BLT Redefined

I'm sad that my digital camera is broken--this picture from my phone doesn't do this delicious sandwich justice. I'm not reinventing the wheel here, but tonight I made what I thought was a fun and slightly healthier update to the traditional BLT.

I call it... The Open Face TBST (Turkey Bacon, Spinach & Tomato) Sandwich.

And here's the recipe in case you'd like to replicate it!

Ingredients:

2 slices of a multi-grain baguette (I got mine from Trader Joe's--very good!)
Several leaves of raw spinach, washed and dried
Several slices of fresh tomato
1 string cheese (that's all I had in the house, but slices of fresh mozzarella would be best)
3-4 slices of turkey bacon
Olive oil (optional)
Balsamic vinegar
A dash of pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the turkey bacon according to the package. I just cooked it on the stove at medium heat in a skillet (slightly greased with oil). (Even healthier would be to use a nonstick skillet.)
2. Turn on the oven to broiler mode.
3. Place the bread (inside facing up) on a cookie sheet. Pull the string cheese apart into several strings and place on the bread (or, place slices of mozzarella on the bread).
4. Place the cookie sheet with bread and cheese in the oven and watch like a hawk (seriously, otherwise it'll burn if you're not careful) until the edges of the bread are toasted and the cheese begins to bubble and brown.
5. Remove the bread from the oven and layer the turkey bacon, raw spinach and tomatoes on the bread.
6. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil (optional) and balsamic vinegar on top of the sandwich. Add black pepper (cracked would be best :-)) to taste.
7. Enjoy!

I can't believe I'm recommending a sandwich that contains two ingredients I avoided as a kid: spinach and tomatoes. But, I realized a few years back that raw spinach tastes pretty much like lettuce... I'm just not as much of a fan of cooked spinach (unless it's mixed in with something else that's tasty). Plus, spinach has more nutrients than regular lettuce, so take the plunge and try it!

As for tomatoes, I think my tastes have finally grown up a bit. My recommendation is to splurge for the really good tomatoes. Otherwise, they're tasteless and kind of gross. I love grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes... the really red, smaller varieties that are packed with deliciousness. So, if you've not liked tomatoes in the past, perhaps you've just had the large, tasteless variety that they slap onto your burger at a fast food joint. Try them again!

Turkey bacon is also key. 20 calories a slice... not bad! I'm sure any form of bacon is slightly less healthy than fresh sliced turkey, but for that bacon taste, I'm a fan of the turkey bacon (which tastes a lot like regular bacon, by the way).

Enjoy!

I love Sunday.

It's been a great Sunday. I've just been feeling very grateful today for all of the blessings in my life! One thing I'm grateful for is the fact that God still calls apostles and prophets in our day. I went to the CES fireside for young adults tonight and Elder Uchtdorf spoke. It's incredible to think that anyone around the world could watch an apostle of Jesus Christ speak (via satellite or the Internet). I realize this is nothing new... satellites and internet streaming have been available for a while. But still, when I think of how much has changed in the last 150 years for members of the Church, I am very grateful for all of the resources that we have to study the gospel.

Elder Uchtdorf gave a great talk. I realized, they're all great talks! Seriously, if we're in the right frame of mind, we can gain something from any gospel talk.

And, speaking of gospel talks, I'm also grateful for the Mormon Messages on YouTube. I think it's awesome that the Church takes advantage of new technologies to reach out to people across the world. These messages are short, sweet, and full of truth.

Click here to watch "Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ."

I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ is real. It has expanded my heart with joy that I have found in no other form. I know that it cannot be found in any other form. It cleanses us of our impurities, expands our capacity and our abilities, increases our love, and gives us hope. I still have a lot to learn, but that's what life is for, and I can't wait to see what the future brings.

God bless and goodnight, everyone! Have a great week.

24 Hours in Door County

So yeah, I have a lot to catch up on, including Sam and Nancy's wedding! But, that post will require a little more time, so for now, how about a quick peek into Mom and my 24-hour Door County trip?

I've never been to Door County, WI this time of year, and I was excited to be there in the fall with all of the leaves. And pretty they were! Mom and I didn't get up to Jacksonport until about 6 P.M. last night, and we saw that our hotel was doing a fish boil. Fish boils are a Door County tradition, or, as our cook called them, a tourist trap. :-) Our group consisted of mostly out-of-towners (or so it seemed) from Illinois and other parts of Wisconsin (from my analysis of parking-lot state license plates as we drove in). Even if it is a tourist trap, it's a fun tradition and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

We started with hor d'oeuvres, and then, right before the cooks took the fish, potatoes and onions out of the pot, they ushered us outside to watch and to hear the history of the fish boil.

To be honest, Mom and I were a little wary of trying the fish boil. Let's be honest, boiled fish doesn't really sound incredibly appetizing. But, we decided we wanted the full Door County experience, and actually, it was much better than we expected!

In order to get the pot to boil over, they threw some kerosene on the fire, and below is the result. Whoa!


Afterwards, as they took the giant pot back into the kitchen to serve the fish, we headed back inside. The dish came with Lake Michigan whitefish, baby red potatoes, onions (my favorite part! very tender and sweet), and steamed vegetables. For dessert, we had some Door County cherry pie a la mode. Definitely worth trying!

Today, we drove through Peninsula State Park, which winds around the coast of Lake Michigan. Mom and I decided to do a little photo shoot.

My mom is so pretty!

Doesn't this look like a nice place to read a book? :-)

We took some classic "throwing leaves" pictures. It might be cuter if we were two years old, but it was fun anyway!

On the way out of the park, we saw this gorgeous tree. I think bright red-orangy leaves are my favorite.

Happy fall, everyone!

Swiftly goes the summer...

To my small blog readership, I must do better. It just seems that I've struggled with the motivation to sit down and write. Perhaps, I'm still adjusting to this whole 8-5 work-all-day-come-home-and-feel-tired thing. Plus, I share a computer with my parents, which means I'm on it less. But, excuses are always available to those who seek them. I simply need to get back in the habit!

I've been enjoying the summer here in Wisconsin, brief as it is, working hard (it's our busy season right now), planning lots of church activities (that's my new calling here in WI), running, and getting ready for my brother's wedding. The summer has gone by quickly.

My parents just moved to Utah, which is pretty crazy to think about, since they've been here for 30ish years. Dad got a surgery job out there (he's coming out of retirement for a little longer) and then they'll stay out there for a big chunk of the year once he's fully retired. It'll be nice to visit at Thanksgiving, since the weather will be warmer and desert-y out there, just as it's getting chilly here!

Ok, that's all I got right now. But, I'll talk to ya'll soon!

I AM alive...

So, I dropped off the face of the blogging earth for a while there... ok, 6 months. Wow, time goes fast. And I'm sorry for neglecting my poor blog for so long. Last time I wrote, I was searching for a permanent job and I had just moved back to Wisconsin. Here's a brief update to bring you up to speed...

I began a job in January as a writer for Kohl's Department Stores. I write product descriptions for clothing and other items on their website. It's fun to have a job that puts my English-major skills to work. Basically, I look at samples of products (or images) and then write up the basic information. I'm learning a lot--especially since I come from a non-business-major background. And I like that it's my job to be creative with words (I get to think of word puns a lot!). Two fun things about working at Kohl's... getting random free stuff (they treat their employees well) and cookie day (4 hot, fresh-baked cookies for $1 at the cafeteria every Thursday at 2:15 PM). Yum! Oh yeah, employee discount days at the stores are pretty nice too :-)

For a sample of one of the more interesting product descriptions I've written... go to kohls.com and in the search box, type "Black Red & White On Grey." That's a painting that I got to write about.

For a couple of other writing samples... you can type in the search box "Jirra" (for a stuffed animal kagaroo that I wrote about), or "Wonder Woman Pajama Separates." I write several a day... and I've gotten to write about a variety of products, which is fun.

Other things that are new in my life... my brother is getting married this summer! Yay! I'm super excited for him and for me, since I also get to have a sister-in-law. And she's great. More info forthcoming :-)

Also, I'm training for a half marathon in August--my first, so that should be fun. Basically, I just needed a reason to motivate myself to work out again. I've never run more than about 3.5 miles at a time before, so this should be interesting! I'll keep you posted.

Goodnight, everyone! I'll write again soon with more updates.

Life and Temp Work

I've been called by the temp agency a little lately, and for the past week I worked at a law firm in downtown Milwaukee. It was pretty fun, actually. For one week, I felt semi-important as I drove up to the valet parking service at a parking structure in downtown Milwaukee, strolled into the tall office building with my dress shoes delightfully clicking against the marble floor, and worked in my own large office (with a great view of the riverwalk). Granted, I was just a "temp," but it was still fun to imagine myself as some high-powered executive.

Actually, what I really did most of the day was answer phones, make copies, prepare documents to be mailed or faxed, typed up dictations, and when there wasn't any of that to do, read a book. Nothing terribly exciting, but I must say, it felt great to finally be doing some work. I enjoyed getting to know the two lawyers who owned the firm. The firm consisted of a man and a woman--both middle-aged--and both incredibly nice. They practice family law, which unfortunately, often means doing divorces. Although my experience was brief, it was interesting to watch a little of the "behind-the-scenes" work of a divorce, and I will say, it reaffirmed to me that I never want to go through one of those. I would have liked to have asked the lawyers more about their perspective of divorce, since they have been witnesses to so many of them, but I never had the chance. By the end of the week, I was almost a little sad to say goodbye to the small office--I was starting to really enjoy working there.

I also started up at my seasonal work at Kohl's Department Store this past week. My first real day of work (after the training) was a little intense--I came in for someone who was sick, and this person was in charge of the entire Junior's department for 8 hours. I hadn't yet worked in the department at all, so I was dropped into the deep end on the first day, but I managed (with some help from some very nice co-workers) to figure things out. It wasn't too stressful really, just busy, but it took a while to figure out where the clothes went when I was supposed to return them from the dressing room.

I think Kohl's will be a fun place to work. The co-workers are really friendly... several middle-aged women, so it's kind of like working with a bunch of your friends' moms :-) Seriously, they made me feel very comfortable right away. And... I get to look at clothes for several hours at a time, so I'm definitely making mental notes of things I might get. My discount will come in handy I believe, but of course, I'm pretty broke right now, so I won't be buying much. I do think I'll have to be careful though not to get too distracted looking at cute outfits to try on and just do my job :-)

Anyway, I'm glad to have some work going on to help me bring in some money and to keep me busy while I do my long-term job search. I definitely need to make a good push on that, because the work at Kohl's will end by New Year's, and I really want to have a long term job figured out by then. I got a little distracted for a while from the long-term job search as I settled into being back in Milwaukee and did the short-term job search, so now it's time to get crack-a-lackin' again. Keep me in your prayers friends that I can put something together!

Post-Election Thoughts...

I didn't blog about the election--I'm fairly politically moderate and not the most politically outspoken. But, that doesn't mean that I don't care about politics and their effect on our government and society. I do care. I'm not exactly sure why I abstain from the political fights that I see all around me. Then again, that last sentence alone might explain it--I'm not the fighting type. However, I do think expressing opinions, even on the ever-sensitive topic of politics, has an important place, and sharing a strong opinion does not necessarily constitute an attempt to bash. Which is why, in the future, I will try to get some of those opinions out in the venue of the blog.

I have many other thoughts and reflections on politics rushing through my head at this point, but they aren't formulated enough that I want to express them right now. Instead, I thought I'd post some interesting pictures I took around my neighborhood on and shortly after election day.

Ok, this has no relation to the election, but here's just a peek at why I'm glad to have the opportunity to be in Wisconsin for the fall. I love leaves.

My mom and I were out for a walk in the neighborhood near ours and saw this. It made me sort of sad. The signs of support waiting to be picked up by the garbage truck.

McCain signs down the road from our house. The majority of the county definitely supported McCain over Obama (one of the few counties in the state to do so), but I was surprised to see several Obama signs around the neighborhood, too.

I was struck by this, because it seemed very deliberate that there was an American flag hanging near the Obama sign, as if the family wanted to say, "Obama supporters are patriotic." The neighbors next door also had an Obama sign with a small flag next to it. 

My vote was for McCain, but that doesn't mean I didn't consider Obama and that I don't like the guy. I wrote my final paper for my English capstone course on his book, "Dreams from My Father." He is an excellent writer and I'm impressed with his life. It'll definitely be interesting to see how things play out in the next 4 years.