And it begins...

We've finally finished unpacking all of our boxes - just in time for me to spend my weeks in Dallas with weekends and some mid-week non-class days in Waco.

I'm in the middle of my first Waco-Dallas-Waco-Dallas in 48 hours trip since I had a CPR certification class this morning at 8 but I was done by 1 so I figured I had enough time to come spend a while back in Waco.  The drive isn't bad - especially if you are intentional about leaving in non-peak traffic times - and I am able to listen to class lectures in the car that I would just be sitting at a desk listening to anyway.  I do think that that is the sole reason that I will be able to feel OK with that amount of time in the car - I can justify it by having a solid 3 hours that I can do nothing except schoolwork! 

Mark has done a great job around here - hanging pictures, putting up some curtains, assembling and mounting new furniture, and making countless trips with things we have forgotten.  We also had a ton of help from both sets of parents on Sunday.  It was a huge help with unloading the POD, loading the U-Haul, measuring shelf paper, organizing the kitchen, and placing furniture.  It would have taken us another week without their help!

It did take me the full week to get everything out of boxes and trash bags - and for the life of me I could not figure out why it was taking so long.  I finally reached the conclusion that this move was the first time that EVERY SINGLE THING was taken out of its drawer - the dresser drawer contents were in trash bags, a combination of 2 desks was in a few boxes.  Add to that the fact that I had not seen the contents of these boxes for 9 months, and I was not really involved in packing them (no purging before packing!), it was a big task, to say the least. 

I apologize that this is a boring post (aka NO PICTURES!) but I still can't find my camera battery charger and the USB cord doesn't charge it.  That is an item on Mark's to do list while I'm gone this week and then I promise we will post pictures (complete with a new display of my dishes...oh I missed them!) as soon as I am back in Waco next weekend.

I start nursing school bright and early at 8 on Monday morning.  I have 2 classes this minimester (3 weeks, 6 credit hours) and in one class I am responsible for 7 chapters on the first day.  Needless to say, I have a head start on that, but it is still hard for me to wrap my head around exactly what I should be doing for class.  I am hopeful that I will get a good grasp on things quickly, as I was always the student that read the syllabus before the semester started.  (It is nice to know that all 31 other people in my class are feeling the same way!) 

I promise a full report next week - and I do love school (that Mark loves to point out!) so I am definitely excited to start.  As for the living in 2 places part - I just keep telling myself that in less than 1 year I will be graduating and able to work in a field that I truly love!

We're Moving!

We are moving - this weekend!!  Luckily most of our things have been in boxes for almost a year, so there is not much packing going on around here.  We move in next Sunday.

  (not our number)


Oh, and Mark got a job!  He starts this summer.  And I start nursing school with orientation this Thursday & Friday.  We have a lot going on around here!

Yum!

Tonight we made a recipe out of the recent Food & Wine and it did not disappoint!  (and of course it was from Mark's idol, Bobby Flay!)

I also made the black bean puree sauce which turned out to be GREAT!  We are already thinking of other ways to use this sauce.  It had a great flavor, not too spicy...really the perfect accent to many things. 

We also had Ina's sauteed spinach on the side - spectacular as always.

It was a very tasty, quick, and nutritious meal.

Here's the recipe for the salmon and black bean sauce:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 canned chipotle in adobo, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 red onion
• One 19-ounce can black beans with their liquid
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure ancho chile powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Four 8-ounce center-cut salmon fillets, with skin

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Add the chipotle, cumin, chopped garlic and the remaining onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans with their liquid and 1/4 cup of water and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Transfer the black bean mixture to the blender and puree until smooth. Season the sauce with salt.
2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of honey with the ancho chile powder and mustard and season with salt. Brush the salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the fish skin side down over moderately high heat until very crisp, about 3 minutes. Cook the fish on the remaining 3 sides just until lightly charred, 3 minutes longer. Brush the salmon with the chile-honey glaze and grill skin side up until lightly caramelized, 2 minutes.

Sic 'em Sixteen!

Mark and I are lucky enough to be at the Baylor basketball games this weekend in Houston. We left Waco around lunchtime, made it to Houston in plenty of time to check-in to our hotel room, and then we were off to the Baylor pre-game Pep Rally! It was great - complete with hot dogs and sausage (Mark was pleasantly surprised with the jalapeno cheddar sausage), cookies, and drinks. Much cheaper than getting it at the game.


We got in the gates and into our (GREAT) seats in plenty of time to watch the dueling bands (mainly St. Mary's at this point) and the teams warm up. {Let's not forget the St. Mary's woodblock band player. Yikes. A FEATURE of every single song they played.}

There were a TON of Baylor fans at the game - it really was truly a Baylor "home" game! I was so glad that all of the Baylor fans showed up in their green and gold.



Baylor dominated the game from the beginning -and it was a lot of fun to watch. It was nice to never really have to worry about the outcome and just enjoy how great Baylor's team is this year. The picture below shows just how lopsided the final score was 72-49 and even that is a little deceptive since we lead by as much as 35 points in the second half and played our entire bench for the last 3 minutes (Way to go, Dragan the Croat !)



A BIG thanks to our benefactors!



Oh, and an added bonus to the Baylor win - Mark got to watch his Duke Blue Devils win also. (He even brought his Duke basketball t-shirt in case he needed to wear it instead of green and gold on Sunday...luckily he doesn't have to!)

Brussel Sprouts

I'd never had brussel sprouts or cabbage before Mark and I got married. Now I've had both. I don't really like cabbage, but I've found a way to make brussel sprouts that I think is pretty good - even if you don't love all things cabbage.

This recipe really doesn't have measurements - and you can experiment with toppings. Mark added roasted garlic pieces and they added a nice flavor.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

1. Cut brussel sprouts in half and remove any wilted looking outer leaves.
2. Toss in a bowl with olive oil.
3. Place all cut side down on a sheet pan lined with foil (or lightly oiled). Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, sea salt, pepper, and roasted garlic crunchies.
4. Bake at 375 for 15 min then flip and add a bit more balsamic. Put back in the oven for about 10 more minutes until gently browned.

That's all there is to it. Enjoy!

PS - Is the proper term Brussel Sprouts or Brussels Sprouts? Google (the source of all knowledge) comes up with both.

picture from here.

In my dreams...

... this fridge is in my kitchen.

Mouse Catcher

We have a new Mouse Trap on our hands...Rocky!!!


This morning I woke up...and almost stepped on a mouse. Rocky killed the mouse and left it in the middle of the bedroom doorway - to ensure that we would see his prize. He was very proud of himself, and we made sure that he was adequately praised (including treats). This was the first mouse he has killed. He's gotten his fair share of crickets (He doesn't usually eat them unless they prove especially hard to catch. Usually you just find the body and the legs pulled off a few inches away. We like to think this is because the chirping drives him crazy and he knows the legs are the source of the chirping.), a few other bugs, but nothing else.

Mark is our mouse catcher in training - he got a baby tonight...caught in my shoe. After the second mouse appearance, we did a thorough search and think we have found the source of the problem.

Unfortunately for Rocky, we are on to his hunt, and have now zip tied those cabinets so he can't open them and let the mice free.

I think I will be just fine to keep his mice kill count to one.


Oh, and Mark considers "outside kitty" the first line of defense...the forward operating base.