Month: February 2016

The Nefarious Pastry

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French macarons. Instantly recognizable, coveted. A pastry to instill child like glee in the hearts of all.

If the sight of those perfectly round little sandwiched pastel cookies does not evoke some sort of emotion, specifically respect, in you then you, yes you dear reader, have absolutely no soul.

These deceiving angelic and simple looking cookies are probably Satan’s tea cakes of choice. All those french pastry chefs regardless of Michelin star status are hand-picked by Satan for his person entourage.

Why I make such a large deal of them you may ask yourself. Well in truth perhaps I exaggerate a tad, but still.

French macarons are notorious in the pastry world.

The batter is temperamental on an exceptionally good day, piping a load of tears, and not to mention don’t even bother showing up if they aren’t perfectly round and smooth enough to make a baby’s butt look like sand paper.

Again perhaps I exaggerate.

But despite my dramatic air the parameters of a good macaron are truly satanic.

This is why my head nearly spun round, detached itself, and did a jig when I tried to bake these infamous cookies for the first time this weekend.

The reason I almost exorcised my self is because the first batch I have ever made turned out looking like this:

Photo Credit: Emily Burns
Photo Credit: Emily Burns

Bragging aside it was surprising to say the least. After hearing horror stories from my baking partners past attempt, I was prepared for blood sweat and tears. Too say the least I’m frickin proud of me and my dear baking buddy.

The world of baking is endless and the grandma just got adventurous.

Junior Size Stress

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I officially feel like an upperclassman.

This past week was the busiest of my life. I don’t want to go into great detail about every assignment, but let’s just say that I had about a week’s worth each night. Seriously.

I had one paper or major project due every day, along with smaller daily assignments. On top of that, I had the ACT on Saturday which I had to study for.

I didn’t wear makeup one time – and while that’s not of great importance to me, I think it serves as a visual representation of my stress.

This weekend isn’t any better – with the combination of my test and homework for next week, it’s just as busy. Next week is already set up to be the equivalent of this past one. I can’t catch a break!

Everyone always says how junior year is the hardest – there’s the most work, it’s the most stressful and of course, the most important. I can now say, with complete assurance, that I finally understand.

Photo Credit: cliparts.co

Fashion Week is Coming

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Photo credit to: special-hairstyles.com

Fashion Week is coming. Some may regard it as the best time of the year (I know I do). Luckily, the best time of the year actually comes two times a year, in fall and in spring.

When Fashion Week kicks off February 10th the clothes, models, designers, and fashion icons take over the streets of New York City.

They then move on to London, then Milan, with a grand finale in Paris. This beautiful madness lasts a month before the fashion editors race to choose their favorite looks, and decide which pieces will grace the covers of Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and more.

Fashion Week is also the habitat for new trends to form, new street style stars to be launched into the fashion-fame-stratosphere, and for new models to dominate catwalk, billboards, and magazines alike.

While this flurry of fashion may only last a month, it decides everything in fashion, until the next fashion week at least. Yes, it is the greatest time of year. 

It is finally here my friends

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Hello my fellow lactose intolerant friends,

If you haven’t heard, I am happy to announce that Ben & Jerry’s has created four new flavors… DAIRY FREE!

Yes I am talking about the same Ben & Jerry’s that makes the amazing Phish food ice cream, that melts in your mouth. Yes, the same Ben & Jerry’s that is always there for you no matter what; anything from a birthday to a breakup.

I cannot express to you how excited I am to sink my spoon into these four new flavors. Due to my extreme excitement I have already decided what order I will try them in.

  1. Coffee Caramel Fudge
  2. Fudge Brownie
  3. Chunky Monkey
  4. P.B. & Cookies

They are marketing these new flavors as “Vegan”. Typically I stray away from the whole vegan trend. However, I am willing to over look that so I can enjoy my new dairy free ice cream.

To me this is a huge step forward in accommodating those who simply cannot stomach all the real thing.

I am extremely hopeful that these new flavors will be just as good as the others. I am ready to be able to eat ice cream without a stomach ache… However if these flavors do disappoint, I am willing to suck it up and deal with the stomach ache.

Photo credit to: media.philly.com

 

Some Love for Rainy Days

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There’s a certain thing I love about rainy days. Being able to take the day off to snuggle under a mountain of blankets and pillows. Breaking into the food cabinet for hot chocolate and marshmallows. Making a batch of warm, gooey cookies. Watching an old play and eating popcorn.

Driving in rain is so peaceful. Watching the drops race each other down the window. The rhythmic swipe swipe of the window-wiper. The drops making little thuds on the car roof. The heater blasting hot air like an invisible blanket.

Playing in the rain is so fun. Getting soaked from the puddles brought on by an endless downpour. Earlier this year, a group of friends and I had a water fight. We filled up buckets or cups or whatever we could find and just threw them at each other. It would’ve gone on for hours if it wasn’t for dinner. We looked like sad little puppies when we came inside, and immediately dried off.

One thing I love doing in the rain is going in the hot tub. I know, that sounds quite odd. But when I’m at home, we’ll turn it on and it feels so cool. The cool drops on your head and shoulders contrasts so much to the hot water keeping you warm everywhere else.

Even though rain can be inconvenient, like when a wedding or party has to be moved inside, it still is something I look forward to. The memories I’ve made because I had to stay inside because of the rain, and the memories I’ve made because of getting soaked by it, are ones I truly cherish. Sadly, in California, it’s drier than a saltine cracker and it rarely rains.

photo credit to: cdn.tripwiremagazine.com

 

Happiness

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Happiness.

You are defined by what makes you happy

But what happens if you aren’t happy?

What happens when the things around you seem to become dark and grey?

What about when your life gets flipped upside down and all of a sudden the things that used to make you happy remind you of everything you have lost.

You look around and suddenly the people who used to be there for you everyday, the ones you couldn’t go a day without talking to, disappear without a trace.

Everything that made you, you is gone in a flash

The hikes that used to love to take now feel like every breath is a burden

The bike with a wicker basket that you used to ride around your block, which was once filled with amazing memories, sits in the back of your garage rusting away.

When everything that made you happy now makes you feel dejected and hurt

What happens then?

credit: deviantart.net

What House Arrest does to you

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So my dad is basically on house arrest because of his recent heart attack. Because of this house arrest that he has been sentenced to by his doctors and my mother, he has decided to take up and master the art of cooking.

His goal: to cook a new dish, EVERY SINGLE day.

Now this is coming from a man who usually NEVER cooks and when he does, we usually end up calling for a pizza late at night.

My dad has many great talents, unfortunately cooking is not one of them.

So far he has made the following dishes:

  • Cauliflower soup with WAY too much pepper, ( I think he missed the “taste as you go” memo).
  • Spaghetti squash pasta with a spinach sauce; lets just say he loves his food processor and we ended up having spaghetti squash with baby formula.
  • Fisherman’s Pie; coincidentally while he was cooking the power in our house went out and it was only half cooked, he still decided to serve it.

On top of all his glorious attempts of these new recipes, he’s sent my mom to the store every single day to get ingredients, not quite realizing that the ingredients we already have at the house could be used for cooking as well.

While throwing in his own changes to the recipes, he also likes to add some humor. He makes constant reference to the cooking TV show  Chopped. Every time one of his new “creations” doesn’t go as planned he says, ” Well I think the judges would have chopped me for that one!” or if it is a success( I’ve yet to taste one) he says, ” That one would have gotten me to the next round!”

While he is still going strong on his cooking binge, and I applaud his efforts, I wouldn’t mind having a pizza for dinner anytime soon.

 

Chemical

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Chemicals.

You are wired  – it is how your brain functions. You are programmed – you are made in one specific way.

You have a chemical makeup, you are your own chemical makeup.

It epitomizes you, it controls you, it decides who you are.

It is set in stone, yet is easily altered. And when that happens, it is scary.

What once controlled you and monitored who you are, has now changed. You are no longer yourself – once made up from certain chemicals, you are now inhabited by imposters.

You are changed, you are different.

You are not yourself.

They say it’s good, they say it helps. It’s good for you, it will make things better.

It will make you better.

You are out of control. You are not yourself.

Are you better?

They say things will be easier, that you are struggling.

It will put you at ease.

You just need to be different, a changed version of yourself.

Then you will be better.

Photo Credit: http://www.healthyplace.com

 

Cheese Cures Cancer?

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credit phillymag.com

To brie, or not to brie may no longer be the question.

Everything these days seems to cause cancer.

Alcohol, meat, air fresheners, candles, art supplies, shampoos, conditioners, and even sunscreen.

Yes, sunscreen. The thing that is supposed to save you from the harmful rays of the sun and the secret to beautiful skin may slowly be killing all of us…Yay!

But eating good ol’ sharp cheddar or a nice gouda perhaps may help cure cancer.

The “tasty mold” may end up kicking cancers booty because of the nisin in cheese

Don’t know what nisin is? Well basically it is a natural food preservative that grows in dairy products.

This natural preservative has been shown to help battle cancer and other lethal bacteria when given to mice.

Now this theory is still in the testing stages, but it does sound PARMmising.

 

 

 

 

Making Amends

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Photo Credit to: https://www.colourbox.com

Is it too late to make amends?

Is it too late to go back on something that has been 18 years in the making?

This past weekend I was given a painful reminder that things can change in an instant.

My dad had a heart-attack.

He had been on a two-week ski trip in British Columbia and it happened on the last day of his trip.  My mom told me Friday evening when I got home that he’d had a heart-attack and was being flown to Spokane, Washington for surgery the next morning.

That Saturday morning I woke up at 3am to drive my mom to the airport so she could be there waiting for him when he got out of surgery. After dropping my mom of at the airport I turned around and drove home, went back to sleep and woke up a few hours later to play in my soccer game.

Those 24 hours that followed my mom telling me that he’d had a heart-attack were a whirlwind. I don’t remember what followed after she said the words no one wants to hear, ” Dad had a heart-attack”. Everything blurred together. I remember thinking, don’t cry, because if you cry that means something is wrong and I wanted so badly to believe that nothing was wrong.

My dad came out of his surgery doing well, the doctors said that his good physical conditioning saved his life, that he was lucky it hadn’t been worse.

Despite the terrible circumstances, I felt lucky. Lucky to be reminded that things can change in and instant, lucky to be reminded that I shouldn’t take so much for granted and lucky to be reminded how much family means.

My dad and I have always had a rough relationship. My mom says it is because our personalities are so similar that’s why we butt heads. We disagree on almost everything and always find some way to annoy each other.

For so long we’ve been content with living like this. It broke my heart knowing that within the next 10 years any type of relationship with my dad would either be non-existent or intolerable. However, after this past weekend, I’ve decided to make amends. I’ve decided, even though I know it won’t be easy, to work towards the relationship I want with my dad.