Welcome to the longest day of my whole life.

I'm keeping this short, because I'm so tired, far too tired to do anything productive, but not so tired that I can't spend a few minutes here.
I woke up at 7:10 and was out the door by 7:32. Believe it. It's amazing, I know. I drank a slim-fast on the way to school, which, if anyone is wondering, yes, they are fairly nasty, but quick, easy, and jam-packed with your daily vitamins and minerals. The walk was long and tiring, but I made it to my cooking lab by 8:03. Luckily, because it was the first lab of the year, they hadn't started cooking yet. Let me say, 8 a.m. or not, that is gonna be my favorite class by far! The two other girls in my group are not so cooking savvy, so they made me the "kitchen manager," but they are really sweet and totally willing to do whatever they can to make the process go faster. It was so much fun, I don't know why, but I really enjoy cooking. Then, during the last hour of lab, we get to sit down and eat what we've made. I just sat and talked with my lab partners while eating some of the best stuff I've ever eaten. Here's what we made:

Student Recipes – MEAL PLANNING LAB
The purpose of this lab is for students to make a complete, balanced meal.

All labs will make the same recipes: Soup, Salad, and Muffins

SHELLS AND VEGGIES SOUP

1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
1 can (14 oz.) crushed or diced tomatoes
1/4 cup small shell pasta
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach
1/4 cup cubed zucchini
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese - This will be put on the serving table, by the teaching assistant, for all to use when the soup is served.

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, parsley, basil and oregano to saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat , and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

3. Add spinach, carrots, celery and pasta. Cook 10 minutes covered at a low boil. Add zucchini and cook 7 more minutes.

4. Test for doneness by forking vegetables and pasta to see if tender.

5. Spoon into bowl; add salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese to taste. ENJOY!

BROCCOLI-RAISIN SALAD
Serves: 6

1/2 large head broccoli washed and trimmed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 pound bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
¼ cup & 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

1. Cut broccoli into small florets, peel the stem and cut into 1/2" pieces.
2. Combine broccoli, onions, raisins, nuts (optional), and bacon (optional).
3. In a small separate bowl, make dressing of mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar.
4. Pour dressing over salad.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Toss before serving.
7. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for hours, even overnight.

CORNMEAL MUFFINS
Makes 6 muffins

½ c. all purpose flour
½ c. yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp. sugar
½ tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. finely chopped onion
½ c. cream style corn
¼ c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. + 1 ½ tsp. vegetable oil
½ egg (please give the other half to another group or to your instructor)

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add all remaining ingredients. Stir just until mixed. Spoon into 6 greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. NOTE: If you have dark muffin pans, reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees.

Anyways, it was tons of fun... made me wonder what I could major in so I could take more classes like this. After lab got out at 11, I ran down to Kare's dorm (my sister is a new freshman this year) to help her reconnect her printer to her computer and straighten her hair. While there, I typed up a 1/2 page paper for my religion class on a relationship I would like to improve. At 12:40, I left for my 1:00 Parenting and Child Guidance Class where I read the information I was going to be quizzed on in my Religion class, LDS Marriage and Family at 2:00. I did well and normally I love that class, but the kid sitting to my left kept up a continuous conversation with the kid sitting behind me, and that was pretty distracting, so I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I normally do. After that, I ran down to the JFSB for my 4:00 Western Humanities class where I read as much of the Illiad as I could because I was going to be quizzed on that as well. I did not do well on that quiz and had to leave class early so I could make it home in time for work. It took me 25 minutes to walk home where I changed and made myself a peanut butter and Strawberry jam sandwhich and drove off 10 minutes later than I should have for work. Because of that, my field got a late start (about 15 minutes late) and the clocks wouldn't work correctly because they were on the wrong channel (which they never have been before so I therefore didn't know how to change them) so I had to keep time on my phone which was a huge hassle because I didn't realize until now that I have a timer on there... The games (I was supervising soccer) got progressively easier, and the opposite field had 2 forfeits, so the other supervisor watched my field during one of those so I could sit down (yeah, we get to stand for 4 hours of soccer games without sitting down because it's "unprofessional"). I sound like such a whiner. Sorry about that. But like I said, Long day. Anyways, when I got home, I changed straight into my pj's hopped in my bed with my lap top to tell you all about it! Then, my roommate Mary came in my room to tell me about the boys that stopped by the apartment and how they fixed our tv remote and microwave (handy guys to have around) and then the two of us decided we needed a little Audrey in our lives. So, the 4 of us (me, and 3 Roommates, Mary, Kelly and Alli) set my computer between my and Alli's bed and watched Funny Face until we fell asleep. I woke up alone this morning (thurs, 9/11) so I'm assuming Mary left when the movie was over. Anyways, and here I am now. And this has gone on for long enough so I'll go. But seriously, those recipes sound weird, but they are SO GOOD! Try them!