I'm a college kid. When I'm not eating at the dining hall I subsist mainly on a diet of mac and cheese, chicken & prosciutto tortellini, tuna fish, and of course, ramen noodles. Not the most nutritious or varied menu.
I've spent three years doing the same thing because cooking for one is expensive and time consuming. But I'm heading into the "real world" soon (unless John Mayer is right and there is no such thing...) so I need to know how to make some meals. Now don't get me wrong, just because I'm currently reading "The Undomestic Goddess" by Sophie Kinsella doesn't mean I can't cook. I can cook basic dishes, mostly pasta, and baked goods (I made some awesome chocolate chip cookies the other day). I'm not going to starve. But, with the help of my mom, I'm taking this to the next level.
My mom suggested I pick a new recipe and cook dinner once a week. It's a win-win because she pays for groceries and gets dinner made for her, and I discover new recipes that are delicious and easy to make on my own. Take last night for example, I made Artichoke Chicken for the first time and it turned out very well!
Also, through a weird twist of fate, I wound up with a free book to write my recipes in! I went to go visit my sister Renee' on Tuesday to watch gLee (wasn't it soo wonderful?!?!) and as we were enjoying some lovely Northgate Apple Wine she mentioned she had some various books and things she needed to get rid of. I mentioned that I had been collecting some clothes I never wear to donate to goodwill and would be happy to take her things with me. Fast forward to today.
I have my errands all planned out- go buy a book to write my recipes in, drop things off at goodwill, and get some groceries. I peek in the box of things from Renee' and I find a never-been-used book for recipes and a mexican recipe book (yes, I am going to attempt to make sopapillas at my earliest convenience)! So now I have many new recipes to try, and a place to save the ones I like!
If you're anything like me, and I suspect most of you are, you don't cook much. Kick it up a notch, it's easy and delicious!
Here's the recipe for Artichoke Chicken in case any of you want to try it!
Artichoke Chicken
Prep Time: 10 Min Cook Time: 30 Min Ready In: 40 Min
Original Recipe Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
1 (14 ounce) can quartered artichokes, drained and chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat or fat free not recommended)
1 dash garlic powder
4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I recommend cutting these into strips for faster and more thorough cooking)
Directions
1. In a bowl, combine the artichokes, cheese, mayonnaise and garlic powder. Place chicken in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Spread with artichoke mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
I'm sorry, I know her songs are catchy, but I can't stand Ke$ha. Her songs are mindless, immature, and don't make much sense.
Just take "Tik Tok" for instance. Catchy- yes. Quality music- NO.
Here's a great "analysis" of her Tik Tok lyrics
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOYMU15bjlA
A wonderful parody of Tik Tok courtesy of collegehumor.com
www.collegehumor.com/video:1935457
There are some truly gifted female comedians out there. Here are some of my favorites...comment and share your own!
Top Five Female Comedians
1. Julia Roberts- because she's great as a comedian AND a serious actress, watch her in My Best Friend's Wedding if you don't believe me.
2. Jane Lynch- she cracks me up every single week as Sue Sylvester on gLee
3. Cameron Diaz- consistently funny, great facial expressions
4. Molly Shannon- also consistently funny
5. Tina Fey- gotta love her, started regularly watching SNL
honorable mention for best freak-outer- Diane Keaton (watch her I'm sorry speech in First Wives' Club to see what I'm talking about)
I'm not a Natalie Portman fan. I wasn't a huge fan of her in Star Wars or V for Vendetta. I'm told I can't truly make a judgement on her acting until I see her in Garden State, which is apparently her best role so far. Fair enough, I reserve final judgement until then.
But there is a movie coming out I know I'll approve of her in. Natalie Portman is slated to play Elizabeth Bennet...in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
This makes me happy for several reasons.
1. Turning Pride and Prejudice into a zombie story is so wrong and yet so genius.
2. I haven't read the book, but I'm assuming Elizabeth either starts as or is turned into a zombie over the course of the film, therefore Natalie Portman will become a zombie, which is a win in every sense of the word.
3. Zombie are gross, undead beings. The only thing that would make me happier is Kiera Knightley as a zombie.
