Come to Ms. D......

Today has been my first real day of class.
Wednesdays are our Comprehensive Review Day, or Comp Review as we like to call it, and all we do is take tests all day long in one subject.
Unless we get behind and fail the test from the week before and then we have to take that test on top of this week's test.
Such was the case for several folks, including myself.
Most all of us had a Come-To-Jesus meeting with Ms. D on why we weren't doing good and where we could improve and she let us voice our worries.
I am worried.
How in the world am I going to pass Boards?
These two tests are the biggest tests I have ever in my life taken and probably will ever take.
I have two years/five semesters of knowledge that I have to pull out of my head for two tests that are 170 questions each!
That my friends is a huge amount of material to cover.
Ten weeks from today I will take my Arts Boards.
I have ten weeks to prepare.
I have already cut out watching tv and dis-whatevered my facebook.
I've even given up drinking!
I haven't had anything to drink since Christmas Eve!
I think I'm going to have to give up reading blogs (Goodbye, Pioneer Woman!  I'll miss you!), catching up on my reading list, and put aside my wedding magazines.
I really have to push all of that wedding crap out of my head.
My exercising efforts are going to fall off as quickly as they began and my cooking practice is going to have to take a backseat to eating cereal because it doesn't require much time.
I really hate cereal.
I'm really upset about having to give up sleeping 8 hours a night.
I think I could cut back to six and maybe get all my work done.
But I'm already a terrible automobile narcoleptic.
How much worse can it get before it kills me?
I've got to start spending my time at work more efficiently, studying every free second I have.
I'm not going to give up going to church (I only go one hour a week), and I'm going to have to make time for my daily not-quite-so-daily Bible reading.
I'm not giving up blogging.
Blogging is my outlet and without it I may implode.

I will probably cut back though and maybe this will mean I have better things to write about.
Maybe I won't gripe about the unfairness of Boards the whole time.
I'm upset right now but not as upset as I will be if I have to pay $400 again to take the stupid Boards again.
This is doable but its not fun or easy.
Would someone remind me why I'm doing this again?

Last night was another one of my adventures in baking.
But this wasn't a misadventure for once.
I didn't make cupcakes, pies, or even another one of my cheesecake flops.
I made "Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin," one of PW's latest food blog recipes.
Cheesey, gooey, garlicy potatoes.
If you don't like garlic, you will not like this.
Smelled like heaven in my house.
When I came back from working out it smelled like I'd died and gone to Garlic.
At least we'll be safe from those Twilight boys though.
Here's the recipe I used.
One thing PW forgets to mention when she teaches you how to smash garlic properly is exactly how much force to use.
You don't want to slam! the can down on top of the garlic but gently press or else you wind up with garlic cloves on the floor, in the sink, in the living room......you get the idea.
Not too much pressure on the garlic, folks.
(And I hope that the Chihuahua lady could smell it!)
Next time I believe I might go a touch lighter on the garlic and a touch more on the cheese.
Actually, a lot more on the cheese.
And maybe cook it a bit longer so that the potatoes are softer.
Needs tweakin'.
On second thought, was this a misadventure in baking?

Its Like An Awards Show, But For Blogs!

Wow!
I'm so honored!
Brenda over at Mummy Time nominated me for this awesome award!
I honestly don't know what to say.
If anybody has found me via Brenda, thanks for popping over and tell her I said "Hey!"
(It's my first, am I gushing?)
Here's the award:

Am I scrappy?

Pshhhh!

Doesn't matter, beggers can't be choosers.

I'll take it!

Here are my ten honest facts that you probably don't know about me.
If you do know these things about me......I'll make it up to you I guess.

1.  I am a cheese lover. 
I love cheese. 
I will eat it on/with anything!

2.  I'm not one for heroes but man I love Martha Stewart.
She is so crafty!

3.  I'm a closest rap-music enjoyer.
I'm anticipating T.I.'s release from jail.

4.  I'm as redneck as they come but I am not trashy.
(I have lived in a few trailers though.)

5.  A year ago I thought I had a serious drinking problem.
Turns out it was just the guy I was dating.

6.  I am a cheapskate, spendthrift, tightwad, whatever you want to call it.
I like good buys and bargins on good, practical things.

7.  I get excited when no one sits near me in church because then I can sing as loud as I want to and nobody cares how bad it is.
(It doesn't take much to excite me, I know.)

8.   I'm teaching myself to cook and things are going fairly well but pretty bad.
I've only almost burned down the house once.

9.  I consider myself better than most of the kids my age because I'm completely self-supporting and have been for about two years now.
I pay all my own bills (my car is completely paid for), I don't ask anybody for money, I work at least 40 hours a week and go to school fourteen.
It is possible and I don't have to answer to anybody.

10. My biggest fear about my job is getting locked in the cooler. 
I know its only 42 degrees in there (compared to the temperatures outside, that's summer right now!) but I'm terrified of the door shutting on me! 
I prop the door open with anything I can find when I have to go in there.


Now it's my turn.
I have 9 wonderful followers.
Five of them will recieve this award (Brenda won't because she already has it) and I will include four blogs that I follow that you may or may not know about.
1. Travel and Dive Girl
2. Marnie
3. Lea
4. Pearl
5. Chris
6. Pioneer Woman
7. Zakary
8. Matt
9. Bakerella


Ok, there's my list.
Do some readin'!
......If you want to!

Dear Pioneer Woman

Dear Pioneer Woman,
I love you but you almost killed me tonight.
I love your blog.
I read it several times a day.
I've tried several of your recipes, my latest being your Fried Zucchini Strings.
Uh-huh.
I think you know where this is going.
I don't know how to fry!
But I'm a pyro and I know how to start fires!
I waited until the grease (I'm from Alabama, we don't call it oil) was very hot.
I plunged in my first batch of Zucchini Strings, just like you said, and let them brown.
They turned out OK. A little smaller than I thought they'd be but maybe I julienned them a little too much.
This was my first time using a mandolin before; I'm a beginner.
Salted them, devoured them, forged ahead.
The second batch turned out about the same as the first.
Still liking this project, we (Melanie and I) kept on.
This time, I put in too many.
And our pot was too small.
And the grease spilled over the side.
And the eye caught on fire.
And I screamed muddy blurder.
And Melanie screamed muddy blurder.
And Nikki (that's my dog) went berserk.
It was a very dramatic few seconds, you should have been there.
Really, you should.
The flames were only about a foot tall and licking the bottom of the microwave.
Me, in my infinite wisdom, threw two of Melanie's favorite kitchen towels on the flames to smother them.
I learned this in all those stupid courses I've taken that I thought I'd never have a use for.
Melanie was afraid the towels would catch on fire and I barely managed to stop her from pouring a cup of water all over our electric stove!!!
But, the situation was taken care of.
The towels were thrown away.
I decided I'd had enough of danger and Zucchini Strings for one night and poured us both a stiff drink to calm our nerves.
Maybe another night, probably tonight, I'll try the Fried Zucchini Strings again.
But this time, I'll be armed with baking soda and a fire extinguisher.
And possible a fire truck.
I really need to get some Renter's Insurance.
Today.
Love,
Your Friend You've Never Met,
Rachel.
P.S. There are no pictures to go along with this post.
I find it very difficult to take pictures while cooking and not fighting fires.
I don't know how you do it.
But, that's why you're my hero.