Sugar Rush

Christmas may be over (I hope everyone had a Merry one 😉 ) but that doesn’t mean I can’t share some of my favorite cookie recipes from this season.  I was on a mission to find something new this year.  Although I enjoy the classic sugar cookie as much as the next person, maybe more, I just wanted to discover some new classics.  I think I succeeded.

First up some of the most moist chocolate cookies ever.  Thank you Paula Deen for this one.  I added some roasted pecans to them and that made them even better.  

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies (adapted from Paula Deen)

• 8 oz brick cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (18oz) box moist chocolate cake mix
• Powdered sugar
• Roasted Pecans

Preheat oven to 350*  In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Beat in the egg. Then add the vanilla.  Add the cake mix and mix until well blended.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls.  Roll the ball in powdered sugar and pecans if desired. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for about 12 minutes.  After cooled you can sprinkle with more sugar.

This next one is even better. I won’t lie, its a little bit more work. So worth it! I didn’t even mess with this recipe it’s that good.  Pecans again, there may have been a theme. 

Perfectly Pecan Praline Cookies (Courtesy of FoodNetwork.com)

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 T water
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped plus 2 T for topping
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.2 tsp baking soda
• 4 oz white chocolate

Toast the pecans: Heat oven to 325*.  Spread out pecans on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake until fragrant, be careful not to burn! I did about 4 minutes each side, turning once.

Praline: In a small, heavy saucepan on medium heat, constantly stir the sugar and water.  Cook until boiling for 2 1/2 – 3 minutes, until syrup is a golden brown color.  Important! Remove the saucepan from the heat just as the sugar begins to darken to an amber color. When removed from heat, stir in 1 cup pecans.  Carefully pour the hot mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Let cool until completely firm.  Transfer to a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.

Cookies: 1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together.  2. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 3. Add vanilla and beat until combined.  4.Stir in the flour and baking soda until incorporated.  5.Fold in the reserved crushed praline until combined.  6. Drop 2 T dough onto baking sheet lined with parchment.  Bake for 13-14 minutes, edges should be slightly browned.  7. While the cookie are baking, melt the chocolate in a double boiler and stir until smooth.  (I don’t have a double boiler so I used a pot of boiling water with a metal bowl over top.) 8. When the cookies are done drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies and sprinkle with the extra praline. (I had sever issues in drizzling, mine were more like blobs of chocolate)

Alright now for the winner this year.  My friends and I decided to have an “end of the world” cookie party.  Good thing it wasn’t so I could share these Salted Carmel Thumbprint Cookies with you.  You want to know my theory on all that?  The guy making the calendar got tired.  I mean, you have to stop at some point, right? At our little party we also tried to make Buckeyes.  Delicious, but John, our Ohio native friend said, “You guys are destroying one of my childhood memories.” Whatever, just eat it and don’t look at it 🙂 

The recipe says it makes 24 but I barely got 12, I would definitely double the batter.  The carmel sauce will make plenty.

Salted Carmel Thumbprint Cookies (courtesy of Bakers Royale via Foodily)

• 1 cup plus 2 T flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Toasted pecans (see above)
• 20 Kraft caramel squares (I found a bag of unwrapped chips, picture below)
• 3 T whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 350* 2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 3. add brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat until combined. 4. In a separate bowl whisk flour and salt.  5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter while beating on low until the dough is like lumpy wet sand.  6. Form into one inch balls. I would make your thumbprint at this point.  I had a heck of a time trying to without having them crumble when they were chilled.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  7. Beat egg white until frothy. 8. Remove chilled dough, dip into egg whites, roll in pecans.  9. Bake for 15 minutes.  10. While cookies are baking make caramel sauce.  Place the caramel chips and cream in a sauce pan and melt over low heat for about 7-8 minutes.  It will be ready when it is completely smooth.  11. Once cookies are done fill the thumbprint with caramel. 12.  Sprinkle with sea salt. (My Himalayan Pink Sea Salt was perfect)

 

Now that I have overloaded on the sweets it is time to get back on the wagon that I was thrown off of a couple months ago.  I start a bootcamp on Monday and am beginning my half marathon training for March.  I also had blood work come back and my diet will be going back to the healthy stuff I used to write about.  I found out I have high eosinophils (allergy white blood cells), I am vitamin D deficient (you probably are too), my triglyceride to HDL ration is off (goodbye carbs, hello protein), I’m hypoglycemic (again, protein), and the kicker… my cortisol is through the roof.  Apparently, I’m a little stressed?!  So diet, exercise, and natural supplements are my new focus.  Enjoy your cookies 😉

 

Why I hate Pinterest

I thought that my break between taking my last (yes last! 🙂 ) finals and starting my next clinical rotation was going to be just that… a break.  Nope! Pinterest and my little sister ruined my relaxing break. Let me rewind a couple months to when my sister called and reminded me that our parents would both be turning 60 this year.  She suggested that we throw them a joint birthday party.  Fast forward to two weeks ago when I landed back in Missouri.  From Tuesday until the party Saturday night all I did was what I call, pleasantly of course, arts and crafts time.  I was surrounded by pictures, pumpkins, gourds, and cupcakes.

My sister graduated with an art degree which means that while I was in charge of organizing the logistics and the guest list, she was in charge of decorations and cupcakes.  Enter Pinterest.  This girl went nuts.  In just four days we needed to make centerpieces for six tables and each of them different.  Since my sister was working everyday guess who had instructions and arts and crafts homework to complete every day.  You guessed it!

I had to re-print each of these pictures in black and white and then puzzle them back the way the boss wanted them.

My nemesis pumpkin. That huge pumpkin took me three days to cover in “Happy Birthday” And then she put in on the table in the corner. UGH!

Ok, So I’ll admit.  The place looked great, my parents were happy, and everyone had nothing but compliments.  But I swear if I had to hear my perfectionist sister critique my work one more time I might have hurt her! 😉

The birthday kids!

We also made over 175 mini cupcakes.  I was not allowed to do the piping, but I found out that I can indeed bake.  Check these out!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Makes approximately 24 Cupcakes (depending on size)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:

½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1½ Teaspoons Baking Soda
¾ Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
5 Ounces Dark Chocolate, finely chopped
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Strong Brewed Hot Coffee
½ Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs
2 Teaspoons Raspberry Extract

Chocolate Ganache:
12 Ounces Quality Dark Chocolate, finely chopped
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Framboise Liqueur

Raspberry Filling:
2 Cups Frozen Raspberries
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Framboise Liqueur
1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest

Prepare Cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper cup liners in cupcake pans. Place finely chopped chocolate in a bowl and pour hot coffee over it. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for a few minutes. Remove plastic and stir until smooth. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. In a mixing stand, beat eggs for a few minutes until they become a pale yellow. Beat in oil, buttermilk, and raspberry extract .  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly add the chocolate. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into the lined cups–about 3/4 way. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Prepare Raspberry Filling: Place all raspberry sauce ingredients in a medium sized, heavy saucepan. Simmer on medium-low until berries have broken down and the sauce has thickened. Approximately 10-15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. *If you don’t want seeds in your filling, puree the raspberries in a blender and strain before cooking. (Biggest pain in my butt!) 

Prepare Chocolate Ganache: Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for a few minutes. Remove plastic and add framboise—stir until smooth and glossy. Allow ganache to cool completely before frosting. *If you wish a fluffier “whipped” frosting, allow ganache to cool completely before transferring to a stand mixer. On medium-high speed, whip until you reach the desired consistency. This is what we did.

Assemble Cupcakes: Once all items have been prepared, fill a piping bag with a small round tip with the raspberry filling. Fill another piping bag with the ganache. Taking one cupcake, place the tip of the raspberry filled bag into the cake and squeeze in a few teaspoons of the filling. Be careful not to “inject” too much or your cupcakes will implode  Finally with the piping bag filled with ganache, pipe/decorate swirls on top of the cupcake. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

I was fired from making the ganache.  There is a way that you are supposed to mix hot and cold and this recipe doesn’t tell you how.  I would suggest looking it up somewhere else.  I would tell you how my sister ended up making it right, but I don’t know.  I told you, she fired me.

Someone else really liked the cupcakes!

For the other recipes look them up or comment and I’ll send you a link!

I Am… Aquagirl

Well, I did it.  Last weekend was the aquabike race in Santa Barbara.  For those of you who are unaware, an aquabike is 2/3 of a triathlon.  Swim, Bike, and NO RUN 🙂 Perfect for someone who, let’s say, broke a rib and couldn’t run for 4 months.  The swim was 1600 m or 1 mile.  It was in the ocean and it was FREEZING!! It took me a good 5 minutes to calm down my breathing from the shock of the arctic-like temperatures. There were a handful of people who did not wear wetsuits.  I question their sanity.  Chad had decided to challenge me to see who could get the fastest time out of the water.  Guess who won? That’s right kids! Girls rule and Boys drool! Chad’s time: 36:08    My time: 34:14

War wound on my neck courtesy of my wetsuit

Next we hopped on the bike.  It was a 35 mile ride through the gorgeous seaside landscape.  If it wasn’t raining and the course didn’t involve some of the longest climbs and switchbacks that I’ve done, I would’ve really enjoyed myself.  Actually, it wasn’t horrible and I wasn’t terribly upset with my time.  Chad beat me on the bike, but we didn’t have a bet for that one so it doesn’t count. My total time was: 2:49:58  This landed me in 13th place of all the females in the aquabike.  If they would have split it up into age groups, I would have gotten 1st.  So that’s what I’m telling everyone.  It’s not like I’m really lying.

Post-race Legs up the Wall stretch

What else is there to do in Santa Barbara besides a tri? Eat…

Dirty Chai, my favorite!

Red Velvet Pancakes. Don’t judge, I was carb loading for the race 😉

 

And… wine, wine, and wine!  We made it to about 5 tasting rooms in Santa Barbara and one vineyard in Santa Ynez.  Rideau/La Presa Vineyard was quite amazing, actually.  For your $10 tasting you sample about 10 wines.  They were also having a super deal while we were there so we left with 1/2 case of wine for less than we would pay at BevMo.

That night after the race we crashed early.  Not too early to miss all the celebrities staying at our prestigious Motel 6.  There was also a dog show taking place and we had the honor of staying in the same hotel as all the contestants.  I couldn’t help but quote Best In Show all weekend.

I still haven’t really cooked so here is another recipe that I have been waiting to share with you:

Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kabobs with Pomegranate Relish (adapted from Epicurious)

• 3 1/2 T, plus 2 1/2 tsp, and 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 T, plus 2 tsp Baharat seasoning (I used oregano, coriander, cumin, and nutmeg)
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed
• 1/2 T honey
• 1/4 cup Tahini
• 1 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (Trader Joes has pomegranates pre-seeded)
• 2/3 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 1/2 T, plus 2 T olive oil
• 4 boneless chicken breast halves, each cut into thirds
• Warm pitas

1. Combine 3 1/2 T lemon juice, 1 T Baharat seasoning,honey, and garlic in a medium bowl.  Stir to blend.  Whisk in tahini and season to taste with salt.  Set aside and keep at room temp. 2. Mix pomegranate seeds, pistachios, parsley, 2 1/2 T olive oil, and 2 1/2 tsp lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let stand at room temp. 3. Whisk together 2 T lemon juice, 2 T olive oil, 2 tsp Baharat seasoning.  Add chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature.  4. Preheat broiler.  Thread chicken onto metal skewers.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Broil chicken until cooked through (5-6 minutes each side).  5.  Serve with tahini mixture, pomegranate relish, and warm pita. 

Moroccan My Tastebuds

Being from Southern Missouri there are certain things that are just in my blood.  Like owning a pair of cowboy boots and every now and then letting a “y’all” slip out.  To celebrate Independence Day my friends and I went to see Darius Rucker and Miranda Lambert. Yee Haw! It was one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a while and the fireworks afterwards were awesome!

Summertime is a time for grilling.  So to honor that tradition I whipped up something a little different.  Bison Burgers. Bison is higher in nutrients and lower in calories and fat compared to beef.  Typically when you buy it in the store it is grass-fed too. The American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Dietetic Association all endorse the consumption of buffalo meat as part of healthy, low-fat, low-cholesterol diets. When grilling it be careful… it doesn’t have the same amount of fat as beef so it’s really easy to over cook it! I served the burgers with sweet potato tater tots (umm heaven? Yes!) and a little sauce to dip them in.

Maple Yogurt Dip

• 1 individual serving of plain yogurt (or soy like I used)
• 1 1/2 T maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and serve! Summertime is also time for white wine.  I picked this one because I love turtles but it was also really tasty.  Cold wine is perfect when its hot out! And, when your A/C is broken.  I’m not getting into that right now because I may have to cry myself to sleep. Anyway, the wine…

You all know the mild obsession I have with quinoa.  Well I have come up with yet another creation that I have dubbed Moroccan Quinoa.  And one of my taste testers at lunch today came up with the witty title for today’s post.  I told her I was stealing it so it’s not plagiarism.  😉

Moroccan Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 T olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 1 lb chicken, cubed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp all-spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup dried apricot, chopped
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Bring broth and quinoa to a boil.  Turn down heat, add all-spice and cinnamon, and simmer. In the meantime, heat the oil in a skillet.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the oil until no longer pink and slightly browned. Continue to check on the quinoa.  When there is about 1/4 of the liquid left (about 10 minutes) add the apricots and continue to cook.  When the liquid is gone, remove from heat.  Add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and enjoy! Stay cool my friends, because I can’t! Seriously this A/C issue is not cool.  Ugh, no pun intended!

 

Case of the Mondays

Yesterday I totally had a case of the Mondays! Work Sunday night was brutal! Our computer system bit the dust so we had to go back to the dark ages of hand written tickets. Makes you appreciate technology when you have to hand write tickets for over 30 tables, for which you were the lone server. Needless to say I got home late but still got up early to get in a run before work.

Tonight I pulled together a pretty tasty little meal.  If you are stuck in the “chicken and rice” rut, try this out.  A while back I found a recipe for Peanut Poi Sauce in Natural Health Magazine.  Topped on grilled chicken it is delicious. This recipe makes a ton so I froze the leftovers which I was able to defrost on a day like today.

Peanut Poi Sauce

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
• 1/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 4 T agave nectar
• 3 T brown sugar
• 2 T fish sauce
• 2 T red curry paste

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, whisking regularly, until sauce is creamy. Serve over grilled chicken or a dipping sauce for chicken skewers.

I paired the chicken with something I will call Coconut Curry rice.

Coconut Curry Rice

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1-2 T red curry paste
• 1 cup brown rice

Bring coconut milk and water to a boil in a medium pot. Add curry paste and rice and reduce to a simmer.  I had to keep adding coconut milk and water to make sure it didn’t burn, so keep an eye on it.

And Ta-Da! A boring chicken and rice dinner gets some flavor.  With dinner I enjoyed a present from my brother-in-law.

Do you think that drinking from a Buddha bottle counts as meditating? I’m going with a yes 😉

Chef Dad

Although my parents built this house when I was in undergrad it’s still home.  After a day full of traveling I was really happy when my dad said that we would be making dinner at home. I have told you that my dad is an amazing cook so I was excited that he let me in on some of his secrets.

For an appetizer I made some pesto to put on a baguette. I got it all mixed up and then we realized oops! We forgot the most important part, the parmesan! I can say “we” because this is my dad’s recipe that he has in his head so it’s not my fault if he forgot to tell me:) I got the cheese in there and got to use my friend the food processor. All is well in the world again.

Papa’s Pesto

• 2 cups of fresh basil leaves
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup pinenuts (we used hazelnuts and it was delicious)
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cubes (use the real stuff its so much better)
• salt to taste
• about 1/4 -1/2 cup of olive oil

Pulse the first 5 ingredients a few times to start the process.  Turn the food processor on low and start gradually adding the olive oil until you get the consistency you want.  The blob of pesto should start moving as one unit.

For dinner we had surf and turf; Steak au Poivre and King Crab legs. Yum! Dad made his own mushroom risotto and steamed broccoli as sides.  This risotto is serious.  He used some baby bellas, dried crimini and shitakes, and mushroom essence. I don’t have to tell you how good it is do I? This picture really doesn’t do it justice.  I think that I was so excited to eat the beautiful meal that I couldn’t keep my hand steady to take a decent picture. Fail.

Dessert was on another level.  I made a little berry compote to put on top.  All you do is mix up your favorite berries (we used blackberries, strawberries and raspberries) with about 1 1/2 T of sugar for every 1 cup of berries.  I also put about 2 tsp of nutmeg on there too. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

This was only a minor supporting actor to the real star of the night. Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee Tart.  Take a minute and let that sink in.  My sister’s husband threatened to sleep over and eat the rest in the middle of the night before the rest of us could!

Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee Tart (stolen from my dad, adapted from the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ)

• premade pie crust
• 1 cup Whipping cream
• 1 cup half and half
• 4 oz semisweet choclate, finely chopped
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 1/2 T of sugar

Bake the pie crust as directed on the package. Preheat oven to 300*.  Bring cream and half and half to a boil in heavy large sauce pan.  Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk yolks and 2 1/2 T of sugar in large bowl to blend.  Gradually whisk in hot chocolate mixture.  Strain mixture.

Pour mixture into pie crust.  Bake until custard is set (170-170* F), about 20-25 min. Chill for at least 2 hours. Best if covered and chilled overnight.

Kanyon enjoyed her dinner too!

Of course ended up staying up late.

Yes, I finished book two in one day. I couldn’t stop myself.  But, I did not start the third one yet because I would like to have something to do on the plane on the way home 🙂

I will not go crazy!

I have no new delicious recipes to report.  I have no new inventive and inspired workouts to share.  I have just been trying to keep my head above water.  I have another one of those terrifying sessions with an actor/patient tomorrow.  The stress of preparing and listening to everyone in my class freak out is about to send me over the edge. Therefore, I have complied a list of the things I have been doing this week to prevent myself from having a mental meltdown:

1. Yoga.  This morning I woke up early and decided to do some yoga in my living room.  I will tell you that this is much easier to accomplish when you are not trying to downdog over your dogs.

2. Run.  I have been running outside this week.  It gives me time to clear my head. (and I get to sleep a little longer because I don’t have to go to the gym 😉 There are times that I am less than motivated to keep running so there are a couple little mind games I play.  Laugh all you want but they work for me. A. I count. Yup, that’s it.  I usually run the same trails so I know approximately how long it takes me so I literally count the minutes.  B. I sight a landmark to run to and then one further and further and so on.  C. When I was training for a marathon I read a book that said to make up a mantra to chant in your head and run to its beat. Here was mine, “I am a runner. A marathon runner. With each step I take I get stronger and stronger and stronger.”  D. I sing along with my music.  Sometimes out loud if there’s no one around.

3. Clean.  Seriously? Yes, seriously.  Especially this week because my parents are coming in town tomorrow too.

4. Meditate.  I have mentioned that I get migraines semi-regularly.  When talking to my extremely western medicine minded physician father he told me I should start meditating. I was shocked. I had been practicing yoga for several years and never thought to meditate outside class. I have a couple guided meditation apps on my phone.  One of them sent me a friendly reminder this week that it had been several weeks since I had used it.  If that isn’t a sign I don’t know what is!

5. Walk.  The pups and I just took a nice little half hour walk.  So what if it’s 10 pm.  They needed the exercise and I needed the cool air to calm me down.  We are all happier now.

6. Write.  Even though I should be scouring my notes for any possible scenario that may be thrown at me tomorrow I am finding this very helpful.

I am going to now hit the books for a little while longer before I do some meditating. I’m hoping that will help me sleep better tonight!

What are your stress relieving strategies?

Overcoming Challenges

This quote really hit me today.  Today we honor the man who gave up everything for equality.  This weekend was full of ups and downs that encompass the meaning of standing in time of challenge.

I volunteered with the medical team at the Rock and Roll Marathon here in Phoenix yesterday.  I stood on the finish line of the full “twenty-six point freaking two.” (stole that from a shirt someone was wearing)  Another one of my favorites was: “26.2 because 26.3 would just be crazy.” 🙂 Having completed one of these bad boys in my lifetime I know the pain.  It is so inspiring to see young, old, experienced, and first-timers all cross the same line. In that moment they have overcome an incredible challenge and move across the finish line as equals: marathon runners.  Here are some pictures:

Ice packs!

dancing bananas

Volunteering at the finish line

The First Wheelchair Finisher, so inspiring!

Finishing hand in hand

I have had a very challenging weekend emotionally.  Life is sometimes not fair to good people.  A very good friend of mine got the worst news imaginable right before the race.  She ran that race with a dedication in her heart and finished with an amazing time.  That girl showed more courage and strength than anyone I know.  Sometimes being a friend means nothing more than sitting and letting your friend cry on your shoulder.  When words mean nothing, be silent and just be there.  My heart breaks to see my friend in so much pain and not be able to make it ok.  I love you girl, you can use my shoulder anytime you need to.

Back to my roots

First, I must apologize.  I forgot to tell you a major part of making the poblano peppers. Make sure you are super careful when you are cleaning out the seeds.  I meant to bring home some gloves from school but, I forgot that too.  A couple years ago I was making my first attempt at stuffed poblanos. As I was cleaning them all of a sudden I had to sneeze. I went to cover my nose and… oops! Immediately my face turned bright red! It is comical now but we tried everything. Chad even made me snort milk. Hey, you feel like your face is on fire and you will do anything.  I eventually kept my head in a cold shower for about 30 minutes before it subsided.  Learn from my mistake and be careful and wash your hands vigorously!

Tonight for dinner I went for southern cooking. They are always making shrimp and grits on Top Chef so I wanted to try it.  I looked up a “lighter” version. It kinda looked a little bland so I seasoned the shrimp with a cajun seasoning I have and used minced garlic instead of just powder.

It suggested that you serve it with some sauteed greens.  I saw a recipe in a magazine while I was at the doctor’s office today for kale so I whipped up something like it from memory.

Sauteed Kale

• 1/4 cup of turkey bacon cut into little bits
• 2 cups of kale
• 1.4 cup of white wine vinegar
• 1-2 oz goat cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the turkey bacon until crisp. Add kale and vinegar. You may have to add a tiny bit of oil to the pan if you use extra lean turkey bacon like I did.  Saute until the kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates and top with a little goat.cheese.

Right now we are watching Extreme Home Makeover.  Tonight’s episode is in Joplin, Mo.  I grew up in Springfield, Mo which is only 45 minutes away from Joplin so this really hit  home for me. The destruction that was caused by the tornado back in May was so devastating. Seeing how so many joined together to help all those people was exremely touching.  Makes you restore your faith in humanity. I’m proud to say that I’m from the Midwest!

Add a little heat

One of the main reasons I decided to focus on these “mental meltdowns” is because I suffer from migraines. Approximately once every month or two I feel like someone is stabbing me in the eyeball for about 12 hours. It’s really pleasant. After the stabbing pain subsides I feel like I was out all night partying like a rockstar. They call it the migraine “hangover.” Because I would have rather gone to bed than anything else I had to do today I brought in reinforcements.

Yerba Mate. Nice little tea. It has a ton of benefits like helping with energy and mental clarity (which I really needed) and it is packed with antioxidants. Check out this website for more info about it. I added a tiny bit of honey and cinnamon. It gave me the kick in the pants I needed to teach a great class.

I was STARVING after teaching so I was glad that I prepped dinner so Chad could start broiling the peppers while I drove home. Polenta-Stuffed Poblano Peppers = yum! I have been curious to try polenta so when I found this recipe I was excited. I used some pre-cooked polenta from Trader Joe’s so I added 2 T of milk to help mix it with the corn and goat cheese. We also enjoy things on the spicy side so I added some cayenne pepper and jalapenos to the sauce. I roasted 3 cloves of garlic with the tomatoes and onions for the sauce too. Even though this was a *gasp* vegetarian dish we both really liked it.

Well, it’s Thursday so I must get back to my Grey’s and Private Practice. It’s been a long week and I am ready for this three-day weekend. I am working in the medical tent at the Rock and Roll Marathon so I’ll have some stories!