Brunch shenanigans

Good afternoon! It's actually starting to look a little like evening because we're supposed to get a whole bunch of snow. All the more reason to cozy up in bed!

Brunch was a whole lot of fun. It was actually a little sad because this was by far my favorite class this semester. Katie and I will be taking an independent study with this prof, though, so we have a lot to look forward to in the spring!

There was so. much. food. Once again I left with the too-full feeling, so I'm going to try to put dinner off for as long as possible.

A cup of tea:


Clockwise from left: apple-cinnamon bran muffin with blackberry jam, homemade veggie-filled macaroni and cheese (sooo good), roasted thin-sliced potatoes with rosemary, mixed green salad with pears, grapes, craisins and feta topped with Newman's Own Lighten' Up! sundried tomato vinaigrette (I brought the salad minus the greens).


I actually surprised myself by loving this muffin. I didn't try it plain, but with jam it was superb. Erin was right in calling this a "dense" muffin, but it was mighty tasty. I saved an extra for later.

Clemmie, x 2:

Reed made his own cinnamon roles!


They were rich and deliciously yeasty. Good thing I was super full because I definitely wanted more than one.


I'm going to spend the rest of the day napping (very much needed), deep cleaning the house, and studying.

Make way for my tummy

Something funky's going on with me; I've been STARVING for the past 24 hours. I forgot to post this earlier, but part of the reason I couldn't sleep last night was because I was so hungry! Luckily (and lazily) I had a Clif Bar in my purse by the bed so I didn't even have to get up. I had the Maple Nut flavor; it was pretty good and had little pieces of pecan pralines inside.


I had some grapes before Poetry this morning...


Leftover (cold) casserole for lunch with some Chobani and a couple carrots.




I was so hungry when I got home that I ate the last piece of casserole.


Sorry I'm so late posting lunch... I'm about to make dinner!

A rare moment of harmony...

I could not believe it when I saw it: the cats were sharing the windowsill! I tried to make as little noise as possible when taking the photo- I wanted to capture the image in case it never happens again! They started hissing at each other as soon as I got in bed to read, but I know their secret: they love each other and it's all a front! HA.

I had an apple while I did some reading... but I was right; I fell asleep for almost three hours. I really think it's because I'm missing both the routine and the physical benefits of working out. My fingers are crossed that in a week from Tuesday I'll be able to forgo the crutches...


I decided to make this dish Caitlin made a couple days ago: Santa Fe Casserole.




1 shallot

1/3 can black beans

1/3 can corn

½ red bell pepper

¼ red onion

¾ cup cooked brown rice

½ cup skim milk

1 egg, beaten

½ cup grated swiss cheese

1 small jalepeño or ½ large

½ tbsp olive oil

pinch salt

pinch chili flakes

sprinkle salt

cooking spray


Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet, combine olive oil, shallot, onion, salt and chili flakes; cook 1 minute. In mixing bowl, combine corn, beans, pepper, rice, milk, cheese, jalepeño, and egg; mix well. Pour onion mixture into bowl and combine. Coat glass loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour mixture in and spread evenly. Sprinkle pepper on top. Bake until the middle is firm, 25-40 minutes.



Casseroles are kind of a new terrain for me; I don't think I've ever made one! This turned out well, and the idea of a more or less one-pot meal is very appealing. I want to experiment with other kinds of baked dishes!

I had 1/4 and a half a sweet potato with a little Brummel and Brown.



Jalene gave me two of my favorite truffles from the store she used to work at (and where Carlye does now): pumpkin and Mexican hot chocolate! Yumyumyum. I split a pumpkin with her and had some of the hibiscus sorbet I picked up from Whole Foods a little while ago. This was SO GOOD.