Kall Cooks

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2011-07-24T19:32:00.001-05:00

Well friends I am obviously veryyyyyy MIA over here.

Catch up on my daily adventures (and misadventures) at www.kallgal.blogspot.com

The catalyst for this baking endeavor was three fairly disgusting looking bananas of the black/brown variety sitting on my counter. I shoved one into the fridge for smoothie making purposes and decided to turn the other two into banana bread.

I adapted this very about five "best banana bread" you will ever eat recipes. Because you know, everyone's is the best. This bread is great, but I was not making it for me. I prefer a richer, nutiter banana bread with whole wheat flour, more brown to white sugar and of course, chocolate chips. However, most people don't like a whole wheat flour base as much, so I baked for the masses. Expect a more me-approved version soon.

This loaf is a gift for my patient coordinator who has been super busy with school just starting back and for the students in my "bay." At my dental school, a "bay" is your family. It's the students you work with daily and the professors whom you report to the most. Most bays say this, but really do have bay love. We act like a family and help each other out -- no gunning or sniping allowed.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
METHOD:No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Half for Mrs. Ana, half for the rest of the bay!

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie

2011-03-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

Ohhhhhhhhh buddy.

This is a goody.

In high school, my first real job was at an ice store, Bruster's. Between being an honors student, high school over-achiever and soccer player, this job was a Godsend. It gave me a little spending $$ and flexible hours - one shift during the week and 2 over the weekends. Obvs an ice cream shop is busier in the summer so we would work a lot more.

During my tenure at Brusters, I found out I loved mint chocolate chip ice cream or MCC as we would abrievate. The one flaw of all parents is that you tend to feed your children what you like. Neither of my parents really love MCC so working at Brusters was the first time I was exposed to its amazingness.

It is my favorite flavor of ice cream don't ya know.

The month of March generally conjures up March Madness, but to me, it also reminds me of "mint month March" at Brusters. Our flavors of the month included Mint Oreo and Grasshopper.

To celebrate cooking dinner during the last weekend of March, I made a Grasshopper pie to serve for dessert. Bet you wish you could join me for dinner!

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie

1.75 quart mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened

1 jar hot fudge

1 container Cool Whip, softened.

1 Oreo pie crust

1. Spread ice cream in the bottom of the pie crust. Put ice cream + crust in freezer for 10 minutes.

2. Warm fudge for 5-10 seconds until spreadable. Take pie out of freezer, spread with fudge, reserving some for decoration.

3. Spread fudge over ice cream, creating a layer. Put back in freezer till chilled.

4. Spread Cool Whip over fudge layer and freeze.

5. Decorate as desire.

6. Serve and wow your dinner company!

just the ice cream

decorated to perfection

travel FAIL.

Ice cream pies don't travel well...so much for all my hard work piping :(

www.kallgal.blogspot.com

Tempeh Coconut Curry

2011-01-11T08:10:00.000-06:00

There are blips in my life when I enjoy being a vegetarian. Everything in moderation, including moderation. And then I think of things like sausage balls, and it could never fully happen.

People love sausage balls, especially guys.

Bread+cheese+meat = a guy's perfect trifecta of food.

At Andrew's going away party, there was the most lovely spread of food, mostly desserts -- cookies, brownies, chocolate covered pretzels and coconut cake. I walked in with sausage balls (on the adorable serving tray I got at Target on Christmas clearance for $2!) since I had committed to bringing something and promptly watch them get devoured. Only food item gone in the time we were there.

Christmas clearance tray

What does this tell us?

Most guys don't want to be vegetation.

Luckily, I was not cooking for anyone with a Y chromosome last night.

Tempeh Coconut Curry

from Cooking Light

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup curry and about 1 cup rice)

Ingredients

Curry:

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt, divided

2 teaspoons tamarind pulp

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

3 cups chopped peeled sweet potato (about 1 pound)

1 cup water

1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk

8 ounces organic tempeh, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

Rice:

1 1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

To prepare curry, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 2 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tamarind; cook 2 minutes, stirring to break up tamarind. Add ginger and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon); cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, potato, water, milk, and tempeh; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Uncover; stir in juice and soy sauce. Simmer 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Discard cinnamon stick.

To prepare rice, cook rice according to package instructions, omitting salt and fat. Stir in cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve with curry.

**Since I don't own any Tempeh, I nixed that and used chickpea instead and added mushrooms. You can never have too many vegetables.

**Also, no ginger. Nicole touched on this the only day, but I am not really a ginger fan. And no tarmind pulp -- I don't really know what that is.

Major plus? So easy, so healthy and the sauce it makes is incredible. The coconut milk is really what makes the difference.

I might "cook" some snow cream this afternoon. Its Tuesday morning and classes are cancelled till 11 am but its snowing again! I hope it sticks!

REDNECK TRUFFLES

2010-12-31T16:37:00.000-06:00

I may be southern, but I am promise I am not a redneck. My dad sometimes has his "Tennessee Steve" moments, though....Ha :)

These "truffles" are certainly redneck, easy and delicious! Try and eat just one.

Redneck Truffles

1 bag square pretezels

unwrapped Hershey's Kisses -- we used original, Hugs, and chocolate with caramel

m&m's

pecans

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.

2. Spread pretzels in one layer on a baking sheet lined with alumnimn foil

3. Put the one kiss on top of each pretzel and then place the cookie sheet in the oven for ~1-2 minutes or until the chocolate starts to look shiny.

4. Remove from oven and put either the m&m or pecan on top, squishing lightly.

5. Allow your "truffles" to cool completely

Combinations we like:

pretezel/Hug/m&m

pretzel/original kiss/m&m

pretzel/ caramel kiss/pecan

Turtle, chocolate and hug varieties

my little helper.

side note: we celebrated New Year's Eve on the 30th, hence the headband and glasses. We are cool like that.

trays of truffles!

Happy New Year.

May yours be filled with love, Jesus, friends, family, adventures and lots of chocolate, maybe even in the form of Redneck Truffles.

WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

2010-12-21T20:37:00.000-06:00

I am on a roll, and not the type you eat.

Cooking, blogging, remembering what it is like to be a normal human being. No 5:30 am - 10:30 pm days for me on vacay.

Not gonna do it, not gonna do it.

[I miss you republican presidents. Badly. And so does our nation.]

My mom tasked me with making dinner tonight. It was either that...or meatloaf.

It has been freezing (relatively) down south and it felt like a soup day.

Not a "soup question" ala Finding Forrestor, but actual soup. Chicken Green Chili with White Beans.

Chicken Green Chili with White Beans

Credit: Cooking Light

Ingredients
6 Anaheim chiles
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 chicken leg quarters, skinned (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1 3/4 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans (such as Goya) or other white beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
6 lime slices

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Cut chiles in half; discard seeds and membranes. Place halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 5 minutes or until blackened. Place in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel chiles; discard skins. Chop chiles.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 6 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Return chicken to pan. Add broth, 1 1/2 cups water, and cumin; bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Remove chicken from bones; cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Discard bones. Add chicken to pan; stir in chopped chiles and beans.

Combine 1/2 cup water and flour, stirring with a whisk. Stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook 15 minutes. Stir in salt. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream

**In lieu of anahiem chilis, I used two 4oz cans of chopped green chilies.

Served with cilantro, cheese and sour cream

Served with either cornbread or a biscuit and some unpictured roasted brussel sprouts.

I was the golden child tonight. The chili was a hit.

Random aside:

While cooking, I spied this picture of me on the fridge.

my first fish ~10.22.99

And then I looked down at my sweatshirt.

Somethings never change.

PUMPKIN TRIFLE

2010-12-21T07:47:00.000-06:00

Oh I know how to cook?

Kinda forgot about this, didn't I?

Yikes.

And in case you were wondering, yes I still eat. Duh. And I cook...just haven't been blogging so much about recipes. Catch me over here for a bigger helping of a "side of life."

That was a lame attempt at a shameless plug for: www.kallgal.blogspot.com

This recipe for pumpkin trifle is based loosely on a trifle that my friend Katie made for our Sunday School mid-week Thanksgiving Potluck. It was quite the throw-down -- 50ish twenty-somethings gathering to eat. I wish I would have taken some more pictures.

A pot-luck picture.

Her recipe was the fabulous Paula Dean pumpkin trifle:

Too bad Maggie doesn't like gingerbread. So we got a little creative.

The Official Kallie and Maggie Pumpkin Trifle

1 box spice cake

Egg

Can of pumpkin

Cool-whip

Butterscotch pudding mix

Skim milk

Chocolate Chips

Heath pieces

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Mix well, and bake according to the temperature on the spice cake box.

2. While the cake is baking, making the butterscotch pudding.

3. Let the cake cool and then crumble into chunks.

3. Start layering. Cool whip/cake/butterscotch/chocolate chips for good measure.

4. Aim to have at least 3 layers going.

5. Try not be impatient and let the trifle meld together for 2 hours in the fridge. Enjoy!

**Use whatever level of "healthy" ingredients you want. Obvs, I say that loosely. You can use lite Cool-Whip, SF pudding, etc

Topped with chocolate chips and heath pieces

Lovely table spread

Its final resting place

Just hanging around on Thanksgiving with my trifle, you know.

To see what the rest of our Thanksgiving 2010 looked like, click here. And here for the post-dinner festivities.

And if you decide to make this trifle, prepare to be amazed.

It could be love <3

CARAMEL APPLES

2010-10-10T15:49:00.001-05:00

I love fall. Last year my family went to an apple festival. This year we went to an apple store extravaganza in the mountains in north Georgia. Every year, my family decorates gingerbread houses, but we started a new tradition of decorating apples.

This really isn't a recipe, more of me sharing a family activity that we loved with y'all. Please enjoy!

Caramel Apples
Apples
Bag(s) of caramels ( each bag yields ~5 apples)
Fixin's: sprinkles, chocolates, nuts

Step one: Go buy apples, preferably local. Make sure to take some fun pictures.

Lots of local apples

Posing with a pumpkin

Aunt Karen and me

Mom and her girls
Step 2: Secure popsicle sticks in apples. Melt caramels in the microwave, 2 tablespoons of water per bag of caramel.

Step 3: Have fun!

Step 4: Refrigerate till set.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Back porch sitting in the mountains.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

POOR MAN'S CAVAIR

2010-09-20T06:41:00.000-05:00

Saturdays in the fall are easily my favorite day of the week. They usually involve some sort of outdoor excursion (currently biking) and lots of football watching among friends. In preparation for Saturday, I usually check the local grocery stores flyers to see what is on sale and plan my tailgating food around that. It makes things economical and forces me to not bring the same appetizer to each gathering.

This week, cilantro, salad dressing and canned tomatoes were on sale I immediatley thought something Mexican. I have been to cookout's before where I have LOVED "poor man's caviar" and decided to make a Mexican version of this dish.

Poor Man's CaviarMAKES 8 CUPS
This recipe can be served as a salad or a side dish.
2 15-ounce cans of black-eyed peas or soak dried beans
8 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced or use frozen, chopped bell pepper
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 large tomato, cored and diced or canned tomatoes
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro
1 16-ounce bottle of spicy Italian salad dressing
Directions
1. Drain peas well, discarding the liquid, and transfer peas to a large bowl. Add scallions, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and salad dressing and toss to combine.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight, to allow the flavors to come together. Serve cold or at room temperature.
credit: www.saveur.com

**In order to streamline the costs, I used the aforementioned canned tomatos (tomatoes with japelneo's), dried black eyed-peas that I had soaked over night and green peppers that were frozen

Serve in a fun colored bowl with pita chips or tortilla chips -- Ole'!

This dip tasted fresh and amazing and went quickly. Another wonderful attribute of this dip was that you can make it the night before so there can be more playing outside/football watching, less time spent in the kitchen.

college football watching friends

ROASTED VEGGIE PIZZA

2010-09-17T19:44:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BLOG ANNIVERSARY to me!

One just ago I started compiled some of the things I like to cook for myself and my friends and it has been a joy to share with anyone who happens to come across my blog. I have used my own blog a myriad of times to share recipes with others and ultimately, my life.

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and supports me.

I appreciate it more than y'all know :)

This one is going to be quick -- fun plans tonight!

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough -- I used Boboli Thin Crust wheat

Mozzarella cheese

Pizza sauce

Turkey pepperoni

Mushrooms

One can of tomatoes -- I used tomatoes with basil

Veggies of your choosing: zucchini, squash and onion

Directions

Satuee the chinning, squash and onion together in olive oil. Place on a pan in the oven and roast for ~20 minutes at 400 degrees. I used the same method to roast my tomatoes.

Layer sauce, cheese, turkey pepperoni and vegetables on the crust. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted!

roasted vegetables

final pizza

I love pizza on Fridays -- it makes me feel like a little kid!

Happy Friday!

ROASTED CALIFLOWER

2010-09-14T07:14:00.000-05:00

When your fridge is stuffed full of frozen vegetables for when you are in a hurry, somethings gotta give every now and then. The other day what gave was a bag of califlower -- literally. I opened my fridge and the califlower bag literally fell out on me. Not is the mood for something fancy (oh that reminds me of Dave Barnes, "Nothing Fancy") I combed the blogsphere for a simple healthy recipe to use with califlower.

Now my califlower was frozen but it was nothing a little rinsing and defrosting couldn't fix.

From www.simplyrecipes.com

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 head of cauliflower

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced

Lemon juice from half a lemon

Olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.

2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Credit: SimplyRecipes.com

Enjoy!

My bowl isn't as pretty as their's, but I am sure it was equally tasty!

Plated

Side note: Update on my Zucchini fries! Instead of shredded Parmesan, I used the "sprinkle"variety. I think this little change in cheese and slicing method was needed. You can used less cheese (hello healthier) and the actual cheese sticks better so the flavor is more spot on.

Zuchini = love.

Califlower = love.
God = love.
-Rev Run

BBQ MEATBALLS

2010-09-12T20:39:00.000-05:00

Football season is officially in full swing - yes! This weekend beheld another tailgating favorite -- BBQ meatballs.

My mom makes these all the time for her friends (not for tailgating situations) when they have casual get togethers. Ironically, I called mom for her recipe on Saturday afternoon after my beloved Bulldogs lost to those nasty Gamecocks of South Carolina and she had just passed on the aforementioned recipe to a friend.

Thanks mom!

BBQ Meatballs
1 jar of grape jelly
Your favorite BBQ sauce (go with something kinda spicy)
Bag of frozen, precooked meatballs

1. Combine ingredients in crockpot, cook for 2-3 hours until flavors combine.

Easy peasy. And a crowd favorite.

And they must have been lucky, too. I brought these over to a gathering of people who were watching the Alabama/ Penn State game and Alabama one. Not a huge Alabama fan (no RTR here!) but I do pull for the SEC on principle.

Joe Pa looked so tired the whole game, but I gotta give it up for him to still be out there coaching. I say coaching loosely :)

"The name on the front of the jersey is what really matters, not the name on the back. "

-Joe Paterno

I think my favorite part of the night was playing with Pup. Isn't Pup precious? Pup lives at the place where we watched the games this weekend and last weekend, and you could say I am obsessed. I never thought I liked small dogs that are prisoners of gravity (Pup can't jump) but she is so cute. However, I think I will stick with a big dog one day who will run with me.

Picture from the game last weekend, but its a "family photo" of me, Cait, Maggs and Pup.

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.

I’ve called your name. You’re mine.

Isaiah 43:1

HEART PANCAKES

2010-09-10T23:24:00.001-05:00

My heart was heavy today for sure this past Thursday. Not sure if this is an unofficial school record, but I had 5 different patients cancel on me in literally the span of an hour and a half. No -- its not because I am a terrible dental student -- these were all patients I had not seen before.

"Momma said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my momma said...."

On the way home from school I talked to my dad about some of my frustrations and he reminded me about the pancakes he used to make for me, my sister and my mom when we were growing up. Now his might have just been Bisquik but they were always shaped in hearts and made with love. Dad's heart-shaped pancakes sounded like the perfect remedy for when school causes some heart break.

My updated, healthier take?

Homemade Pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons sugar or splenda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
1. In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
2. To prepare pancakes: In a bowl, combine egg and milk. Whisk in 1 cup pancake mix. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown
Serves 4
credit: www.allrecipes.com

Shaped just like how dad would make 'em!

Sides:

I was at a group run on Wednesday night and the store was promoting Martha Stewart's new show moving to the Hallmark channel. They gave out aprons and wooden spoons to all the women there -- and you better believe I made my pancakes in my new apron! I never wear aprons but it made me feel very Martha :)

dental school friends

candid

And later that night was fun -- Thursday night football!! The other Bulldogs of the SEC (Miss State) took on Auburn and lost. During my college days, I wish UGA would have allowed us to have Thursday night games. However, our president, Michael Adams put the kibosh on that in lieu of academic rigor :)

While watching the football game, I had the pleasure of partaking in a a "Dough-loaf." One of my classmates, Brittney's college roommates used to have "dough-loafs" at their house.
What is a dough-loaf?
Think of a huge half-baked cookie. And in order to eat it, everyone grabs a soon, raises it to the sky and says, "dough-loaf" in their best Italian accent.

Delish.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

2010-09-08T20:40:00.000-05:00

I love celebrating my friend's birthdays! And what says celebration better than cupcakes?

Before cupcakes were the "cool thing" -- think Sprinkles, DC Cupcakes, I loved to bake them.

This past week was my dear friend Lila's birthday! She is one of my classmates in dental school and a friend who I count as a huge blessing to have in my life. Lila is real, down-to-earth, funny and caring -- we have shared tears together before with frustrations in dealing with school (think tests, patients, desperately trying to meet requirements) and been able to celebrate exciting moments in each others lives as well!

Lila's wedding - summer 2009

hanging out -- summer 2010

At a Jersey Shore party :)

Lila working it on the CPR dummy

gettin' tacky at a Christmas party

I did a little investigative research and according to her hubby, chocolate cake is her favorite. Enter chocolate cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milkDirections
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting when cool.**I added some Hershey's Special Dark powder for good measure (pun intended)

Because I love my food processor, I topped the cupcakes with vanilla frosting and semi-sweet chocolate chips that were processed.

Big cupcakes

Did I mention I made mini's, too? They are so darn cute.

Happy birthday, Lila! I am so lucky to have you as a friend! -Kallbear

MINI HAM PUFFS

2010-09-04T22:31:00.000-05:00

"I can feel coming in the air tonight....Oh Lord."

Bless you Phil Collins because that is the song of Sanford Stadium, home of the GEORGIA BULLDOGS!!!

To take me (and y'all) back to the days of college. No pictures from freshman year...think before digital cameras and facebook photo albums :)

fraternity house tailgating - sophomore

fraternity house - junior year

I look like I am 15 years old in the picture.

group shot!

Senior year:

My besties: Molls, me, Maggs

Our infamous blackout against Auburn

Senior year -- student section love!

Post college:

And today:

My parents came to visit!

We watched the UGA game at a local restaraunt and it was a BLOWOUT!

55-7!

Go dawgs!

And tonight we are meeting up with more friends for more football, so I wanted to bring some tailgate style food. Enter mini ham puffs.

Mini Ham Puffs – Pampered Chef

1 ½ C. diced ham (deli style)
2 Tbs. finely chopped onion
1 ½ C. shredded Swiss cheese
1 egg
1 Tbs. snipped fresh parsley
1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350. Spray mini muffin pan with Pam spray. Finely chop ham and onion and place in a small bowl. Add cheese, egg, parsley, mustard and black pepper – mix well.

Unroll crescent dough and press into one large rectangle. Cut dough into 24 square pieces. Press one square of dough into each muffin cup.

Fill each muffin cup with small scoop of ham mixture. Bake 12-14 minutes or until puffs are a light golden brown. Remove from pan – serve immediately

PS I rode my bike real early this morning and got to enjoy the sky looking like this:

I love fall.

Coffee VIA

2010-08-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

This is what my "cooking" is reduced to today.

Ingredients:

1 VIA pack

6 oz cold water

Directions:

Mix above ingredients.

Thank you so much Sandy and Simon for the wonderful VIA coffee as a birthday present! I love you both so much!

Sandy is the blonde in the white sitting on the front. Isn't she precious?

Reflecting back to a time when did cook real cookies, actually using VIA: Mocha Crinkles

But this is what I brought into to school today - those aforementioned store bought cookies :) At least they looked cute.

My mom would be so proud of these bows :)

In life, I am so excited about my friend Lindsey's wedding, a NEEDTOBREATHE concert and running 14 miles this weekend :)

Oh cooking how I miss you.

2010-08-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

Confession.

I bought store-bought cookie dough this week.

Oh the horror.

Catch me over here for some non-food related blogging:

www.kallgal.blogspot.com

I promise I am still eating, but its been nothing blogworthy. Think healthy, but fast. Frozen veggies, fish, etc.

I am waiting for the weather to turn in the south. It has been so hot that it is hard to want to turn on the oven, and I am ready to start making soups and chili's again.

I might go back to wordpress, for now this is working.

And because the lovely Kat tagged me:

1. I am current procrastinating studying for an ortho test that I have on Thursday, not to mention a removable prosth quiz on Wednesday.

2. Dark chocolate > milk chocolate, any given day of the week.

3. I love roasted brussel sprouts. When my parent's were first married, my dad hated them so my mom would make them for him when they were upset. Now he likes them, too.

4. My favorite thing is adventures. Whether it be exploring a city or town, by car, train, running or biking, sign me up. I love traveling and trying new things.

5. Thrift stores are amazing. I think that relates back to number 4, because thrifting is an adventure!

6. My family means the world to me. What a selfless, loving bunch they are, even when I am not. That ties into also being so grateful for a Savior who died for my sin, He is the ultimate selfless one.

7. I love music! Live music pretty much my favorite, the 80's and early 90's are my favorite genres and if I could be a groupie for any band, it would be Needtobreathe.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

2010-08-13T20:36:00.001-05:00

My wonderful Ashley had give me that box of produce from her families farm -- the tomatoes, the peaches, the apples -- and I wanted to incorporate some of that with some veggies I had lying around my house.

There were some peppers and onions that seen some better days.

The peppers and tomatoes got roasted, the onions sauteed. FYI,this recipe is based loosely off a this recipe from another blog.

A box of farm fresh produce from my amazing friend, Ashley

Roasted tomatoes and peppers

Peeled zucchini

Sauce

Cooking zucchini

Final product?

Final verdict? Perfect, there is something fabulous about farm fresh, labored over with love vegetables :)

Thank you Ashley!

Confession- I have been meaning to post this for about 3 weeks.

Ashley is on the right. Sometimes we call her Holla, sometimes we call her Balla, or sometimes just Ashley. Either way, we all love her so much. Thank you for sharing with me!

Let both grow together until the harvest... Matthew 13:30

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

ZUCCHINI FRIES

2010-08-02T18:21:00.002-05:00

Flip Burger fries don't have anything on these.

So maybe that is a lie, but for a healthy option, these are an incredible choice.

The secret formula?

Zucchini + egg + milk + Parmesan + italian breadcrumbs =Zucchini Fries

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut 2 zucchini into 3-inch sticks. Whisk an egg white in a small bowl, and add 1⁄4 cup milk. Combine 1⁄2 cup shredded Parmesan and 1⁄2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture, and then roll in breadcrumb mixture. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, and place zucchini on sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown.
**I think the Italian bread crumbs are clutch

set up

ready to cook

done

Updated:

cut in rounds, use sprinkle Parmesan

Sides:

Even though I am exhausted, life has rolled on. Clinic was a whole new "experience" last week and I am so excited to be back there again. In a teaching (ie dental school) enviroment, things are so stepwise. Combine that with there is one faculty member per 6-8 students and you are waiting in line, working on a patient or running around like crazy.

Friday morning I had the chance to do the first procedure that I felt really matter. A patient on had chipped a tooth on their denture and I had the opportunity to take it to our in-house lab to fix it. Also, that same patient had a "hot spot" on her lower denture, so I was able to relieve the inside of her denture to fix the pain. How cool is that?

Something that I am so grateful for her at school is friends who like to do things outside. Maggs and Cait are finally on bikes and we got to spend Saturday morning riding around the city, group ride style. A little over 40 miles later, we were exhausted and ready for fro-yo :)

My Peachtree road race running dad picked up these socks for me and Maggs a few week ago. They were the perfect base to kick off marathon training. I met Cait at the crack of dawn to run before church and yes, we were able to get in the sweatiest 8 miles of my life.

Ready to run!

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

1 Cor 9:24

I'm back!

2010-07-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

After a whirlwind summer (see here: www.kallgal.wordpress.com) and crazy first week of seeing patients at dental school, I have officially decided to return to blogging! It isn't that I didn't want to sooner, I have just never been more exhausted in my life.

Seriously.

Typing wipes me out.

Seeing patients, studying the night before frantically to get ready to see to patients, getting into the swing again of 5:30 am mornings and deciding to start training for a marathon in December with Cait has emptied my reserves as my mom likes to say.

To combat this while still eating healthily and enjoying what I eat, I feel a lot of cooking on weekends and freezing ahead of time.

Exhibit A: tonights dinner

My beloved black bean burgers that I made in bulk last week and froze for days like today when you leave the house at 5:30 am and don't get home till 6:30 pm.

And you come home hungry and tired.

frozen and ready-to-go.

While I can not guarantee the frequency of anything, I am so excited to begin sharing my life and my kitchen again!

-Kall

PS My motto for this year?

Just leap!

One thing I missed terribly while in Chicago? My dear friends. Love you all!

typical

so good to be reunited again!

"Nehemiah said, 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10

Blogging for the summer...

2010-06-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

Wanna see my summer Chicago adventures?

Catch up with me at:

www.kallgal.wordpress.com

See you there!!!

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE PIE PARFAITS

2010-06-11T08:29:00.002-05:00

There is nothing better for a summer dessert than something that is chocolate and chilled. I have had No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie my freshman year of dental school when my classmate who we like to call Chef Teresa made it for a little party at her house. Let's just say there was NOT a left over in site that night.

My neighbors and new friends Wesley and Clara came over for a last hurrah dinner this week because when I get back from Chicago, they will not longer be my neighbors :( I am so sad they are moving, but luckily its right down the road. Both girls are so sweet and hilarious to boot, coining phrases like "fomo." At first blush, you might be tempted to think fomo is a bad word, but then you'd be wrong.

fomo: "fear of missing out"

Used in a sentence, I have a slight case of fomo of what is going down with my friends while I am in Chicago.

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Parfaits
Ingredients:
Chips Ahoy reduced fat cookies

Skim milk
Chocolate chips
8 ounces frozen light whipped topping, thawed
Directions:
If using a wine glass, place a layer of cool whip in the bottom so the first cookie layer is flush with the sides. Dip the cookies in milk for no more than 5 seconds on each side or else the cookies will crumble. Trust me. Place on top of the cool whip. Repeat till the glass is filled to your desire. Top with chocolate chips and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
Credit: Southern Living

secret to the cool whip being controlled? put it in a plastic sandwich bag!

parfaits rolling 3 deep.

perfect for summer.

Sides

that fatefull dinner party, circa fall 2009

Wesley, far far left

Maggs and Clara

I am literally 1 hour away from leaving school and heading home for a day and then jetting to Chicago. Not gonna lie, it is getting to be so so surreal....

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

WORLD CUP 2010 starts tomorrow!!!!

BLACK BEAN BURGERS

2010-06-07T08:28:00.000-05:00

Summer - how I love you!

From baseball games to bike rides, to botanical gardens to bar time to celebrate with friends, you have been so good to me already. Another thing has been good to me? Delicious black bean burgers...

Black bean Burgers:
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Directions:

To prepare burgers, place beans in a large bowl; partially mash with a fork. Stir in breadcrumbs and next 5 ingredients (breadcrumbs through egg). Place ingredients in a food processor and pulse till ingredients come together. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Cook on the grill or in a skillet, spraying cooking spray liberally. Allow each side to cook for approximately 3-5 minutes, or until done.

Credit: Cooking Light

cooked with a lid

plated

no epic fail here :)

"It was you who set all the borders of the earth: you made both summer and winter."

Psalms 74:17

SAUSAGE BALLS II

2010-06-04T09:10:00.001-05:00

I happen to be a sucker for a sequel. In all honestly, that could easily be attributed to the fact that I am a twin and I like things twos. Some of my favorite sequels? D2: The Mighty Ducks, The Borne Supermacy, and Spiderman 2.

Another important sequel that happened recently was my last official day of my 2nd year of school! I can not tell you the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into finishing my first 2 years of dental school. To celebrate being halfway done, one of my classmates had a cookout. Now I have made sausage balls before, but that recipe left a little something to be desired. Enter Sausage Balls part duex. Em has said this before but I echo her sentiments in that I truly believe the reason I could never truly be a vegetarian is sausage balls and all their glory! They are just the epitome of tailgating, summertime and cookouts!

SAUSAGE BALLS II

Ingredients :

1 lb. sausage, cooked

~2 cups flour

1/4 cup onion, very finely diced

2 cups sharp grated sharp cheddar cheese, room temp.

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

pepper to season

Preparation :

Squish all the ingredients together and roll into balls. Put in the over at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until they turn brown, flipping halfway.

sausage ball?

cookout approved.

Sides

In honor of talking about part duex and sequels, I had the chance to hang out with another set of twins recently at a friend's party. One of the twins is donating 2 years (another number 2!) of her life for Teach for America, so the party had a going away theme in her honor. The gathering was a blast and I continue to be blown away STILL by the incredible people that I meet in my new (almost two years) city. One of my huge prayers in moving away for dental school was for friends like I had in college, and God has meet that need more than I could have fathomed!

seeing double?

fun twin fact: both Jessica and me (right side) are the older and shorter of our set of twins. Maggs is wearing heels -- I am not that much shorter than her!

Multiples - oh my -at the Needtobreathe concert!

Because Jessica is going to be a teacher of precious inner city children...

We proclaim Christ, admonishing and teaching our children with all wisdom, so that we may present all of our children perfect in Christ.

Colossians 1:28

PS Just like Kat, this was my 100th post! I can hardly believe that I reached 100....dang!

RICE KRISPIE CUPCAKES

2010-05-30T12:47:00.001-05:00

Memorial day and the 4th of July are two holidays that automatically make me think LAKE! Right now, the weather isn't looking so hot for the lake, but we are pretending that the sun is about to come out :) Some of our family friends are hosting us and a few other families on the lake today, so to pull rank, me and Mom haven been whipping up some edibles in the kitchen. Maggs has made these before with much success and I couldn't wait for the opportunity to try my hand at rice krispie cupcakes!

Rice Krispie Cupcakes
Ingredients
5 cups rice cereal
1-10 ounce bag of marshmellows
1/4 cup butter (extra butter or PAM spray for your hands)
1 jar marshmellow fluff
sprinkles
cupcake liners
Directions
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and continue to stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. Remove from heat.
Stir in the Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal coating them well with the melted marshmallow mixture.
Let the mixture cool slightly and with greased hands, shaped the mixture into little balls to fit your cupcake liners.
"Frost" your cupcakes with marshmellow creme!

baby and big

a veritable army -- we doubled the recipe

Sides

The pool party was a blast! I feel so lucky to have such an incredible group of classmates to share the ups and downs of dental school with. Speaking of dental school, for all intents and purposes, I am DONE with sophomore year! 2 years down, 2 to go! What a humbling feeling because when school starts again, I will be the dentist. As in using my drill in a real person's mouth. No more creepy-looking manikins to practice on...

but real people. It is a huge responsibility to know I will be a healthcare provider (in training!)

classmates

pool volleyball

When any of our classmates bring their children, we hover like flies to honey. Isn't baby Grant PRECIOUS!?!??

My bff's (who is creeping hardcore on the right) younger brother graduated this weekend!

me and my bestie at the graduation party who I haven't seen since Christmas!

Because graduations can be such a bittersweet time, this a good reminder there really IS a season for everything!

"...a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance...

Ecclesiastes 3:4

OATMEAL SCOTCHIES

2010-05-27T16:47:00.000-05:00

Coffee and oatmeal.

oatmeal+coffee+1/2+ banana +milk+water+almond butter = love

**bonus points for eating breakfast on my back porch**

My 2 absolute favorite ways to start the day. Turns out, it is also one of my favorite ways to enjoy a beer and a favorite way to enjoy a cookie!

The beer: Wake 'N' Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Black as night, this coffee stout is thick, rich and full of real coffee flavor. Brewed with the Terrapin Wake-n-Bake coffee blend created by Terrapin & Jittery Joe’s Coffee. (Jittery Joe's is UGA's local coffee shop -- go dogs!)

The cookie: Oatmeal scotchies. Sarah over at soundztastee recently made oatmeal scotchies and I was reminded yet again of how much I love these cookies. My dental school class is having an end of the year pool par-tay this week and my oatmeal scotchies will be making an appearance!

Oatmeal Scotchies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups Old-Fashioned Quaker oats
1 (11 ounce) package Nestle Toll House butterscotch-flavored morsels (about 2 cups)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
5. Stir in oats and morsels.
6. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Bake 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies, 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies.
8. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.
9. Pan Cookie Variation: Grease 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan.
10. Prepare dough as above.
11. Spread in prepared pan.
12. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned.
13. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Get excited and enjoy.
Makes ~30 cookies

party perfect

yum

Sides

I had the opportunity to have a picnic with my besties Cait and Ashley with our dear friend, Beth. I have talked about Beth before and now she is sure of where the Lord is taking her -- to Indonesia.

Beth will be doing mercy work and sharing the gospel with the Rejang people group. They are one of the least reached people groups in the WHOLE WIDE world! I can hardly wrap my head around this, but there are 380,000 people in that country and less than 15 missionaries. Beth has said it is very dark place and people participate in demonic and animistic practices -- I honestly never realized that people did that :( If you would be praying for her and the people she will be working with, please do. God will be using her and her amazing spirit fo reach out to the Rejang.

note our picnic table

this may or may not have been taken laying flat back on the picnic table :)

love.
Ash, Cait, Beth, me

"I gave thought to my steps, and my feet were turned into the way of your unchanging word."

Psalm 119:59

CLASSIC HUMMUS

2010-05-23T22:41:00.003-05:00

Sundays post church is my usual grocery shopping day. Dressed in my Sunday best and armed with my list I hit up my favorite places to shop besides Whole ~~Budget~~ Foods -- Publix, Walmart and ALDI, depending on what is on sale and what I need for the week.

It is no secret that I am a huge lunch packer and one of my favorite things to have in my lunch box is carrots and celery with hummus. My favorite type of hummus to buy is ALDI's roasted red pepper (amazing and only $1.69), but I was cleaning out my fridge and realized I had some tahini that needed to be used for operation use what groceries you have. Further examination of the fridge revealed lemon juice and fresh garlic so I knew what had to be done...

Classic Hummus
Servings: 10 (2 tablespoons)
Yield: 1.25 cups
Ingredients
1/2 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
1. In a blender, chop the garlic. Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish. 2. Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed.
3. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper and pour olive oil over the top.

4. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.

so legit.

I think I will have to experiment with different flavor variations of this, but this was a delectable take on classic hummus.

Sides

Oh my Sunday school class can bring it. I sometimes (okay, more than sometimes) find it humorous that I have a blog. No pun intended, my friends and family can attest that I can be immensely private and sometimes getting information out of me is like pulling teeth. See exhibit A

Exhibit A.

Pulling teeth.

Anyways, I admire my friends who are braver than I in being candid with their sharing, not fearing what others think of them. This is something I had been thinking much about lately and BAMMM -- here comes the TRUTH from Sunday school today:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Romans 8:1-2

No condemnation. No chains. We are set free.

Free to eat homemade hummus if we dang well please :)

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2010-05-21T15:25:00.000-05:00

Salt and pepper. Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Chips and salsa. Batman and Robin. Chocolate and peanut butter. Some things just go together, especially the latter. And something amazing like peanut butter chocolate chip cookies tastes even better when served with love. One of my favorite people at the dental school is the sweet, sweet woman who works at the main lobby of the school. Mrs. Mary Ann took a special liking to me and my sister from the day we started dental school, always calling us her 'twin friends." She always asks me how school is going and takes the time to tell me that I am a going to be a great dentist :) Lately, she has not been around as much because her momma is real sick.

I actually made these earlier in the week but to me, the best way to cheer someone up and be a friend?

Homemade cookies.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light. Add the egg and mix until fluffy.
Blend the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together well. Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the chocolate chips.
Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls on parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375°.

Credit to: http://basicallybaked.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies-001.jpg

in a tin, line with every cookie baker's best friend, parchment paper

perfection

This was actually my second time making this recipe and they are so good. I had originally tried it out last week to share with my classmate who I rode with to our far away rotation (I knew he wouldn't accept gas money, but couldn't turn down cookies), for some of the staff at the rotation site and for a picnic.

Sides

This past week I was lucky enough to just be supported by and around friends! Me and Maggs got a surprise visit from an incredible college friend. Kristin, or K-dawg as I like to call her, came through town on her whirlwind tour of the southeast :) She is a free spirit, adventurer and explorer. K-dawg graduated recently from UGA with a degree in interior design and is easily the most creative person I have had the privilege of knowing. Her brain just goes places mine doesn't -- she always looking to what are her strengths, her passions and the best way to follow God's plan for her life. She officially received the title as "BEST HOUSE GUEST EVER" after graciously cleaning our apt before she left.

Thank you K-dawg -- I love and miss you!

Ever heard of Passion? K-dawg helped design all the areas of the HUGE World Congress Center over Christmas. Talk about talented! I got the chance to help set up Passion through Kristin and this is me and her at one of the displays.

Seriously an amazing friend :)

Another set of friendships that I have been grateful for over the past year(s) are Caitlin and Katie. We get the opportunity to run together every Wednesday night and we always remark how much we cherish that time together of fellowship and sharing. Our conversations run the gamit of life as the miles roll by and they are both such wise, Godly women. I felt like my whole body always gets in a good workout -my legs are far shorter than both of theirs :) - but so does my heart. I am so grateful for their friendships -- they good for the soul and such a blessing amidst a crazy world.

out of running clothes.

Katie, Cait, and me

"But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips (or cookies or runs) would bring you relief."

Job 16:5

CHICAGO DIP

2010-05-19T22:59:00.002-05:00

Chicago dip. Totally a clutch find -- it is aptly named considering I have T-minus 24 days till I leave for Chicago! The group I went on my mission trip to Costa Rica with is having a reunion tomorrow night and naturally I needed to find something to bring and share. I honestly don't remember how I even stumbled across this recipe- oh wait - probably procrastinating all the papers I to finish for the school year because of what I got in the mail...

A package direct from Chicago!!

Complete with job description and fun things to do!

Chicago dip also fit perfectly into the my new favorite game of using what is left in your home before you leave. The running score? Me - 4, House 0. Muhahaha.
With out further ado (did you know that Shakespeare wrote a play with "ado" in the title?), here is Chicago dip (which was top rated from allrecipes.com):

Chicago Dip
Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 (1 pound) loaf round, crusty Italian bread
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, parsley, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until well blended, then refrigerate.
Cut a circle out of the top of the bread and scoop out the inside. Tear the inside into pieces for dipping. Spoon the dip into the center of the bread bowl and serve accompanied by the pieces of bread for dipping.
**I didn't have a bread bowl, so I am using wheat thins :)

Chi-town dip.

Sides

This is going to be the summer that dreams are made of. I am so so excited. Every summer during college I shadowed dentists by day, worked as a waitress by night. The exception to that was the summer before my senior year when I spent a glorious summer in Athens (amazing place to be in summer) taking MIBO 3500 and 3510L and working a the Sci Li aka the Science Library. Life was good. These paired microbiology classes were two of my favorite classes, ever

***Anyway, this easily has the potential to be the most fun summer I have ever ever ever had. ***

Expect some crazy manuevers like such as renting a car to drive 50 miles south of the city just to see a band known as NEEDTOBREATHE or the best band, ever. I mean its all in the works right now but I will keep y'all updated :) It may turn into pure insanity but in the best way possible!

the sweet couple on the far right is who is hosting us, the Williams.

They are such a wonderful couple and Dr. Dale is an incredible role model to have for being a dentist who care more his patients than his bottom line.

"The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up."

1 Samuel 2:6

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

2010-05-17T05:55:00.001-05:00

Saturday was my classmate Joan Marie's birthday! Like me, she has a penchant for all things chocolate and peanut butter, for running and biking and becoming a dentist :) JM is incredible passionate in all her endeavors and a sweet friend. In honor of her 24 years, I made some chocolate cupcakes using my favorite recipe for cake with this incredible recipe for frosting. She just did a 150 mile bike ride (all the miles in 1 day!!!) so I have a feeling these will help aid in her recovery...

This recipe comes from the food network courtesy of Ina Garten.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. I didn't have cream, so I had to use skim milk.

Side note: I halved the cake and the frosting recipe. It would be impossible to bring that many cupcakes to school.

cupcakes + a cute little serving tray as a gift

this could be my favorite frosting...ever.

JM and me before our Christmas Cocktail 2008, freshmen year of dental school

working together on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic in 2009.

more DR. JM is a gifted Spanish speaker -- all the kiddos loved her!

Happy birthday!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot..."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

This was so encouraging that I couldn't NOT share. My amazing Sunday school class just finished going through the Psalms. The last Psalm, 150 answers the questions of where we should praise the Lord (v 1), why we should praise the Lord (2), how we should praise the Lord (v3-5), and who/what should praise the Lord (v6). As one of the guys in my class pointed out, out of the who/what/where/when/why/how questions, when is the only one not asked. He came to the conclusion it is because there is no "when or right time" -- it is all the time -- everything that has breath praise the Lord (v6), which is a reference to the creation in Genesis 2:7 -- "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breathe of life, and the man became a living being."

In its entirety...

"1 Praise the LORD. [a]

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

2 Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,

5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD."

Psalm 150: 1-6

BETH'S CHICKEN SALAD

2010-05-16T08:08:00.003-05:00

Chicken salad is one of those things that is finicky to cook. Everyone's recipe is the "best recipe" and to me, an ear marker of summer. I happen to be extremely partial to the chicken salad that my mom makes. One of the things I love about cooking, especially one of your family member's recipes is feeling close to them when you make it. It also makes me feel like I am growing up when I make the recipes of my mom, like she is passing the torch to me. Chicken salad, as along as it is kept cold, is perfect for picnics, which was just what this was used for!

Beth's Chicken Salad

Ingredients
4 cups diced poached chicken, recipe follows

1 cup chopped purple grapes
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup sweet onion cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or fresh dill
1 cup light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

**2 table spoons coolwhip (the not-so secret ingredient)
Directions
In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I love you mom and your incredible cooking :)

chicken salad

serve on crackers or on sandwiches with lettuce and tomatoe

Sides

I love Saturdays -- especially when they involve bikes and Whole Foods.

One of my favorite things to do is recycle yogurt containers. Strange and slightly random, but that means a trip to Whole Foods which is practically one of my favorite places, ever. Maggs and me love taking "laps" and tasting all the incredible samples. There is a recycling program called Gimme 5, which you can read about here. They turn old yogurt containers into old toothbrushes, so you know I am on board :)

and you can even recycle the plastic bag!

41.4 miles!! My longest bike ride, ever! Not gonna lie I was so nervous when we took off because I the co-baby of the group (there was another guy my age), the only girl and the only one who has never done a century (100 mile ride) before!

"...then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 58:13-14

ASIAN CHICKPEA STIR-FRY

2010-05-13T21:42:00.002-05:00

This week is flying by! I can NOT believe it is Thursday! I am finally coming in the homestretch of the school year -- free at last on June 4, 2010! Then dental school is officially halfway over...which is practically unfathomable.

This stirfry featured round 3 of "eat what is left in your fridge/freezer." A bag of frozen asparagus stir-fry, combined with dried chickpeas, low sodium soy sauce, Asian seasoning and brown rice rounded this out.

asian take-out?

not quite!

The chickpeas I used were marinated in low sodium soy sauce for a few hours and then roasted in the oven for 25 minutes untill crunchy. I loved the roasted chickpeas -- they were like water chestnuts, only better!

Sides?

I booked my plane ticket to CHICAGO! It is really happening!

Ever wanted to see what a root canal looks like from the inside out? Probably not, but I am going to share anyway. This is a maxillay (upper teeth) premolar with two canals. Humans have 2 premolars located right behind your canine and in front of your molar. Dentists were clever coming up with the name premolar, huh? We use digital radiography (the fancy name for x-rays) in our preclinic and in our clinics. They have a lower dose of radiation which is better for the patient. That being said, the amount of radiation in dental x-rays is practically negligible. People make a wayyyy bigger deal about getting radiographs and fear of radiation than they should. Really.

Shameless dental plug?

Root canals are NOT scary. Contrary to what our lovely president said, calling the bank bailout as "popular as a root canal," root canals are beneficial to the patient because they serve to get the patient out of pain and not cause it. Oh and the other great thing is that the patient gets to save their tooth to eat with as oppossed to pulling it or getting an implant. However, this blog is not about my policital views, so changing gears...

2 canal maxillary premolar

Glee was hilaroious on Tuesday, even better since it was preceded by a killer bike ride. My friend Leigh Anne and I pounded out 27 miles at ~17.5 mph, which was personal best for both of us. In college I was on UGA's club triathlon team, and tonight was the first bike ride I have been on in a long time where I felt like I had a teammate again. We took turns pulling up some killer rolling hills :)

my team in college. find me in the 3rd row, 2nd from the left!

My small group started a new study on 1 Samuel yesterday so I will leave with this:

"3 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard..."

1 Samuel 1:13

BLACK BEAN FAJITAS

2010-05-07T21:16:00.001-05:00

Oh Cinco De Mayo. Our Americanized version of Mexico's independence is about commemorating the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, and is a symbol of Mexican pride, unity and patriotism.

And an excuse to eat Mexican food. Yum.

Cinco de Mayo 2009. My classmates and I went out for my favorite food group, cheap Mexican.

Sadly no pictures from this year.

However, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I made a Mexican themed dish. I have been feeling rather "flexitarian" lately, so this another vegetarian dish. I based my recipe loosely off this recipe from Cooking Light. And yet again, its another round of, eat what is left in your pantry/freezer/fridge. Tonight's winners? Black beans and corn, plain yogurt and cilantro left over from Southwest Pinto Bean Burgers, plus a bag of frozen multi color peppers and onions from the depths of the freezer.

Black Bean Fajitas

Ingredients:

3 servings of black beans (3/4 cup dry -- I soaked my the night before)
bag of frozen peppers and onions

lime juice

corn

cilantro

cumin

tomatoes

salt

peppers

plain yogurt

Mexican cheese

corn tortillas

Directions:

In a skillet, combine all ingredients and cook for 5-10 minutes. Done.

Now wasn't that super easy, too? And quick. And healthy. And delicious! I used the idea of plain yogurt for sour cream like Kat over at New Wife Experiment. Like her husband, I couldn't even tell a difference :)

the mix

a little back porch sitting

Cinco de Mayo, can't wait for you to come next year!

Sides

Despite having a huge Oral Path final on Tuesday and an Oral Surgery final on this upcoming Tuesday, this has still been an incredible week. I have already been on my bike twice this week (3x by tomorrow am), snagged a free BROOKS running shirt at my favorite local group run for wearing the same style of Brooks (their Adrenaline series) shoes for 5 years, had an endo practical on a 2 canal tooth that went excellent, and gone to a "table clinic" at a local elementary school to support a (hopefully!) future dentist teach her peers about oral hygiene.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Ecc 3:11

*This is usually what I think about when I get to be outside on a beautiful day riding my bike or running, how I can not fathom how God shaped our world.

SOUTHWEST PINTO BEAN BURGERS

2010-05-05T13:49:00.003-05:00

I am moving to Chicago this summer for 4 weeks for externship with ASDA (I can't wait!!) so the name of my game is going to be "eat everything out of your pantry." I had some dried pinto beans hanging out, bran cereal flakes, and some corn lying around, so they became the bases for this amazing recipe. AMAZING recipe, I repeat. The flavor was amazing and it makes me happy to know that this is a healthy and inexpensive meal option. Another great point - you can make them ahead of time and cook when you are ready for them. I had been reading some reviews on this recipe and most people had suggested putting them in the fridge to help them form together. I totally second this -- it kept the burgers together and gave the flavors time to meld together. With out further ado...

Southwest Pinto Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
BURGERS:
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained
CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE:
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon canned minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 (1 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
4 romaine lettuce leaves
Preparation
1. To prepare burgers, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pinto beans and corn; partially mash with a fork. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
2. To prepare chipotle mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon chipotle in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated. Place patties on bottom halves of buns; top each patty with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf, and top half of bun.

Credit: Cooking Light
**I didn't make the mayo -- not a huge fan

**I used bran flakes cereal, finely chopped in the blender for bread crumbs

**I used plain yogurt for sour cream because I didn't have sour cream

prepped "burgers"

served with sweet potato "chips" and kale "chips"

Sides:

Black and white cookies, ready to go to the classy birthday!

Lila, Maggs and me before the suprise!

What a great surprise! They party throwers even had suits hidden away here to make the evening complete. From khakis, Converses and t-shirts to...

suits!

(L) Maggs and me with the birthday boy, Michael

(R) Me and Michael's older brother Jonathan who helped pull off the surprise for his brother.

"Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES

2010-05-02T13:36:00.003-05:00

You can be my baby doesn't matter if you're black or white....

Gotta love the classic Michael Jackson, especially in honor of making black and white cookies! The cookies are for a friends surprise birthday. The message I got from my friend inviting me said this,

"Surprise classy party Sunday night. Its Mikey's 23rd birthday. 8:30 -- suit or black dress, or nice clothes, british accent and we'll have fun."

Umm, count me in. I don't like going to a gathering without bringing something (its a southern thing) so I wanted to bring some classy cookies to fit the classy them. Can't get much more fancy than black and white, no? I didn't know this, but a B&W cookie is acutally a mini cake! According to the most reliable source ever, Wikipedia (I kid, I kid), a black and white cookie is a soft, sponge cake-like shortbread which is iced on one half with vanilla fondant, and on the other half by dark chocolate fondant.

Black and White Cookies
Original Recipe Yield 2 dozen
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
1 (1 ounce) square bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter 2 baking sheets.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the milk, vanilla, and lemon extract. Combine cake flour and all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually blend into the creamed mixture. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake until edges begin to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Place confectioners sugar in large bowl. Mix in boiling water one tablespoon at a time until mixture is thick and spreadable. (Add more than the indicated amount if you need to).
Transfer half of the frosting to the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir in the chocolate. Warm mixture, stirring frequently, until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat.
With a brush, coat half the cookie with chocolate frosting and the other half with the white frosting. Set on waxed paper until frosting hardens.
Credit: www.allrecipes.com

**I always bake on parchment paper.

The progression...

no icing

halfsies on icing

finished!

Sides

I thought this was hiliarous. My parents are not your typically pushy parents. Really. I have a HUGE oral pathology final on Tuesday and I sent my mom an email with some Mat Kearney pictures with this as the subject:

look what i did instead of study....

Inbox X

her response?

show details 8:27 PM (3 hours ago)

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!

I love it. She is proud of me when I pick fun over constantly studying. Her motto is BALANCE.

One of the precious girls in my small group got married last night, and here is a picture from the wedding. It was supposed to storm here, but luckily the rain held out over the golf course and the weather was gorgeous. Their ceremony was beautiful and was done by our Sunday school teacher, Steve. Even though I am far from a great dancer, I love it and had a blast on the dance floor with my ladies. Cupid Shuffle, Cha-Cha slide and the electric slide? Yes please!

girls

girls with Steve

I wanted to close with this verse because even though my cookies aren't perfect, they are completely my workmanship, just like how I am completely His workmanship. The BIG difference? His work is perfect.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:10

BANANA SOFT SERVE

2010-05-01T12:45:00.001-05:00

If you have ever look at more than one food blog, ever, you have probably seen this "recipe" so I apologize for my non-creative, hardly original post. However, my mom hasn't and I was trying to describe it to her on the phone without much avail. I thought pictures would make the perfection known as banana soft serve be easier to understand.

1 frozen banana + sprinkle of splenda + sprinkle of cocoa powder

tip -- let the frozen banana sit out for 5 minutes and slice into pieces before putting the in the processor

finished product

Sides:

In other news, me and Maggs ran a 5k last night! That's right -- last night! The race set off a 6:00 pm which made for an incredible atomosphre. Not to mention that some of the things that make typical races not fun -- getting up early, it being really cold -- were eliminated. It was a blessing that I snag a free entry to this race so I had really not been doing any sort of speed work with my running. I have been on my bike a lot more lately and just running outside for pure enjoyement. My time was a pleasant surprise -- 23:13, or a 7:30 mile pace. I race this same race last in 24:53, so a 1:40 sec improvement was nice treat! Out of 254 females, I placed 6th overall, and 4th in my 20-29 age group. Not to shabby for just having a little Friday night fun!

pre-race with Maggs

post race fun

can't beat FREE post-race beer, chips and salsa :)

daylight to dusk -- it was beautiful night

I had gotten the opportunity to run this race last year (again, for free!) and vowed to do it each year I am here for school. There is something so wonderful about a night race, live band, good company and yummy food. Enjoy the weekend!

BAKED FALFELS

2010-04-30T07:13:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite movies of all time is, D2: The Mighty Ducks. My sister and I used to be able to quote whole scenes of that movie back and forth to each other. I love the line in the movie when Goldberg, the lovable yet food crazy goalie, says, "Fafalels?"

So fafalels is what I made.

Baked Falafels---makes about 25 tiny snack-size falafels

1 can chick peas
1 cup roughly chopped onion
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 (possibly 4) tablespoons flour
Oil Spray, such as Pam
1. Drain the chick peas in a fine colander, and rinse well. Let drain.
2. Put all ingredients from chick peas to baking powder into a food processor. Pulse till well combined but not pureed, stopping to use a spatula to get the mixture off the sides of the work bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the flour, combine, then see if the mixture sticks to your hands if you try to form a ball. If sticky, add more flour.
3. Refrigerate the mixture for at least two hours.
4. To bake: Spray a nonstick or silpat-lined baking sheet with oil. Form small 2-inch patties from the mixture, and place on the sheet. Spray the tops with oil. Bake in a 400 oven for 15 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Turn over, and bake another 10-12 minutes till brown on both sides.

**This recipe comes from the blog, Destination Anywhere.
**I was super thrifty and used dried chick peas that I had soaked overnight

all in the food processor

ready to bake

falfels and some sunshine

This has been a music heavy week for me! Record artist Mat Kearney was playing a free concert at one of the local universities, so you better believe this was my thought process:

free Mat Kearney concert > studying oral pathology

And I am so glad that was my decision. Mat played an incredible concert and sounded great in person. In fact, I am already pumped to see him again in......Chicago! I have a 4-week externship there this summer working for ADA (American Dental Association) and ASDA (American Student Dental Association) as their Chicago Administrative Extern. Mat will be playing at the Taste of Chicago -- for free again!

my wonderful friends

the outdoor stage

the man himself, Mat Kearney

"Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them."

Psalm 111:2

SIMPLE PASTA SALAD

2010-04-26T22:08:00.000-05:00

It has been wayyyyy to long since I have been here. Life has been incredibly wonderful, albeit busy :)

One of my incredible classmates, Erin is getting married oh-so-soon so we had a little shower for her. My contribution? A simple yet classic pasta salad.

Simple Pasta Salad

1 box tricolor rotini

3/4 of the bottle of your favorite Italian dressing (I used a light Parmesan Italian dressing)

1 carton grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 small can sliced black olives

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 large onion, diced finely

salt and pepper to taste

Asiago cheese to top

Directions:

Cook the pasta till done. Combine the remaining ingredients. Let sit in the fridge over night. Serve in a pretty dish :)

finished

our spread. pasta salad on the left side

at the shower with the bride-to-be!

And since I haven't really been cooking anything blogworthy (think eggs, simple salads, roasted veggies for 1, etc), here is what I have been up to beside being in school learning about root canals, oral surgery and oral pathology...

Went to a Braves game with some college friends and saw a no-hitter pitched LIVE! Cross it off the bucket list...

me, Alex and Claw

Maggs, Cait and me

My dad ran 5 miles...with me!! I have been running forever, this was his first 5er!! I made him take a picture to celebrate!!

Went all Jersey Shore for a class party...

rocking a pouf

Had my parents come to school for parent's day...

my dad drilling

hanging out in pre-clinic with my beautiful classmate, Lila

Having my feet "Washed by the Water"....

which brings me to NEEDTOBREATHE!

my favorite band ever came to town recently :)

yes, I was this close for their acoustic version of "Washed By the Water."

check them out at www.needtobreathe.net

you will NOT be disappointed.

dental girls at the concert

perfect night for a concert

Bear and Seth.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.

Psalm 150:6

Pre-Easter Dinner

2010-04-02T21:56:00.001-05:00

My family is here for Easter!

This past week has been crazy with school and getting ready for Easter! I finished 2 classes this past week - dentures and removal-partial dentures and their subsequent projects, in addition to having an oral pathology exam and getting ready for an oral surgery midterm next week. Whew.

Anyway. I wanted to make something special for my parents that wasn't chicken, so I got a little creative...

Fig and Blue Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 slices)
Ingredients
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 cup dried figs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon apple jelly, melted
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.
Slice the pork in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open the halves, laying pork flat. Place pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle figs and blue cheese over pork, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around outside edges. Roll up the pork, jelly-roll fashion, starting with long side. Secure at 2-inch intervals with twine. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper, and place on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Brush jelly over the pork. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Let stand for 10 minutes. Discard twine; cut pork into 12 (1-inch-thick) slices.
**No apple jelly -- that would not have flown with my mom
**I substituted dates for figs
**I used tooth picks, not twine
Credit: Cooking Light

Mushroom Parmesan Risotto
Like before, make risotto in your favorite way. I prefer using broth for cooking. Once the risotto was done, I added it to some mushrooms, onions, garlic and salt +pepper I had sautéed earlier.

risotto at the beginning

NOT crowding the mushrooms ..... name that movie*

risotto all fluffed up and done

using my oral surgery skills to suture my dinner back together again :)

done dinner!

My family loved it and I did, too. It is wonderful to have them here because I haven't seen them since January 3rd. Yikes -- almost 3 full months.

Side of Life.

A lot people ask me what I do as a dental student since I don't officially start seeing patients as a "student dentist" till this summer. That's right - I will be the dentist! Currently, we learn how to do everything on manikins in a "simulation lab" and take lots of dental classes ranging from oral pathology to pharmacology to endodontics.

I showed these pictures to some friends who weren't in dental school and they make me smile -- they likened setting denture teeth to arts and crafts. And they are correct because there is an art to dentistry in which I love that blends with science, which is my fav. And then throw in working with my hands and interacting with patients --what a great combination :)

my lab station

my first set of dentures!

removal partial denture

final projects!

I am so excited today is Good Friday! The significance of today is incredible and it makes me joyful that our Savior chose to die for us.

John 10:14-16.

¹⁴"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

*The movie is Julie and Julia

Mission Trip Video

2010-03-27T12:59:00.001-05:00

Side of Life.
I thought about writing a post, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth more, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btiQLKDw9pc

I hope everyone has an incredible, joyous weekend!

SPRING RISOTTO

2010-03-26T19:44:00.000-05:00

Spring is finally here! Officially Spring came Saturday, March 20, 2010 but since I was sick, I didn't truly have a chance to celebrate till going and playing outside on Tuesday and I will celebrate now with dinner! Reminds me of the old DMB lyrics -- "Celebrate we will / Because life is short but sweet for certain." Any takers?

Spring Risotto
I very, very liberally adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart. And when I say liberal, I mean liberal. I cut the recipe down from 6 to 4, didn't use peas and used what was left of the wilting zucchini and squash that was in my fridge. If you read between the lines on that statement, that means I didn't really measure how many veggies I used. There can never be too many veggies, right? But I did actually measure the onion, and that is about it.
So here is my version.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
32 ounces of broth - vegetable or chicken
All the leftover veggies from your fridge -- onion, zucchini and squash
1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (leftover from when my sister cooked the other day)
Sprinkle of garlic powder -because we didn't have fresh :(
salt and pepper
Directions:
Sauté the onions, zucchini and squash in a large pan till lightly browned. Using your favorite method to cook the risotto, cook the risotto. Combine the risotto with the browned vegetables and cheese. Season to your liken and serve. Enjoy!

I served mine with spinach leaf salad and some pork tendorloin. We are for sure not big on eating meat around here, but someone (NOT me!) has to raise their iron levels. And it was on sale for a near steal!

risotto in all its glory

the dressing

served!

With a side of life, today I was out for a nice long recovery run (on Wednesday it was our group run 5 miler which I treat like a tempo run and yesterday was weights + elliptical. Ugh. After being sick, the weights about dang near killed me. True story.) and I saw this cute little candy store where everything is organic, homemade and gluten-free. So to my reader and bff who has been dabbling in GF eating, here's looking at you, kid. A package coming to you filled with stuff that travels well (ie no chocolate, but other good things!)

"Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms."

Psalm 68:19

RASPBERRY BALSAMIC DRESSING

2010-03-23T19:43:00.000-05:00

True confession- I usually eat salads plain. I have done this since I was a kid. Kind of rabbit-like I realize, but there are very few dressings that I feel make a salad taste better instead of just covering them up. This, my friends, is one of those dressings, a rare dressing that makes the salad taste better. After playing outside today - I was making up for lost time since I was sick this weekend -- I swung by Publix, armed with my grocery list. Usually there are no deviations, but I spied this Raspberry Balsamic vinegar for a steal of a price -- less than $4 -- I had to have it. One of my aunt Mary's friends always makes this incredible salad for get togethers, featuring this dressing. Maybe I will make that particular salad in the near future...

Raspberry Balsamic Dressing:
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix together and serve.

I am very, very, very, very light handed with the oil -- usually a splash of it at most. I enjoy the flavor of the raspberry to much for the oil to take over.

Raspberry > oil.

the star

my other star - spinach leaf lettuce. May he is to blame for my sky high iron levels?

Anyway, let me brag on my sister -- she made this incredible dinner for us that I ate with my salad! If she ever blogs again (hint, hint), maybe she will share her recipe :)

dinner for 2

Anyway, here are some pics of my and one of my bff's playing outside today with one of our classmate's dogs, Bones. He was gracious enough to let us play with Bones for the afternoon! This was the first time in 5 days I have felt good enough to move around and I took full advantage of all the free Vitamin D!!! We tried to run Bones, but he likes to sniff EVERYTHING :)

Cait, Bones and me

Me and Bones

Maggs and Bones

Because I always feel so much JOY being outside...

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

Isaiah 55:12

CHEETAHS

2010-03-21T15:50:00.001-05:00

Cheetahs!

That happens to be the name of my very first soccer team and one of my favorite ways to eat sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes are called "cheetahs" because you know to take them out of the oven when they have their brown "spots."

Cheetahs

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes

Olive oil spray

Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the sweet potato into circles. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with spray olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Feel free to spray some more olive oil for good measure. Bake for 25-40 minutes until "spotty."

pre bake -- no spots

post bake - spotty!

on the dinner plate (from last week) -- half salmon, half chicken!

Also, I updated my "About Me." It is still a work in progress, but I will keep you updated if anything changes! I am slowly starting to feel better and am becoming a huge advocate of flu shots. This is the first time in years I have not gotten one, and look what happened :(

Happy Sunday!

"On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

Matthew 9:12

TZATZIKI SAUCE + SALMON

2010-03-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

According to wikipedia.com, Tzatziki sauce is "s a Greek meze or appetizer, also used as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros. Tzatziki is made of strained yoghurt (usually sheep's-milk or goat's-milk in Greece and Turkey) mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, usually olive oil, pepper, sometimes dill, sometimes lemon juice and parsley, and sometimes mint." I had a debate with a classmate whose family is Greek and she was under the impression Tzatziki wasn't really Greek. However, it is all Greek to me, because the stuff is delicious!

One of my friends came over for dinner this week with me and Maggs and she appreciates healthy food, too. Keeping that in mind, I made salmon with Tzatziki sauce, roasted asparagus and brown rice.

Tzatziki Sauce
A traditional Greek dip and gyro condiment, tzatziki also makes a tasty topping for sandwiches and even hamburgers. Serve with pita wedges or crudités.
Yield: 14 servings (serving size: 2 tablespoons)
Ingredients:1 cup grated seeded peeled cucumber
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
Preparation:
Place cucumber on several layers of paper towels; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
Combine cucumber, yogurt, and remaining ingredients, stirring until well blended. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Credit: Cooking Light

Cumin Dusted Salmon Fillets
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 6-ounce salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick), skinned
to taste, cooking spray
Serves / Yields
4 servings
Preparation/Instructions:
Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub both sides of fish with spice mixture.
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat, and add fish. Cook 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Credit: Cooking Light

Tzatziki sauce

I added dill to the top to keep with the Greek theme

Also in my post Costa Rica days, some of my favorite friends from UGA came through town and ate lunch with me and Maggs.

retake of this classic picture...

This is from my senior year sorority formal!

me, Maggs, and Alex

claw + me

Happy Saturday -- I am stuck inside on this beautiful day with -- get this -- the flu! Grrr. I am genuinely angry at this flu for keeping me from enjoying the weather. I had planned to go on a group bike ride this am, but clearly that did NOT happen :( Go figure?!? Atleast I am well taken care of -- my sister and my friend Erin brought me Only 8 - my absolute fav type of fro-yo!

BUTTERSCOTCH BLONDIES

2010-03-18T09:37:00.001-05:00

Oh it feels so good to be back! I have neglected this in honor of some of the finer things in life (ie sleep!) but I am back on!

I got back in the country last week from a dental mission trip in Costa Rica so much has happened in the past couple of weeks. This trip was great -- hard, but great all at the same time. The Lord really worked on my patience with others and my ability to cheerfully put others before myself, especially with my peers. Our bible study that week was in Mark, and this scripture stood out to me because it captures what our goal was a short term missionaries -- planting seeds of faith and getting those just a little bit closer to coming to know the Lord.

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. Mark 12:34

**And I survived an earthquake - 4.4 on the Ricter scale**

I will get all these thoughts out soon, but lets talk about these INCREDIBLE blondies I made this past week, shall we? One of the girls in my small group, Katie, does not like chocolate. No, she is not allegric, she just doesn't like it. Crazy, I realize. In honor of her 25th birthday, I made her some butterscotch blondies. Not gonna lie, they were so good I didn't even resent the fact there was no chocolate in them :)

Nestle Butterscotch Blondies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels, divided

1 cup chopped nutsconversion calculator

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cupmorsels and nuts. Spread into ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining morsels.

BAKE for 30 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

courtesty of Nestle.com

mine on are the glass plate, in front of the ballons

me and Erin, who is in my small group

Costa Rica 2010

A few trip pictures...more later!

doing work on a patient

riding the bus to a clinic

we did face painting to make the kiddos smile

post clinic one day

we went zipling on our free day -- that is me going upside and backwards!

Being in the jungle reminds me of how big are the works of our God is!

Great are the works of the LORD;

they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Psalm 111:2

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

2010-02-24T20:24:00.000-06:00

Confession: I actually sauce made this last week but I have been late in postings. Maggs (who's new web address is: www.mmlsmusings.blogspot.com) has made some very tasty dinners lately for the both of us, so consequently I haven't been cooking.

Healthy Spaghetti Sauce

1/3 can (28 oz. size) peeled Italian plum tomatoes

2/3 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/3 can (6 oz size) tomato paste

0.417 teaspoon oregano (or more, to taste)

1/12 teaspoon salt

1/12 teaspoon pepper

0.111 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 teaspoon cooking wine

Directions:

Puree tomatoes and tomato paste in a blender or food processor.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil briefly, and add garlic. Saute 15 seconds, being careful not to let it brown. Add pureed tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and wine. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

**I added a can of mushrooms

**I added 1/2 of a red onion

adapted from: www.cdkitchen.com

Served with 1 serving of pasta + squash/zucchini and side spinach salad.

stove top.

2 little zuchinni and 1 squash

saucy

toped with grated cheese

AND, very improntu, I gave blood today!

Maggs stood in with me!

I look wayyy to excited to have a needle in my arm, but this nurse was GREAT! she told me her 6 year old daughter wanted to be a dentist, too!

Maggs tried to give blood but her iron levels were just barely low - 0.1 too low be exact :( She even let them prick her fingers twice to double check. Mine, however, was literally off the charts highs. Very weird, considering we eat the same foods, both work out about the same and are identical twins. I told her I must have stolen all the iron in utero. Muahhaha.

Embarassing moment of the day?

Almost passing out afterwards. My sweet nurse literally pulled the needle out of my arm at 12:00 pm and I had to be at another part of the hospital, out of my scrubs and in dressy clothes to present a poster with Maggs at 12:30. I gobbled up the yummy nutter butters they give you afterwards, drank some water and took off to the presentations.

Poster presentations involve standing up next to your poster and explaining it others. After 30 minutes of standing, I was talking to a junior and his words literally sounded like wah-wah-wah. I got really dizzy, nauseous and hot all at the same time and literally took a knee. Yikes. However, this was my own fault. Since I hadn't planned on giving blood, I had worked out before class like usual and was probably a tad dehyrdated. I went to oral surgery this morning to get some last minute pointers for my mission trip (see more below) and lets be real, there is really no drinking water admist tooth extractions. Blood+gloves+teeth+ water do not mix. Also, I should have rested a little bit afterwards too. I can't help I love to be in motion!

Finally, I am leaving the country this Sunday for a dental mission trip to Costa Rica! I had the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic last year and the Lord did some incredible things there and I know he will again. (I may be able to blog when I am there-- we will see.)

My prayer for the trip? "Lord, whatever it takes to bring us closer to you."

Me, Maggs and Ashley and some precious kiddos.

""The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:40

THAI SEARED CHICKEN WITH TOMATO, BASIL, AND COCONUT

2010-02-16T19:16:00.001-06:00

And the Thai food continues! Maggs had some light coconut milk left over from her Vegetable and Chickpea Curry, so I decided to make use of what was already opened in our fridge. I actually cooked this last night when I looking over some stuff for a perio (ie your gums) test that is Wednesday because I think Thai always tastes better when the flavors have time to meld together!

Thai Seared Chicken with Tomato, Basil and Coconut
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 lb uncooked deveined peeled medium shrimp, thawed if frozen, tail shells removed
1 cup sliced red onion
1 to 2 teaspoons green or red Thai curry paste
1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced or fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai basil or basil leaves
Hot cooked rice, if desired
Total Time: 1 hour 5 min
1. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp and onion in oil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in curry paste; cook 1 minute.
2. Stir in tomatoes, lime juice and brown sugar. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk and basil. Heat over low heat until hot.
3. Serve over brown rice.

**The recipe calls for shrimp, but because I am allegric to shrimp, I used chicken.

Credit: Betty Crocker

prepped.

we always cook for 2 nights at a time and then store it away.

served over brown rice.

side of kale chips that I read about on Em's blog!

AND, it snowed again yesterday!

Face off.

Magg's rain boots verse my duck boots

major air. still in scrubs!

I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

Ezekial 34:26

(it could totally refer to snow showers, too!)

Kall Cooks

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie

Tempeh Coconut Curry

REDNECK TRUFFLES

WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

Chicken Green Chili with White Beans

PUMPKIN TRIFLE

CARAMEL APPLES

POOR MAN'S CAVAIR

ROASTED VEGGIE PIZZA

ROASTED CALIFLOWER

BBQ MEATBALLS

HEART PANCAKES

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

MINI HAM PUFFS

Coffee VIA

Oh cooking how I miss you.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

ZUCCHINI FRIES

I'm back!

Blogging for the summer...

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE PIE PARFAITS

BLACK BEAN BURGERS

SAUSAGE BALLS II

RICE KRISPIE CUPCAKES

OATMEAL SCOTCHIES

CLASSIC HUMMUS

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

CHICAGO DIP

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

BETH'S CHICKEN SALAD

ASIAN CHICKPEA STIR-FRY

BLACK BEAN FAJITAS

SOUTHWEST PINTO BEAN BURGERS

BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES

look what i did instead of study.... InboxX

BANANA SOFT SERVE

BAKED FALFELS

SIMPLE PASTA SALAD

Pre-Easter Dinner

Mission Trip Video

SPRING RISOTTO

RASPBERRY BALSAMIC DRESSING

CHEETAHS

TZATZIKI SAUCE + SALMON

BUTTERSCOTCH BLONDIES

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

THAI SEARED CHICKEN WITH TOMATO, BASIL, AND COCONUT

look what i did instead of study....

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