New Year's Reso

Yep, it's that time of year again. I love the new year, because I feel like each January 1st is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and try for a newer, better me. Some of these reso-s might sound trite and banal because EVERYONE seems to pick the same ones, but each one is genuinely important to me. I'm posting them here so I can remember. And I'm copying from Megan Nimer Bell and I'm going to do a monthly check-up, so there's some sort of accountability.

This is going to be a really really strange 4 months for me. Every semester since I can ever remember (including back into the single-digit ages), I've always gone full speed. I've never taken a relaxed semester. I've never, EVER had Fridays off, and I've never been less than full-time student status. Some of you may recall the particularly hellish summer where I took 7 classes in 4 months (2 independent study, 1 REALLY independent study + challenge exam, and 4 higher-level math classes) so I could graduate in August before starting law school 5 days later. That's just who I am. I don't really have the ability to slow down. So this semester, where I'm only taking (1) 3-credit class, I just don't know what to do with myself. No reason to tell myself to take lunch to school, because I'll hardly ever be there. No real need for an "early to bed, early to rise" schedule because my only obligation is 1-2:15 on MW. See? This really scares me!!

However... I do have several jobs. Like, 4. I tutor math (if anyone needs a tutor, please let me know!), I am a student representative for LexisNexis, I am a TA, and I am an RA (research assistant, not resident assistant). Hopefully these will keep me solidly busy!

Anyway. Back to the point. Here are my New Year's Resolutions, divided into 3 amazing categories:

Health:
* Train for, and run, a half-marathon. Be able to run 10 miles at a 10-minute mile by April.
* Don't eat fast food more than once a week.
* Become a morning person through an "early to bed, early to rise" schedule.
* Eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast every day.
* Start COOKING again!!! (SUPER excited for this one!)

Wealth:
* Pay tithing the Sunday following payday.
* Actively search for and pursue leads on any legal job.
* Don't overbuy food.
* Have $X in savings by December 31, 2011 (I have a specific number in mind, but that's private). Don't spend out of savings, not even once, all year.

Wisdom:
* Go to all church meetings. (I'm so bad, I don't like my ward and I don't go to RS)
* Attend the temple monthly.
* Read at least one chapter from the scriptures daily.
* Read all school assignments before class; outline regularly.

I think these are pretty doable, and that's the goal. I don't want to kill myself over these, but I do want to make myself better. Don't forget to come up with at least one (totally doable) goal for yourself!

Also up in the next year: law school graduation (!!!!!), taking - and hopefully passing - the Tennessee bar, and some other very exciting things. More on that later!

Life Begins

Finals are OVER. That's right, O-V-E-R. And I couldn't be more excited. I celebrated immediately with a grilled cheese from Burgers Supreme, and now I'm going to do all the chores that have been waiting on me for a month or so. After that, I'm showering, spending time with my sweet adorable boyfriend (who was incredibly and remarkably patient during my breakdown yesterday and resisted the urge to slap me when I deserved it and instead wrapped me in his arms and held me tight), watching a Disney movie or eight, sleeping until I don't feel like sleeping anymore, delivering our Angel Tree gifts (so excited to make a baby girl's Christmas better!), and getting ready to go HOME for the holidays!!!

Adam and I already opened presents (I wanted to enjoy them before I had to deal with finals, and I leave soon so we had to open them early) and he did so great! He got me a gorgeous skirt from DownEast (except in Black instead of silver):


An adorable apron from Flirty Aprons:




And a few DVDs and candy. His parents also got me some Christmas pajamas. It was such a great Christmas! I got a few killer deals, and was able to score a Garmin GPS unit, a set of really nice moccasins, a Dremel rotary, Season 5 of the Office, and a few other little things. We were both so excited about our gifts! We enjoyed spending a little bit of time together, and of course Adam was more excited about his Dremel than anything else. He IS a guy, after all. :)

Also fantastic news - I got a job interview!! I'm interviewing with Kaplan to be an LSAT prep teacher. I've already passed the audition (the first round of interviewing) and I'm going to do a real interview next. If I pass after that, I get trained then I get a class to teach. Woohoo! (Something to do with my time next semester when I'm only taking ONE class!)

Catch you guys on the flip side. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Hopefully soon I will get back to cooking and get some recipes posted.

Why I went Private

After I got a few spam comments, I went ahead and changed the publicity (thanks for the tips Carrie and Foutzface!) and literally, not 12 hours later, some d-bag girl I don't know (or I assume I don't know, she had a Yahoo OpenID) left me a nasty message on my 9 days/9 things to be thankful for (of all things!!!) saying that I had nothing to be proud of since Daddy paid for everything and it's easy to do school when Daddy pays for everything and I'm not ready for the real world without Daddy.

Frankly, I just don't need that kind of negativity in my life. And also, I feel like I have a LOT to be proud of - if law school were so easy, a lot more people would do it. I'm just very blessed that my parents have supported me so much. And also, I would like to point out that despite having my dad pay my tuition, I have still kept jobs all throughout undergrad AND law school, and the money I have in the bank is money I've earned myself and put into savings.

So that was the straw that broke the camel's back... and it's easier to just go private than deal with jerks.

FYI, I'm probably going to make a separate blog with all my recipe posts. I don't mind the world having access to those. :) Anyone have any name recommendations for the new blog?

And, PS... only 3 more days until I'm done with this semester. I can't WAIT.

Privatized

I'm going private. I hate to do it, but I have gotten too many weird spammy comments, and now I'm getting rude comments from people I don't know. If you want to stay in the loop, send me your email. As of Saturday at noon, this baby is private.

S

Weird.

I'm getting increasingly weirded out by comments posted by people I don't know. By people who don't have blogs and have really overseas-sounding names and posts with lots of grammatical errors and spam links. I'm thinking of going private again, and just having a separate recipe-only blog. Or maybe I should just stop blogging altogether. I'm not sure anyone reads this thing anyway.

9 days... 9 things to be thankful for.

I'm getting so close I can almost taste it... in 9 days, I will be 87/90ths done with law school, or 96.66%. (I'm a math nerd, leave me alone.) It's so exciting! I can't believe it's almost here - finally!

So, amid the stress and frustration that is finals preparation (think undergrad on acid - we only have one exam that determines the whole semester's grade), I decided to count my blessings and note a few things I am thankful for.

1. Family: I have amazing parents. Thanks to them, I will graduate law school with zero debt and money in the bank!
2. Friends: without my newfound law school buddies (newfound meaning, from 1L year on), I wouldn't have survived law school. True story.
3. Motivation: I'm grateful that I finally learned to not procrastinate. It has paid off by leaps and bounds this semester!
4. Job interviews: I have one thursday to work for Kaplan as an LSAT prep teacher. Wish me luck!!
5. Technology: Making it easier to take notes and prepare outlines, and keep in touch with far-away family members.
6. Cars: So I don't have to walk to school in the freezing snowy weather.
7. Subway: so I don't get too fat during finals.
8. Amazon's amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals: responsible for some amazing Christmas gifts (I'll detail them later, when the gift-receiver has received them!) AND my very own sushi-making kit! Oh boy oh boy oh boy.

And last but certainly not least...

9. Adam. I'm grateful for a sweet and adorable boyfriend who takes care of me and holds me when I'm stressed and leaves me sweet notes on my carrel in Finnish. Who watches Disney movies with me (even if he's only "watching" and mainly sleeping) and who will do Angel Tree gifting with me and who buys me adorable pajama pants and skirts for presents, because he knows what I would like best. Who will scrape off my car in the snow and surprise me by wrapping 600 Christmas lights around the railing of my porch so I can come home to my own little winter wonderland. Who gives me forehead kisses and holds my hand in church and rubs my back when I'm tired. This wonderful boy has grown up into an incredible man... the last four years have been bumpy but fun, and things are better now than they ever have been.

I have a lot to be grateful for. I'll be a lot more grateful in 9 days when I'm done with my finals and I can just relax and finally, FINALLY get a solid Christmas break. I'll miss Adam and I hate to be away from him for so long, but hey. #5 will make it easier to be apart. :)

Until then... peace love and kisses, wish me luck on everything!

I'm ready...

... to be done with school. Or at least this semester. I'm not sure I'm ready for real, grown-up life, but I'm really ready to be done with Federal Income Taxation and Secured Transactions. And I'm ready to be done with my 30-page Substantial Writing paper.

3 days until I go home for Thanksgiving... 3 weeks and 3 days until I go home for Christmas, done with this absolutely ridiculous semester.

Next semester, I'm going to (not really sure yet, should find out soon, but hopefully somewhere really cool) with the Trial Advocacy Traveling Team, and New Orleans with the ADR for an arbitration competition. I only have one class, so I will sleep lots and cook/bake even more. I'll get my sanity back (in theory) before I lose it during bar prep again. That is, if I take the bar. I don't have a job and I don't have a clue where I will end up settling, so maybe I'll put it off until February. We'll see. I'm not sure yet. I'm not exactly ready for grown-up life, like I said.

But either way... I'm ready. I'm ready for everything but finals. But finals have to come first so I can go home and have a real Christmas. So I guess... I'm ready for finals too.

The Slow Cooker

... is my friend. This week I will be using it at least twice. Turkey with cranberry sauce (and stuffing and sweet potatoes... I love Thanksgiving so I'm starting to celebrate early!) and Italian sausage and peppers (to be served on hoagie rolls)... yum!

They're new recipes so I have no idea how they're going to turn out. If they're good, I will most definitely share.

3 weeks until Thanksgiving... 6 weeks until I'm home for Christmas. Is my law school education really coming to a close that quickly??

I promise...

I will blog soon. And if not soon, I will be back in full capacity by December 11th. Cause that's when I'm done with the semester.

I. Can. NOT. Wait.


And besides, Christmas is a really good time to start cooking and baking again. I'm going to start with fudge. Peppermint fudge, rocky road fudge, mocha fudge.... What should I make for Christmas gifts this year? (Besides fudge...)

I'm psycho, I know.

But I'm running a half-marathon. I'm going to do it if it kills me. And, who knows, it actually might. :) It's Provo's Halloween Half Marathon, and we're supposed to dress up. Anyone have any ideas for a comfortable costume to run in?! (That I can destroy and not mind too much??)

Busy B

I'm still alive. Just crazy busy. I've all but given up cooking and baking :( but that's because I'm taking 16 credits (including Federal Taxation, Secured Transactions, Elder Law - which requires 1-2 hours per week counseling at a senior center -, and Oil and Gas, wherein I must write a 30-page paper), a Tax study group that meets twice a week for two hours each, tutoring math, working as a research assistant, and working for LexisNexis as a student rep (lexisnexis.com/lawschool if you want to know more, I'm too tired to explain it)... yyyyeah. Might have bitten off too much this time.

But the good news is, for those of you who are worried about my sanity, I'm doing this for a reason. Next semester, I only have to take one class. Yep, you heard me right, I get to end my law school career by sleeping in 7 days a week for 4 months and taking only one exam. See? 4 months of pain for 4 months of relaxation? (I mean, hello, those of you who have kids? 9 months of pain, 3-48 hours of intense pain, and 18 years of work?! ... I'm not the insane one here! Well, yet.)

But things are good nonetheless. I'm alive. I enjoyed an insanely delicious dinner at Wabi Sabi Sushi in South Jordan this evening, with a lovely young man I have adored for 4 years. I'm hoping I get to adore him for an eternity more...

Love always,
S

I still exist!

I promise! This has been a long summer. Between my internship and training for an 8k, and now halfway through teaching my high school's band camp, I've hardly had time for anything else, including cooking. (It doesn't help that half the people in my family are picky eaters and there's no reason to bother with anything other than tacos or hamburgers!)

I head back to school soon and will resume regular posting. Hopefully I haven't lost all my readers in the meantime! Hope everyone has had a glorious summer!

Philly Cheesesteak Burgers

I love sauteed onions and peppers. I'm really not sure why, but I just love them. I'm always trying to find ways to incorporate them into a meal (even breakfast!). I love Philly Cheesesteaks, but I think it's a huge pain to try to prepare the meat (buy it, wrap it, freeze it, shave it - in theory)... so, how could I eat onions and peppers without having to make a philly cheesesteak?

The answer came to me in a culinary vision: Philly Cheesesteak BURGERS. Why haven't I ever heard of these before?! Anyway, they're delicious. Relatively easy, pretty messy - but what delicious food isn't?!

Give these a try! Saute a big pan of onions, peppers, and mushrooms - whichever type you prefer. (I used yellow onions, green bell pepper, and cremini mushrooms.) Make yourself a burger in whatever manner you prefer (I broil them with a touch of Montreal Steak Seasoning), and add provolone cheese on top. Toast your buns, and prep them for the burger - I think every Philly should have mayo, lettuce, and tomato, but I really like my veggies. Assemble the burger and enjoy. I served it with fresh boiled corn on the cob and it was a gigantic hit!

Double-Crust Jumble Berry Pie

Confession: I've never made a pie before. Well, before I made this one, anyway.

So my dad really loves pie (that was the standard dessert at his house, so there's a real element of comfort for him) and I love buying fruit at Costco and Sam's. It's got this ridiculous Siren Song... it's so beautiful and shiny and those deep beautiful colors and such reasonable prices and just think of ALL the endless possibilities! .... sooo, I always have lots of fruit in the summer. But unless you eat only fruit (hello, "skitters" as they say in The Grapes of Wrath!) or you have a (usually unhealthy) fruit dip for encouragement, you need another vessel to get the fruit to your mouth.

Enter the Double-Crust Jumble Berry Pie.

Made with strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries (though you could really add any fruit you like), my dad declared this one of the best pies he had EVER eaten. That's a pretty big statement coming from a man who grew up on pie. The best part? It's easy. And I mean... EASY. Even for someone who had never made a pie before!

Give this baby a shot! You (and those who eat with you) will be glad you did. And if you, too, answer to the siren song of the fruit section at your local wholesaler, you'll feel much better about your purchases. :)

Double-Crust Jumble Berry Pie (adapted from Fine Cooking)

1 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca

1/4 tsp. salt

6 c. washed and dried mix of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and quartered strawberries

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 pkg. refrigerated pie dough (2 9-inch rounds)

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, cornstarch, tapioca, and salt. Add the berries and toss until berries are evenly coated. Meanwhile, line glass pie plate with one round of dough. Pile berries into dough-lined pie plate, sprinkling any remaining dry ingredients on top. Dot surface with butter, cover berry mixture with second pie crust, and seal edges.

Cut 5 or 6 slits in the top crust to let steam escape while cooking. Place pie in refrigerator 15-20 minutes; heat oven to 400° F. Put pie on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes; reduce temperature to 350° F. Continue baking until crust is golden and the filling juices that are bubbling through the vents and edges are thick, glossy, and slow, another 50-60 minutes. Cool the pie completely, then reheat slices slightly before serving.

Note: You can make your own pie crusts if that's your thing. As for me, it's not quite my "thing" yet - but when I get good at it, I'll let you know, and share my secrets.

Spiced Pork Chops with Mango-Lime Salsa

I love summer food! Fresh vegetables and fruits, grilling out, my new HERB GARDEN - summer is such a great time for food! (Well, let's be honest, ANY time is a good food time, but summer is extra great!)

This is a very delicious dish. It's super quick and easy, and the salsa is to die for!

I cooked these on the stove top, but should you decide to fire up the grill, that would work perfectly too. Either way, give this one a try!

For the salsa:

1 ripe mango, pitted, peeled, and cut into small dice

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into small dice

1/4 c. small-diced red onion

2 scallions (white and light-green parts), thinly sliced

3/4 c. loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 c. fresh orange juice

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. Tabasco

Kosher salt, to taste

For the chops:

1 Tbsp. each cumin seed, coriander seed, ground dried chipotle or ancho chile powder, salt, and pepper

4 bone-in, center-cut pork chops (1 to 1-1/2 inches thick)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine all salsa ingredients; toss gently to combine. Combine spices for pork chops. Pat chops dry and rub each side evenly with spice mixture. Heat olive oil in a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Cook chops until well browned on one side, 3-5 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until meat is done, 2-4 minutes. Transfer chops to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 3-5 minutes.

Dear Finals,

I am very tired of you. You steal at least one entire month per semester, keep me from cooking my favorite foods, stress me out and steal my sleep. You ruin my self esteem and sometimes make me cry. I get cranky and irritable from all the bad food I'm eating, and let's be honest - when I the only vegetables I am getting are from take-out salads simply because you came back into my life, I am going to hate you. You make me sit in uncomfortable chairs for long periods of time, so my back hurts all the time. The weather is gorgeous, yet I've only seen the sun once in the last three weeks. I consume inordinate amounts of Dr. Pepper and candy just to survive our relationship, and while I do love my Dr. Pepper, I hate that your existence drives me to drink. My laundry piles to the ceiling, my house is a wreck, my car hasn't seen love in months. Ham especially hates you. Because of you, she gets very neglected. I haven't been able to change her fluff in almost two weeks because you are worse than a jealous mistress. How could you cause me to treat such a sweet helpless little animal so poorly?!

{Ham showing how neglected she is/how empty her food bowl is}

{Ham went so nuts one night that she somehow put her house on top of her food bowl. Breakfast in bed, anyone?}

Fortunately, our on-again, off-again relationship is finally OFF. Again. Ham and I are very happy for that, and I bid you GOOD RIDDANCE.

Yours in love and Business Associations hate,

Sarah

CUPCAKE GIVEAWAY: Finals Celebration!

Be sure you check out The Law School Gourmet to enter my finals celebration CUPCAKE GIVEAWAY! :)

Finals Food

It happens to the best of us. It's at this time of year that I start throwing things together in an attempt to get some sort of nutrition in as I cram for finals. (Somehow the fact that it's "this time of year" hasn't quite sunk in yet... oops.)

So I'm going to share a few of my favorite finals foods over the next two weeks. If you find yourself in a bind and knowing you need to eat more healthy foods (let's face it, we all need extra help... Cafe Rio can only provide so much nutrition), give these a whirl. I promise they're quick and easy, and give you at least a serving of vegetables. Clean-up is quick too.

Sausage Omelette

(Brown country sausage with chopped onions and peppers; add beaten eggs and allow to set; fold onto plate and immediately put cheese on top to melt.)

Chicken and Biscuits Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 c. sour cream, divided

2 c. chopped cooked chicken (if using raw, allow to bake for 45-60 minutes and drop biscuits on top after 15-20 minutes)

16-oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables

1 c. shredded mild cheddar cheese

2 c. Bisquick mix

6 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a 9x13 dish, mix soup and 1/2 c. sour cream, then add chicken, veggies, and cheese. Mix together Bisquick, 1/2 c. sour cream and milk to form stiff dough; drop into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. Bake 35 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

Chocolate Brownie Peanut Butter Mousse Pie... with Chocolate Ganache

This pie is gorgeous and delicious, and WAY easier than you'd think!

There ARE a lot of steps, but it isn't terribly time consuming, and you can split the steps up over a day or two so it isn't too bad. And besides, who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter?!

Mmmmm.

Chocolate Brownie-Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

1 box brownie mix*, plus ingredients to make according to package directions
3/4 c. smooth peanut butter
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. milk
1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2/3 c. + 1/2 c. heavy cream, chilled, divided
1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
Special equipment: 9" springform pan

Preheat oven to 350*. Line springform pan with foil and grease foil. (I take the bottom piece out, put a big square of foil over it, then clamp the top piece on with the foil still sticking out. It makes removal infinitely easier.) Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Pour into springform pan and bake 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, make peanut butter mousse. With an electric mixer, beat together peanut butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and milk until smooth (ish) and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat together. In a separate bowl, beat 2/3 c. heavy cream to stiff peaks. Working in batches (it should take 3-4 times), fold whipped cream into peanut butter mixture. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

LEAVE BROWNIE IN PAN. Smooth peanut butter mousse evenly over cooled brownie. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour (preferably 3-4 hours or overnight). When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge of pan, unclasp and remove top portion. Using foil handles, lift brownie from bottom portion of pan and place on serving platter.

Make ganache: Heat 1/2 c. cream in microwave until almost boiling. Pour over chocolate chips and leave until chips are totally melted. Stir together until smooth and glossy. Pour into plastic baggie, snip off one corner, and drizzle over pie. Drizzle extra ganache over individual pieces of pie if desired.


*Yep, I totally cheat here. I haven't found a homemade brownie recipe that I think is significantly better than the boxed. I use Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix, and just mix according to the package directions.