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| Baked slightly longer than perfection, but still delicious!! |
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| It really looks kind of gross doesn't it? Good thing it wasn't!! |
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Culinary Creations
So, I've been watching more food network since coming to college and am starting to understand food and flavor and cooking a little bit more (nothing like being a poor college student to inspire you to get creative, right?). And, as my friends know, whenever an opportunity presents itself, I like to take advantage of it. Yesterday, an opportunity presented itself as I was cleaning the kitchen in the discovery of some potatoes that were starting to go bad. Amanda and I decided we should probably use them for dinner so that we didn't have to throw away every single one of them anytime soon. I thought, "Potatoes . . . potatoes . . . potatoes go well in almost any kind of casserole, so why don't we get some cream of mushroom and make a casserole? But we need some kind of protein . . . I have chicken, but it's frozen and takes way too long to defrost . . . oh yeah, Amanda and Lillian have beef they were talking about on Sunday that they wanted to use up soon; how about that? Beef and potatoes . . . that reminds me of burgers and fries. Or a cheeseburger and fries . . . ah, such a classic American dish. Eureka! Cheeseburger Casserole!" So, I whipped together my ground beef (cooked with dill to get that pickle flavor so common among cheeseburgers as well as some soy sauce and garlic to give it a tiny bit of flair in honor of my roommates and their Asian backgrounds), potatoes (soaked in lime juice), cream of mushroom soup, a bit of chopped onion, and, because this is Utah, a squirt of fry sauce and voila! All-American Cheeseburger Casserole!!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
"Nevertheless at Thy Word I Will Let Down the Net."
Welcome, welcome, to this beautiful Sabbath day!!! I absolutely love Sundays and the opportunity we all have to go and worship Christ and refresh ourselves for another week!! It's simply amazing every Sunday to gather with my friends and feel their spirits testify of the truth which we all embrace! Why can't everyday be Sunday?!
Today being Sunday, I came home and decided that I wanted to read the Ensign. The latest issue I have is from March. I was reading an article called "The Savior's Compassion" by S. Kent Brown (Emeritus Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University). It's really a wonderful article and I would highly recommend it to everyone (LDS or not) and you can read it by clicking on it above. :) However, the message which I got from the article has very little to do with the message which Brother Brown shared.
If you recall from the New Testament, Christ met four of his apostles while on a boat: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. The Savior was standing on Peter's boat, speaking to a congregation of eager listeners and when he had finished, he told Peter to row out further away from the shore and cast out the nets. Peter told Jesus that the fishing had been horrible and they'd had no luck all night, but "nevertheless at thy word will I let down the net." (Luke 5:5, KJV) This is where I found the message of Brother Brown's article. Peter told Jesus that they, experienced fishermen, had had no luck throughout the night, but he still trusted this man from Nazareth and let down the nets when he told him to do so. Because of this, he and his brother, Andrew, along with James and John were blessed with so many fish there was barely enough room in both of their boats, the approximate dimensions of which are given in the article above. And now, here comes the application :)
Oftentimes, the Lord asks us to things which we think there is no way we could possibly do. My favorite example of this is tithing. If you've ever been a college student, then you know how hard it is to make ends meet with a minimum wage job, especially in Provo, UT where there are very few jobs available. Sometimes, we may question whether we can afford to pay the ten percent which the Lord asked of us. We may think, like Peter, that the Lord is asking us to do something incredibly hard or incredibly pointless. "I tried it last month and I just barely had enough to pay for rent and groceries; I've been looking for other sources of income, but I just can't find anything else. I don't know if I can afford to give anything! Besides, what's my fifty dollars really worth? There are plenty of other people who pay their tithing." But, if we can be like Peter, and trust in the Lord and when the Lord tells commands us to, 'let down our nets' we can receive a blessing so great that there is not room enough for us to receive it!! Peter didn't know how many fish they would catch by letting down the nets or if they would even catch any fish at all! But he had seen Christ heal his mother-in-law and he knew that He was no ordinary man. By acting on that small tiny bit of faith which Peter had, he received so many blessings that there literally was not enough room to receive all of them! He had to call on James and John to come and help him and split the fish between the two boats, and even then there was enough fish in each boat to cause them to start to sink! Just think what we could receive from the Lord is we could have the same faith which Peter demonstrated and simply do what he asks of us without hesitation. Maybe then we could go to institute, despite the loads of studying we need to do. We could make time for FHE, despite the paper we have due that week. We could invite a friend to church, even though they may have already turned the invitation down. We could act purely on faith and rely on the Lord to carry us through.
Wouldn't that be nice? I think so. :]
Today being Sunday, I came home and decided that I wanted to read the Ensign. The latest issue I have is from March. I was reading an article called "The Savior's Compassion" by S. Kent Brown (Emeritus Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University). It's really a wonderful article and I would highly recommend it to everyone (LDS or not) and you can read it by clicking on it above. :) However, the message which I got from the article has very little to do with the message which Brother Brown shared.
If you recall from the New Testament, Christ met four of his apostles while on a boat: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. The Savior was standing on Peter's boat, speaking to a congregation of eager listeners and when he had finished, he told Peter to row out further away from the shore and cast out the nets. Peter told Jesus that the fishing had been horrible and they'd had no luck all night, but "nevertheless at thy word will I let down the net." (Luke 5:5, KJV) This is where I found the message of Brother Brown's article. Peter told Jesus that they, experienced fishermen, had had no luck throughout the night, but he still trusted this man from Nazareth and let down the nets when he told him to do so. Because of this, he and his brother, Andrew, along with James and John were blessed with so many fish there was barely enough room in both of their boats, the approximate dimensions of which are given in the article above. And now, here comes the application :)
Oftentimes, the Lord asks us to things which we think there is no way we could possibly do. My favorite example of this is tithing. If you've ever been a college student, then you know how hard it is to make ends meet with a minimum wage job, especially in Provo, UT where there are very few jobs available. Sometimes, we may question whether we can afford to pay the ten percent which the Lord asked of us. We may think, like Peter, that the Lord is asking us to do something incredibly hard or incredibly pointless. "I tried it last month and I just barely had enough to pay for rent and groceries; I've been looking for other sources of income, but I just can't find anything else. I don't know if I can afford to give anything! Besides, what's my fifty dollars really worth? There are plenty of other people who pay their tithing." But, if we can be like Peter, and trust in the Lord and when the Lord tells commands us to, 'let down our nets' we can receive a blessing so great that there is not room enough for us to receive it!! Peter didn't know how many fish they would catch by letting down the nets or if they would even catch any fish at all! But he had seen Christ heal his mother-in-law and he knew that He was no ordinary man. By acting on that small tiny bit of faith which Peter had, he received so many blessings that there literally was not enough room to receive all of them! He had to call on James and John to come and help him and split the fish between the two boats, and even then there was enough fish in each boat to cause them to start to sink! Just think what we could receive from the Lord is we could have the same faith which Peter demonstrated and simply do what he asks of us without hesitation. Maybe then we could go to institute, despite the loads of studying we need to do. We could make time for FHE, despite the paper we have due that week. We could invite a friend to church, even though they may have already turned the invitation down. We could act purely on faith and rely on the Lord to carry us through.
Wouldn't that be nice? I think so. :]
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Heigh-Ho!
So I realized that I haven't blogged in a while, but there's really not much to blog about except work! Way back at the end of April, I received a promotion at work to Crew Supervisor (in a regular restaurant chain, my position would be the equivalent of like an assistant manager). This brought new responsibilities, among them the responsibility of having to do what the Lead Crew Supervisor (equivalent of General Manager) would normally do because she is gone for the summer. So, I am at work every morning, Monday through Friday, usually by 9 to take care of those responsibilities. It's not too bad, and actually gives me a reason to go to the track everyday (I'm already on campus, why waste the fifteen minute walk?) Well, back in April, our Full-Time Supervisor (equivalent of the Store Owner) got hitched to her One and Only and was finally able to go on a honeymoon that wouldn't be cut short by work this past couple of weeks. So, being the temporary LCS, I was sort of "in charge" in a way whilst she was unreachable. And guess what happened? Almost everything that could possibly go wrong. Almost. Came in one morning to discover the fridge had shorted out sometime during the night and everything was too hot, so we had a ton of spoilage that day. The cause of the shorting out was the soup well, which the maintenance dude took, so we had to find another way to serve soup. Came in another morning and found that the ceramic inside of our crock pot had broken, so we had to find another way to serve our pork (which is part of our most popular wrap, so there's no possible way we could just have a day without it.). The last day before our supervisor came back, we were supposed to be really busy; there was an event going on on campus that was supposedly going to bring us a lot of business. We were all prepared for it and ready for the people and . . . nothing. We ended up with a ton of produce and stuff that we didn't use, meaning it is likely to go bad and cause us to have huge amounts of spoilage in the very near future. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Adventures in Foreign Dining
Resolved to use up the four cans of enchilada sauce sitting in my pantry, I exercised my brain and came up with a chicken-corn-bean-Mexican-soupy thing. It was actually pretty good. I decided to call it Mexican Crockpot Dinner. It's very easy: put everything you would put in a taco in a crockpot with enchilada sauce and come back in four or five hours. I did chicken (cut in fajita-style strips), sweet corn, black beans, diced onions, pressed clove of garlic, and a little bit of lime. (I forgot to take pictures before I cleaned up, but at least this time I sort of remembered!)
And there are lots of left overs . . .
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| (Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips) |
Sunday, May 15, 2011
There and Back Again
Operation Mother's Day Surprise: successfully carried out and accomplished.
Saturday I left good old Provo early in the morning for the Salt Lake City Airport. Why would I go there you ask? Because I went home! That's right. Saturday, I went back to my beautiful Georgia for my Mom's Mothers' Day surprise. I got to see my mom, my dad, my siblings, my kitties, and the beautiful trees!! It was a wonderfully fantastic surprise which I thoroughly enjoyed!! Mom was so shocked and surprised; the look on her face was definitely worth the three days off from work. My sisters and little brother were also thrilled; it was worth being able to physically hug them good night for four days. And Dad has lost so much weight I almost didn't recognize him at the gate!! I also got to talk to Bubby (that's Elder Nunnally, for those of you who aren't aware) since it was Mother's Day! And the next time I talk to him, it will be in person in July! I got to see lots of the gals and friends from church. Of course, a trip to Grandma's was in order and completed without fail. I got to hang with bestie for a few hours (while enjoying the delicious goodness that is fried pickles)! And I got to see the trees!! In my humble opinion, Utah is severely lacking in trees (see pictures below for an appropriate amount of trees) and I have dearly missed their amazing, green leaves (although, Utah does make up for the trees with the lovely mountains).
This morning, the fun came to an end and I came back to Provo. (Not to say that Provo isn't fun, but my family lives in Georgia, and I enjoy being with them.) And so completes this tale of my journey there and back again.
Saturday I left good old Provo early in the morning for the Salt Lake City Airport. Why would I go there you ask? Because I went home! That's right. Saturday, I went back to my beautiful Georgia for my Mom's Mothers' Day surprise. I got to see my mom, my dad, my siblings, my kitties, and the beautiful trees!! It was a wonderfully fantastic surprise which I thoroughly enjoyed!! Mom was so shocked and surprised; the look on her face was definitely worth the three days off from work. My sisters and little brother were also thrilled; it was worth being able to physically hug them good night for four days. And Dad has lost so much weight I almost didn't recognize him at the gate!! I also got to talk to Bubby (that's Elder Nunnally, for those of you who aren't aware) since it was Mother's Day! And the next time I talk to him, it will be in person in July! I got to see lots of the gals and friends from church. Of course, a trip to Grandma's was in order and completed without fail. I got to hang with bestie for a few hours (while enjoying the delicious goodness that is fried pickles)! And I got to see the trees!! In my humble opinion, Utah is severely lacking in trees (see pictures below for an appropriate amount of trees) and I have dearly missed their amazing, green leaves (although, Utah does make up for the trees with the lovely mountains).
This morning, the fun came to an end and I came back to Provo. (Not to say that Provo isn't fun, but my family lives in Georgia, and I enjoy being with them.) And so completes this tale of my journey there and back again.
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| My wonderful family :) |
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| Trees!!!!! |
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| And even more trees!!!!! :] They don't exist in the desert/Utah. |
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| Mommy dearest <3 |
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| Opening Mother's Day presents |
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| Grandma and Grandpa Nunnally- a quick visit to satisfy not seeing them for nine months. :) |
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Finals, Finances, and Fire Alarms
So you would think that this week would be kind of crazy and somewhat stressful because of finals. Au contraire, since Monday, things have been practically spectacular! Each day has started out kind of rocky with an extended stay at work, but ended up being absolutely stellar!
Marvelous Monday
So Monday started early with Gail and I walking to campus at about 5:45 am. Yeah, super duper early. I proceeded to being a long work day that lasted from 6:15-3:00. Work wasn't particularly bad; it was just long. (And at some point, you do get annoyed by the rudeness of some people.) So after work was over, I went to take my third of four finals for one of more questionable classes. I knew if I had studied enough, then I would do well. If I hadn't, then I would do okay, just not as well as I would have liked. And I was thinking I would get a high c, maybe a low b. I would be totally cool with that. My actual score: 89!!! I practically skipped all the way home :)
Terrific Tuesday
Tuesday started early again (though not quite as early as Monday) with another long work shift from 8-5. (Again, the longer you work, the more irritated you get) So after work, I met with my study buddy for stats to study for our final, which I planned on taking that night. Since I had just got off work, I checked my email before we started and found a message from the Financial Aid Office, saying they had distributed scholarships and to check Route Y (BYU website for students) for awards. (Keep in mind that last semester I received no scholarships at all. None, nada, zilch.) I wasn't expecting anything, but decided to check Route Y anyway. I checked . . and I will be receiving a $1000 scholarship!!!!! :D I was super duper happy!!!!! Such a blessing from Christ!!!
And then I studied with my buddy and went to take the test. I was thinking I was going to get a solid C. Not a b and certainly not an a. And at this point, I would have just been glad to pass stats. I'm so tired of it and ready to be done. So I took the test and spent twice amount of time I normally do on any type of test. ANd my score . . . 89!!!!!! The highest I've ever got on any stats test!!! Yay me!!! :D
Wonderful Wednesday
Just like the past two days, today started pretty early with a shift from 6:45-3. I was actually running a little late, and somewhat freaking out, but when I got to the Wilkinson Center (where I work), the fire alarm was going off and apparently had been for about twenty minutes. Saved by the bell!! er . . . the fire alarm . . . No more finals to finish, and only one more day of work before the new schedule starts. After work today, my boss wanted to talk to me. I am now the Crew Supervisor at L&T Salad and Soup!!!! Yay!!!! I am so excited!!!!! :D
Then, since today was my roommate's last full day in Utah until fall semester, we went to DI and the mall and had a grand old time. :)
Life is great and full of opportunities. Don't take them for advantage. ;)
Marvelous Monday
So Monday started early with Gail and I walking to campus at about 5:45 am. Yeah, super duper early. I proceeded to being a long work day that lasted from 6:15-3:00. Work wasn't particularly bad; it was just long. (And at some point, you do get annoyed by the rudeness of some people.) So after work was over, I went to take my third of four finals for one of more questionable classes. I knew if I had studied enough, then I would do well. If I hadn't, then I would do okay, just not as well as I would have liked. And I was thinking I would get a high c, maybe a low b. I would be totally cool with that. My actual score: 89!!! I practically skipped all the way home :)
Terrific Tuesday
Tuesday started early again (though not quite as early as Monday) with another long work shift from 8-5. (Again, the longer you work, the more irritated you get) So after work, I met with my study buddy for stats to study for our final, which I planned on taking that night. Since I had just got off work, I checked my email before we started and found a message from the Financial Aid Office, saying they had distributed scholarships and to check Route Y (BYU website for students) for awards. (Keep in mind that last semester I received no scholarships at all. None, nada, zilch.) I wasn't expecting anything, but decided to check Route Y anyway. I checked . . and I will be receiving a $1000 scholarship!!!!! :D I was super duper happy!!!!! Such a blessing from Christ!!!
And then I studied with my buddy and went to take the test. I was thinking I was going to get a solid C. Not a b and certainly not an a. And at this point, I would have just been glad to pass stats. I'm so tired of it and ready to be done. So I took the test and spent twice amount of time I normally do on any type of test. ANd my score . . . 89!!!!!! The highest I've ever got on any stats test!!! Yay me!!! :D
Wonderful Wednesday
Just like the past two days, today started pretty early with a shift from 6:45-3. I was actually running a little late, and somewhat freaking out, but when I got to the Wilkinson Center (where I work), the fire alarm was going off and apparently had been for about twenty minutes. Saved by the bell!! er . . . the fire alarm . . . No more finals to finish, and only one more day of work before the new schedule starts. After work today, my boss wanted to talk to me. I am now the Crew Supervisor at L&T Salad and Soup!!!! Yay!!!! I am so excited!!!!! :D
Then, since today was my roommate's last full day in Utah until fall semester, we went to DI and the mall and had a grand old time. :)
Life is great and full of opportunities. Don't take them for advantage. ;)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
"I Am the Gardner and I Know What I Want You to Be."
So who enjoyed conference this weekend?! SOOO good!!!! I learned so much and am so much more prepared to face the real world (which comes sooner than you think!)
I was especially touched by Elder Christofferson's talk on Sunday. He talked about a gardener and seeing this wild, rampant bush. So the gardener went out into the garden and cut back the bush and it was almost like he could hear the bush saying "Why are you cutting me back? I was doing so well and I was flourishing and growing! If you had just let me keep growing, I would've been the biggest plant ever! Why did you cut me back?!" And he replied, "I am the gardener and I know what I want you to be. One day, you'll thank me." Our interaction with God is the same thing.
Sometimes, God "cuts us back" and we don't understand why. We may fail to receive a promotion which we have worked incredibly hard for; we may not got accepted to our school of choice; we may not win an election for some type of position of authority. Whatever the case may be, it seems as if we would have flourished and grown and been better off if we had been able to receive that promotion or been accepted rather than rejected. Then we shake our fists towards the heavens saying, "Why did you cut me back?! I was doing so well!! I would have flourished!! Why?!" And then we have to remember that God is the gardener. God knows exactly what he wants us to be and he knows exactly what is best for us. He is, after all, the creator and grand master of the Plan of Salvation. He knows precisely what needs to happen in order for things to pan out the way they are supposed to.
Call me crazy, call me sick with Provo fever, call me desperate, call me whatever you desire, but I will admit that I seriously want a "significant other." Someone to love, to hold, to just be there when I need him. (I think I am validated in this considering I have never had a real boyfriend, and I am in Provo, UT where there are currently 11 engaged couples in my ward [as of the last count].) This scenario described above has happened to me, where I shake my fists at the heaven and just constantly question why. He was so perfect! Why couldn't it have worked out? He is such an amazing guy! Why couldn't I have had just one date? I really needed someone with his understanding. Why did he have to leave now? The question are endless. I have asked Heavenly Father several times in my fervent prayers to help me understand this mystery, to give me a valid reason why this should be happening to me. The answer came in the form of General Conference. "I am the gardener and I know what I want you to be. You will thank me later."
Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. Be content with what you're given and know that it will all work out. Heavenly Father doesn't want us to fail, so as long as we follow him, fail, we shall not.
I was especially touched by Elder Christofferson's talk on Sunday. He talked about a gardener and seeing this wild, rampant bush. So the gardener went out into the garden and cut back the bush and it was almost like he could hear the bush saying "Why are you cutting me back? I was doing so well and I was flourishing and growing! If you had just let me keep growing, I would've been the biggest plant ever! Why did you cut me back?!" And he replied, "I am the gardener and I know what I want you to be. One day, you'll thank me." Our interaction with God is the same thing.
Sometimes, God "cuts us back" and we don't understand why. We may fail to receive a promotion which we have worked incredibly hard for; we may not got accepted to our school of choice; we may not win an election for some type of position of authority. Whatever the case may be, it seems as if we would have flourished and grown and been better off if we had been able to receive that promotion or been accepted rather than rejected. Then we shake our fists towards the heavens saying, "Why did you cut me back?! I was doing so well!! I would have flourished!! Why?!" And then we have to remember that God is the gardener. God knows exactly what he wants us to be and he knows exactly what is best for us. He is, after all, the creator and grand master of the Plan of Salvation. He knows precisely what needs to happen in order for things to pan out the way they are supposed to.
Call me crazy, call me sick with Provo fever, call me desperate, call me whatever you desire, but I will admit that I seriously want a "significant other." Someone to love, to hold, to just be there when I need him. (I think I am validated in this considering I have never had a real boyfriend, and I am in Provo, UT where there are currently 11 engaged couples in my ward [as of the last count].) This scenario described above has happened to me, where I shake my fists at the heaven and just constantly question why. He was so perfect! Why couldn't it have worked out? He is such an amazing guy! Why couldn't I have had just one date? I really needed someone with his understanding. Why did he have to leave now? The question are endless. I have asked Heavenly Father several times in my fervent prayers to help me understand this mystery, to give me a valid reason why this should be happening to me. The answer came in the form of General Conference. "I am the gardener and I know what I want you to be. You will thank me later."
Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. Be content with what you're given and know that it will all work out. Heavenly Father doesn't want us to fail, so as long as we follow him, fail, we shall not.
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