Mahalo for your patience...

There was a time when I was a blogger.

That time abruptly stopped approximately 7.5 months ago.

And I can finally offer an explanation for the sudden hiatus.

I was here:

Doing this:

In plain old words,  I spent the last six months living in Hawaii on Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America as a dancer and singer.
And it was AWESOME!
There will be follow-up posts about my favorite places to visit and eat in the islands, as well as some funny stories about my contract.  I'm also going to see what I can do to cook some Hawaiian favorites at home! 
You know, once I remember how to use a kitchen again.  It's been a minute.

For now, I'm just glad to be back on the mainland!  I can't wait to catch up on everything I've missed from family, friends, dance, musical theater, and food :)

Back soon with more from my life on a ship!

Just Because...

I haven't stopped looking at these since the day I saw the first one.

All these beautiful photos of the best day of my entire life ©Ayres Photography, Hamburg, NY

So...

I logged on and realized...

It's been almost a month and a half since I posted.

WHOA.  Time has been flying - in some good ways and some not-so-good.  We got back from the honeymoon and life hit us with a resounding kaTHUD.  I started work as a ballroom teacher shortly before the wedding and my hours have been climbing, and Jon's summer concert season is in full swing!

On top of that, there's been some of this:


(I did the LehrerDance Summer Intensive on scholarship, which was truly awesome, and then sped off to New York City for a week of Parsons Dance Company's Master Choreography Workshop - also on scholarship! - which is what the photo is from!)
And a whooooole lot of this:

Which means my kitchen looks like this:

It's just...not quite ready for prime time yet. 
I have a grilled cheese from the archives to share soon, and a cookie recipe that's only missing a picture, and hopefully once we get our new place (OUR new place!!...sorry, it's still really exciting for me to say that...) all set up and settled into, some awesome new recipes will come out of the deal!

After all, weddings mean gifts...and gifts mean fun new kitchen toys... :-D

What about YOU?  Has life been nuts for you, too?  Or does summer mean time to relax?

Here It Comes...

Guys...

I'm getting married.

On FRIDAY.

WHAT.


Which means that things are INSANE.

First of all, Sunday was my graduation from college.  I had an alarm set for 6:35 so I could shower beforehand.  Now anyone who knows me will tell you that getting a functional, speaking version of me out of bed before 7am is nigh impossible, but I was psychologically set and determined that 6:35 would be okay.

Apparently, life had other plans for me.

6AM: I wake up to the sound of rap music bouncing into my room from the living room of my shared apartment.  I roll over and try to breathe loudly enough to drown it out.  I fail.
6:15AM: The music is STILL playing.  And it's THE SAME SONG.  I have no clue who is playing it but I certainly can't sleep through it, so I get up to shower much earlier than intended.  Meanwhile, my usually soft-spoken roommate marches into the living room, shakes awake the random boy sleeping through 15 minutes of his obnoxiously loud looping R&B alarm, and makes him turn it off.  We still do not know who the boy is, but hoist our tired selves into the routine of the morning.

RUDE, Universe.  Rude.

By 12:30, after listening to a poem pretending to be a prayer, a pandering politician's perennial postulations on graduation, and a poetry slam of a student speech (sorry, but I was having WAY too much fun with that alliteration), I was a college graduate.

That's me and my pretty friends, all graduated and stuff.  And HUNGRY - loooong ceremony.

From that second on, my brain activity switched to weddingweddingweddingmovingweddingmovingmovingmovingweddingmovingweddingwedding...

Yeah.  I left myself five days to finish planning a wedding and move.
And the Poor Planner of the Year Award goes to...

Though, thinking about it, we didn't have much of an option.  Jon's busy season of work gets absolutely insane from June through most of September, and my lease ends at the end of May, which would mean moving back to my parents' place in DC.  I love my parents, but no. 
If we wanted to get married, it pretty much had to be this weekend.

The last two and a half days have consisted of seating charts, suitcases, garbage bags, cardboard boxes, multiple trips to the mall, phone calls from vendors, frantic emails with my wedding coordinator (a.k.a. my amazingly-organized sister-in-law...I swear, she probably wants to strangle me for how disorganized I am!), and the occasional nervous breakdown.

Party planning is officially off the list of potential careers.

BUT.
But.

By Friday night at 5:30, I will be married to the love of my life.  And that's not something a whole lot of people my age can say, nor is it something I could even imagine living without.
So no matter how many details I space on or how many decisions I can't make without crying, I'm going to be okay.

I've cooked a surprising amount, considering the hectic nature of my life at the moment.  Friday night, I made a quick and delicious frittata out of random things in my fridge, which made me SUPER proud of myself for being all innovative and stuff.  And Sunday afternoon after the graduation ceremony, I baked up a pan of Maple Apple French Toast Bread Pudding.  I also have a grilled cheese to post and possibly the best oatmeal raisin cookies ever to share with y'all eventually.  But photos are just...nonexistent, and for that I apologize.  Tasty treats will find their way into your homes (and hopefully your bellies) from my little kitchen soon!

Just gimme about a week and a half :)
In the meantime, if you need to find me, I'll be bejeweling place cards and practicing writing a different last name.
Cursive B's are HARD.

Roasted Hazelnut Brussels Sprouts

Can I let you in on something?

I've never celebrated Valentine's Day.


Ever.  In the history of ever.
Even though I've been in a relationship for the last three years.

Why, you ask?
Because our schedules never line up.

See, I was super excited the first year we were together because my single girl dream was coming true: I would finally have a date for Valentine's Day.  BUT then I got my company schedule and realized...umm...kidding.  We had a 10-out-of-12 (all-day tech) on February 14th.  The following year, I had class all day, followed by tech rehearsal for several hours.  I finally got home at 9:45, a gross sweaty mess.  That night, Jon and I split a red velvet cupcake from Starbucks and watched TV.

This year?
Well, this year, my schedule was finally clear on the 14th - after classes ended early in the afternoon, I was free!
Jon was not.  He had bowling after work.  So by the time he got to my apartment at 11:30...I was falling asleep.

Can I tell you something else?

It could be worse.
Because the last two years running, we've both had the day off on our anniversary... February 12th.
And this year, that day was perfect.

I woke up to a warm plate of homemade French toast with pure maple syrup next to my bed.  We went to church, went boot shopping, did some things for the wedding, and went grocery shopping - nothing monumental, but what truly made a difference was that we did those things together, which is a luxury we rarely have.  Later that night, we retreated from the snow under warm fuzzy blankets and watched Netflix, just quietly celebrating the wonderful three years we've had together and all the years to come.
And then there was dinner.

Ohhh, dinner...

Instead of going out, we cooked a gourmet meal together:

Filet Mignon, simply seasoned and cooked to absolute juicy perfection
Mashed Redskin Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Mascarpone Cheese
and these Roasted Hazelnut Brussels Sprouts.
(For dessert, there was rice pudding...I'll be sharing that soon :)

Now, historically, I have not been a huge fan of brussels.  They're kinda bitter, and the only way I'd liked them before was when they were doused in butter and bacon grease...which is not something I could really afford to do with a show coming up.  But I found this gloriously simple recipe on Cheeky Kitchen and was struck hard with the urge to try it!  I am, after all, on an eternal quest to find more vegetables I lurrrve.

SUCCESS!  These suckers were chock full of flavor, texture, and overall deliciousness, without being drowned in fat!  A simple short roast at a high temperature with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, with chopped hazelnuts thrown in just at the end to toast up to perfection, and vegetable bliss was attained! It was the perfect side dish, served as part of a perfect dinner, to cap off a perfect anniversary.

Roasted Hazelnut Brussels Sprouts
Source: barely adapted from Cheeky Kitchen

Ingredients:
3 cups brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 500˚.  Yes, this sucker's gotta be HOT.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, drizzle sprouts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired, tossing to coat.
Spread the sprouts out on the baking sheet and roast on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes, until the edges of the sprouts begin to char.  Toss the chopped hazelnuts on top and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, until toasty and aromatic.  Serve with essentially any meal you want, though I highly recommend meat and potatoes.  Enjoy!

Some Stories

So as you may or may not have noticed, I've been off the air...again...it's been a bit crazy around here!

On a super fun note...less than FOUR MONTHS till my wedding!!  Planning is in full swing and we've actually been insanely productive lately on that front!  Our engagement photos also came in - an absolutely brilliant set of pictures thanks to Jenn and Ben of the Buffalo-based Ayres Photography!  Here's one of our favorites:

Then the next part of life: dance!  At the beginning of every spring semester, the university's dance company comes back to school a week early to rehearse for our concert in February.  This year, the trip to Buffalo was preceded by a gorgeous weekend in NYC for a company audition!
I took the train up to the city the day before - with temperatures in the 50s! - met up with Jon, and spent a lovely afternoon and evening together doing things like catching a Parsons Dance APAP showing at Ailey (brilliant...every member of the company is incredible) and...buying new ballet shoes because...I forgot mine at home before the audition...yep.

The next day, I was up bright and early to get put together and warmed up for my audition.  I went to the studios, prepared for slippery floor conditions thanks to my Parsons friends, met up with a bunch of friends from my school, and next thing I knew, I was dancing for the director and rehearsal director of the company!

And summarily getting cut.

First professional rejection: CHECK.

But I feel like I danced well, so I didn't feel bad about getting cut.  In fact, I laughed about it, went and got doughnuts at The Doughnut Plant at Chelsea Hotel - a must visit for foodies in NYC: the doughnuts were so.good... - and drove home to Buffalo with the love of my life, ready to get back into the swing of all things dance.

I spent the next week sweaty, bruised, and sore beyond belief from rehearsing three different pieces for about 10 hours a day.  Just when I thought I was on my way to recovery, a choreographer would throw a new combination at us, and by the time we finished polishing that phrase I was right back where I started!

If I ever hear anyone say that dance is for sissies again, I might punch them.  After learning proper boxing technique so I don't hurt myself.

But overall, the week was fantastic!  I had a great time, successfully tested my snow tires in a blizzard, lost about three pounds, gained two of them back at a progressive dinner party (for which I made a double recipe of Hot Fudge Pudding Cake - it's a crowd pleaser!) and got some of the best sleep of my life thanks to exhaustion.

Then came MLK Day.

It's the only three-day weekend of spring semester.  I haven't had that day off in three years thanks to rehearsals, and this year was no different.

Except that it was.

Because this happened:

That, dear friends, is what happens when a school bus backs up onto the hood of your car while you're sitting on a campus road on your way to rehearsal with absolutely no idea that the bus full of children is going to suddenly back up after it has already opened its doors and you can't back up because there's an SUV behind you and you're so panicked that you forget you have a lovely contraption called a car horn that is meant for these exact times until you're watching your hood crumple while you curse, pray, and cry your eyes out in terror.

So that was my holiday!

Please, do not follow my example and get crushed by a yellow school bus.  It wasn't fun.
A little bit funny now...but not fun.

You are now caught up on my life, whether you wanted to be or not!
Coming up next: my first gluten-free baking adventure!

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas tree at Disney's Castaway Cay, Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas, everyone!
And Happy Chanukah!

I'm heading to Pennsylvania shortly to spend the day with family - it'll be a bit emptier than usual this year but happy nonetheless :)
Wishing you all a truly blessed holiday with your loved ones!  I'll be back soon with new treats :)

Much love,
Angela

A Brief Hiatus.

Hey everyone,

As you may have noticed, I've been maintaining radio silence on the blog.  Why, you ask?

Well, you see, my schedule finally got the best of me.  I've had nonstop musical rehearsals for weeks now, and the show opens a week from today, which means the rehearsal hours are only getting longer.  As a result, I haven't cooked meals for myself in close to three weeks, and I've eaten the things that I have made too quickly to take pictures of them.  Gotta love being pressed for time.

This hiatus makes me sad.  Incredibly sad, because there are few things in this world that make me happier than making food and sharing it with others, including you!  Over Thanksgiving, I hope to have the chance to share some of our family feast with you, or at least write up the posts for the few recipes I've already photographed.  In the meantime, take a look around the blog, discover a recipe you haven't tried yet, and make it. 

Would you do that for me?
:)

Moving, two ways.

Soon, you'll notice that the background of my photos has changed.
I've moved back to Buffalo, back into the on-campus student apartment that I share with three other girls.
And I'm having some majorly mixed feelings about that.

I moved in today, and the second I walked in everything felt different.  And not in a good way. 
Don't get me wrong, now.  Aspects of a new setup in the living room and kitchen are great - there's more storage space and more light.  There are new equipment additions to the kitchen, which is always a plus.  And the new shower curtain in the bathroom I share with our newest roommate is pretty.  I appreciate pretty things.
But at the same time, so many things had changed while I was gone, and it just didn't feel like home anymore.

Now, I guarantee part of this emotional rollercoaster can be attributed to the fact that today was my first Sunday away from my VA church home.  And I visited my fiancé at his new townhouse, where we'll be spending our first month and a half or so of our married life, as soon as I got back to the Buffalo area, and that truly felt like home.  But, I don't live there.  And I couldn't bring my church up to Western New York with me.  So there's two homes that I can't have right now.

I think, ultimately, I'm longing for a sense of permanence.  The college lifestyle of living between two places, taking enough classes to fill up two more semesters, and the nine remaining months before my wedding - it's all just temporary, and it's wearing on me.  A permanent home and church community is what I want most in the world right now.

I really want my apartment to feel like home, however temporary a solution it is.  Once all my roommates get back, I hope it will.  Till then, I just need to lean on God and trust that He knows better than I do about waiting.

So...any tips for patience?

On a side note, my heart was majorly touched to see the incredible response to Jennifer Perillo's call this past Friday.  I can't even imagine how hard it would be to lose someone you loved so much so suddenly, and the flood of support that went her way in the form of peanut butter pies everywhere was absolutely heartwarming.  It was wonderful to witness the comradery in the blogging community - just proves you don't have to meet someone in person to love them!  Sadly, because I was packing to move, I was unable to participate.  The Derby Pie was the best I could do, but I've been lifting Jennie and her family up in prayer ever since I read her post, and I hope you'll do the same.

Apologies...

So... It's been about a million and a half years since I actually cooked anything.

I've been working a lot.  And I work with kids.  Most exhausting job ever.

Except for Jon's job...working outside all day doing lots of heavy lifting till all hours of the night...

Hush.  I know I'm being ridiculous.

But this whole teaching-dance-to-kids thing has been draining me of all creative inspiration and energy - I've been using it all on their choreography.  And good Lord has it been hot lately!!  So at the end of the day, I'd rather go home and order in or eat leftovers than think up an interesting new meal.

And that reminded me that I need to go to the grocery store...dangit!

Additional side note: fried spaghetti = amazing.  Hurrah for tasty leftovers.

So, here's my apology for being a bad food blogger.  Why must life interfere with...my life?

But to make up for it, here's a picture of me and Jon!

That probably doesn't make up for lack of recipe, but I think it's adorable.
And he's handsome.  I'm a lucky girl :)

AND I've been getting to sing a lot more at church.  I couldn't be more blessed to be serving Christ with my friends on the worship team.  It's truly amazing to feel His presence and see Him move in my life and the lives of others, sometimes in just minutes.  Absolutely incredible.

So, that's life.  I'll do my best to be back with another recipe soon!

On Guilt, Lack of Motivation, and Other Assorted Mindblocks

This, apparently, was a really terrible time to decide to start a food blog.

Why, you ask?

Well...because I can barely think of a thing to write.

Primarily because I can't seem to get myself into the kitchen.

See, the trouble with being a dancer and loving to bake is a little thing called "physical fitness".  I bake all the time, I don't look so hot in biketards.
[DANCER DICTIONARY: Biketard (n.) - a one-piece garment, tight-fitting and frequently revealing in nature, similar to a unitard in nature but ending in very small shorts just below the backside]
Which is why I prefer to bake for others.  However, I have about 3 friends that I actually speak to regularly remaining in the Northern Virginia area, so when I'm home, I see people besides my family maybe once a week.  Thus, anything I bake ends up sitting around my house waiting to enlarge my waistline.  And extra pounds, however delicious, won't help me with my prospective career.  What's more, if I do indulge - or even seriously consider indulging - I feel guilty about it till the end of time.  And I'm honestly terrified of losing my career over a less-than-perfect figure - there's a lot of great female dancers out there.  With six packs.  I work out a lot, but when I don't have constant access to dance classes (other than the ones I'm teaching to 4-year-olds...hardly helpful) I struggle to maintain weight, much less lose it.  And when I don't see results as quickly as I want to, I stop wanting to work out.  So, the search has been on for things to bake that won't kill my diet.

...But I don't want to bake those things.  I want to bake ridiculous tiered confections smothered in fancy buttercream, breakfast treats only considered breakfast-worthy because of the lack of frosting, and brownies and bar cookies that make your arteries clog just by looking at them.  So when I search through my recipe archives looking for suitable recipes, I come up with thoroughly uninspiring, crave-unsatisfying, poor alternatives to what I want to eat.  And in that case, what's the point?

There's a teensy silver lining in all of this, though.
While I may not be getting fully inspired or motivated to create in the kitchen, I'm getting "fed" elsewhere.  On Friday, I had an audition of sorts with the worship leader at my church to see if I'd get invited to sing on the worship team.  It was a really casual affair - just him, me, and his guitar - and after two songs I had the job...and we just kept singing!  Two days later I was up on stage helping to lead worship with an extended invitation to sing anytime I'm in town.  And I hadn't felt that blessed since I got back from dancing in New York.  I couldn't be more grateful to God for providing me with this opportunity, and I'm praying that as I draw closer to Him in worship He'll help me find my passion for food and fitness again.

I should be back soon with a recipe from the 4th of July.  Or potentially one that uses up ripe bananas.  Or both!  Let's hope for both, shall we? :)