Christmas, Crafts, and Law School Finals

Dave is officially done with his first semester of law school! Never mind that he doesn't get to find out how he actually did on any of his finals until mid-January. He is past caring on that particular aspect and just relieved to be finished. (I secretly fret about it, but that's just because graduating from college didn't cure me of my occasionally uptight attitude toward school. I am successfully suppressing the urge). Poor guy's brain is pretty pooped after two solid weeks of studying, stress, and test taking. He has definitely earned his three weeks of vacation.
Still, I didn't find finals weeks quite as bad as I expected. Obviously it couldn't have been that bad for me since I didn't have to take them, but beforehand various people told me horror stories about how Dave would go crazy under all the stress and pressure and blow up at me. I kind of wished that I could just cook whole lot of food, stick it in the fridge, leave Dave to fend for himself, and reappear in two weeks when finals were over. Most of my fears were unfounded and there were no crises or blow-ups. I think I did do more Christmas crafts this year than I have ever done before, but it kept me happily distracted and Dave happily not-distracted by me.

Our Christmas Tree

Post-Script:
I wrote this ages ago but I never uploaded the pictures and it's been sitting here all this time. The holidays were just too fun. Merry Belated Christmas everyone!

Gardening

I planted some herbs.

I grew up in a house with a large yard. Our backyard had a peach tree, two apricot trees, a nectarine tree (my favorite), a navel orange tree, a blood orange tree, a mandarin orange tree (my 2nd favorite), a fig tree (the dog's favorite), three plum trees, a pear tree (sans partridge), grape vines, and berry bushes. Such a large yard required a lot of upkeep--at least two hours worth each Saturday. Our front yard had about 18 different rosebushes, which were my responsibility. I pruned and weeded for $3 an hour--which even after I successfully argued for a dollar raise was still a measly amount. At the time I heartily disliked the intrusion on my weekends. Maybe it was the pay scale, or perhaps the summers I had to spread chicken manure in the rose beds. Of course, after I moved out and started living in itty-bitty student apartments, I really missed having a yard and even gardening! When we lived in our basement apartment I never bothered with attempting to grow anything because I was sure it would die from lack of sunlight, but ever since we've moved I've been excited to try. So, despite a small fear that I might still manage to kill them anyways, I planted some seeds a few weeks ago. And they are growing! I'm sure that one day we'll have a big yard and I'll perpetuate the cycle of chores. For now I am just happy with my herbs.

What I Made For Dinner

About twice a month (usually in the middle and towards the end) when the cupboards are getting spotty and the fridge is nearly empty, I enjoy putting off going to the grocery store as long as possible by getting creative with the remaining ingredients. Partially because I think it's fun to experiment, and partially because I get a small sense of satisfaction out of my 'resourcefulness'. Last night's invention turned out particularly well, so I thought that I'd share.

Stuffed Chicken Breast
Three boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 8oz package of blue cheese
4 small apples (firmer variety would be best)

Cut a slit into each chicken breast, being careful not to slice all the way through. Slice up the the cheese and half of one of the apple into thin slices. Stuff the chicken breasts with the slices; set aside any remaining cheese. Cut the remaining apples into large chunks and scatter on the bottom of a 9x13.  Place the chicken breasts on top of the apples. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. About halfway through the cooking time, place extra pieces of cheese on top of the chicken to melt.

Dreams

It's a little uncanny how your dreams can reflect what's on your mind. The other day I dreamed that we got a dog. It was a Pomeranian-Golden Retriever-Chihuahua mix. (I'm not exactly sure how the logistics of that breeding would work out outside of the dream world). Last night I had a nice dream where Dave surprised me with a trip to Disney World  and we just happened to run into all of our friends and family. In the dream Disney World was a water park, which was convenient because it was a beautiful sunny day.
I told Dave about my dreams this morning while we were procrastinating getting out of bed. His response: "Lately all I dream about is different scenarios, and then I apply the law to them."

Chili Cook-Off

On Wednesday our ward had the annual Halloween/trunk-or-treat party. For the dinner beforehand they organized a chili cook-off, and I won second place for best chili! I enjoyed the chance to try out a recipe that my mom used to make. It was the first time I've made it myself, and I tweaked it a bit to add some more spice. I didn't exactly use exact measurements when I was cooking, but I'll share the original recipe and try to describe my additions.

White Chicken Chili
2 Medium cans white navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cube butter
1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 c. milk
1 tsp Tabasco
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt  and pepper to taste
2 roasted pasilla chilies or 2 4oz cans of green chilies
3 cups cooked chicken--shredded or cubed
1 1/2 c. Monterrey jack cheese
1/2 c. sour cream

Cook onion and garlic in two tablespoons of butter until softened, but not browned. In large pot melt remaining butter over low heat and whisk in flour. Keep whisking for about 3 minutes--do not brown. Stir in onions and garlic. Gradually add broth and milk, still whisking. Bring to a boil and then simmer. While stirring, simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in beans and remaining ingredients (except sour cream) and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir often. Lastly stir in the sour cream.



I used one can of canelli, one can of great northern beans, and one can of garbanzo beans. I couldn't find Pasilla chilies at the grocery store, so I just decided to grab a few of whatever looked good. I ended up with one pablano, two Cubanilles, and one Anaheim chili, all of which I seeded and deveined before adding them to a crock pot with the onions, chickens, beans, and stock. After letting that cook while I was at work, I rushed home and created a roux in a big pot. I added the milk and cheese until it was thickened, and then dumped in the contents of the crock pot. With Dave as my taste tester, I added garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and some sour cream. I liked it a lot more spicy than the original recipe called for (especially since all the milk and cheese and sour cream really cuts the hear anyways). I just hope I'll actually be able to duplicate it when I start to crave it again!