back to school, back to school

last night i started class again. i couldn't help but think about the contrast of this first day versus my first day last semester.  last semester (my very first semester of the mba program, i was so nervous i felt like i would throw up at any minute.)  i felt like i didn't belong, that people would make fun of my art degree (i was right, they did) and i would not be able to compete against these business undergrads and older professionals in class, ultimately (on my first day of class) i thought i would flunk out and it was just a matter of time.

last night however, i was happy, excited to see some friends i hadn't seen in a while, prepared (with all course materials, i brought two calculators, gross huh?) i had the confidence that comes with an amazing 3.5 gpa the semester before, and ringing in my ears was my little cheerleader inside (it's a metaphor, i was never or never will be a cheerleader), saying "kim you got this!"

here is the description of this class, so you can read how scary it sounds.




financial management-- the uglier sister to the financial reporting class i suffered through last year. a little bird told me the professor wasn't that great either!  this is what is said about the professor on ratemyprofessor.com ;

so as you can see i was a little hesitant.  but honestly, it isn't like he can flunk all of his graduate students, right? plus there were a couple little idiosyncrasies that i think i can focus on that will at least keep me entertained.  one....how he writes on the chalk boards.  (i know there are chalk boards, what are we in a 19 cent. school house with kids of all ages) sidebar:  i am very upset that this class is not in the fancy grad. rooms, shaped like a U (for the socratic method i suppose) with huge professional tables (looks like congress, but miniature) and we have pink comfy swivel chairs.  i love the chairs in that room. oh EBA 339 i miss you......okay back to my story, this classroom has chalk boards and those awful chairs that are connected to your desk set up in rows.  gross huh?  okay well, sterk tends to bang on the chalk board very loudly each time he writes.  cracks me the F up.  i love it. secondly i also love when he is a little rude and ends conversations abruptly and awkwardly with students.  so awesome to watch.

so here is the rest of my line up.....looks fun huh?  not.

the cheese nightmare

my first ever guest post!  isn't it exciting.  the author, alex, is a friend of mine whose gourmet cooking would impress even the greatest chefs, critics and institutions on par with le cordon bleu.  i asked him to create a recipe for his creation that he named the cheese nightmare. enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cheese Nightmare

Ingredients

18 slices bread
18 plastic cheese squares
Extra cheese rectangles (to taste)
Directions

1. First things first.  You are going to want to pick the right cheese which sounds easy but beware.  There are many logical pitfalls to mind whilst attempting to tame the fickle beast that is:  The Cheese Nightmare.  Many people think that Velveeta would be a tasty ingredient however, while Velveeta is excellent for making dips it is simply too runny.  You don’t want to buy generic cheese squares because they taste grossly offensive.  You also don’t want to buy the thicker cheese squares that are separated by wax paper as their heartiness often leads to an inexplicable phenomenon known as “cheese sweat”.  If you don’t believe me go ahead and whip up some ‘mares’ on a first date and see if you get a second.  While the taste is similar the thicker cheese lacks the chemical properties that gives regular plastic cheese its warm inviting glow when presented on a tasty piece of bread.  Kraft American Cheese Slices have time and again proven themselves in the microwave as the go-to cheese for every culinary situation.  I find them to have a nice, piquant after dinner flavor.  Heavy, but with just a touch of mellow smoothness.
2. Step 2 is to choose your bread and here you can really go in any direction.  Picking a unique type of bread will undoubtedly give your cheese nightmare that little something that separates it from all the others.  Keep in mind however, that the heartier bread the more the flavor of the cheese singlet will be masked.  On the other end of the spectrum if you decide to go with thin bread like Wonder, for instance, you risk sogginess which will surely ruin any dinner party.  Indeed choosing the right bread is the most challenging quandary in which one must overcome to make the perfect cheese nightmare.
3. Put the cheese on the bread.  Sounds simple right? Incorrect.  Some breads are oddly shaped and create yet another sticky wicket for you, the gourmet chef, to best.  I have found that when unwrapping the plastic cheese it is best to stop after the first plastic unfurling step and to tear the thin rectangle of exposed cheese away from the main body.  You are left now with a small rectangle and the larger cheese “square”.  You can now use this cheese rectangle to customize your nightmare by placing it where needed to create an equal cheese distribution across the face of the bread.
4. Lay two pieces of paper towels in your microwave (this is to absorb moisture)
5. Put assembled cheese nightmare on paper towel and microwave for 20-30 seconds depending on wattage of microwave
6. Let cool for 30 seconds to 1 minute
7. Consume.  Many words and phrases have been used to describe the feeling after eating a cheese nightmare: sublime; scrumtrulescent, self-actualization.  Whatever type of religious experience you have after eating a cheese nightmare for the first time just remember that the cheese nightmare were created to be shared.  Make them for your friends, family and loved ones so you can all enjoy the experience together. 

friends look good in polaroids

trade my spinach for your fusilli

this is a vegetarian pasta recipe that i threw together tonight.  and it was good!

sidebar:  this is not a professional food blog!  it is called amateur's corner, because i am just that, an amateur.  i really just recently (last couple years) began eating vegetables and cooking for myself, so i feel that some context is needed when viewing posts like these that detail (what i think are) great cooking successes. mostly, i post anything and everything i don't want my ADHD mind to forget.  so without further ado, trade my spinach for your fusilli.

i used;
half box of spinach fusilli
8 basil leaves
quarter large onion
two small zucchini
two roma tomatoes
3 stalks celery
one clove garlic (minced)
trader joes marinara sauce
salt, pepper
oregano
olive oil
fresh bread

boil water for pasta

add garlic, onions, olive oil and celery to sauce pan for 5 or so minutes, til onions start getting clearish

add diced tomato, and zucchinis, salt, pepper, oregano to sauce pan for 5 or so minutes

add pasta to boiling water

add marinara sauce to pan, and fresh basil cut up for few more minutes

drain pasta, cover with sauce


serve with cut pieces of bread (drizzled with EVOO) and tomato, mozzarella, and basil.

yummy (serves two hungry people) takes about 25  min.


dude, my blog features many pasta dishes...  it's almost as if i lived in florence, italy for a year and ate nothing but pasta.

my sister got an awesome camera, canon rebel.  and here are some pictures, the two of the ornaments i took, and the one of gus i just thought was too cute to not include.  it was a great holiday season and my family completed a 1000 piece puzzle together, aren't we cool!

barbie isn't the only slut who gets a dreamhome!

some may know, as of the 1st of jan.  hgtv started their new dreamhome sweepstakes. you can enter once on hgtv and once on front door.com each day til feb. 18th.  this year's home in stowe, vermont is gorgeous and even though i know i would have to sell it, property taxes and such would be too expensive, i love the look of everything.

HGTV and FrontDoor

i will be entering dyl pickle and i everyday, mostly because the winners every year say they did it religiously.  you should all enter as much as possible.

here are some pictures of my favorite things in the house.

Epic New Year's Just Always Happen To Me

so this year for NYE my mom bought tix for my family to go to the big night san diego party, and got us all nights at the hotel, which was the beautiful hilton bayfront, it was pretty epic.  all food and vip top shelf booze included.  never had to wait for a drink.  great music, great company, what a blast.  drunken night, preceded by not too too bad of a headache (stuck to grey goose vodka and juice the whole time).  woke up the next morning continued to drink bottomless mimosas and come to find my mom and her cousin booked the hotel rooms again another night.  so we did it all over again.  (pickle in my head saying "can't stop, won't stop") we went to dinner, then drank in the hotel bar, and we were all tired and exhausted (looking like zombies), but somehow we managed to make it out to shout house that evening. we came back to hotel bar around 2am.  and we shut it down.  then when you'd think it was all over.  we went to our hotel room to drink more.  bet you thought i would have a wicked hangover.  but no.  man good vodka goes down better than cheap beers at pint night.

pickle and i walked to a park the next morning with gus, who i have failed to mention was at the hotel with us both nights.  pet friendly hotels are awesome. then went home. great great NYE.

..........................................................................................................................................................


it isn't the first great NYE i have had.  just a couple off the top of my head.  was when dyl pickle came to flo-town and we celebrated at midnight in piazza raphael smashing empty champagne bottles in the square with hundreds of crazy italians.

another, was at B-stone bar in kearny mesa, with pickle's friend mike.  it was a crazy time indeed.


great new years just seem to happen to me and i am very grateful for that and to my awesome mom who bought us vip tickets.

..............................................................................................................................................................



my resolutions;

workout------gym 2 times a week, extra long hikes or walks 2 times a week
cook more-------eat healthier, more veggies (can't be too hard since this last year i learned about whole foods, and have come to like quinoa, butternut squash, and others, and i have great resources, hungry hungry hippie, and 101 cookbooks)
pack leader------ straight from the dog whisperer, i need to be a pack leader with calm assertiveness.
study better------sdsu mba program won't kick my butt, i want to get better than my 3.5 gpa next semester.  which will be challenging, all of my classes will be very difficult.