Questions to Ponder

What good is an instrumental musician 
without their instrument?

What good is a baker without an oven?

What good is a cook without food 
(because they have no fridge to store it in)?

What good is a dinner party host without a table?

What good is a deck without patio furniture?  

What good is owning a home 
if you don't have the basic essentials in it?

How good can the quality of life be 
when you are a slave to debt?

Excuse me while I go eat another cookie....

Culinary Compositions

After many comments, praise and encouragement, I've decided to create a Facebook page dedicated to things I make in the kitchen.  Please "like" Culinary Compositions on Facebook.  It's a place where I'll post photos and recipes.  I hope to inspire others to spend more time in their kitchens at home creating tasty dishes from scratch instead of eating out all the time or eating something that came from a box.  Always pursue happiness and health!

Advice

Today I'm holding on tight to a piece of advice I heard from another Medical Spouse right before Residency started.  She said, "Love the man, hate the Doctor."  I just knew I'd have to remember that phrase sooner or later.  Well, the time has come.
My DH informed me this morning that the vacation time he requested won't exactly work out as planned.  Yes, I know the key word is "request", but it's usually not difficult for them to get that requested time off.  We each have $250 in SW LUV vouchers we can use towards our next flight.  Spring break was when we were planning on using them for another vacation.  Well, it turns out that it's not going to work out that way.  The DH is scheduled for Jeopardy during the back half of March.  He's already tried swapping with the person who has Jeopardy during the front half, but apparently he has vacation plans for spring break too.  At this point, our only option is to try to pay somebody to cover his jeopardy and then hopefully make the money back by taking somebody else's Jeopardy.  
If you don't understand all of the "doctor" scheduling, it's alright. I don't get it much either.  All I know is as of right now we won't be able to vacation together.  So, I'm remembering "Love the man, hate the Doctor." 


On a positive note, I made a wonderful breakfast for myself this morning.  I mean, I always eat a wonderful breakfast, but lately it's been egg whites and some low-fat cheese.  This morning I'm suffering from a horrible migraine and didn't feel like eating the usual.  
I would post a photo of my breakfast, but I ate it before I could snap one.  Oops.  I enjoyed Fage Greek yogurt (lower in sugar and higher in protein than other yogurt) (1/2 a small container = 3.5 ounces of Fage) with 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 pump SF vanilla Torani, fresh blueberries, 1Tbsp. old fashioned oats, and a few almond slices.  It was crazy good!  You should definitely give it a try!  

Food Review - Gigi's Cupcakes

Pretty= yes.  Taste= meh.....

This is their Orange Dreamsicle Cupcake.  The actual cupcake was dry and bland, but the frosting was dreamsicley delicious.

A blog follower (and friend) commented on my recent food review of Cupcakes To Go Go.  She was curious if I'd tried Gigi's Cupcakes.  I have tried Gigi's here in OKC and wasn't impressed.  
When the DH and I walked in we were greeted with a beautiful case of cupcakes.  They really were quite gorgeous.  We ordered the Orange Dreamsicle Cupcake to go.  Once we got home we were excited to try our cupcake.  As we both took a bite and chewed it, we looked at each other with disappointment.  Our conclusions were that the buttercream icing was piled too high but pretty dreamsicley delicious. The cake part of the cupcake was dry, stale, and flavorless.  The texture was all wrong.  We discovered that we weren't the only cupcake connoisseurs that thought this.  


Here's what a friend said on Facebook in response to the above photo and caption:
"I have to agree!  Darling cupcakes but nothing special taste... Unless all you care about is frosting.  And then, even still, it's quite expensive for just the joy of the frosting.  Oh, well... Gotta try all the cupcake shops!  : )"


Life is too short to get calories from things that aren't worth it. Over 1/2 of our cupcake went in the trash.  We would have been happier with Pillsbury boxed cake mix and frosting.

Food Review - Matthew Kenney OKC

This RAW restaurant was featured on LivingSocial several months ago.  I purchased the deal.  If I remember correctly, I only paid $25 for $50 worth of food.  I took David to this restaurant one evening and we took a look at the menu before sitting.  He noticed that they specialized in raw, dairy free, gluten-free, and vegan dishes.  That was it for him.  We left and ate somewhere else that evening.  

I decided my Mother In-Law would be the perfect person to try this place out with me.  She's okay not having meat and does very well with ethnic foods and trying new things.  So, as soon as she returned to OKC from her summer adventure in Santa Fe, I had to meet her for lunch.  We made a girly date and enjoyed trying out this restaurant.  

Matthew Kenney OKC was much better than I expected.  I'm very much an avocado girl, so I thoroughly enjoyed their 'chips and guac.'  The guac was chunky and had an incredible flavor.  It was served with cacoa-corn chips, which were surprisingly good.  I would love to go back and order this again.  

The green curry noodle dish was probably my second favorite item.  It was so fresh and the flavor combinations were wonderful.  I just wish I knew the nutrition information for the kelp noodles.  

While still incredibly delicious, my least favorite dish was the fajita lettuce wrap.  Going by the title and description, I assumed that it was served in a fresh leaf of lettuce so I was quite surprised to find that it was actually served in a wrap.  It was probably my least favorite because it wasn't super unique and I could make something very similar in my own kitchen.

The pizza bianco was excellent!  It was served on a giant cacao-chip.  I'm not sure if the whipped marscapone was real or some sort of substitute because I was told everything was dairy-free and vegan.  As I'm sure you know, marscapone is a cheese.  Either way, I may be lactose-intolerant (can't do milk or ice cream), but I'm not a dairy-free gal.  I LOVE cheese!

Matthew Kenney OKC isn't a place I'll go often, but I really enjoyed it from the food to the ambiance.  It was wonderful and I definitely recommend giving them a try if you're in the OKC area.  It's located in the hottest new place in OKC, the Classen Curve. 

‘chips and guac’

fork crushed avocado, cacao-corn chips, pickled green chili, smoked salt, mole

green curry noodles

thai coconut, kelp noodles, peachcrest vegetables, basil, chili, almonds

fajita lettuce wrap

marinated vegetables, pico de gallo, avocado ‘beans’, sour cream, cilantro

pizza bianco

whipped marscapone, sweet peppers, young arugula, marinara, spicy olive oil

400th Post!

This is my 400th post!  I thought I'd celebrate by posting current photos of my fur-child because he's usually lying on my lap while I blog.  Love him to pieces!

A BIG THANK YOU to all of my readers!  

It has been my pleasure to have you along for the journey.  I hope you'll continue to follow "Music & Medicine" because things are going to start getting a little more exciting around here.  Enjoy!

Food Review - Cupcakes To Go Go

I have a couple of friends that swear by Cupcakes To Go Go located in Edmond, Oklahoma.  They say their cupcakes are the best in the state and that I should give them a try.  I love and adore my friends, but I've come to the conclusion that we don't have the same tastes when it comes to cupcakes. Their #1 flavor recommendation was the Almond Resort.  First of all, I'm not a fan of fake almond.  I love real almonds, but the fake flavoring just doesn't do it for me.  My friends didn't believe there was a fake almond taste at all, but simply explained it to be like the most incredible wedding cake ever made.  So, I gave this place and their Almond Resort a try.  
My conclusions are that these are not from scratch cupcakes.  The texture was that of a boxed mix.  It was piled pretty high with almond buttercream frosting.  I'm also guessing the buttercream was made of shortening (Crisco) and not butter.  My reason to believe that is due to the fact that it was 104 degrees out and I left 3/4 of 2 uneaten cupcakes in my car for about 1 1/2 hours and they didn't melt.  Also, the buttercream frosting tasted like that fake almond extract of which I'm not a fan.  
We all have different tastes and that's part of what makes the world so beautiful.  Boxed cake mix topped with fake flavoring buttercream that's piled high isn't appealing to me in the least. If you're a fan of a consistent cake that's piled high with buttercream frosting, then this is your place.  You'll love it!  I'll stick to my favorite place which meets my snobbish occasional cupcake needs, Sara Sara Cupcakes.  

SOLD!

It's official!  Our offer was accepted on a house today.  We're set to close on August 31.


This is the first home that David and I are purchasing together.  Our first home was purchased solo by him when he was 20 and only 4 days before we were engaged.  We lived in that home until May 2007 when we sold it to move to St. Louis to pursue a dream.  Apartments have been our home ever since.  


We've moved so much in the past year that the idea of doing it again is absolutely exhausting.  At least this time it will be the last time for quite a while.  Seriously, we don't plan on moving again for at least 5 years.  


Here's a lovely photo of our home...

It's a historic home (completely redone) in OKC that was originally built in 1920.  It's 2 bed/2 bath in a highly sought after neighborhood.  It still has the original hardwood floors, Frankoma fireplace, original glass doorknobs and so much more!
The kitchen currently has an antique stove/oven, but we're having them remove it prior to closing.  The actual oven space was too small for what I do, so I'll be shopping for a new one soon.  Yippee!
The garage has an air-conditioned room that's separate and we'll eventually use that as a home gym (Note to my DH: I would LOVE an elliptical for Christmas).  The master bedroom has a private door that opens up to the patio where our hot tub is located.  We'll use the 2nd room as our "media room" for 2-4 years until it's time to have a kid.  lol!  
This home was so well taken care of and we just love it!  It's on a corner lot and about 3.1 miles to DH's work and 6 miles to mine.  It's also super close to the bakers supply store I've been shopping at lately.  I feel there are more cookie orders in my future.  lol!
The backyard is absolutely gorgeous!
Please pray the inspection and everything else goes well. 

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

To all of my friends & family living somewhere 
other than Oklahoma.  

Howdy, from Oklahoma!  You are missed!

Life's A Beach!

I had a fabulous time decorating these cookies.  

The theme was fantastic! 

New Addition!

My DH knows how much I used my mixer so he treated me to this BEAUTY!

I'm currently working on a dessert order and it was the perfect opportunity to try out my new mixer.  One word = WOW!  I LOVE it!
As you can see from the photos, it's the KitchenAid Professional 600.  It has a 6-qt. bowl and a 575 watt motor.  That's some power!  I may need to take a few more cookie/dessert jobs to help pay for this, but that's currently in the works.  Contact me if you're interested in placing an order.

RIP

I had to say my farewells to a wonderful friend. My KitchenAid Artisan mixer bit the dust.  I plugged it in and turned it on hoping to make some homemade whipped cream, but it was completely non-responsive. I did try other outlets and my DH started taking it apart, but it was no use.  I'll get it to the repair shop one of these days to see how much it would be to get up and running again.

  

My guess that I worked it to death and burnt out the motor. 

It was a super sad day.

Dec. 2004-June 2011

From The Kitchen

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes 

I made for David's Birthday (July 3)

Recipe by Martha Stewart

(mine look different because I used my cupcake corer and then filled them)

Patriotic Strawberries 

for Independence Day 2011

Homemade Blueberry Pie 

with 2 pounds of fresh blueberries I purchased at Sams.

Roasted Tomato

Clean and slice tomatoes.  Lay them on a parchment lined pan.  Drizzle with good quality EVOO and balsamic vinegar.  Add some crushed garlic, basil, and thyme.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.  Peel if desired.

These were amazing!  

Banana Cupcakes 

with PB Frosting

Mmm.....  I'll have to post the recipe for this one later.  

Low-Carb Sushi

I LOVE sushi, but it is by no means healthy for this non-carb eating girl.  After discussing sushi over lunch with a friend the other day, I was REALLY craving it.  So, this is what I had for dinner that evening.

It's zucchini, cream cheese, smoked salmon, and avocado.

You could make this by using cucumber, shrimp, crab, asparagus, etc.

Do yourself a favor and try it because it's 

absolutely delicious and cures that sushi craving.  

Summer Schedule

Being a teacher is awesome... really awesome.  I absolutely love working most of the year and then having my summer off and still receive a paycheck.  It's truly wonderful and I can't imagine having any other profession.  


My DH is coming up on his 1 week anniversary of being a PGY1.  We've already had a few stressful situations at home, but thankfully they weren't anything too bad.  While the DH has been at work I've been dealing with an apartment flood, a de-magnetized/non-sealing freezer door (leading to a flood in the freezer), and on top of all that, our internet pooped out on us.  It's a good thing I'm on summer break so I could take care of all this.  It has been a full-time job.  I've also had a couple of health situations that have kept me from doing much.  I sure hope our luck turns around soon.


I'm discovering how I can spend more time with my DH.  I have been getting up with him in the mornings.  I make him breakfast and then we sit on our leather sofa and chat while he drinks his many shots of espresso.  Once he leaves I hydrate and head to the gym or go out for a run.  After that I do housework and hangout with our pup.  I run errands if needed and try to soak up some rays by the pool.  When the temps become too high for me to handle, I head back to our air-conditioned home and do more housework, hangout on facebook, research recipes, etc.  I start cooking dinner when the DH calls me to let me know he's on his way home.  That's usually 14 hours after he left that morning.  


As much as I love summer, I am looking forward to school.  It'll be nice to be busy all day and not sit around waiting for my DH to come home.  We're only a week in so I don't have any words of wisdom.  It'll take a while to get all of this figured out.  In fact, I'd be willing to bet that as soon as we start becoming comfortable with PGY1 it'll be over.  We're just taking it one day at a time.  That's the best we can do right now.  

Lounging poolside

Bad photo, but you can see the water line and stained floor.

(Our neighbor had a party and a 

drunken male guest left her bathtub water 

running ALL NIGHT LONG.)

Recipe Review

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

I found the recipe here on Martha Stewart's website.  This recipe was an extreme disappointment to me.  I followed it perfectly, but the cake turned out dry and I wasn't impressed with the texture or flavor.  I have had much better cupcakes.

PGY1, Day 1

This is a very personal post, but I felt I needed to document this moment.

I woke up this morning at 5:54 am knowing that my husband had already arrived to the hospital for his first day as a first year Resident.  My heart sank.  That's it... our bit of freedom and summer together is officially over.  I'm not ready to feel as if I do life by myself again.  

My husband is now an employee and no longer a student.  He'll be working no less than 60 hours a week for the next 5 years (unless he's on vacation) and is "capped" (a term I use loosely) at 80 hours. Did I mention he's on salary? 

My husband now wears a long white coat, a stethoscope around his neck, a reflex hammer, other various "doctor tools", has special keys, keeps his medical license on him at all times, and carries around a pager that rules his our lives.  Whether we're ready or not, it's here and it's happening.  Welcome to Residency.  

A friend made a post on a blog and I'd like to quote parts of that entry.  Please know that I did respectfully ask and receive her permission before posting this.  

I believe she explains the thoughts and life issues of a Resident's Wife very well.

"we deal with so many lies about medicine like, doctor husband = money, doctor husband = sweet schedule, doctor husband = easy life. and after you hear these lies on repeat, you start to wonder what the truth really is. . . what really happens when that MD gets tacked onto your husband's mail. sometimes it's bliss. but most of the time it's chaos"

"im glad to get things moving again. im ridiculously excited to get some sort of a paycheck. but then there's the majority of my thoughts. ive been bursting into tears randomly throughout the day. something will remind me that my best friend isnt going to be right next to me anymore. that all this incredible time with him is going to disappear."

"what really kills me inside is that im going to have to deal with the hard stuff by myself again."  

"the bank account will be just as empty"

".....and so the truth of being a doctor's wife is that you're at the mercy of "the schedule". sometimes that means he's home in time for a birthday party. sometimes it means that you're all alone in a new city with none of your friends around"

"and while it would be so nice to spend our last day together 
as a family, orthoman decided that Poker Night 
with his new fellow interns wasnt enough. 
they're playing golf in the morning and then,
oh yeah, did he forget to mention that one 
of the reps is taking everyone out tomorrow night
for a fancy dinner? dammit, i mean it's not like he's 
disappearing for the next 5 damn years. 
so i guess you could say that truthfully, 
im already feeling bitter."

"well shit. i guess the truth is just as ugly as the lies."

- Natalie L. 

Thank you to Natalie for contributing to today's post.