Oreo Truffles

Merry Christmas!  I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  If you're going to a New Year's Party, think about making these treats.  One of my dental school friends made these delicious for a wedding shower once, and I knew I had to have the recipe.  It is so amazingly simple yet amazingly tasty...no one will ever know it only took you a few minutes to make!

1 package Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened (I used light)
Milk or white chocolate bark

Put 6 Oreos in a food processor and crush until fine (if you don't have a food processor, you can crush them by hand in a bag).  Reserve for later.

Put the remaining Oreos in the food processor and crush until fine.  Stir in softened cream cheese; mix well.  Roll into 1" balls and place on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet.  Put the freezer for 15 minutes or so to firm up.

Melt chocolate according to package and covered balls with chocolate.  Set on wax paper to dry.  Sprinkle the tops with the 6 crushed oreos before chocolate sets.

Christmas Party

Jonathan and I had some friends over to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (our Christmas movie tradition), and I served up some easy snacks.  Since it was on a Friday night, I only had an hour or so to get things ready after school, so I chose easy things to throw together.  Here's two of the items, followed by their recipes.  They were both a big hit!

Rolo Turtle Pretzels

Rolo Turtle Pretzels

32 waffle pretzels

4 packages Rolos

Pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place pretzels on a cookie sheet.  Place one Rolo on top of each pretzels.  Stick in oven for 4 minutes, then press one pecan onto each Rolo.  Cool and enjoy!'

Adapted from:  The Hungry Housewife

Goat Cheese with Fresh Dill and Paprika

Goat Cheese with Fresh Dill and Paprika

2 packages (11 oz.) goat cheese

6 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped

6 Tbsp. paprika

Crackers, for serving

Place the goat cheese in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.  Meanwhile, put your dill and paprika on two separate paper plate.  Remove goat cheese from package and roll one in the paprika and one into the dill, coating well.

Carefully roll each into plastic wrap if you're not serving right away.  Try not to prepare too far in advance of the one with paprika will get clumpy.  Serve with sturdy crackers or crostini.

Note:  I cut the recipe in half and only used one package goat cheese, cut in half, since we had a smaller crowd.

Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Kansas City Trip

This post is a couple weeks overdue, but better late than never!  Over Thanksgiving, we took a road trip to Kansas City.  It was a lovely place to visit.  The area where we stayed was an upscale shopping district that decorates the plaza with thousands of strings of Christmas lights every year...it was beautiful!  We also visited the World War I Museum (I highly recommend), went to a local farmer's market, and then went to a NFL game!  Jonathan has always wanted to see Peyton Manning in person, and Kansas City was playing the Broncos that weekend, so it worked out perfectly!  Here's a couple of pictures I have from the game:

Welcome to Arrowhead Stadium

If you look closely, the guy in the #18 jersey is Peyton Manning!  He was warming up right in front of us.

I forgot to get a picture of the stadium once it filled up (oh well).  But the Broncos won so we were happy!

God gave us a beautiful sunset to be in awe of him on the drive home

Crockpot Pulled Pork

It's been a lovely fall here in Iowa.  The colors of the changing leaves were fantastic, and it hasn't really been cold yet.  It's been cool to chilly at night, and I've never lived anywhere before where there is a true fall season, so it's been wonderful.  Lately, I've been trying to cook some meals in the crockpot while I'm at school to save me from having to cook when I get home (usually tired!).  I had tried this recipe when we lived in Alabama, and loved it, so I brought it out again.  It's so delicious and easy.  Jonathan is obsessed with it!  I served it on homemade rolls from the Amish community 15 minutes down the road.  It got gobbled up so quickly I forgot to take a picture, so here's a link to the original site I got it from.

1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (3-5 lb) pork shoulder or pork butt roast
3/4 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Rinse pork under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.  Trim away excess fat.  Place onions in the bottom of the crockpot.  In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, and black pepper.  Rub mixture all over the roast, and set roast on top of the onions.

In a medium bowl, mix cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper.  Whisk well to combine, and drizzle 2/3 of the mixture over the roast.  Cover and refrigerate the rest of the mixture.

Cover crockpot and cook roast on low 10-12 hours.  Drizzle remaining vinegar mixture over roast when 30 minutes are left in cooking.  Once cooked, shred meat with two forks and serve with your favorite bbq sauce.

Modified from:  My Baking Addiction

Beef and Spinach Enchiladas

I haven't had much time lately to photograph many of my cooking concoctions (we tend to scarf them down, and then I remember that I wanted to take a picture!), so here's an oldie but a goodie.  This is a recipe that my good friend and dental school classmate, Laura, gave me. It is an easy meal to throw together, and it even tastes great as leftovers.

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef, cooked and drained

2.5 cups chunky salsa, divided

1 package frozen spinach, thawed and all excess moisture squeezed out

4 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed

12 flour tortillas

8 oz. 2% shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook meat in a saucepan, then drain.  heat in the same saucepan the ground beef, 1 cup salsa, spinach, cumin, salt, and cream cheese until melted.  Spoon 1/3 cup of the filling down the center of each tortilla.  Roll them up and place seam down in a lightly greased 9x13" pan.  Spoon remanning salsa over the enchiladas and place in the oven, uncovered.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until hot.  Add cheese on top and return to oven, just to melt.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  For our pumpkins this year, we decided to celebrate our new home in Iowa.  We carved a Hawkeye, and of course, an Auburn logo.   Some friends had us over for pumpkin-carving, and it was a fun night!

Carving away... Jonathan did most of the work on our pumpkin :)

The finished products

Pumpkins to celebrate our past and present!

Pumpkin Patch Day

For years now, I've been wanting to go to a pumpkin patch and corn maze, so when our friends Cole and Allison invited us to go with them, I was so excited!  We actually had a cold front come through the day before, so it was quite a chilly day, but it just made it feel that much more like a fall day.  We had a wonderful time!  Here are some of my favorite pics from the day:

All of us together (along with our friends' sweet baby)

Picking out our pumpkin

Giant rocking chair

The boys got in trouble for breaking the rules :)

The corn maze was so fun!

PB and Chocolate Pretzels Bites

This recipe has similar ingredients to the peanut butter pretzel balls recipe I posted a month or so ago, so I decided to try it out since I had the ingredients on hand.  Yummers!

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp. softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
Pretzels
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine peanut butter and softened butter with a large fork or in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the sugars and combine to mix.  At this point, the filling will roll into balls without sticking to your hands; if it doesn't, add a little more of each sugar until it does.  Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling, roll into a ball, and squish between 2 pretzels.  When all "sandwiches" have been made, put in freezer for 30 minutes or more to harden.

Pour the chocolate chips into a bowl, and microwave to melt, stirring in 30-second intervals.  Add 1 Tbsp. of peanut butter into the chocolate just before completely melted, then microwave slightly more until smooth.  Remove pretzels sandwiches from the freezer and dip each half-way into the chocolate.  Place on tray to dry, then freeze or refrigerate to set.  Store extras in refrigerator.

Source:  Two Tiny Kitchens

Pink Salad

I don't know if "pink salad" is the official name of this fluffy, fruity dessert, but that's what my mom always called it. It's a light, low fat snack or dessert. It's something served at a lot of Southern potluck dinners, but everyone has their own spin on it. Here's what I like to do:

12 oz. fat free Cool Whip

1 pkg. Sugar-Free strawberry Jell-O powder

24 oz. fat free cottage cheese

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well

1 small can mandarin oranges, drained well

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Tip: Sometimes I'll switch out the mandarin oranges for a can of fruit cocktail, or I leave them out all together. It really depends on what I have on hand.

Summer Orzo Salad

I'm a little late posting this, but for the 4th of July, all the residents in my ortho program had a cookout.  I brought this yummy pasta salad I found online.  It turned out great!  I made a giant bowl of it and there was only a tiny bit left afterward.  It is refreshing and light for a pasta salad, which is perfect on a hot summer day.

4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
About 2/3 of a 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pour broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, stir in orzo, cover partially, and cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently.  Drain orzo and transfer to a large wide bowl and toss to cool.  Set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, sugar, salt, black pepper, and oil in a bowl. Stir well to combine.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and vinegar mixture.  Season, to taste, with more salt and pepper, and serve at room texture.

Adapted from:  Stacey's Snacks, originally from Giada DeLaurentis

GORP

Last weekend, my co-residents and I went to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a orthodontic resident conference called GORP.  We had a blast!!  We actually drove, so it was seven hours of road trip fun.  Here are some pics:

We got to walk on the Michigan football field

My awesome co-resident, Mary Beth, and I spent a whole day shopping in the adorable downtown Ann Arbor

I was reunited with some of my dental school classmates...it was so good to see them!

And we goofed off a lot (here we are in an awesome used bookstore full of exciting finds)

What a wonderful trip full of great memories.  Go Iowa!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls

Jonathan and I are really loving it here in Iowa.  We've made some sweet friends already, and one couple likes to have us over for game night, so this is one of the treats I made for snack-time between games :)  I saw the recipe online and it looked simple, and boy, was I glad I made them!  For some crazy reason, the combination of peanut butter, pretzels, and chocolate resulted in a sweet and salty treat that tastes so similar to a Butterfinger.  My friends loved them, too!  Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, plus 1 Tbsp. (divided)
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup crushed pretzels
5 ounces melted chocolate

Stir together 1/2 cup peanut butter, powdered sugar, butter, and pretzels.  Form into 1" balls and set on plate or cookie sheet.  Put in freezer to firm up (about 30 minutes).  Melt chocolate over low heat or in microwave (monitor closely in microwave to prevent scorching).  When chocolate is almost melted, add 1 Tbsp. peanut butter and stir into chocolate.  Continue melting until smooth.  Dip balls into chocolate, coating evenly.  Refrigerate or freeze until set.

Erin's tip:  To dip balls into chocolate, place into chocolate, roll ball around in the chocolate with a fork to coat, then pick up the ball onto the fork and tap the fork on the side of the bowl.  This helps remove excess chocolate so you don't have a puddle of chocolate form at the base of the ball.  It also helps you not have a crazy mess on your hands (literally!).

Finger-licking good!

Adapted from:  Blog is the New Black

Moe's Tomatillo Salsa

I confess...I have a thing for salsa.  I crave it, and it's something I really enjoy making.  My favorite salsa to make can be found on this link, but my favorite salsa from a restaurant is Moe's tomatillo salsa.  It's a salsa verde made with tomatillos, jalapeños, and cilantro.  I've looked for the recipe online for years, and now that there's no Moe's near us, I became super-determined to find the recipe.  Luckily, I found a recipe for it, but I couldn't find canned tomatillos anywhere up here (the recipe insists that canned tomatillos give a more similar taste than fresh).  I found a Mexican grocery the other day, and they had canned tomatillos.  I went home and made the recipe, and it was amazingly similar!  It definitely hit the spot, and I'm going to make it anytime I have the craving for tomatillo salsa.  If you like crisp salsa with citrus/cilantro flavors, try this!

1 (28 oz.) can tomatillos, juice drained
1/2 small yellow onion
2/3 cup cilantro
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 fresh jalapeño (remove half the seeds for medium; leave all seeds for hot)
1/2 tsp. salt

Chop onion, tomatillos, cilantro, and jalapeños.  Add to food processor with lime juice, sugar, and salt.  Pulse to your desired consistency (I like this salsa relatively thin).  Place in bowl, cover with cling wrap or a lid, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving to let flavors combine.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Source:  The Dabble

First Day of Orthodontics!

Today was my first day of orthodontic residency, and I was both so excited and so nervous about starting.  On one hand, I was excited because I've been wanting this for a while now, and I'm on the road to fulfilling my dream.  On the other hand, I was nervous about this new chapter in my life and fears associated with the unknown, since ortho is totally different than general dentistry.  BUT...I had a great day!!  I'm exhausted (a girl gets used to sleeping in after a month off, lol), but I've already learned so much and can't wait to get back there tomorrow.

Bye for now, and happy early 4th of July!

Tomato Basil Soup

Shortly before leaving Alabama, Jonathan and I took the recommendation of a friend and went to eat at Joe's Italian in Birmingham.  The quaint restaurant is owned by Italian immigrants, Joe and "Mamma," who use their authentic recipes to create delicious meals made with locally grown food.  We sat down and noticed everyone in the restaurant was having a cup of the tomato basil soup, so we knew that they must all know something we didn't.  We ordered the soup, and it was to-die-for.  I normally am not crazy about tomato soup (my brain goes to the icky condensed stuff in a can), but this was so good, I knew I had to find a recipe to recreate it myself.  Well, I was in luck, because The Birmingham News had done a special on Joe's Italian, and they had given away their secret recipe in the article.  I made it recently (I know, soup in summer?  It's not very hot here yet, I was just craving it!), and we loved it.

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
4 cups ground tomatoes (use the San-Marzano style canned crushed tomatoes)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. crushed oregano
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat-free half-and-half)
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (use fresh!)

Melt the butter with the oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottom pot.  Add onions and wilt approximately 8 minutes; then add garlic and wilt 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.  Add the tomatoes and the broth, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 60 minutes.  Season with oregano, salt,  and pepper.  Add basil.  Stir in cream or half-and-half.  Simmer on medium-low another 30 minutes.  Garnish with fresh basil before serving.

Note:  In the summer, you can blanch fresh tomatoes for 8 minutes, then crush in food processor.  In the winter, use San-Marzano style tomatoes (if you can't find crushed San Marzanos, drain half the liquid and process in food processor.

Source:  The Birmingham News

Graduation

This post is a little out of order, but I finally uploaded all the images from my camera.  Graduation was June 2nd, and believe me, it was a long time coming!  I am so happy to be free from dental school!  My family came up, and then we had a graduation/going-away party afterwards at a restaurant.  It was an incredibly bittersweet day.  First, I had to say goodbye to all of my classmates, then I had to say goodbye to all my family and friends.  Emotional rollercoaster, to say the least.

The exact moment I became a Dr. Erin.  Receiving my doctoral hood.

We did it!  I couldn't have made it through the last 4 years without Jonathan's support.

My sister, my mom, and me at my graduation party

All of the Auburn graduates in my dental class

Moving Day

What a blur our lives have been the last week or so!  My family came in town for graduation, I graduated (hooray!), had a graduation party, said goodbye to all my loved ones, had movers come literally 2 days later, then moved the next day.  Everything was such a blur, but I tried to treasure moments here and there, because I knew we were making memories that would last a lifetime.  Jonathan and I stopped in St. Louis for a few nights, then drove the rest of the way.  Now we're settling into our new home.  We really like it here so far!  Everyone is super (and genuinely!) friendly, there's great restaurants, our new home is close to shopping, and we're making new friends.  Unfortunately, we didn't have such a great experience with our moving company...our stuff got delayed by several days, so we spent three nights sleeping on the floor and leaning against the walls as "chairs."  Here's some pictures I managed to snag during the move:

The ReloCubes outside our old apartment...believe it or not, it took all 3 to move us!

The beautiful and picturesque St. Louis Arch...it is so much bigger than it looks!  Massive!

A quick pit-stop at the zoo

Our stuff FINALLY arriving in Iowa

We were so happy they finally arrived, we opened them right away!

The mess we're currently unpacking/organizing

So there's a short summary of what we've been up to.  I promise there will be recipes to come soon!

Hello from St. Louis!

En route to Iowa, we've stopped for a couple of nights in St. Louis. Here's the view from the top of the arch!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Back to using up ingredients from the pantry...  I have a can of pumpkin puree that I bought in the fall and never used, and I thought it would be a great ingredient for...you guessed it, more muffins (I don't know why I'm on a muffin kick lately, but I've really enjoyed having them for breakfast ever since I discovered I can make yummy muffins)!

Here's the recipe:

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1/2 c. Splenda brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. skim milk
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with liners or spray with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl, mix together the puree, oil, eggs, sugar, and milk.  In another smaller bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.  Add to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each about 3/4 full.  Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each muffin, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes in pan and then remove to cool completely.

Source:  Disney Family

Penne Rosa

Jonathan and I are currently buried in a sea of boxes while we attempt to pack up our entire household.  Let me tell you, it's way more overwhelming and difficult than I expected.  But the good thing is, we're cleaning out a bunch of stuff.  For me, less clutter = a happier life.

Since we're moving in a little over 2 weeks, I've been trying to use up ingredients from my pantry.  I had a box of whole wheat penne, so I searched the web to find a healthy recipe to use it in.  I found this recipe on Back to Her Roots, and gave it a try. Both Jonathan and I really liked it!  It was a delicious, springy, fresh pasta dish, which (in my opinion), is hard to find.  Here's the recipe:

12 oz. whole wheat penne, cooked and drained
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.) chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups fresh spinach (I large bag at Publix was 4 cups)
1 lb. medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
Grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Cook penne according to package directions and set aside.  While it's cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften.  Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water.  Turn up heat to medium-high and add shrimp.  Cook 1-2 minutes until shrimp start to turn pink.  Add spinach and cover skillet.  Let spinach wilt for a few minutes until reduced down, stirring occasionally.  Remove lid and place skillet over low heat.  Drain off a little water from the bottom of the pan, and add the penne, yogurt, and marinara.  Stir to mix well, and cook until heated through.  Serve with Parmesan on top.

We made it!!!

I've been waiting for this day for years.  After 21 years of schooling, I finally reached my LAST DAY!  Next year, I'll be doing residency, which is different.  Today was my last day of dental school.  My best girlfriends in the class and I went out for lunch to Surin, an amazing Thai restaurant here.  We had a blast.  I will definitely miss these girls!  But I'm excited to move on.  For now, I will celebrate all that the Lord has done!

Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits

Our fantastic friends, Joey and Cali, had us over to their house a couple of weekends ago for dinner and board games.  Cali made us a delicious meal she found on The Pioneer Woman, and we loved it so much I had to make it again!  It is a fall-apart-in-your-mouth, tender beef dish served over silky, cheesy grits.  Can you get much better than that?  I submit that you cannot :)  Thanks again for having us over, Cali!

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1.5 lbs. stew meat
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 Tbps. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 Tbsp. canned chilis in adobo (optional-use only if you like spice!)
2 cups stone-ground grits (a.k.a. polenta)
3 cups low-sodium chicken or beef broth
1.5 cups water
1 cup fat-free half-and-half
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


To make the meat, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over high heat. Throw in stew meat and brown for 1 minute, then add chipotle peppers, beef broth, garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender and the liquid is thick. (Watch the meat occasionally and add more beef broth as needed.)


In the last hour of cooking time, make the grits: Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of both oil and butter. Add diced onion, bell pepper, and chilies and cook for five minutes or so. Pour in grits, then add chicken (or beef) broth and water. Stir, then bring to a boil . Reduce the heat to low, then cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes, add half-and-half. Cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until grits are tender. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese.


Serve a pile of grits with stewed meat (liquid and all) over the top. Sprinkle on sliced green onion for color.

Nacho Stars

I'm bringing back an old post from the earlier days of the blog. This is a recipe from my good friend and classmate, Ashley, that is so easy to throw together, and that everyone LOVES. It's a hit with girls and guys alike.

1 package wonton wrappers
3/4 cup light ranch dressing
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 lb. sausage (I use reduced-fat)
1 jar jalapeno slices

Directions: Spray a cupcake tin with non-stick cooking spray. Place wonton wrappers in the tin, and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skillet. Drain, and add the ranch and cheese. Spoon into pre-baked wonton shells. Add a little more cheese, and top with a jalapeno slice. Place back into the oven for 6 more minutes. Enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

The first time I ever had baked oatmeal was at my favorite coffee shop in Auburn.  I immediately fell in love.  They served it in a bowl with warm, frothed milk over the top.  It was to-die-for.  I decided to make my own, and I found a recipe on SkinnyTaste that looked delicious.  The result?  AH-mazing!  I will make this over and over, for sure!!

Hot out of the oven

So moist and delicious, with a nice tartness from the berries

2 medium ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2" thick slices
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup honey
1 cup. uncooked quick oats
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup. skim milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray an 8x8-inch glass dish with non-stick spray.  Arrange banana slices in a single layer on the bottom of the dish.  Sprinkle half of the blueberries over the bananas, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. honey, and cover with foil.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine oats, baking powder, remaining cinnamon, salt, and half of the nuts.  In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, vanilla, and remaining honey.

Remove bananas from oven, and pour oat mixture on top.  Pour the milk over the oats, distributing mixture as evenly as possible over the oats.  Sprinkle remaining blueberries and nuts on top, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and the oatmeal has set.  Serve warm from the oven.

Jonathan's Birthday Surprise

Jonathan turned 27 last weekend, and I took him on a surprise road trip.  Jonathan has always loved anything to do with history and has wanted to go to Medieval Times for a long while now.  Medieval Times is a live jousting tournament and dinner theater.  They serve a meal that would've been eaten at a feast in medieval times, and your fingers are your utensils (no joke!).  The meal was delicious, and I knew Jonathan would enjoy the show, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the show.  It was really fun.

Jonathan outside of the castle

                         

A quick picture of the show

We stayed the night in Atlanta and headed back home on Sunday.  Though it was a really short trip (since Parent's Day was on Friday), we had a blast.  Happy birthday Jonathan!

Senior Parents' Day

This past Friday was Parents' Day for the senior dental students.  I was so excited to have my mom and stepdad, and my dad and stepmom come up for the day.  Jonathan got to take off work to come, too.  The school rented out the Alabama Theater, and we had a nice luncheon and had a great time with our families.

The beautiful Alabama Theater

My mom and me

My sweet friend/classmate, Ashley

What a great day commemorating all that my classmates and I have accomplished over the last four years.  It's been quite a ride, and it was great celebrating with my family!