Friday Girls Night

My friends/old roommates Kris and Heather and I have this sick obsession with Pride and Prejudice. Not really the book or 6-hour BBC movie, mostly just this:

We get together every few months or so to watch the movie, while reciting certain parts and rewinding/rewatching our FAVORITE parts. You probably don't ever want to watch it with me because it's pretty crazy.
So great friends, great movie.. what goes along better than that then great food! Enter this:

Yup! Good ol butternut squash. It's even better when it turns into this:

Seriously. I love butternut squash soup and this was amazing. Recipe is here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Butternut-Squash-Soup/Detail.aspx
Follow the comments and cook the squash first as well as only use 1 pkg of cream cheese. TO DIE FOR! add some nice fresh bread and oh man!
I was running behind and it was getting late so before the soup was done I made sure we had a nice little appetizer. Nothing says yum like spinach artichoke dip. I keep calling my dad for the recipe (he put it together). I found a copy of it so I didn't have to bug him this time. So cheesy and gooey! and you get a serving of vegetables :)

I was going to go all crazy and make fresh pumpkin pie with a homemade crust, but let's be honest, that would have been crazy. Plus we would have eaten at 10pm and it would have been too late for the movie. So I will admit I made the pie with canned pumpkin and frozen crust, but it was still delightful (failed to take a picture, so you'll just have to take my word for it).
We sat down and enjoyed our movie and girl talk and then before we knew it it was so late and time to go. Until next time ladies!

The Downside of Cooking Like Crazy!


But it's all worth it for this:

I love this man

I was commiserating to my mom about having to make all these grown-up choices that I don't want to do. I told her how I just want to find the one job, in the place where I'll have the opportunity to find "the one". I told her to ask this man, also known as my Dad, if he had any insight on what I should do, where I should go. Instead of asking these exact words she told my dad that I was looking for my treasure chest and to see if he knew where it might be. My dad said, "If I knew where it was I would send you a ticket for you to go and get it." Tears may have made an appearance.

Thanks Dad! I love you! (and Mom for listening to me go ON and ON)

To cook or not to cook

So last year I watched Julie & Julia, maybe just once. My roommate at the time bought me a strand of pearl for Christmas that year. I think went out and bought the book. This year for my birthday my sister got me my own copy of the movie AND Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook. After watching the movie again and commiserating on my current wonderful life I've decided that I need to do something fun. I haven't figured out what exactly to do, so I've opened up the blogstratosphere for your input. Do I take another cookbook (better homes, betty crocker, fannie farmer, etc) and do the same thing? Do I just take challenges from others and cook requested meals? Or do I just go with the flow and cook whenever, whatever I want? I really can't figure out to do.

Yesterday I was at a meeting and one of the ladies (I can't get over the fact that I'm now a "lady" and not just a "girl") said she didn't like what she was doing and didn't want to stay in her current position. She thought of what she really liked to do and what she could do to turn a profit. She came up with culinary school. She's still working while going to school, but will hopefully do something in the food industry upon completion.
I've gone back and forth with the idea of going to culinary school. I just don't like the idea of uncertainty. I don't know what's going to happen in the next few years. I don't know how my schedule will allow it. I just know that I really love to cook. It's a stress reliever for me. And I love making people happy, and what better way to do that then with amazing food to eat.
So I guess if you have any suggestions on what I should do with my life, the comment box is now open. If there's a recipe that you are dying to try, or have someone else try, let me know. We can cook together! Do you want to cook, but don't know where to start? I'm not a master chef, nor will I be, but I can teach you what little I know. We can start cooking lessons.

Oh well. that's all I have for now. Here's hoping we all survive the upcoming week!