Adjusting

Casper and I are both a little on edge today. His meows seem a little more irritated than usual. I can't really blame the little guy though, I took him from a comfortable Nebraskan home and stuck him in a 500-square-foot apartment that is usually around 90 degrees. Makes our hair a real mess.


I learned last night that nothing makes you realize that the building you live in is 100 years old like a windstorm does. Due to the constant banging of my windows throughout the night I overslept and woke up with only ten minutes to get ready for my job interview. I managed to look presentable, but my voice had that scratchy "I wish I was still sleeping" quality throughout the whole interview. Definitely made an impression, just not sure if it was a good one.


For some reason I chose to make a dinner tonight that required me to use 3 stove burners at the same time. Apparently I felt the need to turn my kitchen into a sauna. I still haven't figured out my oven, which is a real bummer because I wanted to bake something to bring over to my friend Hillary at her sorority house tomorrow.


Sweet Potato Salad with Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Toasted Almonds

Makes two entree sized portions or four side dish portions


Ingredients:
1 cup of short grain brown rice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes
2 cups of spinach
1/2 of goat cheese crumbles
1/4 cup of toasted almonds


Directions:
In a large sauce pan bring two cups of water to a boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for approximately 40 minutes or until rice has absorbed all water.


While the rice is cooking, peel and chop sweet potatoes into roughly 1/2 inch pieces (pictured above). Arrange evenly on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil.  Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (I had to cook mine on the stove).


In a small frying pan on medium heat saute the spinach with a tablespoon of olive oil. It may look like a lot at first but the spinach will wilt. Remove from heat once all the spinach is cooked thoroughly.


You can buy toasted almonds, but to make your own simply pour into a small pan set on a burner at a low heat. As soon as you can smell the almonds that means they are done. Burnt almonds aren't nearly as tasty.


Once all ingredients are cooked mix together and sprinkle goat cheese (feta might be good if you prefer it) and almonds on top. Serve hot!


Enjoy!