child who was told Christmas would be coming twice this year. Anyone who knows my husband can attest to the fact that he has something of a bread addiction. I swear he would eat bread for every meal if he could. Now that I have already baked the basic white bread that I grew up on, I wanted to challenge myself to come up with other types of bread.
The cinnamon bread is on the left and the garlic cheese is on the right
My first choice for today was easy. Ever since childhood, the bread aisle in the grocery store has always been my favorite. While some kids begged their parents for cookies in the cookie aisle, I couldn't wait for the moment we entered the bread aisle and I could breathe in the aroma of cinnamon bread. Even now I still love to make that trip down the aisle simple for the smell itself. My one problem is that I absolutely hate raisins. So while I have always loved to smell cinnamon bread, i have never bought it because stores tend to fill it with the very thing I detest. i set the goal for myself to make a bread that smelled just as delicious but was tasty as well. Since I didn't want raisins I decided to make cinnamon chocolate chip bread because how can you go wrong with chocolate?
I knew this bread would be sweet and I didn't only want to make sweet bread so this week is a two bread week. For something savory, I designed a garlic cheese bread that could be delicious alone or as part of a sandwich.
For the dough I started with the basic white bread dough I made last week. I made it exactly the same until I reached the point where I divided it in half. That is when I changed each loaf to make one sweet and one savory.
Cinnamon chocolate chip bread
Ingredients
Half of the white bread dough
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
handful dark chocolate chips
handful semisweet chocolate chips
melted butter
Directions
1. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl
2. Roll out dough to about a 18 inch by nine inch rectangle.
3. lightly brush with butter and spread cinnamon and sugar over entire thing. press chocolate chips into dough.
4. roll up tightly. fold ends under and place in greased bread pan. brush with butter. let rise 30-50 minutes.
5. bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. brush with more butter and let cool before removing from pan.
Garlic cheese bread
Ingredients
Half of white bread dough
4-5 garlic cloves
grated cheese of choice (i used cheddar and monterey jack)
Directions
1. Roll dough to a 9 by 18 inch rectangle.
2. Mince garlic until it becomes almost a paste and spread on dough. sprinkle with cheese.
3. Roll tightly. Fold ends under and place in greased bread pan. Press cheese into top. Let rise 30-50 minutes.
4. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until turns golden brown and cheese on top gets crispy. let cool before removing from bread pan.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Chicken Alfredo Calzones
The other day I was at Ross which is one of my absolute favorite stores. I decided to browse through the cooking supplies to see if I could find some cake pans for this new cake I have been wanting to bake. I didn't find the right pans, but I did find this set of dough presses. Looking at the examples on the box, I started day dreaming about all the possibilities that could arise from having these presses to help form the perfect shape. I quickly bought them and headed home to start experimenting.
I brought out the trusty Betty Crocker Cook book and started skimming the pages. That's when I landed on the pizza dough recipe that I watched my mom make countless times as a child and an idea was formed: Calzones. Now I enjoy the basic types of pizza such as pepperoni and sausage as much as the next person, but i usually prefer to make a more sophisticated pizza so I chose to make my favorite type of pizza into a calzone and the chicken alfredo calzones were invented.
When these came out of the oven, steaming and golden brown, I could almost see my husband's mouth begin to water. He quickly scarfed down a couple before he decided he was too full to move. And of course he had to try the leftovers later and these are just as good cold as they are hot.
Chicken Alfredo Calzones
Ingredients
Dough
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Filling
One cooked chicken breast cut into small pieces
1/4 cut chopped onion
1/2 - 1 cup alfredo sauce
1 cup cheese
Directions
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in medium bowl
2. stir in remaining ingredients. you may have to kneed the dough a bit to work them all together. let rest five minutes
3. form into six equal circles of dough and fill with other ingredients.
4. moisten edges of circles. Fold over and press together using a dough press or your hands.
4. brush with melted butter and bake at 425 for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
I brought out the trusty Betty Crocker Cook book and started skimming the pages. That's when I landed on the pizza dough recipe that I watched my mom make countless times as a child and an idea was formed: Calzones. Now I enjoy the basic types of pizza such as pepperoni and sausage as much as the next person, but i usually prefer to make a more sophisticated pizza so I chose to make my favorite type of pizza into a calzone and the chicken alfredo calzones were invented.
When these came out of the oven, steaming and golden brown, I could almost see my husband's mouth begin to water. He quickly scarfed down a couple before he decided he was too full to move. And of course he had to try the leftovers later and these are just as good cold as they are hot.
Chicken Alfredo Calzones
Ingredients
Dough
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Filling
One cooked chicken breast cut into small pieces
1/4 cut chopped onion
1/2 - 1 cup alfredo sauce
1 cup cheese
Directions
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in medium bowl
2. stir in remaining ingredients. you may have to kneed the dough a bit to work them all together. let rest five minutes
3. form into six equal circles of dough and fill with other ingredients.
4. moisten edges of circles. Fold over and press together using a dough press or your hands.
4. brush with melted butter and bake at 425 for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Pork Fried Rice
The other day, I told my sister in law that I was going to make fried rice and she looked at me in amazement. "YOU know how to make fried rice?" she questioned as if it were some great feat that only the brave attempt to do. When I told her that it is one of the easiest things I know how to cook she didn't believe me. What I can never believe is that most people react in this way when they find out that I can make fried rice. My husband's coworkers didn't believe him that his wife was white after he brought it to work with him one day. Even when he showed them a picture of me, they thought he must be joking.
I actually don't remember when I learned how to make fried rice because I've been making it most of my life. I would like to give you a link to the recipe, but my mother made up the recipe a long time ago. For years my mom searched for a fried rice recipe similar to that of her favorite restaurant Jade's Chopstick, but alas, no recipe was to be found. Finally, she set out to make her own recipe and I feel she succeeded in making one which is almost as good as the fried rice at Jade's.
You can use this as a side dish if you make something like sweet and sour pork, but I prefer just eating a big bowl of this by itself. I apologize for the quality of my camera, I only had my phone with me to take a picture that day.
Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
3 cups instant rice
3 or 4 eggs
6 or 7 green onions, chopped
several slices of ham, cut into small pieces
salt
pepper
soy sauce
olive oil
Directions
1. Cook the instant rice to the directions on the box. If you have time, make it before you plan to make the friend rice and cool it in the fridge for a while. this will keep it from sticking together when you cook it.
2. Put about two tablespoons olive oil in a hot frying pan and scramble the eggs in it.
3. When the eggs are cooked add the rice, ham, and green onions. Stir in a little more olive oil and a few dashes of soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook the rice, stirring occassionally until it starts to brown. If you like lots of soy sauce, feel free to add more as the rice cooks. Serve as a side or by itself.
I actually don't remember when I learned how to make fried rice because I've been making it most of my life. I would like to give you a link to the recipe, but my mother made up the recipe a long time ago. For years my mom searched for a fried rice recipe similar to that of her favorite restaurant Jade's Chopstick, but alas, no recipe was to be found. Finally, she set out to make her own recipe and I feel she succeeded in making one which is almost as good as the fried rice at Jade's.
You can use this as a side dish if you make something like sweet and sour pork, but I prefer just eating a big bowl of this by itself. I apologize for the quality of my camera, I only had my phone with me to take a picture that day.
Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
3 cups instant rice
3 or 4 eggs
6 or 7 green onions, chopped
several slices of ham, cut into small pieces
salt
pepper
soy sauce
olive oil
Directions
1. Cook the instant rice to the directions on the box. If you have time, make it before you plan to make the friend rice and cool it in the fridge for a while. this will keep it from sticking together when you cook it.
2. Put about two tablespoons olive oil in a hot frying pan and scramble the eggs in it.
3. When the eggs are cooked add the rice, ham, and green onions. Stir in a little more olive oil and a few dashes of soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook the rice, stirring occassionally until it starts to brown. If you like lots of soy sauce, feel free to add more as the rice cooks. Serve as a side or by itself.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Pool Party Pasta Salad
On Saturday, I decided to try a new recipe for Pasta Primavera that my friend Jessica Posted on her blog, The Learning Curve. That was the first time I had ever cooked with asparagus and I absolutely loved it. With asparagus and tomatoes left over, I went in search of something I could cook for dinner last night that would be nice and light since summer always makes me detest really heavy foods.
During my search, I was truly happy that we have google. Instead of pooring over cookbooks, I was able to type in asparagus salad and instantly had thousands of recipes vying for my attention. The one that caught my eye was a pasta salad wich I had most of the ingredients for that also used an ingredient I hed never used before. In search of feta cheese, I rode my bike to the grocery store. This is when I discovered that winco only sells one brand of feta cheese. I guess this is lucky since I honestly had no clue how to pick good feta.
After adapting the recipe a bit to fit our tastes, I found my favorite pasta salad dish. This is probably going to be on the menu for all our BBQs this summer. You can find the original recipe here, but I will include my adaptation as well.
Pool Party Pasta Salad
During my search, I was truly happy that we have google. Instead of pooring over cookbooks, I was able to type in asparagus salad and instantly had thousands of recipes vying for my attention. The one that caught my eye was a pasta salad wich I had most of the ingredients for that also used an ingredient I hed never used before. In search of feta cheese, I rode my bike to the grocery store. This is when I discovered that winco only sells one brand of feta cheese. I guess this is lucky since I honestly had no clue how to pick good feta.
After adapting the recipe a bit to fit our tastes, I found my favorite pasta salad dish. This is probably going to be on the menu for all our BBQs this summer. You can find the original recipe here, but I will include my adaptation as well.
Pool Party Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
- 1 cup broccoli florets (I used fresh, but frozen would work too)
- 8 ounces fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and chopped
- 8 ounces diced cooked chicken breast meat
- 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup Italian salad dressing, or as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add broccoli florets and asparagus to the boiling water during the last 5 minutes. Drain, and run under cold water to cool.
- In a large serving bowl, stir together the diced chicken, kidney beans, black olives, green pepper, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and Italian dressing. Stir in the pasta, broccoli and asparagus. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This salad is best if chilled for a couple of hours before serving. You may want to add a little more italian dressing right before serving. It tends to dry out in the fridge.
Julianna
One of the goals I set myself for after graduation was to get back into reading more for fun. When I was younger, I used to love curling up with a good book and losing myself for a few hours, but unfortunately college took over my reading time. The time that I used to look forward to became a time that I dreaded as novels were replaced with textbooks and articles. Luckily, I can now reclaim that time and read whatever I would like to.
A few days ago, I went to a yard sale in search of some reading material since I had not bought a new novel in years. Seeing a table of paperbacks marked 5 for a dollar, I decided to grab a couple I hadn't heard of to start off my summer reading. I have decided to post a review of every book I read on here so that others can know more about them, this is the first of many such posts.
Name: Julianna
Author: Judith Nelson
Genre: Victorian Romance
Rating : 5 out of 10
While this book was well written, it lacked a very exciting plotline. From the first few pages, it reminded me highly of Pride and Prejudice and I knew exactly how it ould end. Like pride and prejudice, this is a novel about how the headstrong heroine of the story falls for the man who infuriates her more than anyone else. Unlike Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, however, Julianna does not have a controlling mother who is attempting to marry her off for money. Julianna and her mother are left enough of a fortune from her late father that they can be comfortable for the rest of their lives even if she never marries. Julianna does have a rather annoying great aunt who reminds me highly of Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.
Overall, this book was not really my type. I was not a fan of pride and prejudice either. I have a feeling that anyone who enjoyed one would probably enjoy the other. Hopefully for me, some of the other books I picked will be more appealing to my tastes.
A few days ago, I went to a yard sale in search of some reading material since I had not bought a new novel in years. Seeing a table of paperbacks marked 5 for a dollar, I decided to grab a couple I hadn't heard of to start off my summer reading. I have decided to post a review of every book I read on here so that others can know more about them, this is the first of many such posts.
Name: Julianna
Author: Judith Nelson
Genre: Victorian Romance
Rating : 5 out of 10
While this book was well written, it lacked a very exciting plotline. From the first few pages, it reminded me highly of Pride and Prejudice and I knew exactly how it ould end. Like pride and prejudice, this is a novel about how the headstrong heroine of the story falls for the man who infuriates her more than anyone else. Unlike Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, however, Julianna does not have a controlling mother who is attempting to marry her off for money. Julianna and her mother are left enough of a fortune from her late father that they can be comfortable for the rest of their lives even if she never marries. Julianna does have a rather annoying great aunt who reminds me highly of Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.
Overall, this book was not really my type. I was not a fan of pride and prejudice either. I have a feeling that anyone who enjoyed one would probably enjoy the other. Hopefully for me, some of the other books I picked will be more appealing to my tastes.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Things to be thankful for: Week 1
I realize that I have so many things in life to be thankful for, so I set a goal for myself. Every week I want to find 20 new things to be thankful for in my life and I am going to record them each week in a blog.
#1- Our loving God: he truly has had such an impact in my life in the last year and I am eternally thankful for that.
#2- My husband: I feel truly lucky to have a husband that is as loving and accepting as mine. He doesn't just put up with my quirks, he embraces them. I love how I can really be myself around him and it makes us love each other even more.
#3- My Best Friend Jorge: We're the kind of friends that can call each other in the middle of the night and the other one would come help, no matter what. I can literally say that Jorge saved my life. I owe so much to him and I know that we will always remain a part of each others lives.
#4-Warm chocolate chip cookies: who can resist the delicious gooey warmth of a chocolate chip cookie that just came out of the oven. No matter how bad my day has been, these always manage to brighten my outlook on life.
#5- Cell phones: Although I sometimes have a love hate relationship with mine and threaten to through it out the window, I realize just how handy cell phones are. I love that I know I can always call someone for help if I need to. And they're pretty fun to distract myself with when I'm bored as well.
#6- Books: Even though you can find anything from a book online these days, I will never go completely digital. There's something so comforting about curling up in bed with a good book on a cold winter day or when I am feeling sick. I could never get used to one of those digital readers that you can get now, I find the feel and smell of a book too enticing to give up for the ease of reading any book I want on a single screen.
#7- Roses: When I was growing up, I watched as my mother slowly developed a gorgeous rose garden in our back yard. I grew to love the sweet smell that wafted through the air as they bloomed and the feel of the delicate petals against my skin. For as long as I can remember, roses have been my absolute favorite flower, so much so that I now have a tattoo of one.
#8- Disney Movies- Even though I have graduated from college, I'm still a kid at heart that enjoys a good disney movie. I prefer the classics that I grew up with like beauty and the beast, but I also enjoy a good new one occasionally like Gnomeo and Juliet. They're just some good clean fun that everyone can enjoy.
#9- My camera: I just have a basic digital camera, nothing fancy. But I love this camera because it is easy to use and I have captured so many memorable moments because I had it. I love being able to share my pictures with others.
#10- Scholarships: My entire life, I wanted to go to college, but I knew one thing could stand in my way: money. My family has never been rich and I knew that although they would love to help me pay for school, they wouldn't be able to. Through all my hard work in highschool, I was fortunate enough to earn enough scholarships to pay for my college. Because of this, I have managed to graduate free from student loans.
#11- Shoes: While some people love going barefoot during the summer, i have never been one of those people. I hate going barefoot. I am very grateful to always have shoes to cover my feet or to keep them warm when the weather is nasty.
#12- Sunshine: I just love spending time outside on days like today when the sun shines down and brightens the world up.
#13- Recipes: I may not be a world class chef who can make up their own dishes whenever they want to, but I know that with a recipe by my side, I can create anything that I desire. I love trying new recipes.
#14- Egyptian cotton sheets: When I upgraded to a queen size bed from my childhood twin, I realized that I would need to go sheet shopping for the first time in my life. I saw some Egyptian cotton sheets in the store and I remembered hearing the name on a movie once so I decided to get them. For anyone who has never tried them, they should because I discovered that they feel like sleeping on a cloud.
#15- Christmas Socks: Every year, my mom and I give each other goofy christmas socks. I end up wearing them year round and they always remind me of my mom and how much I love her.
#16- Zebra print: I don't know what started my fascination with Zebra Print, but it is my favorite print. I love how you can get so many fun things with this print on them. I like it so much that my wedding cake was pink and black zebra print.
#17- My Bicycle: Since I do not have my driver's license yet, my bike is my transportation whenever I am going somewhere alone. I love how my bike is useful in that aspect but can also be so fun when I just want to go for a relaxing ride to nowhere in particular.
#18- My wedding ring tattoo: When my husband and I decided to get married, I told him that I do not like rings with anything sticking out of them. So we considered just having bands, but then I came up with the idea of getting tattoos. This was my first tattoo and definitely my most painful, but I am so glad I did it. No matter where I am or what I am doing, It will always be there. I don't have to worry about losing it or having my fingers swell so it doesn't fit.
#19: Fingernail polish: I have this bad habit of chewing on my fingernails. I have tried to stop so many times but I end up doing it anyway. The one thing that keeps me from doing it is fingernail polish. Plus it comes in so many fun colors.
#20- My favorite comfy pink sweats- whether I'm not feeling good, going to bed, or just wanting to be comfortable, I love these pink sweats that my mom gave me for christmas a few years ago. I hope they last for a really long time because I will defintely be sad when they wear out.
So those are the twenty things that I chose to highlight this week out of the many things that I am thankful for. Some of them are serious, and some of them are funny, but they all do affect my life in some way or another.
#1- Our loving God: he truly has had such an impact in my life in the last year and I am eternally thankful for that.
#2- My husband: I feel truly lucky to have a husband that is as loving and accepting as mine. He doesn't just put up with my quirks, he embraces them. I love how I can really be myself around him and it makes us love each other even more.
#3- My Best Friend Jorge: We're the kind of friends that can call each other in the middle of the night and the other one would come help, no matter what. I can literally say that Jorge saved my life. I owe so much to him and I know that we will always remain a part of each others lives.
#4-Warm chocolate chip cookies: who can resist the delicious gooey warmth of a chocolate chip cookie that just came out of the oven. No matter how bad my day has been, these always manage to brighten my outlook on life.
#5- Cell phones: Although I sometimes have a love hate relationship with mine and threaten to through it out the window, I realize just how handy cell phones are. I love that I know I can always call someone for help if I need to. And they're pretty fun to distract myself with when I'm bored as well.
#6- Books: Even though you can find anything from a book online these days, I will never go completely digital. There's something so comforting about curling up in bed with a good book on a cold winter day or when I am feeling sick. I could never get used to one of those digital readers that you can get now, I find the feel and smell of a book too enticing to give up for the ease of reading any book I want on a single screen.
#7- Roses: When I was growing up, I watched as my mother slowly developed a gorgeous rose garden in our back yard. I grew to love the sweet smell that wafted through the air as they bloomed and the feel of the delicate petals against my skin. For as long as I can remember, roses have been my absolute favorite flower, so much so that I now have a tattoo of one.
#8- Disney Movies- Even though I have graduated from college, I'm still a kid at heart that enjoys a good disney movie. I prefer the classics that I grew up with like beauty and the beast, but I also enjoy a good new one occasionally like Gnomeo and Juliet. They're just some good clean fun that everyone can enjoy.
#9- My camera: I just have a basic digital camera, nothing fancy. But I love this camera because it is easy to use and I have captured so many memorable moments because I had it. I love being able to share my pictures with others.
#10- Scholarships: My entire life, I wanted to go to college, but I knew one thing could stand in my way: money. My family has never been rich and I knew that although they would love to help me pay for school, they wouldn't be able to. Through all my hard work in highschool, I was fortunate enough to earn enough scholarships to pay for my college. Because of this, I have managed to graduate free from student loans.
#11- Shoes: While some people love going barefoot during the summer, i have never been one of those people. I hate going barefoot. I am very grateful to always have shoes to cover my feet or to keep them warm when the weather is nasty.
#12- Sunshine: I just love spending time outside on days like today when the sun shines down and brightens the world up.
#13- Recipes: I may not be a world class chef who can make up their own dishes whenever they want to, but I know that with a recipe by my side, I can create anything that I desire. I love trying new recipes.
#14- Egyptian cotton sheets: When I upgraded to a queen size bed from my childhood twin, I realized that I would need to go sheet shopping for the first time in my life. I saw some Egyptian cotton sheets in the store and I remembered hearing the name on a movie once so I decided to get them. For anyone who has never tried them, they should because I discovered that they feel like sleeping on a cloud.
#15- Christmas Socks: Every year, my mom and I give each other goofy christmas socks. I end up wearing them year round and they always remind me of my mom and how much I love her.
#16- Zebra print: I don't know what started my fascination with Zebra Print, but it is my favorite print. I love how you can get so many fun things with this print on them. I like it so much that my wedding cake was pink and black zebra print.
#17- My Bicycle: Since I do not have my driver's license yet, my bike is my transportation whenever I am going somewhere alone. I love how my bike is useful in that aspect but can also be so fun when I just want to go for a relaxing ride to nowhere in particular.
#18- My wedding ring tattoo: When my husband and I decided to get married, I told him that I do not like rings with anything sticking out of them. So we considered just having bands, but then I came up with the idea of getting tattoos. This was my first tattoo and definitely my most painful, but I am so glad I did it. No matter where I am or what I am doing, It will always be there. I don't have to worry about losing it or having my fingers swell so it doesn't fit.
#19: Fingernail polish: I have this bad habit of chewing on my fingernails. I have tried to stop so many times but I end up doing it anyway. The one thing that keeps me from doing it is fingernail polish. Plus it comes in so many fun colors.
#20- My favorite comfy pink sweats- whether I'm not feeling good, going to bed, or just wanting to be comfortable, I love these pink sweats that my mom gave me for christmas a few years ago. I hope they last for a really long time because I will defintely be sad when they wear out.
So those are the twenty things that I chose to highlight this week out of the many things that I am thankful for. Some of them are serious, and some of them are funny, but they all do affect my life in some way or another.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
My First Bread
Today was a very special day for me: I made bread for the very first time. When I was growing up, I was lucky enough to have a stay at home mom who was talented in all the ways that a mom could be. She grew her own fruits and veggies, sewed clothes for me and my dolls, made me plastic canvas barbie furniture, knitted me hats and gloves, and cooked and baked some of the most amazing food. One of the things I remember most from my childhood was a tattered old red Betty Crocker cook book that I loved to put stickers on while my mom was cooking. From this cookbook, my mom created a plethera of delicious goodies including homemade bread, pies, cobblers, biscuits, cookies, and casseroles. I don't remember anything coming out of that book that I did not love.
A while back when I was at a used store, I browsed through the books not looking for anything in particular. That's when I spotted it. I found my very own copy of that beloved cook book from my childhood. That was when I set the challenge for myself: to make my very own homemade bread. Now I had watched my mom make it countless times as a child, but could I reproduce that delight in my own kitchen without my mom there to help me?
I decided that today was the day to go for it. And boy am I glad I did. After making my arms sore with kneading and boiling as I turned on the heat in my apartment for it to be in a warm environment while rising, and hours of waiting, I have produced two beautifully golden loaves of bread. They plumped out of the pans just as they were supposed to and reached that deep golden color I remember so well from my childhood. It's amazing how something as simple as bread can give me such a feeling of accomplishment.
Traditional White Bread
6 to 7 cups all-purpose or bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 packages active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups very warm water (120° to 130°)
Margarine or butter, melted
1. Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast in large bowl. Add warm water. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.
2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 or 9 x 5 x 3 inches, with shortening.
4. Punch down dough and divide in half. Flatten each half with hands or rolling pin into rectangle, 18 x 9 inches, on lightly floured surface. Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side, to form a loaf. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Press each end with side of hand to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in pan. Brush loaves lightly with margarine. Cover and let rise in warm place 25 to 50 minutes or until double.
5. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire rack. Brush loaves with margarine; cool.
From "Betty Crocker's Cookbook." Text Copyright 1991 General Mills.
A while back when I was at a used store, I browsed through the books not looking for anything in particular. That's when I spotted it. I found my very own copy of that beloved cook book from my childhood. That was when I set the challenge for myself: to make my very own homemade bread. Now I had watched my mom make it countless times as a child, but could I reproduce that delight in my own kitchen without my mom there to help me?
I decided that today was the day to go for it. And boy am I glad I did. After making my arms sore with kneading and boiling as I turned on the heat in my apartment for it to be in a warm environment while rising, and hours of waiting, I have produced two beautifully golden loaves of bread. They plumped out of the pans just as they were supposed to and reached that deep golden color I remember so well from my childhood. It's amazing how something as simple as bread can give me such a feeling of accomplishment.
Traditional White Bread
6 to 7 cups all-purpose or bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 packages active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups very warm water (120° to 130°)
Margarine or butter, melted
1. Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast in large bowl. Add warm water. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.
2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 or 9 x 5 x 3 inches, with shortening.
4. Punch down dough and divide in half. Flatten each half with hands or rolling pin into rectangle, 18 x 9 inches, on lightly floured surface. Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side, to form a loaf. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Press each end with side of hand to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in pan. Brush loaves lightly with margarine. Cover and let rise in warm place 25 to 50 minutes or until double.
5. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire rack. Brush loaves with margarine; cool.
From "Betty Crocker's Cookbook." Text Copyright 1991 General Mills.
Friday, May 20, 2011
The Start of a New Chapter
On May 14, 2011, I ended a chapter in my life. On that day, I sat in a crowded gym for two hours, filed into an arena, sat there for two more hours, and waited for everyone to file out before I could leave. Sounds like torture huh? Well, it was definitely something close to that, but it was a torture I had been waiting for most of my life. That was the day I graduated from college. So now that I officially have graduated with my Bachelore's Degree in Psychology with a Gender Studies minor, a common question passing everone's lips is "What now?"
I feel like my whole life has been leading up to the moment when it would finally begin and now that moment is here. I decided to start this blog as a way to share my adventures after graduation. Perhaps it is also because a small part of me already misses the deadlines, the writing late into the night, and everything that comes with earning a college degree.
Well first on my list of things to accomplish is to earn my driver's license. My parents gave me my own car for graduation, but there's one small problem: I never got my license. While a part of me is tempted to just let my husband remain my chauffer, I realize that most of the careers I am considering do require a license. So for the meantime, I am working at my current part time job as a community support worker until I earn my license and can get a real full time grown up job. :-)
I also plan on accomplishing things I never had time to do during college. This list of items include: relearning to play the piano, reading for fun, learning to decorate cakes, finding more time to cook from scratch, clearing out some of the clutter I have accumulated over the years, learning to bake bread, and working out more. Hopefully i can accomplish all of those and more.
My goals for this blog are to keep a record of my progress. I will try to post one new recipe a week and review one book that I have read each month as well as just general information about my life.
I feel like my whole life has been leading up to the moment when it would finally begin and now that moment is here. I decided to start this blog as a way to share my adventures after graduation. Perhaps it is also because a small part of me already misses the deadlines, the writing late into the night, and everything that comes with earning a college degree.
Well first on my list of things to accomplish is to earn my driver's license. My parents gave me my own car for graduation, but there's one small problem: I never got my license. While a part of me is tempted to just let my husband remain my chauffer, I realize that most of the careers I am considering do require a license. So for the meantime, I am working at my current part time job as a community support worker until I earn my license and can get a real full time grown up job. :-)
I also plan on accomplishing things I never had time to do during college. This list of items include: relearning to play the piano, reading for fun, learning to decorate cakes, finding more time to cook from scratch, clearing out some of the clutter I have accumulated over the years, learning to bake bread, and working out more. Hopefully i can accomplish all of those and more.
My goals for this blog are to keep a record of my progress. I will try to post one new recipe a week and review one book that I have read each month as well as just general information about my life.
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