It's 8:50 pm. I start my first day of work tomorrow and all I've done is prepped the syllabus. I have two sets of textbooks I'm teaching from, so there are units to be over-viewed and ice breaking activities to be planned, yet here I am blogging.
Tonight I prepared a lemon basil pasta with grilled chicken and bruschetta for dinner. It was the first meal I cooked for my family now that I'm settled back in my childhood home. Growing up, and even during college breaks, my grandma did the cooking. To her, cooking was mostly about heating canned foods in a pan and putting frozen meals in the oven, but it was her station in the household. I have always enjoyed cooking, but it didn't really become a hobby of mine until grad school when I was on my own in my tiny little kitchen and relied on cooking meals and baking treats as a break from a long day of classes and studying. I'd plan fancy menus that I cooked for friends on the weekend. Hearty chicken and dumplings and Thai red curry with shrimp were perfect for fall days, and if I really wanted to go all out, mini spiced molten chocolate cakes or a pumpkin spice bunt cake for dessert. During the summer we'd make fresh berry desserts and homemade sangria.
Now at home I have to think a bit more responsibly, planning nutritious meals that meet the approval of my brother, a fairly picky eater. Pretty soon it will be even trickier as I try to figure out how to juggle the vegetarian recipes Mike and I usually cook while making sure that my brother is happy with dinner. It's a little strange to think that I am about to start a new schedule while living with my family. Since graduating from high school I've lived on my own. I haven't really had to worry about anything other than doing what I pleased for the evening. Having that kind of freedom was liberating. I could get a solid night of work done or I could just veg out and be alone with my thoughts. I remember there were times when I wondered if it was a little odd that I'd spoken to no one (except the cat) that day, but now I realize how incredibly calming it is to have private time where you don't have to answer to anyone else. I have the freedom to come and go as I please at home, but it is still very different coexisting with others than it is to be the only one who has the key to an entire private space that you call your own.
It'll take some time to adjust. It will take some time to get used to my work commute. I commuted an hour last year to Greencastle, but a quiet drive on a two-lane country highway passing through picturesque field is a lot different than heavy traffic on the city highway. But as I settle into my new teaching position, I suspect that I'll quickly adjust to getting off at 1:30 pm and having Fridays off. There will be time for Zumba classes and dinner dates with friends. Being in Maryland for the fall will mean the reinstating of old family traditions like driving out to Gettysburg, PA to see the foliage, a trip to the outlet mall, and carving pumpkins. There will be plenty of things to look forward to. The fact that I am able to celebrate Mer's birthday with her and her family tomorrow in the first time in years is just one of them.
Here is to being home.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Longboat Key
A few years ago Mike's parents went in with his aunt and uncle on purchasing a condo in Longboat Key, a little island about an hour outside of Sarasota. I think everyone in the family except Mike and I had been down to the condo and we're always hearing stories of how much we'll love it, so we finally added it to our schedule this month.
I grew up in Maryland, so the beach has always been a special place for me. My mom and dad used to take my brother and me in the fall around my dad's birthday, and we'd enjoy fall festivals, boating, crabbing, rides at the boardwalk, and fresh cut fries and salt water taffy. One of my favorite things to do was pick out ornaments at the Christmas store, which is something I still do to this day at every chance I get. In high school, annual trips to the beach were taken with my best friends and their families, and there'd be put-put, ice cream, and scope photographs (as well as fawning over the guys who took them) on the beach. Some of my favorite memories were created at the beach. My family loved going to the beach long before I was born, and my grandfather took picture after picture of me bundled up on the boardwalk or playing in the sand dunes. It feels special to have a place that has been a part of your life for a very long time.
Mike's mom, aunt, and I arrived at the condo this afternoon. We pretty much headed straight for the beach. There's been a lot going on in our world right now, and although we've been trying to enjoy all of this summer's events, we've often been a little preoccupied. I'm particularly feeling the pressure now that July is coming to an end and we've got big deadlines and moves ahead of us. But walking down to that beach, the beach that had nothing other than a dozen or so empty beach chairs, a hungry pelican fishing for his supper, and a stray person or two, I felt completely relaxed. I felt a bit giddy and elated to be staring out at the ocean. I felt appreciative to be witnessing something so completely beautiful and perfect, and I just felt at home. Mike's aunt asked me if I was a beach person, and I took a minute to respond; I don't run off to the beach frequently (though it would have been hard to do that during my last four years in Hoosier country), but once I'm there I feel at peace. And then I thought, how could anyone not be a beach person?
We had dinner tonight on the beach and sipped mojitos at the bar inside while we waited for our table to become available. We snacked on pineapple coconut bread and just enjoyed the view and the breeze. We all ordered fish (because how could we not?), and it didn't even really occur to us that we had waited a while for our food. It was all delicious, but the kitchen had been busy, and our ticket was unusually slow. So the manager came out and treated us to dessert. We were all too full so we had our treats packed up to go.
Back at the condo I had a few bites of the chocolate cake I ordered (pure heaven) and then washed up for bed. I still smell faintly of sunscreen despite my shower, and my hair seems a bit blonder already. I'm stretched out on the king sized bed because Mike doesn't arrive until Tuesday. I feel somewhere between my teenage self and the actual 27 year-old girl that I am. I realize that I'm not here with my parents or my friends and their parents, no. I'm here with my new family. I'm here with the people I will spend the next stage of my life building memories with. It's a good feeling.
I grew up in Maryland, so the beach has always been a special place for me. My mom and dad used to take my brother and me in the fall around my dad's birthday, and we'd enjoy fall festivals, boating, crabbing, rides at the boardwalk, and fresh cut fries and salt water taffy. One of my favorite things to do was pick out ornaments at the Christmas store, which is something I still do to this day at every chance I get. In high school, annual trips to the beach were taken with my best friends and their families, and there'd be put-put, ice cream, and scope photographs (as well as fawning over the guys who took them) on the beach. Some of my favorite memories were created at the beach. My family loved going to the beach long before I was born, and my grandfather took picture after picture of me bundled up on the boardwalk or playing in the sand dunes. It feels special to have a place that has been a part of your life for a very long time.
Mike's mom, aunt, and I arrived at the condo this afternoon. We pretty much headed straight for the beach. There's been a lot going on in our world right now, and although we've been trying to enjoy all of this summer's events, we've often been a little preoccupied. I'm particularly feeling the pressure now that July is coming to an end and we've got big deadlines and moves ahead of us. But walking down to that beach, the beach that had nothing other than a dozen or so empty beach chairs, a hungry pelican fishing for his supper, and a stray person or two, I felt completely relaxed. I felt a bit giddy and elated to be staring out at the ocean. I felt appreciative to be witnessing something so completely beautiful and perfect, and I just felt at home. Mike's aunt asked me if I was a beach person, and I took a minute to respond; I don't run off to the beach frequently (though it would have been hard to do that during my last four years in Hoosier country), but once I'm there I feel at peace. And then I thought, how could anyone not be a beach person?
We had dinner tonight on the beach and sipped mojitos at the bar inside while we waited for our table to become available. We snacked on pineapple coconut bread and just enjoyed the view and the breeze. We all ordered fish (because how could we not?), and it didn't even really occur to us that we had waited a while for our food. It was all delicious, but the kitchen had been busy, and our ticket was unusually slow. So the manager came out and treated us to dessert. We were all too full so we had our treats packed up to go.
Back at the condo I had a few bites of the chocolate cake I ordered (pure heaven) and then washed up for bed. I still smell faintly of sunscreen despite my shower, and my hair seems a bit blonder already. I'm stretched out on the king sized bed because Mike doesn't arrive until Tuesday. I feel somewhere between my teenage self and the actual 27 year-old girl that I am. I realize that I'm not here with my parents or my friends and their parents, no. I'm here with my new family. I'm here with the people I will spend the next stage of my life building memories with. It's a good feeling.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Summertime
For most of graduate school, summertime meant teaching in intensive Chinese language summer programs. One summer it meant living with 22 high school students in a dorm while teaching them 8 hours a day and accompanying them everywhere. Another summer it meant coming home from work so utterly exhausted that I found myself making cocktails on Monday nights (never a good sign when you can't hold out until Friday), and going to bed as soon as The Bachelorette was over. But there have always been wonderful things scattered in between those long work hours. One-week vacations to places like Boston and St. John, trips with Mike to the East Coast and Michigan, celebrating weddings with friends, and dinners on patios followed by ice cream.
This summer has been a little different as we've been planning our own wedding and preparing to move while I finish up my degree. We're still taking trips and spending time with our family and friends, but it somehow seems like the end of an era. It's been busy, but it's been filled with wonderful special occasions like engagement photos, wedding dress shopping, cake tasting, our general dinner tasting (which we did with wonderful friends), and the most amazing bridal showersI could have ever asked for. These events have meant more time with people whom I love, people whom I wish I could have visited with more often over the past years. I wouldn't trade any of my experiences for the world, but having always gone to school out of state or living abroad in the time after college, I missed the family dinners with friends that I had grown accustomed to.
I think it's finally hit me that we're all grown up now. Sure, we rely on our families for certain things, but for the most part, Mike and I have started creating our own unit, our own family. Friends in the area have husbands, babies, and jobs that are year-round. Everyone's schedule is a little more full and get-togethers take a lot more planning. Maybe things would have changed a little less if I'd stayed in the area, but chances are, I would still be left longing for those regular dinners with my best friends and their families. That was childhood. That was what I remember most about growing up in Rockville and what I did on the weekends in high school.
I woke up on Saturday with an urge to paint. On a whim, I asked my aunt if she would go to The Mud Hut with me. Meredith and I spent many an afternoon in The Mud Hut, painting plates and bowls. In fact, Mer made a whole set of serving dishes that she used at my bridal shower. I once made a plate that depicted a beach scene. I was so proud of it. The palm tree, the sand, the sky -- it was all perfect. I even drew a little crab as an homage to Maryland (at least, I'd like to think that I put the crab in there as a clever reminder of my home state). I came home one day to find it broken into a number of pieces....My grandma blamed the cat. The rest of us knew better, but I've gotten off topic. Anyway, what I really mean to say is, seeing the set so beautifully displayed at my Maryland bridal shower reminded me of all of those afternoons spent together and how meaningful it is to have such practical pieces serve as a reminder of those memories. I wish I had had Meredith's foresight and used all of our time at The Mud Hut to paint a collection. So my aunt and I headed up to The Mud Hut and I made my selection very carefully. I chose a simple oblong platter. I painted it in a pretty creamy taupe and used silkscreen to apply two flowers in varying shades of coral. In some ways it was an homage to that beautiful flower-themed bridal shower that Meredith threw in my honor. The colors reminded me of some of the highlighting colors that appear in a set of fun, whimsical plates on our wedding registry from Anthropologie. And when Mike and I have dinner parties and display the platter that I painted, I'll have a whole number of stories to tell. I might tell everyone about the plates that Meredith and I painted for one another featuring our nicknames, or the mugs with Danish and German quotes that Mike and I painted for our first home together.
As I was sitting at the table painting my piece, I couldn't help but eavesdrop. The girls working in the shop that afternoon were all in high school. They were talking about college applications and the daily summer camp activities they were working on with the kids. It was like catching a glimpse of what life used to be like before we grew up and went off to college and then grew up some more. There was a sense of nostalgia, but something greater than that as well. I realized that despite having grown up, I still have those wonderful people around me who I remember from my childhood. I may not get to see them so often, but time is always made. And isn't it amazing that what's bringing us together now are some of life's biggest celebrations, new beginnings and new life to be welcomed? Sometimes it's a little bit of heartache too, the passing of a grandparent or a beloved family member, but what a blessing to have people who have known you your whole life there to comfort you.
Last night I went to Nicole's parents' home to help with wedding decor. Nicole's wedding is just 5 days away. The bridesmaids are standing by her side according to the length of time we've known the bride. That puts me in between her two sisters! I came home late, so Aunt Jenny and I hurried to whip up dinner. After dinner, my brother even emerged from his room to help make the chocolate zuchinni bread I'd promised him. Today I have another wedding appointment, my hair and makeup trial. Aunt Jenny is coming along and then we're doing a wine tasting. There are things to be done and thesis revisions to make, but mostly, at least for today, I just want to savor family and friendship.
This summer has been a little different as we've been planning our own wedding and preparing to move while I finish up my degree. We're still taking trips and spending time with our family and friends, but it somehow seems like the end of an era. It's been busy, but it's been filled with wonderful special occasions like engagement photos, wedding dress shopping, cake tasting, our general dinner tasting (which we did with wonderful friends), and the most amazing bridal showersI could have ever asked for. These events have meant more time with people whom I love, people whom I wish I could have visited with more often over the past years. I wouldn't trade any of my experiences for the world, but having always gone to school out of state or living abroad in the time after college, I missed the family dinners with friends that I had grown accustomed to.
I think it's finally hit me that we're all grown up now. Sure, we rely on our families for certain things, but for the most part, Mike and I have started creating our own unit, our own family. Friends in the area have husbands, babies, and jobs that are year-round. Everyone's schedule is a little more full and get-togethers take a lot more planning. Maybe things would have changed a little less if I'd stayed in the area, but chances are, I would still be left longing for those regular dinners with my best friends and their families. That was childhood. That was what I remember most about growing up in Rockville and what I did on the weekends in high school.
I woke up on Saturday with an urge to paint. On a whim, I asked my aunt if she would go to The Mud Hut with me. Meredith and I spent many an afternoon in The Mud Hut, painting plates and bowls. In fact, Mer made a whole set of serving dishes that she used at my bridal shower. I once made a plate that depicted a beach scene. I was so proud of it. The palm tree, the sand, the sky -- it was all perfect. I even drew a little crab as an homage to Maryland (at least, I'd like to think that I put the crab in there as a clever reminder of my home state). I came home one day to find it broken into a number of pieces....My grandma blamed the cat. The rest of us knew better, but I've gotten off topic. Anyway, what I really mean to say is, seeing the set so beautifully displayed at my Maryland bridal shower reminded me of all of those afternoons spent together and how meaningful it is to have such practical pieces serve as a reminder of those memories. I wish I had had Meredith's foresight and used all of our time at The Mud Hut to paint a collection. So my aunt and I headed up to The Mud Hut and I made my selection very carefully. I chose a simple oblong platter. I painted it in a pretty creamy taupe and used silkscreen to apply two flowers in varying shades of coral. In some ways it was an homage to that beautiful flower-themed bridal shower that Meredith threw in my honor. The colors reminded me of some of the highlighting colors that appear in a set of fun, whimsical plates on our wedding registry from Anthropologie. And when Mike and I have dinner parties and display the platter that I painted, I'll have a whole number of stories to tell. I might tell everyone about the plates that Meredith and I painted for one another featuring our nicknames, or the mugs with Danish and German quotes that Mike and I painted for our first home together.
As I was sitting at the table painting my piece, I couldn't help but eavesdrop. The girls working in the shop that afternoon were all in high school. They were talking about college applications and the daily summer camp activities they were working on with the kids. It was like catching a glimpse of what life used to be like before we grew up and went off to college and then grew up some more. There was a sense of nostalgia, but something greater than that as well. I realized that despite having grown up, I still have those wonderful people around me who I remember from my childhood. I may not get to see them so often, but time is always made. And isn't it amazing that what's bringing us together now are some of life's biggest celebrations, new beginnings and new life to be welcomed? Sometimes it's a little bit of heartache too, the passing of a grandparent or a beloved family member, but what a blessing to have people who have known you your whole life there to comfort you.
Last night I went to Nicole's parents' home to help with wedding decor. Nicole's wedding is just 5 days away. The bridesmaids are standing by her side according to the length of time we've known the bride. That puts me in between her two sisters! I came home late, so Aunt Jenny and I hurried to whip up dinner. After dinner, my brother even emerged from his room to help make the chocolate zuchinni bread I'd promised him. Today I have another wedding appointment, my hair and makeup trial. Aunt Jenny is coming along and then we're doing a wine tasting. There are things to be done and thesis revisions to make, but mostly, at least for today, I just want to savor family and friendship.
Monday, April 28, 2014
In One Week
In one week I will be done. In one week I will be singing from the mountaintops. In one week I will have submitted my thesis to my committee and I will know that the hardest part is over. And because I will also be in my last week of teaching, in one week I will do the following things:
- finally use that gift card Mike gave me and get a massage (a victory massage instead of a de-stressing massage)
- make this double crust chicken potpie that graced my news feed this morning (it's fate!) and eat it all week long as suggested
- pack a suitcase for a trip to Asheville for my little brother's college graduation
- get a pedicure
- sleep like a baby
- enjoy a mini vacation with my fiancé and celebrate with my family
Here's to one week!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
The Power of Blog Friends
The past few months have felt like a whirlwind. I remember back in August when I was faced with breaking my comfortable routine with Mike and moving into a year of basically living a single girl's life, despite the fact that I had a very serious boyfriend whom would be living 626.5 miles away. I remember feeling very lonely and writing about what I was cooking or the things I was learning about my students so that I could remember the ways in which I felt happy on a fairly regular basis. It felt like it would be forever until May when the academic year ended and Mike and I could move on with whatever was going to come next.
Then suddenly it was the end of January, a month into the new year having flown by because I was on an extended winter break doing pretty much only fun things like getting engaged and visiting friends and planning the wedding. Job opportunities arose and I faced the reality of having to snap back into hardcore graduate student mode, no longer pretending that my part-time job as a lecturer was my primary work in life. I delved into my research and had very busy days, but I ultimately still had down time at the end of the day. And now I'm finished with collecting data, and while that used to seem like most of the battle, I've now realized how daunting it can be to try and make sense of it all, of an entire graduate school career's worth of knowledge in a perfectly organized 75-page paper. Can't the personal knowledge gained just be enough? No, no it can't. And I know that. That's how academia works. And that's why going to graduate school for personal curiosity lead me through an intense reflection of what I wanted and didn't want and the things that make me feel happy and fulfilled.
I'm about a month away from graduating. I feel incredibly annoyed every time I get an email about purchasing a cap and gown. Are you kidding me? I just survived four years of intense work and research and self-discovery and you think I care about prancing around in a cap and gown? No, not in the least. That's what high school and college graduation ceremonies were for. I know better now. I just want my degree, the single piece of paper I'll probably ever be most grateful to have, thank you. And then it's time to hit the road.
I have been trying to fill all of my spare time with school work and thesis writing, but, I know better now. I always carve out a little time to read my Feedly, to read about what all of you other brave people are doing. Reading the hilarious, thoughtful, incredibly honest words of others has done something to me: it's made me feel like I don't need to write. Because you all have already written it, you've already expressed how it feels, and when I read your words I feel relieved that other people understand. That other people feel fulfilled by weekend brunches and spending quality time with their friends, that other people feel lost and escape a daunting task or their stress by baking something over the top and super chocolate-y . That other people burst into tears over something silly, because it's never really about that something silly, is it?
So, thank you, Hannah, Annie, Joy, Sara, Liz, RA, and Janssen. For the time to reflect and the ability to feel connected.
Then suddenly it was the end of January, a month into the new year having flown by because I was on an extended winter break doing pretty much only fun things like getting engaged and visiting friends and planning the wedding. Job opportunities arose and I faced the reality of having to snap back into hardcore graduate student mode, no longer pretending that my part-time job as a lecturer was my primary work in life. I delved into my research and had very busy days, but I ultimately still had down time at the end of the day. And now I'm finished with collecting data, and while that used to seem like most of the battle, I've now realized how daunting it can be to try and make sense of it all, of an entire graduate school career's worth of knowledge in a perfectly organized 75-page paper. Can't the personal knowledge gained just be enough? No, no it can't. And I know that. That's how academia works. And that's why going to graduate school for personal curiosity lead me through an intense reflection of what I wanted and didn't want and the things that make me feel happy and fulfilled.
I'm about a month away from graduating. I feel incredibly annoyed every time I get an email about purchasing a cap and gown. Are you kidding me? I just survived four years of intense work and research and self-discovery and you think I care about prancing around in a cap and gown? No, not in the least. That's what high school and college graduation ceremonies were for. I know better now. I just want my degree, the single piece of paper I'll probably ever be most grateful to have, thank you. And then it's time to hit the road.
I have been trying to fill all of my spare time with school work and thesis writing, but, I know better now. I always carve out a little time to read my Feedly, to read about what all of you other brave people are doing. Reading the hilarious, thoughtful, incredibly honest words of others has done something to me: it's made me feel like I don't need to write. Because you all have already written it, you've already expressed how it feels, and when I read your words I feel relieved that other people understand. That other people feel fulfilled by weekend brunches and spending quality time with their friends, that other people feel lost and escape a daunting task or their stress by baking something over the top and super chocolate-y . That other people burst into tears over something silly, because it's never really about that something silly, is it?
So, thank you, Hannah, Annie, Joy, Sara, Liz, RA, and Janssen. For the time to reflect and the ability to feel connected.
A Change Is Coming
February has been a conflicting month. Having an unusually long winter break that lasted through the month of January meant that I didn't actually return to my little apartment and routine until the second to last day of January. But then there was unpacking to be done and things to get in order, and then it was February. And just like that January had come and gone. And now, so has February.
Mike visited over Valentine's Day and we had the most wonderful weekend. Around Valentine's Day last year we were just coming into a serious relationship and this year we celebrated as an engaged couple! And when I think about that, it seems so surreal just how much can happen in a year. It also makes me feel accomplished and at peace at the same time, seeing how we've grown as a couple and getting a glimpse of what the years ahead will hold. Our celebration this year was a perfect display of that growth. I had to spend the day teaching and in meetings, but Mike came to campus with me. Our hour-long drive home ended up being a three-hour adventure since a heavy snow had quickly blanketed much of Indiana earlier that afternoon, but it was actually kind of wonderful being stuck in the car together travelling 30 mph down the highway. By the time we reached Bloomington at 8 pm we were both ravenous, and we were even more excited than usual for our dinner at My Thai. We headed home, promptly changed into our pjs, made a batch of red and pink m&m chocolate chip cookies while watching a few episodes of Modern Family and were in bed by 11. The rest of the weekend was spent playing with bulldogs, wandering around Indianapolis, and dining at new restaurants and old favorites.
Mike left, but the weather warmed up, and everyone got their first taste of spring. Students were a little less grumpy and very chatty, and it seemed that spring break was right around the corner. I raced toward the end of data collection, and felt like, for once, I had a timeline that I could stick to. And then...it got cold again. But this time windy and cold. And instead of looking forward to light salad or baked potato for dinner, I craved stick-to-your-ribs meals like chicken and dumplings with mashed potatoes and cornbread. I still moved ahead with my research, but when I got home all I wanted to do was curl up with the kittypuss and fall asleep while watching TV.
It's still cold, but the sunshine that now accompanies the cold seems to be reminding us that it can't remain this way much longer. And I've got two weeks' worth of visiting with Mike coming up in March with both of our spring breaks, so I have no choice but to be super productive now. Not to mention, I've got a deadline, people! It feels good to be racing toward the finish line, especially knowing that the last week of March will be filled with visits with family and friends and wedding planning!
Mike visited over Valentine's Day and we had the most wonderful weekend. Around Valentine's Day last year we were just coming into a serious relationship and this year we celebrated as an engaged couple! And when I think about that, it seems so surreal just how much can happen in a year. It also makes me feel accomplished and at peace at the same time, seeing how we've grown as a couple and getting a glimpse of what the years ahead will hold. Our celebration this year was a perfect display of that growth. I had to spend the day teaching and in meetings, but Mike came to campus with me. Our hour-long drive home ended up being a three-hour adventure since a heavy snow had quickly blanketed much of Indiana earlier that afternoon, but it was actually kind of wonderful being stuck in the car together travelling 30 mph down the highway. By the time we reached Bloomington at 8 pm we were both ravenous, and we were even more excited than usual for our dinner at My Thai. We headed home, promptly changed into our pjs, made a batch of red and pink m&m chocolate chip cookies while watching a few episodes of Modern Family and were in bed by 11. The rest of the weekend was spent playing with bulldogs, wandering around Indianapolis, and dining at new restaurants and old favorites.
Mike left, but the weather warmed up, and everyone got their first taste of spring. Students were a little less grumpy and very chatty, and it seemed that spring break was right around the corner. I raced toward the end of data collection, and felt like, for once, I had a timeline that I could stick to. And then...it got cold again. But this time windy and cold. And instead of looking forward to light salad or baked potato for dinner, I craved stick-to-your-ribs meals like chicken and dumplings with mashed potatoes and cornbread. I still moved ahead with my research, but when I got home all I wanted to do was curl up with the kittypuss and fall asleep while watching TV.
It's still cold, but the sunshine that now accompanies the cold seems to be reminding us that it can't remain this way much longer. And I've got two weeks' worth of visiting with Mike coming up in March with both of our spring breaks, so I have no choice but to be super productive now. Not to mention, I've got a deadline, people! It feels good to be racing toward the finish line, especially knowing that the last week of March will be filled with visits with family and friends and wedding planning!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
A Week of Cooking
I've been in Lancaster this week, visiting the fiance and a very cuddly bulldog. She's resting her chin on my shoulder as I type. It's probably the ideal way to spend a Sunday evening. Time spent in Lancaster has always been special since I consider Mike's apartment here our home together. I obviously don't live here with him, but we did make the trip out here to search for it together, and we have decorated it together.
Mike's back to teaching this week, so I took care of some of my own semester prep while he was at work, and then we used the afternoons to do fun things together. We got to work reviewing some of our wedding vendor proposals and have contracts in the works for both our venue and our photographer! We took a trip to the jeweler's so that I could meet the lovely lady that sold Mike my engagement ring and we could browse around a bit for wedding bands. We put together the new entertainment center that Mike's parents gifted us with and marveled at how it transformed the TV. As Mike put it, "the best way I can describe it is that the TV is now wearing proper-fitting clothes." We took the pooch for a walk on the first sun-drenched afternoon we had. We used a restaurant.com coupon to try out a new sushi restaurant and had a delicious dinner and a show (a customer at another table loudly lectured the waitress and manager about how the food should be prepared and presented, but apparently thought the food was tasty enough because she took it home -- we think she just wanted to knock some dollars off the bill), went to the gym almost every day this week, and took a trip to Central Market so I could get my fix for the world's most delicious long john (seriously, they're so good that I'm wondering if we can have them delivered to our wedding). And we've cooked.
One of our favorite activities as a couple is cooking, and it's been nice to get back into the kitchen after a season of dining our with friends and relatives. Mike is currently cooking up some tofu vindaloo, so I'll have to wait to report on its level of tastiness, but our other two dishes have been huge hits! Hurray for knocking out three Pinterest pins in one week! We'll start with the spinach and mushroom lasagna with pesto. Mike is a firm believer that pesto anything has got to be delicious. Here, the pesto gets mixed into a cream sauce that begins with deliciously sauteed onions, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. The red pepper really helps introduce some crunch and a bite of freshness among the creamier elements. The mushrooms are chopped coarsely so that there's a meaty, textural component to the dish, which is a perfect balance against the creamy spinach ricotta filling. Make it early in the week and enjoy the leftovers for lunch (and maybe dinner, too) for the next few days.
Spinach, Mushroom, and Pesto Lasagna
From The Other Side of Fifty
9 lasagna noodles (we used whole wheat noodles and ended up preparing the whole box- it took 5 noodles to create a layer that would fill our baking dish)
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cups diced onion
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
dash of crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces of button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups Half & Half
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp basil pesto (we bought some in the Italian aisle at Giant)
12 oz mozzarella cheese (slices work well)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" x 11 1/2" baking dish with cooking spray.
In a separate baking dish place lasagna noodles and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes while making the sauce.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta cheese, garlic powder and egg. Season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper, season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and saute until onions are translucent, 6-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until mushrooms lose their moisture, another 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat for two minutes. Add the milk and half & half, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes until sauce has thickened a bit. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup pesto. Taste to see if salt and pepper are needed.
Drain lasagna noodles.
Spoon 2 tbsp of the pesto on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay three (or five) noodles on top of the pesto. Top with 1/3 of the basil cream sauce (about 1 1/2 cups) and spread to cover noodles. Dollop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce, then top the ricotta with 1/3 of the cheese slices. Repeat layers two more times. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place dish in oven. Bake for 25 minutes, uncover, then bake for another 25 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Let dish sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. (Definitely don't rush this last step- it helps keep your lasagna in manageable pieces!)
So go round up your ingredients and enjoy pictures of our walk with a very cute bulldog.
Mike's back to teaching this week, so I took care of some of my own semester prep while he was at work, and then we used the afternoons to do fun things together. We got to work reviewing some of our wedding vendor proposals and have contracts in the works for both our venue and our photographer! We took a trip to the jeweler's so that I could meet the lovely lady that sold Mike my engagement ring and we could browse around a bit for wedding bands. We put together the new entertainment center that Mike's parents gifted us with and marveled at how it transformed the TV. As Mike put it, "the best way I can describe it is that the TV is now wearing proper-fitting clothes." We took the pooch for a walk on the first sun-drenched afternoon we had. We used a restaurant.com coupon to try out a new sushi restaurant and had a delicious dinner and a show (a customer at another table loudly lectured the waitress and manager about how the food should be prepared and presented, but apparently thought the food was tasty enough because she took it home -- we think she just wanted to knock some dollars off the bill), went to the gym almost every day this week, and took a trip to Central Market so I could get my fix for the world's most delicious long john (seriously, they're so good that I'm wondering if we can have them delivered to our wedding). And we've cooked.
One of our favorite activities as a couple is cooking, and it's been nice to get back into the kitchen after a season of dining our with friends and relatives. Mike is currently cooking up some tofu vindaloo, so I'll have to wait to report on its level of tastiness, but our other two dishes have been huge hits! Hurray for knocking out three Pinterest pins in one week! We'll start with the spinach and mushroom lasagna with pesto. Mike is a firm believer that pesto anything has got to be delicious. Here, the pesto gets mixed into a cream sauce that begins with deliciously sauteed onions, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. The red pepper really helps introduce some crunch and a bite of freshness among the creamier elements. The mushrooms are chopped coarsely so that there's a meaty, textural component to the dish, which is a perfect balance against the creamy spinach ricotta filling. Make it early in the week and enjoy the leftovers for lunch (and maybe dinner, too) for the next few days.
Spinach, Mushroom, and Pesto Lasagna
From The Other Side of Fifty
9 lasagna noodles (we used whole wheat noodles and ended up preparing the whole box- it took 5 noodles to create a layer that would fill our baking dish)
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cups diced onion
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
dash of crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces of button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups Half & Half
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp basil pesto (we bought some in the Italian aisle at Giant)
12 oz mozzarella cheese (slices work well)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" x 11 1/2" baking dish with cooking spray.
In a separate baking dish place lasagna noodles and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes while making the sauce.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta cheese, garlic powder and egg. Season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper, season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and saute until onions are translucent, 6-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until mushrooms lose their moisture, another 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat for two minutes. Add the milk and half & half, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes until sauce has thickened a bit. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup pesto. Taste to see if salt and pepper are needed.
Drain lasagna noodles.
Spoon 2 tbsp of the pesto on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay three (or five) noodles on top of the pesto. Top with 1/3 of the basil cream sauce (about 1 1/2 cups) and spread to cover noodles. Dollop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce, then top the ricotta with 1/3 of the cheese slices. Repeat layers two more times. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place dish in oven. Bake for 25 minutes, uncover, then bake for another 25 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Let dish sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. (Definitely don't rush this last step- it helps keep your lasagna in manageable pieces!)
So go round up your ingredients and enjoy pictures of our walk with a very cute bulldog.
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