Long Time, No Blog

Man it has been a long time since I have posted. Unfortunately I do not have any delicious recipes to share but I do have an update on what I have been doing the last 6 or so months.

I finished my rotation at UK Outpatient Clinic/UK Hospital. It was a great experience and I got to work with so many wonderful supervisors and fellow graduate clinicians. I also said good-bye to a client I had worked with for 6 months at that site which was much harder than I thought it would be.

I celebrated Christmas break by studying for the SLP Praxis and took that January 15.

In January I began my new clinical rotation at Scott County Schools. After dealing with snow days early on, I have been at both an elementary and middle school on a regular basis. I must say I love the middle school population which was a surprise to me. Even after accounting for immaturity, hormones, and sometimes just general jerkiness/disrespect, 6-8 graders are a fun bunch.

In February I booked my plane ticket to visit my sister in Fairbanks, Alaska! I leave 4 days after my May graduation and will be staying there for 36 days. This has been my light at the end of the graduate school tunnel. I have not seen my sister since she and my brother-in-law moved there in July 2010. To say I am excited is an understatement. It will be a full month of just girls nights.

In March 2011 I took the Educational Praxis and passed my oral comprehensive exam. I presented a case study to a panel of my professors on a client I worked with who had severe ataxic dysarthria and lingering cognitive deficits.

In April 2011 I finished my TEP portfolio which represented my last project for grad school I will ever turn in.

Currently, I am finishing up my rotation at Scott County Schools which concludes my last semester of graduate school. Now, I am considering my job options and packing up my apartment.

While cooking may be limited (since I only have 1.5 weeks in my apartment and boxes are overtaking every room in the place) I promise to have some delicious food from some of the places I have frequented the most while living in Lexington.

Hopefully, this crazy stormy Kentucky weather ends soon and we can start enjoying spring.

Maple Apricot Raisin Granola

I realize I have not posted a recipe in an embarrassingly long duration of time. In fact I missed the whole month of November but I can assure you this recipe more than makes up for it.

It is simple, easy, and can be modified to fit personal tastes. Plus there almost no possible way to mess it up and it makes your house/apartment smell fantastic.


Maple Apricot Raisin Granola

3 cups oats
very generous shake of cinnamon
1 cup dried raisins
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1/2c. + 2 T. PURE maple syrup


Preheat oven to 350 degrees


First take a sheet pan and cover it with aluminum foil. Rub some canola oil on the aluminum foil to prevent sticking.


Next combine oats, cinnamon, raisins, apricots, and almonds in a bowl.




Then add your PURE maple syrup and stir. At first it might not look like enough liquid but just keep mixing until the dried ingredients are lightly coated



Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Stirring after about 8-10 minutes. I like my granola with a little chew. However if your more of a crunchy granola person then bake it for a few more minutes.

Cool on the sheet pan



This makes a perfect addition to breakfast. I used mine mixed with soy yogurt, fresh banana slices, and cherries.

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

VACATION!

Simple facts that led me to this conclusion:
1) I am at my parents house in Louisville during the week.
2) I have been sleeping in...meaning 7:30 am, but hey it beats my usually 6:00am any day
3) I have been wearing yoga pants for the past 3 days

4) Turning on the TV and watching a Law and Order SVU Marathon
5) Having a little cuddle bug follow me around everywhere:



6) Going to my favorite coffee shop and bribing myself to study for the Praxis by getting a soy latte.



And
7) Baking, recipe to come

Kabocha Squash

Squash is one of my favorite things to make for a number of reasons including: 1) it is usually inexpensive, 2) it contains many nutrients while being delicious, and 3) cooking it in the oven warms up my apartment. When it comes to buying squash though I typically stick with butternut or acorn. Well, when I was at Whole Foods in Louisville I saw a sign for "kabocha squash". I figured it was time to live on the edge and go beyond my narrow scoped squash repertoire. Plus the sign advertised its taste as a combination between a pumpkin and a sweet potato...after reading that I was definitely sold.

Simple Kabocha Squash

1 Kabocha Squash, washed, seeds removed, and cut into chunks

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place aluminum foil on 13 X 9 pan and smear with oil.

Take squash chunks and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cinnamon then mix well. Spread onto prepared pan. Bake until a fork tender

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I wish I could take credit for being the mastermind behind this delicious creation. All it took was one bite to convince me that this will be listed in my "fall recipe favorites" category.

Here's the link to the recipe.



I followed the recipe above but instead of sweet potatoes I used Libby's canned pumpkin. I also used granulated instead of brown sugar and cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice (based on what I had at home), almond milk instead of skim milk (because lately anything dairy makes me sick), and cinnamon raisin english muffins instead of bread.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Out of all the vinegars I must say that balsamic is my favorite. So it is only proper that it be the star in this homemade salad finisher.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here is what you will need:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

~1 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk.

Sweet Chili Glazed Tofu

One day I noticed some sweet chili sauce hanging out in my parents refrigerator. Considering it had been there for a while and my mom didn't care, I brought it back with me to Lexington and turned it into something fabulous. For those who have never tried tofu this may just be all you need to fall in love with this vegetarian staple.

Sweet Chili Glazed Tofu

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 pkg. (usually 14 oz.) extra firm tofu, pressed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the first three ingredients in a squre bowl/plate.

Place aluminum foil on a 13 x 9 pan and drizzle with some oil

Slice tofu into 5 thick pieces

Place in sauce mixture, then place on prepared pan. Spoon leftover sauce over each piece.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes.