I Will Survive

FINALLY....a free moment to catch you up to speed. I started Physician Assistant graduate school  two weeks ago and I have been on the go every minute since. The program is tough, but I'm managing just fine. It is a LOT more studying than I have ever done for anything, but it makes the days go by really fast. I busted my butt the whole first week (and weekend) studying for my first exam; it was on Tuesday of this last week, and it was in anatomy, my hardest class by far. I earned at 89%, equal to the class average. It was nice to see I was on par with my classmates and that all my hard work paid off. Now I know what I have to do for the rest of the tests....lots of butt busting ahead.

I have also managed to make a lot of new friends and have some fun during the last two weeks as well. I really like all of my classmates; no one seems to be hard to get along with or unlikeable. Everyone is very friendly and outgoing. We have already gone on a tubing trip, organized a BBQ and attended another and played several games of beach volleyball. I have met several girls who I really enjoy spending time/studying with, but have made pretty close friendships (already!) with a girl named Keri and a girl named Bryanna. Bryanna lives across the parking lot from me, which makes it super easy to get together and study. Also, we have decided that to do a little stress busting; we are going to train for a 5K that we will run in July or August. I'm so excited! I am not a runner...AT ALL...but I found a cool web site that is a training plan called "couch to 5K"; it trains you slowly and is meant for people who are not used to running. Keri and I met at our first orientation and have really hit it off. It is nice to have a friend in the program who knows exactly how you feel. We have been doing a lot of studying/work on projects lately, so we took a road trip to the west side of the state today to relax and enjoy the sun. The beach was GORGEOUS, but we are both a little crispy around the edges.

Even with all this school and my recent activities, I have still found time to do some experimenting in the kitchen....I have three yummy new recipes to share!

Chicken Calzone
Dough for 1 pizza
6 chicken breast tenders, cooked and chopped
1 cup Colby Jack cheese


Tomato sauce:
1 small can Hunt's tomato sauce
1 tomato, diced
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbs fresh sweet basil, chopped
1/4 chopped red onion
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt/pepper to taste
Saute onions in butter in a medium sauce pan. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 1 hour on low heat.

Spread dough out on pizza pan . Pour sauce on 1/2 of the circle of dough, leaving 1/2 inch around the outer edge. Place chicken and cheese on top of the sauce. Fold the dough over the filled half and crimp edges shut. Brush top of dough with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

TOO Cheese Burger (Tomato, Oregano, Onion)

1/4 lb lean hamburger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 cup shredded cheese
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tbs red onion, chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

Blend all ingredients into meat with hands. Form into a patty and place on grill. Cook to desired done-ness.

For toppings, I suggest spinach, mayo and honey mustard to give a slightly sweet zing. You don't need much...the burger has a ton of flavor!

Egg-cellent Breakfast Bun
1 egg
1/4 cup shredded cheese
2 slices Roasted turkey (lunch meat)
1/4 cup spinach
1 tomato, sliced
Mayo
Whole wheat bun, toasted

Fry the egg until cooked through and yoke is hard. At the same time, brown the turkey in a little bit of butter. Spread mayo on the toasted bun and layer with turkey, spinach and tomato. Shut off heat to pan and cover egg with cheese, allowing to melt. Place egg on bun.

With all this food, it's a good thing I'm going to be doing all that running!