Recipe Round-Up

Even before the holidays, I wanted to share some recipes that had worked out well for me recently. Now that Christmas has passed, I have a few more that were worth sharing, so without further ado, recipe recommendations from me to you! (I didn't really mean for that to rhyme... it just happened. I'm going to go with it.) 

1. Sweet and Spicy Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Stew w/ Coconut Milk 

Photo from kalynskitchen.com

This is a slow cooker recipe that worked out even better than I thought it would. It is a great combo of easy, healthy, and yummy. The flavor combo may seem odd at first, but it is actually really good! I recommend this and I'll be making it again I'm sure. (Bonus: also husband-approved!) 

2. Eggs in Tomato Sauce 

Photo from smittenkitchen.com

This recipe is quick, simple, and yummy. It's also easily adaptable to your tastes and what you have on hand. For instance, the recipe calls for crushed tomatoes but I just used canned tomato sauce. Hubby was very skeptical of this recipe when I described it but admitted it was good. We didn't have fancy country bread, so we just put it on wheat toast, and it was very tasty! Another one I'll be making again. 

3. Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries

 Photo from my phone

I already knew Pioneer Woman had some good recipes, but this Brussels sprouts recipe is really really delicious. Coming from someone who used to say she didn't like Brussels sprouts, that's quite the endorsement. The recipe is also really easy - you just roast the sprouts in the oven for about 30 minutes, and make the balsamic reduction on the stovetop. My family loved this dish too - it was the only Christmas food that yielded no leftovers! 

4. Smoked Salmon Pizzette 

My photo

Giada De Laurentiis (who I love) has some really fantastic appetizer recipes, and this is no exception. You just make some pizza dough rounds, then top with a creamy mixture of mascarpone and sour cream and smoked salmon. Easy, delicious, and impressive! The family really liked this one as well. 

5. Mixed Berry Cheesecake

Photo from foodnetwork.com

I've made this cheesecake a number of times, both with and without the berry sauce. It is not always the prettiest (the one I made for Christmas had some cracks in the top), but it is always delicious. Everyone also liked this, especially my grandfather. 

6. Cappuccino Fudge 

I made two types of fudge for Christmas, and I have less of this left than the other. The texture of this one was definitely better than the other - nice and luscious and well, fudgy. The coffee flavor definitely comes through, but if you like that, this is a great fudge with a combo of chocolate and coffee flavors. I'm a fan! 

That's a little sampling of what's been going on in my kitchen lately (a sampling of the most successful adventures, in fact). These all have my whole-hearted stamp of approval! 

Halfway Done!

With law school, that is. My last final (of three) was on Monday and it felt so good to be done. Meanwhile many of my friends were not done, including many who have papers due soon and/or finals tomorrow! I'm just glad I could leave all the studying behind and relax.

Except that by relaxing, I mean being busy in a different way. We are hosting my parents and grandparents this Christmas, and my parents get in tomorrow! Needless to say there are a lot of preparations, decisions, planning, but I enjoy all of those things. I've also been working on planning a quick overnight getaway for hubby and me after our guests leave, which is very exciting.

To celebrate the fact that we got me through finals (because it affects hubby's life too), we took a walk to our little downtown area Monday night, looking at neighbors' Christmas lights along the way. There was a a little bit of nostalgia, because we took a similar walk last year the night before hubby deployed. The differences this year? 1) Hubby is not leaving anytime soon, let alone the day after; 2) It was at least 20 degrees warmer! It has actually been really warm this December, which is weird for Northeasterners like us.

One of our favorite decorated houses. 

 Beautiful magic lights downtown! I just love these decorations. 

I am definitely counting my blessings about now. Another semester of law school behind me, hubby is here, and family visitors are coming soon for holiday festivities. 

While there is nothing adequate I could say, I would feel remiss if I didn't acknowledge the recent tragedy in Newtown, CT. That is our part of the country, and regardless, the tragedy itself, particularly the age of most of the victims, has left the entire nation in shock and horror. Just like everyone else, the thought I keep coming back to is "Why?" I have no other opinions that are worth sharing here, just a lot of sorrow in my heart. 

Catching up again

Well, I certainly can't claim to post regularly, but I will keep posting sporadically as long as I feel like it! I guess sometimes, life happens.

Since I last blogged on 11/5 (more than a month ago), lots has happened, most notably my in-laws' visit for Thanksgiving and the start of my finals for this semester. My first one was yesterday, in fact. I have another Thursday, and another Monday, but I'm taking it easy for the morning. It's not good to study all the time, right? That's what I'm telling myself!

It was great to have hubby's parents here for a week. He was even able to work it out so that he didn't have to work too much while they were here. We had a lovely time together showing them the local area. And of course the high point was Thanksgiving! Hubby's birthday that Saturday, complete with Christmas decorating and putting up our tree, was great as well.

 Thanksgiving prep. YUM. 

 A beauteous pecan pie.

Our turkey ready for the oven. We experimented with brining, and I'm happy to say it was a success! I'd definitely do it again. 

 Hubby and me on Thanksgiving. :-)

Turkey out of the oven!

 Right before we ate!

 My plate. It was all so delicious! 

 As if we hadn't eaten enough, we got some local BBQ the next day. 

Our Christmas tree! We'll be in our home on Christmas this year, and I love having our own tree for the first time.

I'll be done with finals in about a week, and then a few days after, my parents will arrive! It's their first visit here, which is very exciting. My grandparents will be coming for Christmas as well, so it will be a great holiday with family. Just have to get through all the things I need to do before then!

I hope everyone is having a great Christmas/holiday season. I'm trying to enjoy it as much as I can with these pesky exams going on. Above all, I'm grateful to be able to spend this time with family and especially hubby, since he was leaving around this time last year, and I have lots of friends who are separated from their husbands. I'll try to update sooner next time!

Has it really been almost one month?

Eeeep, well I'll officially have to say my blogging philosophy is quality over quantity! I'm finally updating, especially since hubby keeps pestering me to do so, even though he pretty much knows everything I'd blog about. :-)

Happily, we did get our autumn on last weekend, right after hubby got back from a month-long work trip.  It was slightly chillier than it had been, which was perfect. I wore boots, sweaters, and scarves, and loved it. It's warmed up again (boo), but for a lovely three-day weekend, it kind of felt like October for once.

We took two days out to go on a little overnight trip, to an adorable town about two hours away. There was a wine and food fest Saturday, so after a nice German lunch we enjoyed that. The next day we took our time driving back home, and then stopped at a farm to choose some pumpkins and enjoy other fall activities. I had a wonderful time, and I was so glad hubby did too! Some photos -

 Delicious crepe we shared at the festival

 Killing time in a town on the way to the farm (and on the way home), loving the outdoors!

 Choosing pumpkins

 Me feeding a goat. Best 25 cents spent ever.

Beautiful path with hanging gourds 

 Hubby petting a donkey :-)

 Corn maze

Cheesy photo ops for the win

Although it was back to reality on Monday for me and Tuesday for hubby, there was still more seasonal fun in store - Halloween! Luckily for us, we live in a residential area, so we did the old, married people thing for Halloween and handed out candy to trick or treaters. We had a similar turnout to last year, and our first little one was a Darth Vader, which I enjoy for my Star Wars fan hubby's sake. 

 Our pumpkins, during the test lighting. I decided to change it up a bit this year and did a moon and stars. 

Candy in a seasonally appropriate basket

As I'm sure is the case with a lot of people, school and work are really speeding up for us, with a ton going on. For me, November means the unavoidable truth that I need to consider the finals I'll be taking in mid-December, and hubby has all sorts of stuff going on too. 

Along with that, hubby's mom and dad will be in town for Thanksgiving and hubby's birthday, and we are both very excited about that! It will be great to show them around the area and just spend some quality time. It's also the first time since we've been married that we've been able to spend Thanksgiving with any family other than each other, so that's exciting too. And of course I love that hubby's parents will be around for his birthday. 

So that's where things are! I definitely have a lot to do - and a lot to be grateful for - this holiday season!

Autumn Longing

This is the time of the year when I am the most homesick. As a general rule, I do wish I could see family more often, but on the whole I don't mind living far away from where I grew up. With friends, and especially with hubby around, I feel pretty at home, and I don't miss the actual place where I grew up a ton.

That all changes in the fall though! Around mid-September and October, I become aware that the trees are turning colors back home, and I remember years of walking around with the leaves crunching underfoot, sweater weather, visiting apple orchards and pumpkin patches, and all the various foods related to the fall harvest. I just really enjoy the "in between," the nip in the air, and all the gorgeous colors on the trees. I'm sad to say, I took it for granted when I was growing up because I didn't realize how unique the season was at home. Now I live here at Military Home #2, and all it's doing is going from hot to slightly cooler (aka, still pretty warm most of the time). What can I say, I'm learning that I'm a seasons person!

So, in my fit of nostalgia, some things to share, more for myself than anything else -

Sigh, fall. (Found this on Pinterest.)

I'm hoping to make this with and/or for a friend sometime soon -

Pumpkin Ginger Cake with Pumpkin Cheesecake Topping

I would also love to make some type of apple dessert... maybe for family at Thanksgiving time? 

Martha Stewart's Apple Crisp

As you can probably tell, I've got the holidays on my mind too - we'll have one set of family here for Thanksgiving and the other for Christmas, since hubby's work won't allow for travel this year. I'm excited to host! It would be nice to travel home, but as long as I'm with hubby, I'm good. And it will be great to have family here. I'm definitely daydreaming about all the food I can make for everybody. And ignoring the fact that finals will also be occurring in the time frame between Thanksgiving and Christmas... 

Anyway, there you go. I'm feeling seasonal, even if the local weather is not!

Travels, Meetings, Work, School , etc

Well, as per usual, things have been pretty busy. I went out of town and visited college town for some school related things at the end of last week, which was fun and enjoyable. I especially loved being able to see and catch up with some good friends who live there, brief though it was. Not to mention, my foodie side was very satisfied by some of the restaurants I visited!

Me with M, L, and Kristen! 

Although it would have been great to spend more time in college town, I came home pretty early in the weekend to maximize my time with hubby. He just left today for about a month, unfortunately. Much as I think it is lame (that's my chosen word for how I feel about it), in the military life, things could always be worse. I am very conscious that I have many friends separated from their husbands for longer, and hubby is in this country still and everything, so I am not letting myself become too bitter about it. Between last weekend and today, we were both very busy, with meetings, school, work, and a fun event with school friends of mine. I was so tired today that I took a nap instead of shopping, as I'd originally planned. I don't nap that much, and do to that instead of shopping, you know I must be tired! 

Luckily in terms of missing hubby, I am busy (mix of school and fun) this weekend, so I won't have too much time to sit around. 

Annnd, as a bonus, I'd like to recommend this recipe for linguine with walnut-tomato pesto. I made it with whole wheat spaghetti and added peas. Delicious and super easy! 

Yummy!

I can't believe it's already almost October! I feel conflicted about how fast I want the month to go by - I'll get hubby back at the end of it, but I'll be that much closer to finals too! I can't believe I'm already almost five weeks into the semester as well. Crazy times. 

Middle of September!

Just a little Friday night update before my hubby gets home.

These past couple of weeks have been non-stop for us both! I am hitting the ground running at school, and things have been crazy for hubby at work. For me, it's not so much the classes (I have a slightly lighter load this semester, and I survived what everyone says is the hardest year already), because they are just starting. It's really the other activities I have taken on this year, along with the job search for next summer. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but things happen really early with law school job searches! Despite stresses here and there, I am enjoying my classes and activities, there are just a lot of them. It is really nice to take classes I chose myself instead of a mandated curriculum, like the first year.

In addition to our busy work and school lives, hubby and I have been busy socializing, oddly enough. We went to a friend's birthday party last weekend, are going to a law school social event tomorrow night, AND have a military ball in a couple of weeks! On top of that, I will be out of town at the end of this coming week and get to see some old college friends while I'm back in College Town! I'm excited, but it's definitely another thing keeping my to do list loaded, even as I complete other tasks.

That being said, I can't complain. Hubby is living at home with me, I am enjoying school when it's not too crazy, and we've been spending time with friends. At this rate though, the holidays (and finals) will be here before we know it! I'm just hopeful I can keep up with all my obligations and keep up with friends near and far this semester. I certainly will do my best.

That's about all for now. After hubby gets home tonight, we'll do the usual Friday (homemade) pizza and a movie thing!

Oh... that reminds me actually - let me share some recipes I've made and liked recently!

Asian Bowtie Pasta Salad (click for link)

This salad had delicious sesame flavors running through it, with yummy vegetables and chicken. It made for a great take-to-school lunch as well - tastes great hot, room temp, or cold. 

Skinny Sour Cream Enchiladas

Hubby was a big fan of these, and I liked them too. I made some modifications, like low fat sour cream instead of fat free, but I mostly followed the recipe. It came together easily and was definitely tasty!

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

This recipe is fantastic - I highly recommend it. It's super easy (especially if you already have cooked chicken, but even if you don't), tastes awesome, and is reasonably healthy, especially if you use low-cal/whole grain/whatever tortillas. It's so good I've already made it twice, the second time with beef. Gets high marks from both hubby and me, and it will be a repeat player in this household! 

Thanks for indulging the last minute recipe share. We may be busy, but homemade dinner is always a priority for us! And much like last year, meal-planning is key and makes putting dinner on the table much much easier.

Note: all recipe photos are from the linked websites. 

Back to the Grind, Weekend, and Home Decor

Luckily it's a long weekend, so we've had a bit of a break these past few days, but before that, I started up the school year and hubby kept on getting into the normal work schedule he'll be keeping for the foreseeable future. My first day was pretty long and stressful (the most class of any day, and an interview to boot), but I am starting to get into the flow of things. It's been really nice to see school friends again, many of whom I saw rarely or not at all over the summer.

This weekend hubby and I have mostly been hanging out around our casa, but I did have to do an orientation for a school activity two days ago. On the plus side, we've been able to go out with friends of mine in the "big city" two nights out of this weekend. For people who are usually content to eat a homemade pizza, watch a DVD, and call it a night pretty early on the weekends, we got out there on this particular one. (Yes, we're old, but we're married and enjoy each other's company, so it's okay.)

In addition to all that and other usual chores and errands, we are using this weekend to tackle a home decor project I've been hoping to do - window treatments! We do have curtains in our living room, because the landlord had already put hardware there. I was inspired by home decor blogs and some curtains I saw at a certain Swedish furniture store. A few months, more hardware, and more curtains later, we're in the process of putting up curtains in three other rooms of the house.

First, there's my office.

This is my office when I first looked at this house, with staged furniture as a suggestion. 

Over time, I added my desk (that was actually very early on), a real desk chair (more recently), and hubby put up some floating shelves (even more recently). Add to that a bunch of books, and today, curtains, and you have the following before and afters - 

Yay! I love my office so much more now. It always motivates me to be good and do my homework in my office (as opposed to the living room) when I have a pleasant place to be. It's a lovely luxury to have a home office, especially when hubby is around and I benefit from isolating myself in my work space. 

So that's our little recent foray into more home decor. The other two rooms' window treatments are a work in progress, but hopefully I'll share them when they are done. Our house situation is certainly no Young House Love, but I sure am inspired by them and we do what we can on the weekends. :-) 

Weekending

Now that it's the end of summer, hubby is back to work on a normal schedule and I will be back to school as of later this week. We honestly haven't had a "normal" schedule together since we moved to Military Home #2, so I can't even say it's "back to the grind." It's more like, figuring out what the grind even looks like for us as a couple. But, that notwithstanding, we can still enjoy our weekends. 

Today for instance, we ventured to a little town nearby for some local barbecue. We live in one of those places that takes its barbecue really seriously, and we are definitely not from one of those places, so it's a fun adventure to discover the local grub and traditions. After we ate in the very old, smoky, awesome barbecue place, we stopped by an antiques shop, with all sorts of old treasures and maybe not so treasured items. In addition to the housewares and other miscellany, there were a ton of books, mostly paperback. We enjoyed looking around but didn't buy anything. It does make me want to go to thrift stores more often though, in hopes of finding some fun things for the house. 

Our lunch spread

After our stop in the little town, we came back to our town and ran some errands, mainly at Tarjay, deciding on exciting items like a new (full size) ironing board and a step stool. Yup, we're really exciting people like that. We picked up a movie for tonight and headed back here after that. For dinner tonight, we're having a Southwestern (and vegetarian) pasta salad, which will counterbalance the meat-heavy lunch  we had. Now I'm off to play a board game with hubby. Here's hoping we're still on speaking terms afterward... :-) 

Hope everyone else is having a great weekend so far!

End of Summer

Well, as my number one fan reminds me frequently (that would be hubby), I have slacked on the blogging front again. Things have been crazy, for both better and worse. On the better front, I finished my second internship of the summer and we went on a week long vacation to see some beautiful mountains and visit friends. I really have been enjoying all my time with hubby - I'm a lucky lady!

Gorgeous scenery (and my hubby)

At a visitors center

At a gorgeous mountain lake - the wonders of self-timer!

Me with my beautiful (and pregnant!) friend R. :-)

And one more with the hubster. 

On the whole, it was a lovely vacation, but the "worse" had a part to play as well. Earlier this month, we found out the war had taken one of hubby's very best friends from school. I spent the first couple of weeks largely in a lot of disbelief and shock. There is a lot I could say, but I will just say this - there is no doubt that the war is not over. Hubby's peers are still in harm's way, and this was a horrible reminder of that. 

Through the last couple of weeks, we haven't come to understand any better, but we have talked a lot about the good memories we have with hubby's friend, and we took a break from our vacation to fly to another state for the memorial service. It was hard, as would be expected, but we are both glad we went. We got to see his father, brother, and wife, and while there is nothing one can say that would be adequate, we tried our best to express our condolences. Hopefully our presence alone showed how much hubby's friend means to us. 

My only parting words on the blog from this awful event would be, as cheesy as it sounds, that we should never take our lives and our loved ones for granted. Especially as twenty-somethings, it's easy to assume we have a lot of life ahead of us, but as I've been made all too aware a couple of times in the past year, that's just not guaranteed. 

So, that's been the end of our summer - both a lot of joy and a lot of pain. I am gearing up for the school year already, and hubby is going to start the "normal home life" after his unit's time away, whatever normal means. I'm just hoping I can make good work of my "to do" list before school starts! 

Happy Times

A quick post while I'm thinking of it. I have been a little MIA because I've been busy between spending my free time with hubby and my working time at work! With all the other little errands and life chores, things like Pinterest and blogging have taken a back seat for the moment.

That being said, things are pretty great, just like I expected! I am making a conscious effort to be grateful and not take this time for granted, because I waited for it long enough! Hubby is getting back into the swing of work, but soon enough he'll be on vacation, and when I finish my current internship, we're going on a vacation together for a week. It will certainly be welcome to have a full week of recreational time and travel together. Then it's right back to school for me, but I'm glad the schedules worked out so I'm free to take that time when he is too.

We've been hanging around the house and spending a little time out and about, which is about the right combination. I'm just enjoying us making dinners, watching movies, and spending time together. That's really what it's all about, and I certainly can't complain! I'm just so happy this time is finally here.

Reunited!

Well, I've kept readers in suspense long enough - though if you are friends with me on Fbook or almost anything else you know this - hubby is home! He got back last weekend and we are both, as you might expect, extremely happy about it.

A little over two hundred days after we tearfully said good-bye much sooner than we wanted to, I showed up at a field on post in the middle of the night, and sat on some bleachers waiting for hubby and the others to arrive in their buses from the airfield. The blaring loud cheery music helped me stay awake. :-)

At a certain point I realized I was sort of shaky and starting to tear. I felt silly a little bit, but then again, I had such a huge feeling of relief that the waiting was finally almost over. I felt even more emotional and excited as the buses pulled up! It was definitely a rush. Before I knew it, they announced we could go find our loved ones, and after just a little bit of searching, I saw him, called his name, and got that long awaited hug. After a quick exchange of photos with a friend, we headed off the field, got his bag, and headed home. It worked out well that he came back at the beginning of a weekend, because we got to spend some wonderful time together before I had to go back to work (internship) on Monday. Since he got back we've bought a new car, celebrated the 4th of July, and both gone back to work. We'll get to go on vacation for a week in August, but in the meantime, I am just enjoying every moment with him. It feels surreal that, as it stands now, it will be this way for a while - at least in military terms. That's a quick synopsis of how it all went down and how I've felt since. But because a picture is worth a thousand words, here is the picture:

Words can't fully express how happy I was and am! Welcome home to my wonderful husband!

Antsy

The members of hubby's unit have started to return. His homecoming is soon. I am antsy!

That's all for now. My next post may have some very happy pictures in it!

A Day of Accidents

Today was a day of car accidents - but none that I was in, before you worry!

The big kahuna was a fatal pedestrian/semi truck crash that happened at 2 am on the highway that I use to commute to school (and now work). Luckily I heard about it on the radio and I was able to take an alternate route, because to go through that area would have been a NIGHTMARE - I am 99% sure. At the time of rush hour, my side of the highway was apparently closed, and the other side was either entirely closed or one lane was open maybe. The accident had occurred (with the jack-knifed semi) on "my" side of the highway. Ugh. Luckily I was able to go around, but I was still slightly late to work. No one cared, but it was kind of annoying anyway.

I ALSO heard about a separate accident on my same highway route that morning, so that was another.

When my good friend S and I were headed to dinner tonight we witnessed, in real time, an accident that was probably (hopefully) a fender bender. We were waiting to turn left at the light, which was red (my friend was driving), and all of a sudden a Volkswagen turned right on red and collided with a red car coming perpendicular through its green light. My best guess is the Volkswagen wasn't paying enough attention and the red car was changing lanes from the left lane to the right lane, and they collided with each other right in front of us. The front bumper of the Volkswagen came entirely off the car right then and there... we know one of the drivers was okay and we hope the other was as well, but we saw a third person coming to help so we proceeded to our dinner.

And on top of that, I think I saw some emergency vehicles on one of the overpasses on my way home tonight. I don't know what it is about today!

Here's hoping for more overall safety (and a normal commute) tomorrow!

Lighter and Brighter

Well, my last post was quite a downer, so I thought I'd share that I'm feeling happier today/this weekend.  I hosted a fun little gathering yesterday at my house (it involved tea!), and I've been able to talk to hubby quite a bit this weekend, which definitely contributes to my overall happiness. Add to that the fact that I'm slowly but surely stocking up on things that hubby wants in the house, and I'm a happy girl this weekend!

As a quick aside - I went to a certain Swedish home decor store today, for desk chairs, and left also with throw pillows and some curtains. I've concluded it's impossible to go there and ONLY get what you came for!

That's about all I've got! Exciting times are ahead.

Two Years

This past week, our second anniversary happened. Both of our anniversaries so far have been bittersweet, because hubby and I have been apart. I know that's typical for military couples, but that doesn't really make it much easier on the actual day. I try my best to focus on marking the special occasion, celebrating our marriage, and remembering our wonderful wedding, but a bit of regret and extra knowledge that we're not together invariably creeps in. Really I'm going to have to hold off celebrating for just a little bit (but not too long) because how can you really celebrate your anniversary fully without your spouse there?

I did my best to make it feel different from any other day by posting on fbook and telling people at work (who were very sweet and nice about it) that it was our anniversary. I also got to chat with hubby a little bit, which was nice.

I guess in some ways it was just a cap on a period of time that we just haven't been able to have enough of each other - obviously not being physically together, living our lives in each location, with a lot of communication (very grateful), but not perfect or always ideal.

This post has been a bit of a bummer, and for that I apologize. As thrilled as I am that he's almost here, he's not here yet, and I suppose I am just feeling the emotional fatigue of having been apart for so long (ie the last 1.5 years except for about 6-7 weeks or so). I look forward to the comforting feeling of knowing he's going to be around for a while (at least as far as military life goes).

I would not make any decisions differently, and I love my husband with all my heart. Part of me has been across the ocean with him these past months. I just look forward to the day when we can say we've spent more anniversaries together than apart. It will happen at some point, I'm hoping. I'm ready to soak up some quality moments together!

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. I promise soon enough you'll be seeing some pictures of the homecoming!

Busy Having Fun

Yup, that's been this week. I am very blessed to have the life I do.

Thursday was my first night this week that I simply went home, ate, and watched TV (my default night), and by that point, it was really nice! I had dinner with a good friend at a lovely restaurant Monday night, went to a gathering with fellow milspouses Tuesday, and then went to a free country music concert at a restaurant with a beautiful view (and BBQ) Wednesday, with another good friend. Since we stayed out late Wednesday, I stayed with her in town since I had to go right back to work (aka my internship) in the morning, so driving home didn't make much sense. Thursday, as I said, was my chill night. Friday evening I went to a happy hour with my fellow intern and new friend K. Yesterday, I went tubing on a river with a large group for a good friend's birthday celebration (the same one I spent Wednesday with). Today I am trying to catch up on life before the week starts up again! Whew!

Wednesday night's view

A couple things about doing all this stuff - it is a lot, but I am doing as much as I can to enjoy my time in the city while interning because once hubby comes home, I will be getting home as quickly as I can each day to spend every possible minute with him! I do look forward to our domestic life together again, but in the meantime I'm enjoying the city as much as I can. Another thing, is that I feel a lot like the lovely Kristen, who I know runs herself ragged seeing people and doing things in the evenings after work! I'm living the working girl life instead of the school life, and it is fun to get out more and be downtown more often.

I also love taking the opportunity to do as many fun things in this area as I can. I know we won't live here forever and there's a lot to take advantage of. I'm also taking notes of places to return with hubby. :-)

Now to try to get more things done today before the week starts up again. I'm pretty sure already that I'll be busy Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings! Here I go again!

Musings from Today

1. I apologize if I have posted about this recipe already, I can't remember, but I must say that Giada's Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is delicious and super easy! It takes some time (45 minutes in the oven) but the active prep is simple.

Photo from the first time I made this, tonight was the second time.

2. I got to talk to hubby on the phone and online chat today. That always makes for a good day. Just wish we were back together already, that is my only complaint! 

3. Had coffee with a good friend - used to see her all the time at school but now we actually have to make an effort! It was lovely. 

4. Had a super productive evening - picked up more work clothes at the outlets (at a very good value I must say), grocery shopping, prepped the meatloaf, mowed the lawn while it was in the oven, then settled in to eat while watching TV. I didn't get everything done I wanted to get done this weekend, but I made good headway right at the end of it! 

5. I picked and ate the first tomato out of my garden today! Exciting indeed. I made a little tomato salad (salt, pepper, drizzle of olive oil) and enjoyed it very much! I love that fresh tomato taste, still warm from the sun.

Tomato right before I sliced and ate it!

I hope everyone had a good weekend! I'm continuing to enjoy work, socialize with friends when I can, and I'm constantly counting down the days!

Summer Update

I am already two weeks into my first summer internship, and I am really enjoying it so far. My two fellow interns are great, our immediate supervisors are great to work with, and everyone in the courthouse is so nice! We've been able to observe a bunch of court proceedings, and needless to say, it's fascinating! I'm practicing my legal writing as well, which is always good.

I've also been able to take advantage of time to hang out with friends without the specter of homework hanging over our heads. There are so many summer-y things going on in town, and I'm certainly trying to take advantage!

More and more, my attention is turning to hubby's homecoming! It's soon enough that I've started making up my "to do" list, which is excellent news. :-) As great as summer is going, I really can't wait to be back with my hubby again!

And to make sure there's a photo - here's one of a ripening tomato in my garden! As of now, I have a total of about five tomatoes growing on three of my plants. If I were a better gardener, I'd probably have more, but it's my first year, so being able to grow and eat any at all is a success for me!

Ripening Tigerella Tomato

Healthy Recipes

The end of finals brought me more time to try to get back into healthy eating habits, and I'm doing well so far (one week later). I thought I'd share some of the recipes I've tried out lately in case you're looking for some healthy, flavorful inspiration.

Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette by Iowa Girl Eats [picture from her site]

I will definitely be making this salad again. I'm always looking for yummy ways to eat quinoa, and this fits the bill. The lemon vinaigrette adds a nice zip, and blends so well with all the other flavors. I did leave out pomegranate arils (couldn't find them easily, or a pomegranate), and added some edamame. I also added shrimp to the salad, which is pictured but also listed as optional. I'm glad I did, as I do love shrimp! I would definitely recommend this recipe. 

Mango-licious Tilapia from Allrecipes [My photo]

I still have leftovers of this one, and I'm glad! This recipe also includes avocado (YUM), and the salsa just bursts with flavor. This recipe is also really easy, because all you need to do is chop up the ingredients, mix the salsa, and bake the fish in the oven. Another winner. 

Pina Colada Smoothie by Paula Deen* [My photo, with Today Show in the background]

This was pretty good too! I especially enjoyed being able to use a fresh pineapple from the grocery store. I did also increase the ratio of banana, using 1 full banana for 1 serving. I threw in some flaxseed as well, which I like to do with all smoothies.

Update: I made this smoothie again today (Sunday), and it tastes even better when I use a frozen banana and no ice. It was a lot thicker and the flavors were more concentrated. 

Whole Grain Pancakes on Allrecipes [Photo from the site]

I made these just this morning and I have leftovers for the week. I love this recipe because it includes whole wheat flour, oatmeal, flaxseed, and cornmeal (realized I didn't have any and subbed cornbread mix...). No white flour! The pancakes turned out really light and yummy. For me there's nothing better than a guilt-free pancake. I ate mine with honey drizzled on top this morning but I look forward to experimenting with other toppings in the future. I also added some applesauce and a little bit of salt. I let the batter sit for a while after mixing to thicken, as recommended by many of the reviews. 

There's a little sampling of what's been happening in my kitchen during my week off. I love being mindful about food again. Please share any of your favorite healthy recipes that you want to share!


*I just feel the need to share that lately especially, I am far from PD's biggest fan. I wish she would use her diagnosis as a platform to promote healthy eating and exercise as a way to mitigate diabetes symptoms, but I suppose there's more money in promoting a drug. Okay, stepping off my soapbox now. :-)