Experiments

This past week was "slow" meaning I had no papers/tests, just the normal few hundred pages of reading to do. Because of this I had time to try some new recipes! One night I made some stuffed red peppers with some Boca crumbles (got the idea from Hungry Girl). It came out better than I thought! My mom makes amazing stuffed peppers with real meat and rice, but for something faster and healthier this was not bad.
Another night I marinated some extra firm tofu in some soy sauce, spicy brown mustard and paprika before baking it. It had a nice subtle heat due to the spice and then was a little sweet because of the soy sauce. I cut it into small pieces and put them over a salad. The downside is that now I'm left with a ton of tofu and don't know what to do with it! Maybe next time I ask the house to buy tofu I'll have an idea about how to use all of it. Any suggestions?
After hearing about tofu shirataki noodles for a while now I decided to try them. Verdict: AMAZING!! I made a soup with some organic vegetable broth, celery, carrots, the noodles and various spices. (In case you haven't noticed I'm big on using spices to add flavor). While the noodles were not exactly like pasta, which I wasn't expecting, it was pretty close. Now when the house has pasta night I can whip up some of these for myself! Maybe try making a "meatball" out of Boca crumbles? Humm something to think about... I probably won't have as much time to try new recipes this week because I am SWAMPED in work and need to get all of my Visa stuff for Switzerland done, but break is coming up! And that means apple picking :) Not only will I be getting a ton of one of my favorite fruits, it will be the first time my dad and I will be able to take pictures together since I've started my class.
On the photography end I have been spending a lot of time in the dark room printing for a project I have due this week. I never realized how long it takes to get just one done because each time I make a small change. It took about 2 hours to get my first print the way I wanted it and then go figure my second one was good on only the second print! I have what I need for class done but I think I might try a few more just to see if I can get anything else. I wasn't totally thrilled with my contact sheets for this project but I think that's because I'm using a camera I'm not familiar with and spent a while getting used to it. As much as I love printing, I'm really looking forward to using my digital SLR because I have a better feel for it.

Getting Started

Well this is my first blog so I'm just getting used to it lol. I plan on using this space to post my travels, pictures, recipes and life in general. But not the typical "teen" stuff, granted I'm not a teen anymore but you get the point. Being from New England I have had a lot of great opportunities to meet people from all around the world. I am a small town girl at heart and love going home, but there is something magical about learning about other cultures. I have studied Spanish and a little French. I want to learn Catalan and Basque. My dream for next summer is to live in Barcelona and study Catalan, we'll see how that goes. I'm spending next semester in Geneva, Switzerland, so I'm really looking forward to that.
I also really love to cook! I always loved to bake, but after becoming a college student I have discovered more savory recipes. I will admit that I did gain the freshman 20 my first semester, joined WW and have lost over 40lbs over a year and a half. I just feel so much better about myself when I eat healthy so that's what I try to do. I am technically not a vegetarian, I was in high school for a time but had to stop for medical reasons. I only eat red meet every once and a while. I do like to make vegetarian or vegan meals, but I can't commit to fallowing either full time, so I do not want to call myself either. I totally respect anyone who can live that lifestyle, but the call of a Muddy River pulled pork sandwich sometimes is just too great!
My thinking with this space is to post my travels/experiences and recipes I find which are really good. I hope to connect with more people who have similar interests to me (travel, food, photography ect...). I know this blog isn't just about one topic like many others, but I'm making it my own! I suspose that's enough about me for now, piles of books/papers are calling my name.