From the Plains of Nebraska to OKC…

~Shredded Pork from How to Cook Everything

This recipe was tried quite awhile ago and I never got around to posting it, but I thought on this snow filled morning here in OKC it might be a good choice.  This was really an excellent way to prepare pork.  I was instantly surprised at the amount of flavor that was in each bite without any sauce included what so ever.  The choice of meat was a boneless pork shoulder and while that does not sound good, it is very tender and easy to cook.  The entire process takes about an hour or so after all the ingredients are prepared and it takes very little supervision.  This is the perfect choice for the Mexican food dinner you are looking to prepare.  I did not shred the meat per say as you can tell by the photo, but that was because it was so tender I thought it would be better served as cubes of pork.  This would fit nicely in tacos or carnitas.  For taste I would have to give this one a 10/10 and for preparation I would give it a 9/10 if one wants to leave it as cubes and probably an 8/10 if one tries to shred it.  The shredding takes more time and is actually harder than I anticipated, hence the cubes.  If anyone is interested in this recipe, please do not hesitate to let me know.  Have a great week!!

~French Dip Sandwich Beef from Betty Crocker Cooking Basics

When my parents visited in late December and early January, I really wanted to cook something for them while they were here.  I really was not sure what to make because my mom has issues with things with too much fat in it and I sure did not want to make a bad first impression with my cooking.  So I pulled out my most trusted cookbook and decided on the French Dip Sandwiches.  It was an excellent choice.  The french dip sandwiches that resulted would beat Arby’s sandwiches in a taste test any day of the week.  My homemade au jus was unbeatable.  Both my mom and dad stated that it was good and if anyone would tell me that something was not good it would be them.  The recipe took a ton of patience though and required a large amount of time to sit and wait for the meat to cook properly.  I have to post this recipe below because it is really something that you MUST try on a Sunday or holiday.  Trust me your family will love you for it.  The above picture was of the finished finely cooked beef before it was cut and placed on the sandwich bread.  For taste I would have to give this one a 10/10 and for preparation I would give it a 7/10 because of the long wait times and not really the complexity.  Additionally, it should be mentioned that if you are going to save the beef for a later date the au jus does not save well in the fridge because the fat all settles at the top so be aware of that situation.  It may be a better idea to try the freezer possibly or not save any in the first place.

Ingredients:  1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 lbs.), 1 clove garlic, 1 can (14 oz.) beef broth, 1.5 cups water, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, 1 dried bay leaf, 3 or 4 peppercorns, 2 loaves of French bread.

Recipe:  1)  Heat the oven to 325 F.  Place the beef in an ovenproof 4 quart dutch oven.  2)  Peel and finely chop the garlic.  In a medium bowl, mix garlic and remaining ingredients except bread (duh : )).  Pour the garlic mixture over beef.  3)  Cover Dutch Oven with lid; bake 2 to 3 hours or until beef is very tender.  4)  Carefully remove Dutch oven from the oven.  Remove beef from Dutch oven and place on cutting board.  Cover with foil to keep warm.  Skim any fat from the surface of the cooking juices, using a spoon.  Remove the bay leaf and peppercorns.  Cut beef, across the grain, into thin slices.  Heat cooking juices to boiling.  Spoon juices from Dutch oven into individual bowls for dipping.  5)  Cut each loaf of bread into 5 pieces, each about 4 inches long; cut bread pieces horizontally in half.  Fill bread with beef.  Serve sandwiches with broth for dipping.

~ Taken from Google Images

Despite only getting a 16 on my MCAT (which is terrible by the way, 45 is a perfect score) and leaving Creighton with only a 3.2 GPA I still some how managed to make it through the basic science portion of medical school.  How did I get into medical school you are asking yourself, well that is a long and hard fought story.  I actually applied to a few schools including Creighton Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center and promptly I am certain my application was thrown in the garbage.  Well, I was very scared that I was going to either have to take the dreaded MCAT again or just give up on my dream of becoming a medical doctor.  Then a doctor that my mom works with suggested that I look into a Caribbean medical school because they were more likely to give a guy a chance because they are run more as a business than as a university.  He was right in so many different ways, but that is for a different post.  He told me that the pace in these schools in the Caribbean was very grueling and that it would not be easy, but that it was an option.  So I looked into a few of them and MUA really caught my eye.  The reason:  they had residents at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  This was the ultimate goal anyway so why not give it a try.

~University of Nebraska Medical Center taken from Google Images

~Creighton University Medical Center from Google Images
So I applied to MUA.  They got back to me within the next 48 hours requesting an interview.  I was nervous as heck and was almost shaking in anticipation for my interview.  I did the interview in the Creighton University library in one of the quiet rooms.  I felt very comfortable and about one week later I received a packet in the mail stating that I was accepted and could start in the September semester.  Just to be certain that I was going to like the school I flew down to Nevis in March to check the place out to ensure that I knew what I was getting into.  Upon arrival to the island, I was really not so sure about the place.  The school looked very run down and primitive, but did I really have a choice?  16 on the MCAT sort of limits the choices.  I decided I would give it a shot and man am I glad that I did.

My roommate ended up being one of the best people I have met in my whole life.  If only he lived a bit closer these days, I am certain we would hang out almost every day.  He is a great friend and we get along so well it was amazing, even if he was a Penn State fan.  The food was tough to get used to and the class slowly dwindled down to about 55 by the time we were in Med 5, but I made it through all the way without one failure although Biochemistry gave me a heck of a challenge.  I made a ton of other really good friends along the way as well.  Far too many to list here, but the most important thing that came out of Nevis was a cute, curly, haired Canadian that would later become my wife.

I did end up failing the exit exam and it was probably a good thing that I did.  It gave me a chance to study more for the Step 1.  I went back to Nevis and passed that exam the second try and proceeded to get married, move to Oklahoma City, and then take on the task of studying for the Step 1 exam.  I took the exam on December 30th, 2009 and I will never forget that exam and how the time flew by.  It was excruciating waiting for that score, but man was it a great day when I finally got it and realized that I had passed.  It was such a great feeling to know that all the sacrifices were worth it and that I was actually moving toward becoming a physician.

Now I know the next question you are thinking, well what did you score?  Well, most people will never publish their scores on the internet or even maybe tell their friends, but I am not ashamed of mine nor do I feel like it is something to gloat about.  But I scored a 188, passing was 185, but in 2010 it has now changed to 188.  Therefore, I still would have passed, but it would have been very close.  I tell you my score because I am proud that I beat the odds of the foreign medical student and passed the exam on the first try.  Additionally, I beat many other odds that most medical students really do not have to deal with.  I passed it on the first try after going to a foreign medical school, with mostly foreign professors, with an accelerated curriculum, in a foreign country that continually lost power and water service, where a hurricane and an earthquake hit while we were there, got married 4 months before the Step, moved to Oklahoma City 4 months before the Step, worked on an MBA in Healthcare Administration while studying through Med 3, 4, and 5 as well as the Step exam, and worked for two months during my preparation for the Step exam.  When I lay all that out, I am pretty darn excited that I was able to pass the first attempt and will now move onto clinical medicine.  I am pretty sure if I can make it through all of that and still pass the licensing exam, I can be one heck of a doctor.

~ Random Picture of the Old Red Museum in Dallas, Texas

This is a post for Kristy, the White Turkey Chili recipe from The Nebraska Cookbook.  I thought I would share this because it is something really easy to make, is tasty, and was asked for.  I hope more of you will give it a try and please do not be shy asking for other recipes of interest or sharing in your own experiences with the recipes that I have posted.

Ingredients:  1 tbsp. oil (vegetable oil works well), 1 cup chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 4 cups chopped and cooked turkey, 2 cans (15.5 oz. each) great Northern beans (drained), 2 cans (11 oz. each) white shoepeg corn, 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles, 4 cups chicken broth, 1 tsp. ground cumin.

Recipe:  Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and celery, and saute until onion is translucent.  Place all ingredients in a large saucepan (I used a Dutch Oven).  Stir well.  Cover and cook about 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.

*One could also use a crock pot by placing all ingredients in it and cooking on low for approximately 6-8 hours.*

~ Tuna Noodle Casserole from A Man, A Can, A Microwave

This was actually a really good recipe fresh and a horrible recipe re-heated.  However, if you do not like mushrooms I would have to caution against this one because Jen does not like mushrooms and this one was the first thing that I was able to eat and she was not.  She is not a big fan of mushrooms or raisins.  Therefore, if I ever choose to make that recipe again I will probably utilize cream of celery instead of cream of mushroom.  The cream of mushroom does give it great flavor, but it is very strong so beware.  Cream of chicken would also work nicely, but I am not sure of the taste that would be present with tuna and cream of chicken.  If anyone gives that a try make sure and let me know via email or a comment on my blog what it tasted like.  For ease of preparation I would have to give it a 9/10 and for taste initially an 8/10.  However, I DO NOT recommend keeping any of it for a later date because out of the microwave the next day it is more like a 5/10 and that is probably being generous.  You know it is bad news out of the microwave when even Maddy and Suh will not touch it.

*Be sure to let me know of any recipes that you may want me to post*

~I think I forgot one that Kristy asked for earlier in the mad shuffle of December so if I did please remind me Kristy, Thanks!

~ Lemon-Pesto Shrimp and Scallops from Betty Crocker Cooking Basics

It was Christmas afternoon and I had slept all day because of the exhausting shift the night before, due to no one being able to come into work thanks to the fourteen inches of snow that had fallen, and it was time for dinner.  I really was set on making us something a little bit different that the majority of people would not have on Christmas.  For Thanksgiving we went all traditional and did the thing that the majority of people were doing.  Usually on Christmas, I would like something like ham, turkey, or chicken, but I decided to go with shrimp and scallops.  I was not even sure that I would like scallops considering I had never tried them before, but for how expensive they are in the store here in Oklahoma I sure didn’t want them to go to waste either.  The ease of preparation for this dish was surprising.  I thought it would be a grueling task and it was exactly the opposite.  For what you get out of what you put into preparing the dish I would give it a 9/10 on ease of preparation and for taste I would give it a 9/10 also.  Additionally, if you cannot eat it all, it actually warms up excellent in the microwave and provides an excellent lunch a few days later.  I left it in the fridge for four or five days and it still tasted great, probably an 8/10 on re-heating.

Today is grocery shopping day so I am off to cookbook land now to make out the grocery list.  Jen is at her exam for internal medicine and then we are headed out for groceries and a nice lunch.  After all that it is back to do some MBA and probably watch some of the playoff NFL games today.  Hope everyone has an excellent weekend!

UPDATE:  The Chipotle interview did not happen after all.  On Wednesday, Jen and Cecil got off early and wanted to go to lunch and a movie so I called Chipotle and they asked me to come in the next day instead.  Then that day my dad called me (with some tones like it was my mom as well) stating that he thought I was trying to take on far too much at once and that until I get my score back for the USMLE I should just stick with focusing on the MBA and my part time job I currently have.  Therefore, I heeded his (and my mom’s) advice and decided against that for now.  I felt bad because I did not call Chipotle this time and explain my situation, but I just was really disappointed and didn’t know what to say to them.  I know usually that parents actually do know what is best, but sometimes it is really hard to see the correct point at the time.  I am certain that their advice will actually be beneficial and every time that I have followed it in the past it has worked out so I am hoping for the same here.

~ Taken from Google Images   1-13-10

Well today I am headed in for an interview for an hourly manager position at the Chipotle here in OKC.  Yes, I know most of you are probably thinking that I am crazy considering I already have a part time job and I am in medical school and working on an MBA.  I agree that I may be crazy, but it will be something to help get us by money wise and depending on the hours that they are looking for, I have the time to give.  I would be able to work evenings especially the close shifts and I would be able to work Saturdays and Sunday evenings because I do not work those currently.  This is just another way to be certain that our family will be able to make it through all of this.  I am not certain that they will be able to work with such a tight schedule so nothing is guaranteed, but I thought it was at least worth a try.  Plus, as a bonus I think I get a discount on food there and that I could really use because I love their food.

For those of you that are wondering why I need to work so much the answer is quite simple.  Rent and all the other bills pile up fast and after my job money is put toward bills we are still having expenses in the amount of about $400-$500 a month.  Loan money is picking up this slack currently, but I would prefer to hold onto as much of the loan money as possible so that when we are ready to start paying it back we have something to start with.  Jennifer will help pay me back for this hard work in a little over a year when she is a resident and making the money for the family and I am in elective rotations.  For those of you concerned about school, no I am not quitting either MBA or my MD programs.  That is one of the major questions I will have to ask today, because if they cannot work around my MD clinicals then I cannot possibly work there.  Hopefully they can though and are in need of someone for mainly weekends.  All we can do is ask…