project me. day 1.

i'm jumping on the "30-day" bandwagon of blogging.
mostly because it sounds fun. but i need an outlet (other than pinterest) and i think that these are going to be fairly entertaining because i can barely keep my eyes open while i'm typing. this could be fun. you might want to grab on to something... because this could be a bit bumpy!

{day 1}

1. i like to dress like a nerd.
2. i know how to do a little bit of a lot of different things. (can i call this one a gift and a curse??? because i know how to do a lot, but i never really acheive mastery of any particular skill... real world = terrifying for this reason.)
3. i graduate with a bachelors in exercise science in april 2011. do i know what i am going to do with this when i do? nope.
4. i name my cars. my "baby beast" doesn't like the cold weather. he is excited to be graduating in april too. 
5. i love shopping at d.i., thrift stores, yard sales... and the word "free" in anything just makes me have heart palpitations.
6. i don't think of the kitchen as another room in the house. "the kitchen" is another name for jessica's laboratory. (you should imagine that said like "dexter's labor-atory"... it sounds cooler that way.) most definitely my favorite room in the entire house. it even beats my bed. 
7. i love mustard.
8. and mustard yellow.
9. i am a list maker to the ^nth power. 
10. i am lds, the oldest child of 5, an idaho gal, and sports fanatic. i find great job in random things. my life is nothin' too extraordinary, except that -
i think that my life is spectacular. 
why?


well that's the question isn't it?
why don't you hang out a while and see?


cheers!

[this seems to describe my life fairly well as of late. hopefully i will be able to calm down here in a few days and get to take a little break. and figure out the rest of my life. oof. is is just me, or does that seem a little daunting?]

almost halfway.

four tests in a week???

i swear my teachers are colluding against me.

"oh yeah - killing jess sounds like fun!"

"sweet let's do it!"

ugh.

especially that hot guy in class.

yesssss please!

not all fairy tales turn out the way we think huh?

i'm going to admit it.

i have an obsession with pinterest.

it's baaaaaad.

(but oh so gooooood at the same time!)

you get my meaning?

one of my recent finds...

pumpkin pie shake!

for those who live in the frozen tundra (loving called iceburg rexburg) we have this amazing restaurant called sammy's.

their pumpkin pie shakes?

to diiiiiiiiie for.

especially when you get a piece of crust that survived the blender.

oh heavens... i might just die and go to heaven thinking about it!

anywho, in anticipation for one of my four favorite seasons of the entire year... a recipe! for pure deliciousness.

Pumpkin Pie Shake

vegan, serves 2-3

(random side-note: i've always wondered what it would be like to be vegan or vegetarian... you'll probably be hearing more about this later.)

15 ounces organic canned pumpkin - 1 can (not pie mix)

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup non-dairy milk, vanilla (soy or hemp preferred)

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup vegan chai tea concentrate

2 tbsp soy milk creamer

2 dashes cinnamon

1 dash cayenne

2 dashes nutmeg

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups ice (coconut water ice cubes approved for this pie shake)

optional: 1/2 frozen banana, pinch of flax seed oil/meal for added nutrition

directions:

1. add all your ingredients, except the ice, to the blender.

2. blend on high until smooth. yes the pumpkin will make this smoothie thick, so be patientwhile blending. if you need to add more 'milk' go ahead.

3. keep blending and slowly add in the ice. make sure it blends icy-smooth! again, if you need to add a bit more liquid, do it gradually. you can always do a taste test before pouring and modify as needed to suit your own tastes. i added in a few extra cashews because I liked the body and flavor that they added.

4. pour, sprinkle with cinnamon on top. whipped rice cream-optional, but yummy.

serve! delicious any time of day. dessert-friendly.

and yes, it will taste like pumpkin pie! 

bold... beautiful pumpkin flavor. 

notes and alterations:

table for One? just making this smoothie for yourself? you can easily halve the ingredients for a nice sized smoothie for 1.

creamier? if you want to turn up the 'creaminess' a notch, add in a bit more soy cream, non-dairy milk and even a spray of whipped cream blended right into the blender.

dessert please! you can easily make this into a delicious pumpkin-ice-cream style shake by removing 1 cup of ice from the recipe and replacing it with a big scoop of vegan soy/hemp/coconut/rice cream. vanilla flavor of course.

perfectly pumpkin: feeling super adventurous and cringe at 'canned veggies'. well OK, grab a 'pie pumpkin' roast it, puree it and chill the pumpkin puree in the fridge. use it in place of canned!

ready?

set?

go do it!

(and tell me what you think.)

***

today is one of those days that i am so grateful to have a wonderful family.

simply because my sister makes me dinner when i am pushing to get a homework assignment done on time.

she's pretty much the bomb.com.

and even though i missed my mom's 4 phone calls, i still know that she loves me enough to call. 

even though i'm in class.

and my brother telling me about an acronym that his 8th grade teacher taught him to remember the first presidents of the united states. do i remember them? no. but i sure appreciated him telling me!

a free day

this was my day in pictures:

 las chicas!

chris, sam, morgan, me and nessa at haram al-sharif (or the temple mount) 

the bells of the ymca tower

we got to play them!

i plan to.

you wanna know somethin funny?

these pictures in NO WAY depict how hot it is here.

there are days when i just want to rip of my shirt and run through the sprinklers.

can i?

no.

would i?

hmmmm... tempting thought.

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"write while the heat is in you. the writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. he cannot inflame the minds of his audience."

{henry david thoreau}

feeling inflamed yet?

;)

the question of the day is: if you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?

{stephen wright}

hahaha.

searching ebay for a mary poppins carpet-bag:

i think i like to stress way too much.
but the one thing that i can be grateful to stress for is that it motivates me to get things done. (if i had just barely started packing today, i probably would give up and go sit in the corner and cry.) so, the good thing about starting to stress about packing last week has actually paid off. it doesn't mean that i like it though.
now comes the best part of the packing.
i have to fit everything into 3 bags:
one that i am checking (64" total - under 50 pounds)
one that can fit into the overhead compartment (45" total - under 40 pounds)
and one purse. (of course... the word "purse" is entirely left up to my own interpretation...)
after managing to fit everything into the big suitcase, doing the whole knee-on-the-top maneuver to keep it from exploding and sending clothes and other items flying all over the room, we got the suitcase on to the scale.
it wasn't until today that i realized how truly funny brian regan is.





we tried sitting the suitcase on the scale.
what do you know. it covers up the numbers!
so here i am, holding the massive suitcase... stepping on and off while my mom looks to see how much i weigh with the suitcase. it was way too complicated for how simple something like that should be.
we managed to get it down to 55 pounds.
then i realized that i was able to take a 40 pound carry-on... duh. well i feel sheepish.
unfortunately, i have to leave room for school books that i will be getting at orientation next tuesday. gee i hope they don't give me a lot... because i don't know if it's gonna fit!
i know you are thinking it... just come out and say it already! 
jess is a packrat. jess has problems.
i know. i do.
i need someone to just pack for me, and then i would go and wear whatever they picked out for me. none of this decision-making crap. it just is way too vague for me! 


anywho. i have an obsession with chicken salad.
i could eat it all day, every day. 
feast your eyes. and possibly go and make some for yourself.

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a shout-out to my bff on her birthday!

carissa larsen - i am so freakin glad you were born!

:D

this girl makes some knock-out bread.

but i am friends with her for more than her bread-maker.

love you riss!

too. much. food.

this weekend was a lazy one.

with only 3 weeks of school left, boy drama (isn't it amazing how draining it can be? i'm soooo done...) and an almost insatiable urge to cook, i feel quite pooped.

i think a vacation is in order!

anyone care to join me?

i'm thinkin cabo...

or somewhere warm. isreal anyone? (haha too bad suckas!)

which reminds me! only one month left!!!

this is going to be a very foodie blog. i'm just warnin ya.

cuz i'm hungry!

to start the weekend off, we made these little pieces of heaven.

pumpkin cream cheese muffins

yield: 24 muffins

ingredients:

for the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

for the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

for the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

directions:
to prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

to make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. line muffin pans with paper liners. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. in the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. mix on medium-low speed until blended. with the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

to make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

to assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

bake for 20-25 minutes. transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (tt may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)

being the lazy cook i am, i made a few alterations... i more closely followed this recipe here.

they are all gone now. (but it is a good thing because i don't have to look at them and be tempted anymore!)

next, we made these.

oatmeal cream cheese butterscotch bars

ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pea-sized pieces, plus more for pan

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (11-ounce) bag butterscotch chips

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. drape a 9 by 13-inch pan with overlapping pieces of aluminum foil, creating handles for easy removal. butter the paper, and reserve.

in a food processor add the flour, oats and brown sugar and pulse to combine. add the 2 sticks of butter, the cinnamon and the butterscotch chips. pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture forms clumps when pressed between your fingers. transfer the mixture to a large bowl. press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer, reserve the other half. bake in the preheated oven just until slightly golden and set, about 12 to 15 minutes. remove from the oven and cool completely.

beat together the cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon zest and juice and vanilla in an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle, or with an electric hand mxier until no lumps of cream cheese remain. spread evenly over the baked and cooled oatmeal mixture. sprinkle the remaining half of the oatmeal mixture over the cream cheese. bake until the top is golden, about 40 minutes.

cool and chill before cutting. run a knife around the edge of the pan, and using the foil handles, transfer the bars to a cutting board. cut into 2-inch squares with a sharp knife and serve.

call yourself a superstar!!!

cook's Note: for a delicious and healthy variation of this recipe, try replacing the butterscotch chips with tasty dried cranberries.

or, if you are like us poor college students... you add whatever you have to the concoction! this includes white chocolate chips, health toffee chunks, slivered almonds, and coconut. i sat in the kitchen while i watched my roommates slyly try and pretend that this was not the 10th piece that they were taking...

finally... we made an asparagus soup.

oh my gosh i love vegetables!

probably even more than i love baking... it's kinda sad.

i'm too lazy to write the post, because the recipe is just so easy. (i actually just boiled the asparagus and stuck it in a blender with cottage cheese and bouillon...) but i still want to try this one!

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i just can't say HOW MUCH i love food.

:)

please don't think i cook like this.

love music for a love-ly day!

happy valentine's day!

to all you lovers out there...

where did the day go?

but i have to say, today has been fairly eventful.

i actually got up at 5:30!

(if you know me at all... you know that i love my sleep)

so that, in and of itself, is a miracle.

i got to the plasma center at 7, got out by 8,

went to class at 9...

and at 11:30...

and at 12:45...

and finally got home at 3.

i got some homework done, but one of my block classes (it only lasts for 6 weeks) ends this week, so i have a ton of stuff that is due for it this week. eight things are due this week from that class, in addition to the reading for child development, two tests for understanding dna, two projects for dna (luckily i've already taken so much biology that dna is second nature to me) and a test for mission prep. not my busiest week ever, but i am have to be done by thursday this week (because brooke and i are going on an adventure this weekend and i have to be done early!)

so what do you do as a singleton on valentine's day?

i really don't know.

i just go on living life the way i do every other day of the year...

if you have any suggestions, i am more than willing to listen!

but i don't believe in bemoaning the fact that i am single on valentine's day. i figure that i only have so many valentines days that i am going to be single (assuming that one day i will be married...) so why not be happy?

;)

i saw this article today

and it made the jane-austenite in me very happy.

i think that being old fashioned is very fashionable sometimes.

i wish that we courted more

and wooed more.

and wrote love letters

(a love-text??? seriously? talk about super lame!)

it just doesn't have the same impact.

fine, i'm cheesy, but i do not lie.

i want a love letter.

[i'm getting down off my soap-box now]

here's the letter.

enjoy!

:)

15 dating terms we want to bring back

Back before booty calls, sexting and e-mail break-ups, there were many sweet and silly dating descriptions that may be ready for a reboot. Here are 15 such terms that one Glamour relationships blogger would like to see make a comeback.

By Erin Meanley

Long before we were sexting and sexiling and friending and becoming Facebook official, we were "seeing someone special" and "rendezvousing." Call us old-fashioned, but once upon a time, there were some pretty sweet dating terms that, if genuinely brought back, could really change the game. Here are 15 vintage dating terms that need to make a comeback:

1. Woo, court. These are verbs. They imply effort on the man's part (You never hear about a woman courting a man). Also: wouldn't you rather be courted than chased? "Chased" sounds like we have to run for our lives or play a strategic spy game. But if a man is going to court us, it sounds like we can get comfortable.

2. Dance card. Men had to plan ahead and compete just to reserve one waltz or jitterbug with you. Take a number, boys!

3. Necking. Great word meaning "making out passionately." But also kind of weird.

4. Parking. I've always wanted to drive to Inspiration Point and park with a fella.

5. Going steady. This used to mean "dating exclusively," but it's such an accurate description of the pseudo-quasi-relationship nonsense that goes on today. Literally, you're going along, seeing each other steadily, as far as you know, until he stops texting. The term would be so useful in modern times; if someone asks, "Are you two 'boyfriend-girlfriend,'" you could answer, "Well, we had a great momentum that first week, and so far, anyway, we're going steady."

6. First base, second base. This little system is much better and far more accurate than the catch-all term "hooking up," which is too vague and general, and therefore inadequate.

7. "When can I see you?" and "Can I call you?" Remember when guys respectfully asked permission to make contact with you, and they made reference to actually picking up the receiver on the telephone and speaking into it?

8. Beau, paramour, suitor, lover. Some women still use these romantic-sounding terms. I don't use them enough, Darling.

9. Dear John letter. Back in the day, it was totally legit to break up with someone through the post. So why do we feel bad about emailing or texting someone a rejection?

10. Dalliance. A classier synonym for "fling." A fling sounds like an accident, or something hasty or messy. A dalliance sounds like something you enjoyed while summering in Capri.

11. Dreamboat. Because "hottie" just doesn't do George Clooney justice. And we're not ready to bring back "hunk."

12. Getting pinned, wearing his ring. Granted, I attended a few pinning ceremonies in my sorority in the late 1990s, but I mean, they just didn't hold the same suspense, magic, or gravity of, say, when Danny gave Sandy his ring in Grease.

13. Shotgun wedding. Don't you sometimes half wish your dad had a firearm and could just make things happen?

14. "I'll pencil you in" (woman speaking). It's so non-committal. I miss the pencil. And I miss my datebook.

15. Little black book. Because no one ever wrote, "Redhead From Club Electra – Do Not Pick Up" as the name of a contact in an address book.

http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=27594087&gt1=32092

what do you think?

any of these good? worthless? priceless pearls of wisdom that should be heeded no matter the cost???

i need some funny today

today has been one of those long days.

i got sent all over campus, had to wait to talk to counselors (and i think that the rest of campus suddenly decided to have a crisis too and all got in line in front of me. poo.) got that done. came home and decided to veg for a while. that is... until i had to brave the sub-zero weather conditions to go and beg for my dinner. (it wasn't exactly begging... but we still had to leave the apartment to go and get it... this is when i really wish that i could justify myself paying for delivery. but i was raised too frugally to even think about something like that!) i remember thinking that my aunt and uncle were so cool... cuz they bought pizza and actually had it delivered right to the door! crazy stuff huh?

do you remember when got milk went berzerk and had a bunch of really awesome commercials?

i do.

i'm pretty sure that most of these were the highlight of my childhood.

(i didn't know who aaron burr or alexander hamilton was, but imagine my surprise in 10th grade history class when my teacher pulls out this commercial!)

i will never ever ever forget either of them now.

who knows when you will get a random call asking you who killed alexander hamilton???

that one always made me laugh. and this one... never quite made sense to me, but i laugh at it to this day... because sometimes i really want to know if this would actually be possible. although disturbing to witness.

did you watch the superbowl? my favorite commercial from the whole thing. right here.

imagine sitting on the couch, and you intermittently here random giggling start, which then sends you both back into a fit of giggles again.

or randomly saying, "grandpa?" and both of you start laughing hysterically all over again.

good times.

we do this to many things (of which include emperor's new groove, galaxy quest, any jane austen movie, and various other media forms... lately it has been the 60's references made in tron...)

you're really throwin off my zen thing man!

talking about zen... i need more of it in my life.

i think i shall go meditate.

right after i throw this yummy looking goodness together. (actually i have to throw the soaker together... the yummy goodness will have to wait til tomorrow. blast.)

rustic italian ciabatta

1 1/2 cups cool water (12 ounces)

3 1/2 cups King Arthur European-Style Artisan Bread Flour (14 3/4 ounces)

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

stir the water, 2 cups of the flour, and 1 teaspoon of the yeast together, cover and let rest at room temperature for several hours, or overnight.

add the remaining flour, yeast, and salt, mixing vigorously until the dough begins to hold together. this is a very sticky dough; add more flour only if it's "soupy."

place the dough in a lightly floured bowl. let it rise for 1 hour, then gently deflate it.

let it rise another hour, then turn it out onto a liberally floured work surface or silicone rolling mat, and sprinkle lots of flour on top.

flatten the dough to an 8" x 10" rectangle, about 3/4" thick, and cut it into two pieces, each about 4" x 10" inches.

transfer the loaves onto a piece of parchment, leaving about 6" between them.

cover with a proof cover or heavily oiled plastic wrap, and let rise till they're very puffy, about 2 hours.

while the dough is rising, place a baking stone in the oven and set the temperature to 500°F. allow the oven to heat for 30 minutes. spritz the dough with water, then transfer the bread to the stone, parchment and all, and lower the oven temperature to 425°F.

bake the ciabatta until it's golden brown, approximately 22 to 25 minutes. turn the oven off, place ciabatta on the oven's middle rack, crack the door open about 2", and allow ciabatta to cool completely in the turned-off oven.

yield: 2 ciabatta.

note: if you don't have a baking stone, transfer parchment and ciabatta to a cookie sheet, and bake on the middle rack of your oven.

this is one thing i plan on using my ciabatta for.

yummmmmmmm.

it makes me hungry just looking at it. and i don't even know what's on it! (just a random picture of a yummy looking ciabatta...)

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i am thankful for my sister

and my new journal! (even though i haven't had time to write in it yet...

i am looking forward to many great times!)

free dinner (3 cheers for fhe brothers!)

and fridays with only one class!!!