Chocolate Chili Peanut Butter Popsicles

During my fourth year, I've been more able to give things outside of medical school more focus than I could during my third year. It's still pretty novel for me, but I'm trying to enjoy it. Going on run and experiencing summer: the smells, the colors, the inevitable allergic rhinitis. Dog walking and the inevitable apologizing for Krinkle barking a dog 10x his size. Trying new recipes and the inevitable mishaps (never put turnip and beet in coconut curry) and the undeniable successes.

These popsicles fall into the latter category. I forgot I had these popsicle mold I bought last summer with dreams of all different kinds of frozen treats. In reality, I made 2-3 types of popsicles and packed the molds away. But I've been craving them recently, because let's face it...there's nothing like coming back from a run in the middle of summer like a popsicle.

Telling Tyler "pull out the popsicles, I want to take a picture" and hearing "...whoops"

Especially these ones: chocolate + chili + peanut butter + honey + milk/yogurt + salt + popsicle mold + freezer = Honey sweetened chocolate chili peanut butter popsicles. Clearly when it comes to dessert names, size matters.

Evidence of their deliciousness

I made this in the morning in under 10 minutes on a whim. Try them out. If you're hoping to make it vegan, use full fat coconut milk. If you want to make them a bit healthier / don't love super sweet things, cut down on the honey by half.


Chocolate Chili Peanut Butter Popsicle

0.25 cup honey
1 cup milk / yogurt / half and half
0.75 - 1 cup peanut butter
0.33 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp red chili powder / cayenne (or less if you want it less spicy)
1 tsp salt
Dash of cinnamon

Whisk together honey, milk, and peanut butter until there are no clumps. Then add in the cocoa powder, chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix until clumpless. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 3-4 hours. Pop them out on a warm summer day and enjoy!

Vegetarian Meatballs

I am a fourth year medical student. It is still peculiar to say. It's odd to have a definitive answer when someone asks me what residency I am applying into, and to say that I have finished my Sub-I (sub-internship) rotation. There is so much I want to say about third year. It was wonderful and horrid at the same time. Dabbling a little in every field gave me a strong respect for the different aspects of medicine, from psychiatry to surgery. I hope that respect stays with me--too frequently do I hear specialists speak poorly of other fields. I don't want to do that. I am happy it's over though, it is tiring to switch tasks every 4, 6, or 8 weeks and begin learning about a whole new field.

I learned a lot about myself though: what I liked, what I didn't like, and that I can be cheerful at 4:30 in the morning during surgery rounds.

Now, Step 2 CK is over, I have CS coming up, and I am making my way through my anesthesia rotations, as a fourth year. Time is happening.

So much is happening in the world, and there is so much I want to say...but let's start with these vegetarian meatballs, because well...because.

We don't do pasta very much in the Shappenfeld household, but every once in a while I crave the basics, some spaghetti + tomato sauce. Simple, quick, comforting. I figured I'd try meatballs again, I've done a few variations in the past and not been satisfied, but these were different, and so, so good. The original recipe that I modified was vegan, so if you're interested in that, click on the credit link!

Vegetarian Tempeh Meatballs 
adapted from the Minimalist Baker

8 oz Tempeh
1 egg
0.5 cup parmesan cheese
0.33 cup bread crumbs
0.25 cup cilantro
2 Tbsp marinara sauce (we used Arriabata from Trader Joes...my favorite!)
4 cloves garlic
1 red onion, medium size, coursely chopped
canola oil

Preheat oven to 375. In a food processor, toss in tempeh, and pulse until it's small. Then add salt, pepper, garlic, onion and pulse together. Then add cilantro, marinara, egg, cheese, and bread crumbs, and pulse to mix well. Transfer mixture into a bowl. The mixture should be moist, and should easily form balls. Cover the bottom of a sautee pan with canola oil and put over medium high heat.

Form small balls out of the mixture and pan fry them in the sautee pan until brown on both/all sides (I made mine flatish, so I could just brown them on both sides). Then transfer to a pre-greased/parchment paper covered baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray or brush with olive oil, and put them in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Serve over pasta, cover with marinara sauce, and enjoy!

Suggested appetizer -- roasted peppers and fresh mozarella, balsamic and olive oil

Rose and Raspberry Lemonade

It's time for pretty drinks over ice in mason jars, sunglasses and sunscreen, and sitting outside.

This is how excited we feel about summer.

This drink is summer in a glass. It's pretty. It's pink. It's delicious. It's easy to make. It's refreshing. If you don't have rose water, don't sweat it, just make the raspberry lemonade. Want to add something different? Add lemon zest. Or mint. Or basil. 

I made this with a mix of fresh lemons and Santa Cruz Organics Lemon Juice. I know, I know, making lemonade with concentrate just doesn't taste right. But when you ain't got enough time, this is the way to go, and it honestly doesn't taste like regular lemon concentrates do -- I can't taste the difference between regular lemons and the SC organics. 

Raspberry Rose Lemonade

5-7 lemons (alternatively, Santa Cruz Organic

 Lemon Juice about half a cup)

Simple Syrup to taste

1 cup frozen raspberries

1-2 tbsp Rose Water

Blend the lemon juice and raspberries together, and then strain them to get out the seeds. Put the mixture into a large mason jar, or pitcher. Add water to taste, basically making it as sour as you want, and mix. Then add simple syrup and rose water to taste. Mix well, and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Frozen Banana Bites

So third year is over. That happened. I'm taking some time to process, but I'll probably write about it. Let's be real actually, I'm not taking time to process, I'm studying for the Step 2 Boards and shoving my eyeballs into Bob's Burgers. And looking at desserts. Buuut I don't have eggs.

Let's ignore that Whole Foods is a two minute walk away, and that Trader Joes is a 10 minute walk away. Let's ignore that and talk about Banana Bites instead. I bought these Gone Bananas bites from Trader Joes a while ago...and they are so delicious. I feel quite adorable eating them. I forgot to buy them on this latest run...sadly, but I had 3 bananas that were getting a little too mushy for me to want to eat. So I figured...why not make my own?

Well if I was going to do that, I might as well put peanut butter on them. And oh wait, I had leftover homemade butterscotch sauce...so why not put this on top?

And so this delicious monstrosity was created...two frozen bananas with peanut butter in the middle, topped with butterscotch sauce, covered in chocolate and frozen again. They. are. so. good.

They'd be amazing even without the butterscotch sauce, but it definitely adds to the flavor. Make these. They are amazing and don't take long.

Frozen Banana Bites

3-4 bananas, sliced a quarter inch thick (or really how thick or thin you want, I wouldn't go more than 1/2 an inch thick though)
Peanut Butter (I used Skippy)
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 tsp canola oil or coconut oil
Optional: Butterscotch sauce (see above link for recipe from smitten kitchen!)

Slice up your bananas, put them on a baking sheet that's covered in parchment paper, and freeze them for about an hour. Then put down a layer of peanut butter, and put down another banana piece (so it's banana, peanut butter layer, banana...or you can keep it banana and peanut butter alone) and re-freeze for about an 1-1.5 hrs.  Then put a thin layer of butterscotch sauce on top (again, optional...but oh so delicious). Re-freeze for an hour. Right before you pull them out, melt the chocolate in a double boiler here's how. The short of it is that you put on a pot of water to boil, put a heatproof bowl over it, put the chocolate in, and stir around as the steam melts the chocolate. When the chocolate is full and melted, add the oil...why? It's a shorthand trick to 'temper' the chocolate, so that when you dip stuff in it, instead of being soft in texture and dull looking, it gets that chocolate 'crunch' and shine.

Pull out the banana bites, cover them in chocolate, re-freeze for about an hour, and enjoy! You can store them in a plastic back for up 2 weeks in the freezer. 

First fitness post + HIIT interval timer app

Let's be real, I'm sitting here drinking coffee and eating homemade butterscotch sauce off a spoon. I'm not the beacon of health and fitness that I (sometimes) envision myself to be. Although the butterscotch really is helping my mental health on this cloudy day, so there is that.

But I have been known to workout a time or two. Actually it's been one of my goals throughout medical school -- stay on point with the working out thing. It started first year when I saw my friend Lauri's dedication to making it to the gym no matter what. She was great about it and helped me realize that an extra hour - hour and a half of studying was not going to add much to my knowledge base, and would probably make me go crazy in the end. So I started going to our local gym.

At first, I hated it. I wasn't really good at it, I tended to get out of breath pretty quick, and the sweat...oh jeez. I inherited my dad's sweat glands, and I was like a faucet. No cute glistening sweat here, just rivers of smelly person-juice. I went ~3x per week, and by week 3 I started noticing a difference. I could run a little more without feeling like my insides were going to curdle, I could hold a plank for longer, and my arms weren't killing me every time I lifted up whatever weight I was going to use. I was becoming stronger. YAY!

But I also noticed I was happier. I had something that would break up my day of studying, time that was just me, my music, and whatever I was doing. I honestly feel like I started to remember more -- it was like I took time out of my day away from studying, but then actually felt like I could process more. Maybe it was a placebo effect, maybe I'm just making it up, who knows? But I felt good, and I liked it.

So 2.5 years later, I still workout consistently. I'm not a part of a gym anymore, because it was a (freezing) pain to walk to the gym 10 minutes there and back during the winter months, so I started investing in home workout stuff. By that time I knew I was dedicated enough to actually keep up with doing it at home, so I bought a mat, some weights, and started using high intensity interval training (HIIT) videos to work out. That was 1.5 years ago, and I've been doing them ever since...during second year while studying for my first Board certification exam and during my clerkship rotations third year. When I was on a clerkship that had me out the door at 4AM and back home at 7PM, I modified the workout to be 20 minutes of intense stuff, but I still did it. It's why I prefer working out at home, if I had had to go to a gym...well, it just wouldn't have happened. Working out doesn't have to be about losing weight, or fitting into socially constructed image of gendered bodies, it can just be about being fit and all the benefits associated with that. It can be about being able to lift some stuff up and not getting tired; being able to run and not feel like your lungs are going to explode; being able to be like heck yeah I'm strong. Do whatever fits with your schedule, you got 10 minutes? Make a plan, and do 50 seconds on and 10 second off for 10 minutes.

Today's post, aside from being about my workout story (that sounds odd...), is about this new timer app that I've been using that I love. So the HIIT training, you do x number of seconds 'on' and then x number of seconds as a rest. For me it's usually 30,40,or 50 seconds on and a 10 second rest. There are special (expensive) timers that you can buy that are specific interval timers that you can use at home or at the gym...buuuut why when you can use an app on your phone? If you have an android (I think it also works with iPhones), download this now. You can put in how much prep time you want, how many second you want as your 'on' period where you workout, how many seconds of rest you want, and how many rounds. It works in the background of your phone while music is playing, doesn't drain your battery like a lot of other apps, and hasn't crashed in the middle of a workout. It's GREAT for jogging if you're not a huge fan of running (like me) and you prefer to run for 40 seconds with a 10 second rest for a specific amount of time. So far, I'm loving it, and I suggest y'all download it.

Mint and Pea Crostini with Pickled Radishes and Burrata

Spring has finally laid its gentle hand on the winter-weary backs of Bostonians. That's my fancy way of saying -- it's SPRING! I classify that temperatures above 32F. The icebergs have melted (mostly), the sun is out (sometimes), and I don't have to wear multiple layers to brave the wintry winds (usually).

Celebration wouldn't be celebration without spring-type foods. Food with the colors, and the pretty, and the pop of spring. With herbs, green, and tart, and SPRING.

Can you tell I'm happy about spring? Sunshine for all!

Anyways, make this one night. It's simple, beautiful, and delicious. It may seem tricky to pickle something, but honestly, it's really not. The most complicated part of the process is slicing the radishes -- which is super easy if you have a food processor. The pickling process takes 10 minutes, and you can store the radishes in your fridge for about 1-2 weeks.

Mint and Pea Crostini with Pickled Radishes and Burrata
Slightly modified from Salt and Wind

Bread
Thinly slice a baguette and toast it at 375 with a little olive oil drizzled on top.

Pickled Radishes
This I learned from Cookie and Kate

Thinly slice 1 bunch radishes
3/4 cup vinegar (white wine or apple cider)
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons salt
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Mustard Seeds (optional)
Fennel (optional)

Slice the radishes thinly using a knife, mandolin, or food processor. Stuff them into a jar (I used a mason jar). Top with red pepper flakes and mustard seeds, or whatever other accoutrements (garlic cloves, fennel, etc.) Bring the vinegar, water, maple syrup, and salt to a boil. Turn it off, let it cool for about 30 seconds and then gingerly pour it over the radishes, close the container loosely, and let it sit for 10 minutes, and it should be good to go! Keep it stored in the fridge, closed, for 1-2 weeks.

Smashed Mint Peas
2 cups frozen peas
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons mint
1 tablespoon cilantro
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Siracha to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boil, and cook the peas until tender, which should take 3-4 minutes. Make sure not to overcook them. Drain the water out of the saucepan, and add to the still warm peas the butter, garlic, and lemon juice. Smash the peas together. When you're almost done smashing them, add in the mint, cilantro, siracha, salt, and pepper, and then finish smashing. Adjust seasoning to your preferences.

Assembly

Burrata or Mozarella, sliced


Lay the slices of bread out on a tray. Top generously with the smashed pea mixture, then on one half side of the bread lay out some of the burrata, and on the other half side of the bread lay out the radishes. Drizzle with olive oil and pepper and serve.


 

Bing-Lex-Burg 2015!

We went on a road trip, and now we're back! It's spring break 2015. As an "adult," I found it a little troubling to use the term "spring break" but then I though -- why not? Even adults need something to break up the monotony that exists between winter holidays and inevitable summer vacations/staycations. It clears the mind, it resets, and it makes you pine for sunshine in your snow-covered state. 

1943 miles. That's a lot of McDonald's pee breaks, music playlists, random books on my phone, and miles on Savannah (the car). It was great though -- we got to see Kate, Liz, Sam, and visit the best Chinese bakery in NYC, the Golden Steamer to get $.85 pumpkin buns. Worth it. It was nice having the time in the car with just Tyler, music, random thoughts, and a book. It's sitting down and seeing each other, and being like "hi, no dogs, no TV, no nothing. Let's see if we can entertain each other still." And we can. 8 years later, and we can. 

8 years, eh?

Tower of Beer + UK basketball

I wish I could say that I had the foresight to write down and take pictures of all the awesome things we did in those places, but I didn't. And it wasn't about that -- it was about seeing some awesome women, how they've built their lives, and how we still fit into each others lives 5 years after we met. So much as changed, and we live in different parts of the country now, at different points in our lives, but it was so wonderful to see that when we are in bing-lex-burgh together, it's still hugs, kisses, beer (oh the kentucky beer),conversations, and easiness. That's it -- I love that it's still easy. 

Thank you Kate for a great time in your awesome apartment. I can't wait to visit in the summer and see Binghamton in it's full glory. Thanks for showing me that 2 years later, it still feels like we knew each other in college. And that I can love cats. 

Binghamton fog

Thank you Sam for a wonderful time in your beautiful home, and showing me that 5 years later and 2000 miles away, it's still as easy as the day I walked into your room in college and started eating your goldfish crackers.

Smiles and friends

Thank you Liz for a fun time and your adorable new dog! Thanks for showing me that 5 years later I can still chat with you about the weirdest things, and the most important things. It's definitely still as easy as the day we sat in the hallways looking at our belly button hair. 

Shartlesville, PA

Sweet, delicate goodness

And finally, thank you Golden Steamer's pumpkin bun. You have no idea how long I'd been waiting for your sweet, sweet pumpkin goodness. I walked into your store, and your people just stared at me while I trembled with anticipation and held on to you like Gollum. I laughed maniacally when they rang me up, and ran from the store, and I'm not ashamed to say that I consumed your warm goodness next to a vat of drying and pickled fish, and a puddle of what I can only assume to be dog urine. Thank you for showing me that for less than a dollar I can experience seeing the gates of heaven. I only hope your frozen brethren in my home will be just as good as you. Thank you, sweet, sweet friend.