Lately

So it's been a while since my last post. I've been busy. I've gone to Alaska, twice. Justin went with my on the first trip and I went solo and the second, but I was visiting clinics after some job interviews to help make a decision on the best fit for me. And - I've made my decision!! I'm going to be joining a private practice PT clinic in Anchorage. I'm very excited. Justin and I will move this summer, so that means we have lots of stuff to do to get ready. And that means emptying out our freezer... preheat the oven!

And just because I've been busy and off traveling doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I made chocolate cupcakes for one of the residency guys. Now this was interesting. I got this cupcake book a couple months ago that has some fun and different recipes. I tried out their chocolate standard cupcake, but it's a vegan recipe. I followed the recipe to a tee - and I usually fudge a couple ingredients one way or another. I did everything just like the recipe and they turned out like crap. The batter was really thick and fudge-like, but after 10 minutes or so in the oven they completely fell and caved in. After they cooled, they were bitter and just awful. I support the vegan eaters and all, but I want eggs and milk in my recipes. Oh, and I made chocolate ganache. YUM!! So I made a different batch of chocolate cupcakes and topped them off with chocolate ganache. Lesson learned - eggs make a difference.

My aunt made italian wedding soup from scratch a while back so I thought I'd try my hand at it. I used some sweet italian sausage as the base for the meatballs. I added parsley, parmesan, egg, breadcrumbs, and of course - garlic. In the broth I cooked carrots, spinach, and then some mini bow tie noodles. After the meatballs were nice and browned and the noodles to the perfect al dente - combine and serve. Sooo good. Very simple meal that just hit the spot.

I've made desserts and goodies for Justin to take to work, and a fair amount over the past 3 years. You ask any one of the guys in the department and they will most likely say the salted nut roll bars are the best. I'm famous at the lab just for these treats. I could eat half a pan of these things. If you like the candy bar salted nut roll, or even the salty sweet combination in general, these are just right. I got this recipe from a coworker, and I've made them several times since. The base layer is yellow cake mix, eggs, and melted butter. You bake the crumbly mix for a bit, then toss mini marshmallows ove the top and let them get gooey in the oven for 2-3 min. You make this caramely peanut buttery syrup with rice crispies and peanuts mixed in and then spoon it over the top of the gooey mallows. Unfortunately, these take FOREVER to cool, so you are stuck with that awesome smell in the kitchen and no nibble for about 2 hours. But once they do... oh mama!! I brought a couple to campus, and sure enough, they got great reviews there as well!

So now that I'll be home for a bit - I'll try to keep more recent blog updates. Now to just start thinking what I want to make next...