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House Hunting

June 10th, 2010 by Bonita

Last week, Ryan and I made the decision that we want to buy a house. So we immediately set about the business of educating ourselves on the process. Last Saturday, we drove by several houses on our list, and we met with a realtor on Monday. And we’ve got an appointment for sometime this weekend to go look at a block of houses. This is very exciting, and we’re both looking forward to having a nook to call our own. And despite having gotten rid of so many things from our move from Pearl to Hattiesburg, it still baffles me how much we’ve accumulated!

I think of Momma every day, but today I ran across her cookbooks. And it was a bittersweet and hard moment. What a wonderful woman who taught me to cook and play in the kitchen! Dad did too, they were both very involved cooks with us kids. But I distinctly remember nights when Mom’s experiments either went very well, and my dad hurriedly told her “Diane, baby, write down exactly how you made that!”. Other nights we had cans of Chef Boyardee or beef stew waiting on standby when even Bubblegum, our shaggy dog, wouldn’t eat the food. haha

As for the rest of life lately:

  • My summer Statistics class is so far so good, and I’m staying on top of reading the material and working the homework problems.
  • I’ve begun working out consistently again and write down when I workout on my calendar. Today Ryan and I walked/ran and then lifted weights.
  • The Season finale of Glee gave me goosebumps. It’s just feel-good stuff that makes me want to belt out a Journey song! :)

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Dallas Road Trip

May 28th, 2010 by Bonita

Karen and Rob are moving to Austin, TX this weekend, and April and Thomas are moving to Dallas, TX in approximately 6 weeks. April asked Karen and I if we would take a 2 day road trip with her to Dallas while she registered a new car tag. These are some notes I took along the trip:

  • April dubbed a weirdly shaped vehicle as a “mutt car“
  • Podnuh’s barbecue in Shreveport, LA has very tasty food.
  • Covering 1 mile in 30 min. in stockstill traffic is fine as long as Karen double-dares you to do jumping jacks with her outside the car…which we did. :)
  • The trip took about 12 hours to get there from H’burg to the hotel, mostly due to one-lane traffic 30 miles outside Dallas.
  • A horse that has the “typical” black and white cow spots is a “how” or a “horsey-cow“
  • I excitedly pointed out a pack of llama-like creatures which are called Alpaca, and Karen promptly demonstrated what she imagines they sound like.
  • Pappadeaux’s for dinner Tuesday night! I had the crawfish etouffee, which was spicy heaven. Karen had gumbo with andouille sausage and shrimp, and April had a cajun tilapia dish with butternut squash.
  • Wednesday morning, we sought out coffee and sustenance in a diner while April’s car was getting inspected.
  • We went by April’s future apartment complex. There was a bunny rabbit outside that let us get within 10 feet of him. Cute, fluffy bunnies are good omens!
  • There’s a interesting breed of crows in Texas with long, rooster tail feathers: dubbed “crowsters“ by Karen. After doing some research, I think what we saw were great-tailed grackles, which are decidedly prettier than and often mistaken for crows.
  • Karen quickly hopping off a scary, bronking toy horse ride, oh my!
  • Yodeling with Karen in a gas station while waiting on the never-ending single-stall bathrooms! We sang a lot on this trip.
  • The ride home took about 10 hours, as we were very ready to get back and into our sleepyhead beds.

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Graduation

May 21st, 2010 by Bonita

Almost a week ago, I awoke at 6:00am full of anticipation at walking across the stage for USM’s 100th commencement anniversary. I had successfully completed my Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Food Systems, and it was and is very satisfying. As I stood waiting to go out onto the field with my classmate pals, I felt true butterflies in my stomach for the first time in a long while, both for my own excitement and nervousness. I’m my own worst critic when it comes to absorbing knowledge, and this moment was no exception. Is this real? Did I finally complete my B.S? Is it really mine? I quickly quelled these thoughts with a firm, Yes, it is deserved. Yes, I worked hard for this. Yes, it is mine and cannot be taken away. Own your mistakes and successes – and this is mine, baby! My chin came up, I felt a smile spreading across my face, and across the field we walked. I was temporarily reminded of my band marching days, and my shoulders automatically squared themselves back. And I knew my family and friends were somewhere in that immense crowd watching for me, and my heart swelled with love and gratitude. I felt so giddy throughout the ceremony, and my face hurt at the end from grinning so much. And of course, I couldn’t help but hop up and down a little walking back to my chair with glee!

And I’ll start graduate school classes in about 1 week to begin my Master’s degree….life is good. :) I know Mom would be really excited for me and promptly ask, “So when are you coming up to see me before you get swamped again with school?” Oh, if I could see her again. I’d never really considered my Master’s degree before this past year, but I’m glad I’m in now. I’m pretty sure this is where I’ll stop my higher education advancement as far as degrees go, though. I have no aspirations to get my doctorate, mainly because I’m ready to get out in the working world again and apply this knowledge!

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Kitchenaid Mixer for Graduation

May 4th, 2010 by Bonita

Oh my!! Ryan, my dashing husband and friend, bought me a Kitchenaid mixer with the icecream maker attachment for my graduation present! He couldn’t wait on graduation and let me open it yesterday when it arrived. I squealed and hopped up and down, and I still type this with a smile. It is lovely and cornflower blue, which is a perfect color and will nestle quite well in the butter-yellow (or lemon, I haven’t decided) kitchen I want one day. Shades of yellow are such welcoming colors for both bustling cooking experiments with friends or a homey atmosphere for coffee.

We immediately set about making homemade biscuits and chocolate cake with buttercream icing, haha. Clean and healthy eating – be gone for an evening or two!
Today I successfully tempered egg yolks without making scrambled eggs, and I was always a little leery of this process. The resulting homemade French Vanilla Ice cream with Strawberries was worth the slow effort. I did however speed up the chilling process by putting the container of cream in an ice bath, even while chilling in the refrigerator. Work smarter, not harder…and Ryan added to that logic by saying that next time, I should pour salt in the ice bath to lower the temperature. Yup yup! ;)

Also, there’s specific instructions on NOT pouring hot water in the freezer bowl to clean it, just to let it get to room temperature before cleaning it. I was immediately reminded of an IT Crowd episode where Moss was to “just turn it OFF and walk away!…just walk away!”

Within 48 hours of obtaining the Kitchenaid mixer, Ryan and I made biscuits, chocolate cake, icing for cake, ice cream, and peanut butter cookies. Oh dear but oh YUM! Done experimenting for a little bit…back in with the clean and healthy eating!

Now to homework and studying again. The semester’s not done, and I must not get carried away. Graduation is in 10 days…

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Making Time for new Recipes

April 20th, 2010 by Bonita

The end of the school semester is fast approaching at 3 weeks, 4 days until graduation day! I will successfully have acquired my Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition. :) Hurrah!
I’ve recently found some time to make stuffed mushrooms, tequila chicken, and turnips au gratin in my cast iron skillet (and zucchini au gratin for that matter).

But maybe I’ll have a little more time after graduation to experiment with some of these recipes. Yes, they’re mostly sweets, but I rarely indulge anyway! It’s all in moderation:

  • Homemade ice cream, several varieties (of course this would mean I need an icecream maker!)
    I particularly want to try vanilla bean, a tarty lemon sorbet or custard, and a berry ice cream with fresh berries
  • Canning fruit preserves, especially when Mom and Dad’s plum tree bears fruit
  • Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon! I gave my dearest pal, April, The Art of French Cooking, for her 30th birthday….for her benefit only, of course!…..of course, I had NO intention of sharing that book with her at all.  Nope, none. ;)

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2nd Half of Semester

March 22nd, 2010 by Bonita

I have left my website sadly untended since October, so I shall make amends today. Today is the beginning of the 2nd half of the semester, and I’m glad to say that graduation is in 7 weeks and 5 days. I’ve had much happen since October, including finishing my portfolio, enjoying the holidays, a pre-select interview, and lots of time with family and friends. I spent 5 days of my Christmas break at my Mom and Dad’s house, and for that time, I’m immensely grateful….
I cannot post without also speaking of my losses, but I won’t say much. Beginning in November, I’ve lost my cousin, a dear Aunt, my Mom, and my Grandma. It, at times, has seemed like too much to bear over a 4-5 month period of time – particularly over Mom. But I’m trying to think of happy memories. I’m thinking how she loves her plum tree and the fruit it bears each year. And I fully intend on making plum preserves this summer for that very reason. This is a start to refreshing my blog… :)

Goals for the next 7 weeks:

  • Continuing lifting weights and running with Ryan
  • Putting my best foot forward with schoolwork
  • Spending time with Rob and Karen before they move
  • Car shows with Dad and family
  • Improving myself

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Recipe Expansion

October 12th, 2009 by Bonita

I am a pretty decent cook and thoroughly enjoy exploring new recipes that aren’t necessarily tried and true.  Something I’ve never cooked is lamb, and someday, when I have more time, I want to make this:

http://www.thefoodinmybeard.com/2009/10/herb-roasted-leg-of-lamb.html

How scrumptious and delectable that looks!  Nom nom nom!  I like to check out that website, too, because pictures are provided and they’re always stepping outside the box with recipes.

I’ve also had pumpkin cheesecakes with gingersnap cookie crusts on the brain, probably because of the Fall weather.  I absolutely love this time of year with smells of cinnamon and cloves wafting through the air.  Cinnamon is one of my top 5 favorite spices in the kitchen, and it goes in my coffee every chance I get.  Some other recipes that come to mind are bread pudding, whole wheat muffins, and canned apple butter!  I mastered the apple butter last year and want to do that again…

It’s all in moderation!  As my Dad always says, you can have cake, just make it one forkful!  ;)   hah (or a reasonable slice).

Bring on the lovely, chilly weather and cozy get-togethers with friends and family – and having more time to play in the kitchen!

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Busy Happenings

October 11th, 2009 by Bonita

I recently resigned from my part-time job this past summer, anticipating a lot of semester work finishing up my B.S.  And wow, is that right! Here’s a few things I’ve got going on this semester, school-related:

  • Regular schoolwork, plus group projects
  • Preparing for the GRE
  • Actually taking the GRE (in 1 week!)
  • Preparing portfolio
  • Application process for graduation
  • Application process for internships in addition to grad school

I feel like I’m forgetting something… :)   I have been making myself remember that I cannot accomplish two tasks at once.  I can work on one for a little while and switch to something else, but one thing I’m definitely learning this semester – like never before – is managing my time.  It’s difficult and overwhelming sometimes, but I feel good knowing the teachers are leading and trying to prepare us.  They’ve been where we are, it’s been done before.  We’ll make it through alive and be prepared to take on the world – or hopefully an internship – come May 2010!  Whew, just going to look for Christmas break in the meantime…..8 weeks and counting!

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Thoughts About My New Site

September 10th, 2009 by Bonita

I finally did it!  I have my own website for personal and professional aims.  It will serve as easy online access for my resume, portfolio, and academic accomplishments.  But it will also be a place to share my favorite recipes, books, and happenings in my personal life.

My Fall semester is in full swing, and I will be graduating May 2010 with my B.S. degree!  I was elected Student Dietetic Association Liaison Chair this year, and I’m excited, as usual, to be a part of that organization.  It’s going to be a very busy but productive two semesters, and I’m looking forward to it!

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