Party Rolls

This recipe takes about 5 minutes to assemble, 15 to cook, and about 3 to consume. I made these with Eric this past week and they were AMAZING and actually not too terrible on the waistline. This recipe is for one tube of crescent rolls, so just multiply for however many more people you'll be serving. Check it out.


Spinach-Cheese Party Rolls

You'll need:
A tube of crescent rolls
1/4 cup chopped spinach (we used frozen)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled with garlic powder
(For this recipe we actually used a couple of Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese wedges--- a nice alternative)
1/2 cup diced tomato (optional)

Lay out your crescents on a cutting board, then top with either your shredded or your spreadable cheese.

Next, sprinkle your spinach onto the rolls. You don't need to cover the entire surface.

Last, top with diced tomatoes. If you are making these even 3 hours ahead of time, I recommend NOT including tomatoes because they can cause the rolls to become soggy.  However, you could assemble these and keep them in the fridge until they're ready to bake just before serving, to keep the sogginess at bay!

Place the rolls on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 15-17 minutes. Use the crescent roll instructions as a starting guide, but be aware that you'll need to bake them a little longer for all the ingredients to cook through. Remove from the oven when they're golden brown on top and enjoy!

To store, place in a paper-towel lined, air-tight container in the fridge and reheat in the oven for 5 minutes before serving.

How To Control Life

That's right, folks. I've figured out how to control my own life! Well. Not really. But even better, I've figured out how to create the illusion of controlling my life! It all comes down to bitching about accepting the things you can't change and changing the things you can.

I can't change the fact that Eric is in Hawaii working far away, on a ridiculous schedule, for all but 17 hours each week when he's here with me (IF he makes it home that week).

I can't change the fact that my car is clunky and on its last legs and I can't afford another yet.

I can't change the fact that my life is missing a few pieces I'd hoped would be in place by now.

I can't change the fact that I'm in school in Chicago instead of driving around Norman with the windows down.

But.

I CAN change my hair.

Last night I finally had enough and I decided that if I can't change the big, meaningful things in my life, I sure as hell could change the smaller, less consequential aspects of my person, such as the length of my hair, so I did. I chopped off about 6 1/2 inches into nice, choppy layers. The hair framing my face comes down to just above my collarbone, then it tapers lower from there to about an inch below my shoulder.

I've had longer hair for about 3 years now, so it's nice to make a more drastic change. I feel sporty and trendy and sophisticated, and I'm going to save, like, $0.30 on shampoo!!!

In all seriousness, though, sometimes a small change like this is all it takes for me to feel like things are back in my control, and that's enough to keep me going for another couple of weeks until it's time to re-motivate.

What kinds of things do you do to reinvigorate your life when things are getting rough?

Climbing Trees

As a kid I loved to climb trees. There were a few specific trees that I found my way up into every time I saw them. The tree that used to stand outside my Abuelo and Abuela's house was perfect for climbing. It had narrow, low branches that were just within reach and that were perfect for setting my toes into. I used to climb up that tree while my brother or cousins climbed up the other tree on the opposite side of the driveway. We would go up high, listen as the trains rumbled through the neighborhood, and then shimmy down and keep playing whatever game we had paused.

I don't climb trees anymore, although now that I think about it I can't come up with a single good reason not to. I should probably give myself permission to access my inner child again and just climb a tree! The trees in my life these days are more metaphorical. In fact, lately I have been climbing a pretty big tree, a new tree. I'm not quite ready to talk about details just yet. This is something I'm doing for me. But I can tell you, I'm about to step out onto a branch without anything below me to catch my fall. It's terrifying, and I keep fighting the urge to walk back toward the trunk and go down a little ways. But the view from this new branch is incredible and I know that if I just walk out a little further, everything will soon become clear.

Stay tuned.