Hooray for Huffpo!

My blog on Academic Conferences was finally published by the Huffington Post! So excited.

View it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-march/advice-for-your-first-academic-conference_b_1392738.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Changes!

I got accepted into grad school!

I moved from NYC back to Pennsylvania!
I subletted a new apartment!
I started classes!
Will be talking about all of these things shortly, just wanted to close the very wide gap between now and my last post.

Memorial Day BBQ

Like many other families, mine had a huge backyard BBQ to welcome the Unofficial Start of Summer. My contributions? Tofu Dogs and Watermelon Salad.

I became a vegetarian my junior year of high school, after my prom date took me to a fast food restaurant and ate 6 cheeseburgers before the dance. I was so grossed out that I simply vowed, “I’m never going to eat meat again.” Even though I haven’t seen or spoken to my date since high school, I’ve managed stay meat-free for 7 years.

That’s not to say that I haven’t craved certain foods, but BBQ is one of the menus where being vegetarian doesn’t bother me (or other cooks) too much. I love Boca burgers and am currently on a quest to find the best veggie dog – I’d love to hear some suggestions if anyone has a favorite! Saturday night I paired a Smart Dog (at least 100 calories less than a regular dog) with fresh onion, ketchup, mustard and a bit of cheddar cheese for a tasty treat.

Watermelon salad is one of my new favorite sides. Right before we started eating, I chopped up chunks of the fruit, placed them in a big bowl and layered crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese on top (probably about ¼ cup of feta per cup of watermelon). Earlier, I had picked a few fresh mint leaves, which I just learned how to prepare while working on the Food Preparation video project. I sprinkled the pieces on top, and added a few dashes of rock salt. You could also toss in a dash of olive oil and/or thinly sliced red onions, but I wanted to keep it simple. It was terrific – and a big crowd pleaser! Can’t wait to get some more watermelon and make it again.