31 March 2010

Wednesday Day Book

Outside my window …a gorgeous sunset. The weather was beautiful today. I love Spring in North Carolina

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

I don't want to harp on this too much given the devastating flooding in my home state of Rhode Island, but the weather here in North Carolina has been gorgeous the last couple of days and it's only going to get better - 80s and sunny for the foreseeable future.

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).

25 March 2010

Thursday Recipe

I think I found it - the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I made these tonight and they came out so well. I wish I had a picture to show you - you'll just have to take my word for it. The recipe is courtesy of Alton Brown. He has a couple of cookie recipes: the chewy, the puffy, and the thin. This is the recipe for the thin cookies. They baked up perfectly round and thin - I was pretty amazed and they taste incredible.

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 college basketball. Especially March Madness. It wasn't always that way. I didn't grow up a huge sports fan or anything. I would have rather read a book than sit down and watch a sporting event. That started to change in high school when I developed an infatuation with Notre Dame football. College basketball didn't hit my radar until I got to college. I think it was my sophomore year when Fairfield won the MAAC conference and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. They played UNC and actually put up a good fight for most of the first half. They were decimated the second half of the game, but it was thrilling to watch.

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...

18 March 2010

Thursday Recipe

Instead of a recipe this week I want to point you in the direction of a wonderful food blog that I stumbled on. I don't even remember how I found Ms. Humble's blog, but now I eagerly look forward to her posts. I also look forward to trying as many of her recipes as possible. They look so heavenly. So if you have a minute, I highly suggest checking out Not So Humble Pie. Try not to fall in love.

16 March 2010

Random Links

Some fun from around the interwebs...

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!

My sweet, precious Jack turned five today. I can hardly believe it. We've lived in three states since I got him as a kitten from Angell ASPCA in Boston. He's been a great pet and has really learned how to travel well - I don't even need to sedate him anymore. Jack is a curmudgeonly cat. He occasionally grants Kate's wishes that he play with her, but most of the time he likes to keep to himself, curled up in some sunny spot, just watching the world go by. Once in a while he wants to be petted and be near me, but only on his terms, never on mine. His terms generally include anytime I am trying to do homework, read something for work, or do any kind of research on the laptop. He's lucky he is such a handsome cat.

05 March 2010

Show Us Your Life: Typical Day

Kelly's theme this week is your typical day. I don't know that I actually have a typical day. Some days are more like others, and then some aren't. Monday through Friday my alarm goes off at 6am. I may hit snooze once or twice, but once I get up my morning routine is the same: pack lunch, shower, eat breakfast, dress, brush teeth, do make up, and head out the door by 7:40am. The drive to work is about 15-20 minutes depending on traffic. Some days I wish it was a little longer because I love listening to my ipod in the car and singing along. Loudly, I might add. Work starts at 8am. What I do at work on any given day varies, sometimes I have meetings, sometimes I see advisees, sometimes I am entering data into the system. Currently I am working on academic calendar audits and prepping for Fall registration. I bring my lunch, so it's usually a quick lunch at my desk. The afternoons are a similar version of the morning. On Monday and Wednesday I leave at 3 to go to class. The other days I leave work anywhere between 5 and 6. I'm usually home a half hour after that. If it's not too late I try to get a work out in. Then it's time for dinner, shower, pajamas, and time spent on the couch or at the computer. Sometimes I do homework, although most homework gets done over the weekend. Depending on what night it is, I'll watch some tv before heading to bed sometime around ten. It's usually about this time that D calls and we talk for an hour or so. I like to be asleep by 11. The alarm goes off again at 6am the next day (unless the next day is Saturday, then it goes off at 7am). That my friends is a day in the life.


Show Us Your Life with Kelly's Korner

Friday Fun

04 March 2010

Air Traffic

The first time I saw this story I was astounded. I am all for "take your children to work" day. I generally don't believe in bringing your kids to work with you except in an absolute emergency, but I'll make an exception for "take your children to work" day. I think it's important for children to see what their parents do and what life is like outside of their bubble of school, sports, and home. Never in a million years would I assume that the children would do, you know, work. I assumed they generally observed the surroundings, got a tour of the building, met mom/dad's co-workers. The generic stuff. I would not expect them to make presentations, take meetings, answer phones, or DIRECT AIR TRAFFIC. Seriously, what is wrong with people.

Thursday Recipe

The Oscars are this Sunday. Woohoo!!! I love the Oscars. The drama, the glamour, the dresses, the movie stars (I'm choosing to ignore the fact that Miley Cyrus is presenting. Sigh.). I am determined to get all of my work done in time for the start of the show. A show like the Oscars deserves something better than takeout though, right? How about a Rachael Ray recipe for white pizza instead?

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

Outside my window …there is about 2 inches of snow on the ground. Grrr.

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.
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