An Update

It has been way too long since I posted last. I apologize. There's really no good excuse. I just got busy and sidetracked and just never seemed to have both the time and the heart to blog. I also didn't have much to blog about. I haven't really had too many cooking experiences. I had to spend a lot of food points at the cafeteria and I didn't really feel up to doing much cooking (or eating) either. Anyway, here's what you've missed in my life since I last posted (I'll be posting recipes and food-related content soon, I promise):

• I turned 18!
• I went home multiple times.
• My parents bought a condo on the Oregon coast (so I'll be visiting the coast quite a bit in the future).
• I survived finals.
• I made the dean's list (my biggest and hardest to reach goal for this semester).
• I went home for the summer.
• I had surgery! (I had my gallbladder removed. It was pretty damaged, apparently, but had absolutely no stones, so that's good. And it doesn't look as though I damaged my liver, which was a concern since I'd been sick for so long by the time I was able to have the surgery. They also discovered that I've had multiple appendicitis attacks in the past...how did I not know that?! They didn't do anything about it, though, and apparently it does not mean that I'll have any other attacks in the future, but now I know what an appendicitis attack feels like...which, for me, is almost nothing. It's been two weeks since my surgery I've been feeling pretty ok, getting better everyday.)

That's pretty much all that you need to know about the past couple months. I promise to start posting recipes right away.


Dorm Food

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Coconut Macaroons at Home

A lot of people from school were excited to get home to a kitchen. But me? I live in a dorm full of kitchens (8, to be exact). I have an oven at school. So, what I was really excited for was the plethera of ingredients that I don't have to pay for, as well as an electric mixer. And what is a girl to do with such items? Why, make her favorite fancy cookie, of course: home made macaroons.
These are not cookies that can be easily done in any dorm room. But, they are delicious and super fun to make, so I hope you will accept this recipe anyway. This recipe is adapted the Joy of Cooking cook book (a book that is so worn, it no longer has a cover, or a spine, and is split in half because the glue is coming undone).
Ingredients:
2 egg whites
6 cups of moist shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of almond extract
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2/3 cup of sweetened condensed milk
First, separate the whites from the yokes of two eggs. This is tons of fun for anyone who hasn't done it before. There are two ways to doing it, but personally I prefer to use the shells to separate the whites. simply pass the yoke back and forth between the two halves of the shell after you crack the egg, trying to get it to the point that all of the egg whites are below you in a bowl, and the egg yokes are in the shell. This way works if you have mastered the art of cracking eggs. If you haven't, you can use your fingers and simply pass the yoke back and forth between your hands so that your hand has the yoke and the bowl has all of the whites. This way is a lot more difficult to do. Help With Cooking has wonderful directions on how to separate egg whites and yokes.

Next, stiffly beat the whites. This should be done using a mixer on a low-medium speed (I had mine at about level 2 out of 5) for several minutes until your liquidy egg whites have become super fluffy.

Beat for about 5 minutes or so and your egg whites will look like...

this!

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut, almond, vanilla, and salt.

Then, add the sweetened condensed milk, to make a thick paste.

Next, fold egg whites into the batter.

Now, roll the paste into balls onto a well-greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in an oven heated at 350 degrees, until edges are lightly browned.

When they come out of the oven, you have several options. You can leave them just as they are, or place chocolate kisses and marishino cherries on top.

The end result was quite tasty. Be warned, you will need to wash your hands constantly while you handle the eggs. Also, you will be probably tempted like I was to eat much of the dough. It's so delicious throughout the baking process. But your hands will become quite sticky if you keep doing that, so make sure to have lots and lots of soap in your kitchen while you make these cookies.

I highly recommend you make these if you are willing to take the chance. And if you like coconut. And if you're not currently staying in your dorm.

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Thursday of Thankfulness: Number 3

Sorry I haven't posted all week. I am sick with a horrible cold (on top of my stupid stomach that refuses to play nicely). Anyone who's had a cold (which is everyone) understands, I'm sure, why I haven't been blogging. I'm super tired, my muscles hurt, and I can't even taste any of the food I've been eating. Still, despite this, I have something to be thankful for...
I am thankful for the internet. I know, I know. I grew up on the internet. I rely on it too much. But I also know (and oh boy do I ever know) that when there i no internet, I end up in awful places. See, last Thursday, my phone charger broke. And I didn't have a spare here at school. But my battery had died, which was why it was on the charger when I learned that the charger had broken. So, I was left phoneless for a couple days.
This put me in an awful position. How do I call home and explain that they cannot call my cell if they need to talk to me? This is where Google and all of its amazingness comes in handy. It turns out, my google account has the ability to make US phone calls for free (not that I've ever used this for prank calls or anything...). So, thanks to the internet, I was able to do just about everything my phone could do. Except text while I was in downtown Portland. Or give me the time while I was on my way to class. But everything else my phone could do, the internet could do as well.
I'm so thankful for the technology that I have been so blessed to grow up around. This technology has helped aided me in schoolwork, social interaction, and mindless entertainment. It also provides me with this blog, which is oh so much fun to create. I have no idea what I would do without the internet. Honestly. So, that is what I am thankful for: the internet.

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Thursday of Thankfulness: Number 1

Since it’s November and November is the month of thankfulness, I have decided to share what I’m most thankful for, every Thursday of November. The first thing I am thankful for: my school.

My original reasons to attend the University of Portland were selfish. I started out looking only at schools on the East Coast because, simply put, I wanted to escape. I felt trapped in my hometown: trapped by the fog, trapped by its smallness, trapped by its set-in-stone values. I wanted to get away from my family, my friends, and everything previous in my life. I wanted to start over.

As my junior year of high school came to a close, my world was shaken in a way I couldn’t understand. I was suddenly forced to come to terms with the fact that life doesn’t last forever. As I came to terms with this fact, I was supported by my wonderful friends and family, the same people I had previously decided to cast aside. This made me appreciate them more and helped me to realize that I needed to be closer to them. So, I began looking for schools that were close enough to my home that I could go home if I ever needed to without being burdened by the expense of airfare, while still being far enough away that I would discover that new environment I so desperately desired. This is how I found the University of Portland. It took one look at the website to make it my second choice school (my first choice was Oberlin College in Ohio, though it was a reach). Then, when I came for a visit, I realized that not only was it the school for me, but it was home. The University of Portland provides the sense of community support that I needed. I felt honored to have been chosen to join this close community, though being accepted to the school was a long and extraordinarily stressful process. The campus was pretty but completely different from my hometown: there were crosses scattered about the campus, everyone owned bicycles, and the trees all had leaves! I quickly found myself exploring the campus with confidence and I still have that feeling today.

My second reason for choosing the University of Portland is less selfish. The University of Portland will help me serve my community. The University of Portland (students and staff) volunteers more hours each year than any other college of a similar size. There are so many opportunities to volunteer that it seems almost strange not to. I haven’t volunteered as much as I originally intended to because I simply have too many time commitments. Still, I have been serving the community as much as possible. Through the School of Education, I have been visiting a classroom for a minimum of three hours every week (as a requirement for my major in Elementary Education). To do this as a freshman is simply astonishing. I not only observe the teacher as he teaches, but I actually get to work with the students. I get help them when they need it by answering questions, providing feedback, and guiding them in their studies. I do not teach them, I help them, but simply to be able to do this is so incredible and I appreciate it immensely.

So, I am thankful for my school. I am thankful for the fact that it feels like home. I am thankful for the sense of community. I am thankful for the friends that I have made. I am thankful for the lessons I have learned in and out of the classroom. I am thankful for the opportunities the University of Portland has offered me. I am thankful that I was accepted into this school so I could learn the scholastic lessons taught to me in class and the life lessons taught to me through the school’s emphasis on community and service. I am thankful for the chance to be and proud that I am indeed a Pilot.

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Sometimes I Wanna Be Like Martha Stuart Without the Jail Time

My family (or at least the extended part of my mother's side) gets together about once a month to celebrate birthdays and catch up on everything from political gossip to our actual lives. This month happens to be the month of both my mom and grandma's birthdays, so on Saturday we celebrated that by getting together at my house. Which meant several things. It meant I could see my grandparents and aunts and other assorted family-friends-almost-relatives. It also meant that our house needed to be prepared for everyone to visit. This is where the girl who has nothing better to do (aka me) comes in.

Though cleaning and shopping for food are quite boring, I did create two wonderful things. The first: this bouquet of flowers:

This started with a couple sunflowers from the store, but turned into oh so much more. I added more sunflowers from the garden (which I planted back in June and was quite excited to see still in bloom when I returned from break), as well as geraniums (I think?), a branch of Japanese maple leaves (which were becoming, but still had a hint of green left in them), some hydrangea leaves (which were closer to an orangy red with a green undertone), and several pieces of red barberry bush (I think?) around the outside. I'm quite proud of this floral arrangement, especially since it is mostly composed of flowers I cared for.

The other thing I'm quite proud of is the cake. I used a Betty Crocker brand French Vanilla cake mix and Pillsbury Whipped Vanilla frosting, but I'm mostly proud of the design. I learned over the summer how to do lattice work on a cake as well as cool borders (though I couldn't do a very cool border because the tube I was using to pipe the frosting was not cooperating). This simply takes the proper tools and a steady hand, which I've been working on. I also learned a couple weeks ago how to decorate the sides of a cake (which has been bothering me for years because it looks so cool but I never could figure out how to do it properly). Apparently, all you do is wash your hands very well and dry them completely; then take about 2/3 of a handful of sprinkles, chopped nuts, or whatever and gently pat it against the sides of the cake. It's important to have some waxed paper beneath the cake to catch whatever falls off the cake. Using a cake pedestal helps as well. I found quite a few videos on youtube on how to do this actually rather simple technique. After the wonderful candles supplied by my aunt, this is what the cake looked like:

When I was finished with both of these (and in a clean-ish house), I felt Martha Stuart-esque, which is quite an awesome feeling. She and Bree Hodge are my power women with all her clever creations (though I do not condone either one's poor personal judgement...hem hem...prison...hem hem...alcoholism...hem hem).

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Going Home for the First Time

So, it's been about a week since I posted. My bad. My food adventures haven't actually been adventurous or dorm-related. Why? Well, because I've come home for fall break. So, instead, I'm going to tell you what it's like to be home.

I wish someone had told me before now what it was like to come home from college. I wish someone had told me I would feel like a space martian, wandering into some strange home and sleeping in a strange room.

Mom changed her amazing chili recipe so that her old daughter (Elle) and new daughter (my best friend who's now living in my room for the next year) would eat it; it's still good, but it's not the chili I have been craving for the past month (though at least there was some meat in it, unlike the vegan chili at school).

My cat no longer recognizes me; he cuddled with me once, after exhausting all of his other options, but beyond that I haven't seen him...not even when I feed the cats.

Our house has become disgusting (only the basement with our bedrooms, bathroom, laundry room, and game room). I kind of knew that if you left Elle without the guidance of her older sister, she would destroy everything and that my family (and my best friend) would discover why Elle and I get into fights so often (she's a disgusting, piggy brat). Literally, I cannot shower in my bathroom because the white bathtub has become black. Perhaps this proves that I was the only one to ever clean up around here. Perhaps Elle now appreciates all the things I did that she didn't even notice me doing. Perhaps that was a possible outcome, but no. Of course not. Instead, I'm pretty sure she became jealous. Or something. I'm really not sure what's going on with her, but it's definitely not all lovey dovey over here...she's been getting upset with me over the stupidest of things.

I spent the night at my boyfriend's house and my mom could care less. Ok, so we kind of expected this to happen anyway, my mom is one of those "do whatever you want, I'll support you" kind of parents. And, to be fair, I slept on the fold out couch upstairs while he slept in his room downstairs. And mostly what we did was watch Star Trek and play Nintendo. And my mom probably knew that's all we would do, knowing my boyfriend and me. But still. The fact that I've been allowed to make my own decisions for the past 2 months means that I'm allowed to make my own decisions now, which is pretty darn cool.

My parents are willing to pull out all the stops for me. My dad stayed home from work yesterday because apparently he's missed me (I'd miss me too if suddenly my only daughter at home was a total slob). And he's going to buy me a printer. My mom bought me baking supplies (so excited) and clothes and groceries and all sorts of goodies that I otherwise would have had to buy myself. I've gone out to lunch and dinner more often than having home cooked meals (though I actually really, really, really miss delicious home cooked meals). Oh, and, my mom is willing to come pick me up from a concert in Seattle (Death Cab for Cutie, which I have been wanting to go see since 6th grade but every time they tour, something happens so that I can't go) and drive me and Jonathon all the way home. Concerts, by the way, typically end rather late at night, so this is a huge favor to ask. And I didn't even ask it, she just offered.

Oh, and lastly, I have no required chores. I'm getting thanked for feeding the cats, taking out the garbage, and helping with dinner. It's kind of strange getting thanked for the stuff I've been doing for what seems like years that I've been on my own.

Unfortunately, now that everything's so different at my house, I'm still kind of homesick. Perhaps now I'm dormsick. Perhaps I will consider traveling during my month long winter break? Except for one thing...I don't really have money to spend on that.

I also have no idea where I should be studying. My study spots have all changed, been replaced with other people's stuff. And of course, I have a midterm left on the Wednesday after Fall Break (one that was not on my teacher's syllabus, one that we voted against having, and one that we are receiving anyway...merci Madame). And I've got a speech to give next Thursday. As well as massive amounts of French homework due on Monday, philosophy homework due on Monday, and math homework pushed back to be due on Wednesday. Hurray! Oh, but good news: midterm grades are starting to be posted and I have an A- in my history class (after a 100 point paper and a 100 point exam). I'm super psyched.

I write this simply because I feel some people need a warning. This is what coming home for the first time after college feels like. Or at least it does for me. Home is boring, home is different, and I just want to go home...er...back to college. I guess this is what happens when you choose to attend a college that feels more like home than home itself.

Dorm Food

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