Retrospective

I don't want to get super wordy with this post, but I do want to make some attempt at summing up my feelings about the turning of one year to another. It may be an arbitrary way to count time, but it does give us the opportunity to take stock of things once a year, so that's what I'm attempting to do.

When I think of this year I think a series of whining/complaining thoughts (self-involved ones), simultaneously with a series of grateful thoughts for the good fortune I have had in my life. The good fortune is put in an even brighter perspective by all the problems faced by so many in this world, along with some specific situations that acquaintances and friends have been through this year. Laura posted a blog post about the beginning of 2011, and her life was tragically cut short before the year ended. She was only 27. I still can't believe she's really gone sometimes, and thinking of her is a reminder that no one's health is guaranteed - me, my husband, my close family and friends. Similarly, a classmate of hubby's who is also good friends with a couple I'm close to, was badly injured in combat in November. He lost both his legs, has received hundreds of units of blood, and is continuously engaged in a battle to heal the rest of his body - a battle that will last years based on what I've read from his family. Speaking of the family, despite all the hardship, their posts are full of gratitude for the well wishes they've received and the ability to be with their son while he heals.

So while this year wasn't the best ever if I'm being frank, there are so many ways that it was far from the worst ever. I am trying to keep perspective, when all is said and done. Not every year can be fantastic. 2010 was such a blockbuster year, as hubby likes to say. I did my last semester of college, graduated, got married three weeks later, honeymooned with hubby, moved to a new place, and got the chance to spend each weekend with him for the rest of the year, and spent Christmas here in the northeast with him and our families. This year, his training threw many, many unwelcome curveballs our way, and he had to go join his unit overseas just as the holiday season started (and so did my final exams). We spent approximately 6-7 weeks living together this year. It's a bummer whenever I think of it that way. So instead, I try to think of it this way: these first couple years are hopefully just 1-2 in the scheme of a decades long marriage. We will hopefully have plenty of Christmases together so that they will vastly outnumber this one that we're apart. Not only that, but we really cherished our time together. November easily takes the prize for best month of the year. The scarcity of time together really ensured that we can't take each other for granted, and despite all the separation I feel blessed to have the husband that I do. Not to get all mushy, but I somehow ended up with a truly wonderful husband, biased though that opinion may be. In a culture where another celebrity couple gets divorced every week and the overall divorce rate is so high, our strong marriage is just another thing to add to my list of blessings.

So with all of that being said, I'm looking forward to hopefully spending more than 6 weeks living together in 2012. There are also visitors to look forward to in the first half of the year - my grandparents in just a few weeks, and some college girlfriends at the end of February. I'll also enjoy going back to school in a lot of respects, in part because I'm a big fan of my classmates, and learning in general. Especially before the part of the semester where exams get all annoying and stressful! I'm looking forward to what will hopefully be an enjoyable internship this summer (details TBD). I'm looking forward to being done with what everyone says is the hardest year of law school, and choosing classes to take in the fall. I'm not sure exactly what else 2012 will bring my way, and hubby's way, and our way together, but it will be fun to find out - I hope!

I haven't so much succeeded on the brevity front, ah well. I guess I'll just say that I don't really have any qualms about leaving 2011 behind, although it did include many good things. I'm welcoming 2012 with open arms and hoping I'll do my part to make the most of it! With that in mind, since I do like to include pictures, I thought I'd include some happy pictures from my life in 2011:

 My first trip to Chicago (February)

More Chicago, to make sure to have one picture that includes A! 

Revisiting college stomping grounds with college friends (March)

Loving that the stomping grounds share a city with the famous cherry blossoms 

Completing my first 5K (May)

 Taking a beach trip with R and C

Visiting M and her family in her hometown (July) 

 Hubby making his first trip out to visit Military Home #2 before moving there (September)

After my second 5K, which I ran in honor of Laura (November)

Back in the northeast for the holidays, picking out a tree with my dad (December)

I am sending out my wishes for a happy and healthy New Year to you all. This little blog of mine has fits and starts, but I enjoy it, so you can be sure that it'll be something I'm taking with me into 2012. Thanks for reading!

Appetizers

My parents recently had a little social gathering, and I wanted to go ahead and share two appetizer recipes that I used. Both seemed to go over well, one in particular. Both recipes are by Giada De Laurentiis, who I trust for pasta recipes, appetizer recipes, and most others as well actually.

1. Tomato Basil Tartlets - I made these on Christmas Day as well for my parents and I, and I used more of my homemade olive tapenade then, which gave the tartlets more of a salty, savory flavor. It was just an overall stronger flavor I suppose. I actually used parchment paper yesterday, and that made the pastry crusts that much more beautiful, golden brown, and easy to work with.

Yesterday's Tartlets

2. Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Prosciutto - Since my parents already had some prosciutto, I figured I'd put it to good use. I also found good Medjool dates at the grocery store, and this appetizer was on its way. It was relatively easy to put together, and it was great at room temperature, which was also helpful. (The tomato tartlets were best fresh out of the oven.) 

Incidentally, this recipe is very similar to one I made during my last year of college at my apartment for a dinner with some friends. In that recipe, I think it was just goat cheese stuffing, the basil was wrapped whole around the dates (rather than chopped up in the filling), and the dates were actually put in the oven to warm up and cook the prosciutto a bit. I liked both versions, but I did particularly enjoy the blend of mascarpone and goat cheese in Giada's recipe that I made yesterday. Either way, the flavor combination of the ingredients is awesome and I highly recommend it. 

Stuffed dates, ready for prosciutto

The final product 

Just wanted to share! I love finding good appetizer recipes because they're generally ones I share when either hosting or bringing something to a party, and few things are more gratifying than getting compliments on the food I make! 

New Kitchen Adventures

I've gotten two lovely food-related Christmas gifts in the past couple days, one is this lovely book, which I think I've been at least sort of desiring for at least a year:

Although one can get most/all of these recipes on PW's website, there's something satisfying about owning the physical book. It's fun to look through and imagine what I can attempt next. :-)

Also, another favorite present wasn't even the actual thing, but a promise from my parents to send it for when I get back to Military Home #2. What is it, you ask? Let me show you...

It's a Hamilton Beach programmable slow cooker!

I'll be honest - in the past, I didn't see the need for a slow cooker. I felt like I made better/good food without one, and it just didn't seem to be something that I'd use that much. Fast forward to now - I see many yummy slow cooker recipes online, AND I lead a busier life than I did last year. Enter, the slow cooker. Now that I know I'll be getting one, I've been busy searching and pinning slow cooker recipes, trying to figure out what yumminess I can cook up when I get back. 

This is where I ask for a favor, readers. If you have any favorite slow cooker recipes, please share them! I'd appreciate it so much - definitely trying to build up my list of recipes to try. Thanks in advance! 

And of course, Merry Christmas. 

Three Years Ago

For Christmas of 2008, hubby came to Italy, where I was studying abroad, to visit for two weeks. It was the best time all year for him to come, so we made it happen. That time together was even more special because he proposed on Christmas Eve while we were together in Venice! Since I had a different blog at that time, I thought I'd revisit the story today.

If my memory serves me correctly, we traveled to Venice on Christmas Eve - though it's possible it was the day before. Regardless, what I do remember is that we went to a lovely dinner that night. The city was relatively empty - and chilly, but it was festive and romantic nonetheless, because we were together. I think I may have had some type of balsamic pasta with scallops - weird to remember that, but I guess it's just an association with a memorable night! Also, let's be honest, I am a bit food-centric.

I don't remember hubby seeming particularly nervous that night, but maybe I was missing something. I did have a feeling he'd propose over the two week time frame (we'd already made those life decisions a few months prior, but never talked about actually getting engaged, or a ring specifically). I guess I wasn't really trying to second guess everything, trying to just let it happen - I also didn't want to have my hopes set on it, just in case he had different plans!

Anyway, to get back to what did actually happen. On our walk home, as we were about to cross the Grand Canal on the Galleria d'Accademia bridge, hubby pulled me over to a railing overlooking the water. As we looked out at the dark canal, I remember him saying a few things about the future and all of that stuff, but honestly I don't remember his exact words, because I just kept thinking, "Oh man, is this it? Is it happening now? Really?" And sure enough, before I knew it, he was down on one knee, holding the ring out to me and asking me to marry him - just the ring, not the ring in the box. I think he didn't want the box in his pocket - too obvious or something.

I could swear to you that I said "yes" - I know I thought it, but apparently I did the silly "Is this really happening?" thing repeatedly. Sigh. Can you really blame me? Something like that takes time to sink in. The ring was too big, but I thoroughly enjoyed looking at it and oohing and ahhing regardless. I should also be sure to point out here that hubby had very sneakily attempted to use a mutual friend to find out my ring size, but I had no idea what my ring size was, so the ring being too big was MY FAULT, NOT HIS! There, that should do him the justice he deserves. :-)

Anyway, we got back to the hotel, made a couple of expensive calls to our parents, and went to sleep a newly engaged happy couple, but not before I insisted we take a picture, one that I treasure to this day!

This is "the spot" - or close to it at least. I went back with my grandparents in May, and as it turns out, there are outdoor tables there in warmer months, so we ate lunch there. :-) 

I think the best word for us and how we felt is "glowy"

A picture of my gorgeous ring after I'd discovered the power of the macro setting on my camera!

It's been three years since that night - I can't decide if it seems like it's been longer or shorter, but it doesn't really matter. It was a special, wonderful time, and a great story to be able to tell. I'll always treasure it, but I also treasure the thought of many many Christmases that I hope we'll spend together in the future. This was the year that officially started it all though, and it was a very special year. We've had two Christmases go by since this one, one engaged and one married, and now we're in different parts of the world. The constant though, is that I love him as much as ever, if not more, and I'm so blessed to have him in my life. I love you hubby and I hope that thinking about the night we got engaged puts a smile on your face the same way it does mine! For everyone else, thanks for reading and indulging in a walk down memory lane. 

Culinary Responsibilities

One of the best ways for me to keep myself occupied at my parents' house is to cook up a storm. It's an ideal situation for everyone, as I have something I enjoy to do, and an audience to cook for. On the other side, my parents generally enjoy what I make for them! In part just to help me keep track, here are a few things I'll be helping with over the next few days:

1. Cinnamon Rolls tomorrow morning - I'm pretty excited to delve into these gooey, warm, soft treats on Christmas morning. They're already assembled in the fridge, so I just have to bake them in the oven and make the icing!

2. My godmother's corn spoon bread - I've made this for the past couple Thanksgivings with hubby and my mom requested I make some for tomorrow's dinner.

3. Cranberry Sauce - I really want to try out making real cranberry sauce, so I bought some cranberries at the store. My mother had found a specific recipe she was curious about, so I'll be making that tomorrow as well.

4. Apple pie filling - my dad is going to make the crust, and I'll be responsible for the filling, and that's for Christmas dessert

5. Tomato Basil Tartlets - I saw Giada make these on television yesterday and they look quite scrumptious! I'm going to make them as a midday appetizer tomorrow to tide us over until our afternoon dinner.

[From Giada's website]

6. Cheesecake with mixed berry sauce - I'm using a Barefoot Contessa recipe that I first tried out in the spring. I love cheesecake, and it's wonderful to make and worked out last time. We'll be bringing this to an extended family gathering the day after Christmas.

[From Food Network's website]

I'm going to be cooking up a storm... and I wouldn't have it any other way! Hopefully I'll be back to recap at least some of this after the holiday. Also, stay tuned later today for a post remembering a very special time in my life, three years ago today!

Home for the Holidays

I made it to my homeland in the northeast successfully! The trip was uneventful, and I'm grateful for that. The most frustrating thing was when I got to the ticket counter before it opened in the morning - which was really a non-issue when all was said and done. Both flights were on time and I was at my destination by midday. My mom picked me up and then I headed home and got to work on our holiday cards, which I'd had delivered here. (As a side note, what with exams and all, I've declared New Year's as "on time" this year.)

Today I slept late, which I needed after only a few hours of sleep the night before I traveled. I had a leisurely morning, then ran some errands in the afternoon, both on my own and with my dad. One of the errands was getting our Christmas tree! My mom was at work, so my dad and I were on our own this year. Living in a different region, I was definitely even more appreciative of the classic Christmas tree growing landscape here.

 A beautiful holiday sight

 My dad cutting the tree down

 Pretty winter sky

I also made dinner for my parents tonight, which is definitely one of their favorite things about having me home (I enjoy it too). I made chicken piccata and butternut squash soup with fontina crostini, both by Giada De Laurentiis. Her chicken piccata is one of my very favorite recipes, and it was as delicious as ever. I also thought the soup turned out well. I used up some squash my mom had on hand, so that was also a bonus! 

I'm enjoying being home so far, it's nice and cozy. There's nothing like a lit tree, Christmas music, and family togetherness to make me feel like Christmas is really around the corner.

The Holiday Spirit

I'm going to start this post off with a little honest moment: the past couple days I've definitely been bumming over the fact that hubby is not around for the holidays. Getting done with exams was fantastic, and I'm glad I built in some time to do things before I fly back to my homeland (the northeast) for the holidays, but the past couple days I've spent possibly too much time alone, while watching Christmas-y stuff on TV, reminding me that the holidays are all about family and spending time with other people... while I'm hanging out by myself. Because of that particular sentiment, I think it will be a huge relief to get there on Monday and see my parents right away and then others as time goes on. The unfortunate thing is, I need to PACK and CLEAN before then, which are not necessarily the most joyous things, but it's go time now.

In the spirit of cheering myself up and looking forward to my time up north, I thought I'd maybe make a list of what I look forward to -

What inspired this post was, as of watching Pioneer Woman's Christmas Special, I've decided I need to try out her cinnamon rolls - they look delicious and calorie-laden and like the perfect way to spread some Christmas cheer.

(Photo from her site at the link above)

A lot of the things I'm looking forward to have to do with food, actually. Sampling some of my parents' wine supply, drinking egg nog, cooking for family and sharing food again. I think I'll also get to go to at least one tasting dinner with my parents (yeah, I'm jealous of their hobbies), and I'll get to be around for my father's birthday. I should hopefully also be able to see some old friends, and take advantage of geography to see a good milspouse friend who lives at Military Home #1. I'm just very ready for the comfort and coziness of being in more familiar territory surrounded by the love of family. There will be a hubby-sized hole present for sure, but it will definitely be an improvement on my current situation, which was meant to be transitional anyhow. 

The meaning of Christmas changes as we get older. This year more than ever for me, it's about being lucky enough to spend time with my family, including hubby's parents and extended family, who I love as another part of my own family I grew up with. I'm sure I'll feel a lot like a kid again, which will be nice. I will also be missing hubby and looking forward to future holidays with him. There's a lot of things going on emotionally, but I'm doing my best to let myself feel whatever I feel while keeping it positive on the whole and embracing all the good things about life right now. My heart goes out in a very new way to all the military families who have spent holidays apart for the past decade or so - I'm sure many of them have done it multiple times. I am lucky enough to see much of my family aside from my husband though, and I'm very appreciative of that. Hubby, I know you read this too, so know that I wish you could be here and I'll be sending tons of photos and whatever I can to make you feel our Christmas spirit from far away! 

That's my blog therapy for the time being. And to think, it all started with me pondering cinnamon rolls! I'm off to really get things done in advance of my upcoming trip. It's go time, and before long I'll be shivering up north with my fam. :-)

Recent Photos

I thought that, seeing as how it's December 15, I may as well share our Thanksgiving food. I didn't take a picture of the whole table b/c I didn't want to frighten our guests, but here's a clockwise description from top: cranberry sauce, corn spoon bread, green beans, turkey (w/ gravy), mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Pretty standard and so delicious! It was definitely a success and I was so grateful hubby was home. It was his birthday too!

Part of our living room with our new shelving - we deliberated for a couple weeks on this purchase and we love how it turned out!

Hubby made a white board rendition of the famous Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving painting. I know, I  know... I have an incredibly talented husband.

Post-Exams Relaxation

I'm two days past the end of my exams, and it's pretty nice, I have to say. After celebrating with classmates Tuesday night, I treated myself to a massage yesterday, and then went shopping with a friend. I ended up buying a few sweaters which is a good addition to my wardrobe, especially considering I'll be spending some time up north for the holidays! Today I'm doing some Christmas crafting, but I can't share details yet, can't ruin any surprises! I'm also headed back into town to get a haircut later, which is probably a bit overdue, and I'm looking forward to that. Also, I got to catch up on some of my shows last night, which was relaxing too.

In addition to getting some things shipped out over the next few days, I need to tidy up the house before I head north early next week, and there are some other odds and ends to accomplish as well. Life would certainly be better if hubby were here with me right now, but I'm trying to take pleasure in the things that I can and stay focused on the positives.

That's about all there is to share. As far as the question "how did exams go?" - the answer is well, they're over and I survived. I honestly can't really tell you how I think my grades will be, so I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic and in perspective. There are a lot of important priorities in life, and as long as I feel I did my best, I guess that's something to hold onto.

Overall I'm just so glad to get to participate more in the whole Christmas spirit, and I'm looking forward to seeing my family very soon!

"Thinking like a lawyer means thinking like a dork"

Title courtesy of a classmate/friend.

I know I said I wouldn't post again til later in the week, but I'm staying up later than I used to, and I have the urge to blog, so here I am. Basically, I am trying to record some of the "life lessons" my classmates and I have learned in the first semester of law school. I am lucky to have a great study group, so in between trying to actually study and learn things, we manage to have a few laughs. That being said, take it from us, here are the things to do or not do, as one semester of law school has taught us:

- Draft a will to make sure your stuff gets distributed the way you want. And make sure your intent is clear, especially if there are family members who might fight with each other and a decent amount of money in your estate.

- Get a prenup. Or don't get divorced. And make sure you trust your spouse. (If you're wondering, no, hubby and I don't have a prenup, we didn't have anything when we got married.) Also, avoid moving from common law states to community property states if you can. (Hubby and I have in fact, done this by now.)

- Never own beachfront property. Just don't.

- Don't go on cruises - or if you do, don't get injured and then get the urge to sue the cruise company.

- Read contracts that you sign.

- Avoid allowing people to "rely" on your actions - because then something called estoppel can come into play.

I guess some of this is common sense, but believe me, I've got some case law to back it up. I apologize for the parts that were somewhat unintelligible, but I'm crossing over into that world. As my contracts professor would say, my classmates and I are basically 16% lawyers. It will probably only get worse over the years!

Coming Attractions

Oh wow, it's been over a month since I've posted! Life got a bit hectic, and that period is just winding down now. I know I owe it to my readers to update, and that is coming... later on in the week. I'm going to wait until exams are over to give a real rundown, but I just wanted to post that it's coming!

More in the upcoming week...

Busy in the best possible way

One of my most avid readers (hubby) reminded me that I haven't updated in over a week. This is in large part because I've been spending so much time with him! My life has mostly consisted of school and spending time with hubby since he got here, but I certainly can't complain. We've made a lot of progress getting the house together, made some decisions about more things to buy (pretty typical I guess...), and we've just been enjoying each other's company. This weekend we took a trip to a certain Swedish furniture store and talked ideas, which was a good time for sure. We're hoping to have at least the main areas of the house set up by Thanksgiving, when we'll hopefully be hosting some guests.

School is really ratcheting up, with finals starting now less than a month from the present - cue freaking out. It's possible I should have done more work this weekend, but we'll find out today and these next couple days. I do think balance is important though...

Oh! I ran my second 5K this weekend. The honest truth is that I did not train as much as I'd hoped, so I was pretty nervous, and part of me wanted to chicken out. I had a T-shirt to wear for Laura though (see some previous posts), and I couldn't waste the chance to wear it. Hubby ran alongside me the whole way, and I ended up jogging the whole thing. I was slower than my first 5K, but I was proud that I did it and proud that I didn't walk. Plus there's the whole saying about beating the people who are home in bed. :-) It was also really fun to do the run with hubby, since he couldn't do the other one in May.

After the run, wearing my shirt for Laura. The back has her info and links to americanredcross.org and bethematch.org - two things to honor her memory, donating blood and signing up to be a bone marrow donor - both save lives! And please excuse the post-race, no-makeup look...

Also, a quick recipe recommendation! I made Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese from Annie's Eats last night and really liked it! It's been hard for me to find good mac and cheese recipes, but the combination of how easy and tasty this recipe was makes it a keeper for me - so check it out if you feel so inclined. 

That's about all - it was a relatively busy but good weekend! Posting may get a little sparse over the next month or so, since my priorities will be even more heavily centered on school. I'll emerge from the exam hibernation in mid-December, and may well be taking some study breaks to blog in the meantime! 

On his way...

Hubby's time at Military Home #1 has officially come to an end! He got on the road this afternoon. It took longer than he'd hoped thanks to paperwork delays (blah), but he did make it out of there. Depending how tired he is and how the driving goes, he'll be here at some point tomorrow I'm thinking! Good times indeed!

I'm trying out a new recipe tonight - Pioneer Woman's turnip gratin (CSA turnips!). I think it'll turn out well (then again, melted gruyere cheese is generally a sign of deliciousness to come). My plan for tonight is to watch the World Series game and unpack more boxes - then hopefully get to bed plenty early because I've got a few things to do before hubby gets here tomorrow!

Furniture - what a novelty!

Of course, I haven't been living entirely without furniture - I had a desk, TV/entertainment stand, and a bed for the past couple months, but I didn't have much beyond that. Thanks to a remarkably quick move this time around, our household goods were delivered today and though I am surrounded by boxes, I'm equipped with the stuff to make our house a home, which is exciting indeed.

I do wonder how I will balance all this, since I still have to go to school and all that (details...) but I'm just trying to think of it as attacking a few boxes at a time. I already took care of a few boxes that were in the kitchen for instance. It's also great to have a couch to sit on and watch TV, and nightstands next to the bed to put things on. It really helps me appreciate the function of furniture in my life to have not had much of it for the past 2.5 months!

Of course, much more important than furniture, is the impending arrival of hubby! The most likely thing is that he'll depart Military Home #1 on Friday, but it depends on the approval of some paperwork, which is out of his control at this point. Either way it's coming up fast and we're both ready for him to get here already!

On the Road!

Our stuff is on the road, that is. Hubby has some paperwork to finish up, and of course I'm settled here doing the school thing, but today the packers came to our apartment at Military Home #1 and packed up the bulk of our stuff! By the end of the week I may well have a couch, kitchen table, washer/dryer, and a few other conveniences back in my life. This is good news indeed, but I also can't wait until hubby is here to help me arrange it all! I'll finally be putting things on the wall and making this house feel like home, and I'm so excited.

Here's hoping that by Saturday night we're curled up on the couch watching a movie. I would love nothing more. :-)

Eggplant Pizza

I'm on a roll with these recipes... today I want to share my method for making veggie pizza, and this most recent one happened to be an eggplant pizza. The great thing about pizza is that it can be a canvas for whatever you need to use up!

I found one recipe online that suggested broiling the eggplant first - this helped cook it a bit and make it soft enough to bite into when eating it on the pizza - just brush with olive oil and sprinkle on salt, then broil for a few minutes on each side.

Next, it was time to spread out the dough. I used to make my own pizza crust, but I just started buying a frozen ball of dough at the grocery store and honestly, it tastes just as good and it's definitely easier. It was even easier than usual to stretch and spread the dough - I think leaving it out for a couple of hours (at room temperature) may have helped. My pizzas are rarely perfectly shaped - I just solve this problem by calling it "artisan" pizza. See? No worries! 

I spread a somewhat thin layer of sauce on the dough, then sprinkle chopped up garlic and red pepper flakes on top. On this pizza, I also added some grape tomatoes I needed to use up, and put a few pieces of eggplant under the cheese before sprinkling the cheese on top, followed by the rest of the eggplant. Also, in case anyone actually uses this as a recipe, I put a layer of Crisco on the baking sheet before pressing out the dough.

Ready to go in the oven! 

I cooked it at 370 or so, and 20 minutes later, it looked like this - yum! 

Roasted Squash and Pepper Tacos

Here's the next installment of my CSA recipe series - I got this recipe from the website of my CSA - like others that I get there, just e-mail me if you'd like the recipe!

Especially in my first few boxes, I got a lot of zucchini and squash, and a lot of peppers. This has been the perfect easy and yummy recipe to help me use those things up! It's just a matter of slicing the zucchini, squash, and peppers, slicing up some onion, and dressing all that with olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cumin. The filling is roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes, and then I put it in some whole wheat tortillas, and top with salsa, shredded cheese, and Greek yogurt (which I use instead of sour cream). I love making Mexican inspired things at home because they are such a great combination of scrumptious and easy, and this recipe is no exception.

Filling ingredients, except for the onion

Finished product! Yum!

Kale Chips

I first made kale chips earlier this year. To be sure, they don't totally substitute for potato chips, but they make you feel much better about eating them, and they do satisfy a craving for something salty and crunchy. Even better, they're super simple to make. I've used a couple recipes as a guide - one on Allrecipes and the other from Smitten Kitchen.

First, I ripped all the leaves off the ribs and made sure they were roughly in bite size pieces. Then I drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled on some salt, then tossed it all together. I baked it in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes (I think maybe 13 minutes total... but who's counting?).

Some of them may have found their way into my tummy before I took the photo!

For whatever reason, they were even better than I remembered them being. I do think I may have put on too much salt, but you know - live and learn!

Just wanted to share one way I've used the kale I've gotten in the CSA share. It's great to have a way to make it into an easy snack!

This Week's CSA Haul

It's been a while since I actually photographed my CSA veggies, but I made sure to do it Thursday after I got home. Here's what's in season now:

Beets, kohlrabi, turnips, cilantro, mustard greens, kale, eggplant, a few peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, green beans, and mixed salad greens.

I'd never heard of kohlrabi before, and I still have yet to taste it. According to Wikipedia, it's German for "cabbage-turnip" - fun fact! I found a recipe for roasted kohlrabi that I'll be trying later in the week.

I'm also excited about the green beans - they are one of hubby's favorite vegetables, and he'll be here sometime next week, so I'll wait to cook them til he's here!

I'll be sharing a few more specific recipes in the days to come, to share how I'm using my local veggies.

Nothing is Guaranteed

Just wanted to follow up and share that I found out my friend Laura passed away yesterday morning (see this post). In some ways, I have been grieving on and off, but in others, I'm not sure the reality is fully sinking in. Her father was generous enough to share online that she passed peacefully, and we all know from last week that these were her wishes, but the sorrow stays with me nonetheless. Laura's father also posted in a journal entry that one thing everyone can do to honor Laura is donate blood - particularly since blood transfusions kept her alive for most of the last year of her life. (Full disclosure: needle issues have kept me from donating in the past, but I hope to work through that to start donating in the future.)

If you are one of my readers who was also friends with Laura, my thoughts are with you the same way they are with her husband and family. I wish I could be with you all right now and give each one of you a big hug.

Well That's Encouraging...

That time in the law school semester has arrived... we are more than halfway through, and suddenly the happy shiny 1L's (first year students) are getting the gist of what's to come. My small section had an info session today about preparing for exams, organized by our mentor so we could hear a few 2Ls and 3Ls who had our professors talk about the exams. We all left much more freaked out than how we'd entered - but ultimately that will be a good thing, because we need the motivation and the info to understand WHY we need to be thinking about finals now. In our school, along with most other law schools, our entire grade depends on one final exam. So it's kind of a big deal.

Possibly the most "encouraging" aspect of this session was the number of time various forms of a certain word were used - a word that starts sh and ends it. As in, "You'll be s***ing yourself" or "Everyone will be scared s***less." (Law school is not a G-rated place, in case you were wondering.)

Good times in law school... seriously though, for the time being I feel okay. I just need to sketch out my plan of attack now so that I can at least mitigate the stress I am under in late November and early December. I know at the end of the day, I'll be fine (probably) but I hope to get from here to there as calmly as I can manage!

Excellent News

Hubby finished his last piece of training at Military Home #1 yesterday, which means today began his time tying up loose ends and out-processing so he can move here and live with me! I may not have trumpeted it on the blog very much, but I've been very impatient for him to get here and to be able to spend at least a bit of time living like a "normal" couple - whatever that means!

Depending on how things go, he'll leave either earlier or later in the week next week. Things like weather and airplane maintenance had to go right in order to not keep him there even longer, so I'm pretty darn excited that things worked out for him yesterday.

Yay for at least a temporary stop to the long-distance marriage!

BLT Goat Cheese Pasta

I made up an impromptu recipe today, and I thought it was quite good if I do say so myself. Wanted to share the love for the easy, flavorful dish!

Ingredients:
8 oz short-cut pasta (I used a sort of elbow like shape)
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 oz grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 handfuls of arugula or other greens
2 oz goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Start water for pasta and cook according to package directions, making sure to pull it out of the water at al dente or just before. Over medium-low heat, start to brown bacon in a pan. When you drop the pasta in the boiling water, add tomatoes to the pan with bacon. Saute about 5 minutes, than add greens to pan with bacon and tomato to allow them to wilt. When pasta is finished, add it to the pan with other ingredients, and stir in goat cheese, allowing it to coat the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*Quantities are estimates for about 2 servings. 

Yum! I was really quite pleased with myself, and pleasantly surprised to throw such a delicious lunch together. Then again, I'm a fan of pasta dressed very simply with butter, salt, pepper and cheese, so I'm not exactly hard to please. :-)

Tribute

A quick note to start - this post is my way of dealing with some rough stuff. A good friend of mine is being moved to hospice care after an 11-month battle with hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome, which is a bone marrow disease. In some ways I feel selfish that this post will focus on my experience, my grief, my story, when to me this is really about her, her husband, her family, and her closer friends. That being said, I am here on my blog right now and I'm writing this to share and process my own story of friendship with this amazing woman. Just wanted to start with that, and then give myself permission to focus on Laura's effect on me - as one example of the many people she's touched in her life.

I first knew who Laura was from her blog, alis volat propriis. We had some mutual online friends in the wide military spouse community, so I first got to know her that way. Last summer I found out she and her husband would be moving to my location (which I've recently called Military Home #1). I was interested in widening my circle and thought she'd be a good person to know, so I messaged her to ask if we could meet up. She proposed meeting at the gym to do an elliptical workout while chatting, and I agreed.

During that first meeting in August, it became clear to me that this was a wonderful person who immediately put me at ease. I was a newly married military wife, and my husband had only been graduated from school a short time, while hers had been in the regular military a bit longer, and they'd been married about 2 years at that point. I guess it isn't that much longer to be married, but at 3 months for me, she seemed worlds wiser and more experienced than I was, and in some ways that was very true. From our very first meeting, Laura embraced me fully and let me right into her life - and introduced me to some other women who had more experience with the military than I. She invited me to regular lunches and made me feel like part of their group, despite the fact that most of them had already dealt with deployments and other things that I hadn't faced yet.

As we got to know each other better, I realized that Laura was the type of person, and military wife, that I wanted to be as I moved into the newest phase of my own life. She was realistic and didn't sugarcoat, but she always found the best in things. When her husband was overseas, she moved to DC and worked, giving herself a full and vibrant life - making the most of all the time she had. She was warm, caring, funny, and giving. I was so grateful that she was one of my new friends, and I looked forward to being able to spend time with her until the spring.

In November, after a group of us had had one of those lunches I talked about, some symptoms she'd been experiencing finally caused her to go to the hospital. After her blood tests showed incredibly low counts, she was transferred to a different local hospital, and then a more specialized one in another state (near her home), and was diagnosed with her disease. At that time, in addition to feeling sad about her diagnosis, I was disappointed that she wouldn't be moving back to MH #1 anytime soon. As I said, I'd looked forward to having her around longer, particularly as hubby was about to leave for training (the same type of training her husband had been through a couple years earlier).

She kept us posted as the months went on, through her joys and disappointments while waiting for a match for a bone marrow transplant. Her transplant happened in July, and in the past few months she developed various complications - she and her parents kept those who knew her updated through an online journal.

Based on the updates, it became clear to me this past week (Wednesday morning, actually), that this battle was not going to have a happy ending. It really hit me hard, in part because, to be honest, I hadn't really let myself face that possibility. I know that I was living in a world of denial, but while I knew it was serious, I quite simply chose to believe all this time that she would get through these tough times and get better.

As of this morning, I've read an update that says that Laura was able to express her wishes to her husband and parents. She no longer wants life sustaining medication, just pain medication.

There is nothing I can say to really put this in perspective. The only perspective I have is to be glad I was lucky enough to meet Laura and have her as a friend. She will continue to influence how I live my life, for the rest of my life. I of course grapple with why this had to happen to her, and with the general unfairness of it all, but I know there are no good answers to those types of questions. For my part, I suppose I will just have to continue processing what I feel. I have been lucky to have friends near and far offer their support the past few days, and of course I'm grateful.

If you're reading this, I'm just sending out a general hope for prayers and thoughts for Laura, her husband, the rest of her family, and her network of friends.

Here she is after the National Half Marathon in March 2010 - before I even met her. She ran the Army Ten-Miler about a year ago, roughly a month before she entered the hospital (and definitely when she'd been feeling under the weather already). She really is amazing.

 Another, just to share the stunning smile that will always be my image of her. (I cropped her hubby out of this just to respect his privacy, as I don't know if I'd have his permission to put his image here - but as you can see, she's standing next to him in this photo, which I got on her Fbook page.)

Laura, I am blessed to have met you last year and to have been able to spend the time with you that I did. I hope you know how much you mean to me. One of the main things I am taking away from my emotions this week is yet another, painful reminder that we should always tell the people we love how much they mean to us. 

And that's really all I can offer by way of conclusion - if you've read to this point, thanks for "listening" as I use my blog for emotional therapy today.

Cheesy Zucchini/Squash Casserole

I found a winner of a recipe last week, and used it to use up some of my remaining zucchini and summer squash. I had most of the ingredients on hand, and the steps involved were relatively simple!

 

The main ingredients are zucchini (and squash), cheddar cheese, onion, and panko bread crumbs. I'd be happy to share the recipe with anyone who wants it, but it's a bit difficult to link to and I don't want to have any copyright issues posting someone else's recipe! 

I'm glad to have added another keeper to my CSA recipe stash, for sure. 

What delicious recipes have you been finding lately?

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups diced zucchini
1 onion, small diced
Pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Seasoned salt, to taste
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Sauté the zucchini until very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove the zucchini to a large bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the remaining oil.  Sauté the onion until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the onions to the zucchini along with the crushed red pepper, sour cream, and cheese.  Mix well.  Season to taste with seasoning salt.  Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish.

In a small bowl combine the panko and melted butter.  Top the casserole evenly with the buttered crumbs.  Bake until the crumbs on top are browned.  Serve hot.

4 t


ablespoons olive oil
3 cups diced zucchini
1 onion, small diced
Pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Seasoned salt, to taste
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Sauté the zucchini until very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove the zucchini to a large bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the remaining oil.  Sauté the onion until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the onions to the zucchini along with the crushed red pepper, sour cream, and cheese.  Mix well.  Season to taste with seasoning salt.  Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish.

In a small bowl combine the panko and melted butter.  Top the casserole evenly with the buttered crumbs.  Bake until the crumbs on top are browned.  Serve hot.

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups diced zucchini
1 onion, small diced
Pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Seasoned salt, to taste
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Sauté the zucchini until very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove the zucchini to a large bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the remaining oil.  Sauté the onion until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the onions to the zucchini along with the crushed red pepper, sour cream, and cheese.  Mix well.  Season to taste with seasoning salt.  Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish.

In a small bowl combine the panko and melted butter.  Top the casserole evenly with the buttered crumbs.  Bake until the crumbs on top are browned.  Serve hot.

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups diced zucchini
1 onion, small diced
Pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Seasoned salt, to taste
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Sauté the zucchini until very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove the zucchini to a large bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the remaining oil.  Sauté the onion until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the onions to the zucchini along with the crushed red pepper, sour cream, and cheese.  Mix well.  Season to taste with seasoning salt.  Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish.

In a small bowl combine the panko and melted butter.  Top the casserole evenly with the buttered crumbs.  Bake until the crumbs on top are browned.  Serve hot.

Absorbing the Music Scene

After moving from Military Home #1 to Military Home #2, I've realized that I'm very influenced by the general music scene going on around me, specifically on the radio. Though I liked country music to some extent before (especially pop country), I really embraced it at Military Home #1. I had two country stations on my pre-set stations and they were some of the most reliable to play good music.

Here at MH #2, the country station on my pre-sets isn't quite as reliable, and more importantly, I've found another station that I love (in addition to NPR, which I've started listening to on the way to school). I guess you could say it's a mix of rock, pop, and alternative? Mostly I'd say the music is cooler than I am, but I consistently enjoy it and I'm loving the new songs I'm discovering. It's probably pretty obvious that my music tastes tend to be pretty mainstream, so it's not like I knew all these groups before. This city where I go to school also happens to have an amazing music scene, which I haven't taken advantage of yet but I hope to soon!

Anyway, just wanted to share my love for this radio station, and the odd phenomenon where I take on the musical "ambiance" of my surroundings. :-)

For some examples of songs I've been listening to, I'll put in some links -

"Lucky Now" by Ryan Adams
"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People - which I may have heard of eventually but I first heard it on the radio

There are others I enjoy, but I'm not sure I even know the names of all the ones I like!

What's been on your iPod/radio/Pandora lately?

Blog Roll Updates

Hey everyone! I was just looking through my blog roll over there on the left <-- and realizing that many of the blogs I had up there are outdated. I went through and got rid of some that I know are not updated anymore, and added one or two, but I wanted to put out an invitation that if you want me to put your blog there, and it isn't already there, please either let me know in the comments or get in touch with me another way to let me know!

(So many posts these past couple days - when it rains it pours!)

Radishes on Bread with Herbed Butter

One of the vegetables I got in my CSA box last week was radishes - which puzzled me a bit. (Also, upon further examination, I think I may have also been eating some turnips that I thought were radishes - one bunch was white, which may have been turnips, and the other was red.) I didn't know if I liked radishes, or how I should eat them, but nonetheless, there they were.

My solution to this was to hop on Food Network and see what I could find. I settled on Radishes with Butter and Salt by the Barefoot Contessa, which looked simple and had really great reviews. As a bonus, the recipe called for me to add herbs to the butter, and I definitely had some herbs to use up. I tried the recipe the other night, and it more delicious than I'd hoped. It's one of those cases where the sum of the whole is greater than its parts. I tried some raw radish/turnip by itself, and it wasn't awful, but it wasn't super yummy either. When sliced and then paired with some toasted bread and herbed butter, it was really really delicious. I paired it with a salad of greens from the turnips (that I thought were radishes at the time) and had what felt like a light, yummy, relatively healthy dinner. It made me happy, and I will be excited in the future whenever I get radishes! This was definitely a CSA success.

Salad along with toasted bread topped with herbed butter and turnip slices. I also had some bread and butter with the red radish slices after I had this first portion.

While I'm sharing food pictures, there's this one too - I went to lunch with a friend yesterday and got this "sandwich" which was actually a bunch of bread slices topped with brie, walnuts, and apricot preserves - yum! I will definitely be looking to go back to this cafe.

That's the latest on my culinary adventures - both at home and around town!

Ode to DVR

One of my loyal fans (*cough* hubby *cough*) keeps reminding me that I haven't updated my blog in quite some time - and he's right! I'm busy with school, of course, and time is just flying by for me these days. That said, here is the post I've had in my head for a few weeks now -

Having DVR for the first time is one of my very favorite things about my new living situation. I used to enjoy it at my parents' house, but we didn't have it in our first apartment for the last year (plus). It's so wonderful to have it especially with my busier schedule, because TV is on my time, and I never have to miss an episode of Teen Mom, Project Runway, ANTM, Glee, or Modern Family. Was anyone else as excited as me when some of those shows came back last week? Anyway...

It's also great to be able to pause TV to go do something and then restart it. When hubby was here, we could also pause TV to discuss what's going on, which is great, because in the past I'd just have to miss what was going on... I mean, I'd get to benefit from his genius comments instead of hearing the boring television. :-)

Anyway, not a big thing, but some small things, and it's all about the small things! I'm pretty happy with life these days, except for the not-so-minor fact that I'm impatient for hubby to get here! Ah well, soon enough, and time is flying by pretty fast.

Hopefully this weekend I'll get some more posts up, including a surprisingly yummy recipe for using CSA produce!

My Newest Cooking Adventure

I briefly mentioned this before, but I'm finally taking the time to write in more detail about my latest food adventure - I joined a local CSA (which stands for community supported agriculture). Individual programs looks slightly different, but in the one I chose, I sign up for a set number of boxes of produce at a time (from a local farm), and I get to choose the frequency and dates I pick my boxes up. Since I'm living on my own for now, I started out signing up for four boxes on a biweekly basis. So far I've picked up two of my boxes, and it's been great for making me go out of my comfort zone both eating and cooking, and it has also helped me focus on continuing to consume a healthy amount of fruits and veggies! Joining a CSA was something I'd wanted to do for a while, and I'm so happy to finally be doing it!

I'm hoping to update the blog on a semi-regular basis with a record of what I've been getting and how I manage to use it. Figuring out how to use the bulk of the veggies I receive is definitely a challenge, but one I'm glad to be taking on. For one thing, it makes it easier to decide what to make for dinner (narrows it down a bit). That being said, here is a photo of the contents of my first box:

Some of this will be obvious, but there was arugula, acorn squash, basil, summer squash, eggplant, beets, peppers, sweet potato greens, mint, and onions.

I used all this in a variety of ways over the next couple weeks, but here are some things I managed to photograph. These dishes include the contents of this box and the next one I got as well.

Quesadilla (with summer squash I believe) and sauteed greens and peppers 

Balsamic glazed beets with goat cheese and basil

Pasta with acorn squash and pork in a spiced sauce

This was the first time I'd ever cooked okra, so there's a bonus picture of it before I chopped it up

Okra fritters 

It's been fun finding ways to use my local produce, and I'll try to continue sharing the different things I end up doing! It occurs to me now that I've also made a couple of delicious vegetable pizzas (usually with eggplant and in one case with summer squash). The vegetable pizza, along with the veggie frittatta, is one of my favorite ways to use the veggies up!

There's my introductory post! As usual I'm more than open to suggestions of what to do with these things, or other stories of similar experiences.