Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Bran on a Log

So, you remember when you were a kid and your mom or your preschool teacher or someone along those lines introduced you to Ants on a Log? And it was the most delicious thing you've ever tasted even though you hate raisins and peanut butter and celery. But for some reason, combined, you were ok with it? Well, I remember those days. Marvelous days. And I thought I would recreate those delicious memories tonight. I had celery and I had peanut butter, but it just isn't the same without raisins. But, of course, because I don't like plain raisins, I didn't have plain raisins. This is where the creativity begins.
I had Raisin Bran.
So I used that instead. Here's the recipe:
1) Break off celery from the main stalk and wash it.
2) With a nice clean knife (a basic butter knife will w
ork), slice your celery into long-ish sticks (you can skip 1 and 2 if you buy pre-cut celery sticks, but make sure to wash them anyway). You can do this on a plate, or a piece of paper towel on your counter or desk, whichever is more convenient for you.
3) Take peanut butter (preferably creamy) and spread using your knife in the groove of each celery stick.
4) Take about a tablespoon of Raisin Bran and sprinkle it across each celery stick over the peanut butter (I tried to make sure to have at least one raisin in each one).
5) Eat, enjoy, and rinse the dishes. Because peanut butter is sticky and hardens when you leave it on dishes for too long.

This ended up tasting delicious. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TRY THIS. The cereal adds a bit of crunch to the top of each bite and just enough sweetness that the celery doesn't overpower every other flavor. Plus, it's a great way to get all the nutrition of celery (Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potasium, and Magnese, just to name a few) as well as nutrition in the peanut butter (protein, niacin, Vitamin E, Magnese, Calcium, Iron, and even more Dietary Fiber). I can't recommend it for every day consumption (peanut butter is also very high in fat, and while it is generally good fat, it is not a diet food in any way).

Triple Something Hot Water

I woke up this morning with the thought I need something warm to drink. Perhaps it was the first night that I actually felt cold with the windows open and no blankets (I knew I would be too lazy to make my bed this morning) and I wanted something to warm me up. Or perhaps it's because in celebration of the fact that choir auditions were over (or so I thought) and I missed being able to drink milk. Or perhaps it was because hot chocolate has always been a de-stresser for me and I kind of needed that to get me through my long Wednesday (I have 6 classes on Wednesdays...yay double majoring). Whatever the reason really was, I decided I wanted hot chocolate. Actually, to be more specific, I wanted a white chocolate steamer to go with my Honey Smacks. So, I took my giant University of Portland mug and filled it about 3/4 the way full with water, and heated that in the microwave for about a minute and a half, so it was steaming. Meanwhile, I ate all of my bowl of Honey Smacks.
Then, I added my leftover milk to the water, and stirred.
Next, I took the white hot chocolate mix my mother gave me for Easter. The container was a glass Eiffel Tower, filled with what I swear my mother told me was white chocolate, though it was unlabled when she gave it to me. I used one spoonful an it didn't quite taste right. So I added another. And another. And then one last one just to be safe. After stirring, it still didn't taste right, so I decided it must have been powdered vanilla or something.
So, I decided to add some flavor. My roommate happened to have some chocolate, so I took what was there (3 chunks of Hershey's milk chocolate with almonds) and added it to my drink, allowing the chocolate to melt in the heat and stirring until it was uniform. This still didn't taste ok.
So, I decided to add Nutella. I happen to have a Costco pack of Nutella because Nutella is my favorite thing in the whole wide world. So, I added one spoonful of Nutella. Still not good so I added one last, declaring that if it didn't taste good, I was done trying. It still didn't taste good and I only had 10 minutes to get to class, so I gave up and dumped it down the sink.
So, long story short, DON'T DO WHAT I DID!

Adjusting to Dorm Food

Hello. My name is Kat. I'm a freshman at University of Portland, originally from the Tacoma area in Washington state. I'm currently declared as an elementary education major, but I hope to add a second major in French and a minor in music. We'll see how that goes.
Right now I'm still new to this whole college/dorm/on-my-own-thing. But, I've noticed already a strange trend when it comes to food. It doesn't have to be good, it just needs to be unique. So that's what my blog is about. Everything I make with what I have on hand in my dorm room. I try to sneak nutrition in any way I can, but it isn't necessarily always guaranteed. If that's what you're looking for, this probably isn't the place. Mostly, these are just funny tales and awful recipes, pretty much all of which I won't recommend you try. I'll be sure to let you know which ones work and which ones to stay away from.
That's pretty much it. Let the eating begin!