"Falling Slowly" -Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from movie "Once"

Made a big decision today to tell Justin I didn't want to talk to him anymore period, no friendship or anything and told him. He seemed to take it like he does everything else, he shut down and then started getting offensive about things...
I've not really taken time to think about it, and don't want to, because as much as this has been done for a long long time, and we don't even really talk much anymore anyway, I still have buried down in there feelings, and memories....and eventually they'll surface. But until they do...I'm trying to bask in the new. I'm so so so inpatient. If I'm really really wanting something. But I need to pace myself...remember things take time and usually the best things are waited for, but I will say this....I don't go for things unless I want them, I don't put time into pointless things, and I usually am pretty accurate in what I want....enough said on that

Made a 96 on my test Monday, which is crazy. That's the highest I've made thus far on any test during nursing school, and it brought up my nasty little grade from Musculoskeletal where I didn't spend as much time studying. Needless to say...it's amazing, every day, God getting me through this, the hardest thing I've done so far, just reminds me more and more every day that this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

So...made this recipe yesterday and wanted to share. It was very, very tasty for a meatless soup and I will be making it again. I got it off Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/). I'm finding I could waste so much time on that and StumbleUpon (http://www.stumbleupon.com/). Pinterest is more kind of like your own personal cork board, where you can see what's out there and categorize all the things you like most. I've only been on for like a month and already have like 650 pins, it's crazy. StumbleUpon is cool because you can tell it things you're interested in and it takes those interests and takes you to sights you would like, it's awesome! But anyway, I've been drooling (literally) over all the great recipes on Pinterest that I've found this one included...so:

Spinach Tomato Orzo Soup

olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (I used half an onion, but that's preference)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb spinach, fresh or frozen, defrosted (I used frozen defrosted)

1 – 15 oz can diced Italian tomatoes (with oregano and basil)

1 lb package orzo pasta

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

2 quarts water

1. Preheat a very large soup pot on medium and drizzle with olive oil. Add onions and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute for 2 – 3 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, spinach, chicken or vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat back to medium.

2. Add orzo cook for 12 – 15 minutes, or until orzo is tender.

As seen on Pinterest, derived from: http://blogs.babble.com

So so yummy. I made a little panini sandwich to eat with it last night for dinner and it hit the spot.

The weeks are going by so fast. I look up and it's already Thursday and Friday, and then the weekend again. But I'm not complaining...

"Why don't we take the chance and do the Mambo Gelato..." -"Mambo Gelato" by Ray Gelato

 

So I've become a cooking fiend the last few years since living in apartments where I have my own stove and fridge and outside the dorm. I'm somewhat of a recipe hoarder and now that I traverse different blogs, it's a great way to see what all is out there and choose what I would like to make. I've subscribed to so many cooking blogs it's not even funny, and after watching and now owning the popular cooking film "Julie and Julia" (I even subscribed to Julie Powell's blog at one time, the one that wrote the book, who know's she might still be on my list on here, I can't remember) I've wanted to blog some of my fav. recipes I have made from the different blogs I've seen. Or even just to pick out favorites from cookbooks that I have. Someday after nursing school is done maybe I too can buy my copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" By Julia Child and make my way through those recipes (although I have looked through the book at a bookstore before and have been overwhelmed, it's some intense cooking!). Anyway...that brings me to first recipe I'd like to share:

This is probably the first recipe I got off of a blog, as probably one of the first blogs I started following a few years ago. It's the best, I mean the best banana pudding recipe I've ever had. I probably will never eat any other, and what's funny is it taste is amazing with better ingredients, and yet it's so inexpensive and easy to make! It's actually a recipe derived from Magnolia's Bakery in LA I'm assuming because that is where the Susanne (the blogger) is from.  So here it is:

Magnolia’s Banana Pudding

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups ice cold water

1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups heavy cream

1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers

4 cups sliced ripe bananas

  With an electric mixer beat together sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. Make sure you allow enough time for mixture to chill before moving forward.

In another large bowl with electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To put the pudding dessert together, another large bowel is needed and Susanne says glass works best. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours. Not longer than this because the bananas will start to get mushy in the mixture, but if you're like me you'll be dying to dig into it anyway!

 

Derived from: http://suzanne-marques.blogspot.com

You'll LOVE this stuff! In fact I may have to go buy the stuff this week and make it again after this lol. Tonight I'm making a soup recipe from a blog I found on Pinterest, which is a new obsession, as if I need something else to distract me from nursing school.

Also, if you're like me and like a little music while you're cooking, I chose the soundtrack from the movie "No Reservations", which is perfect because the movie involves lots of cooking. I'm listening to "Mambo Gelato" from is right now. Cooking is pretty romantic with the right guy, and this music makes me want a guy in the kitchen with me :) Check it out, I think you'll agree!

http://www.filmmusicsite.com

Really really want to post, but I so need to go to bed and get up to look over stuff for my test tomorrow...Blah!

"All the other kids with the pumped up kicks..." -Foster the People

Let's see, this weekend went by too fast. I love love not having anywhere to be, and to able to spend adequate time studying. Loving endocrine, and hoping it shows on my test Tuesday. Didn't do so hot on MS, and I could have done better, so need to get an "A" on this one to make up for it and get back in the game. I'm tired of my buddies that I usually get a few drinks with every once in a while. I don't mind drinking, but I'm so so sick of just being stupid and drinking. I came home Friday after clinicals and napped for an hour or two because I haven't been getting enough sleep during the week for staying up too late, which has been so worth it for certain reasons, but anyway, I didn't want any plans, I just wanted to be at home and veg out with a movie with no where to be. My friend called me to come out to their house and hang. I didn't want to, and tried to get out of it, but I felt like I should go see them b/c I so rarely do. So I went, and everyone was already drunk. And there were peeps there I'm not hugely fond of...I don't know I just felt like the non-drunk random person and it was tense and weird. I had a drink, stayed painfully for an hour or so and then came on back home. Just so tired of drinking to be drunk and stupid, not saying I do that a lot, but whenever I'm with that crowd that seems to be the goal for everyone that night, and I just don't feel like joining in. Maybe I'm a party pooper....who knows. Anyhoo...
Saturday I cleaned up things around the house and studied again...Sunday I met up with a friend I haven't seen in a while. This friend failed out our first semester of nursing school and we've still kept in touch despite that. I like her, but we rarely get anything done when she and I study together, although I made sure I got something done and did, and she did a few things. She makes me sad, because of her marriage issues. My counseling days come back to me every time she starts bringing up their issues in their family and marriage. Then dad and I studied tonight and then I messed around online and chitchatted till bed.

I'm stunned that October starts next week. I'm excited, so so excited because I love fall and when everything starts hibernating. The clothes, the weather, the colors...oh I'm in love. Makes me want to be outside more, as opposed to hot humid TN summer which makes me want to go in and avoid melting outside.

I got to thinking today that life has been pretty sweet lately. Things feel better, no they're not perfect, but they just are more exciting and I look forward to the next day and what's to come a little more. I'm glad for the changes. To not worry stupidly about Justin, to see an end in site for this degree so I can go towards stabilization, to perhaps begin on another romantic interest, to have a little less financial stress, for a time of year that I bask in, and for just hope in general of what's to come. It's nice...so so nice....

I'm in love with my Labor/Delivery clinicals. I'm very happy with my instructor, which is nice cause I can't say that for all of them. Not everyone seems willing/wanting to teach, and this lady so is, and has so much knowledge to share. And thus far I've learned more about the subject that I've learned skills for med-surg, or at least in quicker time for sure. Can't wait to head back to the nursery this week, to maybe deliver a baby(?!) and to learn more.

First off I'm random, so forgive me, but I jump the gun on a lot of things. Don't want to do that, but can I say that I'm hoping...for a certain something, to bloom and blossom and come about. I read this quote tonight that I really do believe to a certain extent, "It's the rule of life that everything you have always wanted comes the very second you stop looking for it." I kind of think this is perfect...I mean I don't want to sit and dwell on this certain thing I'm hoping for to become something more, but gosh...you know how hard that is for me...oh my gosh so hard....

Here's to hoping...