Dorm Chef

It's time for week TWO of the Dorm Chef series! This week I'll be sharing one of my favorite, quick and healthy recipes.

Appliances used: Magic Bullet (personal blender)

Ingredients:
1 frozen or fresh banana
3/4 c almond milk (I use the vanilla-flavored for some extra sweetness)
2 handfuls of spinach
Dash of cinnamon
1/2 c ice, if using fresh banana

Put all the ingredients in the blender and then mix, making sure that all the spinach is thoroughly blended. Enjoy!

If you don't appreciate the taste of spinach at first, try using less and working your way up. I've found that I don't even taste the spinach at all, and it helps to give the smoothie extra sweetness and flavor. Try mixing it up with different fruits and spices!

m(r)

Sleep

I am in a business class that requires me to post 150 words every week about a topic or something I've learned during the week. Ideally, the teacher would like for me to tell him some business acumen that I have gained over the week. Instead, I write him things like this...

Sleeping is one thing that I do the best

I am most clever when taking a rest

Scoffers say sleeping is done only at night

But I say that sleeping can be done in the light!

You may exclaim that “this girl is crazy!”

Others will point and say that I’m lazy.

But they are all wrong; I am none of those things

I simply enjoy the peace that sleep brings

My friends have found that I sleep anywhere

In a bed, on a couch, and sometimes a chair

I can sleep in quiet and sleep through loud bangs

I can sleep with a headache and through hunger pangs

I have slept in the library with people around

And several times have fallen asleep on the ground.

Sometimes sleep hits me when I am least ready.

I slump in my chair and my eyelids get heavy.

Fighting is useless as I have now found

Coffee helps not, though I drink by the pound.

Once I awoke to my mom’s shoulder shaking

As she told me to run just as I was waking

Tornado sirens were filling the air

But I hadn’t heard them. I was unaware.

Some think that sleeping should be done when you’re dead

But that thought is horrid. They’re not right in the head. 

Southern Comfort

Let me begin by saying this: Before coming down south to college, I had never waved at anyone that I didn't know. Ever. My classic move was to see someone coming, then look down at my feet or off into the distance until they had passed. There was no need for eye contact, no need for acknowledgement of their presence, and definitely no need to speak. It was polite to keep to yourself, and that is how I liked it.

News flash, they don't feel the same way down here. EVERYONE waves to you. It doesn't matter if it's the brisk jogger, the friendly neighbor chatting in their yard, the elderly gent passing in his car, or the kids playing outside, they will all wave. And it's not just a wave, it's usually a smile and eye contact.

Honestly, this threw me at first. I was so used to living inside my own bubble that it was super uncomfortable to have strangers waving at me. In my heart of hearts, I felt that it was rude of them. Yes, yes. I thought that waving was rude, because to me, it was more polite to leave someone alone.

I can now tell you that four years later, I have adopted this same 'rude' habit. And I will let you know that is quite freeing to walk down the street and smile at the people passing you. Back home, I was afraid to look at people or acknowledge, because it was unacceptable. But here, I look forward to the waves and smiles of complete strangers. There is something comforting about a smile and a wave that says, 'I don't know you, but I hope you have a nice day. Also, I'm not trying to kidnap you. I'm just southern.'

So here's to the South. I think I'll stick around for a while....

Zero to Hero in 45

I believe there is a little part in all of us that wants to be a hero. Superhero movies are exploding across the cinema mainly because we all watch with the hopes of finding a part of our own character or personality in these larger-than-life heroes. But being a hero doesn't usually happen in the big things. As much as I believe in my ability to leap from tall buildings, I've never actually put it into practice. Does that mean I'm not a hero? What does it mean to be a hero?

Definition time:
Hero |hee-roh|: noun. One who 1) gives of his/her time to those in need 2) sacrifices his/her own needs for others and 3) faces something scary or dangerous to keep someone else safe. *

I'm here to tell you that you can be a hero today. Every 3 seconds, someone, somewhere needs a blood transfusion. In fact, 4.5 million Americans would die every year without life-saving blood transfusions. Who provides the blood? Heroes do. You do. You can take time out of your schedule to find a blood bank or a traveling blood 'vessel'/van to offer a vein for someone in need. You can sacrifice a pint of blood for someone who needs it more. And it doesn't matter if you've never done it before, or if it seems a little scary, because being heroic often means standing in the face of your fear and finding it less daunting than you thought. It only takes 45 minutes to go from zero to hero. In 45 minutes, you can save three lives.

Today, I became a hero. Will you become one too?

m(r)

*this definition is solely from my own head and cannot be credited or proved by any other source.

Dorm Chef: the Series

Welcome to the introduction of a new segment on my blog! Every Sunday night, I will be cataloging some of the best recipes crafted by me or my roommates. Two points of discussion:

1. Prerequisites
 - my appliances include a Magic Bullet (small blender), sandwich maker, and a hotpot
      - the cost of these are, respectively, 40, 10, 15 for a grand total of $65. This is an investment, people
2. Subtitle
 - all cool cooking shows have a subtitle. So, Dorm Chef: __________________ ... I need something good

This week, I'll be sharing a simple recipe that never fails to get a 'how do you make that in the dorm?!' response.

Lemon-Garlic Spaghetti

Appliances needed: Hotpot

Ingredients:
Angel Hair Spaghetti
Garlic salt, garlic powder, or any garlic-type spice. I use Mrs. Dash's Garlic Herb seasoning.
Butter (optional)
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice

Fill the hotpot to a little over half-full with water, sprinkling a small amount of salt into the water. Turn it on and wait till it comes to a rolling boil (until it's bubbling). To measure out your spaghetti, place the pad of your thumb against the nail of your pointer finger, making a small circle. The amount of spaghetti that fits into the circle is about one serving. Break the noodles in half and place into the boiling water. Stir frequently with a utensil to keep spaghetti from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Check your spaghetti after about 3 minutes. If the noodles are still a little crunchy in the middle, cook for another 1-2 minutes, until they are cooked throughout. I always taste test until it's right, but you can always pull my dad's trick of throwing it against the wall. If it sticks, it's done!

Strain out the extra water by holding something (like a plate) against the hotpot while you pour the water into the sink. Immediately transfer your spaghetti to a bowl or plate. Stir in a small amount of butter, squeeze a few drops of lemon onto the top, and sprinkle garlic, salt, and pepper as desired.

Grab some bread and butter, fruit, or veggies to add to your meal, and voila! Dinner is served.

Cost:
Spaghetti ($.99 for 8 servings)
Garlic seasoning ($4 for a small bottle)
Lemon ($.50/lemon)
Total cost: around $.50 per person

m(r)

The Show That Binds

I always like to think back to those first moments of friendship when something clicks and you just know that  you're going to love spending time with that person. And as I do this, I've noticed a common trend in many of my friendships.

They've started over a TV show.

Yes, that is correct, I make friends with those that enjoy the same shows as me. Here are 3 examples...

Exhibit A:
I kind of knew this girl that went to my church, and I actually rode with her and her boyfriend to said church every week, but I didn't really know her at all. At least, I didn't until the fateful day last summer when I posted a status on Facebook about this crazy BBC show, Robin Hood, that I was now obsessed with watching. I'm pretty sure I had a keyboard smash (asdfjkl;wofjlks) in there because of my inability to express my intense love of the show. Then Jen commented underneath about how she had watched the show when it was actually on the TV (not in DVD form from the library) and how she thought no one else watched it. I immediately texted her about this travesty and BOOM, we were best of friends. We even called each other one Sunday afternoon to watch a TV episode at the same time and comment on it to each other.

But our friendship didn't stop at television. Once we were back in the same time zone, we set up a weekly lunch. I think Jen and I were good soundboards for one another, and I was regularly encouraged by my time with her. And when you throw in a good ice cream run every once in a while, that's some true friendship

Exhibit B:
One of my best friends roomed with these two girls from Buffalo last year, and while they were funny, I really didn't know them all that well. That is, until we realized that we watch several of the same TV shows and that we clearly have the same sense of humor. Our conversations still revolve around our shows sometimes, but now that I spend most all of my time with these two, we may have talked about one or two other small things. Maybe.

Honest truth? I would be lost without my Katies this year. Everyone else has graduated or gotten  married, and these two just naturally filled all the empty spots left in my life. We are currently training* for a half marathon in April, we are excellent at trip planning, and we all live within 50 steps of each other. It's kind of the best.

Exhibit C:
I'm not sure exactly how my friendship with Ashleigh started, but I know that BBC has had a lot to do with our continued camaraderie. She introduced me to BBC Sherlock, bless her soul, and watched all 9 hours with me in one day. We are hardcore about this. I knew we were TV friends the day that I left for college and her mom hugged me and said, "We're going to miss having you over to watch TV with us!"  . . . we did more than watch TV! We also went to Sonic.

I am so proud of Ashleigh these days. She's living in the city, working at a new job, and still sending me links to great tumblr posts. I just visited her this last Christmas, and I can't wait to see her again.

Three examples of tv show friendship. This works for two reasons. One, people who enjoy the same humor, same drama, or same intensity that you do, will almost always get along with you!  Two, tv is a solid talking point and when you find you love the same shows, you get that moment that C.S. Lewis was talking about here . . .

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”  ― C.S. Lewis

There you have it. Friendship from television. It's real.

m(r)

Do Hard Things

Do Hard Things by Brett and Alex Harris was one of the best books I read during high school, and its concept has followed me through my college years. Following my first reading of it though, my dad made it his mission to think of hard things for me to do. One of the most unforgettable was his challenge that I go without my cellphone for the first month of college. Yes, that was a real thing. Each time he came to me with a new 'hard thing', I would cringe, whine, and then eventually acquiesce to his request. And then by the end of each challenge, I found myself going to him or calling him to say thank you. I always learned something valuable during those challenges, but mostly I learned that my dad loves me so much that he's willing to challenge me. He knows I can do better, and he cares enough to think of practical ways to push me in the right direction. 

Most recently, I had some friends discover that I am almost guaranteed to take on anything that I am challenged to do. One, I like proving that I can do things. Two, as stated above, my dad has now instilled a need within me to always try to do something hard or out of the ordinary. "I challenge you to not eat any of the freshly baked cookies out of the DC this week!" Displine-challenge accepted. "I challenge you to wear the same earrings with matching outfits for a whole week." Fashion-challenge accepted. "I challenge you to go without your car for a month." Challenge accep...Wait. What?

This challenge was neither from my friends nor from my dad.  It came from God the moment two weeks ago when He sent my car to a mechanic in need of an engine change. I wanted to whine and protest, but God doesn't really change His mind and car engines don't really fix themselves. So I prayed instead. And when I began to really talk to my Father, He began to show me once again that challenges are good. Just like my earthly dad, God was willing to test me because He loves me. He's molding me into someone better, a Christian that is striving to be more like His Son. 

No, my car is not fixed yet. I actually don't have any idea when it will be back in my possession. But you know, I'm okay with that. If it takes the rest of the semester to get my LeSabre back into his parking spot, that's perfect. I don't want that car back one second before God chooses to give it back to me. This is my hard thing for right now, and I've realized so much about my God already. So next time something hard comes up in your life, remember that challenges are good because growing is good. 

Do hard things. You'll be glad you did. 

m(r)