I really need to get on the phone with Comcast about fixing our internet. Matthew's computer has no trouble connecting to the internet, but no matter what I do with the cords or the router my computer cannot receive internet. This means that I have to wait until Matthew is asleep or away from his computer before I can go online. Bah.
Anyway, onto the important stuff.
Cooking: Last week I made chocolate-caramel bars and broccoli carrot stir-fry. Both were really tasty and fun to make! I had never made a stir-fry by myself before but I imagine that I'll be making a lot more this year since Matthew and I really enjoyed it. I must say that as simple as they are, toasted walnuts are delicious and I might add them to other stir-fry recipes even if they aren't specifically requested.
This week I made banana bread and peach breakfast slush. I hadn't realized how long banana bread takes to bake and almost left for work late, but luckily I made it on time! I also didn't know that you can buy apricot nectar in cans. I was afraid that I'd have to buy apricots and squeeze the juice out of them after not finding anything at Kroger, but then I went over to Meijer and luckily they had some apricot nectar. Either way, both recipes were successes!
Cooking: 8/75 completed
I completed The Fall of Hyperion a couple days ago and am once again very impressed with Simmon's work. This novel had a lot of new plot lines and examined interesting new characters but also held onto enough of Hyperion's plots and characters to make a smooth transition into the second novel. I was glad to finally learn more about Meina Gladstone and how the Hegemony functions. Gladstone's story is very interesting and quite surprising at the end. Without revealing anything, I'm just going to say that she made a difficult and admirable decision. I truly enjoy how well Simmon's weaves the different stories and perspectives together, and we find out in this novel how Sol and Rachel's story is connected to everyone else's. Simmon's also focuses more on Sol's inner struggle in this novel, which I think added a lot to the overall plot. There really wasn't a single story that I didn't enjoy, and the novel ended with the possibility of a few of the plots continuing into the next installment.
Rating for The Fall of Hyperion: 10/10
Books Read: 2/75
Hoping to finish the third novel, Endymion, in the next few days!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Salts containing Cl -, Br -, I - are generally soluble. Important exceptions to this rule are halide salts of Ag+, Pb2+, and (Hg2)2+
Well, it took longer than anticipated, but I have finally finished reading my first book for the countdown! I chose Dan Simmon's Hyperion, which upon reflection was a great choice for a first book. There wasn't a single thing that I disliked about the book; the characters were dynamic and compelling, the plot was interesting and exciting. I really like books that weave several stories together, and Hyperion did it with perfection. I don't want to reveal too much, but I also enjoyed how Simmons explained the fate of Old Earth, and it was quite clever how he brought small pieces of Old Earth to each of the stories. To be completely honest, I'm actually rooting for the Ousters and I hope that they keep humanity in check in the next three novels! I'm going to start on its sequel, The Fall of Hyperion, as soon as possible. I'm planning on finishing that by the end of the week!
Rating for Hyperion: 10/10
Books Read: 1/75
Now, on to cooking.
The first new dish was Broccoli-Cauliflower Bake from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. It actually turned out to be very good and very simple. I went online to learn exactly how to cut raw broccoli and cauliflower since I had never done it before, and the rest of the recipe was pretty self-explanatory. The vegetables were cooked but still crunchy, which is just how I like it. I'll definitely make more of it in the future. I actually have some leftover cauliflower and broccoli after unknowingly buying too much, but I love having them raw in my salad, so I'm sure they'll disappear soon!
The next recipe completed was for lemonade, which I know seems like it shouldn't count, but my family always bought lemonade from the store, so I'm counting it. I had no idea how much sugar goes into a pitcher of lemonade! Sad as it is, I was remembering my chemistry lectures about solubility while I was waiting for the sugar to dissolve in the warm water, and that lead to trying to remember the solubility rules. And yes, I am aware that that it pretty lame. After that, I just added the lemon juice and shredded lemon peel and I was surprised at how much better it tasted than store-bought lemonade. Matthew said he'd like it if I made the lemonade more often, so that's a good seal of approval!
Finally, I made blueberry muffins, and that recipe also came from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. The crater I had to make from the dry ingredients rather interesting; I've never had to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients like that before. I also decided to make the streusel topping for the muffins, and the brown sugar and walnuts went very well with the taste of the muffins. They had a great taste, and we ate most of them within a few days! I definitely plan on making other types of muffins this year!
Cooking: 4/75 completed
Rating for Hyperion: 10/10
Books Read: 1/75
Now, on to cooking.
The first new dish was Broccoli-Cauliflower Bake from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. It actually turned out to be very good and very simple. I went online to learn exactly how to cut raw broccoli and cauliflower since I had never done it before, and the rest of the recipe was pretty self-explanatory. The vegetables were cooked but still crunchy, which is just how I like it. I'll definitely make more of it in the future. I actually have some leftover cauliflower and broccoli after unknowingly buying too much, but I love having them raw in my salad, so I'm sure they'll disappear soon!
The next recipe completed was for lemonade, which I know seems like it shouldn't count, but my family always bought lemonade from the store, so I'm counting it. I had no idea how much sugar goes into a pitcher of lemonade! Sad as it is, I was remembering my chemistry lectures about solubility while I was waiting for the sugar to dissolve in the warm water, and that lead to trying to remember the solubility rules. And yes, I am aware that that it pretty lame. After that, I just added the lemon juice and shredded lemon peel and I was surprised at how much better it tasted than store-bought lemonade. Matthew said he'd like it if I made the lemonade more often, so that's a good seal of approval!
Finally, I made blueberry muffins, and that recipe also came from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. The crater I had to make from the dry ingredients rather interesting; I've never had to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients like that before. I also decided to make the streusel topping for the muffins, and the brown sugar and walnuts went very well with the taste of the muffins. They had a great taste, and we ate most of them within a few days! I definitely plan on making other types of muffins this year!
Cooking: 4/75 completed
Saturday, January 8, 2011
"The world is on fire / Since you've come near / All I've ever desired / Is here with me"
It's been a week since my first post, so now it's assessment time.
Cooking: 1/75 completed. My first recipe was peanut butter blossoms. I've made peanut butter cookies in the past, and I've helped to make peanut butter blossoms, but I've never made them all by myself before. The choice for the cookie recipe was also largely influenced by my friend, Jenn's, birthday. Since she likes peanut butter cookies, I figured I'd make them a little more festive. Tip for future baking endeavors: when using two baking sheets, remove the bottom sheet from the over about a minute and a half before the top sheet is ready (or at least check on them). I made the mistake of letting both sheets bake for the same amount of time, so a dozen cookies ended up with burnt bottoms, which saddened me. However, my husband, Matthew, doesn't mind eating burnt food sometimes, so he happily took those cookies. The rest of them were good, so I'd consider this first recipe a success!
Since all of our fiction books are still in boxes at my dad's house, I haven't been able to read anything yet, so I'm going to have to play catch up at some point during the year. However, the apartment is almost completely unpacked and cleaned, so I'll be ready to kick back and start reading in no time!
With all my free time being used up with unpacking a cleaning, I haven't formulated a workout plan yet, but I have formulated a healthy eating plan. Granted, we are impoverished post-graduates, so I'm not going to run out to Whole Foods and buy organic meats and produce all the time, but I have decided to completely cut fast food out of my diet for this entire year. Not only will this help my arteries, it'll also help my wallet. In addition, aside from crazy days in which I'll be running around all over the place, I'm going to try to eat a salad and an apple every single day. I already have a solid healthy breakfast routine, so a salad and some fruit for lunch or dinner shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I like chopping vegetables with the brand new knife set that I received for Christmas; I'm having fun slicing things up in one tenth the time it took me when all I had were dull dinner knives!
Now it's time to study a little from my MCAT books before going to bed. Before I sign off, I also must mention that Matthew bought the new Anberlin album, Dark is the Way, Light is the Place, and it is fantastic! Lyrics from this entry's title are from their song "Take Me (As You Found Me)." Goodnight all!
Cooking: 1/75 completed. My first recipe was peanut butter blossoms. I've made peanut butter cookies in the past, and I've helped to make peanut butter blossoms, but I've never made them all by myself before. The choice for the cookie recipe was also largely influenced by my friend, Jenn's, birthday. Since she likes peanut butter cookies, I figured I'd make them a little more festive. Tip for future baking endeavors: when using two baking sheets, remove the bottom sheet from the over about a minute and a half before the top sheet is ready (or at least check on them). I made the mistake of letting both sheets bake for the same amount of time, so a dozen cookies ended up with burnt bottoms, which saddened me. However, my husband, Matthew, doesn't mind eating burnt food sometimes, so he happily took those cookies. The rest of them were good, so I'd consider this first recipe a success!
Since all of our fiction books are still in boxes at my dad's house, I haven't been able to read anything yet, so I'm going to have to play catch up at some point during the year. However, the apartment is almost completely unpacked and cleaned, so I'll be ready to kick back and start reading in no time!
With all my free time being used up with unpacking a cleaning, I haven't formulated a workout plan yet, but I have formulated a healthy eating plan. Granted, we are impoverished post-graduates, so I'm not going to run out to Whole Foods and buy organic meats and produce all the time, but I have decided to completely cut fast food out of my diet for this entire year. Not only will this help my arteries, it'll also help my wallet. In addition, aside from crazy days in which I'll be running around all over the place, I'm going to try to eat a salad and an apple every single day. I already have a solid healthy breakfast routine, so a salad and some fruit for lunch or dinner shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I like chopping vegetables with the brand new knife set that I received for Christmas; I'm having fun slicing things up in one tenth the time it took me when all I had were dull dinner knives!
Now it's time to study a little from my MCAT books before going to bed. Before I sign off, I also must mention that Matthew bought the new Anberlin album, Dark is the Way, Light is the Place, and it is fantastic! Lyrics from this entry's title are from their song "Take Me (As You Found Me)." Goodnight all!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
"Only the Beginning of the Adventure"
With the beginning of the new year, people have already begun to make resolutions, promises, and agendas. Most of us know that these resolutions will only last for a couple of days or weeks before they are abandoned. Silly enough, I am one of the many making such promises, but these will not be crazy or unrealistic. While they might be difficult and stretch the boundaries of the life to which I've become accustomed, this is the time in my life where I should be pushing boundaries. So here it is, my promises for 2011:
1. Read 75 books this year and writing short reviews on all of them before moving on to the next one
2. Learn 75 new recipes for this year. I've always wanted to cook, and now that I have new cookbooks and new wedding gifts, I can do it
3. Stick to an exercise routine and make sure to log it.
4. Get into medical school
This blog will mostly keep track of my progress with these goals. While it may not be super personal or very interesting, I think that keeping track of everything online will push me to finish all of these goals.
Wish me luck!
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