Can I just say what a freaking great feeling it is to trot off into the sea of busy students again, carrying my heavy backpack, stuffed with  textbooks and notepaper and pens? Oh dear, it’s been too long since I’ve been a student, too long since I felt so…normal. Like I was finally playing my part in society.

Except this time, my parents weren’t there to make sure I’d packed everything, to fuss over my breakfast and my hair and my lunch money. I woke up early, went out for a refreshing run, made a decent breakfast, and headed out for class early, all by myself.

All throughout this, though I was alone, I was pleasantly aware that God was watching out for me. He was the proud parent today, beaming that His little girl is all grown up. And it made me feel so warm and toasty inside!

But truthfully I was once again feeling rather self-conscious as I walked into my lecture hall…
 Look at them! They all look so young! It was like high schoolers playing pretend grown-ups. There was even that ubiquitous group of “popular” wannabe-sorority girls sporting their glittery “Go Greek” shirts (See far left, the blonde girl in the black). Urgh.

Still, first class went marvelous. I actually really liked my professor; he seemed cool and passionate about his subject, which is a crucial thing to me. This class is hard-core though. I already have an essay due next class! Sorry for sounding like a total nerd, but I can’t wait to get started on that (Which I will as soon as I’m done with this blog post)!

The next class was cancelled because it was a discussion class, so I had quite a bit of time to start making lunch. And to commemorate my first day of class, I decided to whip up something kinda special.

First, spray the corn tortillas with olive oil, and bake until crispy and toasted in a 350 degree oven.

Meanwhile, mix the cabbage and apple together. Squeeze in some lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Next, mix together the avocado, yogurt, and LC wedge. Squeeze in some more lime juice to taste. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.
Now heat up some olive oil on a pan. Once hot, toss in the garlic and onion, stir until fragrant. Mix in the summer squash and keep cooking until semi-soft. Stir in the chicken, add balsamic vinegar, tabasco sauce, and lime zest to taste. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

Once the tostadas are baked, take them out of the oven. Layer on the apple-cabbage coleslaw. Pile on the squash-chicken mixture, then drizzle with the avocado creme.
Pretty damn impressive if I say so myself! Sometimes I amaze myself with my ingenuity. Haha, modest I am not!

I have to say, I LOVE my kitchen because it’s perfect for photography…TONS of natural light!
Ahhh…And the taste? Absolutely gorgeous. I loved the textures of the crispy baked tostada shell, the crunchy coleslaw, and the chewiness of the chicken, the softness of the cooked squash, and the creaminess of the avocado creme.
It was perfect summer food. I liked that you got the cold summery coleslaw, but also the hot chicken stir-fry. Great combination!
And what a stroke a brilliance that I added cumin and tabasco sauce! Gotta have a kick to it, right?
="IMG_0332" src="http://burpandslurp.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/img_0332_thumb.jpg" width="420" border="0" /> The problem was that this was much too good. I rushed off to another history lecture right after lunch, and I kind of…dozed off. Oops. But in my defense, the professor had the lights turned off, and his voice was monotone! Oh noooo! I guess I’ll have to pack some munchies to class as to keep myself awake.

After this class I went grocery shopping again and bought a case of 30-eggs:
As you can see, I already finished my carton of 18-eggs. Eggs never lasted long in my home in Virginia; I guess they don’t last long here either!

I also bought a mini-watermelon, some peaches, some pears, some apples, some oranges, some bell peppers, a can of chipotle peppers, a jar of pickles, and some chicken breasts . And I wonder why I’m always broke.

By the way, thanks for all your well wishes! As you can see, I had a pretty good first day! Woo-hoo! Come back several days later and I might be singing a different tune, though…We’ll see!

Have a great Monday, everybody!