Sunday Styles

While most of the world looks forward to what Sunday has to offer: what activities they will be partaking in, how late they can sleep in, etc. I look forward to my study breaks. Modern Love and Weddings + Celebrations (preferably the weddings with 2 doctors.) Sunday is also a wonderful day, because I never have new lectures and I can study for a good 10 hours if I need to. Which I usually do. Sunday also means I can sleep in past 7:30 am and I usually have time to make a breakfast that I can sit down to (and not scarf down during my first lecture) and even take a shower that does not come after a workout.

Anyways, this past Sunday I happened to enjoy my NYTimes on the beach. Winter break. Got to love being a student. And the featured weddings and celebrations happened to be a little racy. Please read for yourself.

What I've been up to...

Highlights of the semester: a trip to Fort Worth, Texas to visit Barrie! We even drove to Dallas to visit my cousin Marcia and her husband Seth. Also, my parents came one weekend for a visit with Mr. Bauer.

Barrie and I watching a Gator game (I know?!)

aMy cousin, Marcia (hi Marcia, thanks for reading my blog!)

And the rest of the semester has consisted of studying with my roommate Jaime (a law student), my friend Eric (a med student), and Lily (a Cocka-poo).

Liz's dog came over for a playdate.

Bauer was very happy to be back in Gainesville with me dressing him up in ice cream sundae costumes.

Cape Cod

Next up is a family vacation to the Northeast (Chatam + Provincetown, Nantucket, Boston, Providence, RI)Nantucket
We found Dad a Cavalier Hat, note the side pocket for treats.

We went sailing in Providence, RI

The fam

Lo

San Fran

Shady's back. That is a reference to EMINEM in case you were wondering. I decided to continue on this little blog and I'll start it back with some pics from San Francisco this summer. I went with my sister and her boyfriend, Nick, and had a wonderful time. We even went down to Big Sur to camp and hike. We went to Muir Woods, Napa, Berkley. My friend, Sara, from school was also visiting so we met up with her one day.

Big Sur

Full House, "The Painted Ladies". If Alexis and I hadn't walked for 5 hours to find these, it wouldn't be as sad.

Sara and I at the SFMOMA

A waterfall at the end of a hike through Julia Pfieffer State Park

Redwoods

I love this picture of Alexis taking a picture.

Napa
Alexis loved biking The Golden Gate Bridge.
Obligatory food tour :)

Butternut Squash Lasagna and Artichoke, Mushroom, and Leek Crostini with Pesto

I had some people over tonight for The Bachlorette and made an absolutely wonderful lasagna. Please make it. I don't think I'll ever use cheese in lasagna again as the tofu was fabulous. My mom had also brought up some of the dips from a great recipe from Alicia Silverstone's Cookbook "The Kind Diet." All of this is Vegan as a dear friend of mine has converted.

Butternut Lasagna

• 12 ounces lasagna noodles (9 to 12 noodles)
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups chopped spinach, kale, chard, or other dark green leafy vegetablegreen leafy vegetable
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup boiling water
  

Tofu Filling:

• 1 1/2 pounds firm or silken tofu
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Black pepper to taste

Butternut Sauce:

• 3 cups mashed cooked butternut squash
• 3/4 cup nondairy milk
• 1 tablespoon miso
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Salt to taste
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Split butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and microwave for 10-15 minutes. Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Stir in the garlic and greens. If the greens are dry, add a little water. Cover and steam 5 minutes or until soft. Set aside.

Place tofu filling ingredients in food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Remove to bowl and set aside. Place Butternut Sauce ingredients in food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.

Assemble lasagna as follows: Cover the bottom of 9 x 13-inch pan with thin layer of sauce. Place a single layer of lasagna noodles in bottom of pan. Leave a little space between the noodles because they will expand when cooked. Spread 1/2 of the tofu filling over noodles. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cooked greens over tofu. Spread 1/3 of the butternut sauce over the greens. Repeat for one more layer. Place noodle layer on top and cover with butternut sauce. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over squash. Pour boiling water in corners and around edges of lasagna. Cover pan with foil and bake for 35 minute. Remove cover and bake 10 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing to set.

Makes 9 servings

Note: To save time, you can buy frozen pureed squash. Many markets also carry fresh or frozen peeled and cut squash that can be quickly steamed.

From: http://www.vegfamily.com/whole-family/vegan-lasagna.htm

Artichoke, Mushroom, and Leek Crostini with Pesto
Ingredients:

Artichoke, Mushroom and Leek Crostini with Pesto

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 2 tsp. shoyu
• Salt
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic , thinly sliced
• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks
• 2 cups sliced button mushrooms

Artichoke Spread:

• 1 can water-packed artichoke hearts , drained
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. umeboshi vinegar

Pesto:

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3/4 cup raw pine nuts
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. umeboshi vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 to 6 slices thick whole grain baguette
• Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Combine the oil, vinegar, mirin, shoyu, and 2 pinches of salt in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, leek and mushrooms. Cover the pan and when you hear sizzling, gently shake the skillet, holding the lid in place. Reduce the heat to low and braise until the leek is quite tender and deeply browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to cook off. Remove from heat and stir gently to combine.

Blend the artichoke hearts, olive oil and umeboshi vinegar in a food processor until smooth. Remove from the food processor and set aside.

Blend the basil, pine nuts, lemon juice, umeboshi vinegar, and oil in the food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Brush the bread lightly with oil on both sides. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake until the bread is lightly browned and crispy at the edges.

Spread the artichoke mixture on the bread, mound the leek mixture generously on top, and finish with a dollop of pesto and a sprinkle of parsley. Serve.

The best food of Gainesville

Catie and Schilero (friends from high school) came to visit for July 4th. Sami(another friend from high school) is in town as well this summer so we had a fabulous reunion.

On Friday we went to The Wine and Cheese Gallery. Yum. One of my Gainesville favorites.


Next up was Satchel's with one of the best salads in town. They have such great pizza and I love their collection of antique plates.

July 4th was spent snuggled up on the couch watching HGTV's Design Star, Bethenny Getting Married, and Real World. We ventured out for a party but that obviously didn't last long.

Little Man

I don't think I've ever met a more attached animal than Little Man is to my friend Eric. Little Man (or Cyrano) came over one day last week while Eric went to the lab. I figured he would enjoy a day with me more than spending the day in his cage.Well, LM spent the first 3 hours of the day crying by the front door and then finally got adjusted and made himself a nest.

Apparently the next day, LM ripped up Eric's carpet when he was left free to roam in his bedroom.

Lobster Sunday

Just made a delicious dinner of Lobster, Pasta Salad, and Arugula Salad.

Garden Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat rotini, (6 ounces)
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, or lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup diced yellow or red bell pepper, (1 small)
• 1 cup grated carrots, (2-4 carrots)
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, (4 scallions)
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 1/3 cup slivered fresh basil

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain and refresh under cold running water.
2. Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots, scallions, olives and basil; toss to coat well.

And for those nutrition gurus like me:

Per serving: 205 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 1 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 291 mg sodium; 269 mg potassium.

Just another hobby

Yesterday, a group of my classmates and I spent some time at a local health fair doing preventive health screens and seeing patients. Our medical school has a number of free student-run medical clinics that we offer for the local community. I absolutely love going to these clinics because I get to be a doctor! The students intake the patients, take histories, and do physical exams and then present to an attending who makes the final decisions.

St. Augustine

I went to St. Augustine last weekend with YJ to relax and enjoy a weekend of shopping, laying on the beach, and walking around a cute town. We ate delicious food, talked on and on, sipped on martinis, found adorable eateries, and just enjoyed SUMMER.No worries, plenty of sunscreen and protective clothing was in action.

A peacock!!! At The Fountain of Youth.

Delicious spinach and artichoke with Swiss cheese egg-white frittata

P.S. I have yet to figure out how to upload photos I've edited in PhotoShop, so eventually my pictures will get better, promise.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Just wanted to say thank you to my father for being the best dad in the entire world. I love him so much and I am where I am because of him. He is my biggest fan and has gotten me through medical school thus far. It is true, after this journey, he deserves an MD after his name as well.

Biking the Hawthorne Trail

Always willing to go shopping

College Graduation

She woke me up with a bang bang

My friend Eric lives on a farm in Ocala and hunts. Well his dad lives there and he really doesn't hunt, but he does have a pistol and he brought Neil and I to the local shooting range the other day. Below is Neil, Eric, and I. The nice man in the shop let us model his big gun.