Orange Juice and Other Ramblings...

Today is the last day of my summer vacation. I can hardly believe it. Although this summer didn't involve any jet setting across the globe (like last summer), I enjoyed this vacation possibly more than any other I can remember. Summer vacation 2012 included a trip to Arizona to see my mom (Grand Canyon, Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, and Prescott), spending some time in Kansas City with friends, heading north to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan to visit friends and family (bachelorette parties and a wedding, canoe trip with my dad in the Boundary Waters, celebrating my sisters birthday, catching up with college and grad school friends, camping, listening to live music, and getting a little time to RELAX!).

Gratitude, Part 3 (Finale!)

Floating down a crystal clear river in a canoe is one of my all time favorite pastimes.  

Gratitude, Part 2 (Side Dishes)

What springtime feast would be complete without fresh asparagus and a batch of red potato salad? These are both simple dishes that I make pretty regularly.

Gratitude, Part 1

                       

I'm back....with strawberry pie!! 

Mercimek Köftesi (Red Lentil Kofte)

Food prepared by and shared with friends is my favorite kind. Since starting medical school, I haven't done much cooking with others, mainly because all of my cooking buddies are scattered across the globe. So I was excited this week when a new foodie friend of mine taught me how to make Turkish vegetarian kofte (which paired perfectly with the baba ganoush that I recently posted). I found this kofte recipe especially interesting because the ingredients were all very familiar due to my background with Lebanese cooking, yet I had never tasted anything like it. 

Garlicky Baba Ganoush

I took my Cardiopulmonary II midterm earlier this week, and it just so happens that it was my best exam score yet! After the test, I did something that I've been dreaming about doing for two weeks...something that many of my fellow medical students also enjoy after a long stressful section of studying. Yup, that's right, you guessed it... I went grocery shopping (don't worry, I also went out and enjoyed KC's finest brew later that night)!

Glögg Blög

It may have made more sense to post this BEFORE the holidays. Looking on the bright side... I guess I'm just early for next year. For New Years Eve, I asked my dad (who works at a Scandinavian goods importing company in northern MN: http://www.bergquistimports.com/) to bring home a bottle of a delicious traditional Swedish mulled wine called glögg. Unfortunately, there must have been a run on the stuff and so dad came home with no glögg in hand. I decided to find a recipe and to attempt my own batch from scratch. I found the following recipe online and made a few changes. The final product was perhaps the most delicious mulled wine type beverage I've ever tasted!

Curry New Year

I spent New Years Eve day with two of my favorite people...and my favorite canine. The day was, of course, full of good eats. For dinner, I decided to make a meal that was a favorite for me during my first semester of medical school: curried potatoes and kale with tofu. This dish is pretty simple to throw together in a hurry. The curry spices give off the most delicious aroma, so be prepared!