Time is fleeting

I cannot believe that I am finally finishing up school. I started my Master's degree in Summer of 2005, and my PhD in the Summer of 2006. It's 2011 and it's felt as if the end would never come. The first four years of my doctorate felt as if I were wading through molasses. Everything seemed to be difficult... there was one roadblock after another... and there were many times in earnest I never even wanted to finish. I just wanted to pack all of my stuff and move somewhere to work on a vineyard, or behind the counter at a coffee shop, or just spend the rest of my life drinking whiskey. But when it came down to it, I literally had no plan B. So I stuck it out and lo and behold, the end is coming near. Everything is in fast-forward right now, it feels as if I'm swimming in the fast lane and there's no time to come up for air... which is good, but stressful.

Believe it or not, I am slated to finish in August. I have been working a lot, but also traveling a bit now before I lose the opportunity. My committee meeting is tomorrow, and I am currently preparing these CAKE BALLS for them. Since I'm dipping things I've decided to dip some strawberries in chocolate also. Some may call is kiss-ass, I call it being resourceful.

I haven't been able to do much cooking lately - but I have made THIS CREAMY AVOCADO PASTA from Oh She Glows, and also this SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN SALAD.

Dinner tonight was a repeat of Brie, apple and arugula quesadillas, a beet and pecan salad, and a 2 BELOW beer.

Hope tomorrow goes fine! Maybe just one more beer.

Stuffed Poblanos with Bean, Spinach and Avocado quesadillas

I bought poblanos maybe 2 weeks ago to stuff with something. Sadly, working nights got into the way and I haven't made dinner more than twice in two weeks. As my husband doesn't cook - this had meant A LOT of meals out (besides breakfast and lunch) - so although my schedule is tight this week I am making it a point to make dinner each night. I looked for a recipe online for stuffed poblanos, but couldn't find one that sounded appealing - so I threw a bunch of stuff together and luckily it tasted great.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers:
2 poblano peppers
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove elephant garlic (or two cloves regular garlic), chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup cilantro
1/3 can black beans
1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 Tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp cream cheese (or tofutti better than cream cheese)

Preheat broiler. Slit open peppers and remove seeds. Char in broiler for about 5 minutes per side, until nice and charred.

Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add spinach and cook for one minute, then add cilantro, black beans and tomatoes. Season with all of the spices, and if you so desire, add the cream cheese. This makes it into a great consistency that will stay together. Stuff the peppers with the mixture, put oven down to 350, and bake 5 minutes longer.


I served these with what Nava Atlas calls a "big quesadilla." These ones are based on a recipe from the Vegetarian Family Cookbook. They are so simple and you don't miss the cheese at all.

Bean, Spinach, and Avocado Quesadilla:
2 wheat tortillas (I use fajita size)
1/3 can fat free vegetarian refried beans
1 cup spinach
1/2 avocado
salsa, hot sauce

Heat grill pan (or just plain old saute pan). Fill 1/2 of each tortilla with a few Tbsp of the refriedd beans. Top with spinach. Fold in half. Cook on a oiled grill pan until brown on each side- about 2-3 minutes. Top with avocado/salsa/hot sauce. That's it!

Brie, apple and arugula quesadillas

My friend Sara recently started a food blog - she has an awesome camera and everything always looks amazing. I pretty much bought everything to make a few of the recipes she posted recently. Last night we had to make a grocery store run after work, and neither one of use could wait very long for dinner. Team impatience with the start time of girlie vampire TV night - I decided to make these brie, apple and arugula quesadillas from my friend's blog, cooking for dan.

I won't repost the recipe, and my crappy photo doesn't do this simple dish justice - so just visit her site! It came together in minutes flat- and I was out the door in no time.

Quick Quesadillas and vampires

Sunday is True Blood night... obviously. After drinking way too much wine and staying over AT the winery (problem?) - Sunday was a rough morning. I felt bad melted into my couch, watching RELIGULOUS. So I ventured out to a friend's pool, to lay in the sun there, and felt pretty good about myself! I left the house - hooray! Pool time was followed by a quick Sunday gym session - leaving me very little time to make dinner and head over to another dear friend's house for our precious TRUE BLOOD viewing! (What is Bill still doing there? Come on Eric, move!)

I threw together a recipe from Vegan Express- mushroom, broccoli and black bean quesadillas. (Pool friend said she was making them and I got jealous). They are supposed to be on huge 12 inch tortillas, but I just used standard whole wheat fajita size ones.

Basically, mix some black beans together with some salsa (I mashed the black beans). Meanwhile, steam the mushrooms and broccoli in a little water. Fill up a tortilla with your nice little mixture and fold over - bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Nava suggests topping the quesadillas with a roasted red pepper sauce, which I will definitely try next time. I added a simple green salad and I made it in time to see Bill return to Bon Temps.