Updates on the cooking

Okay, so I cooked up a storm yesterday (and then furiously did dishes today because I couldn't even use my faucet to fill my Brita...). Here's a little update on how it all went!

Mini apple pies- AWESOME! I made them pretty close to the original recipe I posted, except I added ground cloves in with the spices because I didn't think that just cinnamon and nutmeg would be enough spice for my liking. I also used a little ravioli cutter outer thing that I used to form the pasta for ravioli to cut out the top dough. It turned out really great and they were a huge hit with everyone that's had one so far! In fact, of the 12 that I made yesterday there are only 5 left. And I only had 1 lol.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup - super delicious! I think next time I would add a few different kinds of beans (and more of them) because it was a little... vegetable-y. Don't get me wrong, I like veggies, but I like my minestrone to be a little heartier than just a veggie soup.

Chicken Fried Rice - A giant hit! My dad ate a whole bowl in like 2 minutes, he said it was really awesome! I only had a bite of this because it was the last thing I made and holy COW I was full, but it tasted alright to me. I didn't have sesame oil to cook the veggies with, so I used olive oil with a splash of sesame seed oil. Then at the end I added a little more sesame seed oil and also some white pepper to spice it up. Overall, a great recipe. Very quick and easy too, which I liked.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas - I ended up making these yesterday because I wanted them for lunch and none of the other stuff I made was cooking fast enough lol. They were awesomeeee!! Like, I had them for breakfast again this morning, awesome. Creamy and tasty and good. I used medium green sauce because I'm a sissy, but I honestly would have used the hot type if I made them again. The cream cheese really toned down the sauce and it wasn't very mexican food-ish.

I took a few pictures, probably not as many as I should have, but I also don't know how to upload them... so that's something for me to work on another day.

WOW!

I can't believe it's been 9 months since my last blog post! I've realized that I like to look at blogs, read them, look to them for skills that I want to learn, learn about new things, get inspiration for doing fun things, but I don't ever write on my own... Oops. Well, I think I've figured out a way to try and be better about posting.

I'm going to make things I see on Pinterest and am interested in trying. I've had some successes (the wand with the scrubber and half dawn soap half white vinegar wiping down the shower every time is sheer genius, I haven't set out to clean my shower in 2 months and it's sparkling!) aaaand some failures (anyone who tells you you can get gunk off a cookie sheet with baking soda and boiling water is a fool, or at least it didn't work for me). Either way, I really enjoy crafty projects, cooking, home decorating, etc. so I think this is a fun way for me to express that!

Of course I'll still have random posts about things going on in my life, but I think it will be more interesting (and make me actually post) if I include some other things!

On the agenda for today (since it's rainy and dreary and my absolute FAVORITE weather) is mini apple pies! I love apple pies, and anything in miniature is better (obviously). I'm also going to try honey oat bread, crock pot minestrone soup, and chicken fried rice.

Here are the links for all of the recipes I found on Pinterest for these things

Mini Apple Pies: http://www.littlebitfunky.com/2011/10/what-i-made-for-monday.html

Honey Oat Bread: http://bakingdom.com/2011/09/homemade-honey-oat-bread.html

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/11/crock-pot-minestrone-soup.html

Chicken Fried Rice: http://skinnymom.com/2013/03/01/skinny-chicken-fried-rice/

Tomorrow I'm going to make some more stuff, so hopefully I won't have to cook dinner most of next week!

I'm thinking tomorrow I'll make:

 Crock Pot Chicken Chili: http://redsie05.blogspot.com/2010/10/ww-crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili.html

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas: http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com/search/label/mexican?updated-max=2010-11-09T16:17:00-08:00&max-results=20  (you have to scroll down a bit for this recipe)

and Creamy Tomato Pasta: http://kitchentrialanderror.blogspot.com/2010/08/creamy-tomato-pasta.html

On Wednesday I will be heading down to my grandparents house in southern California (near Blythe, if you happen to know that podunk town) to go through their things, since my grandma passed recently. It's going to be a hard trip, and I thought that having some stuff made for dinners already would be nice. Just heat up and serve. It's going to be a rough trip, and grocery shopping before heading out into the very remote place that it is just doesn't sound fun. So, I'll keep you guys updated on my adventures into cooking today and tomorrow!

Interview

So, I have my first real job interview tomorrow.  I don't mean that I haven't had job interviews before, because I obviously have.  I've had multiple jobs in my life, but I haven't ever had an interview for a career, a full-time, long-term job.  WHOA.  I'm not sure how to feel about it all.  I think it's going to go well, I'm pretty good at the whole interview thing so I have some high hopes.  Plus, can you really go into an interview with the thought that you're not getting the job?  Just not happening.  Anyway... the interview is at a local, non-profit children's theater.  Now, I'm not looking to stay in the theatrical industry; however, I AM looking to stay in the marketing industry and this position is mainly a marketing position.  So, fingers crossed for me!  I'll let you know tomorrow afternoon how it went!

Blogging, or lack thereof

I've been exceptionally terrible lately about blogging, and there's really no excuse for it other than I haven't felt like it.  First off, I was SUPER busy with school up until the end of May of this year.  However, I GRADUATED!! I'm officially a college graduate with my BA in Psychology from CSU Monterey Bay!  I'm so happy to have that paper I've worked so hard for (except it's still in the mail...).  The only problem with graduating is that now I need a full-time job and there aren't too many out there.  I've reworked my resume and cover letter and sent them out to quite a few companies, and no call backs yet.  It's not a good feeling knowing that people aren't interested in me.  In fact, it's downright depressing.  What's compounding the issue is that I've recently had to move back in with my dad... don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but when we live together we don't get along at all.  So, I'm trying to stay hopeful on the job front!  Other than that, I'm just hanging out.  I work part-time as a nanny here in Salinas and I'm trying to save every penny I can from that (which is hard, because I tend to use retail therapy to make me feel better about my life...oops).  Well, I'll be back in some other posts soon (because I have nothing better to do, other than apply for jobs!)

Coffee

I have this long-term love affair going with coffee. I love it, and it apparently hates me. Coffee has always upset my stomach a tiny bit, but I could deal with that. I think I may have over-done the coffee in Europe because now, all of a sudden, it freaking KILLS ME. I can't even have 1 measly cup anymore! LAME. I'm going to buy low-acid coffee and see how that goes.

I CAN'T GIVE UP MY COFFEE!! I'm not even addicted to the caffeine, I just straight up like the taste. UGH.

Hey look, it's Picnic Day!

Picnic Day has arrived Ladies and Gents!

In case you don't know, Picnic Day is a gigantic festival thing in Davis. Pretty much the whole city shows up, it's awesome.

I'm going up with my friend Chloe and I already have over 450 songs ready to GO because it's a 3 hr drive either way, so I've gotta be prepared for the epic jam seshs that are bound to happen.

On the agenda:
Doxie Derby (people dress up their weiner dogs in little costumes, capes, etc and race them around! It's the most adorable thing ever!)
T-shirt tye-dyeing
liquid nitrogen ice cream tasting
Chemistry Magic Show
And a late night bar crawl! (Not an official Picnic Day event, but surely a tradition in it's own way)

We're staying with my friend Rachel, who is practically the world's sweetest person ever, and I'm taking Toby up there so he can play with her dog Crosby! It's going to be SOOO much fun! Pics to come later =]

Daydreamin'

“Prague never lets you go… this dear little mother has sharp claws.” Franz Kafka