Real Light, Real food.

Ah! I miss being able to prepare and eat food in the same hour. Real food! Real, fresh food!

The last couple of days I have desperately wanted to make a strawberry and parmesan salad but alas... no strawberries. Until today! Perfect timing for my day off. 

Notice the new bowl? I bought a set of 2 a while back but I haven't had the chance to use it until now. I normally don't go for bold prints, or prints at all for that matter but I felt like I needed to shake it up a bit.

The basil in the garden is going to seed so I picked some and added a few leaves to the salad. For the first time in my life, I was sorry I had added basil. Whaaaaat?! that's right, I think it just overpowered the other ingredients and that's not it's job. Live and learn!

I do wish the pattern on the bowl was on the outside too but it might be a little much if it was. It's so nice to eat lunch leisurely and be able to take better pictures with natural light again. 

I've been feeling crowded, unorganized and cluttered lately so it's been good to spend my day off doing some organizing and cleaning. I made calls I've been meaning to make for weeks, went through papers etc etc etc. It feels so nice to clean out, minimize and organize. 

The plan tonight is to go bowling with my friend Lisa, her guy, Alex and Roger. I always have fun bowling but I really stink at it. It's a good thing if you need humbling, which I always do :) 

Yesterday started out considerably better than the day before. I woke up on time AND got out of bed! I was let off the training leash at work which was scary but exciting. I realized how much I had learned this last week when I was left to do it on my own. 

I had planned to eat lunch at home but by 11 I was half starved. On Thursdays and Fridays they have excellent  soup in the cafeteria so I got Taco Soup thinking it would tide me over.

I was wrong... it filled me up and I was too full for lunch when I got home. At least it was good.

Since I was on office duty I run interference and back-up while tray line is going. Translation: I am extremely busy until the last tray is assembled. 

As a reward, one of the guys from the kitchen brought me sherbet! 

Working all weekend but I am going to lunch with Blake on Sunday so there is a silver lining. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Scone Cold ... Late

Here is how my morning was planned as of last night

Alarm: 3:00, 3:30 and 3:45 (just in case)
Departure Window: 4:00-4:15 am
Arrival: 4:45
Clock in: 5:00 am

Here's how today actually started out...

Alarm: 3:00 ~ Cassie unconsciously shuts off alarm
Wake-up: 5:00 am sharp
PANIC!
Throw on clothes and hope they match. Be thankful you showered the night before.
Toss random things you think you need into bag.
"run" as quietly as possible to the car. No time to sneak out quietly
Call the office on the road to let them know you're an HOUR late!

Arrive at the office and thank whoever stepped in and started your tasks for you. Be thankful you made scones so that everyone is nicer about you being late.

Stay an hour later than you would have had to if you had been on time. =/

Other than that... it was a really good day. I'm getting the hang of the office and all the details that go with it. I'm even getting more confident handling ringing phones and all the nurses that come with them.

I'll just quickly share my scones before heading to bed. The recipe will be posted in my recipe book and I'll add the link here sometime tomorrow.

Flour, baking powder and sugar sifted together. Cold butter cut in.

Mix together 1 egg and buttermilk and then add to the dry ingredients without overworking the dough. Roll your chosen fruit in flour to keep them from sinking and add to the dough. (no picture. sorry!)

I used a tablespoon to get a very rough measurement and relatively consistent size to each scone. Plopped them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. The recipe calls for 15-20 minutes at 400 F but I always start with less time and watch them closely after that. I started with 12 minutes and they were just about perfect.

I whipped up some heavy whipping cream to add on top (because I love whipped cream) but I also love clotted cream as a topping too.

I left some home for my parents and took the rest to work. They seemed to go over well and it worked out great for me to have breakfast done without having to settle for something in the cafeteria. Hospital food has a reputation for a reason... :)

Now I'm off to bed. Alarm(s) are set for 3 am again. NO sleeping through them again! 

Goodnight all. 

Wake up and Enjoy the View

This week is all AM shifts. Up at 3:00   3:15 ok 3:35 and clocked in by 5 am. I'll be honest, yesterday I came home and just slept. Well... I tried to go to the bank and deposit a check (my first paycheck!) but I got  all the way inside the bank with half the deposit slip filled out before I realized that I had the pay stub and no check. Apparently my brain was already in bed for the night. 

Today worked a little better for my poor confused brain. It's weird to be at work for several hours before taking a break for breakfast at... 8 am! :) 

I have yet to figure out a way to fix or take breakfast with me at 4 am without waking everyone in the house up. So far I have just taken a piece of fruit or a granola bar to tide me over until my real breakfast. 

Yesterday they had scones in the cafeteria and I passed them up thinking I would get one today. STUPID! of course there were no scones today. I got an apple spice muffin (very good!) instead and some fruit instead. 

My coworker/ partner in crime for the morning shift is Jon and he's a fellow scone lover. I promised him today that I would bring in scones for the office tomorrow morning. So... I spent this evening baking scones. (Pictures and reviews to be shared tomorrow). Look! I just solved my "breakfast-at-4" problem! :)

For my "lunch" break at 10:45 I decided it was way to early to eat lunch after an 8 am breakfast. I opted for a walk around campus to help my sleepiness. 

When you're up and at work before the sun rises, it's such a surprise to see a gorgeous day waiting outdoors.

I walked for a while and then sat to enjoy the view. It would have been perfect if it wasn't nearly unbearably hot.

Since yesterday was such failure after work, I planned to spend my afternoon doing something. After work, I took myself out to eat on the way to the mall. :) see how productive I chose to be? I chose shopping.

There at the mall is a Chik-fil-A which I think I've only ever eaten at once. I decided to give it a try.

Grilled chicken sandwich with my choice of cheese and it automatically came without mayo. Those of you who know me will understand just how much this means to me. :)

Waffle fries on the side and some free water!

I was very pleased with the meal. It was really good considering it's fast food!

I finally got home and stayed in the car for a minute listening to the update on Isaac and it's expected time for landfall. We, on the other hand just had the humidity and a beautiful rainbow. :) One of the clearest ones I've seen in a few years. 

I certainly hope that those facing the coming brunt of Isaac will fare well and stay safe. 

Goodnight!