My kind of Music

I'm a fan of Norah Jones and stumbled upon this artist on youtube. I like her voice (almost like Judy Garland) and her choice of the ukulele. Hope you like this song too.







This vid makes me laugh a little and is very catchy.







If you like Ed Harcourt and Nick Drake then you might like this guy:

Recipe: Spinach Topped Baguette

Courtesy of my local Trader Joes:


Ingredients:
1 Par Baked Baguette, cut into 1 inch rounds
1 Package Boursin Cheese
1 Package Frozen Chopped Spinach
1/2 cup Pine nuts
(all ingredients can be found at TJs!! cool huh?)

Steps:
1. Roast pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat, while stirring/shaking, until lightly golden-- you can start to smell the aroma. (NO need to use oil). Remove from heat.
2. Preheat oven to 425F
3. Boil water and toss package of spinach in. Mix well until cooked (~1min)
4. Drain well and squeeze dry in a colander
5. In a bowl, mix spinach, Boursin, and pine nuts.
6. Top each slice of bread with a spoonful of mixture
7. Place on baking sheet
8. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden


Enjoy!

Planet Green

Recently while on winter break, I was watching some TV at my parents' house and came across this wonderful channel: Planet Green (part of the discovery co). I was amazed how entertaining and educational the different shows it had.

Perfect!

Showing you a greener lifestyle from cooking all the way to renovating your home, this channel sure fits my niche for a good hour spent relaxing.

One show,"Stuff Happens," even brings back "Bill Nye the Science Guy" in an adapted version for adults and the current events that have changed this world(*cough* global warming).

For those of us who don't have over 300 channels or the time to watch TV (ie college midterms take priority), I recommend checking out the website for the channel:


http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/


For those of you who love the cooking channel but find that most of the recipes call for too much butter (umm...Barefoot Contessa or Paula Dean to name a few. yuck) this channel offers a healthier segment: "Emeril Green" that features Emeril Lagasse.

The recipes can be found online and they are very easy to follow (some even include video footage tips).

I made dinner for my family (with some help) and everyone was very impressed :) so I thought I should share this site with all of you.

Here's what we had:

appetizer: Spinach topped Baguette

side dish: Roasted carrots and mushrooms

Salad: ice berg, thinly sliced radishes, onions, and cucumbers with a simple vinegrate, substitued EVOO with avocado oil

*Quinoa with Toasted Pecans

*Emeril's Mediterranean-Style Chicken Paillard


Yummy!

Samoas (Girl Scout cookies)!!!

There is something about girl scout cookies that just makes my heart melt a little.... mmmm so good.
However,the drawback is that you have to wait once a year (usually around March) to buy them. At my college they have found the perfect place to sell these wonderful creations: in front of the library.
This is genius! After a hard couple of hours studying you day becomes a little brighter once you see the little green boxes all lined up on a picnic table. But usually by the time I get in line to buy some boxes I find out that I only have enough money to buy one box. :( sad

Now the dilemma: Thin mints vs. Samoas

The rational that I usually end up with is Thin mints are a lot like grasshoppers (which I can find at the supermarket), but Samoas are one of a kind, hard to find a match, and only come once a year.
But I guess that is what makes them so special. The fact that you can't eat them year round makes them a great treat.

Anyways, my cravings for Samoas led me to make a homemade version over the weekend as a belated birthday treat for a friend. I found a pretty nice recipe online (http://bakingbites.com/2008/01/homemade-girl-scout-cookies-samoas/#comments) and they turned out wonderful. I highly recommend this recipe if you like to bake and don't mind spending some extra time.

Remember that time when....?

I'm starting to feel OLD :( or maybe the idea of graduating and getting a job, finding my place in the real world outside of academia if just frightening.
The fact is, I feel like ageing is having a toll on my memory.
When I'm constantly reminded by everyone that this is the last year together it's easy to look back on all the wonderful experiences we've shared. Yet so many wonderful adventures and times spent with friends are forgotten because they blend in to the everyday.
Great.

It's nice when someone is the photographer of your group. Then looking back on old days you recall with a "Oh yeah, I remember that day, we went to ____ and so forth...
Yet when that person is missing, you feel like years have passed you by with no record or proof to remind you of what you should remember.
Then again your brain is only allowed so much room to remember things and when events aren't categorized into the "must remember for my midterm file" then they are sometimes squashed into the background.

All this is why I want to start writing this blog, so I don't forget. No matter how mundane a week may seem, it's my life! History in the making and I want to remember. Especially after a monumental event such as the 2008 Election!!!!
I am proud to say that I played a part in the presidental election to move America progressively into the future.
WoW
And to worry that I would have to move to Canada if McCain got elected. psh. So glad the rest of America was on the same page.


Peace

Wow my first blog

I've always wanted to start a blog, well here goes.....
I don't have anything specific I want to talk about, but here are my future goals for this blog:
Topics to range from food/books/humor/politics/school/art/music and whatever comes to mind.



[side note: Does anybody else worry about how much information is too much information?? Do I need to worry about potential stalkers? seriously]