What a Week

As expected, Stacey's visit brought lots of things to blog about - but zero time TO blog.

And although she left on Sunday and it is now Wednesday, poor little Buster has been sick so I've been busy caring for the mutt. He'll be fine, but he had a double whammy hit him.

Sunday, Stacey and I brought him home a bone from the Italian Market and the oinker ate the whole thing. It was probably NOT a good idea to try the bone because a few hours later he started throwing up. I took him to the vet Monday morning to make sure he'd be okay (he threw up at least 15 times), and we found out he also has a bladder infection. Like I said, poor little Buster.

So the past couple days I've been taking him out every couple of hours to pee (because of the bladder infection he kept peeing in the house), cleaning up pee that didn't make it outside, administering his medication, and boiling chicken and cooking rice to feed him every 3-4 hours. I've also been giving him lots of cuddles.

Now that he's on the mend, I plan to blog about our adventures over the next few days. Unfortunately, with it being Wednesday and all, I MUST set my fantasy football lineup for this week. So until I can actually dedicate some time to post about Stacey's visit, here's a shot of Philly that I took and played with in Picasa:

I do not know how to use Picasa for realsies, so I just make pictures look "artsy" haha

I am SO in love with this city.

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STACEY IS COMING!!!!!!!

After not seeing any familiar faces since June, one of my favorite people in the world is coming to visit us! Stacey is arriving today at 5:30 and will be here until Sunday night.

That's four fun-filled days of Stacey!

With my car in the shop and a rental I am afraid to drive, we'll probably be sticking close to Philly. But there is a TON to see and do here, government shutdown or not. While we won't be able to visit the Liberty Bell (although it's totally visible from a first floor window) or Independence Hall, the city has a ton of other cool places to check out. Plus, I've been to both twice already, so can easily give an awesome tour from outside ;)

We'll also likely watch a ton of crappy TV and make fun of it, just like the good ole days when we lived in the same apartment building.

I have to say that I am so honored that she's coming for a visit. As a former employee (and hopefully future one as well if I can get a dang interview anywhere), I know how few vacation days people get. Plus, flying across the country is super expensive. The fact she's spending vacation time and mucho dinero on us is awesome :)

Now I've gotta do some last minute cleaning (no, I didn't procrastinate until the day-of, I just got tired after spending five straight HOURS on cleaning yesterday. Gross.) so I will bid you all adieu.

So long, farewell
Auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu
To you and you and you...

Posts may be in sort-supply (or, more likely, non-existent) while she's here. Never fear, there will be plenty to catch you up on when she leaves.

Boo. Now I am thinking about her leaving. Must go distract myself haha.

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Random Recipe Date

Another week, another date. This week our date was to cook a 4 course dinner together. The catch is that we didn't get to choose what dish we had for each course. Instead, we randomly selected recipes from a cookbook and HAD to make and eat whatever we landed on.

We specifically selected dishes from their sections of our giant America's Test Kitchen cookbook (e.g. our appetizer was selected from the section on appetizers, dessert from the section on desserts, etc). That way we wouldn't have ribs or something for dessert. Besides that, it was fate as to what we'd be making and eating. Yikes!

Given that Joe and I are picky eaters, this felt like a really scary game of Russian Roulette for our taste buds. Thankfully, our random number selection and die rolls gave us a meal that was full of yummy foods!

***Side Note*** We decided to roll a die for the main course since the section was split up into chicken, pork, beef, fish, etc. and we didn't want to knowingly pick a number from a preferred section. That would have been more control over our dinner fate than we wanted. In retrospect, using a die would have been the best way to pick the whole meal - it felt a lot more out of our control and, therefore, more exciting. ***End of Side Note***

Since Joe loves cooking but doesn't get to much anymore (thanks dental school), he was really happy for this date. I've actually really started to enjoy cooking myself, so I was happy too.

I love to cook with wine... sometimes I even use it in my food.

So now to answer the big question: what did we eat?

Appetizer: Quesadillas

The cookbook gave advice on cooking a basic quesadilla, but didn't have any special recipes. Since I wanted something more snazzy than just cheese and a tortilla, I decided to make our quesadillas with cheddar and mozzarella cheese, thick cut bacon, caramelized onions, and cilantro. OMG it was insanely delicious. I'll be making it again for sure. Since we didn't want to get too full, we only had two slices(?) parts(?) sections(?) each.

Salad: Roasted pear and walnut arugula salad

I overdressed the salad horribly, so it was the worst dish of the night, but all of the components were great. We'll try it again and I'll be much less heavy handed with the dressing.

Entree: Coq a Vin with mashed potatoes

Okay, I've never heard of coq a vin before, so when we first landed on it I was afraid. When I found out it was a chicken dish, I breathed a sigh of relief since I can do chicken, but I was still scared because it calls for chicken thighs. Fun fact about me - I can't eat meat on the bone unless it's a rib. It creeps me out (why ribs are okay baffles me too - probably because they are covered in BBQ sauce) and I don't know how to cut meat off of a bone. Yes, I am 27 and I don't know how to cut meat off of a bone. You can shake your head in shame at me, I deserve it.

Anyways, Joe insisted that if we used chicken breasts they would probably dry out and the point of this meal was to try new things. I agreed to use thighs as long as he cut my chicken and we didn't have to use mushrooms (even though they are a big part of the recipe). He agreed.

Aside from the thighs and mushrooms, coq a vin sounds like the most amazing chicken dish ever. The recipe uses an ENTIRE bottle of wine, a ton of onions, garlic, and other flavors I love. Plus, the traditional side is either noodles or mashed potatoes.

Joe pretty much took charge on this part of the meal, which I am glad of because it seems pretty difficult to make. There are a ton of steps. But oh boy was it INSANELY DELICIOUS. This is going to be my pick for my birthday dinner in December.

Dessert: Fallen chocolate cake

I was thrilled we got a chocolate dessert, I was definitely craving it. Unfortunately, our oven is super aggressive and these got a bit overcooked, but they were still delicious. They were also super easy to make, so we'll be able to try again.

Even though the food was delicious, I did make a huge mistake with this date. I put it as a 90 minute date and it ended up taking 4+ hours. Note to self: cooking ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS takes longer than you expect. Also, what moron thinks it only takes 90 minutes to make a 4 course meal? This girl right here.

The good news is that Joe had more time than he expected to this weekend, so it didn't get in the way of his studying.

All in all, this was probably our favorite date so far. It was so much fun to hang out in the kitchen and cook together. We didn't have the TV or any music on when we were cooking, we just chatted. There were lots of Walking Dead predictions made since last night was the season premiere, and we got to be at home together for the longest stretch of time for a while. It was a great night :)

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What a Week

I've realized something about myself this week that is pretty awesome: I've seriously grown up. I'm not sure when or how it happened, but I had a couple things occur over the last several days that would have turned the old Kate into a sobbing mess. Instead, I handled both like the big girl I am.

My new action plan in case of emergency.

The first "thing" was cracking my iPhone screen. I'm a total klutz and actually broke the Otterbox that had been protecting my phone from its many falls over the last couple years. Since its volume button was already broken, I figured it wasn't worth investing in a new case since I'd be upgrading soon anyway. Not wanting to rush the pricey upgrade, I was very cautious with my naked iPhone and several weeks passed without event. I even figured out quick workarounds to increasing the volume so that the broken button wasn't a big deal. I was hoping to sail through another few months as-is.

But, alas, my luck had to run out. While walking to pick up the girls I nannied (yes, past tense, my last day was Friday) from school, the phone slipped out of my hands like a wet fish and fell flat on its face on one of Philly's cobblestone sidewalks. The screen was shattered pretty bad and, though shattered screens are apparently "hip" now (seriously), I knew instantly that I was going to have to get a new phone ASAP. Even though we had an upgrade available, I was not pleased since even a with the phone at a steep discount of $99 there were also taxes, an upgrade fee, a new case, etc. I figured we'd be out at least $200.

I was so frustrated, especially since the job was supposed to be finished a week earlier and I felt like if I hadn't been rushing to get the girls, I wouldn't have dropped my phone in the first place (though, let's be real. This is me. I would have dropped it eventually). I sighed, stuffed my phone into my purse and, as soon as I did, rain started pouring from the sky. I was without an umbrella and still had to pick up the 4-year-old from preschool and then push the double stroller over to the 5-year-old's school about 10 minutes away.

Pushing a 4-year-old in a double stroller over the bumpy Philly sidewalks is never easy - but when you add rain that is coming down so hard I had to take my glasses off, it's near impossible.

The old Kate probably would have started crying when the phone shattered... she DEFINITELY would have started crying when she had a shattered phone and was sopping wet. But I just used my frustration to propel that stroller as fast as possible and accepted that while both things were annoying, $hit happens. In the scheme of things that could get broken, an iPhone ready to be upgraded really wasn't the worst. It's not like I got in a car accident or anything...

And then Friday morning came.

It was my last official day of nannying (the other nanny returns from her trip abroad on Monday) and the dad said I could come in at 8 instead of 7 because only one of the girls had school that day. I was just a few blocks away and I suddenly felt and heard my car go "crunch." I was rear-ended.

It was another incident that would have brought the former Kate to tears (and, honestly, who would blame her?). But upon getting out of the car and seeing that the other driver and myself were both okay, I just accepted it. Yes, getting into a car accident sucks BAD, but no one was hurt and it could have been a lot worse.

The other driver and I were on the side of the road for about two hours dealing with police, insurance companies, and AAA for her car. I think I probably would have freaked if I was at fault, but I wasn't and I didn't want to make the other girl feel worse so I sucked it up and tried to make the whole thing as pleasant as possible. I'm sure the cop was confused when he drove up and we were laughing together and making plans for a future coffee date (we actually decided to nix the coffee idea and are getting drinks on Tuesday).

The fact that I didn't cry at either my phone or car troubles was a huge win in terms of me feeling like I am finally turning into a real adult. But the thing that most surprised and impressed me is that instead of my brain immediately going to the negative and trying to think of all the ways that both things were horrendous and how my life isn't fair, etc. my brain immediately jumped to the positive.

I felt so mentally and emotionally HEALTHY. And that's not something this anxiety-laden gal has often felt. If this is what being a grown up is, then I'm not minding so much :)

Oh, and did the new iPhone cost $200 like I expected? Nope. It plus an extra wall charger and a new car charger only cost $4.87 after I traded in the cracked one. So that was pretty sweet ;)

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Bowling Date

Last week we finally got out of the apartment for our weekly date! I was getting pretty stir crazy since all of our previous dates have been at home, so I was thrilled when Joe pulled bowling :) Since we hadn't been out to eat since August and Joe had less studying than he expected, we decided to go to a restaurant first and stuffed our faces with barbecue food. MMMMM...

In hindsight, eating a ton of meat swimming in barbecue sauce was probably not a good PRE activity plan; I was SO FULL I felt like I was going to bust my pants open. But, hey, it's not like bowling isn't used to seeing people with giant bellies...

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

I wanted to have some kind of wager, but Joe reminded me that I tend to get too competitive when betting and we should just relax and have fun. I'm glad we didn't bet because it was not my night. I did break 100 on game 2, but that performance was a clear fluke ;) Joe just kept improving.

Scores were as follows:

Game 1: Kate 64, Joe 82

Game 2: Kate 104, Joe 109

Game 3: Kate 80, Joe 120

Game 4: Kate 63, Joe 120*

***Side Note*** Our hour ended RIGHT before Joe's last frame on the last game, so he would have almost certainly scored higher than 120. Also, that is so messed up that the game just shut off - they should let you get a bonus 5 minutes or something if you are that close to the end. Stupid bowling :( ***End of Side Note***

We did have fun though :)

Sadly, I didn't bring my fancy camera to document said fun, and my iPhone was refusing to take non-fuzzy and/or correctly-lit photos, but here's a few anyway:

That bottom pose is our "strike pose." Yes, I actually had a couple strikes and still finished two games in the 60's. That's because I also got my share of gutter balls ;)

Although I didn't play great, it was still a fun night out with the hubby. We are really enjoying these weekly dates, and can't wait for this week's "Cookbook Date." What the heck does that mean? You'll have to stay tuned...

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So How Has Dental School Been Going?

Since I've been bummed about losing my husband to dental school, it's probably good for you all to know that his studying has been worth it. He's had two exams and a quiz so far and has gotten a B, B+, and an A. Since he doesn't want to specialize, these are exactly the type of grades we are hoping for. It means he understands the material and is doing well, but he's not killing himself to make straight A's since it ultimately doesn't matter what grades he gets so long as he passes and is a great dentist once he is done at UPenn.

See, specialties like Orthodontics and Periodontics require additional schooling and are incredibly competitive to get into. If Joe wanted a chance at being accepted to a specialty program, he'd have to pretty much ace dental school - which is NOT easy - and have to be involved with extra-curriculars to boost his application. Both would require even MORE of his time.

He considered pursuing a specialty after being accepted to UPenn because UPenn grads have a high rate of acceptance into these programs, but shadowed some dentists who specialize and found that the work was too

 monotonous for him. He likes the variety that being a general dentist provides and the fact that he can build relationships with patients over the years. Plus, he has a strong desire to work with people with developmental disabilities and would best serve that population as a general dentist.

I'm thrilled that he's content with B's, because that's the difference between him being able to take a few hours off every now and then, and him not having that luxury.

The scary part, though, is that Penn is apparently "easing them in" during the first two months of dental school. In a couple weeks, the exams start becoming more frequent (1-2 per week) and the workload more intense. Luckily, it seems that Joe is learning some strategies to speed up his studying (probably the reason for the easing in) and will hopefully use his time more effectively. He'll need to learn to speed study since second year (D2) is supposed to be even more intense. Yay.

Mom, I took the time to edit this just for you ;) It was just too spot on not to post.

I am in such awe of Joe and how hard he is working. I could never work as hard as he is right now - I'm shocked a human can push like this. I can't imagine those poor souls who DO want to specialize... or those D2's...

Now that I've depressed myself thinking about next year, I need to post one more thing that makes me laugh ;)

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Repli-Kate: Tamale Pie!

It's been a while since I've done a Repli-Kate post (previous ones here and here). For those of you new to the blog or who have a memory like mine, Repli-Kate posts are where I try to replicate something from Pinterest or another source of inspiration.

This week, that inspiration comes not from Pinterest, but from my two favorite Joes: Joe (my hubby) and Trader Joe's.

A few months ago, Joe tried a free sample at Trader Joe's where they used their polenta and pre-cooked carnitas to make a tamale bite. He loved the idea, and bought ingredients to make something similar at home: a tamale pie! He's made this dish a few times since, and I wanted to try my hand at it myself.

So here you go - the recipe for tamale pie!

***Side Note*** As friends, family, and long-time readers probably know - cooking is not my forte. I am trying and actually improving... but if you expect proper cooking lingo in this recipe, you've come to the wrong place ;) ***End of Side Note***

Tamale Pie - 4 Servings

Ingredients:
2 medium onions
1 package of Trader Joe's pre-cooked carnitas (12 oz.)
1 package of polenta (18 oz.)
1 can of black beans (15 oz.)
1 can of red enchilada sauce (10 oz.)
shredded cheese (optional)

Step One: The Stove

(Oh, you may want to pre-heat your oven to 350 at this point. I always forget.)

Cut the onions into rings and saute them to your heart's taste-buds' desire (Joe hates onions unless they are super tender, so ours were pretty soft).

Next, pull the carnitas apart and add the shreds to another pan. You'll likely find a lot of disgusting fat clusters. We always throw those away (we are healthy like that haha). I promise this part will make you want to hit the gym ASAP.

You don't need to cook the carnitas long. Since they are pre-cooked, the point is to get them lightly browned and slightly crispy. Once again, the amount you cook them is up to you and your preferences.

Step 2: Assembly

Now that all of our ingredients are prepped, it's time to assemble the pie in a 8X8 inch baking dish.

First, pat down the polenta to make the crust:

Next, add canned black beans that have been drained (I don't like that icky bean water that's in the can and we don't want the tamale pie too wet!):

The carnitas are next:

Followed by the onions:

And, finally, the whole can of enchilada sauce:

You can add cheese to the top if you'd like. However, when Joe and I did this in the past we felt that all of the other ingredients were so flavorful we couldn't taste the cheese. Unless you dump buckets on top, you'll probably agree.

Though buckets of cheese does sound delicious...

Step 3: Oven Time!

Now that the pie is assembled, pop it in the oven (which should be at 350 since you remembered to pre-heat it. Oh, wait, you are like me and forgot? Curse loudly quietly and pop it in anyways but add some extra time to account for the cold oven.)

Cook the pie for 30 minutes if you are putting it in the oven immediately after assembly. If you assembled the pie in the morning so you could have dinner almost ready when you get home (like I did) add a good 15 minutes since it'll be cold from the fridge.

Everything is already cooked, so the point is to get it hot all the way through. It takes longer than you'd expect. I cooked this pie for 30 minutes after it was in the fridge all day and it was barely warm with just a couple of hot pockets. (MMMM... Hot Pockets).

Step 4: Enjoy!

The pie won't look any different when you pull it out of the oven unless you added cheese to the top. In which case, the cheese will hopefully be melty and brown. If not, broil that S!

Dishing up tamale pie is quite the feat. It will likely fall apart and make a big mess on your plate. Luckily, you are no longer 5 and you understand that just because your piece isn't as pretty as another person's piece, it'll taste JUST AS GOOD!

And I promise... it WILL be good :)

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