Expeditions in the Kitchen

Fun and revelry with Spaghetti and Meatballs

2011-02-06T11:50:00.002-06:00

January was a wonderful month for Scott and I. He was on an ambulatory rotation which means that he worked 8:00AM-5:00PM Monday through Friday and that he got weekends off! Over Martin Luther King weekend, we even jetted up to New York City! It was Scott’s first time there so I had to try to show him as much as possible! A walk through Chinatown Papaya King hotdogs, chili

Please read . . .

2010-12-02T21:44:00.000-06:00

Please read my latest post on my Reflections page. There will be no more posts here until you do! Just kidding! Really though, what I write about there is important to me, and if you are related to me, and are buying me a gift for Christmas, read this before you buy any gifts. It is deep, with a lot of meaning packed into a few paragraphs so read it slowly. I do not

Don't Forget the Ice Cream!

2010-11-20T22:47:00.002-06:00

As you know from my last post, Scott and I have been quite busy as of late. One of the things that kept us the busiest outside of work has been our lawn. Yes! We have an honest to goodness lawn in our backyard now! It took a lot of time and effort along the way though. First, we had to rake and rake in order to clear the ground for grass seed. We had

Quick

2010-11-13T13:54:00.001-06:00

Oh my! I do not know where to start! So much has happened since I last posted! I started my job as a research/administrative assistant for an anesthesiology research group at UNC almost two months ago. I have had my ups and my downs at work but hopefully things will get better as I get used to them. The downside to working, and being married to a Medicine resident,

A Sleepy Doctor and My Favorite Granola

2010-09-26T16:28:00.000-05:00

Scott wakes up very early everyday he works, which is six days out of the week. I think his average wakeup time is 5:00AM. I say “think” because I am never awake to verify this, I am happily unconscious when he wakes up, while eats breakfast, gets ready, leaves for work, and even when he arrives at work I am usually still sleeping. This past Thursday

Deer and a Caterpillar

2010-09-17T12:46:00.003-05:00

Scott and I planted a vegetable garden, some flowers, hostas, and a hydrangea this summer. Some things were a success, but most things under-produced, or, in the case of the zucchini and summer squash, died. We know we didn’t do everything right. Sometimes we watered too little, and other times too much, but we tried. We love our plants and are very proud of them when they

Basil Ice Cream

2010-09-06T16:58:00.001-05:00

This was written Sunday, September 5, 2010 It is such a beautiful, gorgeous day here in NC! Scott is inside sleeping soundly after a long overnight call at the hospital where he was on his feet all night, so I’ve decided to come outside and bask in this glorious weather. I’m sitting on our deck as I type this, breathing deeply and relaxing under the giant trees in our backyard. This morning

Yellow Tomatoes

2010-09-02T12:07:00.010-05:00

First, before we get started with this post, I would like to say that I've put an update on my Reflections blog (link also on right side of this page) that I felt fit better there than here on Expeditions in the Kitchen. The post consists of my raw reflections on my grandpa, our relationship, and my emotions after his death on August 22, 2010.* * *Whoa! Where did summer go? Suddenly school’s

A Pizza Fiasco

2010-08-18T20:21:00.005-05:00

This weekend we hosted our first dinner party in our new home. I was so excited for it! We had recently bought patio furniture for our deck at a ridiculously low price so we finally would have enough seating for everyone! I was also excited to enjoy our new deck, have new and old friends over, and try out some new recipes. I prepped for the night as much as I could throughout the day. My

Paul Bunyan Wannabes

2010-08-08T13:58:00.010-05:00

Yesterday Scott had a day off and we decided to be productive with that time and rent a sawzall with an extra long blade from our neighborhood hardware store and trim some trees. At least that’s what I thought we were doing. However, when I got outside I saw this. “What are you doing?” I asked Scott. “Cutting down the tree in two sections.” Scott nonchalantly replied. “Really?!” I thought.

Update!

2010-07-18T13:35:00.013-05:00

I’m back!Boy it’s been a long time and a lot has happened since I last wrote! I’m having trouble writing about anything in detail since it has been so long. If I expounded on southern tea parties (actual tea parties, not the political tea party), or the range of emotions one feels when looking for theright job, or heat and humidity so bad that after thirty, no, ten seconds outside one is

Oatmeal Brulée with Ginger Cream

2010-05-02T21:15:00.006-05:00

Oh it is so good to be writing again! I’m sorry I have been away so long. Since I last wrote Scott and I have bought our first house!!! We went down to North Carolina for a whirlwind trip in which we looked at 20 houses in one day, and decided on a small, cute, brick bungalow. There are definitely “problems” with the house, most notably the size of the kitchen and amount of storage, but it’s

Fettuccine Alfredo

2010-03-29T06:49:00.004-05:00

Growing up I was a picky eater. While my family would have spaghetti and meatballs, I would have buttered noodles with salt, no pepper. I even have photos documenting me trying my first bite of a BLT sandwich. It was a big deal! During this stage of my life, my orders at restaurants were pretty predictable. For a long time I would only order cheese pizza,

Match Day Breakfast

2010-03-21T14:07:00.005-05:00

Scott with his match letter!What a day! Thursday, March 18, was "Match Day." Match Day is the day in which every 4th year medical student in the country finds out what residency program they have been matched to. Back in February, after lots of prayer, we submitted our rank list of residencies and waited patiently anxiously for Match Day which seemed so far away. In the weeks before match day

Roasted Asparagus with Lemony Quinoa and Mushrooms

2010-03-12T12:04:00.007-06:00

Spring is here! Well, not technically according to the calendar, but the snow has completely melted, I hear birds chirping frequently, it rained all of last week, and it was a balmy 52 degrees Fahrenheit today. Back in February, Scott and I mad a bet on when the first day of snowless ground would be. He optimistically bet March 2nd and I optimistically (for me anyway) bet March 10. Turns out I

The Best Chocolate Tiramisu

2010-02-22T21:55:00.011-06:00

On our interview trail Scott and I ate at Bosco’s in Nashville, TN where we had the best tiramisu either of us had ever had. It was my order, and after tasting it I insisted that Scott taste it too. On doing so, he promptly left his mountain of an uber-chocolate brownie dessert untouched to team up on the tiramisu and the sumptuous sauce it rested in. If it wouldn’t have been at an interview

Risotto Cakes

2010-02-06T08:42:00.004-06:00

Oh Happy Friday! This week has been a great week for Scott and I and this weekend is going to be just as great! My parents and brother are coming down to celebrate my birthday and I am so excited to see them! I’m excitedly planning the menu for a brunch on Saturday when they get here and then for supper we’re going out to eat at my favorite restaurant in town. Then, after

2010-01-29T20:23:00.008-06:00

Hello! How are you all faring this winter? Last week Scott and I finished our interviews for his residency and our whirlwind travels around the country are now done! I can now cook (yay!) and buy a gallon of milk without wondering if I should have bought a half-gallon or if the expiration date is far enough out that it will still be good when we came home from wherever his interview was that week

A delicious, guilt-free "Carrot Cake" Bread

2010-01-01T21:05:00.005-06:00

A few months ago a coworker brought a carrot cake to work from a local, organic foods store that has quite a good bakery. This cake was beyond rich, with a full inch of cream cheese frosting on top and a half-inch down the sides and in between the cake layers. I liked cake, but the fact that the baker seemed to have no qualms in putting 2 pounds of cream cheese on six inch round cake gave me an

Balsamic Feta and Walnut Vinaigrette

2009-12-29T08:40:00.005-06:00

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Amazingly, Scott and I made it home to our parents’ for Christmas just in time to miss the “worst winter storm in ten years” after whirlwind trips all across the country for residency interviews. As an example of how “whirlwind” these trips have been, the three days before coming home for Christmas consisted of a 36 hour trip (of which 18 were driving) to

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T10:12:00.007-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!I am so excited for Thanksgiving! Mostly because Scott and I will be able to go home and spend some sweet and treasured time with our families. I’ll be able to see my dad’s new hybrid car, “ooh and aww” over the newly finished basement that my dad and brother worked so hard on together, and tease my little brother about asking an older girl to the high school winter formal.

Une Tarte Tatin

2009-11-05T15:11:00.007-06:00

At last!!! I finally have an evening where I can write for my blog. It feels so good! I could talk about how overwhelmingly busy both Scott and I have been, but I am sick of thinking about it. In fact, right now I can easily think of several other things I maybe should be doing tonight, but I really don’t want to, which is why I’m going to stop that train of thought now.It’s fall! This year I

Tomato Parmesan and Mozzarella Tart

2009-09-13T21:50:00.012-05:00

Ok, so here it is! What I promised you in my last post!! It is a Tomato Parmesan and Mozzarella Tart. It is, like I mentioned before, one of the best things I’ve made to date. I have been scheming of ways to give myself an excuse to make it again! True, I could just make it again considering we almost ate the whole thing in one sitting anyway (and it isn’t exactly health food mind you). It was

Check this out!

2009-09-09T21:36:00.006-05:00

Hey guys,Soon I'm going to share with you one of the most delicoius things I have made to date. First though, I wanted to let you know about my most recent post on my Reflections blog. It is essentially my friend Casey's lastest update in Tanzania. It is miraculous, literally! If you want to get a glimpse of the amazing power of God, you've got to check this out! I pray that you will be

Homemade Caramel Sauce

2009-08-23T22:16:00.003-05:00

Perfectly made, homemade, caramel sauce, let your mind wrap around these words. I believe I have made such a thing; it was dark amber in color, rich, sweet, but with depth, tasting almost smokey, but not burnt, and totally delicious. A few weeks ago, I set out to make my first-ever caramel sauce for David Lebovitz's Chocolate Covered Salted-Peanut Caramels for a wine and cheese party my friends