Yummy Dinner and Other Randoms

Well, here I am...still unemployed. After my layoff in February, I decided I wanted to study to get my PMP certification (Project Manager Professional) since that's pretty much been my title for the last 5 years. So from February until June 2, I did nothing but study...hard. The exam is a 4 hour exam that I had to pay $555 for and be up at the butt crack of dawn to take on June 2. I was SO nervous the night before. But I crammed for the exam that night and in the parking garage of the building I was taking it in that morning. I couldn't believe it but I PASSED!!! I was SO excited that I walked out of the testing center, got in my car and started crying before I could even call anyone. I couldn't believe that I passed. It's a pretty hard and super intense test. My friends and I celebrated like crazy that night.

So, this has really been the first week that I haven't had anything to do all day. I've gotten so used to waking up at the same time every day, studying until 11, working out, showering, then studying again until 5pm. So now I've been waking up still at the same time, checking my email and stuff, & applying for jobs. But that gets me to about 11am. I haven't been working out so I plan on getting back into that today. But I will still have a good 3 hours after that with nothing to do. You can only job hunt for so long every day.

Needless to say, I got caught up on my DVR the other day. I watched a Giada episode I had recorded (I love her!) and knew that I HAD to make one of the things she showed. So that was the last half of my day yesterday, running to the grocery store and preparing my dinner for that night so all I would have to do was pop it on the grill. It was Grilled Corn and Cheese cakes. Oh my god....SOOOOO good. The cheese it calls for is smoked mozzarella which I had never actually had before. I do believe that I am in love with it. I don't think I will ever go vegan now! Ha ha.





In the summer I'm really big on what I like to call "smorgasbord dinners". I don't like to eat a lot of warm dishes in the summer so I tend to eat a little serving of a lot of different fruits and veggies for dinner. It's just random summer favorites that most people would think weird eaten together, but I love them. My parents made a lot of lunches and dinner for me and my sister that were like that when we were kids. So now I think it's a nostalgia/comfort thing. :) So I had two of these corn cakes with a side of raw sugar snap peas and a big ole' slice of cantaloupe. I also had pickled beets too but I was eating them from the jar. As these cakes were grilling on my grill pan, I was in heaven. The smell of the sweet corn and the smoked mozzarella is literally mouthwatering. I couldn't wait for them to finish!! Here's the recipe if you're interested:


Grilled Corn and Cheese Cakes

2 cups frozen sweet corn, thawed
3/4 cups shredded smoked mozzarella
1 cup plain breadcrumbs, divided
1/3 cup fresh chopped chives
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup creme fraiche, for serving (I just used sour cream instead of this)


In a food processor, pulse the corn into a chunky puree. Place in a medium bowl. Add the cheese, chives, sour cream, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and salt and pepper. Mix well. Form the mixture into 9 balls and then flatten into patties, each about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 3/4 inches thick. Refrigerate 30 minutes.


Coat the patties with the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Place a grill pan over medium high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush the patties with olive oil and grill until toasted about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.


Arrange the corn cakes on a plate and serve with a dollop of the creme fraiche (or sour cream).

Yum, yum. I'm having the exact same dinner tonight! :)