Veggie Quiche

I had a roommate in college who was wizard at putting random ingredients together and making them taste yummy. She made this quiche which was great, so I talked with her a bit about what she usually made it with. I make dinner for my parents every Friday and I made quiche one week. It was way yum! So I thought I would share the recipe.

Vegetable Quiche

6-8 eggs

1 cup of milk

fresh spinach (don't use frozen, it makes it watery and the eggs don't cook in the center)

1/2 red pepper

1/2 yellow or white onion

1 clove garlic

mushrooms (optional--I don't like mushrooms so I didn't put them in)

tomato-basil feta cheese

salt and pepper

2 deep dish frozen pie crusts

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together and put in the pie crusts (makes 2 pies--but quiche is easily frozen). Bake for 30-45 minutes until the center is firm. If your crust starts to burn, cover with aluminum foil.

Enjoy!

(To reheat frozen quiche, thaw the pie in the refrigerator. Then bake at 375 for 23-35 minutes, until the middle reaches a temperature of 165.)

A Very Jane Austen Review

Title: Jane Austen Ruined My Life

Author: Beth Patillo

Rating: 4 stars

Jane Austen ruined Emma's life. Because of Jane Austen, Emma believed in a "happily ever after," but after finding her husband in a comprising situation with her TA, all hopes of the happily ever after are dashed.

A Jane Austen scholar, Emma decides to go to England to try and discover the "lost Austen letters"--the letters that Cassandra supposedly destroyed. Along the way, Emma learns what love really is and the truth about "happily ever afters."

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't trying to rewrite Jane Austen, it wasn't using Austen's characters. It was a look into "what ifs." I always like a good speculation. Jane Austen is shrouded in mystery, and I think that this is a very respectful and historically based to who we know Jane Austen was and who Jane Austen could have been based on her novels.

If you like Jane Austen, England, and a good book, I recommend this book. It's clever and a quick read.

You Can Learn from TV!

So, I was proofreading a novel at work and came across this word:

anticlimatic

Well, now, someone else would just overlook this word. But not me, no sir! Because I used to watch TV (used to . . . ha!) and I learned something from it.

See, I used to watch this TV show called "Joan of Arcadia." In one episode, Joan is talking to someone (well, God) and she says "That's mad anticlimatic."

God looks down at her. "Anticlimactic. Anticlimatic means that you're . . . against the weather."

That was 7 years ago that was on TV, and I still remember that. I will not be tripped up by anticlimatic ever again!!

One of THOSE Days

I wake up this morning to a general feeling of unwellness. I'm just tired, I think to myself as I take my shower, make my bed, get dressed, and do my hair and makeup. I'm not as hungry as I usually am by the time my body catches up to me, but I eat my dry cereal as my mom and I head out the door.

My book can't seem to hold my attention. I just need to get into a bit more, I think. I put my book down and flip through a magazine instead as I wait for my time to drive to the TRAX station. I sing along with a newly purchased album on my iPod (going through the car's tape deck) and get to the station, a bit later than normal, but on time to catch the train.

I have been reading on the train the past two weeks. Though I suffer from horrible motion sickness, it doesn't usually affect me on the train. About halfway through the train ride, my head starts getting that dizzy icky feeling of motion sickness. I probably just didn't eat enough breakfast, I think, I'll feel better once I get to work. I put my book away and try not to stare out the window at the scenery rushing by one long blur.

An hour later, the motion sick feeling still hasn't gone away. I think that if I eat some crackers, I'll feel better. Nope. Maybe I should drink some more water. Nope. Even doing my work seems to aggravate my head. The motion of my eyes going back and forth on the page make me feel like I'm on a carnival ride. It's getting a little ridiculous. Finally, it's lunch time. A bit of fresh air, and some sugar in my system will do me good.

Though a bit windy, it is a beautiful day. I don't read my book like I usually do. I just eat my lunch and people watch. I feel better. Good, it's finally going away, I think. I go back to work and sit at my desk to continue my reading, and the tilt-a-whirl starts back up. Do doddle do do do. I'm getting kind of tired of this.

After I finishing my proofreading, I am given a picture. "Find the artist's name for this," I'm told. Here are the things I know about this picture: it's the nativity, and it is a woodcut print. No title. Not even a time period. I spend the last 2 1/2 hours of my day going through thousands of pictures trying to find it. No go. None of my search terms seems to work. Finally, it's time to go home. I am so exhausted! All I have to do is get on the train and get home.

I stop to talk to the editor who gave me the picture. Because of this I am a bit later leaving and miss the train by 5 seconds. I have to wait another 15 minutes for the next one to come. Then, about 5 stops from mine, there is a bump and the train goes quiet. It coasts into the station and stops. While the conductor tries to figure out how to fix it, we sit. For 15 minutes.

And that's when I think: Today is just one of those days. But at least I got to talk to the cute new mailroom guy.

Who Am I?

I love going to the theatre. There's an excitement as you walk in and see the gold leaf on the walls, the red velvet curtains hiding the stage. The chandelier glitters above you and all around you are the murmurs and conversations of the audience. The orchestra sits unseen, tuning their instruments and running scales.

You sit and take it all in, waiting with anticipation for the show to start. Then the lights dim and the music starts. The curtains are drawn back and you are transported to a different world. Shivers run down your spine as the characters start to sing.

I went to see one of the greatest musicals today; Les Miserables at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake. It was my first time seeing the original production (I had seen the school version when I was 16). What a beautiful and moving show! I was brought to tears many times, as I was transported to 19th century France, following the plight of Jean ValJean, a man who spends his life righting his wrongs, and running from the man who believes only in justice. It is a tale of mercy, love, redemption, and valor.

I came away singing.

Little Secrets

Here are a few admissions of my guilty little secrets:

• I joined "Friends of Josh Groban" (Josh Groban's fan club) just so I could buy tickets to his concert a day early--which meant that essentially I paid an extra $20 for tickets.
• Sometimes, when a car moves out from behind me to pass me, I'll speed up just enough to keep them from getting in front of me. I will also do this if a driver waits until the last second to merge.
• I will buy an audiobook, not because I am particularly interested in the book, but because it is read by David Tennant. MMmmmm, sexy Scottish man voice!
• I have read more than 70 books in the past 4 1/2 months alone.
• YouTube is my favorite! I have watched entire movies and seasons of TV shows on it.
• I love Disney Pop. Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, and even some Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus (Gasp!) all have a place on my iPod.
• I'm a total celebrity gossip. I love reading People magazine and looking at all the pictures from award shows and knowing who is dating who. It's all so stupid.
• I still sleep with a stuffed animal.
• Sometimes I get so involved in characters' lives that I genuinely feel happy or sad when things happen in their lives.
• I cry over just about everything. It doesn't help that I am a sympathetic cryer. And that I cry when I laugh. Curse these over productive tear ducts!
• I like to pretend that I am someone so much cooler than me. You know, graceful, talented, witty, charming, fashionable, and elegant. Because usually I trip and say "um . . . " a lot.

The Times They Are a Changin'

It is amazing how fast life can change.

Four weeks ago I took a test. And finished my internship at the Church Magazines. Then for the following three weeks I heard nothing from the internships I had applied to.

For three weeks I read books and watched TV, waiting to hear.

Then in one week I had two interviews set up (on the same day). I went to the interviews, which ended up being a very long day. While I was taking the test at the second interview, I could feel my phone vibrating in my purse. I check it after I leave, and it's an offer for the publishing internship at Deseret Book! And it would be starting the next day!

Whoo! It was crazy!

So I started that internship on Wednesday. I felt so much more prepared and relaxed going into this internship than I did when I started at the New Era. I think it mostly was because 1) I had already had experience, and 2) I didn't have weeks to work myself up about it, just a few hours. Haha.

The editing team at DB is a lot smaller than I would have thought, with only 4 editors and the three of us interns. This means that I will always be busy, which is fabulous. After a little bit of training, they got us started. Instead of an office, I have a cubicle. And it is right next to John Bytheway's. Oh yes! Of course, I don't think he comes in very often, but hey. I only work three days a week, from 9-5. And I get to work with books! Big long, involved books! And novels!

It's fantastic!

And tough. I've been working on a book that talks about LDS Beliefs (I think it might actually be called that, but I don't know), where they quoted from a text they can't quote from, so I have been going through and finding all of the places it has been cited and then trying to find that same quote in two other texts that we can use. It is time consuming, and can be interesting, and tedious. I finished the part I had yesterday, and was rewarded with be able to start proofreading a novel!

In one week my life has changed quite drastically, but for the better. I have truly been lucky this past year, luckier than most people.