Day Sixteen: goat cheese tarts and coffee fudge. my 10 friend types.

Today I made a delicious new meal that my roommate and I adapted from a few different recipes: Goat Cheese and Asparagus Tarts (with lemon) and Chocolate Coffee Fudge. Honestly, the dinner was probably one of the best dinners I ever remember eating, even compared to things I've ordered at restaurants. The whole time we were eating, we just keep talking about how delicious it was. You should REALLY try it. (: The fudge was SUPER quick and easy to make.

Goat Cheese and Asparagus Tarts:
 Bake croissants according to the package. Cook asparagus in 1 inch of water in a frying pan for 3-5 minutes. Sautee spinach and tomato. Once croissants are done, add goat cheese and veggies. Add feta crumbles at top. (We just guessed on amounts for the veggies). In a separate bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Stir and then spoon over croissants and veggies. Put everything back in the oven for 8-10 more minutes (until feta starts to melt).

Coffee Chocolate Fudge (half recipe - double ingredients if you wish):
Line 8" x 8" pan with foil. Butter the foil (I know, it sounds gross). In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1.5 cups chocolate chips (one 12-oz bag), 7 oz condensed milk, 1.5 tablespoons coffee, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, a small pinch of salt. Stir. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Put immediately in pan, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours before eating.
The coffee (if you follow the recipe) is not very noticeable, so I might add 2 or 2.5 tablespoon if you really want the coffee taste. Add 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts if you wish. I hate nuts in fudge.

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Writing Challenge Day 16
I'm doing a 31 day writing challenge, found on the Reverb website, designed to reflect on the past year and look forward to what's to come in 2011.


Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world (or friendship) this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

Hmm. I can't think of one person in particular, but rather my friend group as a whole that has changed my perspective on friendship. Sometimes I think it's weird who stays in your life and who walks out. It seems completely random in some cases. I have a few friends who I wasn't very close with in college, but now we talk all the time. I have some great friends from college who I never speak to. I have people who I have always been consistently close with. It's confusing.
My "friend groups" have taught me that there are multiple friend types. For example:

Group 1: BFF's. The people with whom you feel an instant connection, on many different levels. Maybe it's similar goals, passions, interests, pasts... whatever it is, you connect from the very start and it's a connection that lasts. Many of these people, for me, are ones who don't live in this state, but I still consider them some of my best friends.

Group 2: Fun friends. People that you like to hang out with, but might not talk during the week. They're perfect if you're having a dinner party, game night, whatever... they're entertaining.

Group 3: Dreaming friends. People who have big dreams. Planning people. For me, these friends are people who share my love of travel. We plan trips together. Dream of places to go. Set goals.

Group 4: Re-friends. Friends who you connect with after a period of not talking. I suppose exes could fit into this category, too. Maybe you run into each other after not seeing each other for a while. Maybe it's intentional. Maybe you wonder why you ever lost touch.

Group 5: Tradition friends. Friends who you keep around solely from tradition. Maybe you all frequent the same restaurants or bars on a weekly basis for "catch up" time, but it never goes beyond that. You can have good conversations, but it never seems to make you better friends. Good people. Fun to be around. Stagnant?

Group 6: Artsy friends. Self - explanatory. We write music together, paint, draw, sing... anything creative. It's comfortable working side-by-side on an art project without needing forced conversation.

Group 7: Co-worker friends. They make work so much better. You might not hang out outside of work, but they're sure fun to eat with in the lounge or lead mentor groups with or make pizza dough with. (:

Group 8: Selfish friends. Ones who don't want to talk to you or hang out with you unless something is in it for them. Maybe they call you once a year, and then secretly bring a 20 page paper that they want you to read because they know you worked at a writing center. Not that that's happened to me or anything...

Group 9: Unreliable friends. Friends who constantly want to hang out (AND initiate hanging out), but then "something comes up" constantly. Why do you ask me to hang out if you keep canceling? It's especially frustrating when the cancellation is 10 minutes before proposed hangout time. Ughhh. Weather-related cancellations and certain other situations are excusable, of course. Maybe he was rescuing a puppy or visiting a nursing home.

Group 10: (Boy) friends. This is complicated on many levels. Boyfriends and boy friends. This could include boy friends who are boyfriends but not to you. Boy friends who you find attractive. It's complicated, like I said. Shouldn't there be a combination of the two somehow? Boy friends who are also boyfriends? The complications are when boy friends who think you like them. Or boyfriends who think you don't like them.  Or boy friends who lecture you about flirting with every guy. Not that that's happened to me, or anything...