Veggie Chili

Being back in MN for the holidays is wonderful. Still getting pampered. But, sometimes I have to help out as well :) The family is so wonderful about my desire to eat vegetarian. Who knows how long this "project" will last, but I really enjoy not having meat in my diet. Anyhow. Mom asked me to make dinner for my dad and Nathan while she was at Grandma's. Mom suggested veggie chili. I was only half listening when she was doling out instructions :) so I agreed to cook something that I have never actually made. Ooops. The final product was quite tasty. Although, I certainly wouldn't call it chili. Chili in my mind will always give you gas and must be consumed with large amounts of cheese. This soup, except maybe for those not accustomed to large amounts of fiber, will not give you gas. And, it didn't pair well with cheese. Definitely not chili. It did however, pair nicely with corn bread. The recipe is adapted from a few recipes I found online. Here's my best recollection of what I made. Wish I had pictures...

Veggie Chili/Soup

2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (mine was yellow), diced

1 tablespoons jarred garlic – probably 3 cloves of fresh

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 carrots, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes including the liquid

2 cups water

2 cups vegetable broth

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained

Directions

1.     Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.

2.     Add onions. Cook until soft.

3.     Add spices and cooked until fragrant.

4.     Add the rest of the vegetables. Cook until beginning to soften. (I like vegetables in soups to be a little hard still, you could probably increase this cooking time if you like softer veggies in soup).

5.     Add tomatoes, water, and vegetable broth.

6.     Simmer for 45 minutes.

7.     Bring soup to a boil.

8.     Add beans.

9.     Reduce heat and simmer for 30 more minutes.

Reflection

Hello blog world,

It’s wonderful to take a break from reality (never mind the stack of papers I have to grade and the lessons I still need to plan) and sit at home. I love coming “home” to Minnesota. Even though I live in Indiana and I have a wonderful home with Nathan, coming to my parents’ house is comforting and warm and feels so good. It’s nice to be taken care of when I feel as though all I do is care for others.

Today I went to my old high school and had some wonderful conversations with two of my high school mentors. It was so fantastic to talk to them as colleagues, but to still have them share their wisdom with me in ways that make sense to me. They can still see me as their student and can use that knowledge to help me continue to grow as  a professional. I hope I grow to understand my students in the same way. I hope that in 5 years or 10 years a student can come to me for help and I can still offer them the support that they need.

Walking into my high school makes me think about what I want for my students. I am under no illusion that my high school is perfect and meeting the needs of all students, but there are clearly things working in the building. I know that they have students with challenging lives and students who need tremendous support to get through the day and the year, but there is not the overwhelming culture of panic in the building that I experience on a daily basis.

As I brainstormed with these two teachers about how to be more effective in my classroom two main pieces of advice came through:

1.    Don’t take the politics and current educational climate personally. I am facing a tough evaluation and rehiring process in my district and there is a good chance that as a first year teacher, I wont be back. I want to go back, but it may not be possible. But, I still have a job to do and students to reach and they need me to keep what happens in my classroom consistent and rigorous. They still need to learn. And while I (and the other teachers) are scared and frustrated, the students should not feel our frustration. I have only been doing this for 3.5 months and have a long road ahead of me, so if I keep plugging away and doing what I need to do, eventually I will be a great teacher. 

2.    Continue to reflect. I made a comment to one of my mentors that I have been enjoying reading another one of my high school mentors blogs. She is the most reflective teacher I know and probably one of the best teachers I know and knowing and understanding her students. I always thought in high school that she had it all figured out. Now I clearly see that she doesn’t. I think it’s fantastic. My mentor essentially said – I hope she doesn’t and I hope no one ever does. He’s so right. Complacency is not going to help our educational system improve. Constantly changing, adapting, learning, and reflecting is only going to continue to make teachers improve and therefore the ability (cognitively and socially) of our students will continue to improve.

I feel renewed to go back and face whatever my job hands to me. I’m not there yet (and I may never be there) but I have passion and determination.

7 Weeks In

I have been a teacher for 7 weeks. Perhaps that is enough of an explanation of why I have not been blogging much recently, perhaps not. These last 7 weeks have at times felt like a year has gone by and other times it feels as though seconds have past. I have not had enough time to do anything, yet I have accomplished so much.

A few highlights:

1. I am seen as a colleague and an expert. I do not feel as though I have enough skills and to be considered the first let alone the second. But, it does feel good knowing that my opinions are respected and valued.

2. Nathan and I moved - again. But, I no longer commute an hour and 20 each way. Now I drive 10 minutes each way! The house, while still a little chaotic feels like a home. Which is good because I had to give up my MN driver's license and that did not feel good.

3. Some students hate me and others love me. Yes it's a highlight to have students dislike you for making them work. It is school and students should be working, learning. It is my goal every day to make learning meaningful and relevant, but sometimes that means doing a few unpleasant tasks. The students who say "good morning" and ask me how I am doing make me want to come back everyday and teach.

My desk - classroom photos will have to follow!

Blissful Weekends

Back in June, for our anniversary Nathan and I spent 2 days and 1 night in Indianapolis just to get away for a little while. Going on a mini-vaca is not in the cards for the last two weeks of summer. But, perhaps I can create the feel of our little romantic getaway at home. I'm thinking pancakes or crepes with fresh fruit and tea and a walk to the farmers market or some where else pretty in Muncie.

Lunch at Yats. Delicious.

Afternoon snack,  wine tasting...ended up being free. How lucky!

Dinner and listening to music at the Italian Festival

More food than anyone can eat for breakfast!

Not sure what that herb is!

Breakfast at Taste. Right down the street from the hostel.

 

Spring and Summer Cooking

Recently my cooking has been sub par. So to re-inspire my cooking I decided to post two of my favorites from the late spring and early summer. I've got a lot of back logged recipes to share with you all. Here's a taste :)

Veggie Burgers 

(I feel bad that I can't remember where I found the recipe that I adapted this from.) Paired it with home made pita chips, hummus, and fried zucchini. 

1.     Peel 2 pounds of red potatoes

2.     Boil potatoes until soft. Drain and let cool

3.     In a small bowl, combine:

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

½ tsp freshly ground

1 tsp salt

4.     In a food processor, combine

1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

½ cup coarsely chopped carrot

1 jalapeño, seeded and quartered

¼ cup coarsely chopped red onion

5.     In a large bowl, mash potatoes

6.     Then add 1 cup dry bread crumbs, spice mix, and chick pea mixture

7.     Form into patties

8.     Pan Fry

9.     Top burgers with:

Sautéed spinach and onion 

Feta cheese

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 

I always make a pie for major holidays. Nathan requested strawberry Rhubarb Pie. I used my moms crust recipe and then a new filling recipe. Flavor, big stars! But, it was the runniest pie I have ever made!

 

Filling Recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs Brown Eyed Baker .

Moving House

I’ve done a lot of moving recently and I have a sneaky suspicion I’ll be moving a fair number of times before I settle into one house for more than a few months.

Nathan and I moved into a really nice apartment – not so nice carrying everything to the second floor! I’m sad to not have my own place any more, but excited to start a new chapter of my life. At least I have a room for all my stuff and he has a room for his – I don’t have to totally downsize my belongings just yet!

Seymour likes moving!

Old living room

New living room

 Yes, it looked like this for a few days. It doesn't any more! More pictures soon!

Summer Goals Update 2

1. Well, I did a whole lot better on the grocery shopping....but I ate out WAY too many times. So I think the last two weeks have been an epic fail here!

2. Well, let's just say that life has gotten in the way of my reading. It's a good thing I promise! I am fairly certain that I will have plenty of quality book listening time (3 hours a day in the car) because....

3. I GOT A JOB!!!!!!! I'll be teaching secondary Health and PE at an Indianapolis Public School. I’m a little nervous to day the least, but I can’t wait to do what I set out to do so many years ago!

A little timeline for you:

July 12: Interview #3
July 13: Accepted job!
July 20: Signed all official paperwork
July 22: Get ID and go to first teacher meeting
August 1: New Teacher Orientation
August 2-5: Teacher meetings, set up classroom and office, finish planning the first few week of instruction.
August 8: School Starts!


EEEEEEKKKKK! Did I mention that I moved last week and that I have a huge work Project to finsih?!


Good thing I like to busy! So thankful that things are falling into place.

Summer Goals Update 1

I'm doing alright on my summer goals.

1. Well, I broke down and shopped at WalMart. I sold my soul and it totally was NOT worth it. Everyone always raves about how much cheaper WalMart shopping is. But, in my experience (granted this was a one time, multi-variable experiment) my grocery bill was not significantly cheaper (perhaps it has to do with the types of food I tend buy). The only thing I will consider buying again were the WalMart frozen veggies. Definitely cheaper. However, when weighing the pros and cons, I'd rather shop elsewhere,  keep my soul, and spend an extra 50 cents on veggies.

2. I finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I really enjoyed it! Being able to be first on the waiting list for a brand new book is one of perks of living in a small town! My mom said she's number 300 at her library and she requested it long before I did!

Interview one outfit. I was wearing stockings.

3. No job yet. However, I have had 1 interviews and have a follow up scheduled and I have another interview this week. So practice makes perfect! Right?

Summer Goals

1. Spend less on groceries, eat more.

I read a blogger who has been feeding her family on $50 week. I tend to spend about $40 a week for 2. I figure if she can successfully scale back, so can I. I’m only feeding 2. So, I’m going to try to spend less and eat more. Meaning, no more wasted veggies or moldy bread. I’ll need to get better at freezing food and only buying what we can consume in a week – even if it means slightly more boring meals. 

2. Read more books.

            - State of Wonder, Ann Patchett

            - The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafon

- Darkness Before Dawn, Susan Draper (This one is part of a young adult trilogy that has been a huge hit with young teens and high school students).

3. Find a job.

Meet Seymour

Meet Seymour. Nathan and I have a lovely new addition to our home. 

This is my very first pet. Well, I suppose I had a hamsters in elementary school and I have had fish on and off since 5^th grade (Chrissy was my longest living fish of 4.5 years). But, really no pets that needed a lot of my care (thanks mom and dad). I’m pretty excited to have a real pet!

Needed a bath!

All Wet

Found a Perch!

Taking a nap!

Teaching Demo

Monday's quote of the day was: "A real person is not afraid of trying." It was a great motivator.

This past Monday, I did a teaching demonstration down in Indianapolis. I went in with a standards-based lesson that allowed students to learn about a skill theoretically, see a demonstration of the skills, practice the skill, and then demonstrate the skill back to me and their peers for feedback. I gave it my all, and it turned out well! Of course there are things that I can work on, but I am very happy with the way my 30 minutes of instructional time went.

Being in the classroom again was fantastic. I've been out of the classroom for over a year now. And while I have been teaching (tutoring, leading girl scouts, and subbing) I have not been solely responsible for planning effective lessons for a while.

I came out of the demonstration feeling rejuvenated. I go through waves of excitement and then fear and dread about what the Fall will look like for me. But, I am excited. Perhaps I'll be in Indianapolis.

A special thanks to Nora for her support and encouragement and great Facebook  brainstorming!

Sweet Potato Rolls

I've been blogging a lot about food recently. But, when you don't have any time to pour into other creative outlets, it only makes sense to cook a little bit more creatively. We all have to eat anyway, so why not make it interesting. 

I guess I'm also pretty lucky to have a human vacuum cleaner at my table with me most nights. He appreciates the great, even the good meals, and never complains about the sub-par. 

Today's adventure was sweet potato dinner rolls. It came from the weight watchers cook book from 2006. I'm not actually on weight watchers, but when you find a decent cook book for $2 at Goodwill, you buy it.

YUM!

I only made a half recipe. 36 rolls for 2 people seemed extreme - not that 18 is that much better! They were super sweet - almost dessert like - almost.

Refigerator Sweet Potato Rolls 

(Weight Watchers 2006)

Rolls:

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 packages dry yeast (I used fast acting)

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 cup warm water

3/4 cup warm milk

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp grated orange rind

1 large egg, lightly beaten (I used farm fresh again!)

5 cups bread flour, divided (I used all-purpose and it worked fine)

Glaze (I don't think it's necessary):

1 tbs melted butter

1 tsp grated orange rind

1 tbs orange juice

1. Bake sweet potatoes (I did it in the microwave - 5 min, flip, 7 min - since I really didn't want to spend an hour with my oven at 400 degrees when my house is already too hot).

2. While potatoes cool dissolve yeast + 1 tsp brown sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.

3. Add milk, the rest of the brown sugar, butter, salt, and orange rind. Stir until sugar dissolves.

4. Add egg.

5. Mash sweet potato. 

6. Add in 1 1/2 cups.

7. Add 2 cups of flour. Stir.

8. Gradually add in flour until a soft dough forms.

9. Kneed on lightly floured surface.

10. Place dough in a lightly greesed bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

11. Let rise in the refrigerator for 8 hours - up to three days (I did mine for 6 hours, and it rose just fine).

12. Coat 3 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray.

13. Shape dough into 36 1 1/2 inch balls. Place 12 in each pan - not touching.

14. Let rise in a warm place for about 45 min or until doubled in size.

15. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

16. Uncover and bake for 15-18 minutes.

17. Make glaze and brush over warm rolls in pan.

18. ENJOY!

FYI: Apparently each roll has 111 calories. 3 g protein, 2.2 g fat, and 0.9 g fiber.

Best Cookies Ever

I've been craving white chocolate macadamia nut cookies since my dad brought me back my favorite macadamia nuts from Hawaii over a month ago. 

Yesterday I baked. I don't know if it was the farm fresh organic eggs, the real butter, the Ghirardelli white chocolate, or the authentic Hawaiian macadamia nuts that made the cookies, but they are melt in your mouth delicious. Sooo glad I didn't make a whole recipe :)

I got the recipe from a very yummy looking blog. I'll have to try more of her stuff soon!

ps not sure why i can't get rid of the italics.....

Teacher Fair

"To be wise, go out a meet people."

- African Proverb

How perfect is this quote. And it was today's - the day I had six interviews at the teacher fair.

Yesterday was spent navagating through tons of applicants to find schools/corporations with potential Health or Health/PE posting and then finding a time slot on the schools interview sign up to squeeze my name. Well, I made it onto six lists. After today, a few sound interesting a few are just not going to work out. If all else fails, I had a lot of practice talking and I certainly met and networked with a lot of people.

On to the thank you notes...

Quick Break to Blog

May 3rd

"Keep your eyes on your destination and not where you stumbled." 

- Nigerian Proverb

Over the last few weeks I have been cleaning my house in Indiana and I cleaned my closet in Minnesota. I've gathered 2 boxes full of junk and clothes hat I have accumulated over the last 23 years and priced it to sell in a garage sale.

One of the not so junky things I came across in my cleaning was an African Quote Calendar that Dad gave me a few years ago for Christmas (he always gives me a calendar - sometimes 2). This one rocks for a number of reasons:
- It doesn't have a year on it so it can be used over and over agian.
- Sometimes the translation of a traditional proverb is hilarious and makes no sense in English.

Today's quote seemed very fitting for this exact moment of my life. Since January, I have applied for 19 jobs (teaching and otherwise). I have 3 of them (all part time).

The count:
- 3 jobs
- 4 interviews
- 3 rejection letters
- 1 that called to set up an interview, didn't show for the interview, and never called back
- 1 that said I am in the second pile of potential candidates (in case no one from the first pile takes the job)
- 10 that I have yet to hear anything about. (I still have my fingers crossed on 2 of them!)

Tomorrow I am attending the Teacher Fair on campus and hope for the best. I have my list of top schools to talk to and a stack of resumes. I have a professional outfit picked out and plan on showing up confident but not cocky, mature but not stuffy, and flexible but not desperate.

I know I will be a great teacher. I wont be perfect and I know there will be days that I get frustrated. I know I will fail at times but I KNOW I can make a difference in the lives of students. I am passionate and competent and eager to keep learning. 

I will forget about the 16 stumbles and I will find a job, that I love - hopefully tomorrow :)

Vegetarian Challenge

The new project isn't a craft project - it's me trying to get healthy again. I kept telling myself that I would get back on track after I got a full time job - routines definitely are good to my body. But, alas, the full time job still alludes me so, it's time for action.

Now, I know eating vegetarian doesn't automatically make you healthier. In fact, it is really easy to over eat on certain foods/nutrients (think cheese and carbohydrates) and really easy to under eat on other foods/nutrients (think complete proteins).

I have been meat free for a week now and while I've noticed digestive changes - no weight change yet. Although, I know it will take time to see real improvement in energy levels and body weight.

Last night I made a zucchini "casserole" - should have been called zucchini quiche. It was tasty but very eggy.

Zucchini Casserole 

 Tonight I made "Mary Lou" Casserole. Any one whose knows this recipe knows it's not vegetarian. Well, it was tonight after I used soy protein (meat substitue) instead of ground beef. For someone who has never experienced the joy of Mary Lou Casserole, it would have been fantastic. But, it just wasn't the same as the real thing. I guess I'll keep experimenting with ways to get quality protein in my diet.

Modified Mary Lou Casserole

Next step: Increase the exercise :)

Mary Lou Casserole*

1 box of pasta (tastes best with white pasta - healthier with wheat)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Diced onion
1 family sized can of tomato soup (don't add water)
1 pound of cheese (original recipe calls for velveta, I usually only put in about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar)
Shredded cheddar sprinkled on top
Basil and oregano to taste

1. Cook pasta (drain and rinse in cold water)
2. Brown meat and saute onion
3. Mix ingredients in a large bowl
4. Spread in a greased 9X13 casserole dish
5. Bake 30 min at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly and pasta on the top is slightly crispy.


* My family names our food after specific events or random thoughts that occur at the time of preparation. This recipe we ate for the first time at a family friends house and ever since that day (I was 5) it has been affectionately known as Mary Lou Casserole.

Working?

I have been trying to post this forever, but my internet keeps being dumb. 

There are some benefits to being "sort of" employed. I guess technically I have three jobs, but none of them are full time and only one is somewhat regular.

I have to say, there are a few perks to this irregular employment. I get to make my own schedule and I can take breaks pretty much when ever I want. Although, these are the down sides, too - I have to be totally accountable to myself and my bank account!

One of the perks of administering surveys for the Indiana State Department of Health, is that I get to travel all over the state. (Down side is that I am putting thousands of miles on my car). But, I've seen some pretty neat (and not so neat) places. Two weeks ago, Nathan joined me on a survey trip to southern-ish Indiana. we didn't stay there, although we are now planning a trip back. We headed over to Cincinnati, OH and Newport, KY. I love that this was a day of "work."

Three states in one day!

Authentic German Beer and Food in Newport, KY.

Hofbräuhaus

Proud of his beer.

I "helped..."

Spatzl with chicken

Pretzel with mettwurst

Shopping at Ikea. (No photos...apparently I forgot during this part of the day)

Buying yummy international food at Jungle Jim's.

Reminiscing about the first time we talked. That's a story for another day.

The first time Nathan and I talked was on a bus trip while we were passing through Eaton, Ohio. 

Since my whirlwind of three states, I haven't been anywhere interesting - just a lot of miles in Indiana.

YUM

Last week was a week of delicious food.

Sunday: Asian stir-fry with Chinese Eggplant, rice and chicken. I don't like regular eggplant, but while I was in London, I went out for Taiwanese food and tried Chinese Eggplant and it was delicious. I tried to recreate it for Nathan. It didn't taste a thing like I had hoped it would, but it was still delicious. 

Monday: For the men's counterpart to Valentines day, I made Nathan steak. Now, I have never made steak before - on a grill or indoors. So, I went to the actual butcher shop and asked the guy working there what I should make. I believe it was rib eye (which according to Wikipedia is good for indoor cooking). I Googled how to cook steak indoors, marinated the meat while I was at work and then cooked it, made bread, roasted garlic, steamed broccoli, and whipped up some Cajun sweet potato fires. I also bought him beer. I sound like Susie-homemaker. It was quite tasty and actually quite easy! 

Wednesday: We made falafal! I was a bit uneasy about "deep frying" in a pan, but in the end it turned out great. We made a "Greek" salad to go with it and a sour cream and cucumber sauce (this is when a food processor would come in handy). We'll make a few changes next time, but all in all - success!

Ireland

I feel a little less silly about celebrating and decorating for St. Patrick's day after spending some time in Dublin. I made this quote-thingy for my seasonal shelf - you may have seen it in some other pictures.

Then, as I was getting reading to post today, I realized that in all my blogging and adventuring last Fall, I some how never managed to blog about my trip to Dublin. So here are a few pictures of Dublin in honor of st. Patrick' Day.

Inside St. Patick's Cathedral

There he is, banishing the snakes.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick was a real man. And he banished the snakes from Ireland. But that's not all Dublin has to offer....

They have beer.

And buses

And convenience stores with yummy cheap food.

And yes, much much more. Like....

A stunning National Library

Beautiful Castles (Malahide) - this one is not in Dublin but a short train ride away.

And really cold water in the Irish Sea

 Can I go back now?