Oh....España

Sometimes there are times that I don't know what to blog about....but I thought about something! I'm not sure why, but it seems like so many people are studying abroad in Spain right now. I'm Facebook friends with many of them and they are constantly adding photos of their experience. I have to say it is making me a little jealous and really miss Spain. Also, these people are going for an entire semester, not only a month like I did! 


Anyways....I thought I would publish this blog post that I found in my drafts and discovered that I never hit the publish button! But here it is...all about Comida de España (Spanish Food). 

Some food I've eaten:

Flan 
Tortilla de Patatas (Egg and Potatoes)
Zuchnni and cheese soup
Baby cow with veggies and rice
Chickpeas (garbanzo) with rice spaniach, broth in a soup with fish sticks
Paella (Rice, Veggies, and Seafood)
Jamón (Ham) Obviously I've had ham before, but let me tell you, it's upscale in Spain. I ate several ham and butter sandwiches (interesting..) made by my Señora. Also, did I tell you there was an entire pig's leg on the kitchen counter one morning, yep!
Cafe con leche (mucho!): This is what I had for breakfast EVERYDAY. Their coffee is really strong, so of course I needed to add sugar and milk :) 

Mazapán  (sugar and almond meal). These were especially made by the nuns in Toledo. ¡Delicioso! 

Pasteles (sweets!) These were from right down the street in Segovia. I bought these for my roommate's birthday.

 
Ponche Segoviana (Sugar, flour, egg, and cream) SO GOOD!


Churros con chocolate (por supuesto)

Did anybody else notice that I only took pictures of sweets? :) This shows how much I love them! Now I'm going to dream some more about Spain....

We are young - Glee

I recently discovered this song and can't stop listening!

Week Four- Mini Marathon Training

It's been a month (almost) since I started training. And I have to say I think week 4 went well. This was my first week back at school so I was a little worried as to how my schedule was going to go, especially coordinating with my friends (who are training too). But it worked out great! By the way, I think my foot is almost completely healed so it didn't bother me too much this week! yay!



Here's what my week looked like:
1-22-12 (Sunday): 50 minutes elliptical 
1-23-12 (Monday): Ran 2.5 miles 26:52, weight lifted 20 minutes
1-24-12 (Tuesday):  Ran 3.8 miles 42:56, elliptical 35 minutes 
1-25-12 (Wednesday): 35 minutes elliptical, weight lifted 15 minutes   
1-26-12 (Thursday): 45 minutes elliptical 
1-27-12 (Friday): Ran 3 miles 31:46, weight lifted 20 minutes
1-28-12 (Saturday): Ran 4 miles 47:22, weight lifted 20 minutes (we had to slow down for the whole group, that's why the run was a longer time) 


The best part about these runs...they were outside! It's been in the 50's here, so it's been great running weather. Also, I ran with THREE friends today (Saturday) it was awesome, and great company! Hope I keep up at this rate and increase my distances!

A New Semester #2

Yesterday went just as good as Monday. I had three classes: Language Disorders, Aural Rehabilitation, and Spanish. 

My two Communication Disorders classes are going to be good! I am interested in both of the topics and I like both of the professors. I had no idea how this Spanish class was going to be like, and it was a surprise. The class is called HONORS: Hispanic Intervention Project. It is a continuation of two previous classes. I was in the first class where we made surveys to give to Hispanic middle and high school students (in both Spanish and English). Our goal was to figure out why Hispanic students are not attending college (specifically WKU) and how we can help them. The class this semester is focused on taking action. It was a little confusing as to what exactly we are doing is this class because we never got a syllabus (weird, right?). So I guess we are going to find a solution to help these students out. My professor caught me off guard and said "Erin, can you describe what happened in the first class?" I said...."Ok" And then I went on to explain what we did, hoping what I said made sense. (All in Spanish of course!!). I'm looking forward to learning more Spanish and improving on my abilities. 

Do you know what the best part of my day was? RUNNING with my friend Hannah! This was the first time that I ran outside (In I don't know how long). But I ran almost four miles and it felt great! It was in the mid-50's so it was perfect running weather. I look forward to running more outside- with my friends and increasing my distances. 

I also got to eat dinner with two of my friends, which ended the day great!

A New Semester

New classes, new professors, new roommate, new year....a new semester! Today was my first day of the Spring Semester 2012. I have to say it was good! Would you like a play by play as to how it went...well here you go!


6:15: Woke up (without my alarm...couldn't believe it, ha!)
6:30-7:30: Went to the gym (great way to start the day if I say so myself) 
8:30-12:30: Three classes in the row, and all in the same classroom. The three classes were Clinical Issues and Treatment, Diagnostic Procedures in Communication Disorders, and Articulation Disorders. (These class names are quite a mouth full) 
12:30- 1:30: Ate lunch with my friend Erin.
1:30-5:00: Studying, nap time, internet surfing (this includes FB, Twitter, Pinterest, blogs, etc.), printing out notes, dinner.
5:00-7:00: ESL class with my Hispanic friends :) (Quite an adventure since we moved buildings and started an hour late!)
7:00 and on......studying, internet surfing, and probably going to bed early ;)


I enjoyed all of my classes today. I think I'm going to like this semester and learn so many new interesting things that will help me be a great SLP in the future! 
I have to say the highlight of my day though was the ESL class. I got to see all the students once again after not seeing them for almost two months! They are improving so much. I also got to chat in Spanish with them for a little bit which was great. 


Tomorrow I have three more classes: Language Disorders, Aural Rehabilitation, and Spanish. Hope tomorrow goes just as well as today did. 

Week Three- Mini Marathon Training

Week Three complete! I didn't do as much running as I would have liked because once again my foot was hurting :/ I hope this upcoming week is better. This week was busy so I actually took some rest days. 



Here's what my week looked like:
1-15-12 (Sunday): Ran 1 mile 10:50, 45 minute cardio
1-16-12 (Monday): 60 minute weight class
1-17-12 (Tuesday):  Ran 2 miles 20:16
1-18-12 (Wednesday): 60 minute bike  
1-19-12 (Thursday): Rest
1-20-12 (Friday): Ran 1 mile 11:01, 60 minute step class
1-21-12 (Saturday): Rest 


Let's see how my foot does this week. Plus I will get to start running with my friends! :)

The Hunger Games Series

I finished reading all the Hunger Games Series! Written by: Suzanne Collins. Wow, they were so good! I read the first one, The Hunger Games two years ago when my cousin told me about them. At that point, the third one wasn't even released yet. She told me about the book and I was a little puzzled as to whether I should read it or not because it sounded really strange. Later I did decide to read it and it was action-packed! I picked up the second and third one because the movie was coming out and there is so much hype about the series. I read Catching Fire in two days, but the third one, Mockingjay took me a week (I have to say the least favorite of the three). I decided that I will be going to the movie premiere at midnight on March 23rd. 

Want to know more about each book? Here's some more info below:

The Hunger Games

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

From: Barnes and Noble

Catching Fire 

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

From: Barnes and Noble

MockingJay

Mockingjay, the conclusion to The Hunger Games trilogy, will have fans racing through the book to reach its edgy, highly probable yet oh so unexpected, and utterly jaw-dropping conclusions. In the final, spell-binding novel, author Suzanne Collins doesn’t spare blood or gore—or creativity as she paints graphic images in the path of two-time Hunger Games survivor, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss has emerged from the 75^th Annual (Quarter Quell) Hunger Games as the sole symbol of the Districts’ rebellion against the Capitol: the Mockingjay.

Flung into the underground, socialist District 13, Katniss is relieved, appalled, and bitter about the District’s existence. With Gale Hawthorne by her side and Peeta Mellark at the hands of the Capitol, Katniss is forced to weigh the motives and actions of those around her as she navigates her role as Mockingjay. District 13’s President Coin reunites Katniss with former Tributes and an assortment of Rebel leaders scraped together from the surviving Districts with carefully laid plans on how to gain the remaining Districts’ support and infiltrate the Capitol.

From: The Hunger Games Capitol

Glee Cast - Without You

Loved this song, sung by Rachel on Glee last night!

I'm Twenty-One!

Yesterday was my 21 birthday. Happy Birthday to me! Last night my family and I went to Maggie McFly's for desserts and drinks.It was fun to spend it with my family! They sure like to make lots of jokes about me like I was slurring my words, hiccuping, and singing karaoke to "Raise Your Glass." Trust me, none of that happened! 

 I got a frozen drink call Love Potion #9 

Needless to say, it was deeelicious!

And of course since it was my birthday I had to order some kind of dessert (even though the drink was a dessert itself). But I splurged and got the Brownie Cheesecake.

Wearing a birthday hat that I have worn since my first birthday!

What did I get for my birthday you may ask? I got new boots AND a new camera! Thanks Mom and Dad for great gifts!

Spinach Burgers

Once again, I found a great recipe from Pinterest. SPINACH BURGERS! I like spinach, so I thought they tasted great. Now, if you don't like spinach or you think this doesn't sound good, it doesn't help to try :) I found this recipe from The Village Cook.


Ingredients: 
1 bag of thawed and well drained chopped spinach
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp salt


Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Form into burger-sized patties; spinach balls is also an option! Heat a non stick skillet over med-high. Spray with a bit of cooking spray. Cook each side for about 5 minutes. Makes 4 burgers. Enjoy with or without a bun! :)

The breadcrumbs, pepper, cheese, and onions.  Time to add the eggs and spinach .

Mixing all the the ingredients 

Spinach burgers cooking

Week Two- Mini Marathon Training

Week two of training complete! This week didn't go as well as I have planned because I didn't run as much as I would have liked. I hurt my foot during the end of week 1 so it hurt to run plus I didn't want to injury it more. The good thing though is I continued to go to the gym and workout! Today, I went for a 4-mile run which was great because I was a little worried that not running this week I wouldn't be able to complete it, but I DID! The bad news is my foot still hurts and I may have injured it some more :/ I bought a ankle brace which helped some, but I think the injury is more than that....


Here's what my week looked like:
1-8-12 (Sunday): 60 minute elliptical/run/walk 
1-9-12 (Monday): 60 minute weight class
1-10-12 (Tuesday): 60 minute weight/cardio class 
1-11-12 (Wednesday): Ran 1 mile 11:22 + elliptical 45 minutes 
1-12-12 (Thursday): 60 minute weight class 
1-13-12 (Friday): 60 minute step class
1-14-12 (Saturday): Ran 4 miles 42:01 


This upcoming week will be my last week at home for winter break. I hope I can maintain all this exercise when I head back to school for second semester. My Mom has been a great gym buddy :) I'm looking forward to training with five other friends once I get back! 

Hybrid Florida Oranges

While in Florida a few weeks ago we picked up some oranges and grapefruits. Yes, handpicked! Right down the street from my grandparents house. Yesterday I decided to make some fresh squeezed OJ since we have an abundance and no one was eating them. But there was something a little different about these oranges...they were pink! They didn't have the sweetness that a orange usually does either. So I decided that these oranges are a hybrid of oranges AND grapefuit. Grapeorange? or Orangefruit?

Hybrid?

Papa Jerry at work

Bag full of oranges

Didn't make too much, this was 8 large oranges.

Stuffed Bean Soup

"White Chili Gone Wrong" I feel like this what the title of this post should be. A few days ago my Mom and I wanted to try this White Chili recipe. We didn't have all the ingredients and we wanted to add some ingredients as well. So we came up with a deeelicious new soup that I would like to call, Stuffed Bean Soup! Lots of beans and other stuff in this soup. It was extra tasty.


Ingredients:
1 Pound mixed beans (Used Goya 16 Bean)
6 Cups chicken broth (plus another 6 cups when beans soak up)
4 cups diced cooked chicken breasts
2 medium onions, chopped
1 can of corn
3 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Teaspoons ground cumin
2 Teaspoons oregano
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions: 
Put the bean mix and chicken broth in large pot and set on high. It should take about 1 1/2-2 hours for the beans to soften. Add more chicken broth when needed (beans really soak it up, probably will need another 6 cups). Add the garlic powder, onions, cumin, oregano, pepper, and salt while the beans are cooking. Turn the heat to medium once the beans are soft. Add the corn and chicken. Stir well! Once all the ingredients are added and well heated, the soup is ready. Enjoy :)

Just cooking. Don't be fooled by the color, it's delicious!

Look at the model hand! Mom eating the soup.

These are the beans I used. 

Three Movies, Two Weeks

I've seen three movies in the theater in the past two weeks! That is unheard of because I usually only see three movies the entire year. The three I saw were Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, War Horse, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. All three were very different but I enjoyed all three of them. On Rotten Tomatoes they received high rankings (Mission 93%, War 77%, Tattoo 86%). They all deserved them! I don't have a favorite out of any of them because they are all different genres. 

I'm  not usually an action-kind-of-movie-person, but I really liked Mission Impossible! It was action packed and not too gory from all the shooting and killing. All the actors including Tom Cruise performed well. Below is a summary of the movie from IMDB
"In the 4th installment of the Mission Impossible series, Ethan Hunt and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks, who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt by the team to stop him at the Kremlin ends in a disaster, with an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF being implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to invoke Ghost Protocol, under which the IMF is disavowed, and will be offered no help or backup in any form. Undaunted, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks to Dubai, and from there to Mumbai, but several spectacular action sequences later, they might still be too late to stop a disaster."

Since seeing the previews of War Horse I've been wanting to see it, so I finally saw it. I took my Grandpa because I thought he would like it and he did. He hadn't been to a movie in over 20 years! I especially think older people would enjoy this movie because of the war references. The movie got intense with all the shooting and war scenes, but it wasn't too much for me. Below is a summary of the movie from IMDB
"Young Albert enlists to service in WWI after his beloved horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and across Europe as the war rages on."

My mom and I went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because we both had read the book. The book was sooo good! When I was reading it, I didn't want to put it down. This movie was SO intense (funny how all three of these movies were! No chick flicks here! ha). It followed almost exactly as the book. The actors were amazing in the movie because they played such dynamic characters. It definitely should have been rated-R because it was explicit, a lot more than I thought! The girl was weirder and more grungy in the movie than I had imagined when reading the book. I want to read the next two books in the series now. Below is the summary from IMDB
"This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined."

Week One- Mini-Marathon Training

Did you know I'm training for a mini-marathon in April? Well, I am! I'm excited because I will be running with some girls from school. This will be my fourth mini-marathon (I ran one in 2007, 2008, 2009). I think we are planning to run the Nashville Rock n Roll Mini-marathon on April 28th. (There is a slim possibility that we may do the Louisville mini on the same day instead, who knows!) 


Below is how my week went. I wrote out a schedule and either followed it or even did extra miles! (I will post the schedule on another post):


1-1-12 (Sunday): Run/Walk 2 miles 24:42
1-2-12 (Monday: 60 minute weight class
1-3-12 (Tuesday): Ran 2 miles 22:01
1-4-12 (Wednesday): Ran 4 miles 44:20
1-5-12 (Thursday): 60 minute weight class 
1-6-12 (Friday): 60 minute step class
1-7-12 (Saturday): Ran 3 miles 32:35 


It was a full week, but I'm ready for next week! My times are a little slow but I'm hoping to improve as time goes on. I'm going to focus more on running the distance because I think that's more important than speed right now ;) 

The Help

I finally read The Help by: Kathryn Stockett. Over the summer I checked it out at the library but only got through two chapters. Since I got a new Kindle Fire (which I LOVE by the way) I had The Help on it because my Mom bought it. I finished it in less than a week and it was great! I would give it a 9 out 10. The day after I finished the book I watched the movie which was also excellent. As usual, I thought the book was better than the movie but I would still recommend the movie. 


Here is a description from Barnes and Noble: 
"Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women-mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends-view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't."

Triple Threat Brownies

Want to make a D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S and easy dessert? Try this aaaamazing brownie recipe! My friend told me about this recipe that she found on Pinterest. Originally it is called "Slutty Brownies" because they are messy and easy, but I decided to rename them! These brownies only require three simple ingredients: chocolate chip cookie dough, Oreos, and brownie mix. 

I made this recipe by myself while I was in Florida visiting my grandparents. It was a hit!

Triple Threat Brownies Adapted from The Londoner

Ingredients:

1 Box brownie mix

1 Regular roll of chocolate chip cookie mix (can use box mix as well)

1 Package of Oreos

Eggs, oil, and water for the brownie mix.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F,  Line a baking tray with grease proof paper (aka wax paper). 9x9 or 8x8 pan is the best size!

Spread the cookie dough into a lined baking tray, until it covers the bottom.

Cover this layer with your Oreos. 

Mix up your brownie batter. Stick to the recipe on the box for this one. Pour over your Oreos. Bake for 30 minutes. The brownies should be a little gooey! Let sit for 10 minutes, cut, and serve. (It tastes even better with vanilla ice cream on top...especially because it melts!)If you aren't into gooey desserts wait for it to completely cool and it won't be as gooey (but still rich and delicious). 

The Triple Threat Ingredients 

Adding the Oreos on top of the cookie mix

SOO gooey and yummy!

I shared this on Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Roasted Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza

Happy New Year! Best wishes to you!

Last night I arrived back home from Florida after visiting my grandparents for Christmas. The night before I spent it in Louisville and got to see my friends. It was a lot of fun as usual! While I was in Florida I tried out this new recipe I found from a blog that I follow, Sugar Cooking. It is called Roasted Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza. You never know how a new recipe is going to turn out, especially serving it to my whole family...but it turned out GREAT! My family gave me lots of compliments :) Below is the recipe. 


Roasted Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza adapted from Sugar Cooking
Ingredients:
1 pizza crust (thawed)
1/2 cup prepared pesto (store bought or homemade)
1 tablespoon roasted garlic 
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup chopped onion 
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked
2 cups Mozzarella cheese 
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Romano cheese 
Olive Oil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For cooking the chicken I cut the breasts into small pieces in a pan over the stove. Add a little olive oil and the roasted garlic (optional: add salt and pepper). 
Spread the pizza dough onto the pan. (My dad this for me because it was a little difficult!) I used a frozen pizza crust and let it completely thaw. Put a little olive oil on both sides of the crust.

Spread the pesto on the pizza. Add the onions, mushrooms, and cooked chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella and top with Parmesan and Romano.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serves 4. We made two pizzas to everyone could have some. 

Enjoy :) 

Pizza Dough I used...from Walmart!

Dad flattening the dough

With the pesto, mushrooms, and onions 

Time to add the chicken and cheese!

We had salad with our pizza

Final Product...so yummy!