Pumpkin Spice Cake

It was roomie's birthday this Friday so that means cake time!  We have a running joke about how we love being basic although I still really have no idea what that means. I mean really...what is wrong with liking pumpkin spice lattes, apple orchards, plaid, and north face jackets?  People need to accept the fact that all of those things are awesome..

Anyways, like I said, my roommate and I have this running joke about how we LOVEEEE basic things so what would be more perfect than a pumpkin spice birthday cake?!  The answer is nothing :)  

Oh and this time I had 2 excellent pastry chefs to help me out!  

                                     

Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

So I've been trying to do more savory dishes lately.  Figured I cant just live off of desserts for the rest of my life.  I was feeling Mexican the other day and since the closest Chipotle is still way too far away, I thought I would try my hand at it.  Corn tortillas, veggies, chicken, enchilada sauce, cheese...what more could you ask for?

Normally the tortillas are rolled up with filling but I thought it would be much easier to layer everything.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Twas a fun four weeks learning about all the awesome bacteria that give us diarrhea.  Seriously though, how it is possible that almost every bacteria infection will give you fever, headache, malaise, diarrhea and/or nonproductive cough? 

It was quite imperative for me to have some happiness this passed weekend while I was studying for my exam.  I happened to have an open can of pumpkin puree so I made a pumpkin spice latte!  Starbucks got nothing on me!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

-1 cup hot, strong coffee.  

-3/4 cup milk** (I used almond milk)

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 tbsp. pumpkin puree

-1 tsp. brown sugar

-1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1. In a mug, mix together everything but the coffee.
2. Microwave the mixture until it is hot.
3. Mix in the coffee.
4. Enjoy!

**DONT USE PASTEURIZED MILK! Definitely dont want a campylobacter infection.....

Brinner is for Winners

Not going to lie, second year is tough.  Literally every night, my "To Do" list consists of "learn all the drugs" and "learn all the diseases."  So anticipating the fact we were most likely going to be seeing each other less often than we wanted (especially during the week before exams, a group of friends and I thought it would be an awesome idea plan post-exam dinner parties.  Good food and great company with excellent gossip, what more could a girl want to do after an exam?

Last month, after our first exam, we wined and dined to bruschetta and risotto with banana bread for dessert thanks to Anna and Karthya!  Now this time after our immunology exam, my roommate Joy and I made brinner!  On the menu, we had french toast, veggie frittata, and apple butter bars. Yum!  Also, please ignore the fact that brinner was heavy on the carbs.  Carbs mean love and that's all we want after a weekend of hardcore studying and a very difficult 2.5hr exam...

The Oh So Versatile Tortilla

Just a few things that I have been making using tortillas!

Margarita Pizza 

 

Ingredients

• tomato sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• tomato slices
• basil (I only had dried basil)

Spread the sauce on the tortilla and top with the cheese, tomatoes, and basil.  Put in toaster oven for 10min or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Quesadilla 

 

Ingredients

• shredded cheese
• shredded chicken

Sprinkle cheese, chicken, and then another layer of cheese onto a tortilla.  Top with another tortilla.  Heat each side of the quesadilla in a pan for 3min or until the cheese has melted.  Top with guac and sriracha if you have any!  

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Chief Complaint - Headaches

History of Present Illness - Patient presents with headaches, achy hands, and tiredness.  No significant past medical history however the patient did explain about the high levels of stress she has been dealing with.  She recently finished a 2 hour exam which tested her on immunology, all of which as taught in three weeks.

Allergies: none although she stated that she can now explain everything about allergies

(skipping the rest of the report and going straight to Assessment and Plan)

Assessment - Patient is a stressed medical student who had to just suffer though the awful ordeal of taking an immunology exam.

Plan - Treat with an order of drunk noodles from her favorite Thai take-out place, copious amounts of TV, and many Irish car bomb cupcakes!

Overnight Oatmeal

I love fast and easy breakfasts. The quicker, the better because that means I can stay in bed for even longer :) Sure, I like grabbing a granola right before I sprint out the door to get to my 8am class but it's never very filling and I'm always starving after only a few hours.  With that said, I am always looking for new breakfast options that are keep my stomach from rumbling in class.  

The other day, my friend Ellen told me her new go-to breakfast is overnight oats.  I looked more into it (pinterest and buzzfeed were my primary sources).  Turns out that it is really easy to make and since it is so customizable, so you can literally make it however you want and it'll be delicious! 

Oh, and for those people who say they cannot cook for the life of them, this recipe is FOOL PROOF!