Um, April, where did you go??

Seriously, could this month have gone by any faster? It feels like just yesterday I was on Spring Break. Although April has been a good month, the Yates home is definitely glad it's almost over! Eric has FINALLY finished neurology - after 6 weeks of agonizing hours in his office studying. He has dermatology this week, a patient assessment next week, and two weeks of working with a doctor in town, and then he's officially a second year. Yay!

I am facing the realization that I only have 2 more weeks of teaching before I have to start getting my kids ready for finals, and I have WAY more than 2 weeks worth of material I want to cover. I am sure it breaks their hearts to know that they won't be learning about the present perfect tense this year.

Since we're preparing to go to Europe in July, I thought it would be fun to try to learn a little French and Italian. Italian is close enough to Spanish that I can readily comprehend it, but French? That is an entirely different story. So far, I can say "I want to order," and "You have to speak English," and "You do not have to dance." LoL. We will see how that turns out.

I was lucky enough to be tipped off to an amazing book sale this past weekend. Between the $5 Fill-Your-Bag special and perusing the shelves at McKay's (an amazing resale bookstore in NC), I was able to get about 40 new books (including a lot of new books and hardbacks) this weekend for less than a buck a piece. This, of course, led to the need for a new bookshelf, so Eric and I made our way to Sears Friday after his test and purchased one. I am a pretty big fan of how it turned out.


As always, I have been cooking, cooking, and cooking some more. Last Thursday I made these delicious Veggie Lasagna Bowls [Recipe below]. They were super-easy and a nice way to get in our vegetables for the day. I also made beef stew and chocolate creme brulee for my mom when she was visiting last weekend. ¡Muy delicioso! or maybe I should say "Bon Apetit!" (that's a least a little French, right?)



Then there's Oliver. He has taken to hiding inside things lately. We're not sure why. We have found him in bags, in boxes, in blankets... even in the shower. I don't know if he's not a fan of these extended daylight hours or if he just likes to play hide and seek, but he's definitely been on the winning end of the game. And even though I've never been much of a cat person, I have to say, he does something entertaining pretty much on a daily basis... so maybe cats aren't all bad.




So there's April for you. 4 more days of work; my dad is coming to visit Friday; and another month will conclude. Now if we can just make it through May... :-)

[Veggie Lasagna Cups]
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers refrigerated original biscuits (8 biscuits)
1 cup vegetables
3/4 cup pasta sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (5 oz)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Flatten dough, and inn ungreased muffin pan, press each biscuit into a muffin cup.
2. Cook vegetables as desired.
3. In small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon of the parsley. Spoon 1 rounded tablespoon ricotta mixture into each biscuit. Top each with 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese and rounded 1/4 cup vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and parsley.
4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and filling is hot. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Carefully run knife around side of cups to loosen; remove from pan. Cool 10 minutes longer before serving. Serve warm.

Christie Yates and the Cream Cheese Disaster

It started off like any other red velvet cake. I followed the directions on the Duncan Hines box mix to create delicious red batter, greased the pan, and baked the cakes to perfection. Although I had a bit of trouble getting them out of the pan and neatly stacked, this part of the process went relatively well. Then disaster ensued.

As much as I would have liked to have made the entire cake from scratch, I decided that for economic purposes, I should settle for only making the icing. After all, I have made icing multiple times prior to this occasion, and it seemed sure to be the easier feat. Granted, I hadn't made cream cheese icing, but how hard could it be? It only had four ingredients. [See recipe below]

Of course, being the health-conscious cook that I am, I typically only keep fat-free cream cheese in my refrigerator. Why have full-fat ingredients hanging around when I can purchase something that saves fat and calories for the same price?

This is why.

As it turns out, the fat in the full-fat cream cheese does serve a purpose: to thicken the icing. Without it, no matter how long you refrigerate or freeze the icing (I froze it overnight), it still falls into a droopy mess of sticky liquid (albeit delicious sticky liquid, but sticky liquid nonetheless). After five attempts at icing the cake, I finally was able to cover it completely, though, as you can see, the obvious layers were still blatantly observable.

The good news, however, is that, despite the disastrous icing, the cake still tasted perfectly delicious.

Clearly we had no trouble cutting into it. :-)

So, boys and girls, here is the lesson for today - When baking, always use as much fat as possible. Period.

[Cream Cheese Icing]

2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese - FULL FAT

1 stick butter

3 c. powdered sugar

2 T. vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter together. Add remaining ingredients and beat together until smooth.

17 days...

Yes, the countdown has begun. Only 17 more days until Eric is done with his first year material for medical school. Sure, he has a few more weeks of non-book work to do once April 30 hits. But in 17 glorious days, he can put the books away (or laptop, as the case may be), and our summer of fun can begin! :-)

So what have I been doing to bide the time? Well, for one thing, I've been experimenting with food (as always). Tonight I made a meatloaf that we both actually enjoyed [recipe below], which is pretty much a miracle considering how we both have always loathed meatloaf. I've also been forcing myself to workout twice a day, which in theory is a very good idea, but, unfortunately, just results in me eating an extra 300 calories a day and not losing an ounce. But hey, at least my heart may be getting a little healthier, right?

Oliver... well, nothing really affects a cat. He sleeps. He meows. He eats. He bothers Eric while he's studying (the dynamic between those two is pretty funny to watch). Then he sleeps some more. Poor Eric hasn't been able to sit in his recliner for a month because the cat has taken it over as his personal bed and marked his territory with a slough of cat hair. He seems to enjoy his life well enough.

My mom is coming to visit this coming weekend to celebrate her birthday. That will be a nice change of pace, and I've had very much fun planning what to cook up for our visitor!

And that's what we're doing these days. Nothing exciting, nothing extraordinary; but life is good. :-)

[Easy BBQ meatloaf]

2 lbs. hamburger meat

1 c. water

1 box Stouffer's Chicken or cornbread stuffing mix

2-3 eggs

1/2 c. BBQ sauce

(You may also want to add some onion or onion powder)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except 1/4 c. of bbq sauce. Once mixed thoroughly, mold mixture into a loaf and place in a greased 9X13 pan. Cover with remaining bbq sauce. Bake for 50 mins to 1 hr.

The best things in life are free... on your birthday, anyway

Last week I decided to do a little experiment. I did a Google search for "Free stuff on your birthday" and spent a full 30 minutes signing up for "Birthday Club" programs with different restaurants and stores. To anybody with some time on your hands, I would definitely recommend taking the time to do this.

Here's what I've received so far:

- 1 free ice cream at Baskin Robbins

- 2 free ice creams from Ben & Jerry's

- 1 free ice cream from Cold Stone

- A free appetizer/side of ribs from Texas Roadhouse

- A free appetizer AND dessert from Beef O' Brady's

- A free dessert from Buffalo Wild Wings

- A free burger from Fuddrucker's

- A free burger from Ruby Tuesday's

... and it's not even my birthday yet. Who knew you could get so much free stuff just for turning a year older? No longer are birthdays depressing reminders of the unavoidable aging process. Instead, they're a time to celebrate that, every now and then, we really can get something for nothing. How great is that?

It's the little things...

It's been more than 9 months now since Eric and I moved to North Carolina. The adjustment from being college students surrounded by friends and family to "professionals" (if that's what you call us) has certainly been an interesting one. I know that, for me, it's been a time of growth mentally and spiritually. After all, my life is completely different than it was just a year ago.

One good change I have noted in myself lately has been a greater appreciation for the littler things in life. Maybe this just stems out of my boredom with the mundane everyday routine, I don't know... but I now get genuinely excited when I find a good deal on groceries, when the library gets new movies in, when I'm able to trade in five old books for one new season of Scrubs, or when it's actually cold enough to build a fire in our fireplace (okay, so really I'm just excited we even have a fireplace).

Today I feel like a small victory was won... ever since we moved, I have avoided purchasing curtains for our bedroom window. For some reason, as much as I have wanted to buy them, I have not been able to make myself splurge on something insignificant that only Eric and I are going to be able to enjoy. After all, curtains are ridiculously expensive, and you usually have to buy two separate panels, only adding to the cost; additionally, finding curtains that actually match our decor is an entire issue in itself.

Well, as the picture shows, I am glad I waited. On a quick trip to Bed Bath & Beyond today, I noticed a clearance aisle in the curtain section... and, lo and behold, there were lovely, silver curtains that were only a shade darker than the silver in our bedspread. They were normally $60, but were on sale for $10... that's right, ten measly dollars. And, not only were they $10, but the package included 2 panels, not one; and I had a 20% off coupon. So now, my home decoration is pretty much complete; and I have been walking on sunshine all evening.

I guess it really is the little things that make a difference. :-)