Scrumptious: Siesta!

Yes, I know, "siesta" means nap, or sleep. But when you are sleepy, and you need to eat, something's gotta give. But this was delicious!

But how about a recipe? It's nice and quick, but hits the spot. 

Siesta Baked Potatoes

2 small potatoes (I used russet, you could use one large, as well.)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup salsa verde (I used La Victoria Thick 'n Chunky)

Several stalks of fresh cilantro

Sea salt, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Start by washing your potatoes well, since eating the skins is good for you, but eating dirt is not. Once you've done that, stab each a few times with a fork, and place them in the microwave for 4 minutes. They'll steam and hiss, but that's fine. 

Once they're done in the microwave, pull out a baking sheet (or pizza pan) and set your potatoes on it. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle a bit of sea salt as well. Place them in the oven for 15 minutes. 

When the 15 minutes is up, carefully remove the baking sheet and potatoes from the oven, and place your potatoes on a plate. When they are cool enough to touch, slice them in half, and mash them up a bit. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over them, then spoon on your salsa and shredded cheese and tear up the cilantro to sprinkle it on top. 

There you have it! Delicious Siesta Baked Potatoes -- lazy college-girl food with a (very slightly) mexican flair. Plus, it's super cheap.

Tell me if you try it!

Learning: Teachability I

As my time as a college student draws to a close, I'm in the process of taking that next step -- getting a job. Part of the process to get the job I'm hoping and praying for (which is in ministry), is an interview in which some tough questions were asked about my spiritual life and my relationships. 

One thing that came up (and has been mentioned to me in different capacities in the past) was "teachability". 

 -- Is it telling that it's been brought up several times?

Maybe it's cultural, maybe it's because I'm the oldest child, maybe it's because my parents raised me to be independent -- who knows. In any case, I'm pretty stubborn. Which means that too often, I don't take advice and instruction and actually listen to it. 

I'll admit that this is sort of an exploratory post, so lets dive in, shall we?

Why wouldn't I listen to (and act on) perfectly good advice or instruction from people that I trust and have considered my situation prayerfully and lovingly? Maybe you've guessed it: there is no good reason. 

I'll be honest, it makes me feel pretty awful when I think about it this way. Really, it shouldn't be a shock to me, because like I said, it's been mentioned to me before. But really considering the idea that I'm doing a series of not-so-good things: disrespecting my friends and mentors, disobeying God, making avoidable mistakes, indulging my stubbornness, learning things the hard way, limiting my ministry; that list makes me feel like an idiot.

So I'm here to figure it out and get with the program. I'll end it here for this post, now that we're at ground-zero-of-stupid. 

Until next time, do you struggle with teachability? Do you know what teachability is?

Poetry

Have you ever noticed that once in a while, life is so poetic it's almost painful to experience it?

There are so many moments in writing and in film that are so perfectly put together. It's fiction, right? Fantasy? So these things are allowable. You know how it is, don't you?

The band of bedraggled and nearly beaten warriors crests a hill as the sun rises, and sees their destination just ahead.
The couple who has crossed paths time and time again but never met suddenly crash into each other while looking stunning, and they instantly realize their soul mates.

It's a nice idea, sure, I'll give you that. But it's not real.

Or at least it isn't most of the time.
Because once in a while, as you sit at your cozy desk, with the warm light of the lamp across your page, someone will tell you something you were hoping you wouldn't have to hear. It will start to rain.
And it's just a little too cinematic to seem fair.

Slipping

One of the reasons that I started blogging originally was to have a creative outlet. Or maybe that's not quite accurate. More clearly, I needed somewhere to pour out my heart -- to process the things swirling around inside my head that maybe I didn't want an immediate response to, like I would get from confiding in a friend.

That's still true. I still need it. But in some ways, I've forgotten that, how therapeutic it is to just write my heart. So here I am. To write, and explain, and understand and breathe.

I hope I'll be more consistent -- it's so easy these days for things to just get away from you, you know? I can check my email, facebook and twitter all from my phone, not to mention texting, and phone calls and browsing the internet. I'm so connected, but it is far, far too easy for things -- for people -- to slip through the cracks.

I've let that happen lately. Sometimes it's been favors or jobs that other's have asked me to do. Sometimes it's been appointments, or assignments, or just my own intention to do something with or for someone. And as much as it hurts me to realize that I've essentially forgotten someone, I can't imagine how rude it must seem to them. Like I don't care, or they don't matter -- when really, that's not true at all.

So I'm working on that. I'm trying to be more focused, organized and on track with the people I really care about. And the people I don't. Forgive me?

Cool. Let's talk again, soon, huh?

Really?!

Is it hurting you that someone appreciates Justin Bieber?

Do you need to tear apart my favorite television show?

Is it the end of the world if someone insults your favorite actor?

As a society, we're spending too much time getting truly and honestly angry about things that aren't worth losing friends or hurting feelings over. Start fighting for something that actually makes a difference in this world, and doesn't just mildly perturb your friends and family.

Want to know what some of those things are? I thought you'd never ask!

Let's get angry.

Scrumptious: Carbonara

Now that I'm living in an apartment style dorm, I am cooking a lot more. So I decided that maybe instead of just a random photo-of-the-week, I'll also do a meal of the week. To kick that off -- here's the first thing!

Yummmm. Spaghetti, fresh spinach leaves, cubes of chicken tenderloin, all tossed in the college girl's version of carbonara: 2 eggs beaten with salt and pepper, then poured over the all the other ingredients, with some added marinara sauce for flavor. Good right? It sure looked pretty. 

Stay hungry, my friends.