we MaDe it!

Green for medicine, orange for Texas.

The last thing I ever made in my Dallas kitchen.

Graduation Cupcakes

What you need:
-4 years that fly by
-the perfect ballpoint pen
-countless hours in the carrels, library, Starbucks, and hospital hallways
-smiles, laughter, hugs, tears
-births, deaths, weddings, breakups
-lives saved, lives lost, patients and families of all ages, race, and walks of life
-humility and wonderment at being blessed with this opportunity at all
-amazing friends and loved ones to travel the journey with you

What you do:
1. Begin medical school in a strange new city with absolutely no idea what you're getting yourself into.
2. Be lucky enough to meet the most generous, strong, beautiful, intelligent, and loving people along the way.
3. Find yourself --- in the midst of zero hours of sleep, at 4am on call, with people dying all around.
4. Have faith that beginning residency --- in a strange new city with only a vague idea of what you're getting yourself into --- will bring just as much adventure and growth.
5. Bake bittersweet cupcakes. Frost, then top with an upside-down mini-Reese's peanut butter cup, a Ghirardelli chocolate square, and an M&M. Anchor with frosting.
6. Share with friends, and know that this isn't "goodbye," it's "see you later."

frittata

Frittata. What a cute, festive word. And I just improvised a super-simple one.

Shrimp and Caramelized Onion Frittata
serves 1

What you need:
-1 medium yellow or Vidalia onion, sliced as thinly as possible
-10 or so medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
-2 eggs
-balsamic vinegar
-canola or other neutral cooking oil
-salt and freshly-cracked pepper
-lots of time and patience, or maybe a load of laundry to do simultaneously

What you do:
1. Caramelized onions: place 1 tbsp oil in a pan (NOT a non-stick pan) on low or low-medium heat. Add the sliced onion - it looks like a lot, but the volume will reduce greatly. This is not a saute. The idea is to slowly evaporate all the excess moisture out of the onions (~30 min on my stove), at which point the sugars will begin to caramelize and brown on the bottom of the pan. The first 30 min doesn't require much attention; I check on it and stir only about once every 5-10 min. After that, I watch and stir more frequently for the next 15-20 min to avoid burning and charring to the pan. Some brown stuck-on bits are good; just scrape them into the mix. This should all smell awesomely fragrant, and you'll know you're done when the brown bits start to stick more frequently and the onions are soft and sweet. At this point, add a splash of balsamic vinegar for sweetness and set the pan aside.
2. Preheat oven to broil.
3. Beat 2 eggs and season with salt and freshly-cracked pepper. Set this aside (have it ready so you can add it as soon as the shrimp are barely cooked through).
4. In a single-serving size skillet, place 1 tbsp oil on medium-high heat. Add shrimp and stir frequently until they are just pink and no longer translucent. This happens fast!
5. Lower heat to low-medium and add the caramelized onions. Distribute the onions and shrimp evenly throughout the skillet, then pour the eggs on top.
6. Cook until eggs are partially set (and mostly set on the bottom). Place skillet under broiler until top of eggs is set.
7. Remove frittata from oven, cut into wedges, and serve with a salad for brunch or a light dinner!

staying cool

Oh Asian drinks, how you sound and look so odd, yet taste so delicious and refreshing. Though it's been an uncharacteristically cool spring in Dallas thus far, there's no hiding the fact that Texas' summer heat is definitely approaching. When I was a kid, my mom used to make grass jelly (leung-fun, literally "cool starch/jelly") desserts and drinks for us in the summertime.

Grass jelly is made from the leaves and stalks of an herb called Mesona chinensis, a member of the mint family. It has a mildly herbal/bitter flavor, almost like an earthy pu-erh tea, with hints of lavender and licorice. You can find it in Asian grocery stores, where it comes as a single gelatin in a can (kind of like canned cranberry sauce). It's usually diced and served with sugar and ice, over shaved ice or ice cream, or in dessert beverages. Grass jelly is traditionally considered to have yin/cooling properties, so I guess mom knew what she was doing.

Soy and Grass Jelly Drink
serves 2

What you need:
-1 can grass jelly, chilled
-soy milk (I like unsweetened)
-2 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)

What you do:
1. Finely dice the grass jelly and scoop into 2 tall glasses (about halfway full).
2. Top off with soy milk.
3. Add sugar and ice and stir.

Incidentally, I found out that this black and white drink is called the "Michael Jackson" in Southeast Asia. Oh Asian people.

chicken with sun-dried tomato goat cheese

I'm not so creative with titles (see above).

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Goat Cheese

What you need:
-1 chicken breast
-sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
-goat cheese or other creamy cheese
-olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste

What you do:
1. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Pound chicken flat. Pan-fry in a small amount of olive oil until juices run clear (~5 minutes per side).
3. Finely chop 3-4 sun-dried tomatoes. Muddle and crush with 2 tablespoons goat cheese in a small bowl. If dry, add a bit of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.
4. Sprinkle goat cheese mixture over chicken on a plate. Serve with pasta, veggies, whatever.

french onion soup

So... I should have gone grocery shopping yesterday but didn't, and then I found myself today with a bare fridge and pantry. Rather than starve (sacre bleu!) I had to get creative with the back shelf of the fridge. This actually turned out really well, but maybe next time I'd plan ahead and stock up on gourmet ingredients.

Easy French Onion Soup (serves 2 as a starter course, or 1 really hungry person)

What you need:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion (red or Vidalia should be fine), sliced into thin half-moons
1 can broth (I used chicken, but beef would probably taste richer)
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (traditionally sherry, but whatever, improvise!)
1-2 slices melty cheese (ideally I'd like Gruyere, but... uh... I only had string cheese)
1 thick slice crusty bread per serving

What you do:
1) Drizzle olive oil into a quart pot on low to medium heat.
2) Saute sliced onions, stirring continuously for 15-20 minutes until soft, brown, aromatic, and caramelized (avoid too high heat - we don't want a stir fry!) Add a pinch of salt to help sweat the onions, and/or a pinch of sugar to help the caramelization along if you get impatient. Since the whole thing is on low heat, you can walk away frequently to multi-task around home.
3) Add the broth, bring it to boiling, then simmer for at least 10 minutes. Adjust salt to taste (shouldn't need much, broth is salty) and add a splash of balsamic vinegar or sherry for flavor.

To serve:
1) Toast thick bread and lay each slice in the bottom of a soup bowl.
2) Lay 1 slice meltable cheese on top of each slice of bread.
3) Ladle simmering broth with onions into each bowl. The heat will melt the cheese into yummy goodness.
4) Crack some fresh black pepper, and maybe a small drizzle of good olive oil, over the top. Eat!

I guess traditionally you're supposed to put the bread/cheese on top of the soup and broil the entire soup bowl... but this is way easier.

summer approaches!

Dallas weather is such a tease: it's been sunny, hot, and balmy, which makes me wish I didn't have a job and could lounge poolside all summer. Last weekend was A's birthday blowout, and I was inspired to make mojitos with fresh mint and lime. We also spent a morning at the Farmer's Market picking out gorgeous, huge, fragrant strawberries, then a decadent Sunday brunch. And, oh yeah, I went to the Radiohead concert, which was awesome and almost certainly gave me a secondhand high.

Skipping to today... what to do with the crate of berries? It felt so summery outside that I wanted to make a simple refreshing dinner. Thus, I present the following, which turned out way yummier than even I expected.

Strawberry-Spinach Salad (15 min)

6-8 strawberries, depending on size
2 cups baby leaf spinach, washed and dried
One chicken breast, salted and peppered on both sides
A handful of walnuts or pecans
4-5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Drizzle of olive oil
Cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Grill the chicken breast and slice into strips. George Foreman makes life so much easier.
2. Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. I prefer to slice lengthwise because heart-shaped slices look nicer than circular slices, but I'm just anal that way. It tastes the same.
3. Arrange spinach in a large bowl, with chicken, strawberries, and walnuts on top. I also happened to have some Gorgonzola already in the fridge and threw some of that in too.
4. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top. Sprinkle in plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Seriously, go nuts with the cracked pepper; it really makes a difference. And anyway, it's fun to keep grinding that pepper mill.
5. Toss and eat!!

currently eating

Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk. This in and of itself is not inherently weird. It is the fact that it is 5:43am on a weekday and this is breakfast post-call. I have lost all sense of sleep/wake cycles, time, and choosing appropriate cuisine for the time of day.

simple pleasures

Farmer's market locally grown tomatoes: deep red, plump, and amazingly flavorful with perfect unblemished smooth taut skins. Sliced and tossed with olive oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and Italian herbs. Whew. Okay now.

Other simple pleasures: resetting 3 nursemaid's elbows on my first day in the pediatrics ER.

addictions

-12-packs of fat yellow Sharpie Accent highlighters
-12-packs of blue PaperMate FlexGrip Elite ballpoint pens
-nytimes.com
-my bed, excessive pillows and all
-Eatzi's four-cheese gourmet bread
-Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk
-the way reading J.D. Salinger makes me feel
-people-watching while "studying" at coffeeshops
-wallowing in angst and ennui
-online browsing/shopping at shopbop and shopepic
-the post-workout/post-shower feeling (but not the process)
-lean, chiseled, scruffy, dark-haired men (extra points if a musician)

food = love

Made-from-scratch romantic dinner for two. Two girls that is.


-mixed greens salad with Bosc pear and Gorgonzola
-grilled filet mignon
-cream cheese + buttered mashed potatoes
-roasted lemon pepper asparagus
-sliced strawberries in balsamic syrup + vanilla swiss almond ice cream

ode to cheez-its

A has dutifully and observantly noted that I live my life in terms of boxes of Cheez-its. Inspired by her comments, I looked back at my blog over the last year and realized that I am in an entirely different place than I was just one year ago. A lot more medical knowledge, to be sure, but also a lot more understanding of myself and how my experiences/relationships have shaped me. Not saying I'm totally there yet, but a little closer.

The big constant through all of this has been Cheez-its. From exam to exam, through tears and stress and laughter...ahh Cheez-its, my one true love. You will never leave me.

weekend of food!

I LOVE post-test weekends! Too bad cardio block begins tomorrow...

Friday was happy hour at McCormick and Schmidt's, where we ordered 3 plates of food each. Steamed mussels in lemon white wine broth, fish tacos, chicken quesadillas, and a glass of Chardonnay later, my stomach was rebelling from a week of too much coffee + a brief bout of food poisoning + only eating junk food + exam stress. I decided to go out and feed it some vodka tonics anyway and woke up Saturday just fine. Moral of story: if stomach doesn't feel well, push on and keep eating/drinking.

After a beautiful Saturday afternoon run at White Rock Lake, we went to the Texas State Fair, where any pretenses of being healthy were promptly wiped out by the following:
-jalapeno-and-cheese corn dog
-buttered corn-on-the-cob
-sausage-on-a-stick (what's with the hyphenated foods?)
-smoked turkey leg
-nachos
-fried ice cream
-fried Snickers
-fried Oreos
-funnel cake
-cotton candy
-a ride on MAGNUM (nobody threw up!) - really, the Burt Reynolds endorsement was the key deciding factor in getting on this ride
-seeing an albino two-headed snake



Sadly we missed out on seeing "Tiny Tim, the world's smallest horse (alive!)" but there's always next year. Today was dim sum (yum!), almond milk bubble tea (so Asian! M brings out the Asian in us), and now Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk as I begin revising the patient writeup that my resident emailed me a week ago but I conveniently ignored until after the test...

My arteries must hate me after this weekend. Healthiness begins tomorrow. As does a 3 wk period of hiding in the library/carrels until cardio block is over.

yum

Shake Shack is NY's In-N-Out. Only better.

smith and wollensky

Last night we went out to Smith and Wollensky for prix fixe, pay-your-age dinner after 9pm: appetizer, steak, and dessert.

I had fried calamari, filet au poivre, and a sampler of 3 diff creme brulees (classic, coconut, and chocolate). The calamari was a bit on the salty side, but pleasantly crispy and meaty in a huge portion. Lemon halves wrapped in cheesecloth were a nice touch. Peppercorn-crusted filet in a rich au jus was tender and buttery and perfectly medium rare inside. Creme brulee was ridiculously smooth and complex with copious black flecks of vanilla. I think at that point I reaffirmed my stance that the path to my heart is surely through my stomach. Feed me and I will fall in love with you.

Other people tried the crab and asparagus salad, Wollensky salad, crab cake w/ vegetable slaw, filet mignon, NY strip, chocolate cake, coconut cake, and carrot cake (the cake slices were 5 layers and literally the size of my head). The total bill came out close to $400. Mmmmm gluttony... easily my favorite of the seven deadly sins.

Today I discovered that my friendly neighborhood Kroger's sells Young's Double Chocolate Stout by the bottle. Score. AND I didn't even get carded while buying a case of Dos Equis. Small victories.

young's

Tonight I had my first Young's Double Chocolate Stout, made by Britain's oldest brewery at Wandsworth, South London, where beer has been brewed since 1581.

From their website:

Young's Double Chocolate Stout has an intriguing twist. Chocolate malt and real dark chocolate are combined with Young's award winning rich, full flavoured dark beer to craft a satisfyingly indulgent, but never overly sweet experience.

Pale ale and crystal malt, chocolate malt, special blend of sugars, Fuggle and Goldings hops, real dark chocolate and chocolate essence.

It was love at first sip.

fun recipes

I was originally going to post this under the guise of my "quick kitchen tips" category, but you will soon see that these are not your typical everyday recipes. In any case, if you're looking for a fun New Year's Eve party idea, I hereby grant you official permission to use my idea of a shooters party. I myself will be having wholesome family fun somewhere on the snowy slopes of New Mexico. Actually by that point I will be having wholesome family fun in the backseat of a rental van. Doesn't sound so fun when you put it that way... Anyway, on to the shooters. Some of these require a bit of collaboration along the lines of pouring multiple ingredients into someone's mouth, so there's your excuse to get to know people rather quickly. These are all tried and true recipes, with one disclaimer: for any of you well-acquainted with DKE's Heaven and Hell parties, 2 of these shots are, well, Heaven and Hell. If any of you actually decide to pull this off, let me know how it goes. =)

Apple Pie

What you need:
-1 oz. spiced rum
-splash of apple juice
-ground cinnamon
-whipped cream

What you do: (person taking the shot leans back with mouth open)
1. Pour the shot of spiced rum into person's mouth. Do not swallow.
2. Pour the apple juice in. Do not swallow.
3. Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon and top off with whipped cream.
4. Person closes mouth and swishes it all around. Okay now swallow. Yum.

Irish Car Bomb

What you need:
-1 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
-1 can Guinness

What you do:
1. Drop shot glass of Bailey's into glass of Guinness.
2. Chug. Seriously, before it congeals.

Kamikaze

What you need:
-1 oz. vodka
-1 oz. triple sec
-lime juice

What you do:
1. Mix all of the above together.
2. Drink. Yeah, this one isn't really interactive, so it's a double shot to compensate.

Peppermint Patty, a.k.a. Heaven

What you need:
-1 oz. Peppermint Schnapps
-Hershey's chocolate syrup
-whipped cream

What you do: (person taking the shot leans back with mouth open)
1. Take shot of Peppermint Schnapps. Do not swallow.
2. Drizzle syrup in and top with whipped cream.
3. Person taking shot swishes it all around. Now swallow.

Flaming Dr. Pepper, a.k.a. Hell

What you need:
-1 oz. Amaretto
-151
-1 typical beer of choice

What you do:
1. Pour Amaretto into shot glass.
2. Drizzle a small amount of 151 over the back of a spoon to just coat the surface of the Amaretto.
3. (Carefully) light shot on fire.
4. Drop lit shot into cup of beer.
5. Chug. Mmm, tastes like Dr. Pepper.

Bl*w Job
I didn't make up the title! But this does taste good.

What you need:
-1/3 oz. Kahlua
-1/3 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
-1/3 oz. vodka
-whipped cream

What you do:
1. Layer all liquors in a shot glass.
2. Top with whipped cream.
3. Take shot without using your hands. Ha ha ha... so clever with the title.

Okay, that's all I've got. Feel free to look up your own and add to the fun. I and this blog in no way condone or endorse heavy drinking. Drink safely and have a designated driver.

quick kitchen tips #3

I would be lying if I said I had made this recently... but in light of recent exams, I haven't been cooking much of anything at all. Sad, I know. Hello, fast food and high cholesterol. Anyway, just because I don't have time to prepare food doesn't mean I don't have time to think about food.

Guacamole

What you need:
-2 medium/large avocados
-1 lime
-1 onion
-1 tomato
-a clove of garlic
-salt and pepper

What you do:
1. Slice avocados in half and remove pits. Scoop out flesh and chop coarsely.
2. Mince the garlic as finely as you can. Dice a small amount of onion and tomato into pieces that are about 1 square cm. Try to use only the fleshy parts of the tomato, not the goopy seedy parts. You should have maybe 1/4 cup each of onion and tomato (but really, who knows... Use your own judgment, darnit).
3. Toss above ingredients together in a large bowl. It's okay if the avocado gets a little mashed up - just don't let the texture become cement-like. Squeeze in lime juice and add salt/pepper to taste. Careful, it's easy to overdo the lime.
4. Eat with tortilla chips and AMAZE your guests!

This is kind of a cop-out recipe because it requires no cooking, only chopping. But whatever, my family loves when I make this stuff. Also, I apologize for the haphazard descriptions and measurements... although that's actually a pretty accurate depiction of the way I cook anyway.

quick kitchen tips #2

More food thoughts from yours truly - I had this for dinner yesterday with some sauteed broccoli and rice. In an ideal world I would eat well all the time, but after getting home late today, dinner was Cheez-its and Keebler chocolate chip cookies. It sounds sad and gross, but if you eat enough junk food you actually WILL feel full.

Baked Salmon

What you need:
-a fillet of salmon
-olive oil
-fresh garlic
-salt and pepper
-dill (optional)

What you do:
1. Line a baking pan with some aluminum foil. This makes cleanup 10x easier.
2. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the foil. Sprinkle the top with chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. Add some dill if you have that.
3. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the fillet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 min. I personally like the salmon to be fork-flakeable but still slightly translucent at the thickest part of the cut.

quick kitchen tips #1

As I begin to figure out general kitchen dos/don'ts and quick recipes to feed my insatiable hunger, it occurred to me that others may find this knowledge useful as well. I don't have a huge repertoire or anything (most of my cooking technique revolves around stir-fry), but here goes anyway. Since I have presumed to call this post "#1," implying a series to come, I might as well start off with the morning coffee.

Super-Easy Faux Cappuccino (sans mess and cappuccino machine)

What you need:
-ground coffee
-milk/creamer
-Cool Whip

What you do:
1. Brew coffee as usual in coffeemaker. You may choose to brew it stronger to more closely resemble espresso.
2. Stir in milk or desired creamer of choice. I highly recommend International Delight brand - so many flavors! Like French Vanilla and Hazelnut!
3. Add a dollop or two of Cool Whip and stir it around until it dissolves into a thick foam on the top. I actually prefer this to Starbucks now, which is a good thing considering my meager student budget.