Good Grades Put Smiles On Faces

I'm happy to report that the Molecular Biology test I took on Tuesday yielded very good results... in the form of a 96%!  Woop woop.  Let me take a moment to just throw a little party for myself.  Okay, I'm done.  The only thing I could kick myself for was that I totally skipped a whole page on the exam!  And I knew the answers on that page!  So hell, I could have gotten a 100%!  Oh well, no harm, no foul.

And I've practically sealed an A+ in my Spanish class, too.  I think I could fail the final and still pull off an A.  So all is well there too.

Even better news, my Developmental Biology class, which I've loathed about ever since my first test... I may actually pull of a B in that!  So hey, B's are better than C's.  And I'm down with that!

I'm absolutely exhausted (really pushed myself on the treadmill today!) so no cute pictures or anything today, just thought I'd share the good news about my grades.  And thank goodness next week is finals!  I'm ready for that month off!  I really need to work a bunch and replenish all that money I've been spending on Christmas presents!

Hope you guys have a good Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow with that much anticipated recipe for a Buckeye Cake!  (So sorry to keep you all waiting so long!)

Black Bean Corn Salad

Well, school started this week. My head is going to be buried in Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology, and Spanish for the next 4 months. Let's go through a breakdown on my first impression of each class:


Molecular Biology: That just sounds scary, but it's only a 200-level course. Mostly dealings with DNA and that jazz. We took a little pre-test on the first day and it was strenuous on my brain, but I feel I did pretty good on it... not that it counts for anything. And let me just vent here... I understand some student may have children and that's all well and fine with me... but to bring your newborn child to class? That's what the campus has a day care for. The baby was kind of distracting, but we'll see if it's present next class too, and if it is... expect a rant on Friday.


Developmental Biology: The development of creatures, or embryo development if you want to get all technical. Seems interesting enough and everyone I've talked to that's already had the class has the same response... it's a lot of fun, but a lot of stuff to study. Fun + Lots of stuff to study... does not sound fun at all... does it? No, I didn't think so. But so far, not too shabby.


Spanish: The dreaded foreign language requirement. I find it funny that while I was an Accounting Major, foreign language was not required. However, now that I'm a Biology Major, I have to have 2 semesters worth! I think Spanish would be more beneficial in the business world? Don't you think? Either way, I feel like a 3 year old, having to "Repita! Repita!" every little second. Not to mention we do this online homework that requires us to record how we say certain words/phrases... talk about feeling stupid and recording myself speak... good thing I do this while Andy is not home, because he would just sit and laugh at me the whole time.

Anyway, so there's my fall semester rant. It's really not as bad as I make it out to be, but I like complaining and forcing people to listen. But I guess I'll get to the recipe... that's what you're really here for anyway...


Ingredients:

1 can seasoned black beans
3 ears of corn, steamed & kernels cut off of cob
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 small cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 jalapeno, minced
juice from 1 lemon
small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Basically, in a large bowl, combine black beans, corn, onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, and lemon juice. Stir until well combined. Fold in cilantro.

Drizzle with olive oil, to your own preference, and season with salt and pepper.

This was one of those quick summer time dishes that's ready in no time. I put this on practically anything, from topping bratwursts or hotdogs, to serving as a filling for empanadas. You can even eat it all by itself as a side dish to any meal! And it definitely saves you from turning on an oven or stove because there's not cooking required! Just fresh summer ingredients that go well together! Enjoy!


Oh and check out our CSA goodies...


1 lb. of heirloom tomatoes
1 lb. of green beans
1 cantaloupe
2 lbs. pears
2 hot peppers
2 sweet peppers
1 loaf of french bread