I have been craving sugar like no other...

So I'm a pretty healthy eater and I never buy anything sugary at the store, but tonight I find myself writing this post at home with a bag of Peanut Butter M&M's on my right and a bag of Skittles on my left.  And we're talking the large size, not the puny vending machine size.  I've had a lot more sugar in the last week or two too.  Hmmm..... maybe it's the 60 hr. work week I just finished a few hours ago?  Maybe it's the depressing weather?  Maybe it's not having any family or friends around?  Whatever it is, it must stop.  I've been to the gym literally once in the last month.  I blame it on my sprained ankle back in December.  No, I blame it on the influenza I contracted the beginning of January.  No, I blame it on not having a gym to go to.  There's no way I'm going running in the rain.  So alas, here I sit w/ my two bags of giant sized candy.  I must say, it can't get any better than this.  Time to start my infamous no sugar diet??  I have an 11 week record to break...

Can I have some s'more?

That's what you'll be saying after you make this guy! Graham cracker crust, chocolate filling, topped with golden marshmallows. I'm already getting ready to make my second one this week.  The first one was for the missionaries (had them over for dinner).  The second will be for yours truly.  You seriously gotta try this recipe though!  You'll be glad you did!  It's a little rich, but totally delish.

S'mores Pie

Ingredients:

Crust Ingredients:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 bag semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 20-30 large marshmallows

Method:

To Make Crust:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until evenly coated. Press mixture into a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

To Make Pie:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together cream and milk. Warm over medium-low heat. Add in chocolate and stir until chocolate has completely melted and is smooth. Slowly add in vanilla and whisked eggs, and whisk until smooth.  Add pinch of salt.

Pour chocolate filling into baked pie crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chocolate filling is set and does not jiggle when pie is lightly shaken. Remove from oven.

Using a kitchen shears or a knife, cut marshmallows in half. Place halves in concentric circles over the top of the pie until covered.

Lower oven rack to the middle position, and set oven to the lowest broil setting. Place pie on the rack and lightly toast the marshmallows.  (keep your eye on them and pull out the second you see them beginning to turn slightly golden).

Chill pie in the refrigerator to set for 2-3 hours, or.....just serve warm.

[Recipe from here]

Spring Break...

...and boy was I ready for a break!  I spent the weekend with the family and the week with friends.  I also had a goal to catch up on studying, but of course that didn't happen.  When I have a break I have learned to take full advantage of it!  Fortunately I didn't suffer too much this last week at school.

The whole purpose of going to Utah was to meet my new niece.  She is the cutest ever!  Most of my family was in UT the whole week prior to when I got there so fortunately we overlapped on the weekend.  And that meant it was just me to hold the little one for the whole week I was there.  Couldn't get enough.  I'm already planning when I can go back and see her.

I also loved seeing my other niece.  The last time I saw her she was barely learning how to crawl.  Now she's running all over the place and talking up a storm.  She even learned how to say my name during the 2 days I saw her.  Booyah!  She is so hilarious!

So the majority of my time was spent eating out with friends.  Best of both at the same time!  The good eats consisted of Cafe Rio, J Dawg's, Malawi's Pizza, Kneaders, Texas Roadhouse (first time!), Zupas, and In-N-Out.  I got to see Beth (Spain roomie), Allison & Amy (my favorite roomies), Abbey, Danielle, Mary (friends from the ward), Xaviera (Chinese teacher at Maeser), and my friend Brian.

I also stopped by Maeser to see some of my favorite students and eat lunch with them.  They were so excited! They all want me to come back for their graduation, which I would love to do, but I won't be able to with my rotations starting up in May.  This is how cool these kids are.......

And best of all, I got to see my absolute favorites, the sisters!!

Oh, and I can't forget.....the Donavon Frankenreiter concert w/ my friend Sariah!  My 5th concert in 4 months.  I LOVE LIVE MUSIC!!

One package down.....

......only 2 and 1/2 left.  Right now I am regretting not buying more.  The best tortillas EVER. From Safford, AZ.

Lolich's - Stop #2

Just the other day I stopped at Lolich's on the way home from school, celebrating yet another class down and conquered. While Stop #1 was to pick up some cherries, this time I got some fresh sweet corn and peaches. The peaches were way over priced and I almost regretted buying them for $1.50 each. That is until I took a bite. That peach was the sweetest, juiciest, plumpest peach I have ever had. So good! No regrets. The sweet corn is as equally as good. Did I mention that I love living near farm country?

Pad Thai

Saturday night about 10 or so of us from school got together to make some DELICIOUS pad thai. Ok, so mostly we all sat around chatting while a few were the brains and arms behind the cooking. Thai food is probably one of my favs - love it.

It's been fun to get together with my classmates a bit more outside of class.

The Oregon Coast

I finally went to the coast, after two months of moving to Portland. And let me let you, pure bliss! I don't know why I waited so long. Those of you who know me well know that I LOVE the beach. Living on the beach in Spain for a year was a dream come true. Yearly beach visits to Mexico just doesn't cut it. I'll have to start going to the coast here more before fall sets in.

First stop: Tillamook Cheese Factory

After watching huge blocks of cheese being cut into smaller blocks for packaging to retail, we got to sample about 8 different kinds of cheese. My favorite - colby jack. After which, we enjoyed some delicious ice cream.

Next stop: Mo's

Where we ate THE BEST fish and chips EVER. SO GOOD! I will go to the coast again just to eat at Mo's. They are known for their delicious clam chowder, but the last time I ate clams my head looked like a giant helium filled balloon. No clam chowder for me.

Final stop: Cannon Beach

For you Goonies fans out there, this beach is in the movie. The big rock on the beach is known as Haystack Rock. I remember stopping here as kids when my family drove from Seattle, WA all the way down the 101 to Californa and back home to AZ. It was an awesome trip.

The beach here is definitely not like the beach in CA or Mexico, BUT it was still FAB. The wind was blowing and was a little chilly, but that didn't stop me! My roommate kept telling me I probably wouldn't want to change into my swimsuit. But it was actually warmer than I thought it'd be. I soaked up some sun while listening to a little Bob Marley and Jack Johnson.

Everyone always says that you are crazy if you swim in the ocean on the Oregon coast because the water is so dang freezing, especially when the wind is blowing too. Just try me. I've been swimming in Canada quite a few times and now that is freezing. This actually felt refreshing and I wasn't even that cold. Nor after I got out of the water. I know......shocking, right?

360 degree view of Cannon Beach:

Voodoo Doughnuts

Yes, Voodoo is very inappropriate in some of the donuts they sell and slogans they use, basically what they're all about is inappropriate. It's a famous stop for both Portlanders and visitors however. A place you must visit at least once. You can take a looksy at their menu here. There's definitely a ton of options. Very tasty too.

The Breakfast Club

Yesterday morning was spent cooking up a storm with new friends. Menu: Chocolate chip waffles with strawberries, bananas and whip cream drizzled with chocolate syrup. Fried potatoes with green peppers, tomatoes and onions. Sausage. Bacon. Scrambled eggs. Orange Juice. Milk. Was it overboard? Most definitely. Was it delicious? Heck yes.

Ode to Candy Corn

A pure bundle of goodness
But why oh so good?
All you are is pure sugar
Disguised as something more
Really not very appealing
But oh so addicting!!

I really have NO idea why I like candy corn & candy pumpkins so much, but at least I admit it. All the rest of you are too cowardly to admit it....joining in on the candy corn bashing. Ha! You really don't know what you're missing out on! Plus did you know what the secret ingredient is? You'll have to ask me....!!