Update Coming

We've been so busy with the move and getting our apartment set up that I have failed to provide you with an account of graduation and the food we prepared.  Don't worry... that's coming soon, along with pictures of our new apartment!

Thanks for being patient!

Crazy Good Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Confession:  Yesterday I told you I'd post pictures of strawberry cobbler and chewy chocolate-chip cookie bars; I changed my mind.  Actually, my salty side held me at gunpoint because it felt long-ignored.  Instead of decadent desserts, I decided to make this simple, but oh-so-delicious salsa.  When our good friend's mother introduced this salsa to us, there was no going back.  Make this today, you won't regret it.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients...

•  2 cans black beans, drained
• 1 can shoepeg corn
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 sm. red onion, diced
• 3 avocados, diced
• 3-4 T. lime juice (about the juice of two limes... go for fresh lime juice people. Please!)
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper

Putting it all together...

It's as easy as dump and mix!  This dip is best made several hours (if not the night) before it's to be served so that all the glorious flavors can be married together into one big happy family.  Please, for the love of all things green, save adding the avocados until immediately prior to serving... unless, of course, you like them brown.  Serve with whatever chips you have handy.  Of course, you could make your own... but that's a recipe for another time.  Be warned, although this recipe has a large yield... it wont last long.



What to do with left overs?

Anything you want! Throw the salsa in with your favorite meat for an egg-cellent omelet, place atop some lime-seasoned, cilantro topped tilapia, or just eat it plain.  In our case, I hope to combine this satiating salsa with leftover pulled pork, sprinkle it with shredded pepper jack, and snuggle them up in a buttered tortilla for the quintessential quesadilla.

This is all we had left over after class yesterday.

Graduation Celebration and More Recipes

I've been officially done with classes for two days and have not accomplished a single thing on my to-do list; and I must admit, it's been glorious.  Therefore, today will be particularly packed.  After I dry and attempt to curl my hair, I plan on using up one of my seven remaining tanning sessions (I know it's bad for you... but I bought 13 in the fall and they've lasted me all year... that shows you how often I go).  Then, I have a monster shopping list to tackle for this weekend and I hope to pack up at least our office. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed having the time to bake and cook this week so stay tuned for more desserts today: strawberry cobbler and chewy chocolate-chip cookie bars.  Then for Saturday's Commencement festivities, I'm planning:

Breakfast: Strawberry and cream-cheese stuffed french toast.

Linner (combination of lunch and dinner): Amazingly drunk BBQ pulled pork with my homemade BBQ sauce, pineapple coleslaw (YUM!), kick-your-pants cheese-dip, potato salad and probably some form of asparagus.  Usually I saute asparagus in a pan with some EVOO, sprinkled with Greek seasoning and drizzled with fresh lemon juice... and it's incredible.  But for some reason, I don't think that flavor combination will bode well with BBQ.  Hence, I'm considering roasting the asparagus with some bacon, onions and maybe mushrooms... we'll see.

A week from today, Chad and I will be officially Wichitonians :) And to sweeten the deal, I found out that one of my sorority sisters lives in the same apartment complex!


Alright, ta-ta for now.  Look for an update later for the two desserts and then probably Monday-ish for the graduation meal recipes and pictures.

Delectable deliciousness

I'm standing on the cusp of school and summer.  In T-minus 5 hours, all of my obligations will be completed and I can return focus to: tanning, working out, packing, designing my curriculum and preparing for a whirlwind 10 hours this summer.

In the meantime, I wanted to post some incredibly yummy meals I've whipped up this week.  Chad's noticed a pattern: the more stressed I am, the more I bake or cook. 


I apologize in advance for not taking pictures, but I'll provide the links to these delicious recipes in hopes that you will add these food blogs to your blog rolls.  You won't regret it... well, maybe you will once you step on the scale... but life's all about moderation... unless you're Chad.  Then you have the joy of eating obscene amounts of food without it affecting your toned midsection.  I, on the other hand, merely gaze at food and pack on 2 pounds.  If I actually eat it, might as well roll me out of the place.

Southwest Chipotle Meatloaf... aka Notcho Mamas Meatloaf... or Meatloaf WOAH!

Photo and Recipe Courtesy of http://dishinanddishes.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/southwest-meatloaf-with-chipotle-glaze-the-ultimate-meatloaf/

This meatloaf is knock your socks off good but does require quite a bit of preparation time.  If you're like me and desperately need a culinary challenge to relieve some stress... this is it.

Below is Dishin and Dishes recipe verbatum, but I will provide some suggestions at the end.

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds ground sirloin, round or chuck,

10 oz. tube of chorizo sausage

1 c. smoked cheddar cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

 

DIRECTIONS FOR MEATLOAF:

Preheat oven to 350º.  If using sirloin, pulse in food processor until small chunks. Dump into mixing bowl.  Add in chorizo, cheddar cheese,eggs,  bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Mix with hand and spread into sprayed large loaf pan.  Bake for 40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160º.  Remove from oven and drain any grease in pan.

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

3 T. butter

3 shallots, minced

1 c. red wine (dry)

1 c. beef broth or stock

1/2 c. honey

5-6 T. chipotle and adobe sauce

 

DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE:Melt butter over medium heat,  Add shallots. Cook for about 3 minutes, letting shallots soften.  Add wind and broth.  Let simmer and reduce by half about 15 minutes or until it thickens.  Mix honey and chipotle sauce.  Add to thickened wine sauce.  Simmer again, about 10 minutes.  Pour over finished meatloaf and return to oven for 10 minutes.  

 

Suggestions: My meatloaf took considerably longer to cook than any 40 minutes.  Perhaps that's because our meat was packed impatiently resulting in a large mound protruding from the center of the pan.  Perhaps our oven, like our other appliances, only does its job partway. We'll never know.  Overall cook time was closer to 2 hours.  To avoid the longer cooking time, separate the meat mixture into greased cupcake tins speeding up the cooking time and pre-dividing the meat into manageable portions.  Also, my sauce didn't quite thicken up as expected.  I'm not a proficient cook by any means, but I wonder if something like adding a little cornstarch would make it a little more glaze-y.  Any suggestions?

Chicken and Asparagus with a Pesto Cream Sauce... aka. YUM!! GO COOK THIS NOW!!!

Photo and Recipe Courtesy of http://dishinanddishes.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/chicken-and-asparagus-in-pesto-cream-sauce/

I will never cook chicken the same again.  I loved learning about the butterflying method (click above link for tutorial).  Not only does it speed up cook time, but I absolutely HATE eating whole chicken breast.  The cutlet is definitely more manageable for a dainty little lady like myself... HA!

Again, this recipe comes from Dishin and Dishes with some suggestions from moi at the end.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt & pepper to taste

1 T. olive oil

1 bundle asparagus (about 15 stalks)

1/2 c. cream or half-n-half (can use fat free)

1/2 c. pesto

Butterfly, pound out and season each chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Place in oil in large frying pan.  Cook 3 minutes per side or until nicely browned over medium high heat.  Remove to platter.   Cut asparagus into bite size pieces, after removing tough stem ends.  Toss into frying pan and stir-fry about 3 or 4 minutes.  Add cream and pesto, stir to combine.  Add chicken back into pan.  Spoon sauce and asparagus over top.  Spoon servings onto plates.  Enjoy!

Suggestions: Although this meal is incredibly delicious, it's not that filling for the manly men in our lives.  As a result, I suggest amping up the sauce yield to 3/4 c's each of half-and-half and pesto and and placing the finished chicken/asparagus/sauce mixture on top of penne or bow-tie pasta.  YUMMY!

And now for dessert... if you like lemons... you will DIE OF BLISS!

Chewy Lemon Bars Courtesy of Pioneer Woman (Again, if you haven't subscribed to her blog, bought her cookbook and gained at least 3 pounds from trying her wonderful food... drop everything you're doing and get to work!)

Photo and recipe courtesy of: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/creamy-lemon-crumb-squares/

Ingredients

• 1-⅓ cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened
• 1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
• 1 cup Oats
• 1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ½ cups Lemon Juice
• Zest Of 1 Lemon

Preparation Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

Serve cool.

Suggestions: I have none! This is incredibly delicious and moist.  So good, in fact, that I'm taking it to my class this afternoon. I'll let you know what they think.


Stay posted for a recipe on Strawberry Cobbler and Graduation Weekend Menu :)  Off to take my last final of the semester! Wish me luck!

Drumroll please...

I. GOT. A. JOB!!!!!!!


If you've been reading my blog lately, you know I've been stressing out about not being able to find a job in Wichita for next year.  I considered nursing school, becoming a real estate agent... you name it.  Until last week, there was no hope for me.  None of the districts were hiring. I kept my faith high, though, as I made my frequent stalking rounds to the area districts' HR sites and kansasteachingjobs.com.  Finally, two districts posted vacancies for math teachers and I jumped at the chance to apply.

Within a couple of days I had three interviews scheduled: two high school positions and one middle school.  My first interview was with a small, but incredibly awesome school district 30 minutes north of Wichita.  I loved everything about this school: the small town feel; community support; and their flexibility.  They offered me a job on the spot... a mere few minutes before I had to head back in to Wichita for my second and third interviews with a district's middle and high school.  Yesterday I got a call back from this district with offers at both!  Three offers in just a few days! God was really providing for me and answering my prayers.  When it rains, it pours!

Anyways, as of yesterday I am a newly minted 7th grade math teacher and the JV Cheerleading coach at the high school! Best of both worlds!  I am BEYOND EXCITED to get back into the classroom and look forward to all the struggle and success in the coming years.

Chad and I both are very fortunate to have jobs in such a tight economic situation and we're praying for our friends that are still looking.  I have full faith that everything works out the way it's supposed to work out... even if it's not the way you wanted it to be.  There's always a silver lining to that dark and ominous cloud.

Now that we have jobs, Chad's checking out a truck to buy this summer (BEWARE: his little brother turns 16 and will be burning up the roads this July in Chad's Camero.  Buckle up and pray!)  While Chad's searching around cars.com and other sites, I'm looking at houses!!

Yesterday was probably one of the best days I've had in a long time (other than my wedding day of course!)