Pasta with Rose Sauce

One of our favourite recipes is pasta with rose sauce. We adapted the recipe from http://www.cookingnook.com/pasta-sauces.html.

It usually takes about 45 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

• Rotini pasta (I normally use about 1/2 a box)
• olive oil
• 1 chicken breast
• onion (1 small or 1/2 large)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 red or green pepper
• jalapeno pepper (as much or little as you like)
• 3-4 mushrooms
• baby carrots
• can of diced tomatoes
• plain Philadelphia cream cheese (~ 1/3 of the block) or Philadelphia cooking cream (tomato and basil)
• 1 tsp of sugar
• italian spices
• basil (fresh or dried)
• fresh parsley for garnish
• parmesan cheese

Steps:

1.    Chop the vegetables ahead of time. I normally cut the red or green pepper into thin slices, cut the baby carrots in half (lengthwise), and finely chop the garlic and jalapeno pepper.

2.    Cut the chicken breast into small cubes.

3.    Put on a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according the the directions. Once the noodles are cooked, drain the noodles and quickly rinse them with water to remove the starch. Set aside.

4.    Put a small amount of olive oil in a large frying pan. Turn on the heat to around 4-5 (medium). Once the oil heats up, add the chicken.

5.    Once the chicken is nearly cooked, add the vegetables.

 

(I used regular carrots chopped thinly here - plus I didn't have all the vegetables)

 

6.    When the vegetables are mostly cooked, add the can of diced tomatoes, undrained.

7.    Add the italian spices, basil, and sugar. I normally just sprinkle in the spices - I don't measure.

8.    Bring the mixture to a boil, and then cover the frying pan and reduce the heat (low).

9.    Allow to cook for approximately 10 minutes, then remove the cover.

10.  Add the cream cheese or cooking cream. I often do a mixture of both. You can always add more.

11.   After the sauce thickens, add the cooked pasta. Stir in order to coat the noodles. Once the pasta has heated through, turn off the heat.

12.   Serve with parsley and parmesan cheese.

(We used different noodles here - you can use whatever you like)

 

Hope you enjoy!

Apply..Even If You Aren't Qualified

One of the biggest things that I have learned in the past six years is to apply for jobs, bursaries etc. even if you don't exactly qualify. The worst that is going to happen is that you won't get what you applied for. Sometimes you are the MOST qualified person out of the group of people who apply.

That is how I landed my term position teaching at a university. For my program, you can graduate with a diploma after 3 years, or a degree after 4 years of university. Regardless of the path you choose, you write your registry exams after year 3 and are completely licensed to work. The fourth year is more to specialize in a certain area or you can also take management/health administration classes.

The past June, I wrote my registry exams and started working full-time at a hospital in Halifax. While working full-time, I also was taking full-time courses in order to finish my degree. A few months into my job, one of my previous instructors informed me that a position at the school would be coming up if I was interested in applying. One of the reasons that I think she let me know about the job is that during my time at the school, I had taken the time to get to know my teachers and had volunteered on committees and at events. I also was a strong student which probably helped. Although normally you need at least three years of clinical experience and a degree to be hired, since it was a short-term position, she said to apply anyways if I wanted to.

After talking it over with my friends and family, I decided to apply even though I was not qualified - I figured it couldn't hurt to try. A couple weeks after I applied, I got an interview, and shortly after the interview I was offered the position. I was the most qualified person who applied. Although I was thrilled to get the position (I eventually want to teach in the future), it was a tricky situation since I would be leaving the department short staffed and I wanted to return to work in the department when the term was finished. Therefore, I needed the approval of my manager before I could take the position.

One of the things that I think I did right in this situation was I kept my manager completely informed and in the loop. I told her that I was going to apply for the job before I actually did and let her know I was interested in teaching in the future. I also told her when I got an interview, and told her right away when I was offered the position. This gave her some time to think about the options for the department since the department was quite short staffed already. We also negotiated terms so that I could work a few half days in the department each week to help out. After a couple weeks, she finally let me know that I could accept the position, and my position would still be there when I came back. I was so excited!

I have spent the last four months teaching, and my last day of my position at the school is coming up shortly now that the term is finished. I will soon be heading back to the hospital. This term has taught me so much and I am so glad that I had the opportunity. I now have much more respect for teachers - there is so much that goes on in the background that I was not aware of before. I also now have an appreciation of how much work goes into preparing for a lecture, how tough it is to mark, and how exciting it is when your students do well. Although I really had no idea of what I was getting myself into (sometimes it is better that way!), I really enjoyed the experience and hope I will be back someday :).

 

Sarah's Key

 

 

The novel "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay has been on my to-read list for quite awhile. I had forgotten about it until I saw it sitting on a shelf at my sister-in-law's house. This spurred me to borrow the book, and I have just recently finished reading it. Although I thought I would really like this novel, it was not as good as I expected it to be.

The novel is fictional, but it is based on a real event - the Vel d'Hiv Roundup. It consists of two different stories that become linked as the novel progresses. The first story is about a young Jewish girl who was living in Paris, France during the Holocaust. Her family is arrested in the middle of the night during the Vel d'Hiv Roundup. During the arrest, they are told they can pack a few clothes; the police officers had not seen her younger brother, so she locks him in a cupboard thinking that she will come back for him shortly. The novel describes the events of Vel d'Hiv, and tells the story of those who were in the concentration camps. The second story is about the life of a journalist who is writing about the Vel d'Hiv Roundup. As she investigates the roundup, she becomes consumed with the past, and she also learns more information about her family's history.

I was really excited to read this book because generally I love fictional books that are based on real life events. It seemed like the type of book I would really enjoy. Although I liked the concept of the book, I found it somewhat predictable. I personally like books that have an element of surprise.

The chapters alternate from the young girl's story to the journalist's story for the majority of the novel. When it is telling the young girl's story, it refers to her as "the girl". I found this somewhat strange, although my guess is it was to try to keep the identity of the girl hidden for part of the novel. I would have liked it better if the author had called her by name for the entire novel.

I also found it hard to connect with some of the characters. I like reading books where I can relate to the characters, or imagine exactly how the characters would be in real life. I found this hard to do for this novel. Some of the characters seemed somewhat superficial, like they did not have strong distinct personalities. I think some of the characters could have been developed a little further.

I tend to judge a book by whether I would buy it after reading it. I only buy books that I would want to read multiple times and recommend to others. I saw it two different times at a yard sale this weekend and did not feel the need to buy it.

Overall, although I thought the idea for the novel was good, and that it educated people about the Vel d'Hiv Roundup (I had never heard of it before), I had higher expectations for the novel.


  

The Book of Negroes

I recently borrowed "The Book of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill from my sister-in-law after she recommended it. As soon as I started reading it, I couldn't stop. I probably read the whole book in 3 or 4 days. I loved it - it is now on my list of favourite books.

The book is about a young African girl named Aminata Diallo who is stolen from her home and sold as a slave. She is shipped to the United States where she is forced to work on an Indigo plantation. The book chronicles her journey and the people she meets along the way. Although the novel is fictional, many of the things that Aminata experienced have a historical basis.

The novel was exceptionally written - it was fascinating, amusing at times, heartbreaking, and touching all at once. The characters are vividly portrayed and each have their own distinct personalities. Some of my favourite characters include Aminata, Georgia, Sam Fraunces, and Daddy Moses. The way the story is told is captures the audience's attention and does not let it go.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. What are your thoughts on this novel?    

My Favourite Season Has Officially Arrived!

My favourite season has officially arrived...Yard Sale Season!

This morning I went to my first yard sales of the season. It is another dreary Saturday, so luckily they were both inside. One was at a church - I always like going to these yard sales because they have so much stuff - you never know what you will find. Although a lot of it is junk, there can be some really great stuff for really great prices. Especially at the end, they just usually want to get rid of the stuff that is left over.

The second yard sale was a moving sale. The great thing about Halifax is that there are SO many university students. Every April, thousands of students head back home, and many of them need to get rid of a lot of the stuff they have accumulated over the year/years. Every year, there is an annual yard sale called the "Dump and Run" where students can get rid of the things they no longer want or need. The money that is made is donated to charity, and it also helps eliminate the amount of stuff being sent to landfills. It really is a win-win situation. Unfortunately that is next weekend, and I will have to miss it since we are heading home for the weekend.

Here are some of our finds from the yard sales:

 

 

• Clue board game - never been opened - 4$
• Risk board game - 4$ (Have I mentioned we love board games?)
• French onion soup bowls - 25 cents each
• Forrest Gump and Jurrasic Park - 25 cents each
• Wooden severs - 1$
• Painting - 1$ (It doesn't look very attractive in this picture, but it will fit in with the decoration of our living room perfectly)

Next we went to a book sale at a church. I refuse to buy books from a bookstore for the most part. I keep a list of books that I want to buy and I look for them at thrift stores or yard sales. Often people buy a book to read it once, and then want to get rid of it. Usually you can find books for anywhere from 50 cents to two dollars. The books I bought today were: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and The Choice by Nicholas Sparks.

Then we went to the market for a light lunch. We got some samosas - they were delicious! I saw these fresh herbs for sale, and I had to get them. I have been meaning to buy some fresh herbs for a while. We often buy freshly cut herbs from the market, but we often do not end up eating them fast enough since there is only two of us. By having our own fresh herbs, we can just cut off what we need.

 

Now I am looking for some old tin cans to put the herbs in. I saw this example on Pintrest and I loved the idea http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/inspiration-gallery-container-145324. I will be looking for some in the coming weeks at yard sales!

Joining a Gym

On Monday I joined a gym for the first time. I figured now that I have a little more free time, I have no excuse for NOT going to the gym. Plus, there are a lot worse ways to spend your free time than getting in shape.

I walked up to the front desk, and stated that I wanted to join the gym. What I wasn't prepared for was the amount of decisions that I would have to make. Do I want to join for the summer or for a continuous membership? Do I want the premium membership with towel service or the regular membership? Then I had to sign and initial a page long document and get my picture for my ID taken. It was quite the procedure - who would have thought? After I signed up, they said I could book an introduction to the gym sometime, and I figured I didn't need it – how complicated could it be?

Being all gung-ho on starting right away, I went and got changed, and then my boyfriend (who also goes to the same gym) showed me around. There is a pool, a cardio room, a circuit room, a weight room/machine room and many more. Not only are there many different rooms, they are all on different levels – how are you supposed to find your way around in a place like that? Have I mentioned that I am directionally challenged? The most intimidating room was the weight room/machine room – how on earth do people know how to use all of that stuff? After taking a look around and trying a couple things, I decided that I better book that introduction. It is a little more complicated than I thought.

My Favourite Place on a Saturday Morning

My favourite place to go on a Saturday morning is the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market. The market is open during most other days of the week as well, but there are less vendors; the best day to go is on Saturday - the earlier in the morning the better. I love going to the market because there are so many different things to choose from, lots of free samples, and it has an amazing atmosphere. Even if I do not need anything, I just like to wander around and chat with some of the vendors; I don't think I have ever left empty handed though. Some of our favourite things at the market include the fresh herbs and flowers, The Naked Pickle's salsa, That Dutchmen's gouda cheese (http://www.denhoek.ca/), and the homemade bread. The market also includes local art, jewellery, candles, and much more. One of the best things about the market is the live music. Most Saturday mornings local musicians play at the market (harps, fiddles, guitars etc), which creates a great atmosphere.

This Saturday morning I went to the Market with my brother who also lives in Halifax. It wasn't as busy as usual since it was a miserable rainy day, but we still had a great time. We were offered some free wine samples, and who can say no to that?

 

One of the other best things about the market is the observation deck. The market is situated on Halifax's waterfront, so the observation deck gives a nice view of the harbour and George's Island. As you can probably see, it wasn't such a nice day and the water was really choppy, but it is still a great view. You can also go up to the roof of the market; this is a great place to go and eat your purchases as well as enjoy the beautiful view. If you ever come to Halifax, I highly recommend that you go to the market!