The Cooking Accountant

Where I’m At…

2012-01-24T22:18:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I would spend New Year’s Day journaling about the year that passed and what I wished for the upcoming year. I would write anywhere from 5-10 pages. Even though I have stopped journaling some years ago, I still like to reflect on and learn from the past and plan for the future.

Although a little late, this is my 2012 New Year journal entry and lets you know where I am with the Accounting and Non-Accounting areas of my life.

With the CPA Exam

I took FAR back in October when I was about to lose the last conditional credit I had left. I got a 70 and all my credits had expired. I was forced to start at Square One again and signed up to take BEC in April. BEC has changed and now includes writing in addition to the multiple choice questions, making it even more challenging. I have started a self-study plan using the 2012 Wiley textbook and may add a Cram course in March. I plan to blog regularly on my study progress even if it’s a paragraph.

With my Career

In the past, I have avoided writing too much about my career on this blog. Going forward, I would like to change that since I feel this is the most exciting time of my accounting career. I left my corporate job and took a few months to decide what I wanted to do. I went on a number of interviews for Controller and Assistant Controller positions, but eventually I started a consulting business. I have always wanted to work for myself and it’s a dream come true to do that. There were many new challenges I faced and would like to write about them. I actually started 2012 in a Nerdy Accountant way – by closing my books for the year and calculating estimated taxes!

With my Non-Accounting Life

I have re-discovered yoga and healthy eating as a way to work on my health. I plan to include some of the new healthy recipes and cooking tips. Spending more time with family and friends is now high on my list and no longer second to work. After so many years of lopsided living, I strive for a fairly reasonable balance between my work and my personal life.

With this Blog

Many aspects of my life have changed in the past year and I wasn’t sure what to do with my blog. I want The Cooking Accountant to reflect my present interests, but I find myself getting stuck. I get trapped into thinking that you, my readers, may not be interested in the things that currently concern me and that I might not have the most relevant advice for students. It has been years since I have been a student or a recent college graduate. The one thing I can offer, however, is advice to recent grads and interns on what to expect once they enter the corporate world.

Since all my peers either have their CPA license or gave up trying a long time ago, I feel like I can’t commiserate with them as I continue on my CPA journey. Most of my friends and family don’t understand why I keep trying and I am sure they are sick of hearing about it. I am sure there are others out there in the same boat as me, so I will continue to write about my journey trying to pass the Exam.

I am very thankful for my readers and will aspire to write things in 2012 that will interest you.

What are some of your goals/wishes/dreams/thoughts for 2012?

In the Homestretch plus a Roger Discount!

2011-09-27T16:43:00.000-04:00

So this week I have been studying like a madwoman since I am taking FAR on Saturday. I should finish my Roger Cram tonight. That means I will have the next 3 days to review my notes and do questions. Wish me luck!

Here is a great Roger CPA Review Discount. Looks like you can save up to $450 ($150 per part) on the online review course when you use the coupon code 150Party at checkout!

Click on the image below to take advantage of this sweet deal which ends on Friday!

Comfort Food: Zucchini Stuffed with Rice (Yemista)

2011-09-14T12:44:00.000-04:00

Today, I am drawing on my Greek roots to share a recipe for a favorite dish with you – Yemista. Yemista means “filled” in Greek and I think it’s a fitting name since vegetables (bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini or zucchini flowers) are filled with a rice mixture.

Depending on where you are from or where you visit in Greece, the stuffing mixture may vary but usually includes rice. My mother uses a rice and tomato paste mixture. My mother-in-law is from a different part of Greece and she uses a rice and ground beef mixture. (Both versions are excellent, by the way). In some restaurants, I have seen them topped with cheese, although I prefer the Americanized version topped with bread crumbs.

Michael Psilakis has a good recipe for Yemista in his book How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking which I referred to as a guide for creating my own recipe. Psilakis uses dill in his recipe which my mom does not use. I find all these ingredient variations interesting (I’m a food nerd as well as an accounting nerd!), so I am interested to hear if you have tried a different variation.

Regardless of how the stuffing is prepared, Yemista is the food I grew up with. And believe me, you can’t get enough of it if you try it! And now that fall is almost here and the nights are getting chillier in New York, I wanted to serve this comfort food for dinner. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated for lunch or dinner the next day (although my dad likes eating the leftovers straight from the fridge! They are that good!).

Zucchini Stuffed with Rice (Yemista)
(Serves 4)

Ingredients

- 4-5 medium zucchini
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- ½ a Spanish onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup uncooked long grain rice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 cups water
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Bread crumbs

Preparation

Wash the zucchini but leave the skin on.

Blanch the zucchini for 5 minutes (Boil water in a pot large enough to hold the zucchini, add the zucchini once the water is boiling and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Remove the zucchini from the pot and run cold water over them in a colander for a couple of minutes until they cool down).

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep chef’s pan or sauté pan under medium high heat.
Add the chopped celery and onion and sauté for 3 minutes until soft.

Add the rice and salt and pepper. Stir for 2 minutes being careful that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the water while stirring and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil for a minute and then turn off the heat.

Stir in the fresh herbs, lemon juice, chopped garlic and tomato paste. Let stand while you prepare the zucchini.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

On a vegetable cutting board or clean counter, slice each zucchini in half lengthwise.

Using a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds and create a little trough for filling with the rice mixture.

Coat a large pan or casserole dish with a light layer of olive oil.
Place the zucchini halves into the pan, skin-side down, troughs facing up.

Use a spoon to fill the zucchini troughs with the rice mixture. Fill a little higher than the top of the zucchinis if you have extra filling.

Sprinkle bread crumbs over the rice mixture.

Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes (removing the aluminum foil in the last 10 minutes of baking). Serve while still warm. Kali Orexi!

Don’t Let Hurricane Irene Stop You: Studying for the CPA Exam if You Lose Power

2011-08-29T15:07:00.000-04:00

Tropical Storm Irene (also known as Hurricane Irene until it hit New York), hit my area late Saturday night and into Sunday morning. After the rain stopped, everyone went outside to assess the damage and start to clean up. A few hours later, the winds started to pick up again (the back-end of the storm) and it caused more damage.

We lost power very early Sunday morning but I consider us lucky since there are huge uprooted trees, large branches and fallen power lines in the streets and on houses all around us. A tree fell into the street a house down from us and blocked the street. Luckily no one was hurt and property was not damaged. Our neighbors a little south are trying to bail water out of their homes since the water is knee-deep in their streets.

We are on Day 2 without power. Half a million customers (this is at least a million people since there is more than one person living in a house or apartment) lost power in the part of New York where I live. This is more than 500,000 out of the 1 million customers served by the power authority (2.5 million people live on Long Island). The power authority says it could take until Friday to restore power.

Nevertheless, I still need to study as my FAR exam is scheduled for the first week of October. If you remember, I was supposed to sit for FAR on August 20^th. However, I felt seriously unprepared and decided to reschedule the Exam for early October. I felt instantly relieved but know I have to keep up the studying since October is close by.

Since I am without power and can’t watch my Roger CPA Review Cram, I came up with some ideas to help you study during a long-lasting power outage.

When there is enough daylight for you to read:

- Review all the notes you took. Why wait until the week before the Exam to review? Start now!

- Re-read any difficult chapters. Don’t re-read the entire study guide, just pick the topics that were difficult to understand and do a few questions. This is a great no-pressure way to master a topic that has been problematic. I reviewed the list of US GAAP vs. IFRS rules in my Roger Cram book because I am obsessed with trying to know the IFRS rules.

- Do multiple choice questions. Do as many questions as you can. It’s always a smart idea to do the questions at least twice if you can.

- Work some Task Based Simulations. Try a few Task-Based Simulations to familiarize yourself with the format.

By candlelight or flashlight:

- You can also do the above. I tried, but found it too straining on my eyes.

- Use your laptop. Re-watch a lecture or work on question software for a little while.

- Review a deck of flashcards or lists of key words. Not only will this help for multiple choice questions, but will help with the research portion of Task-Based Simulations.

- Download an app on your cell phone! I have the following on my Android phone: Wiley FAR Focus Notes, Pocket MBA, MBA Reference, Gleim Diagnostic Questions (but this one has been force closing lately).

Once it is safe for you to leave your home:

- Go to a friend or family member’s home that still has power. Borrow their computer or bring your laptop (that’s what I am doing right now!).

- Go somewhere with Wi-Fi access. Libraries, cafés and bookstores are good places to go to study.

- Go to work. Seriously, if you work in an office and they have power, it can be a nice place to study. But only if you are authorized to be there. I have often done this on a weekend.

I hope everyone is safe, especially my readers and friends in the Bahamas, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, New England and Toronto.

I’m Running Out of Time!

2011-08-11T21:36:00.000-04:00

It hit me earlier this week that I am running out of time to study. I looked at my calendar and saw that August 20^th is next Saturday! I can’t believe the month of August is almost halfway over!

Sometimes while taking the CPA Exam, you get a similar feeling that you are almost out of time but you are only in the middle of the Exam. They always say (and I have learned through experience) that people run out of time the fastest on FAR and REG. However, this can happen on any part when you don’t properly budget your time.

As you know, I am using the Roger CPA Exam Review Cram Course and Roger explains how to budget your time in this video.

You can do this before you sit for the Exam. I like to memorize the breakdown and jot it down on the scrap paper as soon as I start the Exam. This gives me a guideline I can use to pace myself to avoid running out of time.

For example, with FAR, you are given 4 hours (240 minutes). You have 3 sets of 30 multiple choice questions and 7 part task-based simulation questions. For each set of multiple choice questions, you should budget 45 minutes (or 135 minutes total). This leaves you with 105 minutes to complete the task-based simulation questions or 15 minutes for each task-based simulation question.

The breakdown is as follows with the Exam clock:

                4:00 – start
                3:15 – finish mc 1
                2:30 – finish mc 2
                1:45 – finish mc 3
                0:00 – finish TBS

Do you budget your time on the Exam to stay in control of your progress or do you just answer questions and hope you don’t run out of time?

Friday Night Dinner – Sautéed Glazed Chicken Thighs

2011-08-01T12:49:00.001-04:00

On Friday night, we wanted to grill some chicken thighs. This is fine with me since I was exhausted from working and studying all week. I was looking forward to my husband cooking them on the grill while I relaxed inside with a glass of wine.

My husband found this recipe for Cedar-Planked Chicken Thighs with Soy-Ginger Glaze on Weber grill's website. Unfortunately, while preparing the glaze on the stove, we heard thunder and within minutes it was pouring rain outside. I ended up sautéing the chicken thighs and pouring the glaze on top.

This recipe is adapted from the Cedar-Planked Chicken Thighs with Soy-Ginger Glaze on the Weber website.

Sautéed Glazed Chicken Thighs

Ingredients
- 10 skinless boneless chicken thighs
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 cup sesame oil

Preparation
Clean any remaining fat and membrane from the chicken thighs.

In a saucepan, cook the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar until reduced by half (about 20 minutes). Remove the saucepan from heat and add the garlic, ginger powder, pepper and sesame oil.

In a frying pan, brown the chicken thighs on both sides and then let them cook through until the chicken is opaque.

Pour the glaze over the chicken thighs, loosely cover with aluminum foil and turn down the heat to a medium simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, turn the chicken thighs over and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Serve with stir fry vegetables and/or brown rice.

Before the summer is over, I promise I will post a recipe we grill outdoors. What is your favorite BBQ or outdoor grill recipe?

Study Progress this Week

2011-07-29T12:51:00.002-04:00

So I received my Roger CPA Review Cram Course book for FAR. The book is huge and heavy – I was not expecting that from a Cram book! It is even thicker than my Wiley CPA Exam Review 2011, Financial Accounting and Reportingbook!

The Cram is accessed online. Roger recommends you set aside time to watch the lesson. This is good for me since it forces me to make time to study and watch each section.

I watched the introduction and a few sections this week. I was so relieved to see that Roger discussed IFRS and the IASB Framework in general. He also spent a lot of time on the major differences between US GAAP and IFRS in financial statement presentation, revenue recognition, inventory, etc. There is also a great two and a half page chart in his Cram book which compares US GAAP vs. IFRS rules by topic.

I really like Roger’s teaching style. He has a lot of energy and really gets into the accounting topic instead of just reading directly from the book. His mnemonic devices are different than those used by the Yaeger course and the old Person/Wolinsky course I took many, many years ago (does anyone remember them? Nick Dauber and Co. sold the course to Becker in the early 2000s).

There are questions throughout the Cram book including multiple choice and task based simulation. The questions are at the end of each section plus recently released multiple choice and task based simulation questions in the back of the book from the AICPA. I need to do as many questions as I can find!

I was also snooping around Roger’s website and found the following helpful links:

- 3-, 6- and 9-month CPA Study Plans

- course breakdown outlines

- videos for each section and the CPA Exam in general

- and the coolest one is a link to Quizlet which has many ready-made Flash Card sets. I searched for CPA FAR. Enjoy!

Let me know how your studying is going!

CPA Exam Study Progress so FAR: Feeling Out of Touch with the Material and a Cram Course to the Rescue

2011-07-20T14:52:00.000-04:00

I am not one to complain about feeling old and out of touch since I usually feel young at heart (I wore Hello Kitty and Star Wars bandages this week). And I know that it’s perfectly normal for financial accounting rules to change over the years. But when the fundamentals change, it can cause some fright and panic. Even scarier, it can make you feel out of touch with the material.

If you haven’t taken FAR yet this year and you are like me (more than 10 years out of school and haven’t worked in public accounting for a few years), here are some changes you will notice while studying for FAR in 2011:

Forget SFAS 109 Accounting for Income Taxes; it is now known as ASC Topic 740 – Income Taxes (check out this link explaining the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC))
You have to know the rules for IFRS vs. US GAAP
You also have to note the differences between the FASB Conceptual Framework and the IASB Framework

As I am slowly progressing through my FAR studies (I’m working on Financial Statements this week), I can’t help but feel a bit out of the loop on certain rules. Things I had learned in school, as an auditor or while preparing financials for a public company have all changed. It’s like the ground has shifted underneath me. I am getting through the material, but I just need some reinforcement.

In order to kick things up a notch, I decided to order the Roger CPA Review Cram Course to supplement the Yaeger course that I have been using for FAR. I have used a Roger Cram Course for REG before and he did a good job explaining difficult concepts, so hopefully, this will help. I expect to receive the Cram later this week and will be sure to write something about it.

What has helped you get back in touch with the material when you’ve felt lost studying new or significantly changed topics?

Studying Through Grief

2011-07-12T13:31:00.000-04:00

I wanted to write about something honest; something I am dealing with right now.

I very recently and suddenly lost a good friend I grew up with, have known for many years and cared about a lot. The loss is still “fresh” and I am still emotional about it.

Grieving the loss of a family member, friend or pet is something difficult and stressful in and of itself. Adding the pressures of work, school, family or other commitments is bad enough without the further stress of studying for the CPA Exam.

We can go back to work or school and take care of family because we know we have to. We can do these things robotically. But when it comes to something like studying, the thought of opening those books brings about a feeling of disgust in us and we think “How can I study now?” Studying seems so trivial. Once we convince ourselves that it’s fine to study because it’s something we have to do, we end up staring at the page. Our brains can’t take in the new material because we have a million thoughts swimming around in our heads. It’s hard to concentrate. How can we get back to focusing on studying?

I thought maybe if I can understand how I feel, I can redirect myself to studying. An online search produced a list of the 7 stages of grief which are:

1. Shock or disbelief

2. Denial

3. Bargaining

4. Guilt

5. Anger

6. Depression

7. Acceptance or hope

Truthfully, I can’t say I am at any one stage right now, but rather a combo of disbelief, guilt, anger and hope. I can’t accept what happened yet, but the hope stage is something that can help me get there. There is a hope to do something nice in memory of my friend. He wouldn’t want us to feel the other stages, just the hope part.

My friend once wrote that he was so happy for me when my husband and I bought our first house because he loved seeing people he cares about being successful in life. I remember those words and feel that describes his character. Knowing that, I feel like he is my inspiration to finally succeed in passing the CPA Exam. I will use this as my motivation.

Friday Night Dinner - Veal Scaloppine with Marsala and Mushrooms

2011-06-24T20:33:00.003-04:00

I had a slice of chicken marsala pizza the other day, and ever since, I have had a craving for veal marsala. I decided to make it for a lovely Friday night dinner instead of going out to eat.

This recipe is adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. I use mushrooms and a little more butter.

Ingredients

- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 pound veal scaloppine, thin-sliced
- Flour, spread on a plate
- Salt
- Pepper
- ½ cup Marsala wine
- 8 oz cleaned and sliced white mushrooms
- 2 Tbsp butter

Preparation

Heat your skillet and when hot, add the olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter.

Once the butter starts to foam, dredge both sides of each veal scallop in the flour, shaking off the excess, and place in the skillet. Dredge right before putting them in the pan; any earlier and the flour will become soggy.

Allow them to cook on one side and then flip to cook on the other side. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

When the veal scallops are browned on both sides, remove them from the pan and place onto a plate. Leave the stove on.

Add the marsala wine and the mushrooms and turn the heat up. Scrape the brown residues from the skillet using a wooden spoon.

Add the 2 Tbsp butter.

Once the wine has reduced and the mushrooms have cooked, return the veal scallops to the skillet to heat them and coat both sides with the sauce.

Remove the veal scallops from the pan and place on your serving plate.

Serve with spaghetti (I like to put my drained spaghetti into the saucepan to mop up the remaining sauce before adding it to the plate).

What are you having for dinner this Friday night?

Welcome Summer! (Or How to Stay Focused on your Studying when you Would Rather be Outside Enjoying the Sunshine)

2011-06-21T13:49:00.001-04:00

Summer is finally here (in the US that is). Once the warm summer air hits me, all thoughts of studying go out the window. I would rather be outside picking cherry tomatoes from my tiny garden or taking a drive down any tree-lined street.

Today, it’s a little cloudy so it’s the perfect day to crack open that FAR textbook. Despite the overcast weather, I can’t stop looking out the kitchen window at the backyard.

OK, just for a couple of minutes… I know I always say that.

But think about it; I exerted enough effort carrying the textbooks, CDs, notebooks and handouts over to the kitchen table. I deserve a 5 minute break.

The squirrels run across the top of the fence and the birds graze on the grass in my backyard. At least 7 birds are on the grass including a pair of grackles (they have black bodies and an iridescent blue head), some blackbirds and a number of unidentified brown birds. Such a relaxing scene until a neighbor’s lawnmower startles them and they all fly up to the lower branches of the huge oak tree. Okay, enough nature for now. Back to FAR.

I moved FAR to August so I can study the right way and try to balance it with some summer fun. I noticed that Prometric now provides you with a change history in the e-mail receipt they send you. Yikes! We can now see how many times we moved the exam (a.k.a. how many times we procrastinated)!

So, how can we stay focused on studying when we would rather be outdoors doing something more fun? Try these tips this summer:

Have your materials ready for studying. The thought of putting forth any extra effort will cause you to abandon studying altogether for something more fun

Use a timer. I use this technique when working from home. Study for 2 hours and then do something outside for another 2 hours, then back indoors to study for an hour, and so on. Just remember, if you extend the fun time, you also have to extend the study time. That should make you think twice about ignoring the timer when it’s time to come back inside

Break up your studying by type instead of working on one module or chapter at a time. This lets you move some of the studying outdoors

Listen to tapes and CDs and watch DVDs at home in the evening
Take a handout or book outside to read on your front steps or the steps outside your local library or museum
Do questions while in a chair on the beach or your backyard poolside (the chances of dozing off and getting a nasty sunburn while doing questions are less than if you were reading your textbook)
Bring flashcards or notes to the park with you to read on a bench or while your kids are playing on the slide

Do less studying during daylight hours. This could mean scheduling most of your study time in the early morning before work or in the evening (this works on weekends, too). This way you can take a walk outside with your coworkers during your lunch break instead of being cooped up at your desk at work studying

Give yourself a break. If your significant other, roommate, kids, friends, siblings or neighbors are going to do something you would not get a chance to do again this summer, it is perfectly fine for you to join them for once. This only applies if you have been studying diligently all along. Don’t make a habit of it, that’s why it’s called a break.

What do you do to help yourself focus on your studies while everyone else is having summer fun?

It’s Been a Long Time

2011-06-10T19:20:00.000-04:00

It’s been a long time…
I shouldn’t have left you
Without a strong post to read through

Okay, okay. I’m not Eric B & Rakim but that song (“I Know you Got Soul”) immediately came to mind while I was typing the title of this post.

As you know, I took a break from this blog several months ago.

What you don’t know are the reasons why.

You might have considered that my absence was due to failing BEC and as a result losing FAR. That alone is not the reason I stopped writing. I still had credit for Regulation and Audit so I took some time off and then continued to take the exam. I ended up taking BEC again in August which I failed with a 69, and then again in October which I also failed but with a 74 (bangs head against brick wall).

At that time, a few non-CPA Exam-related things took place in my life. Work hours became crazy (and I mean more so than usual), then a series of bad events transpired which I will not get into here, followed by my sustaining an injury which made mobility difficult. I concentrated on work, the people in my life and my health.

Things seem to have settled down for now and to summarize where I am today CPA Exam-wise: I lost my FAR and AUD credits, I can’t pass BEC for anything (seriously I’ve taken it half a dozen times), but at least I retain my REG credit until this fall.

I still have a number of draft posts I wrote while/after taking my BEC exams but did not get a chance to post. I plan to post them to share my test-taking experiences with you.

I have also signed up to re-take FAR in July. So that means some studying this month which I will have to write about.

As for new meals, my injury prevented me from standing for long periods of time. However, I have been able to start cooking again and now have more time to rediscover my love of cooking. This summer I want to make some more creative and healthy meals which I hope you will like.

I Am Not a CPA

2010-06-22T00:04:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, I did not pass BEC. Not only does this mean that I have to re-take it, but it also means I am not a CPA (I would have been had I passed BEC) and even worse, I lost my FAR credit.

It has taken me a couple of days to write about this. I was really upset when I found out Thursday night. I didn't want to look at anything regarding the CPA exam – no blogs, no forums, no review books.

It hurts twice as much to learn you have to re-take two parts because you failed one. This is reminiscent of when a little girl riding her bicycle hits a raised chunk of sidewalk and goes flying off her bike, landing on the hard cement. But this time, not only does she scrape and bruise her knee and elbow so bad she can barely get up, but the doll she had in the bike basket is now sitting in the gutter. There is no saving the doll from the dirty water and anti-freeze mixture. So now this child has to limp home with a scratched up bicycle and no doll. The scars have faded, although I still see a trace of the one on my elbow.

It hurts but I have to move on and not dwell on this setback. I have to pick myself up after failing BEC and losing FAR. I signed up to re-take BEC at the end of August and I studied for an hour tonight. Slowly, I will get there. I just have to watch out for those raised sidewalks.

Which Will I have to Buy – a CPA Review Book or a Picture Frame for my CPA License?

2010-06-14T21:17:00.001-04:00

This is where I am now - waiting for my BEC grade.

This grade is a pivotal factor - if I pass BEC, I will have finally passed the CPA exam after taking it 10 years on and off (yes, it took that long!). If I fail BEC, I lose my FAR credit (noooo!) and will have to re-take both BEC and FAR. It took me multiple tries to pass FAR so it would be devastating to lose it. I can't imagine having to go through that again, especially at this point in my career.

My words of advice – try to pass the CPA Exam as soon as you get out of school. Become one of those "slackers" who sit in the office unassigned studying instead of asking to help on clients. I used to think they were goofing off - you're being paid to work, not to study. But that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Those of my colleagues who studied passed in a year or two (with some exceptions, of course), while I increased my billable hours. They may or may not be doing as well as me now, but at least they are done with the CPA Exam.

I haven't posted anything in a while because my energy has been zapped between work, studying, work, life, work and work. I like my job and am happy to have it, but the hours have been long the past few months. Instead of writing for my blog, I end up going to sleep early or napping during my commute (I am actually typing this draft into my phone while fighting sleep during my morning commute). Must get ideas out before eyes close.

A few really cool things have happened that I would like to tell you about:

- My blog was mentioned in CGA Magazine in a piece called Blogging by Numbers by Mindy Abramowitz! I am under the category “Accountants-to-be Who Blog” (although I am more of a CPA-to-be since I am an accountant) I am so honored! CGA Magazine is published by the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada. I want to say hi to all my Canadian readers!

- My blog is one year old :) Yay! It all started when I was looking for an outlet while unemployed and trying to pass the CPA Exam. Here are my first few posts.

- My garden is thriving. There were a few casualties though (peppers and eggplant plants) due to too much water collecting in one of the containers. I planted my vegetable plants in pots since the soil in my yard was too hard to dig. The lesson here: Make sure all your pots have drainage holes! I will write more about my garden in other posts.

- I passed REG! I was surprised because I had a really bad experience at the test center even before the test started. I had written a draft about it and will post it soon.

How are you doing? Let me know in the comments! Let me know if you are waiting for your grade in Wave 2 of this April-May testing window as well. Hopefully, we will all receive some good news this week!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for a Cold Day

2010-02-13T17:26:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, I thought I would make chicken soup for dinner. I know it’s not the traditional Super Bowl food, but it was cold where I live and the Mid-Atlantic states were still digging out from that huge snowstorm. I could go for some of this soup tonight!

Instead of watching the pre-game coverage, I was preparing a whole chicken to make chicken soup. I won’t go into details unless you ask, but I will say that cleaning the inside was gross.

For this recipe, I used a chicken just under 4 lbs to feed the 2 of us and have soup and chicken leftovers for dinner the next day. I also used baby carrots so I didn’t have to peel and cut carrots.

Niki’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for a Cold Day

Ingredients

- 1 approx 4 lb whole chicken
- Approx 1 gallon of water
- 4-5 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup baby carrots
- 1 medium onion, remove the skin (cut in half if you wish)
- Salt
- Pepper or peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- Egg noodles

Preparation

Clean your chicken by removing the fat at the neck and bottom openings of the chicken, just underneath its skin. Remove the insides (sometimes they are in a bag that you can just toss or use in another recipe). If it makes you feel better, wear vinyl gloves to do it. Run cool water into the chicken’s bottom opening and let it come out the neck opening. After a few passes, turn it the other way and run water through the neck to the bottom. Do this until the chicken looks clean inside.

Now place it in a pot. I used an 8 quart pot. Fill the pot with cool water up to about 2 to 2.5 inches from the top of the pot (you don’t want to go any higher because the water will flow out once it starts boiling. Bring to a boil and then lower to a medium simmer for 5-6 minutes. You may not agree with me, but I drain off the first boil to get rid of all that fat and gross stuff. My dad is a chef and recommends this method, so my mom and I have been using it and it makes good tasty soup.

Refill the pot with cool water and let it to boil again. Once it reaches a boil, turn down to a medium simmer for 30 minutes. During that time, occasionally skim off and discard the foam that floats at the top.

After 30 minutes, add the celery, carrots, onion, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Let it continue to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Occasionally skim the foam off and discard.

When done, remove the chicken and place in a casserole dish. Use a straining spoon to remove all the vegetables and whole spices. Strain the broth into another pot using a large strainer. I emptied half the broth into the other pot and the other half into a large Tupperware bowl for the next day. Leave the Tupperware out for a few minutes to cool off and then place it in the refrigerator partially covered – the heat needs to escape.

Bring the broth you are using to a boil. Once it starts boiling, add your egg noodles. I added half a 12 oz bag of egg noodles and followed the package directions. I also added some pieces of the chicken and vegetables.

There’s nothing like homemade chicken soup for a cold day! What’s your favorite cold day food or recipe?

A Cold Saturday Night

2010-02-06T23:22:00.000-05:00

On this cold Saturday night in February, I am coming back to my blog.

New York was spared from major snowfall today. We just received a light dusting where I live. But it is still frigid outside, so I figure I will take this opportunity to get back to my favorite but recently neglected hobby.

I had taken some time off from posting for personal reasons. It is so sad that the thing that brings me the most joy was the easiest to drop when I needed to find more time for other things important at the time. I feel like my creativity has suffered and I lost touch with the blogging community as I haven’t kept up with my favorite blogs. (I will try to catch up ASAP!)

I am taking REG at the end of the month and have been trying to study. Unfortunately, as I am sure some of you have found, this is not an easy time to study. Calendar year-end close, reporting deadlines, auditors, January month-end close… there were so many things going on at work. Hopefully, next week I can start leaving work at a normal hour so I can have enough time to study in the evening.

I am using my Wiley book and plan to start with Business Law tomorrow. I want to get through a decent amount of material and leave the multiple choice questions to answer during my commute to and from work.

Is anyone else sitting (or have you sat) for a CPA Exam part in Jan-Feb? Have you found it difficult to find the time to study?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T11:35:00.001-05:00

Today is Thanksgiving in the US, so I wanted to wish my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!

I am making butternut squash as a side dish and will post the recipe tonight or tomorrow. I snuck a taste and it’s pretty good so far!

On another note, someone anonymously posted a comment to my blog which I decided to reject. The commenter incorrectly assumed that the people who commented on my post did not put in the necessary hours to pass. Maybe I didn’t THIS TIME, but how does he/she know how many hours we all studied? Give me a break. This commenter was very negative and I want this blog to be a place where we are comfortable venting about our experiences with the CPA Exam and sharing recipes and cooking techniques.

Negative comments do not help people pass the Exam; all they do is discourage people. I don’t think comments such as this person’s add value to my blog and as such will not approve them.

So to my readers: I don’t care how many hours you study, what counts is the quality of your studying! If you want it, you can do it! We will pass!

Why Can’t I Pass BEC?

2009-11-15T11:26:00.004-05:00

Last night, it was windy and rainy here in NY, so we had a nice dinner at home. I made salmon steaks with rice pilaf. We paired the meal with a delicious Greek dry white wine – Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko-Athiri Santorini 2007.

After a very satisfying dinner and plenty of wine, I wasn't quite ready to jump back in to studying for REG. I checked my e-mails instead and was excited to see an e-mail from Another 71's site announcing that BEC grades were released! I sat for BEC in October and have been anxiously waiting for my grade. I know with BEC it can go either way (that is one deceptive test).

After entering the required info on the NASBA score page, I saw what I thought was a joke - a 68.

Wasn’t that my grade the last time I took it? I re-checked my NTS and I had entered the correct Section ID. Hmm... I checked my grades spreadsheet and saw I had scored a 67 the last time I took BEC. OK so this is definitely my score. Not just a failing grade, but only a 1 point increase.

Was I disappointed? Of course. I was hoping to print out a screen shot of a passing score to hang on my fridge door under the FAR and AUD score screen shots. Was I upset or crying (like the last time I failed a part)? Surprisingly, no. I was confused and wondered what sections I bombed. Nevertheless, the analysis will have to wait until the Candidate Performance Report arrives in the mail next week. What was my reaction then? I calmly logged onto Prometric's site and moved my REG exam from next Sunday to the end of January.

Want to know the reason why I didn't pass BEC?

I don't give myself enough time to study. I always start out strong and end up either procrastinating or something happens to me that moves studying to the back burner (working crazy hours, sustaining an injury). I want to do it right with REG; extra time but no procrastination. I will resume my studying today.

Interestingly enough, this clarity came after several glasses of wine, something that should impair this type of thinking.

Every time I fail, I wonder if this is for me. It’s perfectly logical to question yourself. If you keep trying and failing, you wonder if it's something you should stop pursuing.

I think like this for a few minutes and then I became angry. I am good at what I do. I may not be able to pass this stupid test but I'm not giving up. Why shouldn't I be a CPA? What makes someone who passed the exam any better than me at my job? Nothing! I don't care what anyone says. I will be a CPA in 2010!

Anyone else receive a failing CPA Exam score from this Oct-Nov score release? Feel free to vent in the comments. You are not alone! We can do it next time!

Smoothies

2009-10-06T23:37:00.001-04:00

Last week at the supermarket, we picked up a bag of frozen peaches to make the smoothie recipe on the back of the package. It was funny because my husband expected something more like a Wendy’s Frosty (like a dessert); while I anticipated a healthy blended fruit and yogurt drink (not as thick).

The smoothie was thick (I read online that the frozen fruit is what produces a thicker smoothie than fresh fruit) and tasted strange but healthy at first (so we were both technically right). But as I kept drinking it, I started to actually like it. It was made with the frozen peaches, yogurt, honey and a splash of orange juice.

I haven’t had that many smoothies, but now I find myself craving them. On Sunday, I became desperate and created one using yogurt, milk, honey and applesauce. It was interesting, but I don’t think I would want it any time soon.

Do you like smoothies? What ingredients are in your favorite?

Hang in There!

2009-10-01T00:07:00.003-04:00

I just got home from work and I know a few of you (maybe more than a few?) are also working late and will continue to work late this week due to a quarter close. Some of you (like me) are at the same time studying for the CPA Exam. Hang in there!

I am currently studying for BEC. This will be the 2nd time I am taking it. I was able to do Business Structure questions on my commute to and from work on Monday and Tuesday, but today I napped on the way in and couldn't study on the way home. Tomorrow morning, I plan to start doing IT questions. I already know I will be working late tomorrow night, so I doubt I will have time to study. I tried to plan my studying in advance, so I am not disappointed – any studying that I can squeeze in will be great.

I have found the following to be good ways to study during work (I should say work breaks):

- Bring your book and lunch to work so you can easily study and eat lunch at your desk or work cafeteria, outdoors bench, etc.

- Bring note cards or notes written on regular paper (a legal pad is even better) that you can leave on your desk to glance at and it will look like you are working (sneaky but effective)

- E-mail yourself notes in Word that you can open on your computer, read, and think about (good for memorizing definitions)

- Try to structure what you are studying with what you are doing at work. For example, if you have to create a capital lease schedule, read that chapter in your FAR book and use a GAAP guide for more details. I have found this effective since you learn by doing.

The most important thing is to only show your book when it is clear you are on a break (lunch or otherwise). You don’t want people to think you are studying when you should be working. Your superiors want you to pass, but won’t be thrilled if you study on company time.

I also wanted to let you know that I have written a handful of posts but haven’t had time to post them. It’s amazing how I can write these things fairly easily, but I can’t get to my computer. I have posts written in my phone (in Word mobile), on scraps of paper in my purse, and in a journal notebook. I have to get them posted! I also have a delicious soup recipe that I made last week.

How are you dealing with a crazy work/school and study schedule? Feel free to vent!

Love Bites and Bars

2009-09-21T23:05:00.005-04:00

I had a Love Bite with my lunch today.

No, it’s not what you think. A Love Bite is this tiny snack bar (half of a Love Bar) Pret sells that in their words is “packed with dark chocolate, coconut, almonds, walnuts, chopped dates and raisins.” From what I see, the bottom consists of a crumbly soft graham cracker base with a condensed milk layer over it. On top are nuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, raisins and the other goodies.

Even though the list of ingredients sounds like way too much sweetness for one snack, you can’t help but be drawn in by the clever name. I remember it tasted a little too rich the first time I had one, but now I look forward to having one after lunch as a mid-afternoon snack. I have thought about trying to replicate the recipe, but it looks like too much trouble for a snack.

Please excuse the pic; I took it with my cell phone (after I took a bite out of it!).

What is one of the most cleverly-named snacks you've tried?

I’m Back!

2009-09-19T23:02:00.004-04:00

I want to apologize to my readers because I haven’t posted in a while.

For a little more than a month, I put in long hours at work due to a special project, severely limiting the amount of free time I had. I dedicated any extra time to studying for REG, but it was really difficult. Those hours weren't quality study hours since they were first thing in the morning while I was half asleep or late at night when I should be sleeping.

Two weeks before the CPA Exam, I was so frustrated that I began to debate whether I should even bother taking REG and wrote:

As I am sitting on an evening train home from work on Friday night, I am having a difficult time focusing on REG. I am so frustrated that I’m using the loose leaf scratch paper I was solving REG questions on to write this post to vent.

I never got a chance to post it, but it was good to let the frustration out through writing. I decided to commit to studying so I could pass REG. I started doing more questions and made a lot of progress.

I was on a roll, so of course something had to happen to derail my efforts. I sustained an eye injury at the worst possible time for studying but the best for work. It prevented me from making that final push to study at the end and from sitting for the Exam. The timing was fine at work because I was helping lead training sessions so I had a nice break from the computer.

I am fine now and since that project at work has wound down (at least for the time being), my work hours are more normal. Hopefully, my brain will resume thinking creatively so I can write more often.