Picking up the Christmas Tree

My Dad and I were given the job of going to pick out our Christmas tree for the season. This is the first time since I was in middle school that we've been allowed to pick out the tree all by ourselves. The reason we've been banned from Christmas tree shopping without my mom is because one year, we spent $80 on a tree! Don't ask my why or how that happened, but for some reason it was extremely hard that year to find good Christmas trees. Trust me we looked. I remember a lot of them being short and small. And if you know my mom, well she is very picky about her tree. So Dad and I searched all over to find the perfect tree that year. We ended up buying the tree from a nursery in Orland, I believe. We had a beautiful tree that year, but were in big big trouble when mom found out how much money we had spent. :)

Well...today we set out again - not to repeat history. We found ourselves at Costco and guess what you get to pick your tree, but it's all bundled up, so there's no real way to tell what it looks like.

To make the situation slightly more complex, we had our 2 dogs with us in our car. Yes our car. My little honda civic from high school which has now become the dog-mobile. And.....of course we bought food (including dog food) from Costco. If you know my dog, Sally, well then you know that you can't leave food in the back of the car (we usually have the seats down when the dogs are with us) and drive or else she will tear through anything to get to it.

I'm picturing in my head, a tree tied atop our car going 35mph on the freeway, while I am sitting in the passenger seat trying to hold onto my little dog, who is struggling the entire time to get to the back seat where all the good stuff is.




Well, Dad is smart enough to say hey - let's just put the seats up, so Sally can't get to the food. I picked out the tallest tree I could find at Costco, it's still only 7-8 ft. Dad and I tied the tree to the top of the car with 2 pieces of twine (pictured above). And we started the drive home.



As we're driving you can here clunk-clunk, every time we go over a bump. It was the roof denting in and then popping out from the weight of the tree. We took back roads home & made it successfully!



Ta-Da...tree, car, and dogs all home in one piece!

Now let's just hope it's a pretty tree when we cut it open otherwise Dad & I won't ever be allowed to pick out a tree together again :(

Pomegranate Jelly

My absolute favorite jelly in the entire world is my grandmother's homemade pomegranate jelly. She usually makes enough that I have a steady supply all year long. And even though it's my favorite, it's not like I eat everyday. Anyway, this year I ran out - probably a couple of months ago :(
It's sad because my english muffin with cream cheese and jelly is not the same if it's not pomegranate jelly.
Lucky for me, pomegranate season just ended and my grandma has tons of juice from which to make....of course none other than yummy jelly.

Today I learned how to make the delicious, sugary, sticky stuff! YUM! And...surprisingly it was not as difficult as I expected it to be. But I will admit that I was lucked out in not being around when my grandmother juiced all of the pomegranates - which is definitely the hardest and messiest part of the job.

Ok, so here you go a step by step guide:



Take 3 1/2 cups Pomegranate juice, mix with 1 package MCP pectin (2 oz box) and a little bit of butter (like 1/4 teaspoon) - really just a sliver

Stir together and leave over med-high heat until boiling.

Once boiling add 5 cups of sugar - all at once



and stir



Again leave over heat until mixture comes to a full rolling boil (one that does not stop with stirring) see below. Once this starts set a timer for 2 minutes!



After 2 minutes turn off the heat, wait for the bubbles to go down & then scrape off some of the foam. Discard.

Now it's time to get a warm jelly jar (we has ours in a pot of hot water on the stove, but also heard you can heat the jars up in the oven)
Use a funnel & pour in the jelly!



Not pictured...but you need to wipe the rim of the jar before putting the lid on in order to ensure a good seal!



And TaDa - DONE!!! Just sit and wait for the popping noise that signifies that the lids have sealed!





And here you go....19 jars of jelly!

--------------------------------------------------------------

This morning I woke up and came out to the kitchen to see my mom making toast. I naively assumed that she was going to have some of my wonderful, delicious homemade jelly on her toast, but no....I was wrong. Instead as I'm toasting my bread I look over to see her spreading Trader Joe's cherry jelly on her toast! Needless to say I was appalled and promptly made her feel bad about not eating my jelly.

Here's a picture of my toast this morning....YUM!



-------------------------------------------

Here's a link to the recipe we used if you want a more condensed version without all of the pictures: Pomegranate Jelly Recipe

Vegas, Baby!

I spent last night in Sin City...Las Vegas. Even though I was by myself, I still enjoyed my time there and did quite a bit of exploring. My mom found me a room for $40 at Harrah's on the strip. After checking in and hanging up my suit, I decided a walk on the strip would be nice and I could find a place for dinner. First, I had to ask for directions out of my hotel, because these places are soooooooooo big it's very easy to get lost - especially for someone who has a horrible sense of direction. Anyway, I started at The Venetian, which has the romantic little boats people can sit in and be paddled around. I found a great store inside called David and Goliath which has some awesome t-shirts, key chains, magnets, etc. I had a tough time not buying up half the store, just because it's some funny stuff!

Next, I continued down the strip - past the Bellagio where from across the street, I watched part of the dancing waters. I also caught some of the volcano outside of The Mirage. Paris was a stop I made, because I know they have a cute store in there that I like. No luck on this trip. I continued down to New York, New York. Let me tell you - it may not sound like a long walk, but it was. Things in Vegas seem closer, because everything is so HUGE. It's sort of like car mirror warning...objects in mirror are closer than they appear - except the opposite. Objects are truly much much farther than you would think, because they are so extravagantly ENORMOUS.

I've decided that Vegas is similar to Disneyland for adults, because everything is over the top and completely overdone. Attention is given to every last detail. After walking across the mini-Brooklyn bridge I made my way across the street to MGM. At this point my feet were tired and I was hungry. I thought about going back to Paris for crepes. I made the decision to ride the monorail, which runs along the strip behind some of the hotels. Well, had I known that walking all the way to the back of MGM was just as far as walking to Paris - i would have just walked to Paris. Needless to say, I made it to the back of MGM, paid my $5 to ride the monorail and since Paris was the first stop, continued on down to Harrah's. I was going to get my $5 worth, because it's a one shot deal and I wasn't paying another $5 or walking from Paris back to my hotel. Crepes would have to wait.

Oh and I almost forgot - I got to see the lions that are inside MGM. I walked underneath them in a glass tunnel, while they laid down up above my head. Apparently the lions live at a ranch or somewhere about 20 miles from the strip and they only stay at MGM for 5-6 hrs at a time. Everyday they have 2 different sets of lions come into the casino and if you were there for a week, you may see the same lion twice.

After getting off at Harrah's I walked across the street to The Forum Shops at Ceasar's Palace and had dinner in the super duper nice shopping mall there. I ate Spago, which is a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. I had a Spago Cosmo (which had raspberry puree) - super yummy and a margarhita pizza. Afterwards, I had some super expensive gelato and ended up getting lost in the mall. I thought I was going the right direction, until I saw this GIGANTIC troy horse that led into FAO Schwartz. I did not see said horse on the way in, which meant I was walking the wrong way out.

Eventually, I made it back to my hotel around 8:30 and was ready to crash. I ended up reading about my program that I interviewed at today & then passed out, before having to get up super early to head to my interview.

I feel there are more things to tell, but I can't remember them all now! Sorry, no pictures - I was being lazy and didn't want to look too much like a tourist - if that's possible while walking down the strip. Not that anyone would notice anyways...

Happy Late Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving - a couple days late! I am thankful that this year I was able to spend the holiday with my family. Honestly, I cannot remember the last Thanksgiving I spent at home. I know it was before medical school, possibly my senior year at Trinity, but I truly cannot recall.
This year it was great to spend it with my mom's side of the family. We had all the usual fixings, including some gambling. For quarters only! But I'm happy to say that for once my mom and I came out ahead. Good times :)

Prior to coming home for Thanksgiving, I had an interview in Chicago. Again the program is located in the suburbs. I was pretty proud of myself for taking the "L" from the airport to my hotel and back again. I survived. And what would a night in Chicago be without pizza? Here's a picture of my delicious pizza. I have to admit that it was not a deep dish stuffed pizza. I did that when I interviewed in Chicago for medical school and I swear that the small pizza I had weighed over 5lbs. This time I just went for a simple pepperoni and olive pizza. YUM! I have to talk to Melanie but if I remember correctly, this is her favorite pizza place.



I also got to spend a few days with Ryann on my trip home. We enjoyed a couple of relaxing days together, catching up on each others lives over a glass of wine or two. As usual, it was wonderful to see her again, but it does always make me miss my Trinity girls. Hopefully, soon we'll have a reunion. It's nearly time for our 5 year reunion. I can't believe it's been that long since I've been at Trinity.

While in Boulder with Ry, I had a day to roam around Pearl Street and do a little shopping. I bought a new book and stopped in a tea/coffee shop for an afternoon snack and a little reading.


What do you think of the title of my new book? It's about this girl who makes a green change everyday for an entire year. Some of the changes are small like changing her shampoo, while others are much larger - such as unplugging her refrigerator. Anyway, spending time with Ryann (who works for an eco-minded company), my concern for the environment, and this book - I'm starting to think of plans. But those plans will be shared with you at a later date, when they have solidified more completely.



After getting home, I helped my parents put up our LED Christmas lights. We had some fun hanging out in the front yard and semi-torturing our dogs and making our neighbors believe that we are totally crazy. So our little dog, Sally, can't hear anymore. This is a problem when she's out in the front yard and you call her to come, which naturally she doesn't, because she can't hear you. Well our other dog, Lady, is great at listening and very very obedient. To solve the Sally not listening problem, we hooked her leash to Lady's. That way wherever Lady went, Sally would have to follow. We weren't really serious in doing this - it was more for fun and it was hilarious to see Sally following Lady around. Lady was completely oblivious to the fact that Sally was attached to her! It was great :)

Crazy Busy & MIA for a little bit longer

Ok, so last time I wrote was Nov. 12, so almost a week ago. I can't even blame interviews or traveling on reasons why I have not written. But it has been hectic around my house. I did rest and catch up on some sleep this past weekend and I intended to blog on Sunday, but somehow that didn't happen.
Quick recap:

- I have come down with a slight cold: a headache for a day, and congested nose for the past couple of days, but I found that 24 hr Claritin D takes pretty good care of my nose for nearly 24 hrs! so it actually works

- Went to see The Men Who Stare at Goats - was better than I expected, also less goat staring than I expected

- Sief went and picked up his 2 suits we bought for the interview season, then we had a session with a bunch of us making Sief try on his suit with different shirt and tie combos

- Went to the outlets to buy Sief new dress shoes - got 2 pairs at ~$40 each = AWESOME!!!!

- My dad turned 60!!

- Work this week has been AMAZING! Today I had the best moment of my medical career. My attending (who is awesome & has become a friend of mine over the past year, we worked together last year as well) let me do a c-section 90% on my own! It totally rocked.
I got to do the first incision, then cut down through the subcutaneous tissue to the fascia, cut the fascia, some pulling and tugging, then split the tissue that holds the abdominal muscles together, next the serosa covering the uterus & bladder, and finally I cut through the uterus, broke the water and delivered baby! He tried to let the 3rd year medical student deliver the placenta, which was cool for me to see, because I was in that 3rd year medical student's shoes last year and remember Dr. N letting me do the same thing & how it was soooooo cool to have my hand & forarm inside someone's body. The med student was having some trouble so Dr. N looked at me and I took over! Next stitch up the uterus, close the fascia, and work your way to skin. Seriously AWESOME!!! It ws great!!!! So so amazing.

- Now I'm packing to leave Hershey tomorrow for 3 months away! It's crazy packing for 3 months in 2 carry on bags. I am leaving one here for Sief's brother to bring back with him to Cali in December. Starting tomorrow I'm on vacation until Janurary (well you could call it an interview rotation, since I'll mainly be on the road). Then Janurary I'm at UC Davis for an inpatient family medicine month, and February Costa Rica baby!!! woo woo!!!

- But before all of that I leave tomorrow for Chicago, interview there on Friday --> then flying to Denver Colorado to see Ry Ry (my old college roomate)!!!

So when I don't write for the next couple of days...you'll know why!!!

And I finally get to be home for Thanksgiving - the first time in years!!!

ok have to run - time to finish packing...
-

Still Here!

I'm still around...I didn't drop off the face of the earth. I have been a busy little bee.
I spent Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri. I was there early and went to a farmer's market and two malls! It was great. You might be surprised, but it is a very cool city that I like very much. I interviewed there on Monday and I was impressed with the program too.
Monday afternoon I flew to St. Louis for another interview on Tuesday.
Then back to Hershey and work. Yesterday was extremely busy. I was on Labor and Delivery and was the first assist on 7 c-sections!

Ok, 30 rock is on now and it's time for a little tv relaxation. Just wanted to drop a quick line - saying I'm still here. I'll update more this weekend! :)

Pomegranates and more

First - I never finished my last post about Forth Worth. While in Fort Worth, TX I interviewed at a program there and was so impressed that I surprising found myself wanting to return to Texas. It is still early in the interview season so it's hard to say what will happen, but unexpectedly Texas seems to be calling my name again!

Now onto a foodie note. My wonderful Grandmother (i'm sure my aunt ed is making a gagging face as she reads this believing that I'm sucking up to my Grandma - which is ok since today is her birthday!) sent me a box of pomegranates. They are one of my absolute favorite fruits. The hardest part is peeling them and not staining your clothes with pomegranate juice.

This weekend, I had the special occassion of my boyfriend coming back to town after being away for 9 weeks. What better way to welcome him home than to make dinner with the focus being pomegranates! Well, really I just wanted an excuse to make something with my pomegranates and my roomie had a new recipie to teach me.

The menu:
Pomegranate marianted cornish game hen
Twice baked potatoes
Fatoush

This was the first time I had ever made cornish game hen. I had to split the little suckers in half. Not particularly a fan of cutting through bone. As both my dad and my roomie stated - I would not make a good orthopedic surgeon.



Next the marinade consisted of pomegranate juice, honey, cinnamon, allspice, garlic, and coriander. I marinated the little guys overnight and they turned purple from the juice!!!




And what is Fatoush you ask? Well, it is an arabic salad that consists of lettuce, pomegranate seeds, cucumber, bell pepper, green onions, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, with toasted pita chips in sumac. The dressing is olive oil and lemon.

I made my own homeade pita bread which was an adventure in itself. Waseem left me with pita dough and went out on Friday night. He left me with instructions on how to properly bake the pita bread. Roll out the dough, put in oven at 500 degrees and take out after a few minutes once it has puffed up, then wrap my hand in a towel and poke the pita so the air can escape. The towel around the hand prevents steam burns. Let's just say it's easier said than done. I ended up with 3 good pitas out of 10. 1 frisbee and the remaining 6 were flat. Also, in the course of cooking I managed to set off the fire alarm in my apartment. Good thing for the Fatoush the pita bread is toasted and it doesn't matter that I made flat ones.

Here's a picture of the Fatoush.



And the finished product!! YUM! YUM!