Class and Coffee

Recipe Blogroll items for January 2010

Friday, January 15

Currently Listening to "The Call," Regina Spektor

Recipe Blogroll is BACK, baby!!

Woo-hoo!!

A little different this time. Instead of listing a million recipes I'd like to try like last time, I'm going to shoot for four to five a month.

{I'm a deadline person. I'll do better with a deadline.}

Then, during the month, I'll write a review of the yummy recipe, share any tips ::remember, I'm still VERY new to cooking haha::, and post a small award for the recipe writer because I appreciate cooking blogs SO much!!

If you have any recipe you'd like to suggest for my February Blogroll, please let me know in the comments or by e-mailing me at class.and.coffee@gmail.com

**All pictures are from the recipe owner's Web site. Click on the Recipe name to read more about the recipe and to see more pictures!*

Recipe Blogroll Items for January 2010!

Braised Chicken with Grapes: Posted by Healthy Delicious, this recipe uses grapes to help make some "fall-off-the-bone" chicken and, according to HD, some sauce that'll make you want to lick your plate. I'm in!

(Pic by Healthy Delicious)

Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars: Posted by My Tasty Treasures, this recipe sounds sooo good and perfect to break the Christmas-cookie marathon!
(Pic by My Tasty Treasures)

Linguine with Zucchini and Chickpeas: Real Simple Magazine, August 2009; This recipe was definitely intended for summer haha... but I can't resist! All the soups and stews we've been having... I'd love to have a light evening dinner like this soon. And hey, we'll just pretend it's warm :)(Pic from Real Simple)

Applesauce Granola: Posted by Steph Chows, it's a recipe I've been looking for! I love granola... but it's so expensive! I would love to make it at home AND I think it would make a cute gift to give for friends at Valentine's Day!
(Pic by StephChows)

Pot Sticker Pillows: Posted by Slim Shoppin, this recipe makes AMAZING looking pot stickers that are only 30 calories each!! Which... probably won't matter much when I eat about 100 of them, but still...
(Pic by Slim Shoppin)

Here's to a January filled with new recipes!! Thanks you guys!

So now all I've got to do is cook these 5 before the 31st, and I'll post a review for each.

I'll try to write down any helpful hints I come up with along the way... I've only been cooking for about a year now and I still feel very, very new at it :)

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Want to try a Recipe Blogroll?

It's a great way to force yourself out of your cooking shell!

Feel free to use the button:

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**Quick thanks to Fidgeting Gidget for giving me my new knitting project a great name: marf.
The Marf = The manly knit, manly colored scarf intended for a male
who may be leery of effeminate scarves...

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Your excited-to-start-cooking,

loving-the-new-classes,

marf-knitting,

New Girl Blogger

Your Man ___? Finding the Man Scarf. + First Week of Class!

Tuesday, January 12

Currently Listening to "California," Rogue Wave.

Your Man __?

Kym was cracking me up in the comments of my man scarf post, talking about how "Man ___" is always funny. And she's totally right! Man purse is funny no matter what "cool" bag the man is carrying. (Anyone else obsessed with The Hangover?? It's a satchel! Indiana Jones wears one...)

Another favorite of mine was always "man cave." It means a room in the house where men are allowed to do and decorate how they please. Think leather chairs and pool tables, I suppose?

I never understood these men who, in their own houses, had to fight for a basement or upstairs room or-- really?-- the garage, just so they could have their own space. I was always all, "why don't they just share and compromise??"

BUT...

Now that I've lived with my boyfriend for a little over a year, I can honestly say that while I'm still happily in love with him and look forward to seeing him everyday...

His Scarface poster is the FIRST thing that would go in his man cave.

Haha I remember trying so hard to get him to get rid of that when we moved in together...

Then my step-dad saw it when he was helping us unpack and was all, "That's awesome!!"

So now it's in our office. Black matting, gold frame and all.

lovely.

The things we do for love...

Anyway, speaking of lovely things, I think I've chosen a scarf for the "man scarf" project!

Finding the Man Scarf

Fidgeting Gidget shared the Basketweave Scarf pattern from Knitting Daily, which I looooove. I'm so making this for myself lol.

Isn't it cute?? I'm going to go ahead and get this on the needles next because I think it's so cute. I'm afraid Matt won't like the sides... it could be seen as a little "ruffled." Guys are so hard! I can totally understand Steph Chows forgetting the scarf and crocheting her hubs an afghan!!

But like I said... I like the scarf. lol. So FG, I'll make that one for me. You can never have enough cute scarves, I think!

SO. For Mr. Matt, I felt better when Concord Carpenter promised that 1. Using one color is best (that's what I was thinking!) and 2. Wide is ok.

THEN Stephanie posts two scarves, one of which is the Extra Warm Men's Scarf by Cotton and Cloud.

Love it! Manly looking stitches (can stitches be manly? Guess so!), nice gray-black simple man color...

I've got my scarf :)

So now, on the needles:

Extra Warm Men's Scarf by Cotton and Cloud. (Thanks for the suggestion, Stephanie!)
The Hoodie Baby Blanket by Nikol Lohr

Thanks for your help, everyone!

First Week of Class

Now, this is my 2nd day of class during my first week of the semester...

It's my third semester and after this I'll only have two more to go... (May '11, baby!)

And after all that, this is my first online class!

I've got two traditional lecture courses (ENG 518 Publication Management, ENG 519 Online Information Design and Evaluation) but my one online class is EAC 581: Advanced Instructional Design in Training and Development.

It's funny... because it's Advanced Instructional Design, and I've never even taken an Instructional Design course... or a EAC course (EAC is Adult & Higher Education Dept.) at all, for that matter! AND it's my first online course.

...that's a lot of first.

Hopefully I'll survive.

I was a TOTAL DORK and when I signed on to the course, realized everyone was posting introductions in the "forum" so I went around and commented on EVERYONE'S introduction...

...well, there's only 15 people in the class, but anyway...

commented on EVERYONE'S introduction, only to realize afterward that the only other person to comment ON EVERYONE'S INTRODUCTION....

...was the professor.

At least I proved you can still be a dork, even in online classes...

Maybe everyone will just think I'm really nice! lol.

Next post: Cooking, Recipe Blogroll Update!

Your still-freezing-in-NC,

tired-of-cold-weather, making-a-big-stew-to-help,

man-scarf-knitting,

New Girl Blogger

Knitting Group Wednesdays, A Manly Scarf?, and Wishlist Knitting Projects

Wednesday, January 6

Currently Listening to "Night Minds," Missy Higgins.

Yesterday was my sister Courtney's birthday.
Happy Birthday, Courtney!

One of my favorite Courtney pictures...

hanging with goofy Abby last year

Knitting Group Wednesday

One of the reasons it was so easy for me to fall in love with knitting is the amazing knitting group I've been a part of since Summer 2008. The group varies in size, and while we have had a strange bird or two drift in and out of the group, the core five or six individuals that attend are amazing. Very diverse in ages, backgrounds, hometowns, knit skill level, and careers, the women (and one man!) who have kept the group alive make Wednesdays very easy for me to look forward to.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that the group meets at a fun wine/coffee bar in Downtown Raleigh, which (as of January 2nd!) is all now officially smoke-free!! Woo-hoo NC!!

I haven't been in a while, especially since I was tutoring till pretty late on Wednesday last semester, but I'm excited for a new start this year. Plus, I've got some new projects I'm thinking about and everyone in the group is SO helpful when you're struggling through a new project!!

Speaking of new projects...

Manly Scarf, anyone?

I would like to make a scarf for my boyfriend.

(Matt, if you're reading this, don't get excited. I haven't even started!)

Thing is, I've never knit a scarf for a guy. Come to think of it, I've never knit ANY guy things! So I was wondering...

Anyone have any ideas about or patterns for some simple man scarves?

I did see some man scarves I liked on Ravelry...

the Man's Lace Scarf by DoublePointed Designs

Cool for the snowboarder on your list...

But I can just tell Matt wouldn't go for some of these. He's more of a traditional look. But it seems all the "man scarves" are just made really wide.

Doesn't these seem a little wide?

And... except for this randomly freezing week and maybe one other week out of the year, we just don't need that kind of thing here in NC!

Matt has said before he would like a black scarf... but try as I have, I can't really think of a "manly" way to knit the thing. Wide seems silly, but too skinny and it'll look girly.

So... anyone? Ideas?

Other Projects:

Things I've found on Ravelry this week that I'd love to get started on...

1. The Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery

2. The Hoodie Baby Blanket by Nikol Lohr

3. The Grrlfriend Market Bag by Laura Spradlin

How cute are those?!!? Can't wait to get started :)

Good thing I've got a good group to knitters that will help me get started on these :) First I'll have to organize my yarn stash... everyone was too good to me this Christmas!!

Next post: My January to-do recipes-- courtesy of some of the best bloggers around!

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Your excited-for-New-Year's-Re-Do-Date,

enjoying-Tom's-Mexican-Soup, still-haven't-taken-down-the-tree,

Grandma-made-me-too-many-cookies, glad-to-be-blogging-again,

New Girl Blogger

I'm Back!! 2010 New Year's Resolution + Finishing Life List Item #25

Friday, January 1

Currently Listening to "It Was A Very Good Year," Frank Sinatra.

Happy New Year!

Here's the Raleigh Acorn, our little NC tradition

on New Year's Eve-- drops JUST like the ball

in NYC. Well, maybe not as big of a crowd...

And, Happy New Blog!

I'm so sorry for my absence - been incognito since mid-October. The pressure of school and work kind of hit all at once... and something had to give.

BUT I'm back! And just as interested in learning new cooking/baking techniques, a few new knitting projects, and some general life lessons that come with the territory of a new 20-something's decade.

Of course, that brings the obvious question--

What is your 2010 New Year's Resolution????

I love resolutions. They may not always work out the way you think they will... but it's nice to start fresh sometimes. Well, unless you don't want to change anything...

Not everyone needs a resolution,

I suppose :)

I have a couple (as always), some of which Matt came up with and we're doing together, including:

Have at least one TV-free night a week
Send Birthday cards
Keep up with my blog!
Get in better shape

4 seems like a good number...

Anyway, this New Year's has also presented a chance for me to check something off my life list.

See, on Wednesday Dec. 30th I woke up with a really sore throat. It was manageable at first, but by the end of the night it was hurting!

Of course, by New Year's Eve, I was definitely Ms. I've-Got-A-Cold. Matt had to run out twice for soup and meds, and I spend the day in my PJs instead of the cute New Year's Eve dress I had bought with Leah. It wasn't so bad... big blankets, lots of movies, and some OJ. I also managed to stay up till Midnight for New Year's Eve!

Still, it wasn't the New Year's Eve I had been hoping for... we had plans to meet some friends downtown, and I had that new dress! So Matt's promised to take me out for New Year's re-do next weekend!! Which bring me to my life list item...

√# 25: Experience New Year's Eve twice in one year

I always thought I would cross that one off by celebrating New Year's really close to a time zone border, and then hopping over the border after midnight and celebrating it again! But now I think I'll check this one off with the New Year's re-do next Saturday :) I'll keep my eye on midnight and everything!!

Anyway, lots of other things to update from this past year... fun recipes, finished knitting projects, trips to Disney world, my new twin brother and sister...

But hey, I just got back. So how about we take it slow, and just end with another hearty--

Happy New Year!

Your still-a-little-stuffy,

just-turned-23, lovin-2010-already!,

New Girl Blogger