Her father made out-of-this-world steak *drool* :)
Since I moved to Texas in '08, I haven't had much success in making new friends. Truth be told, my best friends include my sister (Christine), her boyfriend (Jesus) and, of course, JJ. I have plenty of acquaintances at school, but nobody to really call my friend. Then, I met Krystal. We were both taking a course on gender and human rights, and I remember the first time I saw her -- it was love at first sight! Haha, but really. Krystal had the most gorgeous hair I've ever seen and it was all I could do to refrain from reaching over to touch her hair. At one point, we both stayed after class and talked for what seemed like hours! JJ kept calling me and became worried, because it was a night class that ended at 9:30pm. We hit it off really well. The ONLY difference that I can find, as of now, is that she's a devout (and wonderful) Christian whereas I'm a heathen :P I feel like she's my sister from another mister<3 Her birthday bash was the most exciting event that I've been to since I moved here. Her family consists of amazing cooks and wonderful people who love to dance. Her second cousin (or niece?) named Maddie (2 yrs old) was the life of the party, for sure. She was so sad when I had to sit down and take a break from dancing. Hanging out with Krystal is guaranteed to bring about uncontrollable laughter and tears of joy. You know how people put their best foot forward? To hell with that. I feel like we lose ourselves when we do so, by perpetuating societal façades. Instead, being friends with Krystal is a lot like a breath of fresh air. It's real and refreshing. We get to be who we are -- silly and passionate -- without the constant worry of being judged or rejected. I think it's hard to find friends, personally, because I'm completely outspoken about my views. Being a liberal atheist in Texas is extremely taxing. People can't like me for the fun person I can be, because they are turned off by my personal views. Even though I am outspoken, I don't necessarily shove my views down people's throats. I understand that there is a time and place, mind you. I use my Facebook as a breeding ground for radical ideas and a call for change, and even if I remind people that they can easily hide all of my posts from their newsfeed, I still get people rejecting me from left to right. The most recent incident was when JJ's family (minus his little sister Candi) deleted me and told JJ that they were sick of my posts/views. I think it's a double standard when religious people are allowed to post biblical passages with little to no heat, but for people like me to have to deal with this sort of rubbish when we posts things pertaining to our personal beliefs. What gets me is that I'm a humanist who champions coexistence; I'm not a militant atheist at all. This is why I adore Krystal. She just gets me :)
I canceled summer classes, due to the fact that students have to pay out-of-pocket for them; unless, you applied for summer financial aid, which I didn't know. Now, my life revolves around food.
Me: So, I ended up going to the barbeque...
& I'm headed to In-N-Out right now ><
JJ: You're such a foodie! lol
Me: Do you still love me?
JJ: As long as you don't turn into a blimp.
Gotcha. Truth be told, I DO need to start working out again, especially with all this food and sleep that my world's revolved around for the last month or so. I'm thinking that I'll start swimming during the evenings. Most people like to swim and bake in the sun, but I hate hate hate tanning. Don't get me wrong: I love sunshine.
I put together some melon balls, but haven't had any yet. They've been sitting in the fridge for couple days. I'll wait for a really hot day to eat them.
I was craving something sweet, so I baked a cake :)
I made this for dinner last night, even though it was past midnight already. You see, JJ and I are on what we like to call "sleep schedule B" while the rest of the diurnal world revolves around "schedule A." I love to wash down most of my meals with a bottle of Shiner Bock or a glass of wine. I think JJ and Shiner are virtually the only things I love about Texas. I tried Samuel Adams and hated it so much. I think Shiner tastes good with everything :P
Recipe:Ingredients
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1/2 cup white wine
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup
4 ounces cream cheese with chives
1 pound angel hair pastaDirections
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in wine and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over.
Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.
Click on the picture to go to Allrecipe.com where I found the recipe.
Hands down, sea salt caramels are my favorite candy. Unfortunately, it costs an arm and a leg to buy them, if you're a broke college student. Also, I can be picky. Naturally, I took upon myself to have a go at making these and I had a lot of fun doing it. The aroma of sugar, heavy cream, and butter melting is heavenly delicious!
Click on the above photo for a link to the original recipe.
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup honey
6 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp sea salt, such as fleur de sel
1 lb bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Preparation:
1. Prepare an 8-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the cream in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup and honey and stir until it begins to boil. Periodically wipe down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent sugar crystals from forming.
3. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 257 degrees on a candy thermometer.
4. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and stir in the butter, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons of salt.
5. Pour into prepared pan and let set at room temperature until firm enough to cut.
6. Cut the caramel into small squares or strips with a chef’s knife.
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