tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760795558105226502024-03-05T03:09:25.953-08:00What. Autumn. Brings.Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-3354828881342217812011-04-25T12:52:00.000-07:002011-04-25T12:52:28.199-07:00What a Crock!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm7f-pJsmViyeQZSb7UHaL_3vs57U1_lne-0DFe8wB1HORhse-kS0pEIAbvhWxXPwiMRzuQuP5I5PBeITW4Md6llapMZoHrYqwiHu1nvT7etiVNYiyNr6nMEvwUZv5wLctFM-jaQRj0IC/s1600/iPhone+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm7f-pJsmViyeQZSb7UHaL_3vs57U1_lne-0DFe8wB1HORhse-kS0pEIAbvhWxXPwiMRzuQuP5I5PBeITW4Md6llapMZoHrYqwiHu1nvT7etiVNYiyNr6nMEvwUZv5wLctFM-jaQRj0IC/s400/iPhone+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> When I moved in to my apartment, my Grandmom gave me a cute red crock pot she didn't have much use for. I always thought it would be a lot of work to use it, and I never planned enough ahead of time to start recipes in the morning. But when I saw this <a href="http://www.whatshecooked.com/2011/03/southwestern-bean-medley.html">Southwestern Bean Medley</a> recipe on Jess, Mackenzie's sister's, blog, I thought it couldn't get any easier. <br />
And it was. I made the bean recipe a little while ago, and it was so easy and yummy that I started looking for more and have been using it a lot since. We had frozen pork, and I found this <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=335842">Slow Cooker Pork</a> recipe that also looked like a breeze. I can't believe how juicy and tender meat tastes in the crock pot. I'm mad I put off using it for so long!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuGq6UDmcy5dybb8jMHeUqasftuWS93I_mQEse6d0iFwC_5c0iuyhB2c3CTlRjr6PBfcvmukS146iqOubAzBIPJKlBoLXrRA5exNUm-FA4nomNUnN5hu91ZsXK0CrLh16ENUnlV4snuEM/s1600/iPhone+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuGq6UDmcy5dybb8jMHeUqasftuWS93I_mQEse6d0iFwC_5c0iuyhB2c3CTlRjr6PBfcvmukS146iqOubAzBIPJKlBoLXrRA5exNUm-FA4nomNUnN5hu91ZsXK0CrLh16ENUnlV4snuEM/s400/iPhone+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This recipe was cheap, easy, and filling. Served over brown rice, it was a healthful treat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3cWK1BpOVVAFi4_9RBhlXVvAoR-2Xql1ZvAXfWI3sdvdDmtCZwz7lDDmt-DyzNif4kl5IBE68rd1IRlVb_O0eK7as-Eg-4CjtiZ_EMP5qzqpyB8PtElg31MVXX1ASROBRc3Dzk6i75jW/s1600/iPhone+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3cWK1BpOVVAFi4_9RBhlXVvAoR-2Xql1ZvAXfWI3sdvdDmtCZwz7lDDmt-DyzNif4kl5IBE68rd1IRlVb_O0eK7as-Eg-4CjtiZ_EMP5qzqpyB8PtElg31MVXX1ASROBRc3Dzk6i75jW/s400/iPhone+006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pork was so moist and tender that it fell apart when I took it out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzqHI97j_JMND5FABtd2naHNB8qDrBrucAGDuiFuPHLMWK2DkfoANzHoszzTPzUGUCTQ09ULiZ615_ZWIZP1-qLB_2az1F63Ch4EqEX_eUtqbbXbdbqJbRynS6o192uqTsI3c5SWRhng6/s1600/iPhone+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzqHI97j_JMND5FABtd2naHNB8qDrBrucAGDuiFuPHLMWK2DkfoANzHoszzTPzUGUCTQ09ULiZ615_ZWIZP1-qLB_2az1F63Ch4EqEX_eUtqbbXbdbqJbRynS6o192uqTsI3c5SWRhng6/s400/iPhone+007.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I whipped up some mashed potatoes (confession: they were instant) and served the pork on top. The extra juices in the pot made for a savory gravy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I love how the crock pot lets you make something delicious and take the easy route at the same time.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
AnnieAnnie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-47085117211061314192011-04-25T12:32:00.000-07:002011-04-25T12:32:35.386-07:00Bunny Sweets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbjm20u2iaolQQLBOxXVyE6XFICVXMybk0uiMRzCYSeX0cq22-CYkZAHmDdlHZnCD-cvvOcujrlnukzhtR9hi7IYzk3f-p7gXoWTiBxpyGeiIMOccFExLFSez80KGaHwZ9zxXoawjS9uX/s1600/Easter+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbjm20u2iaolQQLBOxXVyE6XFICVXMybk0uiMRzCYSeX0cq22-CYkZAHmDdlHZnCD-cvvOcujrlnukzhtR9hi7IYzk3f-p7gXoWTiBxpyGeiIMOccFExLFSez80KGaHwZ9zxXoawjS9uX/s400/Easter+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Because I have such a love for cupcakes, I was really excited to make these bunny ones, inspired from <a href="http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/easter-bunny-cupcakes-recipes">Delish.com</a>. I let Betty Crocker do the legwork on the cupcakes, and put vanilla frosting into two dishes. I dyed half pink and half blue and frosted all of the cupcakes. I enlisted my mom, who's great at decorating cakes, to help with the white faces. She used a large round frosting tip to make circles.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRs8y4cU95jdlWS12GNqUqP1vKtQOac-ghMyrrvr-tCgSAKhya0EKB7BdriS5rO8cp9CIhYfiDAymumyTHN4_613iEjpYQ6vdtIRJJbqZZUdBL-wzcY7PqoLJdw0XUaVV1deTXxAWuzup/s1600/Easter+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRs8y4cU95jdlWS12GNqUqP1vKtQOac-ghMyrrvr-tCgSAKhya0EKB7BdriS5rO8cp9CIhYfiDAymumyTHN4_613iEjpYQ6vdtIRJJbqZZUdBL-wzcY7PqoLJdw0XUaVV1deTXxAWuzup/s400/Easter+008.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
The ears are made out of marshmallows. To replicate, cut diagonally across the marshmallow and then cut each half in half vertically. They stuck to the frosting easily.<br />
The eyes and nose are jelly beans, and the whiskers are chocolate sprinkles. Maybe I'm biased, but I think mine came out cuter than the original design (although probably not as perfect). I used them as placeholders at dinner, and stacked them on my cupcake rack for a festive decoration.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBU9HEyuEiybysyoF_URkXMzPtF0SYiqEwoOMiMQzH_kv9zZkoOI9Y4cO37UAGV0fSDsB9lPM64sZKptQoiAtGIXarQHUlomd_SyGCpRLr1vHPggGa2bsxRaOo9Pw8YLzlrTdiJ9FmqSlf/s1600/Easter+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBU9HEyuEiybysyoF_URkXMzPtF0SYiqEwoOMiMQzH_kv9zZkoOI9Y4cO37UAGV0fSDsB9lPM64sZKptQoiAtGIXarQHUlomd_SyGCpRLr1vHPggGa2bsxRaOo9Pw8YLzlrTdiJ9FmqSlf/s400/Easter+009.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table> I'm really happy with the end result, and glad my mom helped out so they didn't take too long. And I picked sugar free frosting to cut a few calories considering we used loads of it. Mmmmm.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cHAN-Vqd_nqJMCok6g0CdEgw4ZLMy_KjEkMcCGz7MD_irwBZ1B_VRhqfEeiElVfS62JwZ5ZuWl14fBBeliNyyyyqDBBgoZj_CfhyebXEAU_3m1KZi6zEVOQYzE7ZASPL9WDN6JvJG61x/s1600/Easter+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cHAN-Vqd_nqJMCok6g0CdEgw4ZLMy_KjEkMcCGz7MD_irwBZ1B_VRhqfEeiElVfS62JwZ5ZuWl14fBBeliNyyyyqDBBgoZj_CfhyebXEAU_3m1KZi6zEVOQYzE7ZASPL9WDN6JvJG61x/s400/Easter+024.JPG" width="298" /></a></div> Also, my mom made a vanilla and orange sherbet ice cream cake with a cookie crust. She decorated it with sugar flowers and frosting. It was so cute and tastey. Can you say Ace of Cakes?<br />
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Hope you had a sweet weekend.<br />
Love,<br />
AnnieAnnie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-21144741242747425642011-04-25T12:07:00.000-07:002011-04-25T12:07:13.487-07:00Easter Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq42VT19cv2R_6WNXHbAF8ThGmoqxTdqG9OXwa_5GYoL6EuR1CmQseGduM91dXAVb8JSm6XhnOq5Wdn4Il5VCCKjU-uGYX_20RAB_FMlWmDic6peeqOxj6IoTL9M-TorDW9rcDNYbBJtS/s1600/Easter+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq42VT19cv2R_6WNXHbAF8ThGmoqxTdqG9OXwa_5GYoL6EuR1CmQseGduM91dXAVb8JSm6XhnOq5Wdn4Il5VCCKjU-uGYX_20RAB_FMlWmDic6peeqOxj6IoTL9M-TorDW9rcDNYbBJtS/s400/Easter+013.JPG" width="298" /></a></div> After my success of putting on Christmas dinner, I volunteered to cook an Easter meal. Although I spent most of my Sunday cooking, it was definitely worth the time and everything came out delicious. The weekend was beautiful (besides some April showers) and was a big pick-me-up after what has been a dreary month. I browsed through several sites and selected my menu. I've linked the recipes.<br />
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<a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=595819">Slow Cooker Easter Ham</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyWQlk-tzu2Tc8woDwv7n-w2Gq8Z_1TG6l4SzdaqURLRsORPjlnHw3Zs2oUCex22410GpMzOWs5yVMZEwvhWtkrnE5rxQ79rCBjscEaWOuMX9T0KwUV7VJgRq0DrF9QsDV4yFsAThlImY/s1600/Easter+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyWQlk-tzu2Tc8woDwv7n-w2Gq8Z_1TG6l4SzdaqURLRsORPjlnHw3Zs2oUCex22410GpMzOWs5yVMZEwvhWtkrnE5rxQ79rCBjscEaWOuMX9T0KwUV7VJgRq0DrF9QsDV4yFsAThlImY/s400/Easter+014.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the easiest recipe of all. I just put the few ingredients in the crock pot and forgot about it until dinner. It came out moist and flavorful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=175717">Spinach and Feta Quiche</a><br />
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I had never made quiche before, so when I saw it on a suggested Easter dinner menu, I was dying to make it. The recipe I found was for a spinach and mushroom quiche, but I in onion (though not as large a quantity) because I don't really like mushrooms. The quiche came out wonderful, and was a favorite among my family. The best part is it's pretty healthy, save for the pie crust which on a lighter night you can leave out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3iCDdW2LbFauBfwbq_Jomo47ZKXhRI8SKtQOX20PHA4Du2AR9LNvj7q9JBWxDizDPLWI9gQHNWuXsLg5FC0420mAmZ0XgCBKzV9zRCMUhAHre42C3kr4NhQb4vXIBvh63rta2-i0rSmw/s1600/Easter+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3iCDdW2LbFauBfwbq_Jomo47ZKXhRI8SKtQOX20PHA4Du2AR9LNvj7q9JBWxDizDPLWI9gQHNWuXsLg5FC0420mAmZ0XgCBKzV9zRCMUhAHre42C3kr4NhQb4vXIBvh63rta2-i0rSmw/s400/Easter+016.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made this earliest in the day and left it in the fridge. 15 minutes before dinner, I popped it back in the oven covered. The texture was perfect; I'll definitely make this recipe again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Scalloped-Potatoes-and-Onions/Detail.aspx">Scalloped Potatoes and Onions</a><br />
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This was one of the more challenging recipes as far as prep. Cutting 5 large potatoes and a strong onion was no simple task, but the end product was worth the work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekpg-EQgW4iizDW-r25O61sii3srsCmMcBlOJD8PrrrxGqv8HEIjbwoCDemO-Alw290dD-CTNgnfznVfJnYxx1Xc_cadwDpO8IdhcQmxol9tkKaaSlspHDp6ngNZC5yjI4_vyt23ONuoe/s1600/Easter+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekpg-EQgW4iizDW-r25O61sii3srsCmMcBlOJD8PrrrxGqv8HEIjbwoCDemO-Alw290dD-CTNgnfznVfJnYxx1Xc_cadwDpO8IdhcQmxol9tkKaaSlspHDp6ngNZC5yjI4_vyt23ONuoe/s400/Easter+019.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Green-Bean-Casserole/Detail.aspx">Green Bean Casserole </a><br />
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I normally hate green beans. The thought of canned vegetables still brings me back to the elementary school cafeteria (shivers). But we don't normally have green bean casserole at our holiday dinners, so I thought I'd add it to the menu. Perhaps adding cheese and butter to anything can make it taste good, but this was truly delectable and a good way to add more greens to the meal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiQBn3fdOCgQC4H9LzrIeV0C_wD9W2dUx6P_VgIhpUceqWRB6gy2rqWziOauj5zZcif5bEqdJClQwOEKm-M99cd0AL3CKno_c1K7DI7ohzl6PwcfAVpRP8b2khsq7Pl3OXFPfkr17zLs9/s1600/Easter+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiQBn3fdOCgQC4H9LzrIeV0C_wD9W2dUx6P_VgIhpUceqWRB6gy2rqWziOauj5zZcif5bEqdJClQwOEKm-M99cd0AL3CKno_c1K7DI7ohzl6PwcfAVpRP8b2khsq7Pl3OXFPfkr17zLs9/s400/Easter+018.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ritz cracker topping was a yummy alternative to traditional crunchy onions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/glazed-mini-carrots-recipe-5192">Glazed Mini Carrots</a><br />
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Trying to pull all this off in one day, I knew I needed something really easy to add to the menu. These were quick and healthy, and didn't require baking so it freed up space in the oven. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFrJiJoLzsbmohe2McfB2ZdY7_RWASU6BkUD99tHC0BX3MFk0qIDCeiojmE-uNf92Ukj49tEvo0ni98LWziJH7_EvfKLG4hovEPX0lU8Zbyj-E85cxMa80VdWTprNNa0jZ0H_h5I_Cyi5/s1600/Easter+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFrJiJoLzsbmohe2McfB2ZdY7_RWASU6BkUD99tHC0BX3MFk0qIDCeiojmE-uNf92Ukj49tEvo0ni98LWziJH7_EvfKLG4hovEPX0lU8Zbyj-E85cxMa80VdWTprNNa0jZ0H_h5I_Cyi5/s400/Easter+015.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love how the fresh carrots add a lot of spring color to the table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDV4TVtHVE7x8RwVXVIEXrn6viZiNRqL_r71QUEtd0vAfvatffqPtyRUHlHHB6PIgMJEnSf0HSvswKnCE8lSxT9aZKnnFAjth0WYZK7Y-nmgVHOkfHJaJDQXbKHQov-TFw1d0hmFkFXEx/s1600/Easter+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDV4TVtHVE7x8RwVXVIEXrn6viZiNRqL_r71QUEtd0vAfvatffqPtyRUHlHHB6PIgMJEnSf0HSvswKnCE8lSxT9aZKnnFAjth0WYZK7Y-nmgVHOkfHJaJDQXbKHQov-TFw1d0hmFkFXEx/s400/Easter+010.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> Daffodils from our yard added a spring touch to the table, and my homemade egg nest added a festive touch. I dyed hard boiled eggs pastel colors and put them in a woven basket with paper grass.<br />
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My family all said they enjoyed the meal, and I was happy to make a yummy dinner for everyone...but I may need a week or so off of cooking to recover.<br />
<br />
Happy Easter!<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
AnnieAnnie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-85848042467788458922011-04-06T09:06:00.000-07:002011-04-06T09:06:07.383-07:00The banana blueberry streusel experiment The other day, Mackenzie and I went downtown for lunch. We grabbed drinks at Blue State Coffee, and I couldn't help but drool over the big, blueberry muffins on display. Although we resisted, I was still craving blueberry muffins later, and resolved to make something delicious. We also had a big bunch of bananas that were going bad (Mackenzie prefers green bananas). I searched for recipes, but couldn't find one that combined all of the ingredients I wanted to use. So I did a little experiment, tweaking the <a href="http://www.catcancook.com/awesome-banana-muffin-recipe/">Awesome Banana Muffin</a> recipe from Cat Can Cook, adding the <a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/banana-crumb-muffins/Detail.aspx">streusel topping</a> from Allrecipes.com, and tossing in blueberries. My muffins came out moist and delicious, and were a big hit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3c8h1m0K2q1ZsYsHc05CjVyfAYldolamHAuzz4DvyMlnoPBfZFLWNVE4fA1VqZ66giLbJel7FDKAFTUmxXruYW4Gyofz9X02qge0D5Qm0FPG2knvqEhKTA7fPqk1dQliAr2L4bzeVx4u/s1600/yum+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3c8h1m0K2q1ZsYsHc05CjVyfAYldolamHAuzz4DvyMlnoPBfZFLWNVE4fA1VqZ66giLbJel7FDKAFTUmxXruYW4Gyofz9X02qge0D5Qm0FPG2knvqEhKTA7fPqk1dQliAr2L4bzeVx4u/s400/yum+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Here's my final recipe:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Banana Blueberry <span style="background-color: white;">Streusel</span> Muffins</span><br />
<br />
Prep: 30 min Serves: 12<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
4 Large bananas mashed<br />
1/2 cup white sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
1/3 cup canola oil<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)<br />
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Topping:<br />
<br />
1/3 cup sugar (brown may be better, but I only had white)<br />
2 tbsp flour<br />
1/4 tsp cinnamon<br />
1 tbsp butter<br />
<br />
Method: <br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas and mix with sugar, egg, and oil. In another bowl, mix baking powder, salt, and flour. Mix wet and dry ingredients and stir in blueberries. Pour into greased muffin tins. In a small bowl, mix sugar, flour and cinnamon for topping. Cut in 1 tbsp butter until mixed and sprinkle over muffins before baking. Bake 20 min.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum! I would definately make these again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYNUxMHnO1-jNgCl1DBuPVNEr2Am6yiyWJ9PoYOXXG1JaTzpXVPNPnncv-1jegmKjxYAkocgRne1UvDyiP4ZAQBCZ8O4M-ES6Luo2lv-hmM97MGHEgMHb2iJROX4NGfpc3OLItA4T6Yk9/s1600/yum+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYNUxMHnO1-jNgCl1DBuPVNEr2Am6yiyWJ9PoYOXXG1JaTzpXVPNPnncv-1jegmKjxYAkocgRne1UvDyiP4ZAQBCZ8O4M-ES6Luo2lv-hmM97MGHEgMHb2iJROX4NGfpc3OLItA4T6Yk9/s400/yum+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monti, in his new favorite place to cuddle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-27978299996640453962011-04-03T10:46:00.000-07:002011-04-03T10:46:05.504-07:00What the Text? Wow, it has been a while since my last blog. I better get back on track. In short, Spring break came and went, March went in and out, and here we are in the last six weeks of class.<br />
<br />
Last week, my loyal phone of two years bit the dust. As I weigh my options for a new gadget--to upgrade to a Droid or iPhone, or keep it low key with a cheap Verizon phone--I immediately thought of dollar signs. But it occurred to me that there might be more I should consider besides pure cost. Although I am itching for an Internet phone (I am always behind the technological curve), it has really hit me how plugged in our society has become. Our cells require that we are always available; we have to drop everything to answer the call or respond to the text (I just ran downstairs mid-blog to grab my ringing phone). We feel constantly dependent on our phones: texting, checking email, or playing a game while waiting for coffee at Dunkin' Donuts or filling up on gas. It used to be considered a faux pas to answer a call or text during a date, conference, or chat, but the rules have changed. Now, when my friends and I go out to coffee, we each have our phones sitting on the table. An article in this month's <em>Women's Health</em>, "Never Run Late Again," suggest that cell phones encourage perpetual lateness. A simple text saying "Running late! Be there in five!" rids us of the guilt for making someone wait.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWs5ruEisAl6KiZwvw6XaaS_DOi-QUveWM1eb0fsm5deRC0EcZWblMWu0YXcFd2zkoQkiH9V-cQeo3v2e-3zcJoqXQEyaPZ8ouvFOe0tbXJ8xNO42tqLkdmlypXzftTasfixpii9HP3gye/s1600/do-not-call-list-for-cell-phones-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWs5ruEisAl6KiZwvw6XaaS_DOi-QUveWM1eb0fsm5deRC0EcZWblMWu0YXcFd2zkoQkiH9V-cQeo3v2e-3zcJoqXQEyaPZ8ouvFOe0tbXJ8xNO42tqLkdmlypXzftTasfixpii9HP3gye/s400/do-not-call-list-for-cell-phones-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And in the past few years, the Internet was added to the cell-reliant mix. Freshman year, I took a class called "The World According to Google," where we talked about the affect the Internet, Google in particular, was having on our society. We read an article from <em>The Atlantic</em>, written by Nicholas Carr, called <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/#">"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"</a> It suggests that the way we read has been changed by the Internet, and that many of us are developing a case of Google ADD. Read a few sentences on one site, click on a link, skim a paragraph there, click again. Next thing, you're reading about a vacation in Hawaii when you started out looking up the earthquake in Japan. Sitting down to read a full page of text, or God forbid a book, is now a daunting task. Bing's "search overload" commercials may actually hold some truth. But at the same time, instant answer sites like Bing and Cha-cha may be messing with our problem solving and cognitive thinking skills.<br />
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If the suffering of our attention spans and social skills wasn't enough, another April <em>Women's Health</em> article, "Improve your Inner GPS," suggests that our heavy reliance on GPS devices is dumbing down our inner compass (not that I had one to begin with). So I'm pondering all of this as I decide if I want to plug myself into the Matrix with a new smart phone. I mean, do I really need it to tempt me to go on Facebook during a boring lecture? But if I don't upgrade, do I risk being left behind by the technological curve?<br />
<br />
Definitely food for thought, but I'm not making any promises either way.<br />
<br />
Text me! Love,<br />
<br />
Annie<br />
<br />
Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-87934922443407213532011-03-17T06:31:00.000-07:002011-03-17T06:32:34.055-07:00The Luck of the Irish Happy St. Patty's Day! I always love to be festive for holidays and this is no exception. Sunday we celebrated with the New Havens St. Patrick's Day parade and did everything green-themed. We woke up for green pancakes and jello shots and dressed in our best Irish attire. Yesterday I made Irish Soda Bread muffins, which didn't turn out quite like the real thing but they were fun and tastey enough. It just so happens that this year the holiday rests smack in the middle of MIDTERMS, so the festivites provide a much needed distraction. And after tomorrow SCSU is on spring break so everyone will have a reason to celebrate!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I normally hate lime jello, but I made an exception for this occasion. These green jello shots (of course in lime green plastic shot glasses) were really easy to make, and came out tastey--lime flavor and all. The recipe I found is from drinkstreet.com, but there weren't a whole lot of us I halved the recipe. And since you don't really taste the alcohol, the cheap stuff is fine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Drink Recipe: Jello shots</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ingredients:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 6 ounces Jello (large package)</div> 16 ounces Water (boiling)<br />
6 ounces Water (cold)<br />
10 ounces Vodka <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="cardtext"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Mix the jello mix with the boiling water until the powder is fully dissolved and add the cold water and alcohol. Pour the cooling mixture into either shot glasses or paper cups. Shot glasses are more attractive, but drinker can turn the paper cups inside-out to more easily eat the alcoholic jello.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" style="width: 319px;"><tbody>
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I made these muffins yesterday to have something festive actually on the holiday. The traditional Irish Soda Bread recipes I found had a lot of ingredients, so I picked one with fewer necessities (of course from my go-to site, Sparkrecipes.com). On top of that, I took a few liberties with the recipe so that could be why my muffins were good, but not exactly authentic. </div><h1 class="KonaBody" itemprop="name">IRISH SODA BREAD MUFFINS<br />
Ingredients</h1><div class="KonaBody" id="ingredients"><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"></span><br />
<ul><span itemprop="name">6 cups flour,</span> <span itemprop="name">1 cup sugar,</span> <span itemprop="name">1 stick melted butter,</span> <span itemprop="name">1 cup raisin,</span> <span itemprop="name">1 cup golden raisin (<em>I just used double of the normal raisins</em>),</span> <span itemprop="name">3 cups buttermilk (<em>I used regular milk</em>),</span> <span itemprop="name">2 tbs baking powder,</span> <span itemprop="name">1tsp baking soda,</span> <span itemprop="name">1 tsp salt, and</span> <span itemprop="name">2 Tbs caraway seeds</span> (<em>Skipped 'em</em>).</ul></div><h2 class="KonaBody">Directions</h2><div class="KonaBody" itemprop="instructions" style="text-align: left;">bake at 350 Mix all <a class="kLink" href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=546519#" id="KonaLink0" jquery1300367331811="2" style="position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 400; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: blue 1px solid; color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 400; position: relative;">ingredients</span></span></a>. spray muffin pan with PAM. Spoon about a large spoonful into pans and bake for about 15 min or until toothpick comes out clean. allow to cool then eat. may freeze<br />
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Number of Servings: 36<br />
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<i>Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user XN8960.</i> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why have green eggs and ham when you can have green pancakes?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caden and Monti were fast friends. Must've been the matching "Pet Me I'm Irish" T-shirts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday was a beautiful day to be downtown.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DScxsN84oJGfL6i9qRrc9vt_ptRqBxCsvmkfCoLN8zM60WA0eogn_UFXwWa3CB4NEj-EeSvMRE819Ao0ZNHLZgL1H7nWclzk46MLmmPsPnHJ7T8vOfiFqr51-9kW_pgm82LwfOjelWO7/s1600/St+patty%2527s+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DScxsN84oJGfL6i9qRrc9vt_ptRqBxCsvmkfCoLN8zM60WA0eogn_UFXwWa3CB4NEj-EeSvMRE819Ao0ZNHLZgL1H7nWclzk46MLmmPsPnHJ7T8vOfiFqr51-9kW_pgm82LwfOjelWO7/s400/St+patty%2527s+032.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shout out to Aleisa and Mackenzie for actually being Irish. Hah!<br />
<br />
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Good luck on midterms and happy Spring Break!</div><div class="KonaBody" itemprop="instructions" style="text-align: left;">Love,</div><div class="KonaBody" itemprop="instructions" style="text-align: left;">Annie</div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-2530423762936733892011-03-06T17:53:00.000-08:002011-03-06T17:53:41.562-08:00Rain, rain go away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylPFiLGcXovxPsv6zOv2IbNjsVNpcsxXHQOsH6aLuqm0-13bz5I6F7zt29N4L24b92-_wWidUSnRyzeNIVpOsytxbHGD5bxMinygNjyOAoaAWMRVP1-BhF2LwusOhoUvaJsHDYUNpr69c/s1600/March+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylPFiLGcXovxPsv6zOv2IbNjsVNpcsxXHQOsH6aLuqm0-13bz5I6F7zt29N4L24b92-_wWidUSnRyzeNIVpOsytxbHGD5bxMinygNjyOAoaAWMRVP1-BhF2LwusOhoUvaJsHDYUNpr69c/s400/March+023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> Yes, it's finally March! The shortest (yet longest feeling) month of the year is over. They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, but in New England, it's pretty much a lion-lamb hybrid throughout. So far this month, the climate has been rainy. Definitely preferable to snow and ice, but it can be a bit dismal. Everyone seems to be sick of staying inside and the taste of sun last week seemed to spark some spring fever. <br />
Since I am extremely warm blooded, I was not one of those girls Friday wearing dresses and flats. But in anticipation of the coming season, I've been wearing brighter colors (nothing like hot pink rain boots to brighten up a dark day), and punching things up with flowers. I never wear this flower headband, but I was feeling like spring this week and it was the perfect solution.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_itxEdp9tBRPY4WkZyky30KY1qTomm_-LbemTeepitS1lio6YvvGmAF2ZdXo4mW-zPpXzPeps4pUPMmUs5qGXO3W4SKpDKJUD3hNh_aRoED3HsCLvYZ99dkRDghZbuAgKZu1lBx1rtqV/s1600/March+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_itxEdp9tBRPY4WkZyky30KY1qTomm_-LbemTeepitS1lio6YvvGmAF2ZdXo4mW-zPpXzPeps4pUPMmUs5qGXO3W4SKpDKJUD3hNh_aRoED3HsCLvYZ99dkRDghZbuAgKZu1lBx1rtqV/s400/March+009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> And after a rainy weekend of being inside, whipping up some Irish-themed cupcakes cured both my sweet tooth and spring fever. Yum!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWPvHGzMGDAEn5E2uqprpu-MFVK-cjl3gm6EEuhC3d_7j8QVcA6hy3TzyGjPaULe7VOe5G790ErnZyUKvMHo8GLGR1_8JLthAcQdtL64KCQHrINnZ_EshRHCsAVTLjvQEIiXEiZf3cNR4/s1600/004+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWPvHGzMGDAEn5E2uqprpu-MFVK-cjl3gm6EEuhC3d_7j8QVcA6hy3TzyGjPaULe7VOe5G790ErnZyUKvMHo8GLGR1_8JLthAcQdtL64KCQHrINnZ_EshRHCsAVTLjvQEIiXEiZf3cNR4/s400/004+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> How do you cure spring fever?</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Love,</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Annie</div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-75532402976373332252011-02-25T14:58:00.000-08:002011-02-25T15:01:16.212-08:00Health Kick<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How come short weeks always feel so long? Even with a four day weekend (thanks to Abe, Ronald, and Obama) these past four days seemed like an eternity. But there is light at the end of the tunnel: March. The groundhog called early spring, so fingers crossed that he predicted right. To get through the rest of February, I’ve been upping my cooking. While advancing my still-beginner cooking skills, I’ve learned that it’s okay to take some liberties and stray from a recipe. So that’s just what I did with what I whipped up this week.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because I’ve been on a health kick, I wanted to make some muffins to grab as a healthy snack (and to have something to put in the cupcake holder Kenzie got me for Valentine’s Day). I searched for a recipe to start with and found a <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=359129">Banana Muffin</a> recipe from Sparkrecipes.com. I made some minor tweaks, and they came out delish. And good thing they are low cal because I thought they were pretty addicting.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtajjNsTFAtzDzoxr3usmL50RYjTrG9wo4-wHYuGrgctTKXfMw3jJ8RJ0crp5U2KJX7CjzVryGg9XMPQ_H3552ggOSX2s7ft3rxRjbnZ4NKp5HW_5hoCdPPwqr4TkPyUlFb7EFRDtReDIn/s1600/February+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtajjNsTFAtzDzoxr3usmL50RYjTrG9wo4-wHYuGrgctTKXfMw3jJ8RJ0crp5U2KJX7CjzVryGg9XMPQ_H3552ggOSX2s7ft3rxRjbnZ4NKp5HW_5hoCdPPwqr4TkPyUlFb7EFRDtReDIn/s400/February+009.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love my cupcake stand. Can't wait for an occasion to bake some.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Banana Muffin (with Yogurt)</span></div><h2 style="background: white; margin: 10pt 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Ingredients</span></span></span></h2><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name">1 cup all-purpose flour </span><br />
<span itemprop="name">1 tablespoon baking powder </span><br />
<span itemprop="name">1/2 teaspoon baking soda </span>(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">didn’t have it, so I just used the powder</i>)<br />
<span itemprop="name">1/4 teaspoon salt </span><br />
<span itemprop="name">1 cup mashed ripe banana </span><br />
<span itemprop="name">1/4 cup white sugar </span><br />
<span itemprop="name">1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt</span> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I used vanilla</i>)<br />
<span itemprop="name">1 egg </span><br />
<span itemprop="name">1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I added a handful of oats for a little extra texture</span></i></span></div><h2 style="background: white; margin: 10pt 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: Cambria; font-size: medium;">Directions</span></h2><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. <br />
Mix together flour, baking powder, <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=359129" id="KonaLink0" jquery1298672566530="3"><span class="klink"><span style="color: blue;">baking soda</span></span></a> and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together banana, sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir in the yogurt (I've used applesauce when out of plain yogurt as well). Stir banana mixture into flour until just combined. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. <br />
<a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=359129" id="KonaLink1" jquery1298672566530="2"><span class="klink"><span style="color: blue;">Bake</span></span></a> in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool before serving.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Title of an article in February’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Better Homes and Gardens</i> had me hooked. It’s called “Warming Winter Fare” and featured a recipe called Green Chile Pork Stew. The recipe called for the stew to be cooked in a Dutch oven, which I don’t have. So I baked the pork in the oven first and then put everything in a pot on the stove. </span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qXZtn_iRSSSeJtPodbS2lI_sX6IDHNMUCvwARChf9V9LiscakpNZTo61G2fGpQqBEzMhnTWUkCZbMw6xSCuRYALhWWGsDR6MgC8YBk36mYKMNooM6sGckpiajCer_SzlsUhQjd_Le13j/s1600/February+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qXZtn_iRSSSeJtPodbS2lI_sX6IDHNMUCvwARChf9V9LiscakpNZTo61G2fGpQqBEzMhnTWUkCZbMw6xSCuRYALhWWGsDR6MgC8YBk36mYKMNooM6sGckpiajCer_SzlsUhQjd_Le13j/s400/February+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Green Chile Pork Stew</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 lb. pork tenderloin (salt and black pepper)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 Tbsp olive oil</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3 7oz packages mixed vegetables in garlic herb sauce <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(I used one big package…I couldn’t find what they were calling for, but I found a bag of “Ranchero Fiesta Blend” which had a few different kinds of beans, carrots, and peppers. It was unseasoned so I sprinkled some extra garlic and cayenne pepper into the stew</i>)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 4.5 oz can diced green chiles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tsp ground cumin (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">skipped it</i>)</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fresh cilantro</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lime wedges</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Directions:</strong></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cut pork into ¾ inch pieces; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. In Dutch oven head olive oil over medium high heat. Add pork; cook 4-5 minutes or until browned. Stir in two packages of the thawed vegetables, the chiles, and the cumin. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I put in the olive oil and cooked pork into a pot, and added the veggies shortly after</i>.)</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a blender, combine remaining thawed vegetables and 1 cup water. Process until smooth. Add pureed vegetables to Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, over medium high heat about 15 minutes or until pork is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Ladle into soup bowls. Top with cilantro and squeeze of lime juice. Makes 4 servings. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I skipped the pureed veggies and just added the water to my mixture. It was still yummy and flavorful</i>.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_qws_IW3nQElI9vp9meG1IHEybFZ_JhEsS8AajT23jOT3fyGjW7hI3oFemSpfYFiF4wT_dX4KiXD4rY4pBSWTd9XDs8c5b8OXfE3ZotUcsrSVFvqG6U7NWfBo0uzk_hn_LJTF_5vV-mn/s1600/February+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_qws_IW3nQElI9vp9meG1IHEybFZ_JhEsS8AajT23jOT3fyGjW7hI3oFemSpfYFiF4wT_dX4KiXD4rY4pBSWTd9XDs8c5b8OXfE3ZotUcsrSVFvqG6U7NWfBo0uzk_hn_LJTF_5vV-mn/s400/February+015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">Stay warm. Love,</div><div class="separator" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">Annie</div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-58505787594343607362011-02-14T10:16:00.000-08:002011-02-14T10:16:53.765-08:00Hugs and Kisses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9rpNhh0BYLRGOCNQr7-SMova1UV864mJM4iqmD_d_qevT6nkn6ABeccHBaHY9XzbJRZHu4Bhoii2h1y1CILRsfmDLRqW-NjZKPwwxdbhTpY-Pa1ZbImfEtMADURG15925LBI08Id81kX/s1600/DSC01275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9rpNhh0BYLRGOCNQr7-SMova1UV864mJM4iqmD_d_qevT6nkn6ABeccHBaHY9XzbJRZHu4Bhoii2h1y1CILRsfmDLRqW-NjZKPwwxdbhTpY-Pa1ZbImfEtMADURG15925LBI08Id81kX/s400/DSC01275.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_F69z3D5gUQW5ydDPT_M2U15jdKWdGYorLkaBx6MgFI7eaLA8_WrDthnKfYkPktU57WeLLAFaR1Hz9PbHRcciv3dFql41_yuLR2BVhZ-zBCr0ccNfpQr_ww5K7wh4Inu2c4klz5wieHKG/s1600/DSC01281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_F69z3D5gUQW5ydDPT_M2U15jdKWdGYorLkaBx6MgFI7eaLA8_WrDthnKfYkPktU57WeLLAFaR1Hz9PbHRcciv3dFql41_yuLR2BVhZ-zBCr0ccNfpQr_ww5K7wh4Inu2c4klz5wieHKG/s400/DSC01281.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Although many feel like Valentine's day is a product of capitalism, how can you hate a holiday that celebrates love, flowers, chocolate, and all things pink? Every year, I try to do something crafty and thoughtful for my friends and family. This time I made bookmarks with famous love letters printed on them written by different historical figures--Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abagail Adams, Winston Churchill, and Nathaniel Hawthorn. I printed the letters in pretty type on card stock, punched a hole in the top, and tied a ribbon through.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uhYUVaVDL2PeU3nV3LS-vpPu0-8amp66ErefJlolZz8KItgZGE5Z0B40Ro_Wgg_L_GUugVNrxNIwjE4_ftSFw5KGED5htHNVrU6i-Fh2Z6MSUDiLU3-3yMbVmDUp7sezK7ipOveZdIHl/s400/DSC01280.JPG" width="300" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I also made cut-out cookies of X's, O's and hearts. I frosted them with homemade frosting and topped with X and O sprinkles. The butter cookie recipe is from my mom's Mennonite Cookbook, and has always been a family favorite. The frosting is my mom's recipe and super easy to whip up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cut-out sugar cookies</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Makes: 4 dozen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups shortening, butter preferred; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 2 egg yolks; 4 cups flour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Method: Cream shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and continue to beat. Add sifted flour and stir until well blended into mixture. Roll out on floured board to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters and decorate with frosting or colored sugar. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown (about 10 minutes). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZchfBPv8gUeWsrywDrPjjWWcOamjzSi-rHa1QXAoT628AaQCG8yH0aa_FxSj16J8-ojms2VqLvx1WzKlTmW910YFtOvVsmf7Qn58-llDiT4NDpwkdIM_t4d3sd0cnv_51iv0ALtl-ULF/s1600/DSC01279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZchfBPv8gUeWsrywDrPjjWWcOamjzSi-rHa1QXAoT628AaQCG8yH0aa_FxSj16J8-ojms2VqLvx1WzKlTmW910YFtOvVsmf7Qn58-llDiT4NDpwkdIM_t4d3sd0cnv_51iv0ALtl-ULF/s400/DSC01279.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Frosting</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Makes: About enough to frost one cake</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ingredients: 3 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp molk, 3 cups confectioner sugar, 1 tsp vanilla.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Method: Cream butter. Add milk and sugar. Continue adding sugar until frosting is desired consistency. Stir in food coloring if desired.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1s8qhf7H-rOSzhXqZKQ_j5ZXFzIqEvSp53PSNSVQIX88zvZKe-GvKW-fIa6VKmV9-1IMj0gdXum5ladlm1k8wMTglt29Eu9uGmi0GS3PKkSAQca4kfW4W0YAsRyzNyuMCOflf3Mbx6Go/s1600/DSC01276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1s8qhf7H-rOSzhXqZKQ_j5ZXFzIqEvSp53PSNSVQIX88zvZKe-GvKW-fIa6VKmV9-1IMj0gdXum5ladlm1k8wMTglt29Eu9uGmi0GS3PKkSAQca4kfW4W0YAsRyzNyuMCOflf3Mbx6Go/s400/DSC01276.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Next, I put an X, O, and heart cookie in a cellophane bag (I found cute X and O ones for $1 at Target), and tied the bookmark to the outside. Wallah! I had a great time making these, and will need to look for more excuses to craft little creations. St. Patrick's Day, anyone?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQWB17Koo1BLqsbBdI-pTigfXrwKLRaz_mexl0d4C4ycLRg8-qeFKbK4whUpvMPfpbOp2mY7kx2n0SF3SDtgJVU7jHab4-wTkyoEQOjl9hd_E9vM7YcBV9DrCKhZXWYadDpFGsBoIlgTj/s1600/DSC01282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQWB17Koo1BLqsbBdI-pTigfXrwKLRaz_mexl0d4C4ycLRg8-qeFKbK4whUpvMPfpbOp2mY7kx2n0SF3SDtgJVU7jHab4-wTkyoEQOjl9hd_E9vM7YcBV9DrCKhZXWYadDpFGsBoIlgTj/s400/DSC01282.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Heart Day and a special shout out to my Valentine, Mackenzie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Love, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Annie</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgFWRVEHgv5c4RGYmaU3iy-gafN8wSpwKXi59zjwgakpJNH6pIq6Y-rQfn3aqRXyKczYEhksV77I_DpkMCTNddgRC3PPLfr3SDmaYRBkqrk2C-0EtRPSzo_aB3_FdNwJ-7-rugj0Z_Ikb/s1600/vday+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgFWRVEHgv5c4RGYmaU3iy-gafN8wSpwKXi59zjwgakpJNH6pIq6Y-rQfn3aqRXyKczYEhksV77I_DpkMCTNddgRC3PPLfr3SDmaYRBkqrk2C-0EtRPSzo_aB3_FdNwJ-7-rugj0Z_Ikb/s400/vday+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...And to my other valentine, Monti, who is not happy to be wearing this T-shirt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOT0mZzFqoU5AHBMdv5EOq9-aWoYQZ-mku5-3IMhGpINJTp3MAl1emPbh1l0b067uAyQ1ll8Vg9YTEKidvC-qEo4fhQYR9WpilnMpBufAUZaOQGYNyG5N0907MPJ0x9Mrin5oR8i8xu_Ho/s1600/101_2179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOT0mZzFqoU5AHBMdv5EOq9-aWoYQZ-mku5-3IMhGpINJTp3MAl1emPbh1l0b067uAyQ1ll8Vg9YTEKidvC-qEo4fhQYR9WpilnMpBufAUZaOQGYNyG5N0907MPJ0x9Mrin5oR8i8xu_Ho/s400/101_2179.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-35842999849951308902011-02-11T06:52:00.000-08:002011-02-11T06:52:23.353-08:00Cooking for love <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZu-1UsS89ef6q9nz45m1rJAHuLFqG8TotOOCK8tDjL_52nfgSIN5MEreyxE9ZeWX8QUa-cpmHsrkJs7Bg9b51Hn-8s1_EFnMKzSeIcbJDLf9KL9qbhEY2TnALVRFt1i0_kw7H69aKxg9/s1600/Maine+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZu-1UsS89ef6q9nz45m1rJAHuLFqG8TotOOCK8tDjL_52nfgSIN5MEreyxE9ZeWX8QUa-cpmHsrkJs7Bg9b51Hn-8s1_EFnMKzSeIcbJDLf9KL9qbhEY2TnALVRFt1i0_kw7H69aKxg9/s400/Maine+017.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken on the beach in Maine last weekend</td></tr>
</tbody></table> This past week has been cold, windy, and more cold. So to stay warm, and to keep from getting severe cabin fever, I've been cooking and baking my heart out. Monday, I made this Artichoke Spread, which came out delicious (and not nearly as unhealthy as you would think). It's one of Kenzie and my favorites to order out, but it made a good stay-in treat.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDib85UGI5TEW8YIcC7jkHh1390I23Eg67WT8svJYz_FP3Aji8H1aohel8bWjIcx6BBM13riS-UyIp-LwlrIaiUb4XD434XKVZKAtk-bPyeY_fgxDgmPlzdNl1_O2Bwc0EP9vZhZ-yjVf/s1600/Blog+stugg+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDib85UGI5TEW8YIcC7jkHh1390I23Eg67WT8svJYz_FP3Aji8H1aohel8bWjIcx6BBM13riS-UyIp-LwlrIaiUb4XD434XKVZKAtk-bPyeY_fgxDgmPlzdNl1_O2Bwc0EP9vZhZ-yjVf/s400/Blog+stugg+021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Of course, I found it on my favorite recipe site, sparkrecipes.com.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="KonaBody"><h1 itemprop="name">Artichoke Spread</h1><h2>Ingredients</h2><div id="ingredients"><ul>1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 8oz pkg reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise dressing or salad dressing
2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese (8oz)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (2oz)
2 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
</ul></div><br />
<br />
<h2>Directions</h2><div id="directions_w">1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 3 minutes. Add spinach, cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender and spinach is cooked, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.<br />
<br />
2. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts, cream cheese, mayo, cheddar cheese, parmesan and hot pepper sauce. Transfer artichoke mixture to an ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake for 40 minutes.<br />
<br />
For some extra crunch you can add 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans and bake for 10 more minutes.<br />
<br />
Number of Servings: 64<br />
<br />
<i>Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user DEADEENA.</i> </div><div> </div><div> Thursday, Kenz and I made rice and beans and quesadillas, which didn't turn out so beautifully. So we tried again Friday with the new quesadilla maker Jay brought up, and the results were much nicer to look at. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1a3ubTC1Za7T2ODYUfPReaI_yms8edol2UD2aW1n0hs1gAVpONyvxy-d5qxSQJ1zLM-5MUj-jrB34vl6OWVibZhFXwHsOhPT9xRAa8KIb2400AlKSBBYZZY1v-Knn6FgAcMH902Nxbw6/s1600/Blog+stugg+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1a3ubTC1Za7T2ODYUfPReaI_yms8edol2UD2aW1n0hs1gAVpONyvxy-d5qxSQJ1zLM-5MUj-jrB34vl6OWVibZhFXwHsOhPT9xRAa8KIb2400AlKSBBYZZY1v-Knn6FgAcMH902Nxbw6/s400/Blog+stugg+022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We threw in some rice, cheese, chicken, salsa, onions and peppers. Yum!<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb2ZECT74YDvaIS6T9IvXrV3bONjLAEfLVxLqBu4BWEYR0_61Pl4fXR0PaHT6dHvWKtxXKsf_8l0taHY3E83Rj-Y6FWz-_TdneHtypxN0KZNhSxwDHxOPQd2rpwWl_z0B1QEPz-45pfxS/s1600/Blog+stugg+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb2ZECT74YDvaIS6T9IvXrV3bONjLAEfLVxLqBu4BWEYR0_61Pl4fXR0PaHT6dHvWKtxXKsf_8l0taHY3E83Rj-Y6FWz-_TdneHtypxN0KZNhSxwDHxOPQd2rpwWl_z0B1QEPz-45pfxS/s400/Blog+stugg+025.JPG" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kudos to Jay!...Pretty cool, huh?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div> Lastly, I went on a late-night baking binge yesterday. I remembered I wanted to make a Valentine's Day cake, so I whipped this up. It's just Pillsbury mix and pink frosting, but the results are always yummy. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPCJdySobON07StyzzZNiFNBwXdbgilXkB8w5HQ3pbm1vXlv9OjqkWeCA3zXoApJWzEEzG77oXzynWLaZNIrS79fL_BhZqy0FVRaPYgISqXkdxtsleMYUzn4c41t4CX8tz2Mx2KSE9jQQ/s1600/Blog+stugg+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPCJdySobON07StyzzZNiFNBwXdbgilXkB8w5HQ3pbm1vXlv9OjqkWeCA3zXoApJWzEEzG77oXzynWLaZNIrS79fL_BhZqy0FVRaPYgISqXkdxtsleMYUzn4c41t4CX8tz2Mx2KSE9jQQ/s400/Blog+stugg+028.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topped with red hots and X&O sprinkles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KzW5NMRSn_sXSKYNI2scR_gBB3KbcACAECufbQGFOh65e3zEglseQQqU5WeLMYKMv3JvvUuwvw29XU7f5n8qmhusaEJ6f76c8w0d145q3WcD_GZHMjxa5lX9UAYEX_Y8yXBBPqBXz15z/s1600/Blog+stugg+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KzW5NMRSn_sXSKYNI2scR_gBB3KbcACAECufbQGFOh65e3zEglseQQqU5WeLMYKMv3JvvUuwvw29XU7f5n8qmhusaEJ6f76c8w0d145q3WcD_GZHMjxa5lX9UAYEX_Y8yXBBPqBXz15z/s400/Blog+stugg+029.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite decorator quality, but still festive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I'll be sharing the rest of my V-day creations once they're finished and dolled out.<br />
Love,<br />
Annie<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s3n6-JEC2Sm4M0NOjjCZPunG6fd1_YoViRvSApSqJ4_sPoc4xDYC8n4bxNx2nF07-JceZ03tz3Mf_ZQlhk7cC5nlZhj4s4_yQfM-gi6l1patOoMBPCSANtwDfFJ_7HfAZMAFY7ThQWaQ/s1600/IMGP9518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s3n6-JEC2Sm4M0NOjjCZPunG6fd1_YoViRvSApSqJ4_sPoc4xDYC8n4bxNx2nF07-JceZ03tz3Mf_ZQlhk7cC5nlZhj4s4_yQfM-gi6l1patOoMBPCSANtwDfFJ_7HfAZMAFY7ThQWaQ/s400/IMGP9518.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made these a couple weeks ago, but thought I'd include them since they're more Martha Stweart-esque</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div> </div></div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-73536529766861426582011-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:002011-02-01T14:26:59.524-08:00If at first you don't succeed...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As you can tell, I’ve had the topic of New Year’s Resolutions on my mind a lot lately, and it appears I’m not alone. The last page of my January/February edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Women’s Health</i> featured statistics on that very subject. One declared that 38 percent of women break resolutions in a month or less. And if this statistic is true, that means by today, February 1, nearly half of all resolution-bearing women have “broken” their goals. But I’m having a problem with the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">broken</i>. What does that even mean—to miss a day at the gym or give up entirely? And if we are prone to resolution failure, are we the problem or are we simply aiming too high? </span></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxt7_oKMZx3qcQzLrSc0rfCVIAl7UZz3FedNqSfds5_k4f4u4K2H2E04mssHTjV4HZT5SgP5B_QWapuqciPZqmK_qsQOqHCxLrFpAOsrzWjDYUGS3rsD9epTrGeS_DvsuOa8InXM35oKO/s1600/new-years-resolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxt7_oKMZx3qcQzLrSc0rfCVIAl7UZz3FedNqSfds5_k4f4u4K2H2E04mssHTjV4HZT5SgP5B_QWapuqciPZqmK_qsQOqHCxLrFpAOsrzWjDYUGS3rsD9epTrGeS_DvsuOa8InXM35oKO/s400/new-years-resolution.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic from <a href="http://justjudyjudyjudy.com/">http://justjudyjudyjudy.com/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Personally, I think the important thing to remember is that there are 12 months in a year. Okay, so Monti’s leash is starting to collect dust (not really; please no calls to PETA), and the book I started reading for fun over break is still half finished. But I refuse to accept defeat so soon! I mean, come on it’s only February. I have had some successes in my resolutions, and although I could give a laundry list of excuses for why I’ve faltered in some, the most important thing is to keep working towards them. If you resolved to get healthier, one cupcake does not mean you’ve failed or even “broken” your resolution. If you vowed to save money, one new pair of shoes is not the end of the world. My view? Let that guilt nag at you if you’ve veered from the path a little, and work to get back on. Saying a resolution is broken on February 1 is a copout. </span></div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-72043249119623205132011-01-24T15:54:00.000-08:002011-01-24T15:55:00.000-08:0021 Candles and Resolutions in Review Friday I celebrated my 21st birthday...Finally! I celebrated with a nice lunch with Lei and dinner with Mackenzie and my parents that night. Liz, who is away, surprised my by leaving a gift with Lei to give me on my birthday. It was totally unexpected, and totally proving of how well she knows me. The gift is a pretty leather journal with my name engraved on the front. Giving a writer a journal is like giving a painter a blank canvas. It's a challange; it's an opportunity. The past few days, I've been tossing around in my mind what I'd like to do with the journal. I debated writing a diary again, which I've done routinely in the past, but I feel like I already have that outlet through my blog. Another idea I came up with was to use it to write poems and short stories. But, honestly I prefer to type those rather than scribble over and over on paper. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUfC-oiCyxbNuWiqnvTgopr_73SXbWoLoMx_eCs-xdj84uPG41EzRv2SvXO_GQk5OY3kMq44ZNGgL2IrubtJ-LEY5ONSNPLgJK078ODQKwXCTDQEZkt9Hmk1CGjtW5Id44GD0stKad1ib/s1600/journal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUfC-oiCyxbNuWiqnvTgopr_73SXbWoLoMx_eCs-xdj84uPG41EzRv2SvXO_GQk5OY3kMq44ZNGgL2IrubtJ-LEY5ONSNPLgJK078ODQKwXCTDQEZkt9Hmk1CGjtW5Id44GD0stKad1ib/s400/journal.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> A long time ago, in my church youth group, we made collages on composition notebooks for a "happiness journal." On the first few pages, I listed 100 things that made me happy (I'm sure the list has changed in the past 8 years or so). Then, each day or as often as possible, I wrote 10 things that made me happy that day. In a way, it is a condensed diary. The happiness journal makes you focus on the positive points of each day, and it doesn't take a whole lot of time or commitment. I remeber enjoying it at the time, so I decided to revive this practice. I plan on writing my 100 things tonight because such a beautiful journal would be a sad thing to waste. Plus, with classes picking up speed I think focusing on the happy things in life is a good idea.<br />
So as I'm making another resolution, it's a good time to reflect on the one's I've already set. <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be proactive on making plans with friends.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Make time for pleasure reading.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take Monti for more walks.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Go with the flow.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remember family.</span></div> For the first, I'm going to say success. Over break, I had a bunch of little dates with my girlfriends. I have been slipping up on my "pleasure reading" resolution, however. With all the readings for my Macbeth class, I didn't take a lot of time to finish the books and magazines I've been reading for enjoyment. Another resolution setback, there has been one snowstorm after the next and frigid temps in between...which has been making my walk Monti goal a bit difficult. I did suit up for some long walks a few times over break, but I have to admit I've been falling short of what I intended. Today was a high of 15 so no long walks, and a snow storm is coming Wednesday. I guess I'll have to refresh my resloution after that.<br />
As far as my "go with the flow" resolution, I've had some successes and some failures. I think that is pobably the most difficult one for me because it doesn't involve a deliberate action. What's hard is remebering the resolution in the moment. But at least recognizing I did lose my cool on few occasions is a step. Lastly, I'm calling my last resolution about remebering family a success. I had a long-overdue conversation with my Grandmom today, and I bought cute thank you cards to send for my birthday and Christmas gifts. Okay, so some resolutions are something to brag about and some need some work. But I am keeping them in mind! <br />
<br />
How are you keeping up with your New Year's Resolutions?<br />
Stay warm,<br />
Annie<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoHuxCQXzwmRaL7TZvYbI1McbsySQv7_Vp64OAk9K-GVuJBFRNY8wozQ5tRkixkivy_Hj35OGchyphenhyphenPMTxvhsRjcst7K1TRtMAKAy_v45ccpzy5yaG2j6-qIBWZJS-htRqvkBtW0_6LuojQ/s1600/birthday+cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoHuxCQXzwmRaL7TZvYbI1McbsySQv7_Vp64OAk9K-GVuJBFRNY8wozQ5tRkixkivy_Hj35OGchyphenhyphenPMTxvhsRjcst7K1TRtMAKAy_v45ccpzy5yaG2j6-qIBWZJS-htRqvkBtW0_6LuojQ/s400/birthday+cake.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Mom has been baking cakes and decorating them as a hobby lately.<br />
I love the way she made my favorite kind of cake, chocolate with caramel frosting, so pretty and personal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-29562456682868102562011-01-19T20:07:00.000-08:002011-01-19T20:07:21.798-08:00Break's Over<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> In precisely five days, Southern Connecticut State University will commence its spring semester. And every time before classes start, my anxiety sets in. Today, I was in a funk. I was hyper-sensitive and took a nap in the middle of the day, which is uncharacteristic of me (at least the napping part). I couldn’t put my finger on the mood, and then I realized: Back to school angst. Usually, I see it coming, but this time was different. I’m excited to move back in with my friends and our new roommate, Jay, and I’ve been handling my winter class pretty smoothly, so it’s not a fear of being back in the classroom.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdrdjaRtK0QE8EcxDZrwN0q_KNhovd6vGwt9TSqTbYT1gBpUISEkh7srFkuO35pCJLcUtjHHcJOVexVNXoX7diVCV8mRYgFf_pzOboV-8k0dB-5J3rMtEMQ1XvkC7_T4UxszVOFNhJtYG/s1600/DSC01242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdrdjaRtK0QE8EcxDZrwN0q_KNhovd6vGwt9TSqTbYT1gBpUISEkh7srFkuO35pCJLcUtjHHcJOVexVNXoX7diVCV8mRYgFf_pzOboV-8k0dB-5J3rMtEMQ1XvkC7_T4UxszVOFNhJtYG/s400/DSC01242.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One semester as an English major. With a pile like this, wouldn't you freak out a little too?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I guess it’s just the change—like the universe shifts or something. Okay, maybe I’m dramatizing a little, but every year is a new schedule and a new routine. You get used to the minimal-worries of living at home, and BAM, they pile you with stress. I find the first few weeks are the hardest (with the exception of a few syllabus days). You have to get used to how each professor grades, figure out which reading needs to be in depth and which can be skimmed over, decide where to sit, which breaks to stay for and which ones to hike home on. It’s intimidating! Once I can break into a routine, the work’s easy, but getting into the rhythm of things is tough. So every pre-semester, I sink into the funk. This time, I’m coping by focusing on the positives—moving back into the apartment, seeing my school friends, and just living in New Haven. </span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEyDJEU5V03WNJ55wURZnl-blDWIGmjugfmDiypdGYAYiTSDUvV95S86QwhpCojdWYmAtOQgyiDUL14Fc_gahkNYQj_cYfH4k-8I2Jy3_aG2HjyxqxIYSgY-pt5q-2ELAp-A7E9ADKRBg/s1600/DSC01243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEyDJEU5V03WNJ55wURZnl-blDWIGmjugfmDiypdGYAYiTSDUvV95S86QwhpCojdWYmAtOQgyiDUL14Fc_gahkNYQj_cYfH4k-8I2Jy3_aG2HjyxqxIYSgY-pt5q-2ELAp-A7E9ADKRBg/s400/DSC01243.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typing my blog as my stack of books looms in the background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Savor these last few days off, everyone.<br />
Love,<br />
AnnieAnnie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-3339607745175993992011-01-13T12:49:00.000-08:002011-01-13T12:49:29.796-08:00Double, double toil and trouble After two and a half hours dutifully spent typing at Starbucks (my third home) this morning, I was woefully only a little over halfway done with my <em>Macbeth</em> paper. As promised in my last post, I looked to baking for a much needed distraction. So when I got home I started looking up cookie recipes. I remembered we still had a can of pumpkin in the pantry left over from the holiday season, and due to my current health kick, I searched for recipes that substituted pumpkin for shortening. I found these <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=813622">"Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies"</a> that fit the criteria.<br />
As I began to mix the ingredients, I felt fatally cursed like Macbeth. First, I mixed the pumpkin and brown sugar (right on track), but then as I added the spices I realized the nutmeg was practically empty (a travesty in CT, the nutmeg state). I haphazardly shook in pumpkin pie spice instead, but was afraid that since I already added cinnamon, which is also in pumpkin pie spice, the cookies would go on cinnamon overload. Next, when I added in the dry ingredients the dough began to feel uncharacteristically dry. Turns out I overlooked the direction to beat in egg whites before adding the flour. I mixed them in after, which caused the whites to sit in an unappetising fashion atop the dough like oil separated from water. The last step was to add the oatmeal--which I didn't even think about checking stock on because we always have oatmeal handy. Turns out, there was only about a half cup left, so I supplemented the lacking cup with instant steel cut oats, which looked like the arch nemesis of rolled oats. <br />
As I realized my cookies and I were star crossed lovers, I debated throwing out the dough and starting over with a new recipe, but I figured all I had to lose by going through with them was two extra pans to wash and a little pride. Plus, if they were awful I would have to make something else which would provide an extra buffer of welcomed procrastination time. So in they went.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLisomYbqMS1jGrXnwPKkecYZFJVJDHRx6m_LHSYXvwrnYH3L9P0Lq1wuZxTefh5lkn-f1chRupEWePnc0TVAYt7Q1PxrN5XHjV6a7lbrvwEfOY45x9we_SVyFc_e4QaCTZwo3PSL4XV1J/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLisomYbqMS1jGrXnwPKkecYZFJVJDHRx6m_LHSYXvwrnYH3L9P0Lq1wuZxTefh5lkn-f1chRupEWePnc0TVAYt7Q1PxrN5XHjV6a7lbrvwEfOY45x9we_SVyFc_e4QaCTZwo3PSL4XV1J/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I recommend these to the health conscious, under 75 calories per cookie</td></tr>
</tbody></table> By now you're expecting me to say that the cookies came out fabulous despite all the mishaps, and I decided to rewrite the recipe, naming it "Annie's steel cut and rolled oat pumpkin cookies." Well, they weren't a disaster, but also weren't amazing. Yet they were sweet and satisfying for a healthy treat. I'm happy I stuck it out. <br />
<br />
For now, those damn witches are nagging me to finish my paper...<br />
<br />
Until "tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,"<br />
Annie (and I vow to cut the Shakespeare references after this post)Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-74099531541357086092011-01-12T16:38:00.000-08:002011-01-12T16:38:01.932-08:00Snow Day This season, the winter gods have been generously dolling out the snow. And once again, CT is covered. It gets pretty tedious, worrying about shoveling out in order to get to work, school, the grocery store, or just about anywhere to get out of the house. But as droning as the tasks can get, I suppose in a way it unites us. It seems like all anyone talks about lately is the big storm coming up or the aftermath of the blizzard. Maybe what everyone needs is to remember the kid in them and take a trip down the sledding hill, or make a snow man. Sounds good in theory, but frankly, I think it's too damn cold.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMhau7utvENByjv3KhCHCC-gbOt59H_BVMbTx_xxOBPktr44vprS6zEfueaeoPnDTbspFO5ldDMcMfaEtqa1t83NCKz8nR0fk16_4Fb77uDvhPpLXZSMSOxFevIsH8TpohC5gETwDJhom/s1600/DSC04813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMhau7utvENByjv3KhCHCC-gbOt59H_BVMbTx_xxOBPktr44vprS6zEfueaeoPnDTbspFO5ldDMcMfaEtqa1t83NCKz8nR0fk16_4Fb77uDvhPpLXZSMSOxFevIsH8TpohC5gETwDJhom/s400/DSC04813.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Between his white fur and the fact that the snow's deeper than he is tall, we might just lose Monti!<br />
Picture courtesy of my mom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> But enough pessimism. Maybe for the next time I have the snowfall blues, I'll try and have a little fun with the kid in me. But today I settled for a good sweat. Normally, the gym isn't what I look to for relaxation, but after a stressful weekend of schoolwork and a day cooped up inside, a good workout did just the trick.<br />
Saturday and Sunday were my first two days of my weekend Shakespeare class, "Bringing Macbeth Alive." It's a lot of time in class, but who can resist getting three credits in three weekends (besides everyone who told me I was crazy for taking a class which required me to sit in it for eight hours a day)? Turns out, it's not so bad, and it feels like I'm easing back into school instead of being shocked with six classes the first week back. Tomorrow, I've got a paper to bang out. And to break things up I'm getting the urge to bake. Any ideas?<br />
<br />
Stay warm.<br />
Love,<br />
AnnieAnnie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-32123644398061180542011-01-04T13:40:00.000-08:002011-01-04T13:40:43.608-08:002011 Resolutions<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So it’s a few days after New Year’s but I’ve been trying to think of some solid, thoughtful resolutions for 2011. It’s so tempting to go with cookie cutter goals like “go to the gym” or “clean more.” But I don’t think a resolution should be torturous. I know the only way I’m going to stick to something is if I actually<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> want</i> to do it. Quite frankly, I don’t love the gym. Sometimes I get on little kicks and go a lot, but I usually drag my feet. And plus, I don’t view myself as unhealthy; if I’m feeling out of shape, I’ll go for a long run. So that’s out. I don’t feel the need to resolve to get good grades because I drive myself insane doing that anyway (good news, I got a 4.0 this past semester). Cross that off. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But there are things I enjoy doing and get fulfillment from that I often put off. One is seeing my friends. Often, unless plans fall into my lap I’m not proactive on planning little dates with them. Another thing is reading. Don’t get me wrong, I read a lot; especially during school. But with a pile of assigned reading I forget to read for me. Sometimes I am lucky enough to enjoy what I’m assigned, but it’s frequently dry and tedious, and I miss curling up to a pleasure reading book. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One resolution I have is for my pup. In the winter, I view walking him as a chore instead of a mode of relaxation and enjoyment. I don’t, however, think it has to be that way. I’d like to set aside at least a half hour or so every few days to bundle up (for the next few months at least) and go at least around the block with Monti. He loves it, and I get a little exercise: See above for lack of gym resolution. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I am a serial perfectionist, so one resolution this year is to lighten up a bit. I tend to act like it’s the end of the world if one thing doesn’t go the way I planned. A lot of the time, Mackenzie get’s the brunt of my tantrum, so I’m sure he’ll appreciate this resolution to go with the flow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I believe that makes four resolutions, which is a weird number so I’ll include one more to commit to in 2011. I love my family, and usually see them on the weekends and talk to my mom on the phone while away, but I also have a loving extended family. I get cards from my aunts and grandparents that often go un-replied, an easy 5 minute resolution is to reply to these in snail-mail or email.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So here I am, putting my resolutions in ink (or pixels rather):</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be proactive on making plans with friends.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Make time for pleasure reading.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take Monti for more walks.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Go with the flow.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remember family.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevyfWN9bon3mTaXp0nakrnEl6klUTlwRETfyqDCGfaXyNh8KTzCvJQONJaphwfiDbbc7Gx_Yeoyx4YYZtwkXThPnGzIrHv0JaKigjvLVV7ER7WFR-TQGyrXW68NVyr1g7iRAaIRZOGWGZ/s1600/35637_587057539997_17600673_34157845_4842622_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevyfWN9bon3mTaXp0nakrnEl6klUTlwRETfyqDCGfaXyNh8KTzCvJQONJaphwfiDbbc7Gx_Yeoyx4YYZtwkXThPnGzIrHv0JaKigjvLVV7ER7WFR-TQGyrXW68NVyr1g7iRAaIRZOGWGZ/s400/35637_587057539997_17600673_34157845_4842622_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan, Dee, me and Mackenzie on New Year's Eve<br />
Picture courtesy of Jess</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> So now that I’ve made some thoughtful and manageable resolutions, it’s time to start sticking to them! What are your New Year’s resolutions?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Annie</span>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-64076658487427167062010-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:002010-12-29T13:01:15.024-08:00The most wonderful time of the year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This Christmas, I volunteered to cook dinner. I wanted to make the classics, so that everyone would be happy (we’re all about tradition in my family), but I wanted to find some new recopies to put a slight spin on things. I used my favorite cooking site, Sparkrecipies.com to figure out what I wanted to cook. You can look at the cookbook I put together with the ones I picked <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/cookbooks.asp?cookbook=308746">here</a>. I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Mackenzie’s family, and got back to my house in time to trade gifts, cook, and have dinner. Everything came out delicious, and I was pretty proud of the meal I made. </span></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn31qxmBQgxJmecZNYbF9hAhDZGLuUDvUcXCT3gI_gpYxe7AjPyoUghAf0E9hyr72Lli_cbYzlCyqz9-qoC3coOoR-boy7V0MdaDSd-cQcwKMdLqpcghlJpxcZT-omeSLQowq6ZdT2kk4n/s1600/Christmas+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn31qxmBQgxJmecZNYbF9hAhDZGLuUDvUcXCT3gI_gpYxe7AjPyoUghAf0E9hyr72Lli_cbYzlCyqz9-qoC3coOoR-boy7V0MdaDSd-cQcwKMdLqpcghlJpxcZT-omeSLQowq6ZdT2kk4n/s400/Christmas+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy cornbread</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9Mgaxz8zBpbgO2BUCMA43Sz4esDjB8bem-P12M6EPAcscGKF9_LbzhZoScRFjuKXx-JjGV6cJGQGyjDcwIWO2o0-XFk-hjdEbCR14PQc7FMqKcr1hDiOBOPZMrev4rBd6PtllQ9syFcH/s1600/Christmas+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9Mgaxz8zBpbgO2BUCMA43Sz4esDjB8bem-P12M6EPAcscGKF9_LbzhZoScRFjuKXx-JjGV6cJGQGyjDcwIWO2o0-XFk-hjdEbCR14PQc7FMqKcr1hDiOBOPZMrev4rBd6PtllQ9syFcH/s400/Christmas+015.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asparagus with Parmesan</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAVJBbzi_d7KgJDohd0y9yjuWIgw2Q49DaYaMMbmITMulISVafC1WxVQevo8K-jLFoL8kzXzwLUlaMyVuWJVvbobwzuyc3KrXYTXaJmAC0wyCTOhDbcddsCfQ4QBisjAXChktyduq-_Vq/s1600/Christmas+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAVJBbzi_d7KgJDohd0y9yjuWIgw2Q49DaYaMMbmITMulISVafC1WxVQevo8K-jLFoL8kzXzwLUlaMyVuWJVvbobwzuyc3KrXYTXaJmAC0wyCTOhDbcddsCfQ4QBisjAXChktyduq-_Vq/s400/Christmas+030.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesy cauliflower</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6C86epP4VkIaMwe4h-y1hR0tG8HXnTJjkwnkOvzLsaF41WUyW2Uv1ZI3f1OPkbuztotXdaBR0UYB59FHZNz2xx574uVtzWSyTyS3zNXwhprKUy731Hi_mRlJ721ENUyJqx_sYj3trbocP/s1600/Christmas+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6C86epP4VkIaMwe4h-y1hR0tG8HXnTJjkwnkOvzLsaF41WUyW2Uv1ZI3f1OPkbuztotXdaBR0UYB59FHZNz2xx574uVtzWSyTyS3zNXwhprKUy731Hi_mRlJ721ENUyJqx_sYj3trbocP/s400/Christmas+016.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet potatoes with marshmallows. <br />
Warning on these, don't stir in the marshmallows, or you end up with a gooey glaze. Still delish, though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUqiNDO377Vf-6leRvntfJQPdLj3VUZY-QdK7U8aALSIOqUZ2PM9F3wITApc54HtcXb4InlzioPrfBhrDPg1K4OQj9RCnOBQLMFzqGGBko74GEKK0rK238Eqh4S-sCulE1eLSP-p04duG/s1600/Christmas+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUqiNDO377Vf-6leRvntfJQPdLj3VUZY-QdK7U8aALSIOqUZ2PM9F3wITApc54HtcXb4InlzioPrfBhrDPg1K4OQj9RCnOBQLMFzqGGBko74GEKK0rK238Eqh4S-sCulE1eLSP-p04duG/s400/Christmas+033.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey glazed ham</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJy_vmRozMRAeYURLNDRk7I6DYDK2hKfqGpj_roewgm_C5CXsnNelZtHRiFXcHIqQ8lrChn_5_6u2J1_wq2G7x9Qs8n9YxbWr35dfPN04-7yZ_TNFu9mowEN40jIdj6PP2o2cBSFBl3M-7/s1600/Christmas+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJy_vmRozMRAeYURLNDRk7I6DYDK2hKfqGpj_roewgm_C5CXsnNelZtHRiFXcHIqQ8lrChn_5_6u2J1_wq2G7x9Qs8n9YxbWr35dfPN04-7yZ_TNFu9mowEN40jIdj6PP2o2cBSFBl3M-7/s400/Christmas+032.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice and broccoli casserole</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I wanted to give something homemade this year, and was itching for some quality baking. When I stumbled across these cute cookie boxes at Target, I decided to make a few different kinds and give the boxes as gifts. I made a classic sugar cookie, my mom’s peanut butter kiss recipe, peppermint cookies, and snowballs (or Russian tea cookies or Mexican wedding cookies or whatever you choose to call them). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOAECHV04COVNxXKDxSOXyOX5H5RR-MFuGAtE2QF0aAG_Q514nX9bqVjhdCDt3RpnGNHJOKQ2OKNQC1yeUM5Gbt3eJnxbtUDwRcB6kJp7YrKkzcXijtDmv7-184Weikvnu0qBugz7kJP6/s1600/Christmas+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOAECHV04COVNxXKDxSOXyOX5H5RR-MFuGAtE2QF0aAG_Q514nX9bqVjhdCDt3RpnGNHJOKQ2OKNQC1yeUM5Gbt3eJnxbtUDwRcB6kJp7YrKkzcXijtDmv7-184Weikvnu0qBugz7kJP6/s400/Christmas+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And if I wasn’t being crafty enough, I decided to slice up my two-sizes-too-big work T-shirt that I had to wear Christmas Eve. This is the easiest thing to do to make those huge give away T-shirts fit, and I got compliments from my co-workers for being creative (and thankfully my managers weren’t mad about the hack job). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicW-vG-RChYElvxoLVETRvhbmDsFol38PZ4iHjbESGa_-dWxS_BAY17LJWBupLFzjJuIMhO1KzVjH-Y4pg-F8QH6i7uYrn7iDktuffHyh_VQOWQL5kmgODVHhUusy91HQlhHEDrga7Kr58/s1600/Christmas+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicW-vG-RChYElvxoLVETRvhbmDsFol38PZ4iHjbESGa_-dWxS_BAY17LJWBupLFzjJuIMhO1KzVjH-Y4pg-F8QH6i7uYrn7iDktuffHyh_VQOWQL5kmgODVHhUusy91HQlhHEDrga7Kr58/s400/Christmas+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>First, cut each side of the T-shirt vertically from the bottom up through the armpit and to the end of the sleeve. Then cut 2-inch slits on each side the whole way up. Then, tie pieces from each half of the shirt together on each side. Done!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3agwLDbT51579bLYQ5u_ujbS_qWSMqnu5vrtDJRJvbPMXhvzLHr9zApzldcVMCx1ILIa96EyAX_XzjdZR9X3m-fGKoar15lCYPAyN0R5mMwWolQaOx4u_JctHdqhF0-QTg_Q9g86tF28V/s1600/Christmas+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3agwLDbT51579bLYQ5u_ujbS_qWSMqnu5vrtDJRJvbPMXhvzLHr9zApzldcVMCx1ILIa96EyAX_XzjdZR9X3m-fGKoar15lCYPAyN0R5mMwWolQaOx4u_JctHdqhF0-QTg_Q9g86tF28V/s400/Christmas+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_UHM7_6yh2WN6nICGehyVXZNSvtBub43ynvRic8jasE24bqGMHZdUFgMl6XImndk3yXv3nzc0kMiDt05xkw0_ys5ZqtEflDZhVWbnk8jeTICmq3f3u_XOP403EUDVaSGZG5zfc8Xp-RZ/s1600/Christmas+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_UHM7_6yh2WN6nICGehyVXZNSvtBub43ynvRic8jasE24bqGMHZdUFgMl6XImndk3yXv3nzc0kMiDt05xkw0_ys5ZqtEflDZhVWbnk8jeTICmq3f3u_XOP403EUDVaSGZG5zfc8Xp-RZ/s400/Christmas+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although I’m relieved that the stress of the holidays is over, I’m a bit bummed that I won’t have Christmas projects to work on like decorating, baking, and making cards. Not to sound too cliché, but this Christmas has made me feel so grateful for the wonderful family, friends, and loved ones that I have. After a bad day, it’s great to know I have such a strong support system to come home to.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have a happy New Year everyone! Go easy on the champagne!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Love,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Annie</span></div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-15959561581728041022010-12-29T12:45:00.000-08:002010-12-29T12:45:28.451-08:00Reflections<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVcQASnbHWmkY9_wp1OrH-9kb-SCrMjs7nj0UQPdLWzyhZE-z3g5ezDFC6SsxXp9Pnz4PUmfcU9AHFG9Mrz9CECQ_RAiNYaAyU4BAxEuduY-55TAgEmkIUiFhF9x7AG8bJgW_AC7QPXAy/s1600/Picnik+collage+fall+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="351" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVcQASnbHWmkY9_wp1OrH-9kb-SCrMjs7nj0UQPdLWzyhZE-z3g5ezDFC6SsxXp9Pnz4PUmfcU9AHFG9Mrz9CECQ_RAiNYaAyU4BAxEuduY-55TAgEmkIUiFhF9x7AG8bJgW_AC7QPXAy/s400/Picnik+collage+fall+10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now that the craziness of the holidays is about through, I thought it was a good time to sit down and reflect on this past semester. In my very first post, I resolved to meet new people, succeed in my classes, to be more laid back in harder times, and to write this blog. (I will ignore the one I mentioned about the gym, considering it was mostly un-fulfilled. Maybe for New Year’s?) Well, I think I succeeded and would even go as far to say that this past Fall semester has been my happiest and most fulfilling of my college career thus far. I lived with my best friends, successfully cooked on my own, and blogged on a semi-regular basis. One of my proudest accomplishments was meeting new people. In the past I have gone to class, listened to the professor, and left. But this year I am happy to say I left with many faces I will smile at passing on campus, as well as other friends I will keep in touch with.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And I love my new major (now it’s just figuring out what I can do to make money with it). In three and half months I read six novels, one play, and a slew of poems; and wrote tons of papers. There may have been a meltdown or two, but overall my stress level was manageable, a tangible sign that I’m in the right place. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For next semester, Liz is moving out and we’re getting a new roommate—Lei’s friend and past roomie, Jay. I’m excited for some changes and a new set of classes (after a good, long break). I am going to miss Liz, who is going to spend the next few months studying abroad in 11 different countries, but wish her the best in her new adventure. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the transit of schools and moving from campus, to home, to a new apartment, I felt like I needed to ground myself a bit. Reflecting on my weeks’ experiences has made me sit down and think about the good things that are happening in my life. I’ve also found great creative outlets in experimenting with desserts, crafting new creations, and throwing together original outfits. I’m excited to carry the good vibes into the New Year.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Love,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Annie</span></div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-39509802219982239332010-12-20T13:05:00.000-08:002010-12-26T07:24:15.127-08:00The wrap up<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seems like forever ago since my last blog. Finals week came and went, and I feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders. I was lucky enough to go skiing Friday for the first time this season. It was a great day, and the perfect opportunity to blow off some steam. I finally finished all my Christmas shopping this weekend (mental note to never go to the mall the Saturday before Christmas again). I’m having so much fun wrapping and making pretty tags. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve also been given the duty of Christmas dinner this year, and I’m pretty excited for it. I’ve got some research (and grocery shopping) to do to come up with some new recipes—but for the classics too so my dad and brother are happy. My list of things to do this week seems to keep on growing; I want to make cookie boxes for gifts as well. And since Kenzie and I have a few days off this week I’d loveeee to squeeze in another ski trip…at least my list is full of fun, holiday things to do.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdniiVwNFb33JCuE12AWBiD7oV1xnICkYqJCM3MMP7EbUEwRwdKKWHQf5QezfIwUYQHDKPc37aXTcL3_MP9uSCzONdkMVcEQx6tPqupPLuiYgkHh3eeabP0CIb78mIz9Lgy6Are-fHajOl/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdniiVwNFb33JCuE12AWBiD7oV1xnICkYqJCM3MMP7EbUEwRwdKKWHQf5QezfIwUYQHDKPc37aXTcL3_MP9uSCzONdkMVcEQx6tPqupPLuiYgkHh3eeabP0CIb78mIz9Lgy6Are-fHajOl/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And for my fashion wrap up, I’ve been wearing my scarves a new way lately. I safety pin the two ends together and put it on like a loop with the pin at the back of my neck. Twist twice (once with shorter scarves), and wah-lah, a new accessory.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNt4YNeYorAiDDp6R1BapEuZHupdPnQa7qjzVHmC_zQLgWgZYBiFIb2rHYqOh8O0uPXhXnNPcEUZHM6WxKiMqXkZNidEKErPxGku6BsCa3pPpUF17iibfmXyfM043Hr4rXVX9xK6Jlbbv/s1600/Last+week+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNt4YNeYorAiDDp6R1BapEuZHupdPnQa7qjzVHmC_zQLgWgZYBiFIb2rHYqOh8O0uPXhXnNPcEUZHM6WxKiMqXkZNidEKErPxGku6BsCa3pPpUF17iibfmXyfM043Hr4rXVX9xK6Jlbbv/s400/Last+week+017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I also went festive and bold this week with my nail color, by sporting some forest green. I figured red would work too for the Christmas spirit, but green changed things up. This color is Rimmel Camouflage. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGzc6eTSMKjjuK-Jx3ibVnKCM3DS1welLSuckp2AMnlXxLHdhsASPoWWN30GBzdOLCHjyKfEm3ahnlREUZ0s_M7wEM1TZ1k1p0MIvJ4aexgGJ_omxsnQU76jWS0_SaNSTvOOBRETyC7Fn/s1600/005+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGzc6eTSMKjjuK-Jx3ibVnKCM3DS1welLSuckp2AMnlXxLHdhsASPoWWN30GBzdOLCHjyKfEm3ahnlREUZ0s_M7wEM1TZ1k1p0MIvJ4aexgGJ_omxsnQU76jWS0_SaNSTvOOBRETyC7Fn/s400/005+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Festivities!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NZZhMW2qGQPisCRwhFfsGlAXQMVPv6o7hh3lkCF0NHd7YeWP28lBVlhNVeMvYOlQC5WO_fo4d0AKCu2dvXl810YkPg4ECnVELE4MIMd_bJ5kHyMJO6fwwuF5GjfNcbhlF-OSQZg1VdCh/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NZZhMW2qGQPisCRwhFfsGlAXQMVPv6o7hh3lkCF0NHd7YeWP28lBVlhNVeMvYOlQC5WO_fo4d0AKCu2dvXl810YkPg4ECnVELE4MIMd_bJ5kHyMJO6fwwuF5GjfNcbhlF-OSQZg1VdCh/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Love, Annie</div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-68648798841523673502010-12-13T12:11:00.000-08:002010-12-13T12:11:22.443-08:00The last week<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Last Monday, my roommates and I were feeling like it was our "last week." And to look at the study-zombies we are now, I think we were right. Lei's struggeling to finish a 15 page paper, Kenzie is memorizing hundreds of muscles, and Liz is always in the library for something or another. And me? I keep getting that "yay, finished" feeling after completing a paper, only to be followed by an anxious "only three more to go" feeling. Hah. These next few days it's takeout and Dunkin', so this blog will focus on a wrap-up of last week, when we were cooking, hanging out, and enjoying the calm before the storm.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFZKR-l9O3I9oR7oEeceAFZUkZIoIn8OF3nyi1JqGyu9VbRynClegYU6ieZsHII4vNpb0Wer7xR-El87gsxwU-Yr1S5zfAvByyeoKurXa1JJIsLqhoAkHBN9Q7dYE5Boi8dk3JMRtvIn_/s1600/Last+week+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFZKR-l9O3I9oR7oEeceAFZUkZIoIn8OF3nyi1JqGyu9VbRynClegYU6ieZsHII4vNpb0Wer7xR-El87gsxwU-Yr1S5zfAvByyeoKurXa1JJIsLqhoAkHBN9Q7dYE5Boi8dk3JMRtvIn_/s400/Last+week+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went all out on this Taco Tuesday: Nachos <em>and </em>burritos<br />
I think the plan for tomorrow night is takeout and act like we made it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYD1v3Tynrc0ti0hdF7XuOtOxsZMuLEs7atEFSov5XukMAwDcv88XXgnqgsvoQM2K9eWdA4NKAwnIp56ZxREMqHGTBbvrtUGF7j3QCNLmSKLNBC8TnS7vTx9KnAv3elAuZ_we58SEhR9y/s1600/Last+week+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYD1v3Tynrc0ti0hdF7XuOtOxsZMuLEs7atEFSov5XukMAwDcv88XXgnqgsvoQM2K9eWdA4NKAwnIp56ZxREMqHGTBbvrtUGF7j3QCNLmSKLNBC8TnS7vTx9KnAv3elAuZ_we58SEhR9y/s400/Last+week+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground beef with Taco seasoning, cheese, tomato, jalepeno. Serve with guac and sour cream and yummmm</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Since Kenzie cooked the beef and made the nachos, I cooked Wednesday night. This is Honey-Basalmic chicken served with brown rice and steamed veggies. So good. The recipe is from my favorite site, Sparkrecipes.com. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXzY05vSjq_AO6jm8mNR5pKN4kGc2wmaG3FQrkHH8wNeoPhMItegPwdwStuIm7JdgiFc65Pwt0me5QvKigzlKGrkSiICZ7mra9BxoT58PDPt0Uw2czcKgTLZxJCVDrLcyVKRRVoeSHwda/s1600/Last+week+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXzY05vSjq_AO6jm8mNR5pKN4kGc2wmaG3FQrkHH8wNeoPhMItegPwdwStuIm7JdgiFc65Pwt0me5QvKigzlKGrkSiICZ7mra9BxoT58PDPt0Uw2czcKgTLZxJCVDrLcyVKRRVoeSHwda/s400/Last+week+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><h1 itemprop="name">Honey-Balsalmic Chicken Breast</h1><h2>Ingredients</h2><div id="ingredients"><ul style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 Lb of boneles, skinless chicken breast (four, 4 oz pieces
2 tbsp Balsalmic Vinegar
2 tbsp Honey </ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkVl5dpoGRW39mgHsvqxAMRGjU6ik37jx_A5QQkcw2VkboUBMAxnE9bS0Rn4HSH4v24SNB3ce4Wt_ddC38lX2ZsQaRDHZE2UsWVt9KOeWNSH6dfKC1oHOiiyzpu3TFWDu8GuSpXmM_zF1/s1600/Last+week+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkVl5dpoGRW39mgHsvqxAMRGjU6ik37jx_A5QQkcw2VkboUBMAxnE9bS0Rn4HSH4v24SNB3ce4Wt_ddC38lX2ZsQaRDHZE2UsWVt9KOeWNSH6dfKC1oHOiiyzpu3TFWDu8GuSpXmM_zF1/s400/Last+week+006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><h2 style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Directions</h2> <div id="directions_w" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Combine first 4 ingredients; sprinkle over both sides of chicken.<br />
Heat EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook 7-8 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink.<br />
Reduce heat to medium low, transfer chicken to serving platter; keep warm. Add vinegar and honey. Simmer for 1-2 minutes until glaze thickens; stir constantly. (Glaze will bubble up as it's stirred) Pour glaze over chicken and serve. <br />
<br />
Number of Servings: 4<br />
<br />
<i>Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SHUFTILL.</i> <br />
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDycBKrvTqGILk5ZcAYF12wnMtzTnV3e13lNwuhM78JAucwKUu-POu-FdRuxyrxrVis4zYLq2NcrpTLAMSb6CoXW3jKDRllaW7RwfPrFP0UaoJckMY7exE9pr6ldnextIlNNIlMZNQsm-2/s1600/Last+week+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDycBKrvTqGILk5ZcAYF12wnMtzTnV3e13lNwuhM78JAucwKUu-POu-FdRuxyrxrVis4zYLq2NcrpTLAMSb6CoXW3jKDRllaW7RwfPrFP0UaoJckMY7exE9pr6ldnextIlNNIlMZNQsm-2/s400/Last+week+045.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We decided this is our family Christmas card. From left: Kenzie, me, Liz, Lei, Russell<br />
Happy Holidays! (Also, like my short hair? I always welcome a change)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6-I_uOoBrJkJa-XBYvYrVnZtThtRZmHzp5jn0NYqKtOTJVd4rbuJ11PSFopf2TUoPbpHhhOxIy_AGmv_SOULTQuULlXtlZpXEve6hDi-HegKYml6ng6BD6WsrpT-3HavLeELY9JdGU-9/s1600/Last+week+057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6-I_uOoBrJkJa-XBYvYrVnZtThtRZmHzp5jn0NYqKtOTJVd4rbuJ11PSFopf2TUoPbpHhhOxIy_AGmv_SOULTQuULlXtlZpXEve6hDi-HegKYml6ng6BD6WsrpT-3HavLeELY9JdGU-9/s400/Last+week+057.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">After a fun night out, these jumbo-pancakes were an awesome Friday morning treat.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Good luck on finals everyone!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Love,</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Annie</div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-69374177452108642652010-12-09T09:57:00.000-08:002010-12-09T09:57:32.012-08:00A Christmas Story For my final Photojournalism project, I had to do a photo essay, which tells a story through photos. I wanted to go see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree for a few years now, so Mackenzie and I decided to take a day trip, and it ended up being the perfect story for my photo essay. Enjoy!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zuEZQptPs4oRFkNI73XrGdgoF0DkmG1mmEQ3vf37HhfjaOIqv4WY_QVmf8qESzbSlW7JHuOTjENgxgZkpc5KoswPnkb87RgNvHKYQIz3tQf7tV7_sXec2PEYbS-vscuuFlUbXHVUOQom/s1600/1Photoessay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zuEZQptPs4oRFkNI73XrGdgoF0DkmG1mmEQ3vf37HhfjaOIqv4WY_QVmf8qESzbSlW7JHuOTjENgxgZkpc5KoswPnkb87RgNvHKYQIz3tQf7tV7_sXec2PEYbS-vscuuFlUbXHVUOQom/s400/1Photoessay.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjH7XTJzga_rOGezUGexPWazJa3GhiL62Gs-9pzGRgUO-S2Uzahvjy0O5Pf6WeZZcZxWmWcD9wpaZSDzHTeQVxQpbEli-p5Dh9JvviWycOVduocHeI_a028QE7-hulav_E43F1MsZV1wN/s1600/8Photoessay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjH7XTJzga_rOGezUGexPWazJa3GhiL62Gs-9pzGRgUO-S2Uzahvjy0O5Pf6WeZZcZxWmWcD9wpaZSDzHTeQVxQpbEli-p5Dh9JvviWycOVduocHeI_a028QE7-hulav_E43F1MsZV1wN/s400/8Photoessay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XUvHurWXOgiCCdhKDLQp1SmKKfAVVKFQ65c86zrppFq_DhEPsTFqILF4PIQeZ9aJgIhR9sZWjzdRe0qgiXC6wXr9P8sdIPJHpAYGGuJd3EOqsW802sGPjyOtDlwmB2RYFJ7WD_yslr12/s1600/9photoessay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XUvHurWXOgiCCdhKDLQp1SmKKfAVVKFQ65c86zrppFq_DhEPsTFqILF4PIQeZ9aJgIhR9sZWjzdRe0qgiXC6wXr9P8sdIPJHpAYGGuJd3EOqsW802sGPjyOtDlwmB2RYFJ7WD_yslr12/s400/9photoessay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-6299097754099451372010-12-08T08:51:00.000-08:002010-12-08T08:51:53.561-08:00Rants & Technical Difficulties I am NOT a Mac person. Period. I'd love to get one someday and learn all the ins and outs of it, but for now, I'm stuck sitting in the campus computer lab, frustrated that there is no right click and Control + C does not equal copy. I think it's safe to say I'd rather be learning Chinese right now than iMovie. And loud guy who's hip-hop ringtone keeps going off? You're not helping! If I were in the privacy of my own apartment, I'd be throwing a temper tantrum at this very moment. But since that might hurt my rep on campus, I'm blogging to express my angry energy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7ppunlIFUDV6x2U0CoGdg-e9WlP7OK3EPQJvNbp7OAAIqymjbs0BR5TjjcMrFfbBAa-G3Z0SrgkJkk-SgFss9LkgjAhRncKtTtaKkGS5-1aIh2Wf5EC5rSvtXYG-byFvgv1dkZwVjZe6/s1600/ib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7ppunlIFUDV6x2U0CoGdg-e9WlP7OK3EPQJvNbp7OAAIqymjbs0BR5TjjcMrFfbBAa-G3Z0SrgkJkk-SgFss9LkgjAhRncKtTtaKkGS5-1aIh2Wf5EC5rSvtXYG-byFvgv1dkZwVjZe6/s400/ib.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What I feel like doing right now. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">Pic from: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> For a short week, this one's sure dragging. I just feel as though my mind is elsewhere, already checked out. And all those projects I was keeping up on? They're starting to pile up. It would help if the things I thought would be easy didn't take FOREVER. Curse you, Macintosh!<br />
<br />
Later for now,<br />
Unless you're a Geek Squad member, and in that case, find me at Southern.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #000033; font-family: Tahoma;"><br />
</span>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-47963161007783486202010-12-06T19:31:00.000-08:002010-12-06T19:31:15.318-08:00The wind down<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Normally, I am a neurotic freak during the last week of classes. But right now, I am happy to report that I’m feeling relatively stress-free. I’m actually more concerned about going out this week than worried about finishing final papers. That’s not to say I haven’t been doing my work, I have. But I’m sleeping easy with the outlook that the sooner I finish my projects and papers, the sooner I’ll be rewarding myself with a fun night out, Saturday morning coffee, and a manicure.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXyVAXQeVuxKwE3I3z86eXtLV7KVrEMZBe_eWrvR1kAWyFBKHVYDcG4ePjZijCYub6mWgpENboZqlrp9agWk8fbfLdgNl3L1xETTCVekrLQx72qd4LsfSZEG6vlVuawmgWRTlyFrMeR8z/s1600/end+of+semester+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXyVAXQeVuxKwE3I3z86eXtLV7KVrEMZBe_eWrvR1kAWyFBKHVYDcG4ePjZijCYub6mWgpENboZqlrp9agWk8fbfLdgNl3L1xETTCVekrLQx72qd4LsfSZEG6vlVuawmgWRTlyFrMeR8z/s400/end+of+semester+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> On an aside, this freezing weather has me acting like a home-bug. But when I come in from a frigid walk home from class, these fuzzy booties are like hot cocoa for my feet. And although my dog seems to think they are a wearable chew toy, they are a piece of heaven after a long day of Uggs. They are a small investment for a big payoff of chilling at home comfort. Mine are about $20 at Old Navy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxk26c3xzKM3ufi71AI8MYf9iKiujLFpO11VC0cCiFWTWPeGwCbFE7667e6XzAaqV4IFTd_lhd5tkPXfmiFTNzb3IptUd_2WW92Xc7XGWk3vWX7xzwB_IkYOak2uIpRs7qrgbsfrX_aOx/s1600/end+of+semester+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxk26c3xzKM3ufi71AI8MYf9iKiujLFpO11VC0cCiFWTWPeGwCbFE7667e6XzAaqV4IFTd_lhd5tkPXfmiFTNzb3IptUd_2WW92Xc7XGWk3vWX7xzwB_IkYOak2uIpRs7qrgbsfrX_aOx/s400/end+of+semester+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For those of you who don't believe your eyes, Mackenzie is cooking in this photo =)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> My roommates and I recently established a new tradition, Taco Tuesday. Last week, we made chicken with red beans, tomato, lettuce, guac, sour cream and salsa in soft wraps. There are rumors of nachos for tomorrow. Mmmmmm...</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDj-wkt3-lHEXOAjDHQVGhOg30l2SrkvSradIh8KV7KqmGczbu0ZavzehX-QWBg4iG58EyHu2cSzVqMltFk1FOjxqfIuNnlfiJwiSoO5l9bCyHfTNMkKdkVO7xNhC-PSe1ERaDjlm6wmX/s1600/end+of+semester+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDj-wkt3-lHEXOAjDHQVGhOg30l2SrkvSradIh8KV7KqmGczbu0ZavzehX-QWBg4iG58EyHu2cSzVqMltFk1FOjxqfIuNnlfiJwiSoO5l9bCyHfTNMkKdkVO7xNhC-PSe1ERaDjlm6wmX/s400/end+of+semester+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwM9cNFJvkLT9z6DdbTkKV0_wW0j1EVCfSSvCO_gKtzAD67fr-uHshgQjgrT-aN9txbI3JFm3PcAMfQtfEclzDGSufDYC3h4h7ONFJ1Az14F_arDXcd_KOD8uk98v7-76rAr6CrKcVXyv/s1600/end+of+semester+046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwM9cNFJvkLT9z6DdbTkKV0_wW0j1EVCfSSvCO_gKtzAD67fr-uHshgQjgrT-aN9txbI3JFm3PcAMfQtfEclzDGSufDYC3h4h7ONFJ1Az14F_arDXcd_KOD8uk98v7-76rAr6CrKcVXyv/s400/end+of+semester+046.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gia, Lei, myself and Liz...so sad there aren't many downtown trips left this semester.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Happy Studying!<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
Annie<br />
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</div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-2398560610451236682010-11-29T19:45:00.000-08:002010-11-29T19:46:04.026-08:00Taste of home<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If Thanksgiving break is intended for relaxation and time with family, mine definitely fulfilled expectations. I spent Thursday cooking with my mom and putting up Christmas decorations. Usually, my family puts off decorations until the last minute, but this year my dad and I had the lights up Friday, and my mom and I had the tree up by Saturday. I’m happy we’ll have the whole month to enjoy them, but was a little sad to leave my newly decked home for my apartment back at school. So, I added some cheer by putting up a few small trees, and Mackenzie helped me hang some lights. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> It's been a while since I've had the time to be creative, so I caught a bit of the craft bug this weekend. With a total investment of $5 at Target, I got enough supplies (along with odds and ends I had at home) to make fun, handmade cards. I was feeling as though it were a bit early to start on these, but I know the next few weeks will whiz by, so I enjoyed the crafty time while I had it. I still believe that something with heart and thought is always better than something bought.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNDswoQ3oBCgK0_dBpDMkBR0QCeupF7qUh1ZC4f-YeSLSjD3BtgnpNkPdDAMN95AqfdylV46vgQD9Q6nm39aiSvrEWCa9mhq9lTQ3T0ngtU6U5AriVRPV2Flqp2LVXRBJ1wmzNyQ7eGrW/s1600/christmas+projects+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNDswoQ3oBCgK0_dBpDMkBR0QCeupF7qUh1ZC4f-YeSLSjD3BtgnpNkPdDAMN95AqfdylV46vgQD9Q6nm39aiSvrEWCa9mhq9lTQ3T0ngtU6U5AriVRPV2Flqp2LVXRBJ1wmzNyQ7eGrW/s400/christmas+projects+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> My craftiness was not restricted to the Christmas cards. My mom was trying to figure out what to use as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner, and I remembered making this at history camp as a kid. Simply poke cloves into an orange for a air freshening decoration or ornament. I only had enough cloves for one, and did a pattern around instead of covering the whole thing. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUrzmOm_lXFbI6T9rDdkmWrxWzO0ndZCv159SQQOk7WS7WxtILVAT03m7yIBHhp2uup-48ALnM51c1YKsCJm8fclT8UNjgQt3vsrT9FIf4XXUxcTfKq_oxML2fKiLbhbg0sQc1ABGcnP7/s1600/Thanksgiving+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUrzmOm_lXFbI6T9rDdkmWrxWzO0ndZCv159SQQOk7WS7WxtILVAT03m7yIBHhp2uup-48ALnM51c1YKsCJm8fclT8UNjgQt3vsrT9FIf4XXUxcTfKq_oxML2fKiLbhbg0sQc1ABGcnP7/s400/Thanksgiving+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now that things are cozy and festive, I’m mustering up the rest of my determination to power through these last two weeks. I keep reminding myself how rewarding it will feel when finals week is over. The taste of downtime and comforts of home are giving me the motivation I need to finish things strong.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xtouHCm6257uFjc3hswNL3IGvDVmnJxBsZyDC2nVy0Xl2x586UnHa5OqlNSaQ41nI3GY0iSmYJGaoJSoIvW3IzHBq0xcZkmhMbla41T8piKMdSVFVozLKalpBOknBwr47uX7RcUxQoG1/s1600/Thanksgiving+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xtouHCm6257uFjc3hswNL3IGvDVmnJxBsZyDC2nVy0Xl2x586UnHa5OqlNSaQ41nI3GY0iSmYJGaoJSoIvW3IzHBq0xcZkmhMbla41T8piKMdSVFVozLKalpBOknBwr47uX7RcUxQoG1/s400/Thanksgiving+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom and I went through with the Turkey Trot 5K for the second year in a row</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AQbksSX4M9FtJ3hLtGzGTqhpBW8en0jLsP9ur3y5599oyAKA1wVpTG3o70pAyeq7DGKvO6ytAZPtkveuqJqv43xvodvxEJqoeNdHRcV-Utf5fBkuefdxIJ6OmnfyUU60Ix88Z1MPlM-d/s1600/Thanksgiving+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AQbksSX4M9FtJ3hLtGzGTqhpBW8en0jLsP9ur3y5599oyAKA1wVpTG3o70pAyeq7DGKvO6ytAZPtkveuqJqv43xvodvxEJqoeNdHRcV-Utf5fBkuefdxIJ6OmnfyUU60Ix88Z1MPlM-d/s400/Thanksgiving+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm no marathoner like my mom, but we pushed each other through</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9dPw0TF6nIybEysPP3bM2D9fToyNQjEauxKmawcR9ZQ0xoQFmvXkQ5g3WKFwowHl2NA0IQN1jOfnt-qYCiGg6ZS8hRJxojOPBQh_-ho_JNXSx87y1gRT2mLE73vEMbVQdGB9n60ZQCL_/s1600/Thanksgiving+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9dPw0TF6nIybEysPP3bM2D9fToyNQjEauxKmawcR9ZQ0xoQFmvXkQ5g3WKFwowHl2NA0IQN1jOfnt-qYCiGg6ZS8hRJxojOPBQh_-ho_JNXSx87y1gRT2mLE73vEMbVQdGB9n60ZQCL_/s400/Thanksgiving+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had fun, and even beat our time from last year. I finished around 28 minutes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIquOBYrQx5uPR_N5swWlKBEXv2E52exrpuz_vD3ti4U3tKpJMy7QLnM0nTEnP563VSGuru8QJIMGMpzFRpWVVzYB1VIRGsdv5agRkeOWIJjr_2egMUD6DDqQIh68kPVGXujQwYfHsmzTa/s400/Thanksgiving+016.JPG" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table> My mom made a beautiful turkey, and among helping with other things, I whipped up this easy cornbread. It came out delicious. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlP88z5LrkfyNXahMzQbdAqXLgTpGTdnng1DgSZmPztvbh0J7zJmsP0CmACjQvycGZ419c0wJn3vsSfu2W4oGTzxbR1lYIwURpvzvF1_9ggSA7KtyHks_WalvFwpNftVycGDUqZMf16ijq/s1600/Thanksgiving+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlP88z5LrkfyNXahMzQbdAqXLgTpGTdnng1DgSZmPztvbh0J7zJmsP0CmACjQvycGZ419c0wJn3vsSfu2W4oGTzxbR1lYIwURpvzvF1_9ggSA7KtyHks_WalvFwpNftVycGDUqZMf16ijq/s400/Thanksgiving+017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's the recipe from Sparkpeople.com</div><h2>Ingredients</h2><div id="ingredients"><ul>1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1/4 cup sugar 4 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. salt 2 beaten eggs (or egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs.) 1 cup 2% milk 1/4 cup cooking oil </ul></div><h2>Directions</h2><div>1. Preheat oven to 425. <br />
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2. In a mixing bowl stir together flour, yellow cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Combine eggs, milk, and cooking oil; add to flour mixture all at once. Beat just till smooth (do not over beat).<br />
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3. Spray pie plate with cooking spray and spoon in mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or till done. <br />
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Makes 8 servings.<br />
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Number of Servings: 8<br />
<br />
<i>Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JENNTX77.</i> </div><div></div><div></div><div> Lastly, there were two birthdays this week. Happy birthday Mom and Monti!</div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvy_l5bG-UIHW58VschD62WvnvBv2ONrqUIyIuWf3wzabJCgkvMgiCJZcCIZQrGNgi9hf4ldfCPl7Cx1zEi5Xc0h55DOsoxjzNiaMXrTxwjqAED-N2q-F7RulxB6YADuSX9ChsgvkSeEo/s1600/Thanksgiving+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvy_l5bG-UIHW58VschD62WvnvBv2ONrqUIyIuWf3wzabJCgkvMgiCJZcCIZQrGNgi9hf4ldfCPl7Cx1zEi5Xc0h55DOsoxjzNiaMXrTxwjqAED-N2q-F7RulxB6YADuSX9ChsgvkSeEo/s320/Thanksgiving+024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLLgVlDo4gL-cIAdJgYt3_FFT_w32c39tOuVh8mq2zwia7JvrYTxXw9qLCLDSFvSADiT1tVHH_D00UxLmpFpPYd2souk9X0Hr_MHpKr_trVvO8qmIRbNvww8sZNNa8I1L1IWM1XzOMnQd/s1600/Thanksgiving+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLLgVlDo4gL-cIAdJgYt3_FFT_w32c39tOuVh8mq2zwia7JvrYTxXw9qLCLDSFvSADiT1tVHH_D00UxLmpFpPYd2souk9X0Hr_MHpKr_trVvO8qmIRbNvww8sZNNa8I1L1IWM1XzOMnQd/s320/Thanksgiving+029.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
Stay festive!<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
Annie<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"></div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576079555810522650.post-87571721797802846742010-11-23T20:01:00.000-08:002010-11-23T20:01:33.423-08:00Turkey Fever<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What a (half of a) week. Yesterday, I had jury duty for the first time. I’ll be brief and say the eight hour experience was less than desirable, but now I feel like a member of some strange, selective club.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I managed to break my lazy streak from last week, and am now feeling like the rest of the semester is downhill. Only two papers and a second draft left! It’s amazing to see my pile of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">read</i> books be so much higher than my pile of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not read</i> books. Just got to keep the momentum up for two more weeks, more or less. Speaking of momentum, after forcing those gym shoes on last week I have been running more. I even found a pretty route near my apartment (believe it or not New Haven is not always the most scenic). I’ll be doing the Turkey Trot 5K race with my mom on Thanksgiving. It's nice to see those leisurely runs turn into a decent finishing time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tomorrow, I’ll be working—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finally</i> some cash flow—and then attending my high school’s Thanksgiving game. For me, as for everyone I hope, Thursday is a commitment free day of relaxing, cooking, and eating. And for the fourth year in a row, I’ll be spending black Friday at Old Navy. Hopefully, no retail-related stampedes this year!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How will you be celebrating Turkey Day?<br />
Happy Thanksgiving!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Love,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Annie</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE2KfI0sjZX_6uLJRxXeRfZXGKXi1iU1T3PzuF7Rn3JfIJu3CQOQz_HW1M8siIYWqKoYshUzrdgCbv1XHC6bviCWZIj5ujvgLkl9Kq5j_R4ItXHiEy-O7rPIHPueTf6pHxftrdfrpcDJO/s1600/Leis+21+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE2KfI0sjZX_6uLJRxXeRfZXGKXi1iU1T3PzuF7Rn3JfIJu3CQOQz_HW1M8siIYWqKoYshUzrdgCbv1XHC6bviCWZIj5ujvgLkl9Kq5j_R4ItXHiEy-O7rPIHPueTf6pHxftrdfrpcDJO/s400/Leis+21+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liz's yummy S'mores dessert,<br />
Chocolate chip cookies baked in pan with chocolate chips and marshmallows melted on top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNr-yn90uAkOMHwah-f-Rxexk55KWNVqyguozwzzhmLyUJeM4YPxO0eAMx8fd0Qubo_26P9VXIBQULGUDlQU2cGopYXNsJrMIWxBE6_ptl-Qkd6xO17w-_sgPt8YfpV_oVZ-Tg5aJ4dLl/s1600/Leis+21+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNr-yn90uAkOMHwah-f-Rxexk55KWNVqyguozwzzhmLyUJeM4YPxO0eAMx8fd0Qubo_26P9VXIBQULGUDlQU2cGopYXNsJrMIWxBE6_ptl-Qkd6xO17w-_sgPt8YfpV_oVZ-Tg5aJ4dLl/s400/Leis+21+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mackenzie was craving rice and beans. Brown rice topped with red kidney beans sauteed in olive oil.<br />
Big shout out to the girl in Spanish aisle that told us how to cook these.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcGRVSPCRpdS4EekJ_AMhWa0Bo9rsIo8tYuwhkCozVB8wUoaJN6FgqA92_8VK6E6IYaml0DpD1p56RGlA_MD40dkAD9ogW7hlBJnVOrXonJKK8a6aESl-hTeuK0ODHaxK7l8w54w4Dztu/s1600/Leis+21+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcGRVSPCRpdS4EekJ_AMhWa0Bo9rsIo8tYuwhkCozVB8wUoaJN6FgqA92_8VK6E6IYaml0DpD1p56RGlA_MD40dkAD9ogW7hlBJnVOrXonJKK8a6aESl-hTeuK0ODHaxK7l8w54w4Dztu/s400/Leis+21+049.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy 21'st birthday to Lei!</td></tr>
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</div>Annie Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685094334253607866noreply@blogger.com0