Fantastic Voyage

All right friends...this weekend contained some pretty good stuff. It's all downhill from here!

That's right. We celebrated. This week, I got a job offer...and then I negotiated and got a REALLY GOOD job offer. And I'm 99% sure I'll be signing on the dotted line!


(Blackberries in the Champagne. Delicious choice!)









 The details? I'm moving back to my home state, Minnesota. My official title will be Assistant Professor of Chemistry, but I'll be focused on Biochemistry. The job is at a 4 year university in southeastern MN, where I'll do mostly teaching while running a small undergraduate research program. I think it sounds fun! The best part is that the fiance will only be 3 hours away and we will still be able to see eachother on weekends and breaks! Now for the fun stuff...find a new apartment or rental house (does anyone know of one...?) and figure out my new area!


 Along with celebrating, we had a beautiful weekend full of flowers and exercise.

 They made me happy - and so did the weather! It was windy, but sunny and warm. On Friday, I ran 5.5 miles. On Saturday, the fiance and I did a 12 mile bike ride and then I did this crazy bodyrock workout. It seems simple, but I required the fiance to be my cheerleader and keep me accountable. I am proud to say that I kept up with Zuzana and at the end I had done 82 pushups - only 10 or so on my knees! Today I am terribly sore!

Sunday was windy and HOT. The temps got up to the high 70's. I had a 12 mile run scheduled and decided to go for it. I learned last year that weather training is really important when I DNF'd the Wisconsin 1/2 marathon. My run was really awful, but I'm not too worried. I had a great 10 miler last week, and I was running on fried legs and in terrible socks. St. Louis, here I come!

Finally, I have one really good recipe to share with you all.

It's called feijoada, and it's a brazillian stew. Super good and good for you! It tastes like nothing else you've had...I promise!

Feijoada

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 red or green pepper, chopped

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 whole orange

8 oz tomato sauce

2 cups black beans, uncooked

1 lb lean pork chop or loin

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp marjoram

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Soak beans overnight. I wouldn't use canned black beans unless I had to for this recipe. You need the beans to soak up flavor without breaking down. The next morning, boil the beans for 1 hour in fresh water. Add pork and boil for 30 minutes. Add veg, spices, tomato sauce and orange (the WHOLE THING) to the pot. Simmer 30-60 minutes. Remove the pork and pull it with forks in a seperate bowl. Taste the sauce and salt as neccesary. Remove the orange and squeeze the remaining juice into the sauce. Add back the pork. You're ready to eat!

The pork isn't neccesary. When we had it as kids, my mom would make it vegetarian. However, I can't recreate that recipe well enough. It needs something...I've tried the veg version topped with a fried egg. That did it...but since the fiance likes meat, I am usually ok with adding some pork, which does the trick too! 

Enjoy!