Pork Suey! + Lovely, Unnecessary School Supplies & Blog Award

Listening to "Talk of the Nation," NPR.

I have heard that it's bad to tie shopping to emotions.

You shouldn't shop to celebrate, or shop to cheer yourself up... you should only shop when you need things.

I've heard the same argument about eating ("Don't eat when you're upset!").

And I understand the argument.

But... once a year, before a very important time, I shop on emotion.

The emotion of pure excitement.

I buy school supplies.

Silly, colorful, frivolous school supplies! I love them.

School to me is... a sweet return to normal (think Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail... "bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils"), an enjoyably difficult task to conquer (definitely Hermione in Harry Potter), and something I've always loved to do, and probably always will... (maybe Diane Court in Say Anything... but I totally wouldn't have broken Llyod Dobler's heart...)

And I celebrate the start of a new academic year (sometimes even the start of a new semester...) with new school supplies.

Even when I don't need them.

And this week, I bought these:

Oh, that isn't all I bought. But here are
the most fun/frivolous things...

1. The Multi-Colored Pens, Highlighters, and Fun Mechanical Pencils: Do I need that many? No. Do I love and cherish them? Yes.

2. The Polka-Dot Pencil Pouch: Also holds cute, tiny-sized post-it notes to mark textbook pages. Love it.

3. Color-Matching Desk Set: Small clock, stapler, paper clip holder, and miscellaneous boxed supplies. I mean... do they need to all match? No. But will that look really cute in my tiny TA cubicle? YES.

4. THE BEST OF ALL-- Is it a purse? No. It's cute enough to be a purse, but that polka-dot bag in the back, ladies and gentlemen, is a LUNCH BOX. That's right. A lunch box. So cute.

I bought other things as well... binders, tabbed dividers, a new planner (LOVE new planners...), loose-leaf paper (college-ruled, baby!), and some spirals.

But thought I'd show you the silly ones.

Didn't break the bank or anything (thanks, Wal-Mart)... but I definitely consider the whole thing to be a treat for myself.

You know how it is... everyone has different splurges, yes? You have one, right? Maybe yours is a big night out, a fancy new pair of shoes, or even just an ice cream cone after a hot summer day. My splurge just happens to be school supplies.

CAN'T WAIT!

~*~*~

Cooking Update:

Pork Suey!
(From Quick & Healthy)

YUM.

Quick Instructions, if you're interested:
Brown pork cuts (1/4-inch thick) in non-stick sprayed skillet. Add celery (2 c.), onion (1 c.), soy sauce (1 tbsp.), beef broth ( c.), and salt (dash), and let simmer 10 minutes.

In separate bowl, mix corn starch (2.5 tbsp.), ginger (1/4 tsp.), molasses (1 tbsp.), and water (1/4 c). Stir into hot skillet. Allow to boil and thicken; serve over noodles or brown rice.

I slipped in too much corn starch, and you can definitely taste that (oops!), but still tastes good overall :)

I definitely recommend!

I do have a questions, though: If you're making a dish with soy sauce or another Asian influence, do you have a favorite pasta or rice type? I'd like to cook more with soy sauce, since I looooove it, but I don't know which pasta/rice to serve with it. Advice?

Matt was working late when I fixed this; it was a yummy, filling meal that paired well with wine and some lazy television :)

~*~*~
!*!*! AWARD !*!*!

Thanks SO much, ACE!

What a cute award-- I'd never seen this one!

Looking forward to fulfilling the award duties (a one-word challenge-- I LOVE word challenges!) in my next post. Thanks again!

~*~*~

Back to the daily grind of this crazy week... it's actually been a great week, just busy. I hope your week has been great as well!

I've been doing a lot of planning for the TA position :) I can't WAIT to get started!!

Twitter and Facebook Users: How about that crazy down-time episode today?! They're saying it was hacker-driven. Interesting story about that here.

I'll be gone this weekend-- going to visit Matt's parents and grandmother!! I can't wait to meet his grandmother; I've never met her before since she lives far up north. Plus, seeing Matt's parents is always fun: they're great, their lake house is beautiful, and his Mom is quite the prolific knitter.

See you soon!

Your snackin-on-Cap'n-Crunch,
Summer-storm-enjoyin,
always-checker-board-knittin,
New Girl Blogger

Pickin' Crabs, Teachin' Grandma, Cookin' Fish. + Prego Update

Listening to "French Song," Kate Walsh.

So.

Apparently, I used to blog when Matt was studying.

Because since Matt's taken the CFP exam, he hasn't been studying.

And I haven't been blogging.

But! I think it was just that initial honeymoon-phase week, where I'm so glad to have him around (instead of the study zombie that I had before), and was thus way too excited to pay attention to my computer.

Schedules are slowly getting back to normal, but it has been a fantastic week of fun :)

~*~*~

Grandma's House

My grandmother's house was so relaxing.

Need I say more?

My grandmother is in Maryland. So is a lot of my family, and naturally I've been picking crabs since before I can remember.

(Pickin' Crabs: (verb phrase) To eat the crab meat from a steamed crab (most often the Chesapeake-area Blue Crab) that sits on top of newspaper, on a picnic table, covered in Old Bay spices. Crab meat is picked from the crab and then is often dipped in melted butter or simply enjoyed. The process is a slow one and typically considered a social event. Common side dishes are Corn on the Cob and Corona.)



Matt is from Detroit, and had never even had Old Bay (the traditional East Coast seafood spice). He had definitely never picked crab, and described his limitless crab experience as confined to Red Lobster.

Definitely not good enough for my family.

So we went ahead and gave him his first experience.

Yum!

He did a great job, though! It can be an interesting experience if you've never done it before. I don't recommend doing it on your own or with a group of other inexperienced pickers. Always helps to have a guide :)

~*~*~

Knitting Update

This ties into my visit with my grandmother.

because...

I taught my grandma to knit!

I gave her a knit kit for her birthday-- a knitting bag, some yarn, lots of needles, and a guide book-- and promised to teach her sometime this year.

She's crocheted before, but had never knit! She really took to it very quickly! She's going to try a scarf with that fall-colored yarn and then maybe I can teach her some more by Christmas.

Not to brag or anything... but is my Grandma a cutie or what?! Getting older in my family isn't so bad; we've got good genes :) I think we get it from the red wine...


Checkerboard:
I frogged it once, and won't again! I've been knitting slow and steady for the past couple weeks and am now just beyond where I was when I had to pull it all out. Slow and steady wins the race, people! (Plus... I'm afraid if I mess it up again I may just throw it out a window. Defeated? Defenestrate!)

~*~*~

Cooking Update:

I tried Phoo-D's Poached Samon with Dijon Cream Sauce!

This recipe was BANGIN. Seriously.

We were ravishing hungry by the time it was made, so we dug in and I thought, "Eh, I'll take a picture for the blog tomorrow."

...then Matt ate the leftovers before I got a chance. Good sign though, yes?

So here's PHOO-D'S PICTURE, not Class and Coffee's picture, totally PHOO-D'S, so be amazed by HER PICTURE, not mine:

Photo Credit: Phoo-D
Mine definitely didn't look this good.
Tasted phenom, though!

Had a little trouble finding the "thyme sprigs," but definitely don't just sprinkle in thyme because you have to pull the thyme out of the simmering pan before you make the cream sauce. Just a tip ;-)

Would definitely recommend this recipe!!

Recipe Blogroll Future:

I only have 5 recipes left to make off the blogroll!

Once their done, I think I'm going to have my first blog contest.

You know, ask people to submit recipes, either their own or others that they've seen on blogs, and then have something fun for the winner (who will probably be chosen randomly, but maybe I can think of something...).

Yes? No?

~*~*~

Other Updates:

• Prego: My stepmom Maranna is still pregnant with twins and the babes are doing great. I was hoping they would change their mind about not finding out the sex of the babies, but no. And I looked at their black-and-whites and could not decipher a thing that would give me a hint. So I guess it'll be a surprise... it's totally killing me and I can't wait to find out!
  
  I've asked about names but they're still not sure about that either. Too much suspense!!!!! I already have like 3 names for my kids.
  
  
• School: STARTS in 10 DAYS!! I can tell it's getting close because I'm starting to have those nightmares where I'm failing a final or rushing around hallways without being able to find the right classroom... haha oh the dorky nightmares of a dorky dork.
  
  
• Matt and I have a 3-year anniversary tomorrow :) We're not going to do any celebrating (it's a Tuesday!) but we will be in Wilmington this weekend, so we'll have fun talking about that crazy party three years ago that started it all.
  
  I'm making him a gift (just paid student fees, people), but can't tell you juuuust in case he has time to check my blog before tomorrow!

~*~*~

Your summer-storm-lovin,
Kate-Walsh-listening, behind-on-reading,
Crab-meat-missing, Shark-week-obsessing,
New Girl Blogger

My Night In! Plus-- To Grandmother's House We Go

I had big plans for tonight.

See, Matt's traveling for work. His office, Capitol Financial Solutions (part of the John Hancock network) met with other branches today in Richmond, VA (about 3.5 hours from us in Raleigh, NC). He's there tonight but the conference doesn't start until tomorrow. Hmm... wonder what they're all doing to kill time tonight before the conference tomorrow... :).

So I had big plans for tonight.

That included:

-Lots of Chinese food

-Red Wine

-HGTV

-and, of course, Laundry and Knitting.


Quite a plan, right?

I picked up my Chinese and settled into my PJs by about 6pm. But I got a happy surprise.

Tom, my step-dad, called!

We talked for a long time about my exciting Chinese evening, my sisters, my Mom's new running club plans (how cool!), his work stuff, etc. It was nice to catch up, since he's home for the first time this week after a couple weeks in China and a week in the mountains of Tennessee on vacation with my Mom. So after we got off the phone, I settled back up with my Chicken Lo Mein. But then, another surprise.

My best friend from college, Leah, called!

I hadn't spoken to her on the phone in a couple weeks! So we talked for a long time about her dating adventures, reminisced about college memories... all the fun stuff. We talked for a long time, but her phone died. So, again, settled into my couch, filled my red wine glass...

My Mom calls! Running class is over-- can she stop by?

Of course! I love my Mom, and I love when she comes by the apartment. She's psyched for her new running club, which met for the first time near my apartment, and we talk about that during commercials of some fun, trash TV (at one point we were even watching E True Hollywood Story). So she stays for a while, helps me finish my Chinese, and I enjoy the company. She heads out around 9pm. Now my alone time will really start. But-- wait!

Leah calls back! She's cooked dinner for a boy who's suppppposed to be home from work.

We talk more about this new beau she's just started dating (and why he isn't home from work yet, when he was supposed to finish up at 9:30... "good thing I bought a bottle of wine," she says, "so whatever."), but mostly talk about more important things... like House Hunters on HGTV (love the show) and how they should have a keychain wine opener (has that been invented yet?).

By the time we get off the phone, it's about 10.

So it was a long, multi-person conversation, from about 6:30 - 10.

I'm a little bit excited. It was so nice talking with everyone... but I'm a ready for this alone time that I've been pumping myself up about.

I sit back in the couch, ponder a fortune cookie, and think to myself, "this is nice."

Maybe I should knit.

Or read.

Or...

hmm.

It's very quiet.

The chinese is gone, the wine is gone, and there isn't anything good on TV.

And after a while, being alone isn't as fun as I thought it would be.

I mean, it's ok... but... what should I do now...

Then I remembered-- ha! I'm behind on blog reading!

And I thought I was alone :)

~*~*~

I'm driving to Richmond tomorrow to pick up Matt when he's finished with his conference. Then, we'll head up to Maryland together to visit my grandma!

I think it'll be a great weekend. I'll take lots of pictures!

Hope you all have a great weekend as well!

Your TV-watchin,
too-much-Chinese-food-eatin,
Yes,-really-Christmas-shoppin,
New Girl Blogger

Yummy Cake, But Awful Picture...

Listening to "Spinning," Jack's Mannequin

First, let's go ahead and get this out of the way.

Are you ready?

It's a really bad picture I took of some cake.

As in, REALLY bad picture.

I'm almost embarrassed.

Unfortunately, when you take a picture of chocolate cake... especially in a bunt cake shape... when half of it is gone... you have to be careful. It can turn out ugly.

Like my picture.

Ready?

Here we go...

Ok. I apologize for putting you through that.

I tried to take a better one, honest... a couple angles... different lighting... close ups... nothing worked.

Then I gave up and took this one.

See, the cake was better sliced on a plate, with a little chocolate sauce, next to some ice cream and a small drizzle of Bailey's Irish Cream...

...but it's hard to keep ice cream and Bailey's in the apartment for long.

So by the time I went to take a picture of the yummy cake, we were all out of those things.

Now that we've gotten the picture out of the way, let's really talk about...

Duo Dishes' Molten Cake:

(I used this recipe to make Matt's birthday cake!)

-The original recipe makes smaller, mini cakes that go great with ice cream and chocolate sauce!

-Matt loves snickers. So I melted a couple mini snickers in a crock pot and replaced some of the chocolate that the recipe calls for with my melted snickers concoction (you can see evidence of some of the snickers nuts on the platter!). I also cut up some of the mini snickers and mixed that into the batter. Yummm.

-I used a bunt pan so that it would be more like a birthday cake; the recipe still worked, I simply altered the cooking time.

-Yum!! I'd like to try it again later, using small ramekins like Duo Dishes does!

-I definitely recommend! But don't forget the ice cream! Very Important! Mmmm...

~*~*~

Matt's CFP Test:

So... he took it. Finally. After 9 months of classes and 2 months of studying! Phew.

He won't find out for six weeks whether or not he passed!

It's a hard test... over 3/4th of the people there had taken it before, and this was Matt's first time. It would be GREAT if he passed. He put so much time into class and studying, and he's a smart guy. But if he doesn't pass, it definitely won't be the end of the world. They offer the exam 4 times a year. But like I said, he studies a LOT, so I really think he might be just fine. We'll see!

Anyway, again, thanks for encouraging comments :) I updated him incessantly on how many people had wished him good luck!

~*~*~

Now I have to go. I just started a new marketing campaign for the tutoring company-- targeting pediatricians now, instead of just school counselors. It's fun, and it's been going really well, but definitely time consuming!

Plus, my Mom is like two books ahead of me in our Summer book club. Ack!

I should have a break on Thursday to get some much-needed blog reading done :)

~*~*~

Your Potter-fan,
Christmas-shopping,
always-tutoring,
New Girl Blogger

The Intimidating Holy Grail Recipe; + Awards!

Listening to "Faster," Rachael Yamagata.

The Flank Steak

When I first saw this recipe over at My Tasty Treasures, I was intimidated.

Very intimidated.

Let me explain. Picture this from the beginning. Here I am, trying to learn how to cook this year... and I figured: I'm going to need to learn three things:

1. What kind of flavors are appropriate with what foods

2. How long to keep stuff in the oven or on the stove top

3. How to make gravy, so I can just pour that over things I burn.

Turns out... you need a little bit more than that to cook. It sounds unbelievable-- was I really that naive about cooking?-- but in all seriousness, I thought that it was kind of a one-process-fits-all deal. But recipes aren't just lists of ingredients... they're instructions. I know that now. Back when I first saw this recipe... it was proof that learning to cook, to really learn, the way I want to, would take a little while. There's a lot to learn!

I've learned a lot so far this year... or I feel like I have... thanks in big part to the Recipe Blogroll challenge (have I mentioned how excited I am to make a new one of those soon!?)... and last week I had sudden motivation to try the holy grail.

The recipe with string. (more commonly known as butcher's twine)

That's how I've been thinking of it! I remember when I saw Donna's pictures, all the steps, and
this process that I really wasn't familiar with... I was intimidated. But thanks to that sudden burst of kitchen confidence, I decided to try it.

and here it is!

The Stuffed Flank Steak Debut.





I did it!!

There was lots of jumping up and down, clapping... I asked Matt about 100 times if he liked it...

but more than anything, it was fun. It was fun to finish a recipe that I thought looked difficult. It was fun to create something that required carefully slicing the meat (and I didn't cut myself!), yummy ingredients and, of course, butcher's twine. And, as always, it was fun to learn one more thing about cooking :)

~*~*~

Blog Awards:

Thanks so much, ACE!


Rules:
1. Thank the award giver
2. Copy the Logo and place on your blog
3. Link back to the award giver/s
4. Name 10 things about you that people may find interesting
5. Nominate and link 10 other blogs for this award
6. Comment on each blog to tell them about the award!

Phew! ok. So, even though it's out of order, here's 10 blogs:
1. Fidgeting Gidget
2. Vicki
3. Amy
4. Mary
5. Iva
6. Katie
7. Shawna
8. Ali
9. Brilliant Farmgirl
10. Kristina

10 Interesting Things... hmm... hopefully these qualify.
1. I read really fast, sometimes too fast.
2. I like things clean and neat; but sometimes it's physically impossible for me to put away my laundry.
3. I have my bank card number, drivers license number and student ID number easily memorized, but I lose my phone 10 times a day.
4. I dye my hair a lot; I think it's fun.
5. My favorite type of wine is cabernet sauvignon... it can even be a cheap one, I'm not too picky.
6. My high school lacrosse team won the state championship my senior year; for me, the best part was that my little sister was a freshman on the team so we got to do that together.
7. My first car was a p.o.s. named Will, and I loved him.
8. I'm still a little (a lot) afraid of the dark.
9. I absolutely LOVE airports and hotels.
10. I got hit by a car once while I was on my bike! It was just a little hit, I was fine, and the girl paid to fix my bike... but if you're in a college town and on your cell phone, pay attention to bikes! It could be me!

Also...

Thanks so much, Ali!


Rules:
This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to six bloggers who must choose six more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

1. Suz
2. Ace
3. Sarah
4. Peggy
5. The Gamer's Wife
6. Samantha

Woo-hoo! Congrats everyone. Awards are fun :)

~*~*~

I'll save my Duo Dishes' cake post for Friday or Saturday; I'm trying hard to update more than once a week! (And I'm going to need something to distract me while Matt's taking his test...)

Thanks so much for wishing Matt good luck on his exam. He's starting to get nervous (eek! Me too!)... but still doing a great job of studying. We drove to the testing site today, that way he wouldn't worry about driving directions the day of the exam, and we took a break for lunch at Olive Garden! MY FAVORITE! Now he's studying away again... every couple of hours we take a break and play Mario Kart on the 64 :)

~*~*~

Small P.S.: If you're looking for some jaw-dropping inspiration, just take a quick peek at the insane workout plan my best friend Suz has planned for the next 30 days. She went to Canada in high school but she's still my Suz, and if I know her well enough she'll be a little annoyed and embarrassed that I gave her a shout out like this... but she can just deal because her last couple posts about what she's doing during her 30 days of training are really... insane! She's so motivated! Good luck Suz :) Work out enough for the both of us!

~*~*~

Your breadsticks-lovin,
new-music-searchin,
History-channel-watchin,
New Girl Blogger