Mary Rose: Study Abroad!!

Soooo, guess what. Maymester study abroad next summer? I think so! My parents will probably pay for it and everything!! Yay!!

As for this summer, so far I have failed at cooking. I've made a few grilled cheeses. Once when we were out of bread I got really innovative and made one with a hamburger bun. I've helped my mom cook some. And I made a batch of brownies. It was really yummy, but my mom made fun of me because I cut it with a really dull knife so the edges were really crumbly. So yes, I fail at cooking. Good thing I'm doing seven day meal plan next year. Yes, I like Emily caved and am doing seven day. Gross. On the pluss side, I have discovered that the freshman 15 really comes the summer after freshman year, when you're coming off of meal plan and back onto real food. Prepare yourselves girls, because I'm getting fat!!

Emily: Fun in the Kitchen

Hey guys!!

I know I'm so lame updating two days in a row, BUT I took some pictures today and wanted to share them with you all.

For tonight's dinner, I made mac-and-cheese Sumi style (or at least, from whatever I remember of Sumi-style mac-and-cheese!). Instead of corn, though, I substituted green beans mostly because I do not have any corn.

So here's what I did:
1. cut up and stir fry (can't get away from it can I?) 10-15 green beans in oil and salt--NO SOY SAUCE!
2. boil water/prepare shells
3. dump green beans in a pan and rinse the pan
4. add milk and 2 slices of cheese to the pan, stir and wait for cheese to melt
5. after the milk/cheese mixture becomes liquidy, add the boiled shells (after straining of course)
6. mix things around, add green beans, add salt
7. pour into a bowl, add oregano, and eat. voila!

Derek and Sara joined in on the food-making, and here's what they made--

Derek: a WHOLE pizza in 15 minutes. What skills.

Sara: peppers, tomatoes, and rice!

Bon appetit, everyone!

Anqi: Blahbo!

I've been added to StirCrazy! :D

Since I like video games, I think I'll center my blogs around the video game Cooking Mama (a favorite of Emily's)!

I hope we all know Cooking Mama's directions are not always the best. I'll reflect on her ways and offer advice! :D

Hooray for joining!

Emily: Stir Fry in England?

We've only been here a week and a half, and it feels like it's been a year. England food is all right. It seems like the Britrish are obsessed with two things: peas and potatoes. Well, I love potatoes, but I can't say I am a big fan of pea soup.

The first meal I made (eggs and tomatoes, if you're Chinese you'll definitely appreciate the simplicity of that meal :P) tasted like freedom. Not to be cheesy or anything, but it is so amazing not to be on meal plan!! The cooking and cleaning, though.... is not. Sadly, it takes me about two hours total to make food, eat it, and clean up after myself.

So what kinds of meals have I been eating? Usually for lunch, I make a ham sandwich. Yes. A ham sandwich: no pickles, no tomatoes, no lettuce, and rarely cheese. It's not as bad as it sounds, and besides, I am too lazy to buy all the extra things that go with it and then spend the time cutting things up and putting it together. Sometimes, I spice things up with canned soup and toast. Sounds delicious? (NOT! :D hahaha.)

For dinner, I make the typical Asian meal: rice and some vegetable dish. Usually, I just stir fry some zucchini or broccoli and call it a meal, but today I got adventurous and bought pork cutlets. I don't know why, but cooking raw meat in a foreign country made me kind of nervous, but I guess since this is England, it shouldn't be such a big deal. So today I made asparagus and pork for dinner (delicious! :D). Also, I have learned how to cook rice in a pot and not a rice cooker! Let's just say that after a couple of burns, I got it down.

My stir-fry skills are really bad right now, but I think it's coming back to me. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures! I guess I was too preoccupied with eating and scurrying around the kitchen to find things--haha. I'll take some later!

Hope: Supper Time

After deciding I should probably do something during the day besides watch How I Met Your Mother (which is awesome) and read, I've actually started cooking a lot. First on Saturday my dad and I made pecan pies. We froze one and ate the other (yummy!). Then yesterday I decided to have a dinner party. I wanted to be legit and have an appetizer, main meal, and dessert. The dessert was done, since I still had the frozen pecan pie, but I had to figure out the others and they had to be vegetarian. Thus I decided to make spinach dip and macaroni and cheese casserole. This was about 4 o'clock. By the time I finished cleaning my room (a prereq for people to come over), getting the spinach dip recipe from my great aunt, and going to the grocery store, it was 6. I had felt kind of pathetic at the grocery store, trying to figure out how many onions will turn into one cup when chopped up (fyi, if you get a really big one it makes 2) and mistaking a bell pepper for a tomato. But when I got home, it was worse. First I didn't even know how to chop an onion, then I mistook the cheese-cutter thing for the tomato peeler. It was soon apparent that there was zero chance that dinner would be ready by 7:30. Fortunately my dad helped, as did Sumi when she came at 7, bringing garlic bread and green beans, and somehow all the food got cooked, even if Timmy and Pranav did have to wait a while. It even tasted good.

So lessons learned (besides how to chop and peel vegetables): cooking takes a long time, and you can modify recipes if you don't like the ingredients. For example, the spinach dip called for three tomatoes and half a cup of olives. I don't like either, but put them in anyway, but in the end the dip would have been fine without them.

Then tonight I cooked dinner for my parents. I made stuffed chayote squash and served it with corn on the cob and pears. I put my vegetable chopping skills from last night to use and cut the onions down, since my dad doesn't like them. Compared to the spinach dip, they were pretty easy to make, though that might have been only because I had more time. I learned how to steam vegetables, use the pressure cooker, and cook chicken, which is really gross-feeling when it's raw. Everything turned out well, though I wished I put more cheese in the squash to make up for the lack of onions. I also liked pears, especially when my mom heated them up. Yeah, I'd never had fresh pear before. Sad. But anyway I feel like I'm getting better at this whole cooking thing and might not starve this summer in Athens, so that's always a plus.

Sumi: Lots and lots and lots of stuff

So lately, as many of you know, I've been cleaning my room for the past 2 weeks, and I'm still not done partly because I just realized that I have so much STUFF. I never knew that I have so many clothes that I never wear, magazines that I've never read, random jewelery boxes with ugly necklaces I wore in elementary school, and just a bunch of things that I've horded through the years. I have a hard time parting with things and adjusting to changes, which probably explains my tendency to keep things forever (I found a poster of some project I did when I was in 5th grade...which means it survived the move from my old house). I just don't want to let go, but I've decided that I need to move on. Consequently, my room is getting messier as I clean because I'm making piles of all the things I'm giving away to Goodwill. You should come over if you want free stuff (nothing's really worth keeping though).

As for cooking, I have made some things! I haven't really cooked as much as Hope. One day, I was really trying to avoid cleaning and I was really craving pancakes although we didn't have pancake mix at home, so I thought, CHALLENGE TIME. Not really though because I actually googled the recipe for pancakes, and I made egg-less pancakes so it would be easier to 1/3 the recipe. I also made a quick strawberry syrup by mixing jam and syrup. It tasted okay, but I think eggs are a vital ingredient to yummy pancakes from scratch. I also think maple syrup was a bit strong for the jam, but we didn't have any other syrup at home.

Most of the stuff I've cooked hasn't been really healthy, like bite-size brownies from the box (Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate mix is the BEST).

(sorry my photography skills aren't up to par at the moment)

Also I've made really unhealthy goat cheese garlic bread. At first I made it with a regular french baguette from Publix, but I think the bread was a bit hard since I let it get a little stale before I made the garlic bread. The second time, my mom bought me this half-cooked baguette from Kroger, and the bread was much softer.

Here's the recipie if anyone is interested (courtesy Cooks Illustrated)

INGREDIENTS

9 - 10	medium cloves garlic (about the size of a plump cashew nut), skins left on
2	ounces goat cheese , softened (I also used flavored goat cheese both times I made it, and I just added salt and pepper to taste)
6	tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
2	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I made it without Parmesan cheese both times and it tasted fine)
1/4	teaspoon table salt
1	loaf Italian bread (high-quality); about 1 pound, football-shaped, halved lengthwise
	Ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Meanwhile, toast garlic cloves in small skillet over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant and color of cloves deepens slightly, about 8 minutes. When cool enough to handle, skin and mince cloves (you should have about 3 tablespoons). Using dinner fork, mash garlic, goat cheese, butter, cheese, and salt in small bowl until thoroughly combined.

2. 2. Spread cut sides of loaf evenly with garlic butter mixture; season to taste with pepper. Transfer loaf halves, buttered side up, onto baking sheet; bake, reversing position of baking sheet in oven from front to back halfway through baking time, until surface of bread is golden brown and toasted, 10 to 12 minutes (check on the bread earlier also because I over baked the bread following the time when I first tried the recipie, but this could also be because of the stale bread). Cut each half into 2-inch slices; serve immediately.
   

   End product:

   

   I made a really simple green beans for Hope's party and theoretically learned how to cook a lot of other stuff, like tofu and sprouts and tuna melts. I'll have to test out what I've learned by watching my mom in the kitchen soon. It's really hard to learn cooking from her because she's like this speedy, gourmet fusion chef who makes up her own recipes so nothing has exact measurements. But I'm trying, and kind of successfully learning, and I guess that's what matters.
   
   
   Another non-cooking matter, I went to Seema's graduation, and saw Arnold Schwarzenegger! He gave a surprisingly good speech. I also got to see Seema walk even though she technically graduated last August (congrats again!)
   
   
   Paparazzi photos:
   

Hope: First Attempt

So Thursday night I cooked some veggies! I sautéed asparagus and chayote squash in butter. My mom told me to add spices, so I put lemon peel and salt on the asparagus and onion salt on the squash. They actually turned out pretty well, despite my parents' lack of faith (they made cole slaw so they would have an edible side). I think next time I'll cut the squash into smaller pieces so they'll cook better and have more surface area for seasoning. But yay for making edible and fairly tasty food!

Emily: Class and Cows

Hello! It has been FOUR days since I got here, and it's been really great. (Not the food, but the other stuff. =P Jk.)

We just had our first history class today from 4-6pm at the UGA house (the professor came over to teach us). It wasn't really what I had expected... although, I don't really know what I would have expected anyways. Dr. Southcombe was younger than we had all imagined (in his 40s as opposed to say... 80s--haha more humor), and the class was very laid back. We spent the two hours discussing political thought in Utopia, which is so awesome because that means less History, more English and Politics :D. He wasn't super intense as in he didn't outright say we sucked when someone said something wrong. And we never had an awkward silence. I think it will be a good class

After class, we went to The Trout, which is a restaurant by the river, for dinner. The food was all right. I ordered a veggie pasta. The scenery on the way over was amazing--there was so much open space and sky and water, oh, and did I mention the cows? Yeah. Cows and horses were scattered all over the field. Crazy. It was like the movies with the idyllic English countryside scenes. Beautiful.

Kelsey: Tuesday Night Fun

So we did it. Actually, just Katie did it.

Hint: we are going canoeing/swimming/wearing bathing suits very soon.

We have prepared the area.

Also, has Mary Rose been invited? She would certainly appreciate this post.

Sumi: Epitome of Laziness?

Well, I guess I'm not really the epitome of laziness, but I have been super lazy ever since I finished finals and came home. I don't really know what's wrong with me, but I don't want to do anything: unpack my stuff/clean my room, respond to emails or Facebook crap, laundry (which I finally started yesterday after I ran out of ALL of my underclothes), and the list goes on. I'm so lazy that I don't even feel like writing this post (sadly). But I'm slowly getting back on track I think.

I have a list of summer goals that seems like a lot but manageable if my laziness doesn't get the best of me:

1. Find out if Public Health research is what I want to do. Start thinking about going to Medical school. (Basically learn something from my summer research position) Figure out what I'm majoring...
2. Learn how to cook.
3. Take photos again. Start drawing. Get that book...drawing from the left side of the brain.
4. Pick a place to volunteer and go there regularly (once a week)
5. Read books - for fun, fiction and nonfiction.
6. Keep in touch with people.
7. Finish unfinished projects that I started summers ago and still haven't finished
8. Read the news every day. (I should start this today).
9. Learn how to use the sewing machine. Make some cute stuff! (check out this awesome blog that I'm totally in love with: http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/
10. Speak more in Tamil to my parents so I can improve my speaking skills.
11. Become more confident in Dance - remember what I've learned and practice at least mentally especially by learning the meanings to dance.

As far as cooking and food has gone, I haven't done anything except semi-learn how to make this really, quick and easy tofu and sprouts dish my mom makes. Hopefully I will make it next week. I keep saying I will bake all of these things, but haven't actually gotten to baking anything, such as scones for mother's day or a blueberry pie for my sister's birthday. I love baking, and I want to bake more this summer too. Can I make a birthday cake for you Emily when you come back? Your choice of frosting, cake, and filling :) I used to bake a lot, but sometime ago I just stopped doing everything except for cookies during Christmas and box brownies and cakes. I wonder what happened to all my passions for baking and drawing and other hobby-like stuff went? I need to find it all again...

Anyways, hopefully in my next post, I would have actually done something and not talk about doing things. I hope everyone is having an awesome summer so far, even if you aren't in London, and if you need some inspiration, here are some awesome cooking blogs that I found while stumbling :P

• http://www.joyofbaking.com/ - for the baker in you :)
• http://smittenkitchen.com/ - Archana showed me this one today and absolutely loves it. I haven't really looked through it yet, but I'd trust her judgement.
• http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/single-serving-pie-in-jar.html - really random but I want to make a bunch of mini pies and freeze them! Then I can have pie anytime and give some to Jwong and my sister since I never gave either of them birthday gifts.
• http://www.tastespotting.com/ - just a bunch of random recipes from different blogs and sites online.

I haven't tried any recipes yet, so let me know how your food comes out if you do make anything from any of the sites.

Sumi

Kelsey: Cooking: check!

Summer is here! We are no longer freshman... crazy!!!!!

Along with learning to cook this summer, I have a few other goals:

1. Don't go crazy working for Alpharetta Outfitters.

2. Hang out with my family :)

3. Play piano often!

4. Read a book a week... this week I'm reading Suite Francaise.

5. Run!

So I started cooking yesterday! My little sister, Leah and I went grocery shopping (yessss), and gathered what we needed to make Chicken Avocado Salad Sandwiches for a picnic lunch on Mother's Day.

Here's the recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/05/avocado-chicken-salad-recipe.html#ixzz0nCxaZPRi

It tells you how to cook the chicken, but I just used the leftovers of two Publix rotisserie chickens we had for dinner the night before. I will learn to cook chicken some other day!

Basically, all you do is chop up everything and mix it up!

Something I learned about scallions is that you don't chop up all of it...just until it no longer tastes good! You just taste little pieces every few inches to see if you should stop chopping it up.

This is Leah. What a good chef...

This is my family enjoying the sandwiches in my backyard!

Hope: Summer!

So finals are finally over and I'm back at home rereading Harry Potter (2 down, 5 to go). But although Harry Potter is lots of fun, my main goal for Stir Crazy is to learn to cook and to learn to eat more foods, especially local ones. Somehow this year I ended up reading two books about organic and locally grown food (In Defense of Food and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle), which were both really good and inspired me to expand the very limited number of foods (esp. fruits and veggies) I eat. And I started! Yesterday my parents and I went for a picnic at Stone Mountain and we had a fruit salad-type thing, and I tried honeydew and cantaloupe (whoa spellcheck just told me that has a u in it; who knew?). And while cantaloupe was pretty gross, honeydew wasn't half bad, so I think I'll try it again. I'm also planning on going to the Athens Farmers Market once I'm back there and seeing what I find. The farmers will probably think I'm an idiot: "Oo what's that?" "That's an asparagus." "Oo is that a fruit or a vegetable?" Also, although I, like Emily, am going to be on meal plan next year, I want to be able to cook some stuff (this will include the assorted vegetables I plan on trying since my idea of cooking vegetables is taking them out of the can and putting them in the microwave). Other stuff I want to learn: pecan pie, macaroni and cheese casserole, and spinach dip. I feel like there's more, but that's all I can think of right now.

I hope everyone's having an awesome summer!

Emily: day one and last final

Day one and I have already caved in--I signed up for meal plan. (NOOOOOOOO!) But you know what? That doesn't mean this plan is over.

This summer is going to be amazing! I am going to do a bazillion things like go to ENGLAND!!!, volunteer at a day camp for kids, hopefully shadow a doctor, and take Ochem.

So... yeah! That's all I've got for now.