Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Right Now
right now i was reading one of my favorite blogs, specifically this post and the last few words Matt, who I consider a friend even though we only know each other via twitter, really struck a chord with me. He said, "i’ve been asked many times before, if it’s hard for me to see such a striking resemblance between maddy and her mom. the answer? fuck no. i find nothing but comfort in seeing liz in maddy. and why shouldn’t i?"
Those words made me realize how lucky and blessed I am to be surrounded by and in contact with people that inspire me to be a better person. Matt has been to hell and back and can still manage to have a positive outlook- maybe not all the time, as i am sure he would admit, but still, most of the time he does. It is people like that- all of the many people I am honored to call my friends- that i am constantly amazed by. Your all's strength and courage and positivity and humor and love help me to grow and for that I thank you.
xoxo
Those words made me realize how lucky and blessed I am to be surrounded by and in contact with people that inspire me to be a better person. Matt has been to hell and back and can still manage to have a positive outlook- maybe not all the time, as i am sure he would admit, but still, most of the time he does. It is people like that- all of the many people I am honored to call my friends- that i am constantly amazed by. Your all's strength and courage and positivity and humor and love help me to grow and for that I thank you.
xoxo
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thanksgiving Yumminess!
This Thanksgiving was awesome! It was my two brothers, my SIL, and my dad. Me and L, my SIL, made most of the meal and it was seriously one of the best, if not THE BEST, Thanksgiving meal I have ever had! Onto the best part- what we ate!
We started out with a shrimp cocktail that I completely forgot to take a picture of!
Here is the turkey that I made! I prepped it by rubbing coarse sea salt all over it and then washed it off. After that, I stuffed it with half an onion, some garlic cloves, and half a lemon. I also put in some sprigs of rosemary and some salt and pepper. This year I decided to use a cheese cloth that I had soaked in a dry white wine and 1 cup of butter. The turkey roasted for about 4.5 hours and the cheesecloth was on it up until the last hour. Every 30 minutes I basted it with the left over butter and wine sauce and the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan. It was seriously the most tender and juicy turkey I have ever made- I have made three previous to this. I am not sure what I can attribute that to, but my guess is either the cheesecloth or the fact that I got a natural kosher turkey this year.
I also made homemade gravy. The recipe can be found here. As you can tell, I got the turkey and salad recipe from this newsletter as well!
Next up we had a delicious mixed greens salad with goat cheese, dried cranberries, walnuts, and a homemade dressing! I used arugula, radicchio, and endive. It was amazing! I didn't even know I liked endive! The dressing is muy bueno and super easy to make. You take 3 garlic cloves, 2.5 teaspoons of dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar and whisk them in a bowl. While whisking you slowly add in 1 cup of EVOO and then season with sea salt and pepper to taste!
One of the sides I made was a brussel sprout and dried fig dish. My friend D sent me a link from the New York Times with a list of Thanksgiving sides and this one looked delicious! It is also soooo easy to make! You put 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a pan and then throw in some chopped bacon and fry it until it is cooked the way you like it. I did mine for about 7-8 minutes. After that, throw in some chopped brussel sprouts and a handful of dried figs, mix it all together a couple of times then add in 1/3-1/4cup of water. Then just let it sit there and occasionally stir it. You will know when it is done when the figs and sprouts are tender. This was seriously so delicious! My SIL even said later that she didn't even know she liked brussel sprouts and wanted the recipe!
To me, it is not Thanksgiving unless you have green bean casserole! Such a classic! You can find the recipe here!
Sorry that the pic is a bit out of focus! These are the delicious Yukon Gold mashed potatoes that my SIL made. They were seriously so creamy and fluffy!
She also made a delicious stuffing! I cannot remember all that was in it, but I think there were onions and celery. So good!
To top it off, my SIL made a delicious pecan pie. I have never in my life tried pecan pie, but this was TO DIE FOR! Seriously, I think pecan might beat out pumpkin pie as my favorite! She also made a pumpkin roll. None of us have tried it yet because we were stuffed like a turkey, but I assure you it looks like it is going to taste great! We also had some bubbly- Moet Chandon!
And lastly, a pic of the entire spread!
We started out with a shrimp cocktail that I completely forgot to take a picture of!
Here is the turkey that I made! I prepped it by rubbing coarse sea salt all over it and then washed it off. After that, I stuffed it with half an onion, some garlic cloves, and half a lemon. I also put in some sprigs of rosemary and some salt and pepper. This year I decided to use a cheese cloth that I had soaked in a dry white wine and 1 cup of butter. The turkey roasted for about 4.5 hours and the cheesecloth was on it up until the last hour. Every 30 minutes I basted it with the left over butter and wine sauce and the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan. It was seriously the most tender and juicy turkey I have ever made- I have made three previous to this. I am not sure what I can attribute that to, but my guess is either the cheesecloth or the fact that I got a natural kosher turkey this year.I also made homemade gravy. The recipe can be found here. As you can tell, I got the turkey and salad recipe from this newsletter as well!
Next up we had a delicious mixed greens salad with goat cheese, dried cranberries, walnuts, and a homemade dressing! I used arugula, radicchio, and endive. It was amazing! I didn't even know I liked endive! The dressing is muy bueno and super easy to make. You take 3 garlic cloves, 2.5 teaspoons of dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar and whisk them in a bowl. While whisking you slowly add in 1 cup of EVOO and then season with sea salt and pepper to taste! 
One of the sides I made was a brussel sprout and dried fig dish. My friend D sent me a link from the New York Times with a list of Thanksgiving sides and this one looked delicious! It is also soooo easy to make! You put 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a pan and then throw in some chopped bacon and fry it until it is cooked the way you like it. I did mine for about 7-8 minutes. After that, throw in some chopped brussel sprouts and a handful of dried figs, mix it all together a couple of times then add in 1/3-1/4cup of water. Then just let it sit there and occasionally stir it. You will know when it is done when the figs and sprouts are tender. This was seriously so delicious! My SIL even said later that she didn't even know she liked brussel sprouts and wanted the recipe! 
To me, it is not Thanksgiving unless you have green bean casserole! Such a classic! You can find the recipe here! 
Sorry that the pic is a bit out of focus! These are the delicious Yukon Gold mashed potatoes that my SIL made. They were seriously so creamy and fluffy! 
She also made a delicious stuffing! I cannot remember all that was in it, but I think there were onions and celery. So good! To top it off, my SIL made a delicious pecan pie. I have never in my life tried pecan pie, but this was TO DIE FOR! Seriously, I think pecan might beat out pumpkin pie as my favorite! She also made a pumpkin roll. None of us have tried it yet because we were stuffed like a turkey, but I assure you it looks like it is going to taste great! We also had some bubbly- Moet Chandon!
And lastly, a pic of the entire spread!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sunday, November 30, 2008
THANKSgiving
It is not everyday that I sit down and reflect on how grateful, thankful, and lucky I am. Don't get me wrong, I know that I am, but I don't think that any of us find the time to really sit down and meditate on it- although we should all probably make the time. . . With the Thanksgiving holiday here and gone, I have had time to reflect on all that I am thankful for and its a lot, from the trivial to the grand.
I wanted to clear out some of my Tivo today so I was watching some old episodes of Nightline. One in particular really made me to sit down and reflect on how lucky and thankful I am. You can watch it here: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/
It was the story of a 12 year old boy named Daniel (pronounced Don-yule)who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. Daniel had surgery on his brain last year. His tumor covered almost a fourth of his brain. Even though they had taken it all out, his chance at survival was slim- they gave him a year. Obviously, he had a very aggressive form of cancer. But there was a small, tiny glimmer of hope available at St. Jude's Hospital in Tennessee. Daniel decided to go for that small hope, but there was no guarantee that the treatment would work and it was almost certain that it wouldn't. The odds were so against Daniel that that his doctor, when being interviewed, said that he could not even bring himself to say out loud what the rate of survival was. Daniel and his family knew this, but you should have seen this little man. He was sooooo extremely positive and courageous. I am 25 years old and have known a lot of people and have yet to encounter anyone, older or younger, that was as courageous as him. When asked by the interviewer how he could stay so positive, Daniel's response was "What are you going to do? I can't change my situation. And I am kind of glad that its me and not some other kid who wouldn't be able to handle the situation." I started balling when I heard this; it touched my soul in a way that I cannot describe. The pure resilience and strength from someone you would not expect to have it was mind blowing! Daniel ended up making it to his 13th birthday and so far (as of three weeks ago) the treatment has worked on him. However, like all kids with cancer, he has to get checked every 3 months for the next year and then every 8 months until he turns 21 to make sure that he is okay. I have never really had a hero besides myself or my parents, but seriously, this little boy is my hero. I strive to have his outlook on life and his strength- with strength like his you can do anything!
Anyways, as I was watching this episode on Daniel, thoughts were running through my head of how trivial the things I worry about are, about how thankful I am that myself, my family, and those that I love have never (knock on wood) had to go through anything like that; that we are all happy and healthy and have food in our bellies and a roof over our head. One of my wishes for myself and for the people that I love are that we can stop to look beyond ourselves each day. I really think the world would be a better place. And my wish for Daniel, even though I know he doesn't know me and that we will never meet is that all of his dreams come true and that he lives a long, happy, and fulfilled life full of happiness and contentment.
I wanted to clear out some of my Tivo today so I was watching some old episodes of Nightline. One in particular really made me to sit down and reflect on how lucky and thankful I am. You can watch it here: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/
It was the story of a 12 year old boy named Daniel (pronounced Don-yule)who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. Daniel had surgery on his brain last year. His tumor covered almost a fourth of his brain. Even though they had taken it all out, his chance at survival was slim- they gave him a year. Obviously, he had a very aggressive form of cancer. But there was a small, tiny glimmer of hope available at St. Jude's Hospital in Tennessee. Daniel decided to go for that small hope, but there was no guarantee that the treatment would work and it was almost certain that it wouldn't. The odds were so against Daniel that that his doctor, when being interviewed, said that he could not even bring himself to say out loud what the rate of survival was. Daniel and his family knew this, but you should have seen this little man. He was sooooo extremely positive and courageous. I am 25 years old and have known a lot of people and have yet to encounter anyone, older or younger, that was as courageous as him. When asked by the interviewer how he could stay so positive, Daniel's response was "What are you going to do? I can't change my situation. And I am kind of glad that its me and not some other kid who wouldn't be able to handle the situation." I started balling when I heard this; it touched my soul in a way that I cannot describe. The pure resilience and strength from someone you would not expect to have it was mind blowing! Daniel ended up making it to his 13th birthday and so far (as of three weeks ago) the treatment has worked on him. However, like all kids with cancer, he has to get checked every 3 months for the next year and then every 8 months until he turns 21 to make sure that he is okay. I have never really had a hero besides myself or my parents, but seriously, this little boy is my hero. I strive to have his outlook on life and his strength- with strength like his you can do anything!
Anyways, as I was watching this episode on Daniel, thoughts were running through my head of how trivial the things I worry about are, about how thankful I am that myself, my family, and those that I love have never (knock on wood) had to go through anything like that; that we are all happy and healthy and have food in our bellies and a roof over our head. One of my wishes for myself and for the people that I love are that we can stop to look beyond ourselves each day. I really think the world would be a better place. And my wish for Daniel, even though I know he doesn't know me and that we will never meet is that all of his dreams come true and that he lives a long, happy, and fulfilled life full of happiness and contentment.
Monday, November 17, 2008
halfway there.
im halfway to the top of my Everest. i seriously never thought i would see that coming. just last week i was in the kitchen with D nearly crying because i felt so lost and defeated. but now i am beginning to see the top of it and man, it feels good! i can already tell that this week is going to be extremely hard. the paper is due on tuesday and i want to submit at least 2 more drafts before friday so i am going to be very busy, very tired, and very stressed.
speaking of the trio, finals begin in two weeks. i will be done december 15th and will officially be one year away, 2 semesters, away from graduating and becoming a lawyer! i seriously cannot believe that. it doesnt seem real. it so strange to say the words out loud. i dont think, no i know, that i dont give myself enough credit for all of the blood sweat and tears that i do, but it feels so freakin awesome to know that i am doing something and about to enter into a profession that in reality, only a small percentage of this population do. it excites me to know that i am following one of my passions. i think that next semester is going to be amazing. i am really looking forward to two of my four classes- intro to mediation and trial practice. both of them are going to be extremely useful and practical. it would be a awesome if i could get off the waitlist and into wills and trusts.
it is only 10 more days away from thanksgiving. one of my favorite holidays. its going to be a great day spent with friends who have become family and last chance to relax before the hell known as finals begin. . . i know its more than a few days early, but i am so thankful for the life that i have. i am so blessed and so are all the people that i love. i really couldnt ask for more.
speaking of the trio, finals begin in two weeks. i will be done december 15th and will officially be one year away, 2 semesters, away from graduating and becoming a lawyer! i seriously cannot believe that. it doesnt seem real. it so strange to say the words out loud. i dont think, no i know, that i dont give myself enough credit for all of the blood sweat and tears that i do, but it feels so freakin awesome to know that i am doing something and about to enter into a profession that in reality, only a small percentage of this population do. it excites me to know that i am following one of my passions. i think that next semester is going to be amazing. i am really looking forward to two of my four classes- intro to mediation and trial practice. both of them are going to be extremely useful and practical. it would be a awesome if i could get off the waitlist and into wills and trusts.
it is only 10 more days away from thanksgiving. one of my favorite holidays. its going to be a great day spent with friends who have become family and last chance to relax before the hell known as finals begin. . . i know its more than a few days early, but i am so thankful for the life that i have. i am so blessed and so are all the people that i love. i really couldnt ask for more.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
KOL
here is whats been going on with me these past two weeks:
my parents came to visit and we had a BLAST!!! they come again on tuesday and that makes me happy :-)
ive been in midterms ever since they left which was about 2 weeks ago. i killed my international trade and developing countries midterm! i havent gotten the grade back yet, but i just know i fucking nailed it! as for evidence and pr- the jury is still out.
i found out that my sister is having a baby boy and this really excites me!! Check out this endearing picture of her husband and the baby. 
I love it!
finally, i get some relief- tomorrow is the kings of leon, stills, and we are scientists concert. you have NO idea how stoked i am about this. three of my all time favorite bands! its insane because i saw was about three months ago at the casbah which is a really small venue here in san diego and now they are on tour with a huge band playing at a pretty big venue!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhhcKxflMY
oh, and i have come to the conclusion that acqua vista (where i live) has gone ghetto. last night i saw my fat ghetto neighbor fucking on his balcony. GROSS!!!! maybe it wont be so bad if the owners dont want to renew my lease. ;-)
my parents came to visit and we had a BLAST!!! they come again on tuesday and that makes me happy :-)ive been in midterms ever since they left which was about 2 weeks ago. i killed my international trade and developing countries midterm! i havent gotten the grade back yet, but i just know i fucking nailed it! as for evidence and pr- the jury is still out.
i found out that my sister is having a baby boy and this really excites me!! Check out this endearing picture of her husband and the baby. 
I love it! finally, i get some relief- tomorrow is the kings of leon, stills, and we are scientists concert. you have NO idea how stoked i am about this. three of my all time favorite bands! its insane because i saw was about three months ago at the casbah which is a really small venue here in san diego and now they are on tour with a huge band playing at a pretty big venue!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhhcKxflMY
oh, and i have come to the conclusion that acqua vista (where i live) has gone ghetto. last night i saw my fat ghetto neighbor fucking on his balcony. GROSS!!!! maybe it wont be so bad if the owners dont want to renew my lease. ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)