Be Grateful #6

What a fantastic week!  It definitely had its ups and downs, but overall, this week was GREAT!

1)  I'm thankful I survived week two of my new job.  I'm starting to feel like I'm figuring things out...even if my first faculty training didn't go as well as I had hoped.  *lol*

2)  I'm thankful that I work at such a fabulous place!  The dean of our division was so concerned with our safety, he had Emergency Management and Risk organize a shooter simulation for us to prepare.  I don't think it went as well as it could, but the important thing is, is it got us to start thinking about what we would do in dangerous situations.

3)  I'm thankful I'm enjoying teaching Intermediate more and more all of the time.  I do wish I had more time and energy to strengthen the relationship with my Composition I class, but I think that will come in time.

4)  I'm thankful I survived my colonoscopy!  While the day before really stunk, I was actually quite coherent after my procedure and really enjoyed the loopy feeling.  *haha*  I got my the results on Friday:  I quote, "Biopsies showed quiescent crohns colitis changes.  NO DYSPLASIA . . . The small polyp was benign and not precancerous!"  WONDERFUL NEWS!  Praise the Lord!  And as my husband said, we learned new words, too.  Thanks for all of your good thoughts and prayers.  :)

5)  I'm thankful my Martha Stewart Living magazine subscription finally started back.

6)  I'm thankful we got to eat so many yummy things this week:  Sour Patch Kids popsicles (those saved me on bowel prep day!), Nutella croissants, KFC, potato soup, Flying Fish, veggies, roast chicken and baked potatoes, Gusano's pizza, and caesar salads!  And today, we are going to Fred's Hickory Inn for our Valentine's Day brunch!

7)  Speaking of Valentine's Day, I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband!  He is THE BEST, hands down.  We started the day with chocolate pancakes (imprinted with a heart) and strawberries.  At work, I got a goody cup from one of my new co-workers, and after work, Zach surprised me with a box of chocolates made by the culinary department AND Starbucks hot chocolate.  Then we came home, made dinner, and opened presents.  I got him a LEGO book, Jelly Belly Cinnamon Bears, and some pilsner glasses; LEGO, candy, and beer are some of his favorites, so I think I did well.  BUUUUT he did way better than me!  I GOT A CAMERA!  Just like I suspected!  ;)  Zach went ahead and gave me my birthday present early:  a Canon Rebel T3i!!!  He did so great, and most importantly, he saved me the stress of trying to find the "perfect" camera.  :)  I can't wait to finally get to use it today!  (I was behind on lots of things, but have caught up mostly, so now I can play.)  Today, we are exchanging cards--since his to me hadn't come in yet--and going for a walk to use my camera.  Don't you just love LOVE!?

8)  I'm thankful I'll get my permanent crown on Monday.

9)  I'm thankful I got a TON of work done yesterday.  Overall, I was pleased with my students' reflection papers.  Most of them developed their topics well and described them in a balanced combination of sensory details and engaging emotions.  I was very happy to see that not too many of them used fragments although they did forget commas with coordinating conjunctions and had far too many comma splices.  You win some, you lose some.

10)  I'm thankful we have so many friends from work and so many friends in the area now.  We had to go to the Jam Night because of Zach's new position, and I was so tired I was sure we wouldn't have much fun.  But it was a BLAST!  And that is thanks to the wonderful company we had.  :)

11)  Although I was sad we didn't get a snow day, I am thankful I got to see a little snow fall.  There's always this week...

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEK?

Menu Monday...er, Tuesday: SALADS, SALADS, AND MORE SALADS!

Yep, I'm FINALLY back with new recipes I've tried--all in the past week, too. Since I last posted, "Menu Monday," I have tried lots more and even took pictures of some (especially the desserts like the caramel cake I made for my birthday and the beach cookies I made for a wedding), but we have been busy as bees in springtime with my sister-in-law's wedding, other social engagements, traveling, working, keeping house, and keeping up with Hobie. *lol*

But, with the warmer weather, I have been revitalized regarding how I feel about food. I am so, so, sooo excited that fresh produce is becoming more and more readily available. So far we have been to the Farmers Market in Bentonville twice since they opened for the season; we would have been more, but it seems like we are always out-of-town on the weekends. :) The first time we went we just got lettuce and radishes as the pickings were poor, but this time around there were so many more veggies to buy! Better than that, I am looking forward to strawberries, blueberries, watermelons, and peaches. We want to go blueberry picking very badly because Zach likes berries all shapes, sizes, and forms, and I loved this homemade blueberry ice cream we had last summer. Personally I don't like blueberries unless they're in something (muffins, pie, cobbler, ice cream, etc.), so I have many baking plans in the works. *tehe*

Lately, I have been in a funk regarding meals. I felt like we were repeating the same foods over and over, and only doing slight variations on recipes. We probably were since we were waiting on seasonal spring/summer produce, and now it's here! I told Zach all were were doing this summer is eating fresh fruits and veggies and salads, salads, salads!

To the recipes:

This recipe is adapted from the current issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. I know it sounds weird and looks weird, but it tastes wonderful! I think it is because cucumber has a slight melon undertone, so it works with the pineapple. We still have some in our fridge, but the cucumber starts to look soggy after a few days, so I took a picture of the magazine.

BASIL PINEAPPLE-CUCUMBER SALAD

1/2 cored pineapple

1 small cucumber

dried basil OR 1/2 cup basil leaves

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

ground pepper

-Cut the pineapple into 1/3-in.-thick half- or quarter-moons.

-If possible, heat grill to high and grill until grill marks appear, about two minutes per side. If you don't have access to a grill, heat a little extra olive oil in a skillet, add your pineapple, and cook until each side is slightly browned. Let cool.

-Halve cucumber lengthwise and thinly slice. Toss pineapple with cucumber, basil, olive oil, salt, and a sprinkle of black pepper. (I used dried basil this time and generously sprinkled it over the salad. I guess I used about 1/2 teaspoon. *lol*)

[5-6 servings]

I promise: you MUST try this recipe. :)

Well, we ate our this second salad so fast, I don't have a picture, but I will share the recipe.

STRAWBERRY-SPINACH SALAD

1 lb. spinach leaves (or lettuce of your choice)

1 pint fresh strawberries

2/3 purple onion

-Rinse the spinach and remove stems. Tear the spinach into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Slice and hull the strawberries. Add berries to the spinach. Slice onion and add to the salad.

For the STRAWBERRY-SPINACH DRESSING:

2/3 c. white vinegar or apple cider vinegar (I used 1/3 c. of each.)

1-1/2 c. sugar

2 c. oil (I used vegetable/canola oils because my olive oil was running low. :( )

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. mustard

3 Tbsp. minced onion

-Combine the vinegar, sugar, and oil in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves (about three minutes). Pour the sugar mixture into a blender and add the remaining ingredients. Blend well. Cool and pour over the salad.

Rather than tossing the entire salad with the dressing, we made individual salads and added how much dressing we wanted. It makes an entire pasta jar full, so you can use it for future salads. :) Just store the dressing in a container in the fridge; I used an old jar, so I could shake the mixture before using (as the oil separates from the rest) and then pour it into a cup with a spout for drizzling. You can also add some poppy seeds to the dressing before you blend, and we topped our salads with slivered almonds, croutons, and a little shredded mozzarella. It was a wonderful mixture of flavors and textures!

[5-6 servings for the salad; infinite for the dressing]

Last, but not least:

PHARR POTATO SALAD

6 medium potatoes (We bought some small red ones at the Farmers Market, and I just used the whole quart-sized container.)

1/4 tsp. salt

1-1/4 c. mayonnaise with pepper

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1/3 c. onion, chopped (preferably purple onion--I could eat it like an apple!)

1/4 c. sweet pickle relish

1/4 c. sweet gherkins, chopped

6 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped (can omit)

-Bring potatoes to a boil in enough water to cover them and 1/4 tsp. salt. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Drain well; cool slightly. Cube potatoes. (I leave the peeling on.)

-In a large bowl, combine mayo, mustard, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

-Stir in the celery, onion, relish, and pickle. Add the potatoes and eggs. Toss lightly to coat. Cover and chill for at least six hours.

[6-8 servings]

You can also sprinkle some paprika on top, but I figure it will get all mixed into the salad if you do that in the large bowl...and I'm too lazy to do it for individual servings. *haha* This potato salad was sooo tasty, and it is very much like the potato salad I grew up having. I don't like mayo-only potato salad: I MUST have mustard because it gives it the right amount of tang. I thought about making a warm German potato salad--I used to have a recipe I loved--but I decided it was safer to go with the traditional. Everyone loved it at our Memorial Day celebration!