31 March 2010
Wednesday Day Book
I am thinking … that I can't believe the semester is almost over and I have a bit of work left to do
I am thankful for … good friends, new and old
I am reading … Buckingham Palace Gardens. The latest from one of my all time favorite authors, Anne Perry. She has an interesting past, if you get the chance look her up on Wikipedia.
I am hoping … that Duke wins this weekend! After surviving Baylor (sorry D), it's on to West Virginia. Go Blue Devils!!!
On my mind … cannot wait for the weekend! I think I'm going to have a good weigh in this week.
I'm learning … French! Yes, truly. Using a license from NCSU I can use Rosetta Stone for free. I finished chapter one. Maybe I'll work on Chapter 2 tonight.
Noticing that … my apartment is very dusty. I feel like I dust all the time!
From the kitchen … yummy leftovers from the weekend. D is an amazing cook.
Around the house … it's warm enough to leave the windows open and the cats are loving it.
One of my favorite things … holding baby Kennedy. She is just the sweetest thing.
30 March 2010
Odds and Ends
D came to visit last weekend and it was so so good to get to spend time with him. It's hard when the person you love lives so far away, but we're making it work for now. We saw Alice in Wonderland, which by the way, if you have not seen the movie yet you need to go to your local cinema right now and see it. That's an order. We had dinner with some of my family on Sunday. That was a lot of fun and any Sunday I get to see family is a good Sunday. The fact that D was there too just made it better. I had to sneak in some homework over the weekend as I had a paper due on Monday, but it was nice just being in the same place with him. He's just the best and I am very lucky.
School is winding down for the semester - woohoo!!! The bulk of my work for history is done, I just need to finish my org theory group project and I can basically consider the semester finished. Unfortunately I hate group work. Loathe it actually, so I'm trying to make the best of it. Most of the schoolwork I will be working on this weekend will be related to that project. Other plans for the gorgeous impending Easter weekend? Maybe a little shopping, a pedicure, an Easter luncheon with some of my fellow doctoral students (the recipe I'm making for Sunday will appear here on Thursday, so stay tuned).
26 March 2010
25 March 2010
Thursday Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- 2 ounces milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Hardware:
- Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Mixer
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Combine the egg, milk, and vanilla and bring to room temperature in another bowl.
Cream the butter in the mixer's work bowl, starting on low speed to soften the butter. Add the sugars. Increase the speed, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg mixture slowly. Increase the speed and mix until well combined.
Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for more even browning.
Remove the cookies from the pans immediately. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.
**Note - I didn't use the ice cream scoop or the parchment paper. I used a regular old tablespoon and they still flattened out perfectly. Even without the parchment paper, the cookies came right off the cookie sheet with no problems.
23 March 2010
March Madness
I love the tournament. I fill out a bracket every year. Some years I predict better than others. This year, my bracket is toast. Busted. Done. But you know what, I'd rather have a busted bracket and exciting, edge of your seat, Cinderella upset games than a perfect bracket and a predictable tournament. So Kansas is out now, which leaves Kentucky the favorite. I can't root for them. My hope is actually an Ohio State/Duke final. I think that would be a fun game to watch. I don't know who I would root for...
19 March 2010
18 March 2010
Thursday Recipe
16 March 2010
Random Links
Have you ever checked out the site Go Fug Yourself? If you haven't, then you should. The fug girls do a Fug Madness bracket competition. It's a lot of fun. If you're into fashion, this is a fun addition to the March Madness craziness.
Speaking of...did I mention Duke is a #1 seed? Woohoo!!!
I love Kate Winslet; she's one of my favorite actresses, so this dismayed me a bit. Hope she and her family are hanging in there.
In the spirit of March Madness, how many of the #1 seeds can you name? I got 116/128 and there were a couple I missed I should have known.
Tuesday Day Book
Outside my window …it's still dark. I'll take an extra hour of dark in the morning for the extra light in the evening though.
I am thinking … that Spring Break is glorious, even though I have work to get done, it's nice to know I have a week without classes.
I am thankful for … my job. I really do love what I do and where I work. Hands down, one of the best places.
I am reading … Coming Home. Again.
I am hoping … that Duke and Ohio State both do well in the NCAA tournament. And a small part of me hopes that UNC loses to William & Mary tonight (W&M is the first college campus I ever visited).
On my mind … D's visit a week from Thursday
I'm learning … that I need to have a plan for everything.
Noticing that … maybe it's time to weed out some of my books. There are just too many.
From the kitchen … haven't cooked anything really good in awhile. I need to try something new.
Around the house …I love my new comforter set for my bed. It's so pretty :)
One of my favorite things … Criminal Minds. Hands down one of the best tv shows.
15 March 2010
Happy Birthday Jack!
05 March 2010
Show Us Your Life: Typical Day
04 March 2010
Air Traffic
Thursday Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package thin crust prepared pizza shell or prepared focaccia, 16 ounces
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (found in dairy aisle)
- 1 cup shredded provolone (found in dairy aisle)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano (a handful)
- 1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Put the pizza shell or focaccia onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle shell with oil and scatter minced garlic over shell to edges. Cover the pie with a layer of all 3 cheeses combined and work all the way to the edge of the shells. Top with artichoke hearts. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until cheeses have melted and begin to bubble. Remove from oven and garnish with parsley. Cut pie with pizza wheel or knife into bite-size squares and serve.
03 March 2010
Wednesday Morning Day Book
I am thinking … that I have a ton of schoolwork to do this weekend - no slacking off!
I am thankful for … my mama. She's the best.
I am reading … 1776. I never made it through the first time, so I started over.
I am hoping … that the promise of a 60 degree weekend actually happens.
On my mind … the sheer number of school related things I hope to accomplish by Monday.
I'm learning … that even though I still dislike working out, I feel really good after.
Noticing that … it's really really time to dust.
From the kitchen … not much. I'm having dinner with Jamie tonight.
Around the house …I love my new washer and dryer. It's just so convenient.
One of my favorite things … playing wordscraper.