Oh…dang…
Things are really picking up. Just one week left of classes, and then one and a half weeks left of exams, research papers, and projects.
Right now it’s still the calm before the storm, but don’t be surprised if my words start getting incoherent, and my posts sound more and more PMS-y in the following couple of weeks. Or if you see me tweeting about baking muffins at 4am in the morning. Just warning you ahead of time.
But let me tell you a secret. I might bitch and moan about all the things I have to do, but secretly, I need this. I need this long lists of things to do in my life.
Because they keep me busy, and makes me feel productive. Being able to tick off a number of things that I did within a certain amount of time makes me feel accomplished. I feel like I did something worthy of my time.
My biggest competitor is always time. I feel like I always have to do a lot within a certain amount of time. The more things I do, the faster I finish them, the better. Here’s just a few examples:
- I don’t stroll, I stride. Preferably while reviewing my To-Do list in my head, or preparing questions for an interview. I’ve also mastered stair-climbing while reading.
- I do my homework in class, together with checking up on emails, twitter, facebook.
- I call/text people I need to call/text on the way to the grocery store.
- I eat, read, study, and gchat while I blog, and vice versa.
- I bring a book around with me everywhere, because what if I need to take a potty in the middle of shopping? What will I do during the 5 minutes of pooping?
- If I nap, then it’s an all-nighter for me to make up for the 3-5 hours I lost.
The result? Well, I do get things done. But at the cost of becoming totally dysfunctional.
Recently, I’ve been having trouble concentrating. I sit down and try to finish one task, but I keep getting distracted. I write half a page of notes, and then suddenly remember half a dozen things I still need to do. And then I get up to do that, and then half-way through that, I remember I still have to finish my notes. And the cycle begins.
This must stop.
It’s really inhibiting me from being truly productive. I might feel productive when I check off my to-do list, but if at the end of the day, I can’t remember a single thing that I accomplished with relish and enjoyed doing, how effective and meaningful is it really?
So. I’m gonna try it. No more frantic multi-tasking. I’ll give my whole focus on one task, fully enjoy and complete it, and then focus on the other. I only have one brain and one body after all, and a very limited one at that!
Anyway, my need to have more things done in fewer time seems to have also been translated into having to have more food in my pantry than I need. I now have a new addition to my To-Do List: EAT UP EVERYTHING in my kitchen before school ends! I’m calling it my Operation Flush-the-Pantry.
So if you see really odd and random recipes for the next couple of weeks, you know why.
Here’s one that I threw together with every scrip and scrap I can find in my pantry and refrigerator:
Korean Cabbage Roll Casserole
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 onions
- 1/2 large Granny Smith apple
- 2 links BIG hot dogs, diced (last two in my freezer!)
- 1 cup kimchi, chopped
- 1/2 small head cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cup uncooked white rice, soaked overnight, then drained
- about 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- about 2 cups leftover tomato soup, pasta sauce, whatever
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
Cook garlic, onions, apple, and hot dogs in sesame oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add kimchi, cabbage, and raisins stir-fry for another 3 minutes or so.
In a big bowl, mix together beaten egg, rice and 1 cup of cheese, then add the kimchi/cabbage mixture and the tomato soup. Stir until well-combined.
Pour out into a casserole dish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for about 1-2 hours, or until rice is tender. For the last few minutes, uncover the foil, and broil until the cheese is nicely toasted. 
Ta-da! My dish was really small, so I ended up having to do two dishes. This made a HUGE portion! Don’t worry, I shared with my bible study friends. 
For the tomato soup, I used this: 
One of the best tomato soup I’ve ever had. Love Trader Joes. 
I was actually pretty nervous about how this will turn out, especially whether the rice will be cooked, but it turned out perfect! 
Oh, and my favorite part is the burnt bits! I saved them burnt edges for myself, and my dear friends actually thought I was being selfless and sacrificing. Ha ha! 
Not the prettiest dish, but casseroles are rarely served for aesthetic purposes. 
At least it was absolutely scrumptious. Tart apples, sweet chewy raisins, tomato-baked rice, spicy, sour kimchi, and yes, even that processed hot dog fit really well. 
By the way, I love my friends. They will seriously eat everything I cook for them, and declare it the best thing they ever ate. One of them even told me that she skipped a free fancy lunch at a popular gastropub just so she can be hungry for my food! How sweet and flattering is that?
Side Note: The beauty of this casserole is that it is extremely versatile. I know most of you don’t share my affinity for processed neon-pink meat scraps, so you can substitute bacon, or ground turkey/beef/sausage/chorizo for the hot dogs. You can use any kind of gooey cheese you like, like Swiss, Parmesan, Monterey Jack, etc. You can use saurkraut instead of kimchi. You can take out the apple and raisins (but I highly recommend), or use other fruits like pineapple, or avocado. Brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice. Cream soup instead of tomato soup. Basically, any kind of leftover remaining in your fridge.
Oh, and I made a boo-boo on last Thursday’s post. A few of you expressed outrage at the fact that I neglected to include the recipe for my coconut-almond muffins. My glorious, sweet-smelling muffins. Well, I actually purposely did not include the recipe, but not because I’m a meanie-mo. I actually couldn’t find any coconut muffin recipe that I liked, so I just altered the best one I could find here. The difference is that I used 1 tablespoon almond extract instead of pandan extract, doubled the recipe, and added more coconut milk and regular milk for some of the water. Next time, I’ll include grated coconut, and sub out milk for all the water. Though it was marvelous fresh out of the oven, it did get a tad bit dry a couple days after. Okay, gotta rush. LOTS of things to do! But one thing at a time…Okay, I mean, after this one post, I swear I will adhere to my promise. Question of the Day: Are you a multi-tasker? Or should I say…are you an effective and productive multi-tasker? 
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I’m a crazy multi-tasker! But I think I’m actually quite good at it
Since I work at home and always have a billion things going on, I get the most done if I do a few things at once. And like you, I feel best when my schedule is fully packed and I’m super busy!
That casserole looks delicious
Being productive is great but I think the problem you (and I) tend to have is being obsessively productive. Definitely a good idea to stop and just ENJOY life.
Your friends sound awesome but then again, I’d probably do the same thing if I lived around you! Your food seriously always looks incredible.
Yummy casserole! Looking forward to your “flush-the-pantry” recipes, my favorite thing to do
lol! i remember those days in school, and i was just like you. as overwhelmed as i was, i was so happy because i felt productive everyday. good luck with the multitasking, and your dish looks delicious!
You need to try the coconut cornmeal muffins I made! I think you’ll like them…toasted coconut, coconut milk. What’s not to love?!
I always multitask, and that comes at the expense of getting absolutely nothing done properly. One day, I’ll learn.
i am a need to do person… i can not just sit and “be” like normal people do. i ALWAYS ALWAYS need to be doing something, have something on my mind, and be busy. i hate the thought of being bored and not having tasks to do- drives me nuts…
im trying to do the finish everything before grocery shopping thing! just to challenge myself and clean out the fridge! i always buy other food and never finish what i have lol
ps- i blog at work shhhh
pss- i have no idea what kimichi is….
psss- good luck on your final weeks of school!
I am ALL over the place. I don’t write lists, I’m not organized. All I do is write down a deadlines and work at random spurts, until I frantically try to get my stuff together in time to meet my deadline. I’ve never missed a deadline at least, so my method works to a degree
Casserole! Genius! I have a bunch of rice and sausage and now I know what to do with it. I’m moving in a couple weeks too. Cleaning out the pantry is hard work I tell ya
I always whine about being so busy, but I secretly love it and thrive off of pressure.
That casserole looks delish!! Yum
Jenn
Hello! I just meandered across your blog and I’m already loving it
. In fact, I am blogging in class right now as we speak! Makes the time fly by doesn’t it? This casserole looks bangin’. I’m thinking I can def make this into a vegetarian version for moi.
haha yes i was one who wanted a recipe for those coconut muffins, so thank you for sharin the link!!!
that loosk so delicious! I love trader joes products, right now I am loving the garlic aioli mustard! you must try it!!
I try to multitask when I can, or think i can but really I work better doing ONE task at at time
when I put MY ALL into one task, I finish it faster than if i were paying attention to two at the same time!
Love this post! I am such a busy-busy multitasker and sometimes I need to slow down and actually enjoy what I’m doing. What a novel idea! Good luck with all the finals and work girlie, I believe in you!
I work better when I’m doing more than one thing! Trying to focus on one thing at a time drives me crazy!
Beautiful looking dish of course. Ok, now FOCUS! good luck with finishing up the term.
multi tasker oh yes I am always multi tasking, right now I am making a recipe to blog, commenting, homework, laundry and helping with spelling words..haha
sweetlife
I’m definitely no multi-tasker. I can only focus on one thing at a time, but it can be difficult when there’re so many distractions around. Hehe…
I love the challenge of eating what’s left -I figure if I bought it at one time it means I like it or wanted to try it, so I find that I get most creative when looking through the pantry remains
multi-tasking? If I do it, I don’t like to think of that word, it sounds too robotic!
Delighted to find out you loved Dosto too! He himself was quite a character; his life story is a book to read alone!
I am ALWAYS multitasking. Literally everything on your list reminds me of something I have done probably in the last 24 hours. I love this recipe mainly because I have each and every thing that you included in my fridge (except the kimchi!) I’m doing everything I can to avoid going to the grocery store right now since school is ending so soon so will definitely be creating some strange recipes of my own!
I have such bad ADD, it’s ridiculous. I start a task, and never finish it, just like you said. I eventually get to it again, but it may not be until the next day. I constantly have other things going on in my head. I’m working on staying in the moment better. It’s a hard habit to break, that’s for sure.
I love the Trader Joe’s tomato soup. The other day I bought it and made some for dinner, and had the WORST gas ALL night. I looked at the ingredients and saw that it contained garlic and onion, both of which I can’t eat because of FODMAPS. DAMN!!!!!
That casserole looks absolutely amazing. Funky yet amazing!
I am all about the multi tasking. It’s all I do all day whether it be on the bus (drinking coffee, reading, listening to music, checking emails plus holding conversations with other riders), at work (talking on the phone, emailing, closing trades and such or at home (commenting on your blog, scratching my dogs belly and wondering if I have the ingredients to make the casserole here at home).
yeah, multi-tasker here. I am always amazed that my parents can just sit and watch TV, while I have to DO something as well. Have you ever thought of taking notes while listening to your professor, instead of blogging, though? lol It might help…
I am totally the same way. I do a million things at once, but tend to do them a bit half-assed.
Ehhh.. I pretty much survive by making lists. I have three going right now on my desk within reach. I cannot function any other way or my brain just tries to cycle through and remember them obsessively. Once I write it down and feel like it’s secure on a list I can concentrate and get the stuff knocked out of the way.
Your casserole looks delicious! There’s a polish dish sort of like this called Golabki and it’s cabbage and ground meats, rice, spices, and tomato soup. I love love love it, so I’m sure I’d like this dish too!
It has been so long since I have visited your blog – sorry life is so busy lately. Looking back over your older posts, I must say – YOU LOOK FANTASTIC!! So healthy, beautiful and happy. I am really proud of you.
The casserole looks so tasty and comforting. I love Trader Joe’s tomato soup too. I am a multi-tasker, I think every mom has to be or we would get nothing done.
I am jealous you went to the avocado lovers conference – you lucky girl!
Yuuuummm! Love this ‘role
Why do kimchee and cheese go so well together? God help us!
I love the crunchy bits to rice! That was always my favourite bit and I’d be scraping the pan for those bits!
I feel like I could have written the first part of your post! (Not in so eloquent words, but in essence the same.) I multi-task like nothing else or else I’m terrified that I won’t get everything done. Especially now, with work and a few days of school and exams next week – I feel like I’m scrambling to finish all the little tasks.
I’m impressed with your “Flush the Kitchen” (even if the name doesn’t sound all that appetizing
). Very creative casserole – can’t wait to see what else you come up with!
Oh, and if we ever had lunch together, I would be fighting you tooth-and-nail for the crispy bits
Blogging in class certainly is fun
Man I’m glad I didn’t have a blog when I was in school – that would be way too dangerous!
Good luck with everything. Your dish looks super tasty!
haha i am so glad i didnt have a blog when i was in college. i think i may have flunked out!
I’m pretty sure that the recipes I’m most proud of were born of flush-the-pantry necessity. It inspires so much creativity! I kinda love it. Good luck juggling the balance of your semester – all the best and worst feelings in a short span of time. BTW your upcoming trip sounds awesome!
PS I know I don’t pop up here very often but secretly I like to let your posts build up so I get to read a ton all at once. I know, I’m the most annoying kind of follower, but follow I do, trust me.
I’m a multi-tasker too…I’m doing about 3 different things as I type this as a matter of fact!
Your casserole looks delicious!
And my mum always told me to try and keep the memory working and NOT make lists! (I’m not so sure!!!)
I like to think I am an effective multitasker but…who knows?? I’m most likely useless.
I am not a big list maker, except for library dates and essay/homework deadlines! They tend to make me panic more than relax…I don’t like seeing how much work I have to do!!!!
This little tid bit about tasks and to do lists is precisely why I can never get anything done. The moment I decide to “tackle” my to-do list, and lay everything out before me (I happen to be doing this right now) is the moment I want to crawl into my bed and take a nap. For reals. You’ve pinned pointed this exactly though, I really need to tackle ONE thing at a time in order to get anything done. Well said as always lovely Sophia.
That TJ’s soup is my faaavorite! I love that casserole recipe, it sounds wonderful! I bet ham would sub in great – not a big hot dog fan. I’m definitely saving the recipe!
And I do the SAME thing…the extreme multi-tasker. I’m very ADD about things, including communication of all sorts! We need a 12-step program or something, I’m tellin’ ya!
Psychologists say that people cannot be effective multi-taskters. I’m a psychologist, and I don’t believe this! I am a VERY effect and productive multi-tasker myself.
Effective & productive at work! Multi tasking is being able to swap between jobs effectively & not as many folks think, just being able to do 2 jobs at the same time in any fashion, not everyone would agree with me at work though. I too am attracted to the burnt bits on your recipe,lol must be a craving for carbon!! Have a good weekend to relax in
)
I’m a multi-tasker too and much more efficient when I have a ton to do. Love all that cheesy deliciousness on top of your casserole!
I’m in awe of that casserole what an amazing invention. I just read a study where multi-tasking, of which I am extremely guilty of causes you to loose 25 minutes of each activity you switch to. Now how many times a day do I jump around?
Yes yes..i’m an efficient & productive multi-tasker.. & I hv to do so cos i hv very short attention span.
So i hv to split the work i’m doin to small parts but i make sure i come back to it in rotation
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