Laura Fernsten

Spring that is!!!

There’s something I love about fresh green grass, the smell of it when it is cut. Flower buds on trees, birds chirping, tulips and daffodils popping up, blue skies, oh yes, and NO SNOW!

A lot of things are going on.  This is the time of the year that people who are graduating are getting real jobs, going out in the world, moving home, etc. I am graduating, but i’m making a much bigger decision. On May 2 I will be having surgery to fix my herniated disc. It has been a long, hard road, but I have fought, and fought hard for this. This means a long, had recovery, but also no more pain (or minimal) pain in my right leg. Eventually I can do things that i’ve been dying to do. I can play frisbee, jump, use a trampoline, etc without having that lingering worry about how much pain i’m going to be in the next day.

Fingers crossed that everything goes well. I’m slightly nervous, but more relieved than anything. Here goes nothing!!

I graduate college in a little more than 2 weeks.

I still don’t have a full time job.

I talked to a neurosurgeon and he wants to do back surgery on me! We went over all the details and it isn’t nearly as bad as people have been telling me.

Oh yeah, I have mono. Fuuuuuun.

Yes, I said Salmon.  I found this amazingly delicious, and equally simple recipe that is tangy, and will make you go back for more sauce.

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 pound salmon fillets

This week’s food challenge: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Aaaand possible monster cookies. The worse my headache gets, the more and more appealing they sound. There’s just something magical that happens when chocolate and peanut butter combine.

If you haven’t seen 30 Rock, then you need to. There’s a character on there named Liz Lemon, and sometimes I think I am her. She’s a tv show producer that is obsessed with food, doesn’t know how to dress herself, and is constantly getting food in her hair or on her clothes.

I also feel a bit like Monica from Friends. Particularly the episode where she makes Christmas candy and has a mob outside her door demanding more and more ! I guess I can thank mom for showing me how to make mint brownies, as they are now being requested more and more.

Maybe this is the universe telling me I should do cooking as my career…. the wheels are turning…

I’m thinking about starting a food blog. I knew I liked cooking, but this year it’s turned into I love cooking. And not just baked good either; dinners, appetizers, soups, main entrees (which include fish!). But last night I made a meal that I attempted to make over the summer; Cafe Rio. Over the summer I had to get up at 4am or something crazy to start it because I had to work all day long. But this time I didn’t have to work so I could be more in control. And let me tell you .. it turned out way better than I had ever thought!! It was so delicious I stuffed myself full then had to be lazy all night because of it.

Now i’m just trying to find another challenge to cook. Suggestions?

So… I have an obsession. I love the color purple. My favorite color used to be blue, up until last year when Megan made me a package with everything purple in it for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month. Purple is the color for that. Anyways, I just started collecting purple things so I could wear them throughout the month, then I grew to love purple.

I can’t believe it came up so fast and left so quickly. I kept thinking about the 3 year anniversary of when dad died. But this year was different. I knew the significance of the day and what happened, but I felt blessed to be around people I love all day long. I was able to laugh and catch up with some of my favorite people, and I know that’s how dad would wanted it to be.

I feel finally at peace with it  (or as much as you can be). I still miss my dad all the time, especially when I need a good handy man, or someone to talk to, but I know and am very grateful that I will be able to see him again, one day.

Miss you, always.

Since graduation is coming up (finally!) I need a full time job. When I quit my current part time job, i’m celebrating.

So the hunting begins…

I found this recipe on Fav Family Recipes. I love chinese food, and this was my first attempt making it. I didn’t add green onions or red pepper flakes, because I am a wuss when it comes to spicy food. I served it over brown rice, with carrots and broccoli. The sauce it so delicious, we ended up dipping vegetables into the sauce and eating them. Oh well, at least we got our vegetables in for the day

Chicken:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons FRESH orange juice (I used tropicana orange juice)
¼ cup FRESH lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar (I used white vinegar)
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (ended up not adding any)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (omitted)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (omitted)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 c. water

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 cup water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions.