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!

I'm a terrible blogger

So I haven't really kept up with this whole blog thing. I've moved houses, but in the same area. Same job, same ward, same life.. here's a little something to tide you over until I get back into the swing of things.

So I had some frozen cranberries and leftover cool whip and I had no idea what I was going to do with them. I've been toying with the idea of doing a dessert and I finally decided to try it. I made some rather large meringue cookies (2 egg whites beat until stiff peaks, add 3/4 cup sugar with a little vanilla, bake at 325 for 25 minutes, let cool). Then I cooked down some cranberries with some brown sugar and lemon juice and thickened it up with some corn starch. After everything was cooled I put it all together. Can I just say scrumptious?! And really, how can you make something so amazing and not have a little photo shoot :)

My week

Now this isn't for sympathy/empathy.. this is just in case I end up in the psych ward in fetal position not being able to speak

Sunday - went down to Orem, got home around 10.. not too bad
Monday - Work, meetings, new employees, planning for week's quarterly staff meetings, more projects, family home evening, socializing, RS Pres meeting, got home at 11:00pm, no breakfast, 52 oz diet coke (not good), subway sandwich, can't remember if I had dinner, couldn't sleep, fell asleep around 3am
Tuesday - Really tired, Work, preparing for staff meeting, chocolate covered cashews for Breakfast/Lunch, run to store to get treats for staff meeting, make copies for staff meeting, set everything up for staff meeting, 5:15 Staff meeting, Help someone move, Marsala for dinner, tried to go to bed early, failed. NO DIET COKE
Wednesday - Busy Busy Day at work. On the verge of crying eyes or punching someone in the face (it was a toss up throughout the day), Ward Temple night (PEACE AND QUIET), ran to store to get treats for 2nd staff meeting.
Thursday - at work at 6:30 am to set up for staff meeting, 7am staff meeting, who knows what's going to happen, teach cooking lesson for Relief society weekday meeting ...
Friday - The wonderful ladies at work are letting me have the day off to PACK and CLEAN. Please remind me to do laundry. Find time to prepare lesson for Sunday
Saturday - Pack, Clean, Move
Sunday - Conduct RS, Teach RS. Go home. Sleep
Monday - Admit self to psych ward if haven't been involuntarily admitted.

Playing Catch-up with Erin

Current City: Salt Lake City
Current Age: 28 years 10 months 2 days
Current Hair-style: Mia Michaels-esque, although today I was complimented on my faux-hawk
Current (Permanent) Marital Status: Single
Current State of Mind: Annoyed
Current State of Room: Boxed and disheveled
Current Calling: 1st Counselor in Relief Society
Current Book: Jesus the Christ (I'm almost half way!!)
Current Goal in life: Not to be so passive-aggressive, oh and to plan something totally awesome for my birthday

Happy 4th of July

So last night my friend asked me if our ward was doing a break-the-fast (gotta love single wards). We decided that we should have one and I offered to have it at my place. We went through the first two meetings without announcing anything and then I finally announced it in Relief Society and had them announce it in Elders Quorum.

I ran home and hurriedly went about cooking thinking to myself, what have I done! My apartment is a mess, it's super small, and I don't have enough seating for the ENTIRE WARD to come to my house. I may have ran back to the church and "borrowed" some chairs and raided the closet to get plates/cups/forks/napkins. Don't worry, I'm planning on returning everything tomorrow :)

Luckily only 5 people showed up so we had plenty of room. But then again I was a little disappointed because I cooked A LOT and so did my friend. Oh well. Now I have really good leftovers for the week, which is good because I may have emptied my fridge cooking. And I really wanted to make a flag cake, so that I could be patriotic, and you can't really make a flag cake at any other time. Well I guess on flag day. And it actually turned out:



I'm not gonna lie. I had to google the American Flag so I knew where the placement of the lines and stars were and whether it started with red or white. BUT I did know that there were 13 stripes and 50 stars. Happy 4th of July!

So I may have gone a little bit crazy

I told my friend that I just needed to find the attitude to go with the cut and she told me that I already had the attitude :) great!

It's taken me a bit to get used to it, but I really do love it!