The World's LARGEST Aquarium!

Birthdays mean a lot to me. I have always had themed birthday parties growing up and love to celebrate and make the day seem special. Versus just another day, or the pessimistic 'another year older' attitude. This year, I decided to go on a day trip to Atlanta (why not, with this job!) to the World's Largest Aquarium! Ever since visiting Le 'Oceanografic in Valencia I have wanted to see the World's Largest Aquarium. As that one was the Second Largest Aquarium. With simply a day trip down to Atlanta and home that night, I did just that for my birthday! I saw the aquarium I never knew if I'd ever see. (And yes, this still means I love my job!)

GEORGIA AQUARIUM

The architecture to Aquariums, Museums, and Zoos, are all so intriguing to me. The appearance of this aquarium is massive as you walk across the park across the street from here. Very sleek, very shiny, and just the right amount of futuristic qualities. Opened in 2005, I love the new feeling everything has in this space. And how cool that the co-founder of The Home Depot, Bernie Marcus, donated $250 million for this aquarium. (I LOVE learning things like this!)

01 02 18

Happy Day.

As another layer of joint compound dries in the basement, the clickity-clack of train wheels rumble past the house, and country music fades in and out, today is a good day. A great day.

After a successful Double Daze at Rainbow (yes, this really is my life I tell you) I put the groceries away one by one and continue my health kick. Preface: I have been sick for a week now. I pride myself on not getting sick. This has to be fixed and basically never happen again. Hence, the health kick.

The multi-vitamin has been bought to add to my daily flaxseed oil regime. Spinach was added to my very first green smoothie. Blended with honey, cinnamon, peanut butter, banana, and almond milk. Tell me this does not sound good. I was leery, vegetables in smoothies? Try it. Any combination you'd like. This was much more fun to consume then a whole bowl of spinach. Because I kid you not I tossed in a HUGE handful of spinach and arugula. Salad-bowl worthy.

Vitamin C in the natural form of oranges have been bought. To be had with breakfast each morning. Vitamin C helps absorb iron more efficiently. To which my most recent cereal, Nutty Nuggets from Cub, was bought solely for the iron content, not the hard, crunchy, cardboard-esque quality, although that sounds appealing, I know. Not to say I have an iron deficiency, but Web MD can sure freak a person out, or kick start one to get all their vitamins and minerals. Hence, the health kick.

Extra tea and honey has been a constant brew for this very long sickness week. Switching my usual green for black and white tea's has brought new senses to my taste buds, and the decision of which to have brings me much happiness. Choices! There are so many! Next: to buy darker honey from the Apple Orchard, which has even more antioxidants than the golden honey I have been accustomed to.

Finishing my snack of a green smoothie and sunflower seeds, I feel great. Today is a happy day. I look out the window and the leaves are rustling. Golden leaves flutter from the branches, squirrels run about the yard, and birds come and go from our feeders. Life is good. No, make that life is great. This health kick is exactly what I needed.


Delicious-ness in a pretty little glass.

01 02 18

Multi-Passionate Careerist.

I have never heard this term before. But to me, with no surprise, the description is perfect. Multi-Passionate Careerist.

Dolphin Trainer. Event Planner. First Grade Teacher. Working at a Zoo. Whale Watcher. Hotels & Hospitality. Growing for a Farmer's Market. Raising Animals. Selling on Etsy. Marketing Manager. Baker. Florist. Water Aerobics Instructor. Owning a business. Fro-Yo. Pharmacist. Cabin rentals. Sorority Leader. Staying as a Flight Attendant. Delta Corporate. International Students. Hall Director. Peace Corps. Teach Abroad. AmeriCorps.

My list could go on, and on, and the more I think about my 'list' the more ideas which come to mind. Sometimes this causes stress. Too much stress on what to do with my life. I have always had plans, lists, a schedule, and now much of that has disappeared in a sense. The following year I'd have to choose courses and be ready for school. Now, another year has gone by and what do I think the following year will hold? I have no clue.

Although the unknown is exciting, perhaps there is a bit of fear at the same time. Here's to being a Multi-Passionate Careerist and having no idea what to do.

http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2012/09/20/how-to-succeed-as-a-multi-passionate-careerist/

01 02 18

Caprese Bites.

A little bit of luxury, that's what I call these Caprese Bites. With fresh basil from the garden, fresh tomatoes from the garden, and fresh mozzarella from the gourmet cheese section at the grocery store, I was all set to make these delicious appetizers.

The picture explains the ingredients, the preparation, and the organization of the food. The only tip you may need to know is that I used a melon baller with the mozzarella. Enjoy.

01 02 18

The Perfect Evening.

I have been throwing out the word 'perfect' quite a bit lately. It's on the subtitle to my blog, I say it out loud when things go right, and quite honestly, this word feels perfect to say.

Now the word perfect to me means everything is going right, whether a recipe turned out better than expected (like this evening), a day of work was more fun than work (which happens frequently), or I have ideas and thoughts that make me happy, and thus have been perfected a bit more each day.

Tonight's perfect is a package deal: A day of work that ended by 2 p.m., an impromptu stop at the Delta Farmer's Market (which only happens on Wednesday's) and a true find of perfect eggplants (and beets for future recipes), a great connection with a Delta employee (hopefully I hear back from this lady!), a quick stop at the grocery store for more ingredients after deciding eggplant lasagna is happening, and finally, an early evening of Dolly Parton, Trader Joes's Chardonnay, cooking, baking, and chatting with friends. Perfect.

Eggplant Lasagna. I have never tried eggplant in my life. I have always, ALWAYS, been curious about this vegetable. I really want to grow this in my garden, but hesitated this year because I had no idea what this tasted like. My best description of raw eggplant is the similarity to a fresh green bean out of the garden. A bit woody, a bit barky/planty, but fresh and firm. You could use any dip, my choice lately, has been balsamic vinaigrette, which would be perfect after soaking into the flesh after a few minutes. That will have to be tomorrow's snack, as indeed I bought two eggplants.

Tonight's meal: Eggplant Lasagna. I 'googled' recipes while in the Rainbow parking lot as I have never made lasagna before. I knew I wanted to still use noodles in addition to eggplant. The solution is the following, a combination of two recipes:

Ingredients:

One medium eggplant
2 tbsp Olive Oil
9 lasagna noodles
1 - 15 oz container of Ricotta Cheese- Part Skim
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
5 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can spaghetti sauce - tomato/basil

Eggplant preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper and a drizzle of olive oil over the entire sheet.
3. Wash and cut eggplant into 1/4" lengthwise strips and place on cookie sheet, flipping eggplant to cover with olive oil. Use only the insides of the eggplant (softer/fleshy) and discard outer peeling segments. In total, I had six slices, three for each layer.
4. Cook eggplant for 20 minutes, flipping at the end to make sure both sides are starting to caramelize.
5. Take out of oven and set aside until ready to place into lasagna pan.

Noodle preparation:
There are two types of lasagna to use. Noodles that you must cook before baking, and the new creation, noodles that do not need to be cooked prior. I used one layer of noodles that I cooked first (salted pot of water, about 5 minutes), and two layers of noodles that did not need to be cooked prior (I would always use this method in the future, saves time!). And I could not taste any difference in the end.
1. Cook noodles according to package IF you have the must boil first type.
2. No need to cook noodles if using the quick and easy, no cook noodles.

Cheesy Filling preparation:
1. Mix together  1 container (15 oz) of ricotta cheese, part-skim, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 3 tbsp grated Parmesan, 1 tsp dried basil, and 1 tsp dried oregano in a bowl and sit aside until ready to start layering.

Tomato Sauce preparation:
1. I used a canned spaghetti sauce jar of tomato and basil. Some day, I hope to use home-made sauce, but for now, this turned out perfect and saved a lot of time.

Layering (Lasagna has SO many steps):

1. Put 1/4 cup of canned sauce onto bottom of a well greased (cooking spray) 9"x15" pan.
2. Set lasagna noodles on top of sauce (I used three noodles sheets) barely overlapping as they expand while cooking.
3. Spread 1/2 of cheesy filing on top of noodles (this is tricky, use spatula and be patient)
4. Add layer of eggplant slices using three eggplant slices (half the plant)
5. Add 3/4 cup of canned sauce over eggplant slices.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 once more. Making sure to end with lasagna noodles on top.
7. Spread the rest of the canned sauce on top of noodles, sprinkle with one more cup of mozzarella and 2 tbsp of Parmesan.
8. Cover with tin foil and cook for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
9. Uncover foil after 30 minutes and allow to cook for 10 more minutes until all cheese on top is melted and starting to bubbly. This means your lasagna is done! 01 02 18

Circa July 29th Thoughts.

My new thing to do on plane rides (when I am the passenger and not the worker) is to write notes on my phone. I can type much quicker than I write, which appeals to me greatly. This note I wrote on July 29th.

"Soaring above the clouds right now on my flight from JFK to MSP I wonder what I'll be doing in one year. Where I will be living, who will I be friends with, what relationships stay or go, and I wonder who I will be as a person.

I've often had the thought of my San Francisco-yoga loving-tea drinking-self recently. How I desire to have an independent lifestyle centered on health and wellness, balance, and happiness.

I can easily commute with this job once I have a line (definition: a line is when I have a schedule for the whole month of where and when I go, instead of being on call). And that thought is so appealing. Yet, selfish. Could I go without my Minnesota weather, could I go without seeing my friends and family? What would happen and how would life be? These are the things I wonder.

So much of me is ready for a grand adventure, this job provides this is in a heartbeat if I let it. I want my own life, free to do what I want, when I want. Maybe I wanting to grow up too fast, for sometimes I look back and think, "Monica, you should have lived a little more." But so much of me says, "Everything I've done to this point has led me to where I am," and that's why I wouldn't change anything.

I've gotten so close to my family, my brother and dad especially, with them being home more often this summer, and we have a good balance. I have my huge jungle-like garden to which I say next year needs to be twice the size, yet, how do I know I'll be here next year. In Saint Paul Park, in Minnesota?
I love the life I have right now, okay, so I am more confused often than not, but who is to say I can't be happy with confusion. Confusion keeps me on my toes, keeps my thoughts fresh, and mind quick.

All this mumble jumble has been sparked from a possible huge decision. That decision: Emirates. Should I stay or should I go?

I love flying. I love, love, LOVE flying. And I want to see the world. Delta mainline is one option, as is United or any other carrier based domestically. Yet, what about adventure. What about perhaps a little crazy. I'm 23, non-committed anywhere right now, still broke, and wanting adventure and travel. If the two can go hand in hand, why not? Why not take a crazy chance. Why not do a crazy dance. Hilary Duff knew all too well what someones situation could be apparently.

Leave the life in America for the unknown? For the unfamiliar? Heck, I did that for River Falls and that was one of the greatest decisions of my life, so just maybe, maybe, this will be too."

Emirates Airlines. Open House: October 27th. Stay tuned. 01 02 18

Quick Lunch.

I made this salmon lunch quite a few weeks back, but time and time again, I go to blog and can't place what I was going to blog about or don't have time for a complete post. Well. This morning I have time.

This salmon was the first fish I have ever handled and cooked by myself. I love fish, but I don't prepare it that often nor do I care to touch anything raw. So this was a first for me. I used frozen salmon fillets - finding wild salmon versus farmed is key. Wild salmon is much better for you and the fish prior to catching. The herb butter mixture keeps the fishy taste to a minimum (and with good fish, there should be no fishy taste!) and the puff pastry provides a flaky buttery goodness that makes this dish real filling!

The recipe I went by is from Kevin McKidd, who stars in Disney/Pixar's Brave. I found this in the Sunday Parade from June 10, 2012. You never know where you will find good recipes!
Ingredients:

12 oz puff pastry sheets (thawed)
2 (6 -7oz) salmon fillets (thawed and skinless)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have fresh parsley so I used extra fresh basil!)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
3 Tbsp unsalted butter (salted butter or margarine will also work)
Salt and Pepper to taste (I try to stay away from adding extra salt to recipes)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry into four pieces - each large enough to fit around the salmon fillets.
3. Transfer two pieces to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Place salmon fillet in center of each of those pieces.
5. In a small bowl, combine parsley, basil, and butter. Stir until herbs are thoroughly mixed in. Season with salt and pepper. Spread butter mixture on top of salmon. (This is where more is better!)
6. Dip a pastry brush into beaten egg and let excess run off. Brush edges of pastry around salmon with egg. Cover each piece with remaining puff pastry.
7. Pinch pastry together firmly to seal, then lightly press tines of a fork along edges to close. Brush top of pastry with remaining egg.
8. With a sharp knife, cut two small slits into top of each pastry so steam can escape during baking.
9. Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry has risen and is crisp and golden.

01 02 18