one proud nerd.

call me a nerd, but i love science. 
call me an even bigger nerd that i watch youtube videos about science. 





(you know you wish you found this first...)


but guess what? today is friiiiiiidayyyyy! :) 
and friday is the day that:
1- i can stop thinking about school for the next 48 hours
2- i can have adventures (and not feel like i should be at home studying)
3- no homework
4- my parents are coming up to visit!
5- did i mention i get to go shopping with my mom???
6- i don't have to wake up at 6. (wait... that really happens any other day of the week???)
7- quality time with me and my book. because i promised myself that i will finish one book every other week. (by the way, this is book #2)
8- i don't have to be any where important. so i can sit on my butt and look up useless things like this:





9- and this: 

(this just makes me want grilled cheese ohhhhhh so badly! i should stop torturing myself because i don't get to eat lunch for another 2 hours... this is just cruel...)

http://www.grilledcheesesocial.com/ has some of the BEST looking grilled cheese sandwiches i've every seen in my entire life. i mean, this chick has the art of perfectly grilling a cheese-which down to a science. nay, it is art. pure and simple.

if you really want to get down to the science behind the grilled cheese, check out the sporkful.

they are my new favorite when it comes to analyzing the nitty-gritty necessities of good cookin'.  

10- lunch today: leftovers from last night's cooking escapade.

 this is yet another one of those meals that just kinda... happened. we threw in a couple of onions, green onions in the fridge, an eggplant, peppers and jalapenos, leftover hamburger and spinach that was not lookin so hot... (not slimy... just a little wilty...)

toss it all in a skillet with some spices and BAM! 

PRESTO!

the most time consuming part of the dinner was finding out how to get the blasted cabbage leaves OFF of the head.

how do you perform this feat you ask?

you toss the head of cabbage into boiling water for a few minutes, and then the leaves just come right off!!!

simple as that.

then we threw those in a casserole dish, covered it in prego or ragu... and then topped it with some cheese right before it was done.

oh heavens.

yum.

don't tell anyone... i think i had two.

but it was gone so fast i'm not really sure.

11- friday is just a good day.

:)

now go partyyyy!

random (and unadulterated) musings of a friday morning...

just a few thoughts for the day...

:)

See Crochet Fingerless Gloves and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Falafel!

(you can see that I am missing israel badly when i start looking at ethnic foods...)

recipe from bobby flay

Ingredients

Falafel:

• 2 cups soaked chickpeas (chickpeas need to be soaked in cold water for at least 18 hours and up to 24 hours), add more water if necessary
• Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 or 2 serrano chiles, chopped
• 2 green onions (white and green part) finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 3 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• Scant 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Piquillo Pepper Yogurt Sauce:

• 2 cups thick Greek yogurt
• 3 piquillo or 2 roasted red peppers
• 1 teaspoon smoked sweet Spanish paprika
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

White Bean Hummus:

• 3 cups white beans, cooked, or canned, drained and rinsed
• 6 cloves roasted garlic
• 1 tablespoon harissa
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tomato Relish:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 4 vine-ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Falafel:

Directions

Drain the chickpeas through a colander then place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Chickpeas should be totally dry.

Heat 4-inches peanut or vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 330 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.

While the oil is heating, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and serrano chiles and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor, add the garlic mixture, green onions, parsley, mint, cilantro, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, baking powder, salt and pepper and process until the mixture is finely ground, stopping to scrape the bowl every 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Form the mixture into balls the size of ping pong balls and place on a plate. Fry in batches at 330 degrees F until a pale blonde color, about 45 seconds, spooning oil over the falafel constantly. Remove with a slotted spoon to the baking sheet. Increase the heat of the oil to 350 degrees F. Return the falafel to the oil, in batches, cover the pan with a lid for 30 seconds and fry until a deep brown color, spooning the oil over the falafel constantly. Remove with a slotted spoon to baking sheet lined with paper towels, and immediately season with salt.

For the yogurt sauce:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth; season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, covered, to allow the flavors to meld.

Variation: Substitute 2 cups feta cheese for the yogurt, and add 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley.

For the hummus:

Place beans, garlic, harissa, lemon juice, and tahini in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the relish:

Whisk the oil, vinegar, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss. The tomatoes should be lightly dressed.

Serve falafel with yogurt sauce, hummus and relish on the side.

Source: diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

my mission for this weekend:

and my mommy's coming up this weekend.

best. weekend. ever!

a little soothing music to put you in the right mood for the weekend. 
say bye bye school.

just a normal thursday. not.

you know the feeling, the night before christmas... you are a little kid and no matter how hard you try, you just can't get to sleep? that every single sound is hooves on the roof and you swear you heard something coming from down the hall???
i feel like that kid.
no, my flight doesn't leave until wednesday morning, but i am back to being that same jittery little kid.
why can't i just hop in my handy-dandy time machine and whiz to next tuesday??? (i have an orientation meeting... don't wanna miss that one!)
i don't like waiting. at all.
but i'm leaving tomorrow to go see the bestest 19-year-old sister ever. she is going to europe.
is it ok for me to be jealous? if only i could split myself in two...

gosh i am going to miss my family!
i have the sweetest little brothers, both of which come into my room this morning before they leave for school and give me a kiss on the cheek. did my heart melt? yeah, just a little.
lets see how long that lasts when the older one gets home and they start fighting again...

now back to packing!
i just know i'm gonna forget something.
murphy's law of taking a vacation right?
but i figured i needed to make something to protect my poor laptop... so today i decided to make this:
(i swear i'm working on the camera situation!)

mine is yellow. surprise!
and its got buttons!
i can check that off my list of not-so-important-things-to-do...
back to the crucial stuff like finding food... and maybe taking the scissors out of my carry-on... that could be a good thing to remember.

since i'm going to grandpa's house (where wireless internet is unheard of) i am posting this as a pseudo-friday entry. enjoy!

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like: source code

i love a good and happy ending :)

dislike: gory movies (i won't say which one i watched to deserve that not-so subtle diss. you are entitled to your own opinion... except when it comes to knowing what i like.)

and now my homework is done.

...and almost for good! (well... at least for a few weeks.)
since technically i think that jerusalem will be more like a glorified vacation... :D

i am so done with school.
burnt.
out.
i need a break.

but on a good note... it is 53 degrees outside right now!
and why am i not out there you ask?
my answer: I HAVE NO IDEA!!!
i think i shall fix this right now.
say adios to inside and go playyyyyy!
(i bought chalk yesterday... good think, because i think it is going to get some use today!)

happy friday by the way.
i thought about pulling a mean april fools joke... but i just don't have it in me.
[i could say i'm engaged or something... but what's the point? that one is way overused.]
lame.
i think we are going to prank some boys tonight though. shhhhh. don't tell!
the nice thing about having all of their doors facing each other down a hallway is that it is incredibly easy to tie them all together. oooh this is gonna be fun. :)

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today is a good day.

just plain is.

and i love that the weather finally decided to act like spring.

i love this music video...

listen to my february fantasies

fridays definitely need to have a soundtrack

like this one!

to celebrate the weekend!

since it is so awesome and amazing that it is finally here!!!

currently sitting in my kitchen, waiting for ciabatta to rise...

i never realized how time consuming this recipe would be.

i kind of thought i could leave the house today

you know, it being friday and all...

nope.

gotta watch the dough.

[the only thing i can say is that this better be some pretty

freakin fantastic bread!]

more details to come.

ahhhhhhhhh....

i love my yoga.

after doing absolutely NOTHING all week long, it decided that enough was enough and i had to get out of the house.

you ever have those days?

i just go crazy

and run two miles.

[don't laugh... i'm a work in progress]

and then go lift weights

and then come home and do some yoga.

and although my back is gonna be sore tomorrow -

it feels so good!

don't you love it?

the rest of the day was fairly chill...

waitin for the bread,

went and (attempted is the key word here) to play basketball.

i say attempted because playing with guys basically means you don't get the ball. like ever.

it's kinda irritating.

yes, it makes me want to pull out my suffragette flag and wave it all over the place.

or maybe start singing"anything you can do i can do better!"

gotta love annie oakley.

i think she was my favorite person growing up.

[her, and davy crockett... that says something about me, huh?]

oh yeah.

and i dominated at pool.

and the literal translation for "dominated" here means that the guys i played with were laughing at the way i held the stick.

or cue.

or whatever the darn thing is called.

[but]

i did get a few ooh's and ahh's

despite the funky way i held it

take that mr. macho man!

i actually still have no idea what i did wrong.

but i hit the ball! so it doesn't even matter to me.

and update on the bread.

oh. my. goodness.

wow.

yum???

i am a lazy cook.

and to spend that much time on anything kills me a little inside.

but it was definitely definitely worth it!

crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside.......

i think i'm going to dream about lovely dancing ciabattas tonight.

and i'm going to eat them for lunch tomorrow.

i just have to decide on the perfect thing to go in the middle.

can't waste a good ciabatta on an unworthy sandwich now...

this weekend is gonna rock!

and not because of v-day

or s.a.d.

[for you married/engaged/ball-and-chain people this is code for single awareness day]

we're having brunch tomorrow. :)

oh how i love breakfast!

especially on the weekends,

when you can plan all sorts of good yummy sumptuous-ness...

oh goody!

i need to get to bed so that i can get up early and decide what i am going to make...

i think that either coffee cake or apple muffins (round II) might do the trick!

have i told you about my amazing apple muffins yet?

i will check on that...

if i haven't, i will definitely clue you in on this deliciousness.

if i already have, you must try them!

i'm not kidding, they might just change your life.

sweet dreams!

[dream of many wonderful foods!!!]

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loving the pain that i know i'm gonna feel tomorrow...

but remembering that it is good for me!!!

(mr. yoga-man on my video kept sayin...

"this is so healthy...")

and in my mind i'm screaming... "but it hurts!!!"

hopefully i'll do a little better tomorrow. ;)

a little music for your friday

who doesn't need a little music for their weekend?

i know i do!

happy friday!