Cooking with Michal

I was cooking last night with my computer on the table playing some music and suddenly I thought "What if I documented my cooking and shared it on my blog?" Lately my posts have all been stories and deep musings so how about something light-hearted (and delicious!). Maybe I'll do another book review again soon as well (I just picked up my copy of Hunger Games since I had originally forgotten it at Brooke's).

So, today I will be cooking spaghetti bolognese sauce. It is very simple to make and you can feel free to add or take away anything that doesn't fit with your tastes. You can use it as spaghetti sauce, eat it with some French or Italian bread, with chicken possibly? Who knows, the possibilities are endless!

Start by chopping up some carrots, celery and onions. Be careful, the onions may make you cry. I got to use free onions from Ontario, Oregon, that I got at Taste of the Harvest. The carrots are picked fresh from the church garden that Elsa goes to (and I got to help out with a few weeks ago). Incredibly fresh and incredibly delicious!



Put all the veggies into a large pan with a little bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or regular Olive Oil or skanky Olive Oil, whatever you prefer. Keep the burner on medium and stir the veggies to keep them nice and soft.
Take out some ground beef or turkey or any type of minced meat and add it to the pan of veggies. Keep on stirring and flipping the meat over so that all sides get cooked up nice and brown. This is the point where you might want to add some spices or salt or pepper or whatever tickles your fancy.
While all that is cooking, assemble your tomato based products: canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. What is the difference between all of these? Who knows and honestly who cares. This is what the recipe calls for so use them. Find a nice big pot and when the meat is cooked, transfer the meat and veggies into the big pot.

Be careful to not spill all over the place. The pan may be hot...

Next, dump in all the tomato based products. The paste will be pasty... the sauce will be saucy and the tomatoes will most likely splatter if you are not careful.

Once everything is in the pot, just stir it until it gets bubbly. Then feel free to serve immediately or just jar it up and keep it. You can freeze it, keep it in the fridge or give it to a friend. And that has been cooking with Michal. Enjoy!

Love Letters to Two Amazing Weeks

Dear Five Guys,

You are sooooo delicious. Your burgers are fresh. Your fries are overflowing. You are deliciousness embodied. Thank you for "hitting the spot" for us on Friday night.

Love,

Michal

Dear Hyde Park Street Fair,

Thanks for the yummy smells, cool booths and weird people. We don't thank you though for hosting people that we would prefer not to have seen. Also it would be nice if next time there were a little bit more lights. It got dark and we couldn't see anything.

Love,

Michal

Dear Eagle Greenbelt,

I appreciate how empty you were Saturday morning so Kristen and I could wander about your paths and climb all over your bridges in peace. We also appreciate you being host to Bardenay so we could eat our tuna sandwich and delicious French bread with tomatoes and cheese without breaking the bank.

Love,

Michal (and Kristen)

Dear Idaho,

Your beautiful weather has been such a blessing lately. The fact that I can sit outside for hours after school and not be cold and enjoy the gorgeous sky and white fluffly clouds and warm sunshine and incredible sunset while sitting on a chair or reading a book or lying on the classic dinosaur blanket. Please don't change. But I know that when you do, I can sit at my window and drink Nutcracker tea with honey. Delicious.

Love,

Michal

Dear Snake River Valley and Wineries,

Beauty personified. The end.

Love always and forever,

Michal

Dear History Department,

You all rock. Period.

Love,

Michal

Dear Ste Chapelle Special Harvest,

Don't ever change.

Love always,

Michal

Dear Mom,

The care package of Skittles, Granola bars, clothes, Starburst, Cheez-its, and Applesauce Brownies is incredible. You're the best mom in the world.

Love,

Me

Dear Kristen, Ann, Steph and Britta,

Thanks for hanging out with me during my first Women's Celebration Fitness Walk. Loved walking the 5K with you guys, looking at the beautiful houses by the Depot, seeing the views of Boise from downtown and from the Depot. Thanks for weaving with me, Britta, and not teasing me when I asked who "Team Jared" was about. It was great to relax on the grass afterwards and eat our snackies (except that questionable yogurt). You're the best!

Love,

Michal

Dear Taste of the Harvest,

You outdid yourself this year! The food was incredible (that naan and the bruschetta!), the wine was flowing freely, the onions were free, the grass was soft, the music was jumpy and the friends were plenty. I am so glad I was here (and got to help tear down afterwards).

Love,

Michal

Dear Bronco Nation,

I'm glad that you won, I really am. But please be aware that not everyone is a Bronco Nation fan.

Sincerely yours,

Michal

Dear Downtown partiers,

Thanks for those two fights. They were fun to watch. The antics were great. Tom Grainey's was hopping. Mack and Charley's was confusing. China Blue was dirty. The Balcony was too expensive. Next time, learn to hold your alcohol (I'm taking to you Pukey McPukerson).

Love,

Michal

Dear Jill,

I love you and am so excited you are getting married. Your shower was great!

Love,

Michal

Dear Flying M,

You are an incredible host for when I want to meet friends like Megan and Alexis. Your wi-fi is free, your coffee is fresh, your jams are hip. Never change.

Love,

Michal

Dear ISF,

I loved your theatre. Small and cute and no bad seat. Plus you can bring your food in and eat while you watch! The Woman in Black was a creepy but sooo good (even though one of the actors sometimes lost his accent). Thanks for the great experience (and good company and good food!)

Love,

Michal

Jumbled thougths

Two weeks in and so much is running through my mind. I don't think there's anyway that I can put things into any meaningful paragraphs. And please pardon my randomness- so much running through my head!

-I'm pretty stoked about my new waterproof i-pod holder and headphones. Well, not the headphones yet. I'm still getting used to them. They are a little too big for my ears, so I have to replace the medium earplugs with the small ones. I guess I have little eardrums. But I do enjoy listening to the Reduced Shakespeare Podcasts while swimming boring laps.

-Ghost Adventurers may be my new favorite show. But not really. But sort of. Kristen and I watched it Friday night and have plans to watch it again. The drama is compelling. And one guy just may be on steroids. We're still determining this.

-I really enjoy my kids. A lot. Some drive me CRAZY- they are total slackers. And how lame is it if you fail study skills? At the same time, some are great. We laugh a lot in class while talking about their slacking, procrastinating, lack of motivation habits and how they spend their time. My two big classes are great and my smaller one is getting better slowly. There are, of course, people I don't like, but in general, I enjoy being in class and I'm looking forward to meeting with them one-on-one next week to talk about their semester goals.

-I live in a beautiful place. I know that it's not the sunny beaches of California or the gothic and ancient structures of Oxford but the Snake River Valley is gorgeous. Driving through fields filled with crops, apple trees, hops, corn, etc., is beautiful. This campus is beautiful. The sprawl of Big Little City Boise is amazing, especially when looking down from Camelback. Some people much object but I certainly don't.

-And speak of being able to enjoy the beauty, I got a bike! It's a super sweet cruiser, a kind of minty green color with cream and brown accents, a brown seat and handlebars. I bought a basket to go with it but it doesn't seem to fit on my bike (or I clearly lack the tools to get it attached) and some lights and a lock and I ride to and from school each day. I love it. Now, will I still want to ride when the weather gets colder? Only time will tell.

-I've started to work with the junior high kids at my church. It's only been one week so far but really interesting. There were only 8 kids the first week but I was able to leap right in and ask some questions and engage in discussion. I'm pretty excited about this- it'll be different from my JAMers and also from Pathfinders but should also be a good experience. More on that later.

-I am loving this beautiful weather so far. It's been a little chilly in the morning but the late afternoon is fantastic and I love sitting outside, watching the sunset and reading. I'm almost finished with "The Judgement of Paris", I just got the second book of the Hunger Games series and I just found "The Fairy Rebel" by Lynne Reid Banks in the CRC. Love that place and love getting to reread books that I adored as a kid.

Oh boy...

This is what I get for watching the Education of Charlie Banks while typing up notes for class tomorrow..


Setting and Achieving Goals

1. Wrote specific goals

pbservab;e actopsm pr ,easireab;e resi;ts
trams;ate gpa; omtp cpmcrete actopm
s[ecofoc gpa;s ,ale c;ear wjat actopsm are meededpr wjat resi;ts are ex[ected/


Type to Learn would be so disappointed.... :)

Little Update or Two...

As of today, I have successfully completed my first week as a professor. I have a sign on my door, calendars and posters on the wall of my office and have successfully led discussions in all three of my classes. Two of them- the Tuesday/Thursday morning class and the Monday/Wednesday classes divided up really well into groups. There’s a group of freshman, a group of upper classmen/transfers and in one class a group of vets and in one a group of internationals. They all divide up nicely and they all have something to share. In my Tuesday/Thursday afternoon class, which is also my smallest class, doesn’t divide as well and because they’re much smaller, they don’t want to talk as much. But hey, two out of three ain’t bad, right?

I’ve also pretty much have my lessons planned from now up until the end of the September, which is quite nice. One of the classes is for individual goal meetings so that doesn’t need any planning, but everything else is taken care of which is really great because I just got a free month of Netflix and so goodbye productivity. Especially since I just discovered the mini-series of the book I just read, The Pillars of the Earth.

The pool has also opened, so I’ve been swimming there three times of week. It’s been a very good work out opportunity- I just didn’t wish that my hair smelled like chlorine even after the shower. I’ve gotten spoiled with the salt-water pool down the street! Usually there either isn’t anyone at the pool when I’m there or the baseball team is doing their workout, so it’s a nice solo time. Plus, I get to swim with fins on which makes me feel so much faster than I’m sure I really am. And I’m getting a waterproof i-pod holder for an early Christmas present so I can listen to music or podcasts while I’m swimming. Much more enjoyable- just like getting to listen to music or podcasts while running on a stupid treadmill.

The weather has also been beautiful lately so my afternoons/evenings have mainly consisted of eating dinner outside and then lying on the blanket reading a book. I just read The Hunger Games and am waiting for the second one to be returned to the school library so I can read that. I already have the third checked out so I’m already set to continue once I read #2. Speaking of books, have read some great ones lately. I really enjoyed The Pillars of the Earth (briefly mentioned above). It was the story about the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge. It takes place around the time of the battle of succession between Stephen and Maud ending with the eventually crowning of Henry II. You follow the characters through maybe 50 of so years of their life. It’s compelling story, great characters, some that you love and some that you absolutely hate, but you definitely get addicted to them right away. I probably read it in three days or so, despite it being over 900 pages. There are some historical anachronisms for the way that they speak but in general, a decent story. I also got to meet Chris Crutcher, author of such incredible books like Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Whale Talk, Deadline, The Sledding Hill, The Crazy-Horse Electric Game, Running Loose, Ironman, Athletic Shorts and many others (I wonder which one I’m forgetting- I know I’ve read them all). He was doing a signing at Rediscovered Books downtown and after my audition for the Meridian Symphony (oh right, I joined an orchestra), I got to meet him, chat with him and get his newest book, Angry Management signed. Sadly I had forgotten my camera at home so I took one with my cell phone, texted it to Youval who then emailed it to me. His newest book is fantastic- it’s three short stories that bring together some of his older character. Sarah Byrnes and Angus Bethune get together and explore more of Sarah’s history. Montana West, of Deadline, takes on the school board and her father. And John Simet, coach of my favorite motley crue of swimming teams, interacts and mentors who amazing kids, one who has become my new favorite book character. I finished the book in two hours- it was that good. Seriously, you should check it out.

Seven Years Ago....

Seven years ago.... I left Irvine for the wonders of college. I had no idea what to expect. What I found blew me away.

Seven years ago.... I helped cheer the Yotes onto Conference Victory

Seven years ago I lived in the greatest dorm ever with some of the greatest people ever.

Seven years ago... Kristen, Rebecca and I were triplets, having all classes but one together.

Seven years ago... we celebrated Thanksgiving in the dorm family style.

Seven years ago... I had the best roommate ever. Who cleaned. Which was nice. Plus she has a pretty smile.

Seven years ago.... Brittany and I wrote ransom notes to the boys on V3 after we stole their posters.

Seven years ago... Kirbi came to visit me twice!

Seven years ago... we had a Viking funeral for a suicidal fish.

Seven years ago... Molly, Mariah, Megan and I met Warren Barfield and heard TobyMac and Third Day.

Seven years ago... Ariel, Megan and I pretended to be Charlie's Angels with pool cues.

Seven years ago.... Megan and I decorated Boone after midnight on Halloween.

Seven years ago, my friends shoved my birthday cake into my face.

Seven years ago... I got to work "backstage" at a concert.

Seven years ago... we held numerous dance parties in the second floor hall of Voorhees.

Seven year ago... I was Ambassador of the Year and took hundreds of kids around campus (and was dubbed Tour Guide Queen by John Reuter).

Seven year ago...Megan and I threw a Superbowl Party (the year of Janet Jackson infamy) and then decided we didnt' want to invite anybody. We were eating leftovers for weeks.

And seven years later, I am astounded and in awe of all the friends from college that I still have. On Friday night, Kristen and I went out to Star to join Mariah, Ariel, Ann, Stephanie, and Erica for dinner since Mariah was in town. I hadn't seen Ariel or Stephanie since graduation and what proceeded after dinner was a long three-hour memory session. Ann, Ariel, Steph and I were all in Voorhees and Mariah, Erica and Kristen were all in Finney so there were loads and loads of stories. With seven people sitting around, one person just had to mention the name of someone we had gone to school with and within seconds, someone else had a story or a memory or an update of where they were right now. There was so much laughter and reminders of crazy times, memories, good experiences and nostalgia.

The next day Kristen and I went to the Boise Farmer's Market and then Art in the Park. For lunch, we met up with Mariah, Kenzie and Lindsey and had a delicious meal of pizza and salads at Flatbread (new favorite place!). We went back to the park and after wandering some more, ended up sitting on the grass and having another nostalgic session. The stories and memories seemed endless and it made me realize how blessed I was to have had such a great college experience and such long-term friends.

100th Post

For my 100th post: please enjoy pictures from the backyard- my favorite place- during the late afternoon- my favorite time.