Historic Mac & Cheese-y Childhood Night

Simply Recipes posted an intriguing recipe/article about Mac & Cheese. Mac & Cheese appears in cookbooks back to the1400s. My guess is the dish itself is probably older. That's a long history of yumminess.

They offer a recipe from 1861 that is really more like a guideline--oh before the days of 24 hour grocery stores. For those uncomfortable with guideline-style recipes, Simply Recipes was kind enough to morph this beauty into a modern clear-cut recipe.

Tonight, my friends and I are gathering to test the mac & cheese recipe, which means I'll be doing mostly whatever I want because they're just guidelines. I'll be making the mac & cheese, others will brings sides, appetizers, mix-ins, etc.

We've also got some lemon ice cream made at Kansas State University to finish off the evening. It tastes like this fruit dip Lindsey makes, which our friend Amy dubbed Childhood and Sunshine. I think it's an appropriate dessert for a dinner so reminiscent of childhood. Let's face it, adults don't eat much mac & cheese.

The recipe doesn't call for any sort of cream sauce, but I think I might throw one in to make it creamier like they have a nice restaurants.

Like a Donkey's Behind

So there is this fellow grad student who generally annoys me. I find in class I am generally opposed to what they think, and I'm not a very nice person at those moments because I don't really listen.

Said person just shared some personal trauma with me because I was there in an isolated space when the world seemed to be caving in.

I feel like a jerk.

This person whom I had little respect for is dealing with a much more complex and scary world than my own, and I had no right to judge because in the same shoes, I would be in much worse shape.

I rescind my prior position of general annoyance. This person is now someone I am committed to supporting, whether it be academically or with life in general. We will probably never be best friends, but I'm behind them 100%.

And while I'm not glad that person is in the position they are in. I'm glad they shared it with me because I needed a little wake-up call to get out of my self-righteous bubble. This was definitely it.

Coffee, etc. and Writing

Last night I dreamt of the most amazing coffee ever, but I don't remember what coffee brand I was told when I asked. The only coffee I can think of after said dream is at Harry's. They should serve breakfast. Of course, I couldn't afford that breakfast, but it would be good.

Speaking of budgets. I am packing a sandwich bag of cereal, a small bottle of milk, a bowl, and a spoon for my lunch today. Classy.

To the Write-in! Hours of quiet productivity where everyone is too scared to talk because they don't want to stress anyone out. It's the perfect atmosphere for productivity. Also, Rachelle makes/brings great snacks that are usually healthy. Take that crappy cereal lunch!

Also...I tried a different coffee this week, and it's weak. I will avoid Eight O'Clock in the future. Gonna buy fancy mountain coffee when I move. Hooray! I will say that Eight O'Clock coffee, while I have a hard time getting it to brew strong enough, is not an overly bitter coffee, which I like. It's a good flavor, I just can't seem to get it to brew dark enough for my tar-liking tastes.

Scheduling My Defense

I have feedback from my committee for my masters project.

I'll be revising this weekend.

Currently, I'm attempting to schedule my defense. It is looking like May 4th around 4pm.

Now I just need to get papers done so that I can focus on my defense. My brain is soooooooooooo tired.

Blogging Hiatus

It's that time of the semester. It might be a while before I blog again.

Hopefully, when you hear from me again I will have an MA instead of being the loser who couldn't finish her stupid writing project.

...still no feedback. I'm getting anxious.

Be happy for the next month!

Mmmmm Fish and Chips

Lindsey and I have been wanting fish and chips, so tonight we played in the kitchen. The end result was nummy!

Prep Fish:

1. In a medium sized glass dish or large tupperware dish mix
• 1 can Guiness
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons pepper
2. Add to dish
• 4 frozen flounder filets in dish
• squirt lime juice over fish
3. Let fish thaw in liquid (at least 30 minutes)

Mix Batter:

1. In a wide flat dish, mix
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup Panko crumbs
• 1/4 cup potato flakes
• 1/8 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons pepper

Batter Fish:

1. Add 1/2 cup milk to fish liquid
2. Roll fish in batter
3. Dip fish back in liquid
4. Roll again (2-3 times)

Cook Fish:

1. Heat 1/4 inch of peanut oil in large skillet (medium to medium-high)
2. Place fish in oil 15 minutes on each side

Hush Puppies:

1. Add small amounts of liquid to remaining batter
2. Form batter into small dough balls
3. Fry in oil

Serve fish with fries. Yum

Things Are Nice

I feel pretty good about life.

1. I turned in a full draft of my project on Friday.
2. I got a hair cut to get rid of the nasty dead hair from my misadventures with hair dye over spring break.
3. I cleaned the house today. Everything smells like orange. Mmmmm.
4. Lindsey and I are frying fish for dinner.
5. It looks like I'm going to beat Chris at Scrabble.
6. I think I found the perfect place to live in Grand Junction.

The only things working against me are allergies, my cat is shedding right now, and I'm a bit behind on my tech writing project. I can't really complain. Two of those are seasonal, and the other I can get done.

Nothing can take me down now that I have a full draft of my writing project. I best be grading now though. I promised my students I would get caught up this weekend.