Sunday, September 30, 2012

Dinner

Tonight's dinner is going to be pretty goo I think.


I didn't have any penne so I am using spaghetti instead. I'll take a photo later.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes


Each baking dish serves four; bake one tonight, and freeze the other for a ready-made dinner later on. When ready to cook, bake it straight from the freezer.
Everyday Food, March 2009
  • Prep Time35 minutes
  • Total Time1 hour
  • YieldServes 8
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Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 pound penne rigate
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups whole milk
  • 10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
  • 1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.
  3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
  4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.
  5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note

To Freeze: Prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months.

To Bake From Frozen: Preheat oven to 400, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

Alex



Today I was listening to the radio (an unusual activity for me). I had left my iPod at home and I was trying desperately not to fall asleep while driving home after having opened the Starbucks. The song that woke me up was Payphone by Maroon 5.
While I was in Europe I made a really really great friend. We were so alike and I love hanging out with her and it only took me 2 months to know that I loved her and that she would be a life long friend. Her favorite band is Maroon 5.

Being so far away, we haven't talked or corresponded as much as I would have liked and I miss her every day.



I love you Alex, and I miss you so much!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Updates

I would so much rather write this in stream of conscienceness but I don't know if I'm even able to stick to an unformatted format so do try and stay with me.

1) I'm so busy I might die.


This is what I'm doing right now. This is the first morning I've had off in a while and I have off tomorrow too so I'm going to my very best to make the best of it. I have about 200 pages of reading to do before Monday and Tuesday of next week. My schedule is so packed, there isn't room for another thing. I'm working on my homework and my classes are NOT easy. I'm working on my 2 theses (120 pages has to be written and edited and I have to do 3 presentations on them in 6 months). I'm taking the GRE to get into GRAD SCHOOLS on Nov. 15 and I couldn't be less ready for that.
Grad school applications are due by Dec. 1 and I haven't' even begun to get that stuff ready either.
I though next semester would be a breeze but after talking to my advisor yesterday, I learned that I have to take a class that I didn't think I would have to take. Oh well. No rest for the wicked or if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger or work hard now so you don't have to later. Whatever phrase I use, this is really hard.

2) I admire my best friend Kaitlin. She said that she admires me because I can do so much all at once and it's true, working 40 hours a week and getting paid way less than you are worth, going to school full time, writing two theses, having friends and maintaining a healthy and supportive relationship is really super hard. That why I have no friends. It's also super duper hard to find excess motivation. It's not like after working your tail off all day you get home are like "I think I'll run 2 miles now to lose some weight and really feel good about myself." It's more like "I don't know how I'm doing this and I don't remember what I had for lunch or when the last time I talked to my mother was but surely sometime this will get easier right?" All the while I just keep getting fatter and losing hope that my hard work will pay off.

Kaitlin somehow finds time to work out like 3 times a day. She saw something about herself that she wanted to change and she just started doing something about it. She has lost so much weight that the last time I saw her (which was, admittedly, too long ago) I was dumbfounded and so profoundly disappointed in myself and proud of her all at once, I thought I might cry (but I know how she and Patrick - who was with me at the time - get about emotions and crying so I somehow suppressed the thought).

I miss her everyday and I am so proud of her for doing what I, no matter how hard I try, cannot do myself.

3) That being said, I joined a Volleyball team. It's the Elizabethtown College Volleyball Club and they/we are actually really good. We don't have any games scheduled yet but I left practice the other night feeling great and tired and sore and no matter how hard i work out I don't feel that way so I must be doing something right?

also, I have recently procured a tire (almost the size of myself and weighing about 500 pounds) and have been flipping it like in cross fit. I'm not losing any weight but I do feel better. I'm also working out for an hour or so every friday and playing volleyball with some girls I work with about twice a week. I like it a lot. I'm also running a couple times a week. My body seems to like me better but I'm getting migraines about every single solitary day. I hope I figure out why soon.
Anyway, this is me a Samm (a person who works out with me on Fridays) and the tire.



This is the pile of books that I've read for my theses. I still have 3 to read and still 2 interviews to conduct.


I tried to take up a hobby making rings and jewelry. That lasted all of a week. I'm too busy for personal hobbies. Nonetheless, I made this: 


I also built these shelves for my DVDs


This is the bed that Patrick and I bought off of Craigslist:


and finally, this is Patrick and I at the beach in Georgia:


Pat's face is goofy but it often is. He likes it that way.


I can't remember if I had anything else to say except, I want a job where I can wear regular clothes and my hair down, work 20 hours a week and get paid 12-14 dollars an hour.

I want to hang out with friends - but I don't really have any.

I want to have time for myself and I want to be healthier and happier.

I'm working on it but it's hard.
I miss Kaitlin and I miss my mother.


Monday, March 19, 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

I'm Sorry, too

My best friend Kaitlin is in Texas and hasn't been posting so I can't see how she is and we're both so busy that we're having a hard time finding time to keep up with each other but last week she posted and I didn't see it until now.

So, I'm sorry that I haven't posted in so long, I'm going to do better.

I left England. This is the first new thing. I got back to Texas in December and am now back in Pa. England was wonderful and although I NEVER get the time to tell her, I miss Alex like I didn't know I could. So if ever you find this Al, I miss you.

Texas was good. Im' glad I got to see my mother and my Kaitie-did. Patrick got to meet my family and that was great, too.

I turned 21. Nothing interesting to report there. I don't drink in excess as it is so it didn't make much a difference.

I live with Patrick and even though I am stressed from working 45 hours a week and from going to school and from getting ready for senior year and applying for Grad schools and looking for jobs, I have never been happier. I get home, exhausted and too tired to be be thankful and I get in bed and there he is and suddenly, as if I breathed new life into my lungs, I remember how lucky I am and not just for him but for it all.

I need to lose weight. Patrick and I are doing a 6 on and 1 off vegetarian diet and I can't tell if my body is any happier with me at all. I don't have time to work out which is the problem. I think I'm going to do the same thing Kaitlin is doing and take a picture of myself every Monday with my weight in the picture. Maybe looking at it and posting it for strangers to see will motivate me or somehow subconsciously make me eat less or something. I don't know but something needs to be done. I was doing so well in England. I just need to get to a place where I am comfortable with myself again.

I have class soon or I would say more.

Like I said, I'm sorry to have been so absent and I will try harder.

See you all on Monday.

A

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Italy

FLORENCE/FORENZE





First food we had in Italia was a pizza... with hot dogs and french fries on it... what's wrong with this picture?


I looked a hot mess and we hadn't even slept in the car yet.



really cool sign stickers that were everywhere











No pictures from Bologna because we lost the car and my camera that night... but then...

VENICE




Venice was beautiful














I had the best Italian pasta of my entire life here.... 



VERONA




House of Juliet


I don't why it was a thing to hold Juliet's boob but it was worn bronze from people doing it so I thought... why not... 



Lock a padlock on Juliet's gate. Keep once key, give one to your love nd throw away the last. Eternal love... 


Juliet's balcony






On Juliet's tree


In the far left corner of the photo are our locks. 


Fake VERONA colosseum 


MILAN







ROMA


It down poured for a while... we bought a 2e umbrella from a street peddler 










No biggy, the colosseum is behind us... who cares right? As if! 



Ancient ruins... 





24 hours = 35e... Yes please. 


I don't know how to fix the orientation of this picture, but that's me on the back of a vespa.


VATICAN CITY


Speaking is the Pope from his window... You can see the cloth hanging down. 





St. Peter's Basilica 
















Spanish church at the top of the spanish steps.



Spanish steps


Trevi Fountain




mid throw


Grazie