reverb: day 2

prompt:

what do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

i write day in and day out... i'm a communications major, so that's what i signed up for! (yep, my fiance thinks i'm insane being the numbers man that he is) the biggest hinderance in my writing (for fun) is that i do so much writing for school. sometimes i'll be working on three papers at one time and then even thinking about forming cohesive sentences for fun seems much too far out of my league. however, it's always a relief to put out words that i feel like writing than words that i have to somehow construct.

so many of my past blogs have been sorry notes because i let the time between posts go sooo long... time really does fly, whether you're having fun or not! this is going to be one of my new year's resolutions... be a better blogger!

merry meringues for christmas

this Christmas was the year of the meringues. my mom and i have subscriptions to the foodnetwork.com magazine and it's absolutely amazing. we both cook out of it five nights a week.

the following recipe was on their website and yummmmm it's delicious!

meringue swirls:

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature


• pinch of salt


• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar


• 3/4 cup superfine sugar


• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or use 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract)


• coarse sugar crystals and/or silver nonpareils, for sprinkling

how to make these sugary little treats:

1. preheat the oven to 250 degrees f.

2. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until frothy (use the whisk attachment if using a stand mixer).

4. add the cream of tartar.

5. increase the speed to medium high and add the superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. (i just ma

ke sure to pour slowly and to move it around the bowl as i'm adding it... otherwise it takes forever!)

6. scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the meringue (or add the extract) and continue beating until the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is thick, glossy and forms stiff peaks, about 6 minutes. (however, if it's not thick and glossy with stiff peaks don't stop, just keep beating it... you can never beat it too much)

7. fit a piping bag with a large star tip. fill the bag with the meringue and pipe spirals on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. (you can use a plastic snack baggie if you don't have the piping bags)

8. sprinkle with the coarse sugar. (colored is always pretty!)

9. bake 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues stand in the oven until dry, about 2 hours.

*make sure to store in an airtight container up to 1 week or they start to get gooey or creepy.

i'm taking these to a christmas eve dinner with my fiance and his family tomorrow... so i made them christmassy by adding green and red sugar with a little heart for the tree topper... what do you think? yep, you can call me martha stewart.



you can also add cocoa powder to the mix (just a tablespoon or two) and it'll make chocolate which are also delicious!

song of the day:

merry christmas from the family

by: rosie o'donnell and the dixie chicks

if you haven't heard the rosie christmas cds... you need to because they are hysterical!

welcome... and the reverb project: day 1

welcome to my new blog site! i moved everything over from synchronicitie. i was very sad to go, but i am very impressed by the wordpress interface. my little blog is going to go in a new direction because... well, my life is going in a new direction.

you will start finding recipes (cooking plays a huge part in my life so i must add it on here) as well as more updates and pictures.... so, here is the initial post after all of the talk:

there is a really amazing new interesting project for writers, bloggers, thinkers, alike. you can find them here. i have decided to start pondering the prompts... however, i won't be doing them as frequently as every day, but instead taking my time on them and making sure that i'm really reflecting on each given prompt.

for today:

One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

my answer:

metamorphisis.

it's like the caterpillar that must give up some of its precious time and the brightness of day to endure a lonely, dark time in his cocoon, in order to grow into a vivacious butterfly complete with fanciful wings.

there is no longer just a plain, old amber, instead there is a bright new girl working to grow and maintain the network of relationships that define my many roles... especially right now.

1. through the course of my dad's sickness (and now his healing) i have come to realize that my family means more to me than i could possibly put into words. my dad's sweetness, my mom's humor, my brothers' jokes and larger than life personalities keep my heart smiling through the hard times.

2. my mom and i were always close, but in the last year or so we have forged a closer relationship than we have ever had before. it's a two way road... instead of just a mom bossing around her unruly daughter. boom, i couldn't ask for more!

3. college is coming to a close. with the end of the year comes the beginning of the end. i am preparing to step out of the mold of a student and then define myself as a worker in the world. i know that everyone says i have the rest of my life to work... but i'm really truly sort of excited.

4. finally, my fiance. goodness, what a lucky girl i am. i cannot believe that went from being a girlfriend to being a lifelong commitment. i mean, i knew that it was coming and it's what i've always dreamed of... but it's always been just that, a dream. now the dream is becoming a reality and woohoo!

the year ahead, 2011, promises much brightness and a life filled with loads of fun memories to be cherished forever. thanks to 2010, and bring it on 2011!!

song of the day:

stand up

by: sugarland

if you haven't listened to sugarland's incredible machine cd, you must. but, this song in particular is a reminder that life goes on, it's going to be ok, just stand up. stand up knowing that your beautiful wings are going to spread and be ready to soar... but you must, like the caterpillar, be okay with some downtime in the cocoon.

jason is this girl's best friend (well plus mama bird)

so, it's been a while (once again)... but i was suffering through finals and then took a vacation to mexico with my.... well, he was a boyfriend, but now he's my...

FIANCE!

yep, we're ENGAGED!

i can't begin to tell everyone how excited i am (we are) and what a huge blessing jason has been in my life. i am still in shock that i actually get to share the rest of my life with him, especially with the blessings of family and friends that God has blessed us with.... like He says in the Bible:

"there are three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love."

-1 corinthians 13:13

God has already poured so much love on us already, our families and friends have been fantastic and so supportive... and we are ready to start this amazing time in our lives... and do it together!

please stay tuned for all of the excitement and i promise to keep things up to date on here... :)

song of the day:

love never fails

by: brandon heath

just listen to it, every single word in the song is absolutely perfect and amazing. God wrote the song for brandon to sing and it's perfect.