Speculoos

Yesterday, Matt sent me a picture message of a jar of peanut-butter-looking stuff that said "Speculoos Cookie Butter."  While I was trying to sound out "speculoos" Taylor freaked out and said something to the effect of, "Ohh my gosh, Speculoos!  It tastes like Teddy Grahams!  It's so good!"  Apparently, it is a famous foreign spread.  Why nobody informed me of it sooner, I have no idea.

Matt went in to Trader Joe's while he was working, and the sample lady (who I guess is always very nice to the EMTs and generous with her samples) gave him a sample of the Speculoos with apple and an english muffin.  Matt liked it so much that he bought some for us.

Speculoos kind of reminds me of Nutella in a way... an alternative to peanut butter that can be used on fruit, bread, ice cream, in baked goods, etc.  It kind of tastes like gingerbread cookies, but it's not Christmas-y enough for me to ban year-round and the ginger flavor isn't too strong.  And it's not too sweet, either (I think Nutella is sweeter).  It's so creamy and spicy and delicious... I could eat it by the spoonful. 

While doing "research" for this post (clearly being productive with my day off) I came across a few people hating on the product for being "unhealthy" and whatnot.  Nowhere on the label does it claim to be healthy, so people need to relax.  Plus, it's not actually that bad for you.  Haters gonna hate, I guess.

This girl did a great, short review of this wonderful stuff.

You can read about the origins of Speculoos here and about the drama surrounding the patent here.

Thanks, Trader Joe's, for giving me another reason to love you and for providing me with another yummy snack!

Since I last blogged...

1.  I got an A on the first test of NS30.  Woot woot! 

2.  I went on a date.  We had a gift card to Muvico and Matt signed up for a newsletter so we could get a free popcorn.  He also signed up for a newsletter to get $5 off at CPK... every dollar counts when you're poor!

 Not a very good pic, but whatever.

3.  I found out how to wear white in winter (thanks Today Show) and wore it on said date.

4.  I played bocce ball and had "adult rootbeer floats" with friends.  I was too busy having fun to take pictures. In case you're wondering, an adult rootbeer float has a splash of Kahlua in it.  It is so delicious.

5.  I saw family members I haven't seen in 3 years.  Surprisingly, it wasn't even awkward.

6.  I made zucchini bread using this recipe (with some healthy tweaks), vegetable soup using this recipe (without mushrooms, ew), and some pasta (from Giada's book... can't find it online) and Caesar salad with homemade croutons.  All were yummy.

 So good.

7.  I took care of a couple awesome patients who had the best attitudes.  One was a woman who had a total shoulder replacement and she and her husband have done multiple marathons.  The other was a sweet 82 year old who had a left side mastectomy and joked that her new nickname should be "Lefty."  She also asked me how my day was going every time I walked into the room.  So refreshing.

8.  I signed up for the Pasadena Marathon.  And Matt signed up, too!
 
9.  I passed a math test and now I am allowed to give IV push and IV piggy-back meds.  Like a real nurse.

10.  I ran 8 miles with Matt and his long legs at a 9:12 pace.

Weekend Update

Ok, so it's not technically the weekend... But today was a holiday, so it was a 3-day weekend... so it counts. Plus I have some news:

I survived the first week of school!! That's not really news, but whatever. It's a big deal to me. One week completed is one less week I have to go to complete this terrible semester.

The third semester in my nursing program is notorious for being the most difficult of the four. When I was in my first semester, the class in the third semester lost 13 people. Thirteen people failed! Out of 50-60 people, that's a lot. That's why it is one of my New Years Resolutions to be a better studier.

My class has a facebook group, and today, one of my friends changed the group description to: "See course description in Dante's Inferno." It's seriously awful. I am already fairly overwhelmed. The only saving grace is that my clinical instructor seems fairly laid back and my clinical group is full of people I like. And I'm sure that the classroom stuff will be fine- with studying.

Moving on... Since I didn't have any patient prep work to do last Tuesday, I actually had time to make a meal and bake some cookies (gasp!). I adapted one of Giada's recipes and made a delicious pasta. Here is the recipe.

My changes are this: First of all, I didn't measure anything. And instead of using garlic croutons to make the bread crumbs, I just used regular breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning. I roasted 2 red peppers on my stove, while cooking the pasta. Then I sauteed some garlic in some olive oil and added a few handfuls of spinach to it. I sliced the red peppers and added them in with the garlic and spinach. Then I added the cooked pasta, mixed it all up, and sprinkled in some breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and almonds (remember, I didn't measure anything). I also added a few spoonfuls of pasta water (Giada recommends that sometimes), a little more olive oil, and salt and pepper. It was yummy!

Fiery goodness

The final product

Earlier in the day, I was in the mood for a little treat to have with some tea.  I made Paula's Tea Cakes.  They were really good- not too sweet and perfect to go along with an afternoon tea.  I halfed the recipe (because I'm a pig and would have eaten all of them) and I didn't have any buttermilk.  I improvised and was going to use the lemon juice trick for the buttermilk, but I didn't have any lemons.  I did have a lime, so I used lime juice instead and it worked fine.  I want to make them again with some almonds and almond extract and maybe with some lemon juice and zest.

Afternoon treats

On Sunday, I headed to the Long Beach Swap Meet with Caitlin and my mom.  It was a very satisfying morning.  While the weather was less than desirable, the vendors did not disappoint and the people-watching was spectacular as usual.  We have decided that swap meets are the ultimate hipster hang out.  You should see the people at these things... between the hipsters and some of these old ladies... wow.  I should have taken some pictures.  Next time.  

Mom insisted the "was a draft" in the car and used 

the sun shield thing as a blanket.

Cait- umbreallaless, hoodless, and hatless

Well, that was my week.  Coming up this week... First patient care days and a ton of studying to do for my first test next Monday.  Should be spectacular!