I'm a Bronco!

I love teaching, and I also love learning.  After graduation, I knew I was ready for a break from school.  The break has helped me realize that I don't want to be a full-time student again, but I do miss being in school.  I just found out last night that I got accepted to Santa Clara University for their Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction, and I couldn't be more excited!

Santa Clara is a great school with a beautiful campus.  It reminds me a lot of a "little Stanford" which makes me love it even more!  Plus, the Caltrain station is right at the edge of campus, so I will still be able to bike commute on school days and not have to fight traffic.

True to form, of course I'm already stressing myself out about scheduling and making work and school and everything else I'm doing fit together.  TDN's wonderful advice for me was "yeah, you shouldn't do that stress thing."  Sounds simple, so I'm gonna give it a try.

I had 3 wonderful people write recommendations for me, Papa Rist helped me proof my personal statement, Margo gave me my first tour of Santa Clara University, and TDN has been supporting me every step of the way.  I couldn't ask for a better support system starting this journey!

#tbt - Senior Prom

Here's another picture I came across on my last trip back to SoDak to visit my family.  This is from my senior prom. 

 

And, yes, I'm wearing a hat.  That spring, I was performing in a community arts production of "Anything Goes" - a 1934 Cole Porter musical.  I came across this cute little hat among our costume options and fell in love with it and the way it was going to go with the "look" I had in mind.  I had found a classic black halter dress with pearl details on the bodice, which I paired with black gloves and pearl jewelry, a la Audrey Hepburn circa Breakfast at Tiffany's.

 

Looking back at this picture makes me smile.  What a wonderful night with my friends and great date, Matty.

Cherry oatmeal smoothie

Now that I'm finally able to work out again, my appetite for quick, easy, and healthy meal fixes has returned.  I love coming home from the gym in the morning to enjoy one of these smoothies waiting in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chia seeds
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cranberry-cherry juice
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 cup frozen cherries
• splash of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
Blend oats and chia seed in blender until texture is fine.  Add milk and juice.  Stir to get oats and chias off the bottom.  Add remaining ingredients.  Blend until desired smoothness.
Refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours).  Shake before drinking.

Adapted from The Yummy Life

 

4 concerts in 4 weeks

Tall Dark and Nerdy just got home from a five week trip, so I had a LOT of time on my hands for the last 5 weeks.  I stumbled into several wonderful opportunities with friends to see fantastic live music and made it to 4 concerts in 4 weeks!

Week 1 Jen invited me to see Metric with her and a roommate in Oakland at the Fox Theater.  I am not a Metric super-fan by any means, but had so much fun at the show.  And who doesn't like a female lead singer killing it on stage?

They ended the show in a really fun and unexpected way for an electronic band - the lead singer and guitarist sang an acoustic version of a song and the rest of the band joined them onstage for the last chorus.  The whole audience was singing and clapping along and totally present.  Super cool.


Concert number two was a totally different type of show.  I drug my roommate MB with me to a tiny music venue in San Francisco that neither of us had been to before to hear an artist I have followed for years, thanks to the TV show "One Tree Hill."  The character Grubbs on the show is played by Michael Grubbs, who goes by the band name Wakey! Wakey!  I was so excited to finally see him live!  We got a table reservation at Café du Nord (the venue) and made an evening of it.

 This was the view from our table.  We had the front table, right in front of the stage on the side with the piano.  There were a few rows of chairs lined up next to us, making for a very intimate show.

Most of the show was just this guy playing the piano and singing with everything he has.  And telling jokes and stories.  So many stories.  For a while there, I wasn't sure if I was at a concert or a comedy show.  I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

The opener was less than impressive - actually, she was bad - so MB was worried that I had drug her out to a show that was going to be painful to sit through.  She had me worried for a second, too, but as soon as Grubbs took the stage and played the first few notes, messed it up, laughed it off, started again and sang his first song, we both knew we were in for a fantastic night.

In the middle of the set, he played a few songs on guitar.  As he grabbed his guitar and moved to the center of the stage, he told us that he got this really cool guitar with a jack in the back that makes it work through the sound system...but, unfortunately, it was broken.  Then he said "luckily, my career is going in such a way that there aren't that many people here tonight," so he told the sound guy to take a break.  He sat on a stool at the front of the stage with just an acoustic guitar and his voice and sang a few songs totally unplugged, including "Dance So Good," one of my favorites.

I will definitely see him any time he comes to town, and will try to get as many of my friends who appreciate good music to learn to love his music and performance as much as I do!

Number three was yet another totally different type of show.  This time Margo and I saw Jon Pardi at The Rodeo Club.  Jon is an up-and-coming country singer who has written songs performed by several popular artists, and now has his second single on the radio.  He was the first opener when I saw Justin Moore on his arena tour back home in South Dakota about a month and a half ago, and thought his music was fun.  When Margo invited me to see him in his own show - granted, at a MUCH smaller venue - I couldn't resist!  He has a little bit of a rockabilly feel, which was a lot of fun.  We also got to meet him before the show, and that boy is tall!

We also just about fell over laughing when, midway through the set, his drummer made a crazy facial expression that reminded me of my friend Brian.  I told her, she realized how uncanny the resemblance was, and we both about died.  We tried so hard to get a good picture of him, but stage lighting is never right for getting pictures of drummers, so we tried repeatedly - and he noticed...and laughed at us...a lot.

Week 4 had another concert with Jen in San Francisco at another intimate venue, Slim's.  I had been to a show here three years ago and had a great experience.  This time we were seeing Sara Bareilles, and the show was SOLD OUT.  Our spot was not ideal for, you know, being able to see, but it was fun to be in a place with so many people so excited to see a girl and her piano.

 This girl has some pipes.  What a fantastic performer, too!  She is a very talented songwriter, singer, pianist, performer, etc.  I had no idea what to expect from this show, but I was absolutely blown away by how incredible she is.

I was supposed to see a fifth show the day TDN was scheduled to be arriving home, but he got home a day early, and after my morning at TEDx Santa Clara, I couldn't resist cuddles and a nap with my boo.

#tbt - Grams's wallet

Grams wanted to show off the pictures in her wallet - to the people in her wallet -  over Easter.  These gems were in there, and have been for a loooong time!

 

I'm not exactly sure what year these are from, but I'm guessing I was in probably 3rd grade, which would make this Baby Sister's picture from kindergarten!

 

 

Mom's biscuits and gravy

Whenever Mom asks for breakfast requests, my top choice can be predicted by nearly everyone in the family.  Biscuits and gravy.  They're my favorite.  Especially when Mom makes them.

 

Since having my own kitchen, this has been on my list of meals to cook.  Sadly, however, TDN has a funny allergy to pork, meaning that I didn't want to make sausage gravy while he was around and unable to eat it.  Yet, the first time I made them on my own, I wanted to use pork sausage - rather than turkey sausage or chicken sausage.  While he was on his long business trip, I finally made it happen:  homemade biscuits and sausage gravy, just like Mom makes them.

 

Ingredients:

Biscuits

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups (less 3 Tablespoons) milk

Gravy

• 1 tube pork sausage
• 2 packets country gravy mix
• milk
• flour
• butter

Instructions:

Biscuits

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.  Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or two butter knives (pull through in opposite directions) until mixture looks like fine crumbs. 

In a measuring cup, add milk to lemon juice to make 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk.  Mix. 

Add buttermilk to flour mixture until dough leaves side of bowl and is soft and sticky.

Knead dough lightly 10 times on lightly floured surface.  Roll 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into biscuits with a glass (or a biscuit cutter if you want to be boring).

Place on ungreased cookie sheet with sides touching.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from cookie sheet and serve warm.

Gravy

Brown sausage in a frying pan. 

Begin by melting a little butter - or fat of choice - in a saucepan.  Add in salt, pepper, and a couple Tablespoons of flour.  Slowly stir in some milk until mixture thickens.

Add gravy packets and milk or water per instructions on the packet.  Follow instructions on packet, stirring constantly until gravy reaches a boil.  Reduce to simmer.  Stir in sausage, simmer five minutes.

 

Biscuit recipe adapted from Betty Crocker Cookboox

Hand-painted glasses

I've had a lot of time on my hands recently while I've been recovering from knee surgery. After a couple months of mind-numbing TV watching, I was feeling physically up to the task of digging through my arts and crafts supplies and doing something fun. 

I decided that my glass tumblers were just begging to be beautified. So I did it.

I now have four somewhat-coordinated hand-painted glasses in my cupboard and I love them!

I used acrylic paint, $1 tumblers from Target, and paint brush handles. I poured a little paint onto waxed paper so it was easy to access, then dipped the end of the handle into it and dotted it onto the glass. I let each color dry for a few minutes before putting dots on top. After I finished painting, I placed the glasses in a cold oven and turned it to 350 degrees. Once it was preheated, I set the time for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the oven off and let the glasses cool in the oven.

For the really big yellow dots, I actually used a ChapStick lid!

First fruit

While TDN has been out of town for business, I have been periodically checking up on the garden.  I love seeing things grow over short and long periods of time, and the plants in the garden are no different.  I can't wait for the tomatoes to be ready!

The strawberries are trying to grow and ripen about halfway through TDN's time away.

Leroy came outside to help me check on things.

Look very closely and you can see the first yellow bloom of the tomato plants.  This one just happens to be on the purple tomato plant, my favorite!

When I checked the garden this week - the last week of his trip - there was a beautifully ripe strawberry.  Yes, just one.  It was the first fruit (or vegetable) I found ready to eat from this summer's garden!  I brought it home for MB to enjoy, and enjoy it she did!

#tbt - Toothless

I'm joining the Instagrammers and their #tbt craze.  #tbt stands for "throwback Thursday" and has been a fun trend to watch.  Friends post pictures of themselves or their friends in the past, whether it was 6 months ago or when they were 6 months old.

While visiting my Grams at home last month, I enjoyed looking at old pictures of my cousins and I growing up displayed proudly on her piano.

This gem, my first tbt post, can be found affixed to my mom's file cabinet in her classroom at school.  Apparently, I had just lost some teeth and wanted to show off the gap!

French bread pizza

I don't know why, but I've been in the mood for pizza a lot lately.  My roommate from college was always talking about how much she loves French bread pizza, and I just so happened to have a coupon for a free loaf of French bread at the grocery store.  It was made to be.  And it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• one loaf French bread
• marinara/pizza sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• pepperoni
• any other toppings

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut loaf in half lengthwise. Place on cookie sheet.

Spread cut sides with sauce.

Top with cheese, then toppings.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starts to brown.



Life is simple

My idea for this blog's name came in part from my dining room wall decoration, a motto I try to keep in mind all the time.  Life is simple.

It's hard to remember this when things get busy and stressful, but the most important things are the simple ones. 

MB learns life lessons - Part 1

I have a great roommate.  We have a lot of fun together.  I also get a lot of laughs at her expense sometimes.

This winter, I took her on her first real grocery shopping outing.  She had never bought groceries for herself before.  The girl was 22 at the time.  I just couldn't believe it.  Everyone in the grocery store got an absolute kick out of her telling them it was her first time grocery shopping!

The shopping wasn't the only funny experience we've had.  The next time I laughed so hard I cried came in our kitchen.  MB wanted to make herself some rice to go with her lunch. 
She asked me how to make rice, so I took out my box of rice with really good directions on it and showed it to her.  I told her to decide how many servings she wanted to make, look at the chart to see how much rice and how much water to use, and follow the directions on the box.
After about 10-15 minutes, while I was on the phone with my mom, she calls me into the kitchen asking "Do you think this is done?"
Here's what I saw:

I managed to ask her if she followed the directions before doubling over with laughter.  She assured me that she had measured out the amount of rice she wanted...and then added water.  My mom is also laughing her head off on the phone while I'm explaining to her that rice doesn't work the same as pasta where you just strain off the excess water.
Luckily, she was just going to make her rice into chicken and rice soup, so we assured her that adding it to her soup would be just fine.

It's been a couple months since this incident, and I'm not sure if she has made rice without immediately making it into soup since then. 

MB has now learned to grocery shop, make rice, and [hopefully] read directions.

Quinoa cakes

One of Jas's birthday celebrations this winter was getting a whole group of us together for a Black and White Masquerade Ball.

It was a really cool kind of pop-up style event where we bought our tickets way in advance, knowing only the date and the time.  They emailed us a couple hours before it began to tell us the secret location - Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason in San Francisco.

It was not just a pop-up party, but it was a pop-up dinner party!  We planned a really fun menu of food we could make ahead of time and would taste good if it wasn't totally hot.  We made grilled shish-kebabs with chicken and veggies, a delicious salad, a charcuterie plate, and personal cheesecakes with raspberry coulis for dessert.  We also tried a fun side dish - quinoa cakes.  They turned out delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup chopped chives
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 cup bread crumbs (we crumbled gluten-free bread to make this Jas friendly)
• Water
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Ahead of time, bring 2 cups uncooked quinoa and 3 cups water to a boil in a kettle, cover.  Turn heat to low, simmer 25-30 minutes, or until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Let cool to room temperature before assembling quinoa cakes.
Combine the room temperature quinoa, eggs, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic.  Stir in the bread crumbs, the let sit for a few minutes so they can absorb the moisture.
The mixture should be nice and moist, but able to be formed into patties.  (Add more breadcrumbs if it's too wet, or a little water if it's too dry.)
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Add patties, cover, and cook 7-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are deeply browned.  If they're not browning after 10 minutes, turn up the heat.
Flip the cakes with a spatula and cook the other side for another 7 minutes or so, until golden.
Cool on a wire rack.

Adapted from Epicurious

Pizza quinoa casserole

I have realized this year that I love quinoa (now that I know what it is).  Add that to my Midwestern-ness, and I've started to have fun with quinoa in casserole form.  This is one of my new favorite casseroles, and it can be made as a side dish or a main dish.  Since I like making casseroles that are almost an entire meal on their own, I usually add ground beef or turkey to this and just add a veggie - like yummy Brussels sprouts - on the side.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (and 2 cups water)
• 1-1.5 pounds ground beef or turkey
• 6oz can tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I've used parmesan, mozzarella, and a Mexican blend, and all are good)

Directions:
Combine quinoa and water in a pot over high heat.  Bring to a boil, then cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and leave covered.
While quinoa is cooking, brown ground beef or turkey in a skillet.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a casserole dish and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine tomato paste, garlic, onion, water, and olive oil well.  Add seasonings and mix again.  Add quinoa and meat, combine.  Mix in some of the cheese if you want.
Spread everything in the casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese, and place in the oven.
Bake 30-35 minutes until cheese is lightly browning.

Adapted from Food Doodles

 

Coffee mug cookie

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a wicked sweet tooth.  And sometimes it just NEEDS a baked treat, but it doesn't have the patience to wait for me to bake a whole batch of cookies or brownies.  This little guy has come through for me on many occasions, and while it's not a real cookie, it's pretty delicious and does the trick.

Also, it only requires one measuring spoon, which is an awesome bonus!  Plus, I get to use the wonderful latte mugs Papa Rist gave me for Christmas.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 2-3 Tablespoons chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a coffee mug.  Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.


I have been in a peanut butter mood lately, so I like to do half chocolate chips and half peanut butter chips to get all the cravings satisfy.  Add a little vanilla ice cream on top and life is great.

Gluten-free Baked Apples

As you know, one of my friends/coworkers/neighbors is gluten-intolerant, which has been a learning experience for me.  I also had apples sitting around and a dessert craving, so I decided to try a recipe that will be easy to make gluten-free for Jazzy.  Alas, baked apples!

Ingredients:

• 2 apples
• 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Core apples and cut in half.  Place on a baking sheet cut side up (lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup).
In a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and syrup.
Divide oat mixture among apple halves. 
Bake 30 minutes.

I'm excited to play around with this and try honey instead of syrup for a different flavor next time, and maybe add in raisins or something fun.

Adapted from With Style and Grace