Recipe: Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

When I joined Pinterest, I was one of those girls that could browse boards and pins for days. I think the website is fantastic- it allows me to meticulously organize items that catch my eye, link to websites with instructions, get inspiration from friends, and feed my curiosities belly. Luckily, K also enjoys food, so during the 3 years we spent together at ASU we found a way to make cooking a shared hobby and a way to spend time together. Just over a year ago, when K and I moved into our place together, we felt it seemed fitting to continue the tradition of sharing each other's company and skills in the kitchen; that's how we ended up trying a new recipe EVERY week last summer, as a way to both feed our curiosities, and our bellies. It was simply a coincidence that my recent Pinterest addiction corresponded to the new chapter in our lives, but it was certainly helpful that we were allowed easy access to an endless supply of new recipes!

K grilling and me cooking

Last summer, K and I tried new recipes (and a decent number have found a permanent place in our culinary repertoire), so I've decided that this summer I'll share the ones that worked for us. For starters, I'm gonna share one of our new favorite, and easy Mexican food recipes. I want to warn you that if you check this recipe on Pinterest, we did modify it just slightly; neither of us does spicey food, so if you want some heat, you'll have to refer to the original recipe on my "Happy Tummy" board. Nonetheless... ¡Buen Provecho!


CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Shredded Chicken Breast Meat (for extra lazy days, use a rotisserie chicken)
3/4 tsp Ground Cumin
2 tbsp Cilantro (fresh or dried)
1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
1 (15 oz) can Black Beans
1 (10 oz) can Red Enchilada Sauce
8 Corn Tortillas
2 cups Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
1 (8 oz) Container Sour Cream

DIRECTIONS
 
1.) Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and garlic until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro and black beans.

2.) Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 9X11 inch baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray (just a little hint, I put foil on the bottom of the pan and skip the greasing). Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken/bean mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.

3.) Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken/bean mixture over the tortillas.

4.) Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

5.) Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

6.) Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Just in case you need a little Pin-spiration, here's the link to my Pinterest Boards: http://pinterest.com/stardustbabey/boards/

Summer "Break" & D3 Life

By 5PM on Thursday May 16th, I was finally a third year dental student- aka a D3. After roughly 200 lab practicals, quizzes, exams, and finals over the last 2 years, I had finally reached the HALF WAY point in my DDS degree... can you believe that in 2 years, I'll be Dr. Vera?!

It's been a tough journey thus far. There were days D1 year, when I would come home, lay on the ground in my living room, and cry. The first year of dental school is unlike anything I've ever experienced, and there's no good way to really understand it unless you've done it or are going through it. The only solace of first year is the knowledge that your dental school friends/family are suffering as much as you are, and the reminder that every dentist before you has gone through the same hell. Depending on who you talk to, D2 year is just more of the same. Lucky for me, second year was not terrible. Yes, there was a ton of lab work and still quizzes/exams/etc, but it was so much more manageable. When the clock stuck 5PM, I got to go home, and on the weekends, I even got to have some fun (I mean, I was able to adopt a dog and start planning a wedding second year)! Like I said before though, I was kind of lucky- I was never behind on lab work, and an average of 2 quizzes/exams/etc was a lot easier to budget time for than the never ending stream of studying required for first year.

My parents and I during "Family Day" first year. So grateful for their love and support during dental school and the many years before, while I was working towards my dream of one day attending BCD.

To try and put dental school into perspective for any non-dental readers, there's an analogy floating around the halls of Baylor that dental school is like learning to jump through hoops; the first year it's a hoop of fire, second year it's a hoop covered in barbed wire, third year there's another dangerous hoop, followed by yet another (for posterity's sake, I'm sure) for fourth year. Somehow though, we all end up safely on the other side, degree in hand, ready to add those three little letters to the end of our names, and our wounds fading to scars. Poetic, isn't it?

Unlike last summer, which despite doing summer research was pretty lazy, there's not really a summer break between 2nd and 3rd year. Jokingly referred to as "sophomore summer" by the clinic faculty, this summer comes complete with both summer classes (exams included) and patients (with "on-the-job" training on how the clinic runs and how to work the school's computer system). Its seems to be going pretty fast though; we're already on the 3rd of the 6 week summer school program! Truthfully though, it hadn't been that busy until yesterday. Monday was one of those go-go-go days; I had class for 2 hrs in the morning, followed by back-to-back patients at 10AM and 1PM (to make matters worse, the 1PM patient was a surprise when I checked my schedule at 1:10PM after cleaning up from my morning patient), which meant I didn't get home until 5:30PM after doing some lab work. Not only did I not get to eat lunch, but I didn't get to pee until my second patient left- my poor bladder! Even though I was at school the same amount of time I am during the normal school year, running around clinic and interacting with patients is a lot more exhausting than sitting on your butt in a lecture hall. 

D2 year, among other things, K and I found time to carve pumpkins (or a watermelon in his case), go to the State Fair of Texas, and attend Holiday Gala (aka Dental Prom)

This summer isn't all bad. Baylor does give us a 2 week break after finals before summer clinic starts and 4 more weeks after it ends before school starts in August. And really, it's much appreciated! The first 2 week break has long come and gone, but I did fill that time with a visit to my old high school to give a 2 hour presentation to the clinical rotations classes on how to apply to dental school and what life is like once you're in it (I promise I was upfront about how first year makes you question why you wished such torture on yourself. Regardless, those kids won't truly get it unless they all go to dental school). There was even enough time for K and I to make our way around the LA/Burbank area to not only tour venues, but to even put down money to reserve one! Our official wedding date is now Friday, May 30, 2014. Everyone should request off from work and start saving money now!!!

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Lucas on their recent nuptials!

As a woman in the middle of planning her own wedding, I don't want to sound biased, but weddings are a lot of fun! This past weekend, K, 3 of our friends, and I all piled into K's Toyota Corolla and headed up to OKC for our college friend's wedding (FYI weddings are a totally different experience when you're planning one!). It was a short 24 hour stay, but we loved seeing people we hadn't seen in awhile, and the chance to eat, drink, and dance the night away! Sunday morning before we headed back to Dallas, we made a point to go to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. It was a very somber way to end a joyous weekend, but it was very moving. I have vivid memories of the news showing the building after the explosion, and firefighters carrying a young African American child from the blast zone as she cried and blood ran down her face. Despite that, I almost feel that the visit was more powerful to K and our friends since none of them grew up in Texas or the surrounding states, and were therefore not as familiar with the bombing as I am. 

Photos of the OKC Bombing Memorial

On a lighter note, with only 3 more weeks of summer clinic left, K and I will be headed to New Orleans towards the end of July for a mini-vacation, and then back out to California the first week of August for his cousin's wedding. I guess wedding season really has arrived!

Dress, Dog, & (Almost) Doctor

Whenever anyone asks how wedding planning is going, I find myself answering the same way I did last year when people asked about the first year of dental school: ...It's going. Of course, last year the reason behind the cryptic response was to spare friends and family of how dental school was a torturous black hole of perpetual sorrow; now-a-days, its to keep myself from feeling like I'm somehow behind on the planning front. 

Normally, I love lists- they're a perfect way to keep things organized, but somehow those ever so handy month-by-month wedding planning check lists freak me out. It's probably for one of two reasons: 1.) There are some BIG items to take care of up ahead, and 2.) I have barely made a dent in the million and one things that are required to plan a wedding (in reality, I'm probably freaked out because of both reasons). I am happy to announce though, that I have marked off a very large item from the "To-Do List." Ladies and gentlemen, I have found THE dress! The picture to the left is a sneak preview of what we'll look like in 12-14 months- K in a suit, and me in my wedding gown! We've also officially booked our flight to CA for the end of May so that we can look at venues... and reserve one of course. Thankfully the internet has allowed us to browse potential locations with our fingertips!

The same day I got measured for my dress, K and I brought home our new baby. We now have a beautiful, blonde, brown eyed, 42 lbs, 2 year old Shar Pei/Lab Mix named Rosalind- in honor of Rosalind Franklin. You know we're a a nerdy couple when we name our dog (and all future pets) after a famous scientist. 

Rosalind is such a sweetheart. I fell in love with her while volunteering at the SPCA in Dallas, and she won my heart. She didn't have to try very hard to win over K's either. She loves belly rubs, cuddling on the couch with mommy, playing tug-of-war with daddy, giving kisses, and running around with other dogs. She came to us knowing 'sit' and 'down,' and that little smarty pants has already learned 'shake,' 'roll over,' and 'bang!' Unfortunately, our little four legged child is also a tad bit destructive. In the 18 days we've had her she's destroyed: 8 Harry Potter DVD cases and 4 Harry Potter DVDs, 2 rubber coasters, 1 flip flop, and 1 TV remote. Ugh. Apparently she's a chewer, and we REALLY wish we'd known ahead of time that we needed to stock-up on durable, dog-appropriate chew toys. Being a new parent is so charming... She sure is cute though; I mean, look at that face and those floppy ears! 

(Let me just get on my soap box real quick... shame on you if you ever pay money for an animal and it's not from an adoption shelter. Shelter pets are the most loving, the most grateful, and the one's who need us  the most. Their lives actually depend on whether or not people go to their local shelter vs their local breeder. Now, if you're looking for a fury friend, check out the North Texas SPCA website to see what animals they currently have up for adoption: http://spcafindapet.com/)

Monday was a big day in my dental education/career. I had my FIRST official patient! It was a hectic afternoon and I am SO grateful that a D3 was able to help me out, otherwise I would have been so lost. The appointment started with me going up to the second floor to retrieve my patient from the waiting room. We then ventured down to the first floor Oral Diagnosis clinic so that I could take his vital signs, go over his medical and dental history, and have him sign a ton of forms. After waiting for my start check, I did his extra-oral and intra-oral exam. I confirmed the findings of his screening appointment and did his treatment plan. My findings were then confirmed by one of the clinic faculty after waiting in line for them to take a look at my patient, and then off we went to the Oral Surgery clinic to wait for a consultation. From there we went back up to the second floor for another exam and consult in the Removable Clinic. After MORE waiting, everything was finally approved. When all was said and done, it only took 2 hours of waiting and bouncing from clinic to clinic before the patient was free to go. I can't believe the time has come for me to finally start treating actual people! I mean, just today I gave 2 injections in the oral surgery clinic on an emergency patient- I'm basically a real dentist! Well, almost....

Whether it was a crown prep, a filling, or dentures, my first patient never had much to say. My second, third, and fourth patients received cleanings; the latter didn't feel as comfortable with me wielding sharp instruments as my classmates had. Now, I'm doing exams and treatment plans and giving injections! With some much appreciated help from upper classmen, of course!

Seattle Spring Break

Mur·phy's Law [mərfēz] noun: A supposed law of nature, expressed in various humorous popular sayings, to the effect that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. 

  

After spending the first half of the week going to doctors appointments, running errands, sending emails to potential wedding venues, doing a million loads of laundry, and cleaning the apartment (I could hardly recognize myself- I felt like such a homemaker), K and I found ourselves preparing for our trip to Seattle. This trip was officially for the annual IADR (International and American Association for Dental Research) meeting so that I could present the research I'd done last summer, but we decided to stay for an extra 3 days and make it a legit vacation. 
 
Unfortunately, K had midterms Wednesday evening, so even though my poster presentation was schedule for Thursday afternoon, we chose to travel at an ungodly hour so that we could arrive in Seattle, even with a lay-over, by noon the day of. So, at 4:45AM on Thursday morning, the alarm went off, and by 5AM  we were en route to the airport for our 7:15AM flight.

The first leg of our journey went off without a hitch. Of course, I felt like a total dork carrying around the 4ft tube that safely housed the research poster, and I was less than thrilled to be sitting in an airplane BEFORE sunrise (did I already mention that I am FAR from being a morning person?), but nonetheless, after watching the sun come up on the horizon and sleeping for 3+ hours, we arrived in San Francisco for our connecting flight. Cue Murphy's Law. 

K managed to read an entire book during our attempt to get to Seattle

We touched down in San Francisco at 9:10AM (our connecting flight was scheduled to leave at 10:05, which gave us 20 minutes until boarding). Then, due to a backup on the runway, we sat for awhile before being allowed to taxi to the gate. Naturally, K and I were sitting in the back of the airplane, so it took us even more time to actually disembark. Come 9:25AM, we were briskly walking to the tram in the San Francisco airport while K pulled up the American Airlines website so we could figure out which gate our connecting flight would leave from. At 9:45AM we found ourselves at the end of a long security line. After jogging to the farthest gate in the International Terminal we arrived at the gate with 10 other people from our flight from Dallas and we were all promptly denied entry onto the plane. Face-palm. Eventually K and I were put on the next flight to Seattle, which wasn't until 1PM. The 2 hours it would take from San Francisco meant we would arrive in Seattle at 3PM... for my 3:30PM poster presentation, we were cutting it a little close. Cue Murphy's Law Part Two. At noon the plane we were supposed to get on arrived at our gate WITH A CRACKED WINDSHIELD (apparently due to a bird strike). Face-palm. We were delayed for 3 more hours...

After 12 hours worth of travel, K and I finally arrived in a rainy, dreary Seattle. Sadly, I was unable to present my research poster; I felt SO bad for the two girls I was supposed to present with, who not only paid the expense to fly out for the meeting, but were stuck there without anything to present (I was not supposed to have the poster since I was arriving the day of the meeting, but I suppose it was a little Murphy's Law prequel that it didn't finish getting printed until Wednesday evening).  

The rest of our trip was amazing. No complaints. The next 3 days were sunny, we had a gorgeous view of the Space Needle from our hotel window, we walked along the Waterfront and the Underground Tour, we stuffed ourselves on such things as salami, smoked salmon, gelato, crumpets, award-winning clam chowder, and truffle oils on a FANTASTIC food tour at the infamous Pikes Market Place (for anyone who loves to eat and is planning to make the journey to Seattle, check out http://seattlefoodtours.com/tours/pike-place-market), and I got to catch up with an old friend who is currently going to school at the University of Washington. Not too shabby for my first visit to the Pacific Northwest!

Engagement Begins

It's been almost 7 weeks since Ground Hog's Day K and I got engaged; technically it's been 6 weeks and 4 days, but whose counting? Initially it was difficult to find time to really let the notion sink in; that weekend K's parents came into town for my white coat ceremony (I look like an official dentist now!), so we were dealing with school stuff, and dinners with our families and friends, and I had exams to study for. It was several days until we found ourselves finally saying aloud, "Wow, we're engaged."

6 weeks and 4 days later, I'm still finding myself referring to K as my boyfriend- followed by a very quick correction to his status as my fiancé. One of the funniest things to me about all of this, is that K is still pretty mad about the fact that he proposed to me on Ground Hog's Day... and since it falls on February 2nd every year, his proposal will always coincide with that holiday. But, as far as I'm concerned next year and every year after, Punxsutawney Phil won't just be checking for his shadow, he'll also be reminding me of the day the love of my life confirmed he really does want to spend forever with me (what a brave guy)!

 Ah, the ring! A LaRosa Family heirloom.

Wedding planning is off to a slow start. We don't have an official date picked, but we do have a time frame in mind- Summer 2014. Mark your calenders! I've begun looking at venues online (it's kinda hard to plan a wedding when it's taking place in another state), and this past weekend my mom and I made our first visit to a bridal boutique to start the process of wedding dress shopping. Eek! The wedding colors have pretty much been selected, we've started thinking about the guest list, the people in our wedding and house party have confirmed that they like me and K enough to join us on our special day... all I have to say, is thank goodness we have over a year to plan this thing!

Future 'Dr. Baby' and the future in-laws.

So far 2013 has been kinda busy. K and I rang in the new year in California, he started his second semester of grad school, I picked back up with the D2 year, finally got the apartment looking the way I want it, we celebrated the 3rd anniversary of my 21st birthday, received my white coat, we got engaged, and celebrated the last Valentine's day as a "single" lady (of course I mean 'single' in terms of a government document- which we all know just means 'not married').

Here are some pictures from 'our' place. A BIG 'thank you' to my mom for 

making the pillow cases, ottoman cover, and curtains for the living room.