Long Time No See: Google, France, and More

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Well hey there friends! It’s been a little while, eh? Out of sight but not out of mind, I hope Smile 

I know blogging is best done a taddddddd more frequently, but yee-haw this has been a crazy year. But the good news is I’m back…and here to stay!

Indeed, there’s been a few recent developments in life that have reminded me how much I missed blogging and how valuable it would be to start again. Okay okay, life developments?!? What foolishness is this? Let’s chat.

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Spring semester was miles smoother than Fall semester, which was a bit of a bumpier ride. Like the kind of a ride the jolts you, leaving one very bruised butt and a sore sense of sureness.

Alright, butts have nothing to do with my return to blogging. What I mean to say is that 2013 has been better, but the next few months hold much in store…

This past Tuesday, I arrived in Southern California to be greeted by balmy blue skies and nothin’ but sunshine. I’ll be here for a few weeks , but come June, I’ll head to Northern California to start my internship.

…Say what?

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Yes siree! I’ll be spending 11 weeks in Silicon Valley interning for Google via the Google BOLD program. To say I’m excited would be a crazy understatement.

Post-Google, I’ll pay one last visit to Orange County and then pack my bags for France. With parents in tow!

Mother darling, father dearest, and I will be spending ~1 week traveling around the South of France prior to…

STUDY ABROAD! Yup that’s right ya’ll! I’ll be spending my Fall semester in Nantes, France at the Université de Nantes. Again, “excited” is an understatement. For now, I’m taking some time to relax + unwind at home after a busy semester at Georgetown. Books, movies, iced coffee, yoga, and hanging with friends are on repeat. (Book/movie recommendations, anyone?). I can’t wait to see what these next few weeks/months will hold, and perhaps more importantly, I can’t wait to share them with YOU!

Yup, that’s the icing on the cake. Smile I’m hoping and planning to blog about my summer at Google and fall in France. In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting a few recipes from this last semester, as well as a plethora of beach photos. Down the line, there might be more pictures and less food, less pictures and more food; more musing, less writing. Who knows!

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All I can guarantee is plenty of sass from yours truly Open-mouthed smile 

Care to join me for this wild ride?

P.S. Georgetown Class of 2013 (including B) graduated today. CONGRATS YA’LL!

Small Kitchen College Repost - Dining Hall DIY: The Quesadilla Epiphany

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<<Hey all, please note that this is a re-post from Small Kitchen College, a college food/lifestyle blog for which I'm a contributing writer. See the full post here: http://college.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2012/03/dining-hall-diy-the-quesadilla-epiphany.html. If you get a chance, I definitely recommend that you check out the entire site. Regardless of whether or not you're a college kiddo like myself or just a foodie still hungry for more, it's both a great resource and a great laugh!>>

Dining Hall DIY: The Quesadilla Epiphany

by Lexi Cotcamp

It’s quite possible that this queso creation will change your life.

I mean, we could talk about caviar and microgastronomy, filet mignon and champagne, or prosciutto andgnocchi. But the truth is, sometimes you just can’t compete with warm, cheesy triangle of uber deliciousness.

This is way more awesome than a heaping serving of dining hall “gunk.” But it’s also totes affordable if you’re someone suffering from Top Ramen overdoses; if you’re someone looking for comfort food minus the Paula Deen; if you’re someone majoring in cheesiness and minoring in cheddar.

I don’t know if you dream about eating guacamole and sautéed mushrooms by the forkful like me. Nada big deal—you can skip it altogether, if that’s how you jam.

I don’t know if you are wonky and have a bizarre love for gluten-free tortillas like me. But that’s not a deal-breaker either—plain ol’ flour or corn tortillas will be perfectly fine.

I don’t know why in the world Snooki is preggers. But that’s another story for another day. I do know one thing, however.

This queso creation will change your life.

**Recipe**

The Quesadilla Epiphany
Serves 1 hungry person (or 2 as an appetizer)

Ingredients
1 large flour tortilla (gluten-free is fine as well)
1/4 cup (heaping) shredded cheese; cheddar or jack is preferable
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/4 cup baby spinach, washed
2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons salsa
1 tablespoon guacamole

On a large plate, layer cheese, mushrooms, spinach, onions, salsa, and guacamole on half of the tortilla.

Fold tortilla in half, sealing in fillings and creating a half-moon shape.

Place quesadilla in a panini press (or George Foreman grill).

Allow quesadilla to cook for 4 minutes, or until the outside of the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is melty. Enjoy!

Lexi Cotcamp is a freshman at Georgetown University, where is exploring a major in the McDonough School of Business. An ardent lover of just about every fruit or vegetable you could name, she considers dessert to be an absolute necessity to the existence of mankind.

2012: Bring it On!

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photo (5) And so begins the 2012 Bucket List. It’s ambitious, but hey, what’s life without a challenge?

(Note: I’ve replaced some names with first initials for personal privacy purposes for the time being!)

Do

  • Go to Sweet Green
  • Go to Wisey’s
  • See National Holocaust Museum
  • Go to Eastern Market with S
  • Go into the city at least once per week
  • Run or bike the C&O Canal Road in D.C
  • Rent a bike via capital bike share
  • Attend a concert in D.C. or elsewhere
  • Host a fancy schmancy dinner party
  • Plan a brunch with friends
  • Remember to take vitamins more often
  • Keep track of finances via a spreadsheet
  • Call or skype family/friends at least once per week
  • Keep in touch with friends from home via Facebook inbox
  • Go to Disneyland with the Fab Four
  • Go on another insane 20 mile bike ride with Blake
  • Run a race or something of the sort
  • Find a way to do yoga at least once per week, either in 506 or at a studio!
  • Try meditation at the meditation center
  • Host the Inaugural Food Party with Family Swag
  • Plan to spend a New Years Eve with Family Swag sometime in the future
  • Dance like nobody’s watching (with H :) )

Work

  • Get a job for the spring semester
  • Get a job over the summer
  • Apply to The Corp
  • Write for another blog or publication

Blog

  • Bake or cook something once per week...and blog about it!
  • Attend or organize a blogger meetup
  • Blog once or twice per week
  • Continuously update recipe index

Travel

  • To Philly to visit E
  • To Maine to visit H
  • To San Diego to visit S
  • Invite H/B/E to visit California
  • Go on a trip somewhere on the East Coast (perhaps New York?) with S
  • Plan a roadtrip with B+E and/or Family Swag
  • Go on a trip with Mom

Be

  • Mindful when it comes to food
    • Eat when hungry. Stop when full.
    • Eat real food. Your body is only as good as the nutrients you put into it.
  • PUNCTUAL! Nobody likes a later tater.
  • Kind to your skin.
  • Willing to share
  • Present right now
  • Okay with taking a break from work

Eat

Cook/Bake

  • Belgian Liege Waffles
  • Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes
  • Protein Pancakes
  • Donuts
  • One of Nati’s recipes
  • Recipes from Claremont McKenna
  • Homemade seitan
  • Tempeh that doesn’t suck
  • A freakin’ amazing veggie burger
  • Homemade pasta
  • Bomb diggity whole wheat bread
  • A snazzy coffee drink that puts Starbucks to shame
  • The perfect choco chip cookie recipe
  • A vegetarian sandwich that ROCKS

Before Going Back to Georgetown

  • Trip to San Diego
  • Grab lunch with the cousins
  • Take a dip in the Pacific Ocean
  • Go on a hike!
  • Go to Disneyland
  • Get indian food with friends from home
  • Finish a Georgetown reflection I’ve been working on

2011 in Review (According to Wordpress!)

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<<Note: I mean, generally, I wouldn't share this kind of stuff, but I thought this was so interesting! Hats off to Wordpress for this snazzy little gem :) >> The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here's an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,400 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 57 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Welcome to Georgetown

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I've been at Georgetown for 2 weeks (!!) and in school for one of those two.

"Free time"--in the sense of doing nothing for the sake of doing nothing--is nonexistent. I'm always hanging with friends, doing homework, leafing through applications, eating at Leo's Dining Hall, heading to campus events, or doing...other things ;)

Mondays can be wordless, right?

Good, I thought so too.

Seeing as I have multiple essays to write, Hobbe's Leviathan to read, and plenty of calculus problems to procrastinate on to conquer like a champ, I think it's better that we make it Monday Fun-day and stare at lots of (un)pretty pictures.

Excellent plan.

Velvety Deliciousness

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That color is unmistakable. There's cherry red, brick red, fire engine red..and then there's this.

Red as in...

Red.

Velvet.

Cupcakes.

Trendy? You betcha.

Delectable? Sometimes.

Healthy? Usually, no. Today, yes.

I wish I could give you the recipe tonight, but I'm not satisfied.

Well, my eyes are satisfied, but my tastebuds are not. These are good, but they could be better.

And we like "better," right? Right.

Sorry to be a tease, but if perfected, these could very possibly complete your life. But until then, I'm afraid they'd leave you feeling like destiny has yet to be truly fulfilled.

Whoa nelly, this is getting to be deep stuff.

Let's stick to food, if that's okay with you.

For now, go make these wonderful cookies of uber amazingness.

They will make your life complete.

And once you've finished making those and telling me how great life has become because of a cookie, we'll talk red velvet.

We  will talk. Don't worry--I won't forget.

There's a reason I can't walk straight or whizz through Calculus. That part of my brain is devoted to cupcakes. No multitasking. Just cupcakes. I like to call it "selective brain function."

Aight, all this science stuff is getting too fancy for me. Pinky promise you'll come back to talk red velvet with me?

Okay, good. Sounds like a plan, Stan.