1st place: Holiday bake-off

Bring on the baking competitions...

Our apartment hosted a brunch last weekend for all of the residents and also held a baking competition with the winners  getting money off of rent.  Not a bad deal and I always say yes to any chance to bake! I admit, I was a little nervous because this was the moment of truth that I would find out if my baked treats are REALLY good or if people are just being nice.

 Of course I couldn't decide what was the best thing to make, so I ended up baking two things.

My entries...

Whipped Pumpkin Bites 

 and

Chocolate Toffee Squares

I will say I did have some tough competition. 

But the winner was....

The chocolate toffee bites, which I have never made before this event. I even forgot a key ingredient -- but shhh nobody would ever know and hey, they won FIRST place and won me money! 

The pumpkin bites were pretty popular as well and came in 3rd place.  Well, I'm relieved to know that my treats are actually edible. :)

7 cities in 7 days

This week has been another marker along the way that reminds us of the reality and depth of responsibility of B becoming a doctor.  He is in the middle of his busy interview season and is traveling to seven cities this week.  Poor guy goes through 6-12 individual interviews during a day then hops on a plane to the next place.  But He is doing fantastic so far and we are thankful that the Lord is providing him strength and allowing him to enjoy this time. 

We still have more interviews rolling in and we are overwhelmed that he has received this many invitations.  This journey began with us having to be vulnerable and learning to fully put our trust in a powerful God.  I am overwhelmed with His mercy in providing these interview invitations - we would have been happy with half as many interviews, but we are excited for all of the possibilities and his chance of getting into an even better program.

A few of the places he has gone/is going this week are Virginia, Nebraska, Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee.

Interviewing for a surgical residency is a crazy process. I can't think of any other word to describe it than just plum crazy.  300 people apply for a program, 40 are invited for an interview, and 2-4 are selected for a residency position. There are so many different factors that we look at when evaluating a program because this could be our home for at least the next 5 years, if not longer.  Only 1 1/2 more months of interviews and then 3 more months until we learn where he has matched!

Thankfully Bentley came into our lives at the perfect time to keep me company while B is away this week :) This little rascal is keeping me busy but is also a little warm body to cozy up to.

Making these interviews possible has truly been a team effort and is making us learn to work together.  Spending countless hours researching programs and working out the itineraries are just a couple of my contributions to the interview process.  I am learning what it really means to be selfless with my time and with my attitude in helping him with his needs.  I am also realizing more and more that being a doctor will not be just his profession but will be our lifestyle, mine included.  Here are just a couple of ways that our life will be different once residency starts: our close friends wherever we live will probably be his fellow residents and co-workers; I can't expect to see him as much on the evenings or weekends during the next five years due to long hours and call; our home will have an open door to his patients or friends that are in need of medical advice; and maybe any plans of having a baby will be postponed a few years. Our desire is for B to be a compassionate doctor that his patients know and trust, and to do that we have to treat his profession not as a job but as a lifestyle. I wanted to share this with you as a hint of understanding the title of my blog - my reality of a doctor's wife. And my goal is to make this reality lovely and pleasing and joyful.

Up on next week's itinerary...New York! And this time I get to join him on the trip.

Holiday party treat - Raspberry cheesecake bites

We went to our first holiday party for this year which was a cocktail Christmas party hosted by some of our close friends. I made raspberry cheesecake bites (which I realize aren't necessarily a holiday thing) and they were a winner! It is a surprisingly simple recipe which you can find below.

~ Raspberry Cheesecake Bites ~

~ Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe ~

Graham crust: 
3-5 T              sugar
1 stick           melted butter
2 cups           crushed graham crackers 
(This was B and Bentley's contribution, I put the graham crackers in a plastic bag, threw it on the floor and had them jump on it to crush the grahams. Worked like a charm!)

Hand mix ingredients together.  You can use less butter if you are making a regular graham crust but I use more butter when making the individual bites so that it will hold together well. Scoop a tablespoon or so of the crust into each cup of a mini cupcake pan and use your spoon to press the crust together and mold it into the pan.

Bake crusts in 325 F oven for about 5-7 minutes to let them set before pouring filling in. 

Raspberry cheesecake: 
2 packages     cream cheese
3/4 cup           sugar
2                      eggs
1 t.                  vanilla
1 package      raspberries

Mix cream cheese and sugar together with a mixer.  Blend in eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla.  At this point, you can stir in the fruit if you like or continue for a plain cheesecake.  I chose to add a raspberry flare to these bites.  Since I am not a fan of raspberry seeds, I spent a little more time to strain the raspberries over the cheesecake mix and let the juice drop in.  I took about 1/3 of the package of raspberries just to give the mix a slight flavor of raspberry and give it a pretty pink color.  Pour the filling into the graham cups and bake for about 15 minutes at 325 F. 

Glaze:
1 small package  sour cream
3-4 T                     sugar

Mix together and spread over cheesecakes.  Place back in oven for about 5 minutes - just enough to melt the glaze.

Chill cheesecakes for a couple hours or overnight in the refrigerator.  Before serving, place raspberries on top of cheesecakes and enjoy!        

Some of the ladies at the party while all of the husbands took the pictures :)

What are some of your favorite treats to make for holiday parties?