Dragging Slowly Forward

One month from now, I will be almost done with my semester. It will be close enough to taste it, and I will be anticipating the moment I turn in my final paper for both of my classes. Right now, I'm looking at the rest of the semester with a rather large sense of dread--I have two group projects (one being the presentation I mentioned in a previous post) plus the two aforementioned final papers. Ironically, I can't help but look at the big picture, and it's the big picture that is decidedly overwhelming me.

So I take a deep breath and look at my immediate future objectively, and I would recommend anyone else under stress from numerous deadlines/projects whether or not they are related to an academic program to do the same. The project in my management class is virtually finished, aside from a bit of polishing and a run-through with my team. The project in my database class is in the planning stages, so not a lot of concrete work can be done right now. As for my final papers, I have a topic for one decided and the topic for the other is chosen for me. All in all, there's no call for panic--but my mind seems to have a tough time fully understanding that. I blame the worry gene that seems to be inherent in the women in my family.

Part of the underlying problem is also how fast this semester is going--it's very hard for me to really believe that it's April. Part of the problem is also my determination to finish this program with a 4.0--I'm a perfectionist and I intend to do everything as well as absolutely possible. A secret hope and wish is to graduate as Valedictorian (do you even get recognized as such in graduate school?). Younger foolishness kept me from having that distinction in high school or for my undergraduate degree--something I very much regret. I knew that I could do better than I did.

Anyway, enough about the past (although I seem to wax eloquent on the topic of my past sometimes, don't I?). Here's another recipe, one that I used to make a lot for myself when I was living on my own. With Scooter around, I seem to be experimenting in food and cooking a lot more. This recipe is from a book of chicken recipes I got during my freshman year of college and I made it again last weekend: chicken and sweet potatoes with orange glaze.

What you'll need:
4 chicken leg quarters or 6-8 chicken thighs
1/2 c. orange juice concentrate
1/2 c. maple syrup
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped fine
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 1/2-in. thick

What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the orange juice concentrate, maple syrup, fresh rosemary, and half of the salt and pepper.
3. In a deep baking pan, spread the sweet potato chunks out on the bottom. Lay the chicken pieces on top and sprinkle the rest of the salt and pepper over the chicken. Brush the chicken with half of the glaze. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. Brush the rest of the glaze over the chicken, turning pieces to brush both sides. Cook for another 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through to the bone and sweet potatoes are soft. Remove from oven, cool slightly, then serve.

If you like the sweet-and-savory flavor, you should consider doubling the glaze. I tend to double it myself so the sweet potatoes can also cook in the glaze. This weekend will be my next attempt at "special" cupcakes. If they turn out well, I'll be sure to take pictures to post. I hope you like the chicken!

Enjoy!