All Good Things Come to an End

Don’t you wish you could relive all the wonderful times in your life? I know I do! I had the most fabulous weekend, and I so wish it wasn’t almost over. My amazing boyfriend Darren visited me here at Oberlin.

This is actually an old picture from when he drove all the way to South Carolina to visit me last January. That is another weekend I wish I could re-live over and over. I think quite a lot of the joy in my life comes from my amazing man. (This isn’t getting too lovey-dovey for ya’ll I hope!)

Anyways, this weekend was great! Darren got here Friday evening, and we cooked a nice dinner. Of course, before dinner, we had dessert!

Yes, we had dessert before dinner. Why? Because this is my apartment, and I make the rules. Actually I was starving while dinner was cooking, and I terribly needed something to assuage the empty pit in my stomach. I made these “Grown-Up” Mocha Mudslide Milkshakes. These milkshakes consisted of mocha mudslide flavored ice cream (any chocolate or coffee flavored ice cream would work), coconut milk, whipped cream, and…..Bailey’s. The last ingredient is obviously optional. However, my belief is that unless you have an allergy, an intolerance, or a chemical dependency (such as alcoholism), every food or beverage is fine in moderation. Neither Darren nor I binge drink, but we do like to indulge in a glass or wine or delicious cocktail (such as this milkshake!) every once in a while.  To make these milkshakes we just used a blender to mix the ice cream, milk, and Bailey’s, and topped them with whipped cream. Yum! These made the perfect appetizer for dinner.

I served this black bean casserole as a salad for dinner. The next day for lunch, we ate the left overs on tortillas. I think it was even better the next day!

Southwest Black Bean Casserole

adapted from pinchofyum

Ingredients

• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I actually used mozzarella because it’s all I had on hand)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add onions to the pan and saute until browned.
3. Add salt, cumin, red pepper, and garlic. Saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly (I added a tablespoon or two of water to keep things from sticking in the pan.)
4. Stir in broth and black beans. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Mash beans to desired consistency.
5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top tomato sauce and cheese. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for atleast 10 minutes (otherwise it will be too runny).
6. Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, over rice, on tacos, on a salad, or just eat it plain!

Such a yummy dinner. Darren and I went to an American Folk-Jazz concert Friday night. I love all the free concerts at Oberlin. Then we headed to bed early because I took a practice MCAT Saturday morning. The test went surprisingly well. I’m really pleased with how I did, especially considering it was my first practice test.

After my test, we watched a bit of the Michigan football game, ate lunch, napped, then headed to dinner and the mall.

I had this for dinner. It was Bob Evan’s cinnamon stuffed pancakes. I was totally in a sugar coma after these. I don’t get to Bob Evan’s very much though, and I absolutely adore these pancakes. At the mall, Darren bought a new pair of shoes. He doesn’t spend money on himself very often, so I like when he does. He deserves it!

This morning, Darren and I went for a walk around campus and said our goodbyes. It’s always hard for me when he leaves. I get to see him again in 3 weeks. So until then, there will be skype, phone calls, and reliving all the wonderful time we’ve spent together.

XOXO,

Jamie

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