Gimme Some o' Dat!

Every night I have certain food cravings, and they're always different (except for the constant craving for chocolate that I have even when I'm not on a diet). Here's some of what I've been dreaming of:

• BLAT sandwiches (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato)
• Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
• Lemony Baked Pasta
• Guacamole...? I know random. And Pico de Gallo.
  
• Black beans, preferably mixed with guacamole or pico de gallo.
  
• Mom's homemade rolls
• Pad Thai
• Cauliflower Soup
• Pita chips
• Bolthouse juice
• Homemade tortillas (which I've never had before but dang do they sound good!)
• Bananas, peaches, watermelon, and pears
• Cold cereal (this is my number one weakness)

Alright, so....enough about food. I know I've been talking about food wayyyy too much on this blog. That's not what it's for, dangit!! You guys can deliver a virtual slap to the face for that one. Here's some updates from this week....er...all two days of it so far. I left my house at about 6-ish on Sunday night thinking I would get to Rexburg at 10. Good timing, right? Enough to unpack all the goods (ahh, clean, coin-free laundry) and go to bed. Too bad I got slammed with a major traffic jam...uhh...TWICE! Ay ay ay. I decided I'd be better off driving in the morning instead of in the middle of the night, with my music all the way up and my zombie-eyes drooping. I got to Grandma Bonnie's at around 10 and boy was I exhausted. And I'd only gone two hours! Yowza. Grandma, being Grandma, offered me some (and by some I mean lots of) food which I couldn't take (except for the beans, mwahaha!!) and stacked it up on the desk. I left the next morning with more than I came with, but I'm not complaining. I think the first thing I'm going to eat on Saturday after scrambled eggs is a side of black beans.

Classes have been excelente so far--especially New Testament and Spanish Literature. First of all, I always love religion classes, but this one is really forcing me to dig deep into the scriptures like never before. We're studying all four Gospels at once, the Bible Dictionary, and the N.T. manual, which are all awesome resources. I feel like my testimony of the Savior and His Mission is growing every day! It feels really good. Spanish Literature is easier than I thought it would be, but then again, my last Spanish class felt like a session of study abroad in Spain if you only knew phrases like "Hola!" and "Hasta luego." Ouch! But in this class, all we do is read poetry and short stories (in Spanish of course) and then talk about how they apply to our lives. Cool, huh?

I feel like I've been blogging for myself lately and not for the readers. I know that part of the blog thang is so that the writer of it can have an outlet/journal/muse/etc., but I also want you guys to keep reading, and you won't do that if I bore you with all of this stuff. To make me (and you) feel better, here's a recipe I found on my recent food-blogging exploits that I will try as soon as the diet is up. Go make it and see how it makes ya feel! Oh, and I realize that I said I would stop talking about food. But really now....can you blame if I divert? Oh dear.... I promise I'll only blog about this 500 calorie thing one more time....just one more. Expect another exciting post this weekend! Mucho amor from Rexburg!

p.s. I plowed through not one, but two packs of gum today. I think a pancreas transplant may be in order. If those even exist.

This recipe (and the photo) is from another of my favorito blogs, Annie's Eats. Ch-ch-ch-check it out!


Oven Baked Chicken and Shrimp Spring Rolls
Ingredients:
1 small boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and roughly chopped
1 cup cooked shrimp, peeled
Napa cabbage, enough for 2 cups shredded
1 medium carrot, peeled
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 package egg or spring roll wrappers
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Directions:
Combine the chicken breast and shrimp in the bowl of a food processor. Mince with brief pulses until chicken and shrimp are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl; set aside. Replace the blade of the food processor with the shredding attachment. Shred the cabbage to yield 2 cups. Shred the carrot. Transfer the cabbage and carrot to a bowl; set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook garlic and ginger just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot and sauté just until the carrot is slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and shrimp to the pan. Mix in the oyster sauce, fish sauce and bean sprouts. Stir until well combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and hard-boiled egg.

Preheat the oven to 400° F. On a work surface, orient an egg roll wrapper with a point toward you. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling near the edge of the wrapper. Flip the point up over the filling, rolling away from you to cover the filling. Fold both sides in and continue to roll. Use a dab of egg white on the loose point of the wrapper to help seal the roll completely. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Spray the rolls lightly with cooking spray. Bake until golden brown and slightly bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.