Discover Amanda

The Real Me

2010-03-29T00:41:00.002-06:00

I just spent the last hour and a half editing my blog page, and I had to ask myself why. Why would I take the time to change my background, music, and layout? I guess it would be because I want people to know who I really am. Dolly Pardon once said, "Find out who you are and do it on purpose." Like everyone else, I have spent my entire life searching for answers to who I am, what I like and so on... it hasn't been easy, because as it turns out we as human beings are very complicated... or maybe it's just me. So, even though it has been a very difficult task that will never be fully completed (I think that we can never fully know who we are because we are always changing, every day we grow and become different in some way)I have at least managed to learn a few things about who I REALLY am... especially in this past year. For starters, I know that I am Amanda Marie Richards, 22 years old, caucasian, female, blue eyes, blond hair, 5'9, and no ones business how much I weigh. That stuff really doesn't count, it's nothing new. What I want people to know is that I love polka dots, rainbow polka dots in particular, that's why they are on my background, because they are a part of who I am. I love music, I can't live without it... live sanely would be more accurate; I listen to all kinds and love some more than others. If you see my play list you'll notice a little bit of everything, it is not unusual for me to listen to Sabotage and then skip to Time After Time by Frank Sinatra. Is it wrong for me to love punk rock? You might just think so, but like Dr. Suess said, "... those who mind don't matter..." I don't care what anyone thinks, because I also love folk and classical! I love to be silly and dress up, any excuse to make myself look like and idiot I just can't let pass... anything to make someone smile or laugh, even if it is at my expense. I like to dance in the kitchen while I clean, cook, and do the dishes. I sing in the shower and belt it out in the car... especially at stop lights so people can see. When I think of something funny I say it, even if it happens to be crude or mildly inappropriate... that's just who I am.I read, I read a lot, as much as I can; I get all smiley when I read the really happy parts, and I cry at the sad. I may be an adult, but I still cover my eyes during the kissing scenes in a movie. I know that I'm the person my friends will call in the middle of the night when they need someone to talk to... even if it's something I know nothing about, like relationships. I know that I have a gift for loving people no matter their race, religion, or political status. I have discovered that I am not a very good teacher, but I am a good listener and friend. I'm bad at math, I always will be, but I'm really good at science and literature. I have a hard time moving on and letting go, but that's only because some times I love too much. I have found that a huge chunk of who I am is not really me at all, it's my friends, my family, and so many others that I love. A quote that I love says "God doesn't give you the people you want; He gives you the people you NEED... to help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be." It feels so good to know who I am, and it makes me feel even better to know that I have so many people who love me despite the fact that they know who I am too (...those who matter don't mind).

My Socks

2010-02-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

About every few months I will go through my drawers and reorganize them… this was the other day. My favorite drawer to organize is my sock drawer. For those of you who know me well enough you will know that I have a crazy sock obsession, I collect socks. When I went through my sock drawer I made sure to count all my socks: I have 52 pair of crazy socks. 25 argyle, 8 stripe, 3 polka-dot, 13 with fun objects on them like stars and butterflies, and then 2 pair of just plain color crazy socks. Out of these 52 crazy socks, 43 of them are knee-high, six are normal calf high, and three are ankle socks. What I do when I am done counting my socks is quite odd I have heard, I segregate my sock drawer. Colors on one side and whites on the other… I’m sock prejudice  There is nothing wrong with collecting socks in my opinion, it’s something I wear every day, plus they keep my toes nice and warm… plus they show off my crazy personality. When I was on my high school track team I was known for coming to practice in my gym shorts wearing a different pair of knee high socks ever day! So, if you see an awesome pair of socks… let me know!

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

2010-01-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

1 1-2 lbs. chicken cut into bite sized pieces
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. butter
2 cans chicken broth
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 tsp. ground cumin
4 c. canned milk, or half-and-half
3 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. cheddar cheese
1 package of cream cheese
3 cans cream-style corn
1 can rotel
3 dashes hot sauce

1.In pot, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink.
2.Add broth, bouillon, and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3.Stir in milk/cream, corn, rotel, hot sauce, and cheese. Stir frequently, until cheese is melted. *Cream cheese will take a while to melt unless cut into cubes before adding. For extra heat I added cayenne pepper.
- Serves: 12

He Loves Me That Much

2010-01-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

I had an experience tonight that I do not wish to forget. It is late and I have just returned from my walk that I take almost every night like I have for the past 4 years. I find that walking alone in the dark with my dog Molly is the best way for me to relax, tonight was no exception. When I stepped out the door I could tell it was going to be a wonderful walk, one more special than most… and wouldn’t you know it, for once in a long while I was right. Before I write about my experience I want to share something from this past Sunday. I was sitting in Gospel Doctrine for the first time in a few months… I am very glad that I was there. Brother Ranstrom (our first counselor) shared a thought that really made me think tonight, he said that Heavenly Father loves us so much that he will create special moments just for us to experience, so that we will remember how much He cares for us. So, back to my walk tonight… It was cold, very cold, which I expected on a January night, and It was windy. I love the wind, I especially love the sound it makes as It runs through the trees, the loud swish and the ruffling of the dead leaves stuck up in the branches. Everything about wind is spiritual, the amazing feeling you get as it caresses your skin, tousles your hair, and wakes up every sense on and in your body (that last part just might be me). Being able to feel such strong feelings from something you can’t even see. Along with the cold, and the wind, it was also bright out… even at ten in the evening it was bright. I could see the outline of every branch as they danced in the wind, their beautiful outlines dark against the orange- grey sky. There was no moon, and no stars, just the light of the occasional street lamp, and far off in the distance the bright lights of Bogus. It was a night meant just for me… only I was supposed to hear the tinkling of every wind chime, the soft scrape of the fallen leaves tumbling in the grass, and the whoosh of the trees. I wanted to soak up every feeling, as if I would never experience anything like it ever again… and who knows, I might not. All of this made me think of what Brother Ranstrom said, Heavenly Father loves me so much that he made this night just for me. These past few months have been the hardest of my life; I have felt abandoned, angry, bitter, sadness, stress, anguish, complete loss of faith… I wondered if God really did care about me. Why should I have to go through so much? There are days when I have my sanity and I realize that life is full of trials for a reason, but deep down I still wonder if He is there watching out for me. Tonight is just another one of those messages that He sends along the way. Heavenly Father knows how much I love all of these things, He knows how much I’m suffering (because He has suffered it also), and He wanted to reassure me. I didn’t want to go inside, how could I give up such a blessing? As I turned onto my street and saw the lights of home I got this feeling, I felt like I could stay out all night… as long as I want and He would keep the winds blowing… just for me… because He loves me that much. January 20, 2010

What I'm Up To... No Good!

2009-12-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

What is going on in my life? Not much I will admit, I still have no job, soon, I can feel it. I'm in the process of sighning up for classes at CWI (College of Western Idaho) and am still undecided on what to study, it's a tie between nursing and culinary arts (feel free to give your opinion, because if you know me well enough then you know I'm bad at making important decisions on my own). The best part of life right now is Tuesday nights, I volunteer at the temple cafeteria and I love it! The temple president has just asked me to consider being an ordinance worker, so that might occupy another week night here soon if I decide to do that. What else...? Just trying my best to keep busy and stay sane, while in the mean time reading an exorbitant amount of books! And for all of you that keep asking, I am not dating, and do not plan on dating so stop asking!

My Twilight Experience

2009-12-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

I recently made the mistake of reading the Twilight Books, I told myself that I would never read them and now I have more proof of my poor self-control. Before I left on the mission all my sisters, friends, and my Mother were reading them, they said, "You really should read these before you leave." I always said no, I had much more important things to do, but now that I am unemployed, am not going to school and generally have nothing to do but sit on my tush and read I decided I would go ahead and do it! I was completely useless for 8 days! I would stay up all night reading, I didn't leave the house, and if I did I would take the book with me... I never knew what real addiction was like until I read Twilight. I know earlier I used the word "mistake", truly it was a huge mistake, and only because I loved the books too much and I have since been able to think of nothing else. It's pretty sad when I have dreams about it three weeks after I finished reading! When I go to sleep at night I put the movie in my laptop and watch it as I fall asleep, I get onto YouTube and watch behind the scenes clips, and I now own all the music from the Twilight and New Moon soundtracks. I have yet to get to the point where I have team Jacob panties or a team Edward t-shirt, I don't even have any posters, but mentally I'm stuck in the world of vampires and werewolves! I really should just be shot!

Egg Drop Soup

2009-11-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

I made this for a real quick lunch the other day, it was wonderful, better than some of the soups you get at Chinese restaurants.

8 cubes chicken bouillon
6 c. hot water
2 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 green onion minced
3 eggs beaten

1. In sauce pan dissolve bouillon in water. Mix in corn starch with small amount of water and stir into bouillon. Add soy sauce, vinegar, and green onion; bring to boil, then simmer stirring occasionally. Gradually pour beaten eggs into broth while stirring.

* I used canned chicken broth (3 cans), and then I only used half the soy sauce and half the vinegar.

After Thanksgiving Turkey Soup

2009-11-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

I know that Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away, but I just couldn't wait to make this soup so I used chicken instead.

INGREDIENTS:
1 leftover turkey carcass
3 medium onions, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 c. butter
1 c. flour
2 c. half and half
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
3/4 tsp. black pepper
* extra yummy when topped with cheddar cheese
Servings= 16

1. Place turkey carcass in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil. Remove from heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove carcass; cool. Set aside 3 qt broth. Remove turkey from bones and cut into small chunks; set aside.

2. Saute onion, carrot, and celery in pot with butter until tender. Reduce heat; stir in flour until blended. Gradually add 1 qt of broth. Bring to boil; stir for two minutes or until thickened.

3. Add cream, rice, salt, bouillon, pepper, remaining broth and reserved turkey. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until rice is tender.

* Like I said, I used chicken instead of turkey, but I still used turkey stock (from base)... I'm sure I saved at least an hour and a half by skipping the first step and just using stock from a base. I didn't use 3 onions, I only used 1 and this is what I suggest. I didn't have half and half so I used regular 1%milk, and I also used bouillon cubes instead of granules (2 cubes). This is a wonderful soup! I made a double recipe and I now have TONS of leftovers! This soup is definitely a crowd pleaser, I plan on making it again soon!

Easy Ham and Potato Soup

2009-11-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

I love to make soup, I'm always on the lookout for a new and tasty recipe. Yesterday I decided I wanted to make soup for dinner, so I got on google and typed in "soup recipes". I clicked on allrecipies.com and found this extremely yummy ham and potato soup recipe.

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:
3 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
5 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Servings: 8

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in pot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. About 15-20 minutes. Stir in bouillon, salt and pepper.

2. In separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick. About 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk to avoid lumps. Stir over medium heat until thick, 4-5 minutes.

3. Stir the roux into the pot and serve.

* So, I didn't have ham, so I used turkey kielbasa, and I also didn't have chicken bouillon so I used turkey stock, it came out wonderful. I let the potatoes boil for 20 minutes so they were really nice and tender, and after I served it I sprinkled a little bit of cheddar cheese on top. Really easy and tastes like a soup that you would order at a restaurant... needless to say it was a hit! By the way, I always suggest making it a double recipe... more for later that way!

Who Needs a Stick Shift?

2009-11-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

It was decided today that I would learn how to drive a manual. I am quite content with remaining ignorant while driving my nice automatic Honda Accord. I do not understand why anyone would choose to drive a vehicle that is so much more complicated to operate?

2009-11-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

So, I decided that I would start a blog... I'm not entirely sure why just yet... I'm not sure who would be interested in hearing about anything I do... I guess we'll just see how this turns out. If you're reading this, don't expect too much just yet, but thanks for pretending to be interested :)