I did it! After over a decade of training, I am done!!

As a funny story, our graduation actually got cancelled due to COVID19. Our biggest oncology conference (huge meeting of 40,000 people) was this past week, and it became a COVID19 hot spot event for my department. I had attended last year to present some research but didn’t go this year.

Anyways, all of our program leadership/important faculty and 1/3 of the graduating class got COVID19. So graduation got cancelled last minute – instead my husband and family treated me to sushi and boba.

It’s kind of poetic that we are the class that started with COVID (2020), and will end with COVID.

We did end up having a makeup graduation; it was supposed to be outside to enjoy the lake, but we had a rare rainstorm in June so we ended up indoors (B jokes that our graduation is just not meant to me). It was a small, casual affair, but it was so nice to see all my co-fellows together one last time because we departed for our new attending jobs. It was also special since one of my favorite attendings, Dr. M, became the program director, and he signed and gave us the diplomas.

I started this food blog all the way back when I was a pre-med student at Stanford, it’s been neat looking back at all my medical posts chronicling all the ups and downs.

• 4 years College (Premed – BS Biology and BA Art)
• 4 years Medical School (MD)
• 3 years Internal Medicine Residency
• 1 year working + research (Oncology and Medicine Hospitalist)
• 3 years Hematology Oncology Fellowship

I’ve been waiting a looooong time for this day. I’m thankful for this journey, and I think being a doctor is the best job in the world (with the bonus of photography as a fun side gig).

It seems fitting to have cereal recipe for this celebration post – I spent so many late nights from studying while eating cereal to cereal for “dinner” during those busy residency years. I also associate granola with my dad, who buys them massively in bulk (to my mom’s chagrin), and who is my inspiration for being a doctor.

Adapted from Alton Brown

Easy Maple and Nut Granola

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup pecans
1/4 pepita/pumpkin seeds
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnammon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, cinnammon, and vegetable oil (leave the unsweetened coconut flakes out)
Make a layer on a large sheet pan. Bake for 1 hour, gently stirring every 30 minutes to achieve an even color. When there is 10 minutes left to bake, sprinkle the unsweetened coconut flakes (otherwise they would burn).
Remove from oven and let cool without touching it, so you create granola chunks. Store in an airtight container and serve with milk, yogurt, or eat it straight. Enjoy!