Instant Success

My graduation from the Notre Dame Remick Leadership Program was in July...but it took me awhile to think of a graduation gift that my parents wanted to get me. (Understandably, there was quite a bit that was happening right afterwards - my sister's wedding, a change of schools and position, the start of the school year...)

But right after Thanksgiving I decided what I wanted - an Instant Pot. Thanks to the combination of Cyber Monday and a snow day I was able to get quite a deal on it. So, technically I bought it...but then my parents paid me back.

I'll readily admit that it stayed in the box until today. I wasn't ready to read the instructions before the Christmas break, as there was too much going on between school and personal commitments. (Heck, I didn't even get a chance to practice my guitar during that time.) Over the break, though, I browsed Pinterest and started my own board of recipes to try, and I picked a chicken curry one to make first. (My board also has some tips and tricks, so you can be sure I read up on those blogs and sites ahead of time.)

Seeing how I got back from Michigan at a rather decent hour, which allowed for a grocery run in the daylight (even if it was overcast), I decided today would be the day when I would put the Instant Pot to the test and see what all the hype is about.

These were the steps I took to Instant Pot success:

Step 1: Take Instant Pot (and accessories) out of box.

Step 2: Read instruction manual. (This is where I diverge from the other Foyles in my family who take the instruction manual only to throw it over their shoulders.)

manuals are important

Step 3: Prepare ingredients. (I made a mistake here and could not cube the chicken because it was still frozen, but it all worked out in the end because the chicken still cooked and it saved me some chopping.)

Step 4: Follow the instructions on the blogpost. (And make sure you know which button is which on the device.)

Step 5: Step back and let the pressure cooker do its thing. (This was slightly frustrating the first time, as the Instant Pot is not quite as instant as you might think.)

Waiting for the pressure cooking to finish

Prepare yourself mentally and physically (step away from the pot) for the part where the steam lets off.

Check out the steam from this sucker! 

(5 sec video - turn sound on)

Step 6: Let the steam clear and the pot cool before serving. Then, enjoy!

chicken curry over cauliflower rice = success!

The chicken curry dish was quite tasty (even though it wasn't as thick as I would have liked), so I'd be interested in trying it again at some point in the future. And I'll consider this first try a success! I definitely want to explore some soup options in the coming weeks and see how those go, and apparently you can hard boil eggs in this gadget, so that's exciting.

I can't instantly say anything along the lines of "Instant Pot changed my life," but who knows...maybe it will one day. Till then, I can honestly say that I'm satisfied with my graduation gift. (Thanks mom!)

2016: In the Books / By the Books

We are officially one week in to 2017. Happy New Year!

But before I look ahead, I decided it was good to reflect ever so briefly on the books I read in 2016. In reviewing my list, I'll admit I was more than a little disappointed I only read 18 books...and then I realized that all of the articles and books I read for grad school are not included...so then I felt a little better (because all of that was QUITE A LOT).

So, here they are - Kelly's books of 2016 (The ones in bold are the ones that especially resonated with me, and a short description of these is provided below the list):

1. Pax (1/18/16)
2. 7 Women and What Makes Them Great (3/18/16)
3. Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky (4/9/16)
4. When You Reach Me (4/16/16)
5. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - audiobook (5/7/16)
6. Room 24 (5/7/16)
7. Land of the Blue Flower (short story) (5/25/16)
8. The Way of Serenity: Finding Peace and Happiness in the Serenity Prayer (6/5/16)
9. All the Light We Cannot See (6/21/16)
10. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (7/28/16)
11. Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (8/1/16)
12. Eight Hundred Grapes (8/2/16)
13. Brooklyn (8/6/16)
14. Our Lady, Undoer of Knots: A Living Novena (8/9/16)
15. Mother Teresa: No Greater Love (10/9/16)
16. God, Help Me: How to Grow in Prayer (11/20/16)
17. A Man Called Ove (12/19/16)
18. Small Great Things (12/26/16)

Room 24 - Already reflected on this one - you can read my original blog post here.

The Way of Serenity... - And this one too - check my post out here.

All the Light We Cannot See - I picked this one up upon the recommendation of my mom and sister, and I finished it on my Dakotas road trip. It's a beautiful story of two young people growing up during (and before) WWII. (To say much more would probably be an injustice to the books and its potential readers, so I'll stop here.) It's got a lot of pages and seems daunting, but it's quite a fast read because it's hard to put down.

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - What struck me most about this books was the beautiful language (word choice, sentence fluency, etc) of the author. It tells the story of two young children, one who is Japanese (a girl) and one who is Chinese (a boy). It takes place during WWII in America, and, at that time, many Japanese Americans were being transported to work camps (out of fear of the Japanese due to Pearl Harbor). There is love, there is loss; there is sweet, and there is bittersweet. Do yourself a favor and read it. It's probably one of my all-time favorites...and I definitely cried while reading it more than once.

A Man Called Ove - This was one of my recent list additions; finished it on the plane home for the Christmas break. The author's writing style was phenomenal, and I feel that it allowed me to get a better look into the full range of human development from young teen to older adult - what life events shape someone's life? How do we really know someone if we don't know his/her story? Good old Ove...what a guy...

Small Great Things - This is Jodi Piccoult's latest novel, and, like all of her others that I've read, it was a real page-turner (and, as per usual, had a huge twist of plot near the end). At the heart of the story is a struggle of coming to terms with the role of race in America (especially in the judicial system) - what's taboo and what should be focused on instead. But, as Jodi Piccoult comes to show the reader, race does matter, and it needs to be talked about. 

So, there we have it. Books, books, books! I just can't get enough, especially of the really good ones - the ones that tug at your heartstrings, the ones that make you laugh and cry (sometimes at the same time), and the ones that make you think.

By the books, 2016 was pretty darn good. Onward and upward with 2017!

Getting It Together

Happy 2017! As we start the new year (resolutions and all), let us remember what really matters, those things that cannot be bought but, instead, bring us closer to one another: