resolution update

Since it is now February, I've decided to update y'all on my resolutions! I am still trying to cook as much as I can, but it's harder now that school is kicking into high gear. I also have my new job - I got an assistantship with one of my professors from last semester. So Tuesday and Thursday afternoons are spent holed up in "my" office, completing random projects on top of all the other work and reading I have to do for my actual classes. Not that I'm not grateful; I really am. My professor is so connected, and I have to admit that most of the time I have a blast, especially with the undergrad I work with, Ali.


So while cooking may not be at the top of my to-do list after 8 hour days (yeah, I'm gonna starve in the real world), I have kept up with resolution #2: exercise more. My friend Staci and I started the "Couch to 5k" program two weeks ago. I just finished week 2 today, and let me tell you, this is no piece of cake for my lazy behind! I end up running around 2 miles, 3 times a week. I am NOT looking forward to finishing this program (especially because it overlaps with spring break - yuck! I just want to eat good Southern food on break, not run!), but I know it'll be good for me. I am be no means a runner, but I at least have bathing suit season in the back of my mind to keep me motivated.


As far as reading goes, I found that I read SO much for school that I just don't even want to pick up a magazine. So I'm amending that resolution (hey, it's my resolution, I can do whatever I want!): I'm going to watch movies. Lots of movies. All the classics, all the new releases I didn't get to see, all the ones I always heard about and never watched. It's about time I get some good use out of my Netflix membership!


That's the update for now. Being the wonderful Southern hostess that I am, I am hosting a Super Bowl party this Sunday for a bunch of my Boston friends! I'll update you Sunday or Monday with recipes, pictures, and let you know how it all went!

Snowed-Out

No, I am not actually snowed-out of my apartment or anything like that, but this constant barrage of snow is becoming quite tiresome. I know it's my fault for moving to Boston from sunny South Carolina. I know I brought this upon myself. But if I had any idea it would snow THIS MUCH, I don't think I would have moved!


Don't get me wrong, the snow is beautiful at times. When I can be inside, bundled up all nice and warm with a blanket and some tea, the snow is lovely. It makes the outside world sparkle. It's nice to take a pause and relax, slow down, and enjoy the winter wonderland. However, the winter wonderland only last so long. Once this beautiful, white, fluffy snow turns to mush, it becomes messy, dirty, and unattractive. Melting snow is a mess. 


I'm going to quit complaining, suck it up, and learn to love (or at least tolerate) all this snow. After all, if I'm ever going to live in a snowy city, my 20s is the time to do it. I found this recipe from Bobby Deen (Paula Deen's son) and thought that a nice, yummy, healthy chili would be just the thing to get me out of my should-be snow-day slump. (I mean, come on, we got almost 10 inches!) I'm so looking forward to coming back from work tonight and making this hopefully delicious meal!

Update: This recipe is DELICIOUS!!!! I halved the recipe so I wouldn't waste the leftovers, but I'm somewhat regretting that decision. Super filling without being heavy and making you feel disgusting afterwards. Next time I'm going to try a little less chili powder and some red pepper flakes instead. Can't wait to heat up my leftovers :) 

Bobby’s Lighter Chili

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 green bell pepper diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeno peppers
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans petite cut diced tomatoes
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can red kidney beans
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans
1 cup medium salsa
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped scallions

Directions:
Heat oil in large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until the turkey is browned, about 6 minutes. Add the bell pepper, onion, celery, jalapeno, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, beans, salsa, chili powder, cumin, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended and the chili begins to thicken, about 1 hour. Serve with the cheese and scallions.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Yield:  8 Cups  

Per Serving: (1 cup) 260 Cal

Cooking Fiasco

I'm finally (somewhat) settled into my apartment again after being gone for a month, so I decided last night was the perfect night to refresh my culinary skills. One of my favorite new meals is stuffed peppers, thanks to Bethenny Frankel. Yes, the woman from Real Housewives of New York and other Bravo TV shows. I admit, I got sucked into the Real Housewives craze, and it is one of my guilty pleasures that I love TiVo-ing for snowy nights where I refuse to leave my apartment.

Her recipe is relatively simple, fast, and delicious! I've tried other recipes of hers from her website, but this is by far my favorite. I've changed my own version up a little bit, but here is her actual recipe:

• 6 peppers (cut off top and bottom and use them)
• 1 pound turkey meat
• 1 cup quinoa (cooked)
• ½ large onion
• 2 cups jarred tomato sauce
• 1.5 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp tabasco
• 2.5 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• 2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• Parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Cook for 30 minutes Prep Time 30 minutes

1. Cook quinoa per directions. Add one cup grain to 2 cups water. Boil, then simmer until water is gone
2. Crumble turkey meat with wooden spoon over medium heat.
3. While turkey meat is cooking, chop the tops and bottoms of peppers into pieces and combine with chopped onion, garlic salt and tomato sauce. Saute over medium heat and add remaining ingredients except the feta and pine nuts
4. Combine the above with cooked turkey, quinoa, pine nuts and feta cheese (save a small amount of feta to sprinkle on top later on)
5. Remove the inside of the peppers. Portion the mixture into each of the peppers and place them on a baking sheet. Top with feta cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Now, I use mixed Mexican cheese (like the kind you would use for tacos) instead of feta; leave out the pine nuts, thyme, tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce; and half the time I don't actually stuff it into a pepper. It tastes just as yummy if you put it in a casserole dish and bake it!

This supposedly easy dish has been a go-to of mine since moving in by myself. However, last night's dinner could not have been more of a fiasco if I tried. I couldn't open my tomato sauce, burned my meat, and overcooked the veggies. The quinoa however turned out perfect! :)

Voila! Not the actual recipe, but close enough!

Once that was in the oven, I decided to reward myself with some wine -- BAD idea. I cut myself on my corkscrew (it's cheap and doesn't really work properly), spilled wine all over myself and my floor, AND burned myself on one of the pans.

All in all, last night was a disaster. Will it stop me from cooking this delicious dish again? No. But I will be investing in a better corkscrew, and I will always open my tomato sauce BEFORE everything is done cooking!

If you decide to try this recipe, let me know how you like it!!

my new years resolution

First and foremost, I want to wish everyone a very happy new year! I hope you all had fun celebrating with family and friends, food and fun, sequins and champagne - or a combination of those. I had a fabulous time celebrating with some dear friends in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a nice change of pace from my so far quiet Christmas break. In a few days I will be headed back to Boston for my second semester of graduate school; it's hard to believe I'm already a third of the way done!


As a soon-to-be communications professional, my first new years resolution is this blog. Now, let me follow that by saying I am a horrible blogger. I have had several assignments in grad school that required me to keep a blog, and I hated it. Mostly because I was too busy to keep up with writing every day but also because I felt as if nothing I had to say was important enough. Well, that ends here! No more self-deprecation for me! I am a fun, vibrant, exciting young twenty-something, and I am going to share that with the world.


In this blog I will explore all of my favorite things - clothes, shoes, cooking, the entertainment industry, sports, advertising, etc. My interests are diverse, but isn't it more fun to mix it up a bit rather than do the same, boring blog post every day? I think so! Starting now, I want to take more time to voice my opinions about what is going on in the world, whether it be Kate Spade's new spring line or what's the newest trend in social media. Hopefully you'll bear with me and maybe even find something insightful!


A few other resolutions I have:

Expand my culinary horizons.

I like to cook. I really do. But cooking the same recipes over and over again gets really tiring. I want to try to expand my cooking abilities; I've mastered a few easy recipes, but every now and then it'd be nice to cook myself a little something special. Try something fancy after I ace that theory test or get an A on a writing piece. More than anything else, I want to have fun with it - this is supposed to be a stress reliever, not a stress inducer!

Exercise more.

I feel like everyone has this resolution, but I really do have it in my head that I want to run a 5k. I'm not much for exercise - I'd much rather go on a nice walk on the beach than a run around the track. But there's no time like the present to get in shape, and it'll only get harder as I get older. Plus, as I'm sure you'll soon learn, I'm a semi-paranoid person, so anything that can make me healthier is sure to benefit me in the long run.

Read more for pleasure, even when school starts back up.

There are SO many amazing books out there, but I feel like I don't have time for any of them. My goal this break was to read at least 3 books, and I failed. Even when I get wrapped up in the craziness of school, I want to be able to have a good book to fall asleep reading. Even if it takes me months, I'm determined to read more classics!

That's about enough for a first post. If you have any favorite recipes I should try or books I just have to read, let me know!