Recipes I Want to Try Out (and the next MCB)

Welcome once again to the latest in the world of RaUM,

Every time I go to my aunt's house in Newark, the family is treated to a wonderful meal where everyone eats well, there are drinks a-plenty, and enough desserts to make your belly burst. Some of the desserts are staples available at every gathering while others are experiments that may or may not make the rotation for the next get-together. One of the new additions to the dessert list is a modified cheesecake. It's basically a thin cheesecake cut into small squares like a brownie. Being a bit of a cheesecake junkie, I had to ask my aunt for the recipe. Turns out it's a Paula Deen recipe that my aunt adopted after watching the Food Network one day: Savannah Cheesecake Cookies.


(Here's the pic from FoodNetwork.com)

It is delicious! The decadence of a cheesecake without the heaviness that can come sometimes accompany a large wedge of cheesecake. I personally love how the crust stands out so much more. For me, it's the thing that brings the whole cheesecake together. A bad crust can ruin a piece of cheesecake for me (let's be honest for a sec... a lot can go wrong with a cheesecake.. it's not limited to the crust). The pecans are a nice touch and add a nice texture to the overall "cookie".

It's super easy to make. It bakes quickly. And can be easily decorated to look very pretty on the table though this dessert still looks inviting even without any garnish!

I will definitely give this one a shot the next time I have company over.

Another recipe I've been dying to try my hand at (and have been very lazy to start up) is ajiaco. Now granted, with the weather warming up this isn't necessarily the optimal meal so if it's gonna go down, it has to be soon. For those of you who are not familiar with ajiaco, click here.

(This is one 'interpretation' of ajiaco)

One of the few vivid memories I have of being in Colombia - both as young child and later in my pre-teen years - was the seeing the dining room table (and occasionally a side table) full of food. A delicious spread of food for the entire family. All those years spent in the kitchen, perfecting recipes with generations of Gonzalez children, allowed my grandmother to present us with the magic that is her cuisine during my stays there. I regret not being more curious about the prep work and doing more hands-on cooking while I was there. The only recipe I really "learned" was how to put together empanadas just before you throw them into a pot full of hot oil. Which, for the record, is a great lesson in and of itself... lol.

Years ago, I scoured the internet trying to find a recipe that reminds me of my grandmother's style of ajiaco. My mother had also attempted to make one using my father's faulty memory for the ingredient list. It was ok... but it needed something... more. It's hard to say what was missing. I think I'll just go back to some Colombian recipe sites and just pick one recipe and use that as my baseline ajiaco. If any of you have suggestions for where I may find a good recipe (or have a family member willing to give up their own personal recipe), please pass the info my way.

The last recipe in my "Top Three" that I want to try soon is another Food Network inspired meal. This one is by Ellie Krieger (star of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger): Succotash with Grilled Scallops and Parsley Drizzle.



Need I say more? How awesome does that look?

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This weekend's MCB (2-27) features two songs you may be familiar with already - Jason Mraz's I'm Yours and Mercy by Duffy. Boxer Rebellion makes another appearance on this list with Flashing Red Light Means Go.

Enjoy, ladies and gents!

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Between grading lab assignments for my two classes and going out just about every day this weekend, I don't expect to post until maybe midweek at the earliest. Those of you who suffer from withdrawal symptoms when I do not post... you've been given fair notice. Then again you can always re-read previous posts. ;)

Have a great weekend!!! See you for the next entry...

Until next time, faithful reader

My first month as a college professor (or How to slowly lose your mind)

Hi there,

I've managed to get some of my thoughts together regarding my time as a full fledged, bona fide (albeit part-time, lowest tier of the totem pole) professor. There have been some ups and downs but so far I'm loving the job. Of course, I say this now before I've had a chance to grade the first exam. I don't want my memories of my first few weeks ruined by my disappointment at those grades. =)

Just before the semester started, I decided to take on two classes. I thought it'd be great for me financially and would allow me to reach more students. Thus far it has been a wonderful experience but my schedule is brutal during the middle of the week. I was originally scheduled to teach one evening class on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6:30 - 9:20pm). When I was offered a second class, I had the choice of two morning classes: (1) another Tues/Thurs class (9:25am - noon) or (2) Monday/Wednesday - same time.

I reasoned that being in school from 9am to 9pm was not my idea of a good time despite the long break for the afternoon. If I worked the Mon/Wed class, I'd still be able to work the afternoons at my other job in Brooklyn. What I didn't consider was the Tuesday night/Wed morning turnover. I feel like I'm working a double (I suppose I actually AM working a double!) and it's extremely difficult for me to get up on Wednesdays for class. It has more to do with the late night on Tuesday night than it does with me not being a morning person. FYI, me and early morning sunshine do not get along!

I'm not sure how the Fall 2009 schedule will shake out but I know I would love to continue teaching two classes. I've already submitted my request for days and times so we'll see what happens.

Well... without any further ado...

Notes from my first month as Professor Gonzalez:

Week 1:
I DEFINITELY should have planned this past weekend a little bit better. After going out Friday night (bull riding, drinks, and diner food.. woohoo!), I drove down to PA on Saturday and visited Philly and Baltimore on Sunday. I came back late Sunday night. Now some of you may start telling me that 2 AM isn't that late and that I should quit my bellyaching. Also, I didn't have to drive the last leg of my trip so it wasn't all THAT bad. However, without a finalized syllabus in hand (I had already completed a draft of it) and a class scheduled for 9:25 Monday morning, it was going to be a looooong night and an even longer day!

On Monday morning, I made it to class several minutes late (at least I made it!) and I managed to trudge through the finer points of my syllabus in zombie mode - completed at 3:30am for those of you keeping track - including a mini-lecture on lateness. I may be a hypocrite but I meant every word I said about how much I despise students coming in late!

Damn, I was sleepy... zzzzzzz.... I don't think I managed to scare any of them into dropping my class. Shoot...

The night class went a lot better. I still didn't manage to scare anyone away with my opening day lecture. *sigh* Oh well. At least they were more attentive and took great notes on my Day One introductory lesson. I expect big things from this group. I don't care if it's unfair to say that since they seem more engaged that the day class.

I quickly realized that the day class was going to be my "guinea pig". I'd learn from my mistakes with them and the evening class would reap the benefits. I didn't tell them that but I knew that would be the case. This is especially true since I would always have a day and a half to tweak the lesson for the evening class.

Week 2:
WTF!?! My night class has gotten worse and my day class got better!!

OMG... Noooooo. How is this possible? lol..

The good thing is that they were now on par with each other in terms of attentiveness, question asking, etc. Let's see how long this lasts.

It was around this time that I started seriously thinking about getting the first exam completed. I didn't think I'd finish it but if I could start figuring out what will and won't be on the exam, it'd go a long way to saving me time later.

Week 3:
Oh man... I got pretty sick on Monday morning. I had to cancel class.
[Memo to self: No more late night runs to Tacolandia for tacos when you have class the next morning!]

I suppose this was a good thing because now the night class is the experimental class. I wonder if it will actually matter... though the exam date is now pushed back another day. I wanted both classes to take the exam on the same week so neither class would have an advantage over the other (a.k.a. a full weekend to study for the exam). Selfishly, this would also allow me to grade ALL the exams over the weekend. Oh well, done bun. Nothing I can do about it now.

Also, I found out that one of my students is friends with someone I know. I don't want to know who it is or which class he or she is in... OH, TOO LATE!! My friend spilled the beans and now I know who it is. Fortunately, she is one of my better students so I'm not worried about her trying to take advantage of our mutual friendship.

Week 4:
Reviewed for the first exam this week with my classes. One class takes the exam this week, the other next week. I had decided to use the first half of class for the review and go over issues with the first lab assignment during the second half of class. The Tuesday night review went relatively well and I felt they were adequately prepared for the exam on Thursday night. The review for the day class on Wednesday was going well also... except that... we had a freaking fire drill during our review... grrr.

Don't get me wrong I wasn't upset that the review was interrupted. I was actually upset for my kids because I knew that if I had just 10 more minutes, I would have been done with my review and the majority of the students could have left during the fire drill. However, after approximately 20 minutes, they all had to come back for the last part of the review session.

It was at this time that I thought it was a good thing I had gotten sick on week 3 because otherwise the fire drill would have interrupted the exam. I can't even imagine how I would have handled that headache! The evening class got the exam first and I'll grade them over the weekend. The day class gets it Monday morning with the luxury of time to study over the weekend. We'll see how that works out for them...

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This week's MCB (2-20):
T.I. - Dead and Gone (featuring Justin Timberlake)
Rosi Golan - Been a Long Day
Boxer Rebellion - Semi-Automatic
Temple Scene - Somewhere in the City
Drenalin - Healing Time

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I've got a lot on my plate for the weekend. I wonder if there will be anything noteworthy to talk about later... hmmmmmm....

Until next time, faithful reader

The Formula for Baby Nicknames + Another MCB

[Note: This entry was inspired by a close friend and his adorable offspring]


Welcome back friend,

(Verb)-y (verb)-er = Cute baby nicknames

Yes.

Believe it or not, that fairly simple and straightforward formula works pretty well for creating instant nicknames for infants and toddlers. It seems to be best used with monosyllabic verbs but that rule is not etched in stone so feel free to use it any way you'd like.

Here's an example of how the formula has been used: Over the past several months, my friend's daughter (who is now around 14 months old) has taken to grabbing things around the house. Hence, if we use the verb 'grab', she is now a "grabby grabber".

I'm sure once she starts drinking out of cups instead of a bottle, she'll be a "sippy sipper". She may only have a handful of teeth now but she is def a "smiley smiler". I can go on and on with this.

Clearly, this formula isn't quite as cute when used for the later stages of a child's development.
- Poopy pooper
- Screamy screamer
- Date-y dater (uh oh..)
- Kissy kisser (father's worst nightmare?)

And the list goes on and on, boys and girls.

Are there any other nicknames (cute or otherwise) that you've come up with using this formula? Share it in a comment below.

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Today's Musical Coffee Break (02-12-09) is a laid back collection from known and not-so-known artists. On tap, we've got full songs from John Mayer, QotSA, Rosi Golan, Erin McCarley and song clips from Alicia Keys and Jazmine Sullivan.

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I think I'm going to stop promising to post. When I announce an upcoming post, I do it with the intention of posting a new entry in the indicated time. However, it's just been so difficult to make time to actually do it.

I'm still adapting to my new work schedule. I quickly learned that the time a professor spends teaching isn't simply inside the classroom but also includes countless hours spent preparing lessons, creating assignments/exams, and grading assignments/exams. I knew this already going into the gig but the reality of it has finally hit me. This, coupled with the occasional night out (for those keeping track, it is no longer a nightly occurrence... lol), leaves me with little time to write up a blog entry.

I will likely limit myself to short entries, like the one you just read, for the foreseeable future until I adapt to this crazy time in my life.

Until next time, faithful reader...

The Rebirth of Slick and the Add-ons (RaUM Expansion Pack #1)

Hello friend,

Long time no see!

I've been actively filling up my free time with activities that have kept me away from my trusty (and dusty) ol' laptop for the better part of two weeks. This is a meager attempt at getting back to the habit of posting weekly.



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Musical Coffee Break 1-26-09 (Taking you back!)

Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like That) by Digable Planets
They Reminisce Over You by Pete Rock and CL Smooth
Dwyck by Gangstarr
Paid in Full by Eric B and Rakim
I'll Do For You by Father MC
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Now time for some add-ons to previously posted lists:

Driving Pet Peeves--
#2 - Idiots who take up two perfectly good parking spots with their one crappy car. This rule was originally considered when observing this behavior in residential parking areas. However, I now include the idiocy of taking up multiple spots in public parking lots as well.

#23 - Drivers that suddenly become VERY aware of the speed limit and somehow manage to drive 5 miles below it only because a police car is nearby. This typically occurs on the highways and not on local roads.

#14 - Drivers that stop at an intersection despite the obvious absence of an ACTUAL STOP SIGN!!

#7 - Drivers that signal left (or right) and turn in the opposite direction. This also applies to drivers that change lanes on the highway.

#10 - The misuse of high beams on the highway. Now granted, this is might make me seem real nitpicky but I truly feel that most drivers do not understand the purpose of the high beams. They don't know when to use it correctly and end up being rude to other drivers on the road.

Ultimately, my perspective is based on the "Golden Rule": treat others as you would like to be treated. On a two-way road, you do NOT want to have your high beams on as another car is passing in the opposite direction. It's somewhat blinding and just makes you a douchebag for doing it. You can shut the high beams on for a second or two and turn them back on once the car in the other lane passes. Also, have you ever driven at night and had a car behind you with the high beams on? Nasty glare off of your side view mirrors and rear view? Annoying, isn't it?? Don't do it to others.

Life Goals--
- Attend a live hockey game
- Try out for Jeopardy! (I don't even care if I don't make it... I just wanna try out once)
- Visit all 30 MLB stadiums and watch a game live (tours of ballparks DO NOT count and one must root for the home team unless our team of choice is the road team - 4 down 26 to go)
- Revisit: Baltimore
- Visit: Aruba (primarily since there are tentative plans in place)

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UPDATE:
UFC 93 Predictions outcomes::
Jorge: 5 for 5 (including the round of two finishes and method of victory for another fight)
Roger: 3 for 5 (including predicting Hendo v Ace going to a decision)
Me: 2 for 5 (including predicting a decision for Lytle v Davis)
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Don't worry, folks. There will be more stories to come re: my trip to Philly/Baltimore and my first day as Professor Gonzalez.

Be sure to stay tuned, ladies and gents!

Until next time...

The past week's MCB's and some random rants

Howdy!!

A brand-spanking new Musical Coffee Break (MCB 12-20) is up for your weekend enjoyment!

Below is a recap of the Musical Coffee Breaks for this week (12/13 - 12/19):

Musical Coffee Break 12/12:
What Happened To Us – Hoobastank
More Than Words – Extreme
Waiting on the World to Change – John Mayer

MCB 12/15
Heart – Alone
Make it Mine – Jason Mraz
In Too Deep – Genesis
Sober – Pink
I’ll Be – Edwin McCain

MCB 12-18
Me Enamora – Juanes
Tu Me Vuelves Loco – Frankie Ruiz
Nadie Como Ella – Marc Anthony
Listen To Your Heart – Roxette
Angel Eyes – The Jeff Healey Band
To Be With You – Mr. Big

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Random Rants:
-- Why is it that more people are willing to take greater risks crossing the street as the weather gets worse?? Does it have anything to do with the driver not being able to BLAME the weather if they ACTUALLY get hit? Seems like a death wish to me!

-- You know if someone is ever interested in you (and you're not), it'd be nice for you to at least offer an explanation when you turn them down, no matter how flimsy the excuse explanation. I'm just saying... some people actually would like to know why it didn't (or couldn't) work out. Otherwise the "what if"s kick in and some people don't deal with them very well.

-- I hate to say it this way but... there are many many ugly people in the world. I don't mean just in the face, or physically. There are some nasty people and it makes me wonder if it was always like this or if this is something that I'm only acutely aware of due to my being single again.

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Well friend, I've got a busy day ahead of me today (a lil lady to celebrate a b-day with, sangria to make, and a drive to SI - yes, you read correctly - for a dinner party). All that and a busier than usual week to recap for you (or for me... who knows if anyone actually reads this thing).

For those wondering, I AM enjoying my vacay... wish it could be just a tad bit longer but I'm not complaining!!

Until next time faithful reader....