Flashbacks of 7th grade, and why I rock.

I have been studying for the GRE for the past few months. (For those of you lucky enough to not know what that is, it's the Graduate Record Exam, like the ACT/SAT on steroids. It's a computer based test that gives you harder questions as you get them correct, and easier questions as you get them wrong). The GRE is, in my opinion, an excuse to charge an exorbitant amount of money ($160!) to force you to re-live 7th and 8th grade math class, (complete with Ms Hafferty and Mr Thompson with his sweaty hand prints on the white board) which brings back flashbacks of the middle school experience, reducing you to a pile of quivering awkwardness crying in the corner. I mean, seriously! I'm going to be a speech therapist, why does my ability to remember the area formula for a rhombus have anything to do with getting into a master's program to teach kids to say their /r/ and /s/ sounds? What sick, sick person decided that this is a good idea?

That being said, two weeks ago on a Saturday I woke up early-ish and I determined that I would take one of the practice tests that I had been studying for. I had done practice questions, and LOTS of vocabulary (my day isn't complete without a little vocabulary study), but hadn't dared to take one of the practice exams.

I took the exam, felt ok about it, then saw my scores. Now, keep in mind, that in my past I have excelled at multiple choice tests. In elementary/middle/high school I loved standardized testing weeks- I know, it's a sickness-, something about filling in the bubbles I guess... I even took the ACT three times, and probably even enjoyed it a little, and the scores I got reflected that mindset. I had the family high score on the ACT till one of my sisters who will not be named- coughrachelcough- came along and beat me by ONE point. Just one. (Will she let me or anyone else forget it, no. Unless mom had the audacity to move it, her score is still hanging on our kitchen refrigerator. Said sister is a sophomore at BYU this year... just sayin').  Anyway, this is about me.

So last Saturday I took the first practice test and got a 980 combined score, a 460 on the verbal and a 520 on the math. The GRE is based on an 800 point standard for EACH section. getting a 980 was bad. (that being said most grad schools want a minimum of 400 on each test to be considered for admittance), but still. I was seriously depressed. My grades are ok, but I'm going to need a good GRE score in order to have the choices I want for grad schools.

Yesterday, I couldn't make myself face that kind of rejection/disappointment again. But today, after taking a nice nap, I decided to try again, just to see if I'd improved with my studying this past week. I take the GRE on the 18th of November, so there is only a limited amount of time before the day of reckoning comes.

So I took the second practice test! And well... I ROCK.

1320 combined score! 590 on the Verbal and a 730 on the Math! YEAH BUDDY!

Chili in Italian Bread Bowls...

Today when Rachel and I went to go get "just apples" at the grocery store, I decided that I really wanted to make chili because it was just that kind of a day. I called mom and got an ingredients list, then called later for directions, I would say based on the people who ate it up, it was delicious!

So here are the very broad instructions for veggie chili:

3 carrots
half a stalk of celery (like 5 or 6 sticks)
2 onions
1/2 head of cabbage (which I added because I had some in my fridge)

Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Oregano

1 Tbsp Cumin

some paprika

salt and pepper

2 lbs (?) beef (I used whatever was cheapest at the store) cubed
4 cups water
4 bullion cubes (I only had chicken, so that's what I used...)

2 cans black beans

1 can tomatoes

Chop the Onions, put them in your pot and cook till they're caramelized. Add 2 chopped carrots and all but one chopped celery stalk. Cook those for a while till they get soft. Then add the spices (ok, so the chili powder, mom said to add 10 Tbsp, but I only stole maybe 3 or 4 from Rachel's house, but more would have been good, I think), the water and the beef (you can also brown the beef, but I skipped that part). That's where I added the cabbage too. Let this cook for a while (like 2 hours or so) on a med-low temp. Then about 20 minutes before you want to eat, add the can of tomatoes, and the cans of beans (drained).



Serve in these yummy bread bowls:

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2  cups  warm water (105° to 115°)
• 2  (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 2  teaspoons  salt
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 7  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  cornmeal
• 1  egg white
• 1  tablespoon  water

Preparation

Stir together 2 1/2 cups water and yeast in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in salt and oil.

Add flour gradually, beating at medium speed with an electric mixer until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (4 to 6 minutes). Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 35 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4-inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 35 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Stir together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; brush over loaves.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks. Freeze up to 1 month, if desired.

Cut a 1/2-inch-thick slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. (Reserve centers for other uses.) Fill bread bowls with hot soup, and serve immediately.

 AND:
Are you ready for my Halloween costume reveal?

Days 10 and 11, and my random thougths

Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know. 
There are people that yes, I probably ought to let go. Maybe it'll be easier later, after I'm not in this state anymore. But I love them, and I can't. It hurts my heart, but I just can't let go.  It's one of my faults. I am LOYAL, to my friends, to the people I love. I simply can't let them go yet. I'm also an emotional masochist. 

Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on. 
I'm pretty hilarious, if I do say so myself. So my hilarity... or they compliment me on my cooking. The other day, after I had cooked for dinner group, I went to class, and a boy in my class (who is also in the dinner group) told me how great my fish tacos were, that he was still thinking about them. 


Tonight, because it's a very blustery day outside, I'm making chili (that's been on the stove for hours) and bread bowls.... I'm excited for both the chili and the bread bowls, and am looking forward to the warmness it will extend to me :) I've just got to bake the bowls and add the ta-maters and the beans to the chili. Mmmmm i'm excited. (wait, I said that).


We've also got a ward party tonight. My costume wasn't as big of a success last night at the party, but I liked it. And it was a whole bunch of people I didn't know. I anticipate that it'll be a hit tonight. (For the people who didn't see it and love it Thursday night). 


Rachel and I went and saw "Despicable Me"  today... which was the cutest movie ever! I'll leave you with a thought from that movie: 

IT"S SO FLUFFY I COULD DIE!!!

Day 9. Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

Just so you know... when I show you the pictures of my Halloween costume you're going to LOVE it! I did a test run today and it was AWESOME!

So today there's someone I've been thinking about a lot. I miss her a ton, and I didn't want to let her go, but she just drifted, it was like a cross-continental drift, if you get my drift!



See how she's been dragged away from me! I miss her! I had the very sad realization that we may or may not ever live in the same place again... and I feel a little like I waisted last year! We had good times, for sure, but there could have been MORE! And now I drive by her old house, and it taunts me with it's inviting lights on in the living room. Even the pears on the tree seem to taunt me as I walk by them on my way to school. It was worse in August when Jeepy was still parked in the same driveway. That was CRUEL.
So now... we skype. And I miss her.

Day 8. Someone who made your life heck, or treated you like poop.

The other day a guy who I don't really know very well asked me if I thought he was attractive. I refused to answer and basically told him to quit being concerned with such a superficial thing. (If I remember correctly, the same kid asked me the same question a few months ago). Anyway... I'm refusing to answer this question, just like I did the boy's question the other day, and go off on my own tangent.

Today as I was walking home from class I ran into a roommate I haven't seen in probably 4+ years. It was so weird seeing her. We never were best friends, so didn't have much to talk about, but it started me thinking about all the roommates I've had over the years. 39 (Edit: 41!)! I have had 39(41) roommates since I was a freshman. Some of these girls are still some of my best friends, some of them, like the girl I ran into today, I haven't seen in years. Some of them (just one, I think) I wouldn't know if I saw her on the street.

So here they are:
Freshman year Fall semester:
Carissa, Ali*, Tasha and Lauren* --4

Freshman Year Winter Semester:
Jen, Amber and Laura* --3

Nauvoo:
Ashley*, Jill* and Bri*--3

Regency 25; Winter 2006--5
Janet, Kelsey (not pictured) On the right: Becca, Jenny*, and Marybeth

Regency 25: Spring 2006--3
Kelsey (again), Jessica, Cari, Lisa(the one I wouldn't know if I saw her on the street :))
(I don't have a picture of all of us) Here's Cari...

Regency 25: Summer 2006
Cari again, Camille, Jessica and Diana--2

Regency 14/205 (they changed the numbering system) Fall 2006:
Ardis, Shannon, Amberly,Christine* and Whitney--5
A black and white movie, a princess, a punk rocker, cheese and another punk rocker (and ME: a little black rain cloud)

Then I left Provo for home/Alaska when I lived by myself, THEN There was the mission:

In the MTC:
Sisters Brittany Hendrickson*, Maren Swensen, and Goodwin--3


In Jacksonville, NC
My trainer, Sister Katie Alvey*


In Raleigh, NC
Sister Aleida Carillo*


In Morehead City, NC
Sister Krystal Jolstead*


Then I had 3 different girls in Fayetteville, NC
Sister Kayla Nielsen*


Sister Rachael McDonough*

And
Sister Maryann Okabe*


Then I came home and was roommate-less again till I came back to school :)

Alpine; Fall 2009
Shelly, Malia and Jessica*


The summer I spent in Alaska I had the BEST roommate EVER! (and I'm not just saying that since she did my laundry for me...)
I love this girl like you wouldn't believe: Amy*.


EDIT: I forgot about 2 roommates! Well... I'm not sure how to classify one of them, we never really lived together. We might have actually slept in the same room for one night. But I'm just not sure.
I came back to Utah before Fall semester started, and so had 2 roommates for a few weeks before the semester changed, but it would be sad to leave them out.
Meet Tausha and Ellen*:


That brings us to the present. (Yes, I do think my roommates are a present!)
Roman Gardens 226; Fall 2010
Remember these girls?

AND: there's a new addition: Aline* (isn't she the cutest?)


So there you have it. 41 Roommates. I have been so blessed. Sometimes, Yes, they've given me heck (I've got some great stories over the years), but more often, they've been there for me, and I've been there for them when things got hard.
WH Auden said
"Fondly I ponder you all
For with out you I could not have managed
Even my weakest of lines."

Dinner Group Success! and Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Dear Mom:
Don't worry about my studying. I have been a good girl, I just cook on my free time. I even have studied for the GRE every night for weeks!
Love, Emily

I have a confession: I don't think I've ever had a fish taco, until tonight!
I've had a freezer full of halibut from this summer and I figured I ought to start using it sometime... so today for my dinner group I made fish tacos mmmmm:

Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos:

Make the following marinade and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes, I let it soak for 45-ish which was great:
1/2 c Lime Juice
1/2 c EVOO
3/4 c Minced Cilantro
1 tsp cumin
8 cloves of garlic, minced
4 lbs halibut

Heat 2 Tbsp EVOO over medium high till it's shimmering. Cook fish without disturbing it for 3 minutes. Flip and cook on second side for 2-3 more minutes till it flakes.

Remove to plate, season with salt and let rest for a few minutes. Shred into bite-sized peices with 2 forks.

Assemble on flour tortillas with cilantro cream, tomatoes, chopped green onions and shredded red cabbage.
Look how good this looks with all the colors!

For cilantro cream sauce:
Juice of 3 limes (about 6 Tbsp)
1/2 cup minced cilantro
18 oz greek yogurt or sour cream
4 cloves of garlic minced
pepper to taste

Then...
Cilantro Lime Rice (are you sensing a pattern? Luckily everyone in my dinner group likes the combo)
2 cups of rice- cooked by directions with 1 tsp salt.
While rice is cooking mix in a blender or food processor:
4 Tbsp Water
1 C cilantro
4 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Cloves garlic
When Rice is done mix the cilantro lime mixture into it it and fluff with a fork.

MMMmmmm Then! (I know, there's more?)

Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

1 1/2 sticks butter at room temp

3/4 C Sugar

1/1/2 C Flour

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp Poppy Seeds

3 eggs

1/4 c milk

2 lemon zested

1 C blueberries

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

                                 

Preheat oven to 350* 

Grease loaf plan. Beat sugar and butter till ligth and fluffy (3 min). Mix flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds in a bowl. Mix eggs, milk, lemon zest and vanilla in a third bowl. Add all ingredients a little bit at a time in the to mixer till just mixed. Fold in the blueberries. 

Bake till toothpick comes out clean and the loaf is golden brown. Poke holes on the top and pour glaze over it. Cool completely. 

Glaze:

1/3 c sugar

1/3 c lemon juice

mix sugar and lemon juice in sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat till sugar disolves. Pour over hot cake. 

And Finally...Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Meet my mom! (she's the one on the right, in case you were wondering)

Seriously. My mom is awesome, you should know her. 

Not only is she funny, and real and sometimes brutally honest, but she manages to do those things at the right times! 

She's the only I can call when I'm upset because I woke up sick (again) she helps me occupy my walks to class, she keeps up with church and the kids at home and abroad (ok, she just has 4 kids in 3 states who aren't at home). If I ever need her, she manages to be there. She's the best. The very very best. 

On the mission we used to tie our straw covers in knots then pull on the ends really fast. If the knot came undone the person you were thinking of was thinking about you. I always chose my mom, and more often than not, she was thinking about me, too! 

Now I promise I'm done for the day with the blogging...

No Ice Cream Machine? No Problem!

So I was food blog stalking the other day and found this amazingly easy recipe that inspired me. Easiest thing EVER!

Easy Homemade Ice Cream without a Machine

Here's the recipe:
from Kevin and Amanda

2 cups heavy cream
1 (14 oz.) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
Your chosen toppings! 

Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks in large bowl. 

Whisk sweetened condensed milk, and your chosen toppings in a large bowl.

 Mix well. Fold in whipped cream.

Pour into a 2-quart container and cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Store in freezer.

EASY- PEASY! Right? The hardest part is waiting for 6 hours!

I decided that I wanted a blueberry crisp ice cream, so I mixed in a little more than a cup of blueberries (could have used more) and *then* I made my own crisp topping. (I mixed a few tbsp of butter, some oats, some flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a pan on the stove and waited till it got that crispy look, then cooled it on wax paper (and broke up the big chunks) mixed this into the sweetened condensed milk. YUM!

Oopa!

I have been a cooking MANIAC lately! And despite the fact that I managed to burn a batch of cookies (seriously? I haven't burned cookies in years!) and yes, I had a timer set... I think our oven is screwy-- scratch that. I KNOW our oven is screwy. I think it's older than I am, which I can't judge, since my car is older than I am, but still... 


So here are the recipes for the greek extravaganza we had for family dinner the other night. Even the leftovers are amazing! 

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, cut into chunks
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram (I didn't have any so didn't use it)
• 1 teaspoon ground dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon ground dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 scant teaspoon sea salt 

Directions

1. Place the onion in a food processor, and process until finely chopped. Scoop the onions onto the center of a towel,(Paper towel!) gather up the ends of the towel, and squeeze out the liquid from the onions. Place the onions into a mixing bowl along with the lamb and beef. Season with the garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and salt. Mix well with your hands until well combined. Cover, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend. (I just let it sit overnight, which made the next day prep super easy!)
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. 
   
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
6. Place the meat mixture into the food processor, and pulse for about a minute until finely chopped and the mixture feels tacky.(I didn't have a food processor big enough, so I skipped this part and it was fine, I'd like to try it again, maybe next time I'm home....) Pack the meat mixture into a 7x4 inch loaf pan, making sure there are no air pockets. Place the loaf pan into a roasting pan and place into the preheated oven. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.
7. Bake until the gyro meat is no longer pink in the center, and the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) on a meat thermometer, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Pour off any accumulated fat, and allow to cool slightly before slicing thinly.
8. Take the slices and fry them in a hot frying pan for a few minutes on each side. This makes the meat crispy like at the restaurants :)

Serve over Pitas with onions, tomatoes, feta (which I had but forgot to put out!) and Alton Brown's Tzatziki Sauce:

Tzatziki Sauce:

16 ounces plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

Pinch kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.

That one is easy... I never want to have to wear adult diapers.

I have insisted that my younger siblings shoot me if it ever comes to that point. I plan on putting my children under the same agreement, probably contractually.

Day 5:Something you hope to do in your life.

This seems like an awful broad topic! See, the way I figure is that I am 24. I've got a a good 60 years of useful life left... and even after that... well, we'll see what kind of an old person I make :)

So let's break this down into time referenced things I hope to do in my life:

In the next hour-- fall asleep (thank you tylenol cold PM) and sleep ALL NIGHT
In the next 24 hours-- wake up early, study for my exam at 11, and pass said exam

In the next week-- pass the other 3 exams that I have to take
In the next 5 months-- get accepted to Graduate School
In the next 6 months-- Graduate! Holy Cow! I just realized graduation is less than 6 months away!! (This is awesome, but also a little scary as to make me want to throw up).

In the next 4 years-- graduate from a masters program, complete a clinical fellowship year, and land a sweet job as an SLP somewhere...

Yup, that's as far as I go. It's not that I have no ambition, just no time frame. For example, my license will be valid in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, therefore, I would LOVE <3 to go work in one of those places for a few... whiles.
Or maybe there's a PhD program in my future. I want to see if the schools that I'm applying to have a required thesis (or even an optional one) and I'd like to take that route so I can find out if I like research and if going for a PhD is really something I'd like to do.
I also want to go skydiving.
And if it's in the cards for me, I'd like to have a family and be a mom. I think that kind of rush would probably match or exceed that of skydiving.
And I want to travel, go to Asia.
And I want to cook amazing things and continue to wow people with my culinary skills.
And I want to learn some humility...

But for now. I'll settle with a good night sleep!

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.

I find that I can get along with just about anybody in the world. That is... until they tick me off. Then I am quite like Mr Darcy; "my good opinion once lost is lost forever."
 (insert dreamy sigh here at his longing gaze...)
So my confession is I hold a mean grudge. Now... I try very hard to not to not let this consume my life, because, lets be honest, I have much better things to do but there are people I need to forgive. The prompt is something I need to forgive someone for... so here it is::

so I suppose that I need to forgive someone for the smoldering pile of heart he left me to deal with while he moved on to a happy engagement. (ooh, see, there's definite forgiveness needed, I can feel the hostility in that sentence.) That being said... I've gotten better :) time, just give me time. I'll get there.

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

What do I have to forgive myself for?

Not using a sandwich maker till this year. I mean seriously? It makes the most amazing sandwiches in the world. You don't even know. Neither did I, until my roommates had 2 in my apartment. I could be an info-mercial if I had the mind power to do it, but I just took a practice GRE test, and my brain is fried.

Peace.

I'm going to make me a sandwich.

Day 2: Something you love about yourself: 



So this probably won't come as a shock, but today (mostly because I have new pictures to post...) I love that I 1) am and awesome cook, and 2) I think I'm a pretty great friend. (Or at least I try to be, I know I sometimes fail at that one). 


1) The cooking. I'm not sure where I got it. I don't tend to have a whole ton of confidence in myself except in a few random areas (Ok, I just realized that's a lie... I have confidence in my abilities in a lot of areas, but it seems like overall I deal with a lot of self doubt-- I know, join the club.) Anyway, the Kitchen is one place where I feel like I excel, in fact I really rarely fail. Or when it happens it doesn't bother me as much as failure in other parts of my life does.  In my professional practices class we learned that statements are no good without data, so I present: Exibits AB and C. Just check out these cute cupcakes! They didn't take me 12 years to make, they turned out good, and people said nice things about them... not just to be nice either. 

Aren't they cute? I thought it was a pretty clever idea for a mission call opening party. :) This is where the "I'm a good friend" part of my self loving comes in. So the cupcakes were for one of my new friends! We only met in September, and it seems like we just hit it off right away. She is awesome, a convert, from Indiana, funny and so sweet! We've had lots of good conversations about missions, she told me when her papers when in, and she even came up to my apartment right after getting the mail to tell me she got her call! She waited till 9:30pm to open it, and while I waited for that, I decided to make good on a promise I made her when she sent in her papers, that I would make her a cake for the party. I decided that cupcakes would be easier to serve, (and to decorate, for me) so I popped these suckers out. (I feel awfully prideful tooting my own horn, but this is love myself day!)  

She got her mission call to Pocatello, Idaho and I am so excited for her! There are no words, so here are 1000: 

Ok, while I'm on the self love track... and on the "I'm a good friend" track, can I just say, I love being there for people when they need me. I have a friend who has basically ignored me for the past 4 years. She got married at 19, had a baby pretty quick, and it seemed that I was always the one who initiated the interactions. Even when we were friends in high school, it was always about her. Then she moved out of Rexburg, and all of the sudden, she needed a friend. And she has become a wonderful friend to me. She calls, and listens, and shares things that help me. I feel really blessed that I didn't give up on her during all those years of drought. 

Anyway, last night we were talking about life, and making plans and how they change, and we are humbled. She told me a story that Hugh B Brown told about a current bush... hmmm on second thought, I'm putting that on a separate post... You'll have to read that one :)