And a pair of fancy boots fancy boots fancy boots...

As always, food comes first.
Here are some black bean burgers I made from scratch. I know Hannah will be jealous!
I also wilted some spinach with olive oil and cracked pepper to put on top. They were very good.

After we made them we put some in the freezer for later, and they were just as good if not better! Although next time I think we will cook them on the grill so they can get a little bit crispier.

So here is that Cowboy Spaghetti I've been prattling on about. It really is delicious. A fiber-riffic vegetarian delight! Just get a can of black beans, kidney beans, and corn (remember low sodium...and rinse them well to clean off any of that canned sticky sodium-laden juice) and heat it all with a jar of non-chunky marinara sauce. Then throw in some of that crushed green chile I do love so much, some chili pepper, and some cumin and you will be good to go. I like it over thick spaghetti noodles. It is so good, and I must toot my own horn for this one.

I am a culinary genius.

This shows the difference in portion sizes between Jake and I. Usually I eat on a salad plate (I'm trying to drop 12-15 pounds...there, I said it for everyone to see) and so I have been trying to control my portions. Whatever I eat for dinner has to fit on a salad plate. --I know the corner of that roll is hanging off a titch...I'm so bad-- However, because we live with other people, it's always a gamble as to what will be actually in the kitchen at any given time, so sometimes I have to limit myself to the middle section of the big plates. As you can see, Jake does not limit himself much. However, he is trying to gain 12-15 pounds...so...there.



In other news, our heat has been going out on occassion. There have been two weekends now where the heat has just stopped working. And because if you stand next to a window and can literally feel those icy Maine winds gently caressing your skin, whatever heat we do have does not last long. This is how a few Saturdays ago was spent until we finally had to leave the house to go to for a drive. I know it's not the most earth-friendly activity, but it was so darn cold.


It was 49 degrees in the kitchen.

51 degrees in our room.

We had just got back from doing laundry so the clothes on the bed were still a little warm. I stayed in this exact position for over an hour.



In other SoRoHo news....

what are those, you may ask?

WE HAVE NO IDEA.

For some utterly bizarre and completely inexplicable reason, these dirty carrots were soaking in a cup of water on the counter for weeks. We don't know who put them there, or what they were doing with them, but they did occasionally switch them around so the other side could soak for a few days. They swelled up (as the picture details) to quite a hefty size, and then when they got switched they would shrink back down to smaller than they were before.

Really people, weeks of soaking carrots in a cup on the counter.

Then one day, they mysteriously vanished. The cup was gone, the carrots were gone, we didn't see them in the garbage...

Just another day at the South Royalton House--

you really should come visit.

All you need is Positivity!

Okay, for those of you that read comments, read Lynley's comment with the lasagna recipe and make it. It was so good and so easy. BUT, use a 16 oz. jar of cottage cheese.

I have a job here on campus that is going quite well. I am the Communications and Media Relations Assistant. I get to write press releases and update website content. I also get to do some less fun things like digital archiving and hole-punching stacks of news clippings and putting those stacks into the appropriate binder. I had a lesson in CMS today to do website stuff, and it was pretty cool. Maybe I should go back six years to junior year of high school and stay focused on Graphic Design. Maybe I can find that perfect job that melds environmentalism and graphic designism into one far-out title. 

Graphic Environmentalist.

Not bad. I kind of like how it sounds a bit risque. It's me all over.

A little hitch may have been thrown into our Arizona plan. Many of you already know, as plenty of my readers already reside in AZ. Arizona State University, Jake's school, is undergoing a serious budget crisis with the state and has threatened to close down one or two campuses (Jake's being the first to go) and cut numerous programs (health programs the first to go). Now me being the healthy skeptic that I am, seriously doubt that the largest university in the country can just shut down entire campuses and programs in the span of one semester. However, the president of the university keeps sending out massive panic emails telling us that the threats are real.

So there you have it. I'm almost positive everything will go according to plan for us. But, as Batty makes so eloquently clear in that classic of animation Fern Gully: the Last Rainforest (it was in the $5 movie bin (my favorite of all bins) and I couldn't resist...it does have a great environmental message...and Tim Curry) 

ONLY FOOLS ARE POSITIVE.

So I'll let you know how that goes.

One of Jake's phlebotomist buddies is studying for the MCAT. It is good for him to see that this is something people do, and is actually possible. He has this theory that:

1) Only geniuses can be doctors

2) He is not a genius.

ERGO...he can't be a doctor.

In my book, the logic is fine, but I disagree with both of the premises, which as all Logic 101 passees know, invalidates the conclusion.

coming soon: Cowboy Spaghetti with photos! Oh!

Cooking wifey

Here are some recipes:

The green chile crusted chicken I completely made up and got lucky. My mom brought me home a bag of crushed green chile from New Mexico and I had to use it somehow! I found a place online where you can order the same stuff. I would try out just a packet first (crushed green chile) and then go for the pounder. It's got a real kick, so depending on how much you like it, you can crust accordingly.

Green Chile Crusted Chicken

Drain, rinse, and dry a can of black beans (preferably low sodium...got to watch that sodium intake). I let the beans sit out on a plate in a thin layer covered with a paper towel. I like them to have a little bit of crispness when they come out of the oven. Put the beans in the pan in a thick layer. Coat chicken breast with the crushed green chile all over and put chicken on beans, sprinkling a little chile over the beans. Thinly slice an apple and cover the chicken (this can be removed before the cheese goes on, I find it gives the chicken a nice flavor and keeps it moist). Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Discard apples (or not) and cover with Mexican cheese. Put back in the over for about 5 minutes so the cheese gets nice and melted. Let it sit out of the oven for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with cilantro-lime rice. I like lime, so I put a squeeze of lime on mine right before eating.

Braised Balsamic Chicken
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes 
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

For those spices I used an Italian Herb Grinder and really went to town. McCormack's Italian Herb Grinder is my favorite kitchen item and I go through one pretty fast.
Season chicken breasts with ground black pepper and garlic salt. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, and brown the onion and seasoned chicken breasts. If you really want to go above and beyond, you can saute up some minced garlic in some olive oil and rub that into the chicken instead of garlic salt. Do still use the fresh ground black pepper though; it gives the chicken a really nice look.
Pour tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken, and season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. It goes really great with garlic mashed potatoes, and the sauce is amazing, so don't leave it in the pan, pour it on everything.

If people want the granola bars I can post that too, but I really made up most of it so I have to figure it out. 

I think people should also try swedish meatballs, if you are a fan. They have been a consistent hit with everyone. Just heat up some frozen TURKEY meatballs (I know they make frozen swedish meatballs, but the turkey ones taste so much better) in the microwave, heat up two cans or bottles of brown gravy (it's good with beef gravy too, it just tastes less swedish) and add a little less than a cup of sour cream and the warm meatballs. Let it boil and it will change colors and consistencies. Serve over egg noodles. It truly is a taste sensation.

Now go cook.

Everything I Do, I Do It For FOOOOOD

Okay that's a bit of a stretch. But I do enjoy food. A lot. And with one of my current plans allowing for slightly less food than I normally enjoy, I have been realizing my growing obsession with tasty tasty food.

I have never been one for cooking.

But there's something about this teensy tiny kitchen with half-size everything that really brings out the chef in me. I have been making everything lately. I think part of the fun of it all is having our roommate Emily come into the kitchen every day and say, "What are you making today?" and me answering pretentiously, "Well, my dearest Emily, we're starting with a mild tomato and cucumber bruschetta and finishing out the evening with braised balsamic chicken breast and garlic potatoes."


It doesn't really go like that.

But I am having fun making things, and I have the pictures to prove it. Here are a few little dishes I have whipped up recently:

This is a dried green chili crusted chicken breast on a bed of black beans with thin Vermont apple slices on top to keep the chicken moist, then sprinkled with Mexican cheese. It was served with cilantro-lime rice and it was delicious. We also have these funny little mini personal casserole dishes that are proving to be both fun and fundamental to my growth as a culinary artiste.

I wasn't kidding about the bruschetta. These are Vermatoes (Vermont tomatoes) and local cucumbers on local bread. I'm a localvore now. Jake has been loving all the fancy food, as evidenced by his face above.

The bruschetta again. It was tasty, and I don't even like bruschetta. Jake had six pieces the size of my hand, and then a whole bowl of Tuna Helper (I have yet to outgrow my love affair with Helpers of all nations).

This is the braised balsamic chicken with garlic mashed potatoes. I guess I wasn't kidding about that either--though this and the bruschetta were not on the same night. This was phenomenal and my favorite thus far. Let me know if you want the recipe, it was so easy, and it's very healthy.

Did I also mention that I make my own granola bars now? It's cheaper than buying them and they are way healthier, plus they actually fill you up. Also (bonus), no packaging=easier on the landfills=environmentally friendly=good for me!

So I have really been liking making things. Swedish meatballs and chicken stroganoff have become a weeknight staple for us. I feel very strange getting out of the Top Ramen and Mac 'n Cheese world, but it is a beautiful world, and I would like to stay here.