I did it again! I made dinner last night, for a few more people than last week...but it was still a hit! We had homemade Chili and cornbread (pronounced con [like cone] brea [no 'd' but with emphasis on the rea still] ie. conbre). Of course things never go as planned, so we had to fill up on the awesome caesar salad and juice that I had, and then wait patiently for the beans to 'soften' up...yes, I used dry beans (none of that canned junk) and failed to soak them overnight. FAIL.

However, my friends have this uncanny ability to converse with one another, it's really an incredible gift, something straight out of the movies. So needless to say, waiting for dinner proved to be anything BUT awkward [which was a relief and a half for me, yes and a half I was ALMOST doubly relieved, but only ALMOST].

Once dinner was 'ready' (I use that word lightly because of the effort it took to ensure it's 'readiness.' I had too many beans-or lacked a pot big enough to handle the beanage that I had-so we [Leslie, Lindsay, and I] resorted to the crock-pot, the Hail Mary and Mother of all 'saves' as far as kitchen faux-pas are concerned...only to find out that filling a seven quart pot with chili, isn't always good... especially when it isn't on.) WHOOPS!

What had happened was this. I'm a little on the ADHD side, (really only a little, taking drugs for it daily doesn't mean a thing, ha)! So I was making: chocolate cheesecake [from scratch], chili sauce, and cooking the beans at the same time. The cheesecake itself is a three part process-crust (requiring one to toast almonds, crush them and wafers, as well as melt butter and mix it together), then melt chocolate and stir until totally melted...pour into cheese mixture, and cook milk/unflavoured gelatin then mix all of those together and put it in the crust-yeah, I was doing that WHILE cooking beans and meat. I tend to enjoy stress a little too much. I beans had to boil and then sit for an hour, yeah..sitting for an hour did NOTHING to help them 'soften' up..so once everything for the chili was ready Lindsay helped me to hoist the pots into one pot..only to find that there were too many beans, not enough sauce, and no pan in a five mile radius big enough to hold all of it...again, WHOOPS. So we used the crock-pot to let the beans soften, and just put the excess off to the side. Forty-five minutes later, the beans were still hard..not good. Thinking on our feet we took the beans out of the crock-pot and put them into two separate pots-turned the heat up, added water and waited another thirty minutes. Then we added more seasoning, waited fifteen minutes, and then combined the two pots into one, boiling it still for a good twenty minutes and then dinner was served. PHEW! It was a hit. Probably because everyone could smell it and the anticipation was killing them...but it turned out wonderfully.

To top it off we had homemade cheesecake (I'd ALMOST say as good as cheesecake back home, and that is impressive!) and some homemade raspberry cookies. Both were 'first' time experiments, which were total hits! I really love cooking, and cooking for my friends. Instead of going somewhere I get the chance to learn, and experiment with my friends, and entertain rather than go somewhere to be entertained and eat someone else's food...now I know why cooking is addictive. HA!

Week three is coming up. WEIRD. This past weekend proved to be awesome, and busy...but more awesome than busy. Friday was Timp. temple (incredible), Leslie finding out she's prego, Brother Little visiting-going to Brick oven, hanging with friends, awesome. Saturday-BYU basketball vs. Colorado State, hanging with Lindsay, and then the Living Legends dance concert with Garrison and seeing Bethany Andersen after the show (AHHH!!! love her!!!), followed by dinner at home (prepared by Leslie). Then Sunday, which I already recapped. Now I have another day 'off' which seems weird because Mondays are already 'lazy' days for me, until work starts, since the only class I have on Mondays is at 5pm. Having no school really hasn't hit me, yet. I guess I should hit the homework though, making the Dean's List at BYU will be my goal until I graduate-easier said than done, but I'm going to prove myself wrong, I hope.

[lyrics: "please tell me how you lift these heavy bricks, and how you built this path for me to walk on...with the strength of all convinced-what does it take to believe, in all the things you believe, maybe I need to listen more carefully...I finally know-how you stand against the world..." sundays-daphne loves derby]