Someone Hire Me!

So remember how yesterday I was kinda down in the dumps. Well, today, from 10:00 til right now (4:36) I have been doing nothing but applying for jobs. And now I have two more interviews. Along with the interview I already did (more on that later) and the two I already had planned, my life seems to be back on track! Granted I did spent that whole time applying also finishing up the first season of How I Met Your Mother.

But about yesterday. Even though it was a sad post, it was actually a rather productive day. Let’s start at the beginning.

8:30 a.m.- I did a hands-on interview to be a professional house-keeper. I’m sure anyone who knows me is shocked. My parents know me to be pretty messy. Or cluttered. My friends will agree that while I’m not a slob, I’m also not a neat freak. And some other people probably do assume that I am in fact a slob. Boo on those people.

Anyway, I cleaned a bathroom for a half hour, got critiqued and even after inspecting my mediocre work, the interviewer still seemed mildly interested in me. Now what’s sad is that half-way through the cleaning I realized that I really really really don’t want this job. I don’t. Cleaning professionally is freaking hard and the chemicals aren’t good for my voice. This is what probably brought down my mood for the day. I am smart, educated, well-read, funny, cute and have so much to offer. And there I was, scrubbing the bathtub of some bro.

The worst part is that I am so desperate that if she offers it to me and I have nothing else going on, I will probably take that job. Just til something better comes around. But it’s part-time, pays 11 dollars an hour and I’m guaranteed to get out before 4:30. And most auditions are from 5-10 at night. So maybe I could suck it up for a little bit. Or maybe I’m deluding myself...

1:09 p.m.- I’m auditioning for Spring Awakening. Yes the big Broadway musical that jump-started the career of the horrible Lea Michelle. Yeah, I’m not afraid to say I think she’s horrible! Right, Maude? Even if Maude doesn’t read this, trust me she agrees.

The audition went well. I sang “Oh Darling” by the Beatles and I feel like I might actually have a shot. The auditors seemed ok with me and to be honest, I think I sang better than some of the other girls who auditioned around me. But you kinda have to have that attitude to get into this business. I played my flute and all was well.

1:30: I spontaneously auditioned for another theatre! It was for their season, and required a rock-esque song and a monologue. So I sang “Oh Darling” again and did a monologue. The auditors seemed to really enjoy both pieces. It’s nice to audition for people who actually want to see people do well. Know what I mean?

And after waking up early, and doing two auditions back to back, I still managed to fill out an application to a spice store downtown. Go me! I was exhausted when I got back home at 3, which would explain why I was so down and cranky (sleepy).

And though I sat at my kitchen table all day applying for jobs, I feel pretty good about the day. It’s late afternoon. I’ve had lunch (posted below) and I’m going to organize my house! This place is a mess! Also our toilet might be broken…..oh deary me, that’ll be an interesting post for tomorrow…jk

My lunch today:
A Goat Cheese- Sun-dried Tomato Sandwich on Pullman Bread. Yesterday I ate the same thing, but with Edamame Hummus. Also, a ton of cherries. Getting some fruit in!

Return of the Travelling Blog....kinda

So as you can see, I haven't written in a very long time. You know, basically all summer. I've been very on and off with the recipes. But my summer was all sorts of sporadic changes, with moving into a new apartment, moving out a week later into my boyfriend's place, moving back in, and taking a week off to go to Washington and Houston. Not much cooking to be done...

But this will be a new blog. I'm taking the advice of my teacher Jon Jory. I will write for 15 minutes every day. I consider most things I write to be non-fiction anyway, so keeping up with this blog with service both my non-fiction writing, letting my mom (and anyone else who may read this blog) know how my life is going and filling my time.

Let's start at the beginning. I moved to Washington last Friday, which means last Wednesday I left my home in New Mexico. And it was sad. And I cried a lot. In fact, I still cry a lot. I've uprooted my life once before. I left my childhood home and all my childhood friends in Oklahoma 4 years ago. And I cried, but proceeded to have great adventures. I left some friends and a boyfriend for a slightly unknown future in London. And I cried a lot more, but proceeded to have even better adventures.

So here I am, in Washington, having left a home, friends, and a boyfriend, crying a lot and waiting for the adventures to come. So far, it's been pretty bland....

The real world is not only hard, it's boring. I need to find a job, have auditions, rehearse, make a life for myself, oh and wait for my moving van to come! Hurrah!

It's kinda lonely here. Sure I'm living with two of my best friends (all we need is our Connecticut counterpart to come visit and the Quad will be a force once more!) But who I really miss is my best guy friend, someone I shared most of my days with for a year. Sure we still talk and text everyday. But it's only been a week. He'll start school soon and I'll hopefully have a job and rehearsals soon and we won't talk everyday. Maybe we won't take every week or every month. But for now, while I'm trying to make my way, I'm still sad and missing him.

I guess that's all I wanted to say today. This feeling has been living in a knot in my chest for the past week, so maybe writing it down, on the Internet, might make me feel a tiny bit better.

In honor of him, here's a link to how to create a watermelon keg. Which is exactly what he did two Sundays ago for my going away party.

Crack Brownies

I made these for a Tony party I had at my yet-to-be-finished house. I thought, oh they'll be great! Every one will eat probably 2 pieces and then they'll be all gone. Nope, everyone ate one, said "That is so good, but so sweet!" Then I proceeded to chomp down on all of them cos it's sugar crack. Chocolatey-sugar-crack!

Brownie Bars
from noshwithme.com

Ingredients
Brownies (9×13 pan, homemade or from a mix)
Vanilla frosting (homemade or from a can)
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup cup Peanut Butter
12 ounces chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Bake brownies and let cool completely. Frost brownies and refrigerate.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt peanut butter and chocolate, stirring constantly. Add chocolate mixture to cereal.
3. Spread mixture over frosted brownies. Refrigerate for one hour until set. Cut into bars.

Recipe adapted from Hoosier Homemade.

Notes:
- I used Marshmellow Fluff, not icing.
- Make sure to keep it refridgerated.

Enjoy!

Dexter Pie!

So for the past few days I have been obsessing about making Key Lime Pie. (Update: I called this post "Dexter Pie" because an episode of Dexter inspired to make this) And I got all my ingredients together, and prepped. Then the night before I was going to make it......a water line broke above my apartment and I had to vacate because of the water damage. Great. Just Great.
So I moved into my boyfriend's house and five days later finally got to make this pie. And it it sooooooooo good. The perfect summer treat.

Key Lime Pie
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

For the Pie:
- 5 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup key lime juice (or 10 key limes and juice them yourself. Worth it!)
- 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust (yeah, I used pre-made)

Meringue Topping:
- 3 egg whites (the perfect way to use those leftover whites!)
- 1/4 sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Combine the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix well. Pour into unbaked graham cracker shell.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Top with whipped topping and garnish with lime slices if desired, or this meringue!
4. Preheat broiler. With egg beater, whisk egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Slowly add sugar until meringue turns glossy. Increase the speed and continue whisking until meringue holds medium soft peaks. Top pie decoratively with meringue. Broil in the middle of the oven until meringue begins to brown on the top, about 3 minutes.

Notes:
- I juiced my own key limes. Totally worth it. And since my juicer is sitting my water-damaged apartment and I'm at a bachelor pad, I used a garlic press. Great idea! Just cut the limes into quarters and press!
- Don't use all five egg whites! It will take forever and create waaaay to much meringue.
- If you really want to you can whisk by hand, but that might make your hand fall off.
- Cool overnight in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Sandwich

I'm obsessed with my George Foreman Grill. I wrote about it in my post about smoked turkey and artichoke sandwich. And it has returned! Also, everything I bought this week is based around jalapenos. This is a great grilled cheese sandwich. And it reminds me of a sandwich I used to get at the Daily Grind in PC, OK.

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich\
from http://www.closetcooking.com

A jalapeno popper inspired grilled cheese sandwich with roasted jalapeno peppers, cream cheese, jack & cheddar cheese and crumbled tortilla chips for a bit of crunch.

Servings: makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients
-2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
-2 slices sour dough bread
-1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
-1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature
-1/4 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
-1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled

Directions
1. Place the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
2. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 8-14 minutes.
3. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily "pinch" off.
5. Assemble sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Notes:
- I added turkey slices for more protein.
- I also made a triple decker version because my sandwich bread is tiny.
- I know this is a lot of dairy in one sandwich, but totally worth it!

Enjoy!

Drunken Food: Watermelons

I got this off my Stumble Upon (the best and worst thing that has happened to me ever). Then I made these watermelon slices and sat outside in the sun, listening to local bands. It was the best!

Tequila-Infused Watermelon Slices
from http://www.marthastewart.com/315329/tequila-soaked-watermelon-wedges

Ingredients
-1 small seedless watermelon, red or yellow, quartered and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
-1 cup sugar
-3/4 cup water
-1/2 cup tequila
-1/4 cup Triple Sec
-2 limes, halved or cut into wedges
-Flaked sea salt or coarse salt

Directions
1- Arrange watermelon in a single layer in two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes. Bring sugar, water, tequila, and Triple Sec to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly. Pour syrup over watermelon wedges, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

2- Remove watermelon from syrup, and arrange on a platter. Squeeze limes over melon, and season with salt.

Notes:
- So I didn't think about the fact that boiling would take out most of the alcohol. Big Boo....Next time, I"m going to make the simple syrup (boil the sugar and water) then add the alcohol. That seems much better!

Enjoy!

Shrimp Pasta

So this is my favorite summer pasta dish, thus far. It's light, savory, loaded with flavor and nutrition. And it keeps well! Try this!

Shrimp Pasta with Feta
from The Healthy College Cookbook

Ingredients:
- 8 oz spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- Dried Oregano
- Dried Basil
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the pasta; cook according to the package. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until the onion is translucent. add the tomato sauce, chopped tomato and dash of oregano and basil. Cook until warmed through.
3. Add the white wine to the skillet and heat until the mixture is bubbling. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, 5-7 minute.
4. Toss the sauce and shrimp with the pasta and top with feta.

Notes:
- Use my tomato-basil sauce recipe! or just use a can of diced tomatoes (I got lazy once)
- This takes surprisingly no time. I think I timed prep as 20 minutes, and cook as 30 minutes.

Enjoy!