Fiery Citrus Chicken Fajitas

Being a slightly food-obsessed college student, I think that my counter-top grill (aka The George) is one of the greatest inventions to every grace my kitchen with its presence. In a fit of culinary productivity last weekend, I decided that it was high time to bust out The George and make one of my favorite creations, citrus marinated chicken fajitas. Easy to make, fresh, healthy, and awesomely delicious. This time I decided to kick up the spice a bit with rather pleasing results. So, here's the new and improved recipe. ¡Qué sabroso!

Note - As always, measurements are more like guidelines than actually rules, here. I add a dash of this and a splash of that until it tastes good, then try to figure out the measurements.

The Goods:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips
1 small green pepper
1 small red pepper
1 small white onion
2 tsp.s chipotle paste
6-8 flour tortillas
green cabbage

The Marinade:
2 oranges
3 limes
2 tblsp. white vinegar
2 tblsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tsp. salt
4-6 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
dash of cayenne pepper

Juice the oranges and limes into a large glass dish (hint: throw the limes into the microwave for about 10 seconds before slicing them and they'll give more juice), add the vinegar, oil, and spices. These amounts are rough estimates, so if you're looking for a bit more fire in your life, add a bit more cayenne and black pepper. If your tastes are a bit more mild, go easy with the peppers and the garlic. Whip up all the goodness until it "smells like a fiesta," as my friend put it. Reserve about 2 tblsp. of marinade to season veggies.

Add sliced chicken to marinade and let it soak up the goodness for 1-6 hours.

When it's about dinner time, plug in your grill. While it gets nice and hot, wash and seed peppers and slice them into thin strips, about an inch long. Peel and slice onion. Toss veggies with reserved marinade. For a bit of extra burn, add 1 or 2 tsp. chipotle paste. Heat a large frying pan, add a splash of olive oil and sauté veggies. Grill chicken, about 4 pieces at a time.

After grilling, slice chicken. Serve with warm tortillas, sautéed veggies, and chopped cabbage. I like to add a bit of salsa and sour cream as well.

Enjoy!


PS- Two shout-outs:
1- David Gray, I adore you. Thank you for creating an absolutely brilliant new album. I am much obliged.

2- Dear reader in Utica - Who are you? Thanks for reading and if you ever seen any of those LDS missionaries wandering around your town, tell my buddy Elder Jones "Hi!" for me.

Is This Real Life?

So, this is actually the (slightly modified) conclusion of an essay I've been working on this weekend. I'm currently enrolled in Humanities 350 - A Study of Theory and Criticism. Thus far, we've mostly been reading the wafflings of a bunch of old dudes who have way too much time to analyze everything & detrimentally huge vocabularies. However, we did read this gloss on The Cat in the Hat which was hilarious, enlightening, bizarre, and disturbing all at the same time. (Gloss, in this sense, is a fancy theorist word that means "interpretation or analysis.") Read it, but be warned, you'll never look at children's books quite the same way again; they may seem innocent. . . but no.

Anyway, theory. It's real. Though I mock it & sometimes/usually abhor Marx, Derrida, & Foucault, I thought I'd share my little "ah-ha moment" with y'all.

Actually, I'm not really sure why I decided to post this... it's not that interesting. Oh, well.

Last night, I was talking with a friend of mine, complaining about living in the library so much, and analyzing our latest bizarre dreams. Then I had an epiphany. The way we were talking about dreams, examining them from different angles, looking for possible symbolism – that is theory.

Jaw

drops.

When you take that step beyond the surface meaning, that’s theory. When you look at each word, feel out its implications, study its history, and show that every word can make a difference, that’s theory. When you study everyday life, common occurrences, fashions, fads, and trends and somehow find significance in all of those little things, that’s theory. “Today it is generally recognized that everyday life is quite as intricate, unfathomable, obscure and occasionally tedious as Wagner, and thus eminently worth investigating” (Eagleton “After Theory” 4).

It is hard to give a concrete definition for theory because theory itself is not concrete; it is always changing to fit society’s new ideal, or at least to avoid the things that society holds in contempt. “…Knowledge is always open to further interpretation and criticism,…understanding is always susceptible to further correction and realization” (Gunn “Interdisciplinary Studies” 255).

Theory finds significance in the seemingly insignificant. Theory crosses boundaries, bringing the ideals and techniques from one area of study to analyze the works of another field. Theory often blows my mind or leaves me wondering why it matters at all.

Theory asks little questions. Theory asks big questions. Theory questions the questions. And all this questioning changes the way in which we view things, alters our understanding, and helps us to make a work our own. When we analyze something and wrestle with its layers of potential meaning, we grasp it in an entirely new way. Theory makes connections.

Something That May or May Not Be Worth Reading

I've been studying serious stuff too much & this has been bouncing around my head for some time, so it needed to get out.

Hey, blog, it's been awhile,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing pretty well. Working hard, staying busy, thinking about editing internships in Boston and San Francisco, and actually sleeping for a decent number of hours each night. I give people grades, which gives me the oddly mixed feelings of power and intimidation. It's like all of the sudden I had to grow up a bit and be responsible, like I could finally keep up with all of this, like I could be that almost-adult person that keeps a job and goes to school, like I could measure up to all the expectations, but sometimes these big decisions still scare the crap out of me.

I don't cook as much as I used to, but with all these hours of sleep, I've had plenty of time to dream. I've been listening to lots of new music and digging up some old favorites, but I still listen for the lyrics first. I've helped a few friends through some hard times, made a playlist of communal grieving, and wished that sometimes my memory wasn't quite so vivid. There have been lots of things that I've wanted to write, but it seems like I never have the time. Or maybe I just didn't have the courage. Or maybe it just didn't need to be said in the first place. Nah... it must have been the time thing.

But I feel like I've had a fresh start. I got myself a new backpack and a whole load of editing books to fill it up. I even bought myself a pair of skinny jeans, which seems oddly monumental. I wear jewelry on occasion, now, but my tied bracelets from India are still going strong after six months - maybe the love makes them stronger than normal strings.

So, although I wish it were springtime already, on this weepy, drippy sort of winter day, life is pretty good. And even though I haven't said much lately, I'm still here, still breathing, still thinking, still dreaming, still jabbering, still wondering. I'll be back, maybe when I have more time to write silly things of no great import. Or maybe I'll just figure out how to juggle all of these things that some might call "life."

Until then, keep listening - the music always changes.

Kels

Soundtrack, Take 2

School is crazy. I already spent the majority of my day in the library, & my hair is up in a bun secured with a pencil. This does not give me much optimism for the prospects of my social life. But having a job as a TA is great fun; giving people grades is a thrilling mix of feeling powerful & feeling intimidated.

In other news, I'm starting a new soundtrack for the blog for this new year. Right now, its a blend of some new favorites (Ben Solle = love) & some old classics (David Gray also = love). & if you haven't caught on by now, there's a lot to the lyrics.

Enjoy & keep listening - I'll be adding all sorts of new goodies.

You can still listen to all of my playlists HERE. (oooh, linkage. pretty.)

Welcome 2010/ Crepes w/ Zesty Ginger & Orange Cream Cheese Filling

*PHOTOS ADDED*

I've messed with a lot of different ideas for blog posts during this past month. This is my 100th post, you see, & I felt like it needed to be something special. My brainstorm of options was quite extensive & included 10 top 10 lists, 100 favorite songs, & an Ode to my Chucks, my beloved traveling Converse. But nothing ever went anywhere. So... no post. Last night I welcomed the new year in the best way here at home with my family. We had a lovely fire & watched "Wait Until Dark" while the snow billowed past our windows. & suddenly, it was 2010.

This morning, I woke up with a lovely idea floating around in my head - don't you just love it when that happens? The lovely idea went something like this - I have fresh ginger. There are oranges in my kitchen. There are about 6 blocks of cream cheese in the fridge. I think 2010 needs to be welcomed by a batch of crepes with some sort of amazing cream cheese filling. So, I started concocting. Based on the results, I think 2010 is going to be a very good year indeed.

serving suggestion - we also added glazed pears
and creamy cinnamon syrup - recipe to come

Crepes
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp. melted butter
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Put everything in a blender & whip it up for about a minute. Scrape the batter down with a rubber spatula & give it another buzz for about 30 seconds. Refrigerate for an hour. (You can skip the "refrigerate" part if your house is as cold as mine.)

Cook the crepes in a small frying pan. Coat the pan with melted butter, then add about 2 tblsp. of batter, tilting the pan & rolling the batter around until it coats the bottom of the pan. Cook until the top of the crepe looks a bit dry & the edges of the crepe begin to lift from the sides of the pan.

delicious. mmmm.

Zesty Ginger Orange Filling
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (DO NOT use that non-fat stuff - that's just nasty)
6 tblsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tblsp. orange zest (this is a rough estimate- feel free to add more)
2 tsp. milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
dash of powdered ginger
pinch of salt

I think that was everything... Basically, whip all of that goodness together with a mixer until it's fluffy & delicious. It works best if you blend the cream cheese & the milk first, then add the powdered sugar & orange juice & whip it up. Then add the zests & the spices. YUM.

Fill your crepes with a dollop of filling, roll, & top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Bon Appétit!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New Sounds

This post kinda no longer applies... cause my blog is now featuring my Christmas Playlist 2009 for the rest of December. But you can listen to the other playlist here.

I've been on a new music kick lately, changing up some things, putting away some old playlist that were played to often, and looking for something new.

This first song goes out to Martha, who is the best psychiatrist ever. & she's really cool.

I look bald in this picture. I swear I'm not. This was like the second time I saw Martha. Already, there was a spark of destiny.

The second song is... strange. But I kinda love it... in a strange way.

Peace Unto Your Hearts

Author's Note: I wrote this essay for a religion class at Brigham Young University. It's really really really long. But I felt like it was worth sharing, so here 'tis.
***
At some point in our lives, I think each of us have felt lost or bewildered by the decisions we face. Confusion, uncertainty, and fear creep in and make us wonder if we are heading in the right direction. Everyday we make decisions, some big, some small. Often we do not even realize how the decisions we make that may seem small can greatly affect us. When facing all these choices, how can we gain guidance and direction from our Lord?

This question has often been on my mind during the past few months. I have recently realized that as a junior at Brigham Young University, I am facing many big “grown-up” decisions. Between deciding if I should apply for an internship, go on a study abroad, spend my summer in India working for a non-profit organization, I have had a lot of questions to face. Ending a happy relationship, trying to get back into the dating game, and starting to think about putting in my mission papers have only added to my feelings of uncertainty and my need for the Lord’s guidance. We have been promised that if we keep our covenants, we “have every right to a positive outlook on this life and on the next.”1

In the Doctrine and Covenants, we find many examples of the Lord explicitly and purposefully guiding the prophet Joseph Smith and the many others who were vital in building the foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As these great men and women faced new challenges and questions, the Lord blessed them with guidance. The founders of the Church truly were taught “line upon line, and precept upon precept…” (D&C 98:12). As they moved forward, reestablished the Church, and delved deeper into doctrine, they were taught and guided by Heavenly Father and our Savior. By searching the Doctrine and Covenants and the teachings of prophets, apostles, and other wise scholars, we can better understand the ways in which Joseph and his companions received the direction that they needed and emulate their example.

In D&C 112:10 we are instructed, “Be thou humble and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answers to thy prayers.” I believe that this instruction to be humble requires two steps. First, we must humbly acknowledge that we need the Lord’s guidance and direction in our lives. We must seek his counsel through studying the scriptures and the teachings of modern prophets as well as offering prayers in faith. Second, we must display the humility to accept the direction that we have received. This second part is something that I have greatly struggled with as I have received answers that I am not ready to accept. I now recognize that I was lacking in faith like Martin Harris and, to some extent, “set[ting] as naught the counsels of God” (D&C 3:13). When we repeatedly disregard the guidance the Lord has given us and return to him with the same question, He allows us to make our own decision. “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’ ” 2

We must remember that the Lord will not make our decision for us. We must first “study it out in [our] mind[s], then [we] must ask if it be right” (D&C 9:8). Once we have carefully considered the matter and come to a conclusion, we should ask our Father in Heaven to confirm our decision. “Revelation is an active, not a passive, process requiring a combination of spiritual sensitivity and intellectual exertion.”3 Bruce R. McConkie further states, “It is not, never has been, and never will be the design and purpose of the Lord—however much we seek him in prayer—to answer all our problems and concerns without struggle and effort on our part.” 4

At times, it seems difficult to separate our thoughts and feelings from the impressions and directions given to us by the Lord. Fortunately, we can learn much from the experience of Oliver Cowdery as he sought guidance from the Lord, who said, “Behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart…” (D&C 8:2). Robinson and Garrett give further illumination:
The Lord works with both systems—the mind—our intellect—and the heart, our feelings… Revelation is neither emotion devoid of sense nor intellect without feeling, but a combination of both faculties working together in harmony. Because the Holy Ghost is a revelator, his presence will enlighten the mind; no truly spiritual exercise can ever be “mindless.” The Holy Ghost, however, dwells not in our mind, but in our heart—we will feel his influence rather than deduce it. While the Holy Ghost speaks to our minds, he speaks from our hearts. 5
Personal Revelation does not come separately to the heart or mind but to both simultaneously. We receive intellectual enlightenment and guidance and feel a sense of peace. Again, we can learn from the words of the Lord to Oliver in Section 6, “Cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart…Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?” (D&C 6:22-23) Furthermore, “There is no surer testimony than that of the Spirit of God.” 6

Conversely, our prayers are not always answered by a confirmation. When discussing personal revelation, we often hear the term “stupor of thought.” But what does that mean? The Oxford American Dictionary defines a stupor as “a state of near-unconsciousness…” But a spiritual stupor is “a sense of anxiety and being uncomfortable, not being able to relax with the decision.”7 The Lord does not always give a negative answer by a stupor of thought.8 Sometimes we may not receive any answer immediately. We must cultivate patience and faith, as instructed by Elder Scott.
Have patience as you [perfect] your ability to be led by the Spirit…Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down…I bear solemn witness that as you pray with all the fervor of your soul with humility and gratitude, you can learn to be consistently guided by the Holy Spirit in all aspects of your life…the Savior can guide you to resolve challenges of life and enjoy great peace and happiness. 9
When we feel like our prayers have gone unanswered, we must keep our faith strong and believe that the Lord will guide us. “Doubt not, Fear not” (D&C 6:36).

At times I have found myself on my knees begging for an answer that did not come. In those moments, it is easy to feel discouraged, alone, or even forsaken. But I know that even when the answers do not come in the way we expect or the way we would like, our Father in Heaven never forsakes us. “Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.”10 Our Heavenly Father loves us. He wants us to find happiness. When we have made a decision and turn to Him in faith and humility, He will guide us as he guided the young prophet Joseph and the first leaders of the Church.

Works Cited
1- Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine & Covenants. 4 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2000) 2: 245
2- C.S. Lewis. http://thinkexist.com/quotations/will. 2.
3-Steven C. Harper. Making Sense of the Doctrine & Covenants. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. 2008. 45.
4- Bruce R. McConkie. “Why the Lord Ordained Prayer,” Ensign January 1976. 7.
5- Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine & Covenants. 4 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2000) 1: 62-63.
6- Hyrum M. Smith, The Doctrine and Covenants, Revised Edition. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1950). 37.
7- David Walch. “Joseph Smith Lecture” Devotional address at BYU-Hawaii. 21 March, 2002.
8- Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine & Covenants. 4 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2000) 1: 67.
9- Richard G. Scott, “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance,” Ensign November 2009. 9.
10- Deiter F. Uchtdorf, “The Love of God,” Ensign November 2009. 21-24.

The Internet is Amusing

I have a new favorite tech trick - taking screen shots of the funny or wise things I find on the internet. Okay, so it's actually not that tricky... but I just figured out how to do it a few months ago, & I still think it's cool.

Anywho, for your viewing/procrastinating pleasure, here are some of the latest & greatest I have found. This is so ridiculously true. Watching a chick flick when you're lonely is like eating a chocolate kiss when you're starving - it makes you feel better for about 3.6 seconds, then you realize how much you're missing out on.

The above was on my facebook... I'm not really sure why I find this so amusing; perhaps it's the juxtaposition of an ad about black men & an ad about Michael Jackson. Yes, the juxtaposition.

I just like this rather a lot.People, unfortunately, do not usually take well to graphing.
I really do believe there are many girls out there who now believe that their problem isn't finding the right guy, but rather finding the right part-human mythological creature.

Oh, Dr. Seuss. He really did say so many wise things. Like "fish wish dish!" (Also - what was he a Doctor of?)

This cartoon is actually based on a true story- the story of the way Jess' alarm clock has behaved since daylight savings time. It's possessed.
Yes, Google, you are right, I'm pretty sure Edgar Allan Poe used "the color fred" as a metaphor all the time.


And last, but definitely not least:


If I have to look like this to qualify for a Pell Grant, you can keep your free money. woosh.

In case you can't see the expression/disturbingness of this guy's face, here's a close up. My appologies to your eyes.

25

I will write a blog on the topic of choice of whoever becomes my next follower. I don't care if it's mashed potatoes or belly button lint.

I've been hovering at 24 for far too long.

& I want to exercise my random skillsssss.

Distractions

Everybody gets distracted & lately I've needed a few things to keep my mind occupied. Here are some of my favorite anti-study/think things:

- So, I've been reading my blog from last November and it's been a good reminder of how much I have been blessed. I think I did some of my best writing then, probably because my focus wasn't just me. Also, *this* is just really amusing... at least, to me it is.

- The new John Mayer album, Battle Studies, is just amazing. Thank you, Mr. Mayer, for writing my what my soul is feeling. (You're currently listening to one of my favorite new tracks; there will be more as they become available.)

- We used this Dave Barry article as an example in my grammar class today. You might not want to read it with your mouth full, for various reasons.

- I adore Kazooisms - it makes me pray that I will have witty and amusing children so I can blog about their awesomeness.

And my fellow bloggers (see blog roll -> thataway) - many of us were actually together, in person, last night, and what did we end up talking about? Our blogs. And how they say a lot about our personalities. It's kinda shocking how transparent we all are when we just thought we were blogging...