A "gap year" is the time between the end of undergrad and beginning of med school. Whether you plan on taking a year or more off, or you don't get in your first time applying, make the most of your gap year. Of course, it can be hard watching your peers go through school ahead of you and watching your non-med school friends start their careers, but everyone has a different path in life ----and this is yours. Taking a gap year wasn't ever part of my original plan, but when I didn't get into school right away, I decided to make the best of it. I wasn't going to put my life on hold just because I wasn't able to start school right away. YOLO, right? ;-) 5 Reasons to Take a Gap Year 1. Make Some
Sometimes, you just have to be little ridiculous. Whether that means making silly Halloween themed foods for girls' night or getting matching costumes for you and your dog, life isn't meant to be taken too seriously ;-) If you are looking for a fun and easy appetizer for the upcoming Halloween weekend, I have got you covered! You can really make these however you want, with whatever pizza toppings you like, but we decided on spiders, vampires, jack-o-lanterns, and mummies. Since easier is [most] always better, we used store-bought pizza dough and pizza sauce. Green olives were used for eyes, black olives for spiders and vampire hair, and pepperoni for the jack-o-lantern and vampire mouths. I
Name Raptor Ridge Varietal Pinot Noir Region Chehalem Mountains,Oregon Country USA Year 2012 Price $50.00 Now, I know this is "The Broke Sommelier's Guide to Wine," but sometimes you just gotta treat yourself...right? I love love love a good Oregon Pinot Noir. Oregon has made a name for itself by producing some amazing Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and sparkling wines. Where else do we know of that creates those same wines? You guessed it --- Burgundy, France. With a similar cool climate to Burgundy, Oregon produces Pinots with acidity and minerality, compared to the fruit-forward Pinots out of California. Many people describe the taste of an Oregon Pinot in two words: earth and cranberries. Why
Long before the PSL, there was the OG, the pumpkin pie. Just the smell of cinnamon and clove in the air makes me ready for the fast approaching holiday season. Every year, I make more pumpkin pies than I can count (it is Baxter's favorite!), but I had never made my own crust. By now, I think it is pretty apparent that I like taking the easier route when it comes to cooking. I am a big fan of cake mixes, frozen cookie dough, and pre-made guacamole...all staples in the house. But I will say, my trusty pre-made pie crusts are a thing of the past! Y'all, making crust was so easy, and boy could you taste a difference! So buttery and flaky...I see a lot of pies in my near future. So let's get star
Name Clean Slate Varietal Riesling Region Mosel Country Germany Year 2014 Price $8.99 I will admit, I did some serious unnecessary hating on Riesling for quite some time. I will be the first to say I was wrong...real wrong. This beautiful grape is far from the sweet wine, one-step up from Boones Farm, that I once thought it was. The perfect balance of tart and sweet. So versatile. So great with so many foods. I could go on and on. Now, not all Rieslings are made equally. There is a reason I once compared it to Boones Farm. I am partial to German and Alsatian Rieslings, which is why I dig this Clean Slate. It comes from the heart of Germany's wine region, Mosel. This region is known for their
I never in a million years thought I would become a sommelier. I have long been a fan of wine, but it wasn't until working in the restaurant industry that I really fell in love with everything about it. There are a few questions I frequently get, so I thought I would answer them here. Somme-WHAT?! Simply put, a sommelier is a wine steward. But for many, this definition does not do the job justice. A sommelier is someone who has gone through extensive training in service, food pairing, wine making, and much more. Often, a sommelier's knowledge extends beyond the scope up wine and involves beer, cocktails, spirits, etc. How does someone become a sommelier? There are four steps to beco
There are three things you need to know about this dish: one-pot, cheese, and bacon. Sold yet? But seriously, this stuff is goooood. After coming home from 9 hours of lecture, I just wanted something easy and delicious. This recipe fit the bill. I started off by cooking the bacon. I cut 5 slices of thick bacon into 1 inch pieces and added them to a hot pan. I cooked until crispy and scooped the pieces onto a paper towel-lined plate. I left about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan, because why not, and added the chopped garlic. Once the house smelled like heaven (bacon and garlic), I threw in the uncooked pasta, chicken broth, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. The heat gets reduced to
Name Spellbound Varietal Petite Sirah Region California Country USA Year 2013 Price $11.99 Y'all, I love a good theme. And with Halloween right around the corner, I could not pass up a wine called Spellbound! The last few Halloween nights, I have celebrated by having girlfriends over and passing out candy to the kids in my neighborhood. We watch fun Halloween movies, dress Rosie in ridiculous costumes, make snacks, and, of course, there is wine. I think I know which wine I will be serving this year! A little bit about this varietal... Petite Sirah is primarily grown in Australia, California, France, and Israel. These wines are known for their blueberry, dark chocolate, sugar plum, and black
[I would like to preface this post with, have you ever read "If You Give A Mouse a Cookie"? If you haven't, it is about a boy who gives a mouse a cookie, then he wants milk, then a straw, and he keeps wanting more and more. Well, in this story, Rosie is the mouse. When she was little, I gave her a cookie, and just like her mama, that sweet-tooth gene is strong! So when she smelled sugar in the air, there was no getting her out of the kitchen for this post, so we just rolled with it.] What could be better than two of the best desserts smushed into one? Pretty much nothing. I went the easy route on the brownies and followed the directions for the "fudgy brownie" on a box of brownie mix. If Bet
Name Gruet Sauvage Blanc Varietal Chardonnay Region New Mexico Country USA Year 2014 Price $16.78 Who doesn't love a little bubbly? I don't think it is possible to be in a bad mood after you hear a cork pop! Before we dive into the awesomeness that is the Sauvage, I want to throw down a little knowledge on sparkling wine. 1. Champagne vs. sparkling wine Before you hop on the "Champagne Campaign," are you really popping champs? In order to call it Champagne, it must come from Champagne, France. Everything else is considered sparkling wine. Of course there are other categories of sparkling wine, such as Prosecco and Cava, but just to be on the safe side, let's just call it sparkling wine. 2.
To follow my post on study tips, I would like to share some of my favorite test-taking tips I have picked up through the years. I have never considered myself a "good test-taker" and I am constantly trying to find new ways to approach exams. After many conversations with academic advisors and peers, and reading test-taking books, I have come up with a list of some things that have helped me improve my scores. 1. Conquer your test anxiety I have always struggled with test anxiety, but only recently tried to do anything about it. I started by identifying things that make my anxiety worse. Two major things, for me, are lack of sleep and caffeine. The night before an exam, I try to get a solid 6
