Some exciting news, although a little late.

I know...I am a lame blogger lately. I don't know what my problem is.

So, here's the latest news. As most of you know, I've been in school for court reporting for the last 5 years (yes, it really has been that long). I've been close to being done for a while and last Thursday I passed on of my mocks, which is a big test that basically is the ticket to taking the state test. Now, I do have to pass 3 mocks, so I've got one down and two to go, but I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and it's really GREAT! I'm so excited, as is Josh since he's been waiting for me to get done with school before he goes (thanks for being so patient, honey). That's basically the only news I have. I have to pass the two more mocks before November 26th, and I totally think I can do it. Wish me luck.

In other news:

Do you remember this post that I did a month or so ago. Well, we got two more caricatures back today. We have started on the celebrity caricatures and the ones that we got back today are of Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura and Audrey Hepburn. They turned out so good! I'm excited about getting the other ones back. The next two are going to be Danny Devito as the Penguin in Batman and Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I'll post some more pictures of these once we get a few more back and start getting them on the wall.

Brad gets home from his mission in Piura, Peru in less than two months already. We are really excited for that. I can't wait! I can't believe it's already been two years. Crazy!

Cooking Yourself Thin

So, I bought the Cook Yourself Thin cookbook, and I really enjoy it. I haven't tried everything but I will share a few of my favorite things.

This is what we're eating tonight. It's the Southwestern Turkey Burgers. We have tried it a few times, and I absolute love it. Josh really likes it as well.

Now at first glance, I would never have wanted to try a turkey burger, but I just happened to have everything for it the first time I made it, and it was one of those days that you just didn't have anything to make, so I ended up with this. And it was really, really good. Very flavorful! We even had the sweet potato fries, and they were good, even for someone who isn't a huge fan of sweet potatoes. The only thing I didn't like about those was that they come out kind of soft, and I haven't quite figured out how to fix that, but besides that, they were great.

We're not having the sweet potato fries tonight, because I'm too lazy to go to the store for just two sweet potatoes, but here's the recipe, in case you're interested.

Serves 4

Calories per serving, turkey burger: 342

Calories per serving, sweet potato fries: 89

For the sweet potato fries:

2 sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling, Juice of 1/2 lime.

For the turkey burger:

1 1/3 pounds lean ground turkey, 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 2–3 spritzes canola oil in a mister, 3 ounces 50%-reduced-fat pepper-jack cheese, cut into thin slices, 4 whole-wheat Kaiser rolls, Romaine lettuce leaves, Tomato, slicedRed onion, sliced1/2 avocado, sliced

1. For the sweet potato fries, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Wash and dry the potatoes and, with the skin on, slice into 1/2-inch-thick rounds; cut the rounds into 1/2-inch-thick finger-shaped pieces. Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the oil, chili powder, garlic powder and salt.

3. On a baking sheet, spread the sweet potato fries in a single layer and roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until brown and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter or bowl and sprinkle with a little more salt.
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Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the lean ground turkey with the diced chiles and season with salt and pepper. Shape into patties and refrigerate until ready to cook.

5. Heat a large grill pan or nonstick skillet on medium heat and spritz with canola oil. Add the turkey patties to the grill pan and cook until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip, reduce the heat to low, cover (if using a skillet) and cook until the juices run pale pink, about 4 more minutes. Top with the reduced-fat pepper-jack cheese during the last minute.

6. Toast the rolls in the oven or in a toaster oven. Alternatively, grill them 1 minute on each side.

7. To assemble: On a platter, place the fries and a burger on a bun and top with lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado slices. Squeeze lime juice over the fries and serve.

Hope you enjoy!