Candy Graduation Caps

My sister graduated from high school the other day! But this recipe can be used for any type of graduation. High school, college, preschool, what have you. Our high school colors were blue and silver (they were navy blue and cyan when I was a freshman, though, so I like to say that our colors are blue and blue), but this can be done with any school color. In a few years, I see myself making this with purple (the color for University of Portland).

Making these candies is a lot simpler than it looks. It does, however, require two shopping trips: one trip to any craft supplies store, and one to your regular grocery store.

Ingredients:

12 chilled but not frozen Reese's Cups

12 chocolate squares

12 M&M's of your school's color

1 colored licorice rope of your school's color

12 candy sticks (the kind used for lollipops)

Candy Melts (chocolate is probably the best idea. I used Vanilla, but mistakes show very easily with this one).

Recipe:

First, cut the colored licorice into about two inch sections. Then, either pull the licorice apart or cut it apart so that you have a thin two inch rope, which will look like a tassel.

Next, melt the candy melts. Follow the instructions on the package, but generally this is done by melting in the microwave, on defrost or half power. You won't need the whole package. Just a handful should do. If the candy melts harden while you're working, just microwave it again. That's the best part. You can always go back and reuse. It's not really that time sensitive.

While you melt the candy melts, unwrap your chocolates and Reese's cups.

Once you've done that, take one candy stick and dip the end into the melted candy melts. Take this end and insert it into an upside down Reese's cup.

After the candy melt has hardened so that the sticks are firm in the cups, coat the top of your Reese's cup with melted candy melts and place a chocolate square on top. Let this harden, too, so that it looks like a graduation cap and is firm in its shape.

Next, stick the "tassel" (licorice rope) on the top using melted candy melts as glue. I used the tip of a sharp knife as my paint brush. Be sure to make the line as thin as possible (or even better, paint half of the licorice rope and then place it firmly on the top of the cap.

Then, paint the "M" half of the M&M with melted candy melts. Place this in the center of the top of your cap.

And now you're done. You have candy graduation caps that, once the candy melts have hardened, will stay together and be enjoyed by all your graduation party guests. Do be sure to clean up your mess as quickly as possible. If your candy melts have hardened in your mug, melt them again before you clean, which will make it significantly easier to clean.

These candies were a hit at my sister's graduation party. They'll be a hit at yours too. They're a lot more personal than candies you might find at the grocery store, but a lot easier than other graduation-themed treats that you might make for your party. I found a similar candy on Pinterest but it didn't come with a recipe. So, I used ideas from this How To. There are several different ways to make this candy, but this is, by far, the easiest. And it can be done in a dorm kitchen. All you need is a mug and a microwave, as well as all the ingredients.

Happy graduation to all the graduates out there!

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Scat on a Log

I don't remember who in my family decided to name this snack. It was probably my sister. Anyway, Scat on a Log doesn't actually taste like scat. Or logs. But it does kind of look like scat on a snowy log, I guess. Based on Ants on a Log (or Bran on a Log like I made back in August), Scat on a Log is simple to make.

You will need:

Celery

Cream Cheese

Sliced Black Olives

First, wash your celery. You may want to rinse the black olives, too, since canned olives tend to have unnecessary salt added to them.

Then, cut the celery into lengths about the length of your index finger.

Next, spread cream cheese along the pieces of celery. Place slices of olives firmly in the cream cheese, along the length of each piece of celery.

Finally, eat, enjoy, and clean up the mess. The cream cheese will start to smell if you leave your dishes unwashed for too long.

This tasted pretty good. The cream cheese is rich, the olives are salty, and the celery is healthy. What's not to love with this snack?

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White Chocolate Pretzels and Raspberries

Do you ever feel like eating a snack, but you just can't decide what snack to eat? Do I want something salty? Something sugary? Something tart? The other day I wanted all three of these, so I created a new snack. Yes, I know it's not a real recipe, but it was a unique combination of foods that any dorm-bound student can keep in their room (especially if they have a fridge).
The idea is simple: place a raspberry on top of a white chocolate covered pretzel.
Eat it,
Enjoy it,
And that's it. There's virtually no mess to these snacks. But man, oh man, are they delicious. And they look pretty fancy as well.

Here's some pictures I took while I was creating this delicious (and beautiful) snack:

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I Should Be Studying

Sorry I haven't posted all week. Midterms. 'Nuff said.

Seriously, Monday night I was already upset. It's been nothing but midterms, papers, more midterms, and, of course, drama. I am so ready for a break. And luckily, I'm getting one next week.

So, now, a week in food:

Saturday: Saturday doesn't count because I didn't really have anything interesting. Or at least, not that I can remember. I spent much of Saturday writing papers, doing laundry, and studying for my history midterm.

Sunday: Jonathon (my boyfriend), Scotty (my best guy friend), and Elle (my sister) came to visit on Sunday. Elle brought me cookies (of which I've eaten probably about 20...most of which occurred on Monday). I showed them around campus and downtown Portland, which was oh so much fun. For lunch we went to China Town and ate in my favorite restaurant ever (because they serve hot pot, which is this really obscure dish from the Chinese countryside, that basically includes anything and everything in one giant pot and the entire point of it is to keep you warm during the winter...though on a drizzly day in October it's quite delicious as well). Then, after visiting Saturday market, Powell's books, and Jackpot Records, we enjoyed dinner at Henry Weinhard's (so basically, amazing root beer, and a decent burger). Then, when they all left, I stayed up until 3 AM finishing my history paper (which had already been started beforehand).

Monday: Monday was an awful day. Let's just leave it at that. I also ate 10 cookies. And a grilled cheese sandwich. And one string cheese stick.

Tuesday: A somewhat better day. I had a delicious sandwich at the Commons which I plan to inform you all about sometime after this mess ends...so possibly two Tuesdays from now. We'll see. For dinner I had: a pork-based cheeseburger with chili on top (which I didn't finish because it was nasty), seasoned French fries dipped in my bowl of chili, a German chocolate brownie (which was rock hard, again, so I mostly just ate the frosting). I also bought, at the same time, a package of trail mix-type stuff and a Naked smoothie. I seriously looked kind of funny with an overflowing tray of assorted food.

Wednesday: 6 classes in one day (4 in a row this time because workshop added an hour to the beginning). 2 tests in a row, as well as several study sessions. I tried cream of kale soup for lunch, it was ok. And I tried a pizza bagel, which apparently needs to be heated first because it doesn't taste good cold...but I bought it with 5 minutes to get to class so...yeah. Oh, and chocolate pudding for dessert. Goodness I am in love with their chocolate pudding.

And now, today is Thursday: massive midterm day! Who knows what I'll be eating today (perhaps the homemade chicken noodle soup with a salad?) but I have been looking at great recipes to try once I get back from break (and a few cookie that I'll be trying for Christmas this year). Now I'm kind of excited to get back from fall break (and it hasn't even started!)

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Vegan Banana Bread

Last week I bought a pound of bananas that became bruised on my bike ride home (perhaps because I put several cans and a half gallon of milk on top of them in my bag...). I ate 2 of the bananas over the week, but eventually they were too ripe to eat (the fact that they were already bruised allowed them to ripen much faster). So, the area around my bed (under which I keep all of my food) smelled of bananas these past couple days. But we couldn't eat them. So it came down to two things: either we could waste the bananas and throw them in the trash like so many unfortunate vegetables from our fridge, or we could make banana bread. I think we made the proper choice.

Anna being vegan, we decided to make vegan banana bread from scratch. This actually meant that we used fewer ingredients, which is always a plus in dorm cooking. And it actually tasted much better than normal banana bread. So, I will share the recipe with you.

Since there are so many ingredients, I will share with you ahead of time what they were.

4 very ripened bananas

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups of flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup of walnuts

Cooking spray

2 bread pans

1 fork

1 spoon

1 knife

First, in a large bowl (or sauce pan, in our case, since we didn't have a mixing bowl), mash the 4 bananas. We did this using a fork, which worked pretty well. They should be mashed to the point that it looks creamy. Then, mix in the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Next, add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Stir this well. This can be done with any spoon you happen to have.

Then, chop the walnuts into coarse pieces (into 1/2s and 1/3s). This can be done with a standard knife. Mix the nuts into the bowl. (If you are allergic to nuts or simply don't like them, you can of course skip this step.)

Now, pour the well blended batter into 2 greased bread pans. (As bread pans turn out to be quite expensive, we bought the disposable metal kind from the baking section for only a couple dollars, which worked just fine as a pan). If you are using walnuts, you can add some whole onto the top, to make a pretty design. However, they tend to crisp easily in the oven, so I do not recommend this.

Finally cook at 350 degrees (make sure to preheat the oven before you put the bread in) for anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour. We're not quite sure how much time it needs because we had ours in for an hour and the edges started to get quite crispy after 50 minutes, so we assume 45 minutes is probably a good time. Just keep checking on it every now and then.

Remove from the oven, and let cool. Then, you'll be ready to eat, enjoy, and clean up the wonderful mess (I recommend doing this as you wait for the bread to cook or as you wait for it to cool, as you'll have quite a bit of time to kill).

This recipe turned out really well. The inner part of the bread was super chewy and delightful. And the outer part of the bread was strong enough to keep intact. As it's not made with butter like the standard recipe, it does not taste buttery. Instead, you really get the natural flavors of the banana. It is a tad sweet, but it's banana bread, it's supposed to be sweet.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RECIPE. It was honestly so good. And as it was baking, people from all over the dorm kept coming by to tell us how good it smelled (you could smell it everywhere on our floor...we became quite the popular girls). If you want to, you could double the recipe and make enough to share with the rest of the floor, which would make you super popular. But, we didn't have enough bananas (or foresight) to do that ourselves.

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You Gotta Love Broccoli

I am truly sorry for those of you in this world who do not enjoy the marvelous flavor of broccoli. You are truly missing out with your cliche distaste. If you don't like broccoli, you probably won't like this recipe. But maybe you will, the flavor isn't terribly strong, anyway.

This recipe is actually a spinoff of my grandmother's recipe, which calls for olives and peppers. However, I don't have olives or peppers, so I decided to subsitute with broccoli instead. It would probably work with spinach, too, and maybe even baby corn or celery (I have all of these in my fridge, but have yet to try with this).

To make this, first, spread a thin layer of cream cheese over a flour tortilla. I'm not sure if it is acceptable to use whipped cream cheese, but I would assume this would work.

Next, wash your broccoli. You won't need very much for this, actually. Maybe a piece or two (about 1/2 a serving size, I would assume). Pretty much, just rip the dark green ends off and scatter around the cream cheese side of the tortilla.

Then, roll the tortilla up without folding in the ends. Slice it as you please.

Finally, eat, enjoy, and clean up the mess. Especially the cream cheese (it should be in the fridge, of course, and the knife used for it should be cleaned quickly as the cream cheese will get a bit crusty if left on).

I decided to try this today because, well, I ate a little bit too large of a snack after math class. As in 3 servings of yogurt covered pretzels and a banana. I'm becoming a tad bit too obsessed with these yogurt covered pretzels lately, but who knows, maybe I'll teach myself to make them and it'll be a whole new blog post on its own.

Anyway, this recipe was pretty tasty. The cream cheese and broccoli both provide calcium, as well as a plethora of other vitamins. Plus, the tortilla makes a great alternative to using a bagel with your cream cheese, since bagels tend to equal carbohydrate overrode...especially on a day like today where I've probably already eaten enough...though maybe a few more yogurt covered pretzels...no, no more yogurt covered pretzels today. Goodness they are a tempting snack. But I know to beware: just because they have yogurt in the name, doesn't mean they're healthy. These things are loaded with sugar, fat, salt, and every other thing under the "Use sparingly" category. But I love them...so I will eat them anyway...just sparingly.

Anyway, back to the recipe again. This is quite delicious. Great for a light lunch (paired with yogurt covered pretzels) or a mid-afternoon snack. And rather healthy for you, as well. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU TRY THIS RECIPE (and eat yogurt covered pretzels).

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Yellow Fruit Salad

I went to the grocery store last week and bought a ton of fruits and veggies. Which is great. Except for one thing: I didn't eat them all. It's also been in the 90's all week and my fruit was left out of the fridge because I ran out of room. Thus, some of it started to rot. So, I decided to take what was salvagable and turn it into a fruit salad. Originally it was going to have kiwis and pluots as well, but that bag was completely rotted and starting to smell. Thus, what was left was a yellow fruit salad, which is pretty cool sounding.

1. Remove the skin and all the rotting parts of a pear. If you don't have a pearing knife, it's ok. I used a regular knife and was fairly successful. It might be better do do this on a softer pear (this was one of the hard pears the school provided us in our lunches last week...but it eventually became quite soft). It should look like this when you're done:

2. Slice the pear vertically into reasonable pear pieces. Avoid the core. It doesn't really matter what shape the pieces turn out to be because after this, you must cube the pear into half-bite-sized pieces. Put these pieces into an individual sized bowl.

3. Peal one banana (I used two because both of mine were going quite bad and only 1/2 of each were salvageable). Then, slice the salvageable pieces of the banana into cute little round slices. Avoid the stuff that sticks on a banana after the peel is removed (those darn stringy things make me so mad when I'm eating a banana). Add these pieces to the bowl.

4. Add pineapple cubes (I have so much of this...mmmm). Avoid the juice as much as possible because the pear and banana pieces are already soft and will become squishy and unpalatable if they're surrounded by too much juice. Use how ever much you want, but note that the acidic flavor will transfer quite a bit to the other pieces of fruit. Now it should look like this:

(I have no idea why this is turned like that...it shouldn't be...sorry guys).

5. Eat, Enjoy, and Clean up. Remember, the pineapple is acidic so your dishes should be washed right after you're done. Also remember to put any leftover pineapple or other sliced fruit into the fridge.

This was a decent recipe. It probably needs some touch-ups but I have no idea what to do to it. Personally, I'm fine with just eating pineapple by itself, so I probably won't be making this too often. But, it is a good use of fruit that would otherwise just be thrown away.

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Not Quite a Burrito

Today's recipe is with much thanks to a friend that taught me this trick back in middle school. It's been a while since then, but I still remember how good this tastes. I've modified it so that it can be made in a dorm room, but it's only slightly modified since the recipe contains only three ingredients.

That's right, only three!

How's that for dorm food?

Before I tell you the recipe, though, I should specify. This is not a burrito. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but, it is not a burrito. It's not Mexican food. It has more of a Mediterranean taste to it than anything else. Or at least, that's how I feel.

Now the recipe for my not quite a burrito:

1. Place a tortilla flat on a plate.

2. Spoon about 2 spoonfuls of canned black beans onto one half of the tortilla. If you happen to have a straining spoon, that is perfect. Otherwise, avoid the juice as much as possible. Juices make your Not a Burrito sloppy and harder to eat.

3. Spread some mozzarella cheese on top. If you do not have shredded mozzarella cheese, here's a trick. String cheese is made out of mozzarella cheese. Use about half of one string cheese for each Not a Burrito and shred it by hand by tearing pieces apart. I happen to have a lot of string cheese lying around, so for me that's more convenient. You can buy individual string cheeses if you so desire, but if you eat it a lot, get the packages...much more affordable.

By this point, it should look a bit like this:

4. Microwave for 45 seconds. The black beans are cold. Especially if they came out of the fridge. So, this step is actually kind of important. Don't freak out if the mozzarella cheese isn't melted. It probably won't be.

5. Wrap like a burrito. Yes, I know. It's made with a tortilla and wrapped like a burrito. But this is Not a Burrito. The more skillfully you do this last step, the less of a mess you're likely to make. If you don't properly fold the ends of the burrito, this is what will happen:

6. Eat, enjoy, and clean up. Put the leftovers from your canned black beans in your fridge. Eat the left over string cheese if you have any. And do your dishes.

This recipe is a standard in my house. Great for a snack or for lunch, the fiber in the beans is sure to keep you full, while the cheese provides plenty of calcium. I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU TRY THIS.

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Nutella and Pineapple Toast

Yes, this recipe is exactly as the title implies. And yes, I know how ridiculous it sounds to combine the acidic flavor of pineapple with the rich flavor of chocolate and the starchy flavor of toast. Believe me, I was skeptical at first too. But, I’m the one who came up with the idea and I’m one to test every idea I come up with, before deciding that it was a bad idea. And this one? Not a bad idea, at all.

You’re still skeptical. And I understand that. But I urge you to give this a try, and I’ll explain why it tastes to good after I tell you how to make it.

First, toast your bread. I use Franz Columbia River Sweet Oat Bread. Partially because the founders of Franz went to the University of Portland and donated the building all but one of my classes are in; partially because they’re local and local food is always good; partially because it’s the sweetest bread and healthiest bread I’ve ever eaten; partially because it toasts really well; and partially because it’s what my family uses and it reminds me of home. I am no spokesperson for them, by any means, but, man, I would make a great spokesperson for them because I am becoming OBSESSED with their bread. Oh, also, I discovered that, while I am not allowed to have my own toaster in my room, there are toasters in our hall’s kitchens. The smoke detectors are super sensitive and there are eight floors in Mehling, so I decided to toast my bread on Level 2. I would recommend the same to any college student because, let’s face it, you don’t wan

t to be known as the kid who set off the smoke detector and made everyone have to evacuate the building. Plus, I like my toast warm and just slightly crispy anyway.

Second, spread Nutella on top of the bread. For best results, this should be done while the bread is still warm. That way, the Nutella slightly melts, which gets it into all the nooks and crannies of the bread and creates a nice texture.

Third, add pineapple chunks to the top. Try to avoid the juice by taking each chunk, one at a time, from a jar, can, or fruit cup of pre-sliced pineapple. I would suggest not using quite as large of chunks as I used (which you can see in the picture), because it made it a tad difficult to actually eat. If your chunks are too large, you can cut them into smaller cubes, again, avoiding juice by placing one cube at a time on top of your toast and Nutella.

Finally, eat, enjoy, and clean. Pineapple is acidic and Nutella hardens when it dries, so it is important to wash your dishes and utensils sooner, rather than later.

This recipe is sooooooo good! It might be my favorite thing I’ve ever made. And it’s so simple! Surprisingly enough, the chocolate and Nutella tastes combine really well. You know when you have a sundae and you use chocolate sauce and then add pineapple sauce or chunks on top? It tastes sort of like that. And the seeds in the bread kind of act to add some crunch, which I enjoyed. I really look forward to adding to this recipe. I can imagine adding bananas and strawberries (though not for a while because, as I grow my own strawberries at home, I refuse to pay for strawberries at a store) to this and having a super fruity, somewhat chocolaty, midnight snack. This is not your start-of-the-day breakfast toast because it is way too sweet to handle first thing in the morning. But it makes an excellent snack or dessert. And it’s so easy! Everyone should try this.

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