An Inventive Baker

 

We all know that baking is a science but most of them time the measurements aren't perfect.... or is that just me? I had this 'activity day' leader who would make us measure everything so precisely so know I hate measuring things and end up just throwing things onto the mix. But I haven't made anything gross yet so obviously it is working for me.

I was cleaning the kitchen today when I saw some very very ripe bananas sitting all lonely in the corner. You know what that means.... BANANA BREAD. I was going to make some banana zucchini bread but it turns out that the zucchini that I had shredded and frozen my mom threw away. I know bummer.

If you can't tell... I love zucchini

But I found this recipe on Food Network for plain old banana bread.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

3 ripe bananas

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

 

And because I didn't want to make a huge mess and lots of bowls (I know I'm lazy) but I just mixed up all the wet ingredients and then the dry. But I did make too tweaks. I added a cup of grated carrot and used brown sugar instead of white. But no matter what you do to a banana bread the banana flavor will always overpower everything.

 

 

 

I was still in the mood for baking on this hot summer day (although I regret turning on the oven I feel it was worth it) so I also made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I found this recipe on Food.com

 

4 eggs
2c sugar
16oz pumpkin
1tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 vegetable oil
3c flour
2tsp baking soda
2tsp baking powder
2tsp cinnamon
1tsp salt
12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

I was making this one and I had 15oz cans of pumpkin so I used one and a scoop of another. And then I saw the 1 1/4 of vegetable oil so I substituted that for 2 of the snack cups of apple sauce and a splash of olive oil. I also had the big Ghirardelli chocolate chips so I just threw in a couple of handfuls. The applesauce made the muffins a little chewier then they should have been but by the absence of the muffins they were still a favorite!


Tweaking recipes are always fun! If you have any tips comment down below!
Enjoy! Because we did!

 

Dare to Be Friends

Dare To Be Friends

 

As I come home on a Thursday night depressed and alone with 14 days, 22 hours, and 9 minutes left till graduation I have become glum and solemn. High school graduation is a big transition in a person's life, unlike "8th grade promotion" with high school graduation comes college and moving away until everyone is eventually gone. Now a lot of times people aren't sad at their graduations because they have intentions to keep in touch and still be very close with their friends, (my friends already have plans to fly in and see my first baby, but that won't be anytime soon. Don't worry).

 

 

But what about the people who you just became friends with this year, or the girl who made you laugh every day in your math class, or even the annoying guy in your drama class that you actually think is pretty awesome and gives really good hugs. You were never close enough to these people to say "Hey I miss you! Let's hang out!" or "Hey lets face time!" so in reality when you turn your tassels you are leaving these people behind. That's the saddest part about moving on, not being able to carry on acquaintanceships,

 

But there is a point to this blog post I promise.

 

And I know this is kind of aimed at future seniors but that's where I am with my life right now. But this can also apply to others as well.

 

Dare to be friends. Tell that boy that you want his number not to get into his pants but to get to know him. Ask that girl to go to lunch with you. Go to a party with a new crowd. Let people into your heart. The best way to keep close with acquaintanceships is to make them friendships.

 

Recently I was just in the musical Annie and I was obviously the lead role of Mrs. Pugh also know as one of the many Mr.Warbuck's servants. (I hope you caught that sarcasm...)Anyways there were so many new faces and in the last couple weeks leading up to the performance we became very close. But as soon as we started becoming friends the show ended and that was it. I wish that I had taken the time to become friends with them so much sooner because now all these sweet girls and boys are just acquaintances that I have a couple memories with. 

 

And time has run out. In 96 days I will be moving 747 miles away to a new place with new people and none of the people I just started to bond with. And I'm scared, scared isn't even a strong enough word. I'm freakin terrified. And the thing is time goes on. No one here will have their life stop because I moved away. The girl will still make people laugh and the boy in your drama class will still give hugs. So the whole point of this blog post is put yourself out there if you want to be friends with someone make the first move. Often times I have avoided situations because I didn't know people that well and I regret that I didn't take the chance because the way you make a stronger friendship it to get to know them and hang out. I'm going to be missing so many people who made high school great for me but they probably never see me again let alone how much I loved having them around.

 

That post was kind of rambly. But I hope you got something from that. Comment if you've ever felt this way... so I don't feel so crazy and weird.

 

xooxoox  



Hooverville - Annie Cast

 

My beautiful cast.

21 Tips for Incoming Seniors

Here is the thing Senior Year was fun! But it could have been a lot easier... So I want to help my lower classmen friends before they embark on this crazy, stressful, beautiful mess called senior year.

Here are ... tips to help you out and they are totally in a random order so have fun! Comment anything that should be added! :)



1. Don't Sign Up For All The Hard Classes - I can not stress this enough! I had 4 AP classes this year and I should have only took 3 at the most. Senior year is going to be really stressful and if you can lighten the load DO IT! Your mind will thank you later.
2. Don't Stress Senior Pictures - Whether the are for the yearbook or professionally done DONT STRESS. They are just pictures maybe you hate them or whatever but if you stress it not only causes you to think to much and takes the fun out but also if you are stressed it will show in your pictures.
3. Get Letters of Rec ASAP - Scholarships are going to come out of no where and you want to be prepared. But it is totally rude to spring fast deadlines on teachers and coaches. And you want a really good letter of rec. so ask early in the year and just keep them on file and make copies when you need them.
4. Write and Update A Resume - This goes back to the scholarship thing if you have it on file you will be able to deal with last minute scholarships a with ease.
5. Scholarships Are A Big Deal - If you didn't know already. So keep up with them read about the requirements, deadlines, and when you will find out. APPLY FOR EVERYTHING YOU CAN. I can't stress this enough. I applied to 40+ and kept going. I recently was just awarded a scholarship from the Quilting Guild because I used to quilt when I was like 10. SO KEEP APPLYING. But don't be upset if you don't get it, I've gotten plenty of emails stating that I was not chosen. You just have to remember that there are many people who apply and that life happens. The world isn't against you.
6. Make Friends With Your Counselor or Who Ever Helps With College Stuff - Here is the thing people have favorites. Make sure you have a good relationship with counselors and college techs. They can help you out and put in a good word for you.
7. Know the Difference Between a Grant and a Loan - A grant is money given by the federal government that you don't have to pay back.  A loan is one that you have to pay back which includes interest.
8. Most Colleges Give Grants - Not only does the Federal Government give away free money but most colleges offer grants. See they apply to you!
9. Not Getting Scholarships Is Okay -Considering I applied to 40+ scholarships and I just came back from my scholarship night with a couple scholarships I'm feeling kinda crappy. Lots of my friends got thousands upon thousands of scholarships and I'm feeling pretty low. Where am I going with this? Oh yeah... Most people aren't going to be able to pay everything off with scholarships. But with grants, financial aid, summer jobs, and money family or friends give you. You will be able to pay for college.
10. Don't Let Money Dictate Your Dreams - So maybe you come from a poor family and you have a dream school but don't think you are going to be able to afford it. I say go for your dreams. I have this friend who wanted to go to a 4 year university but in the end opted for a JC because she was stressed about the cost. And in the end she received so much scholarship money that she could have pulled enough off to go to a 4 year. So don't let money hold you back.
11. Senior Isn't Actually All That Fun - That is pretty self-explanatory. Although you are graduating, that happens at the end of the year. You still have plenty of stuff to do before then.
12. Don't Cram - Senioritis is a real thing. So instead of trying to cram before exams try and pay attention throughout both semesters and keep your grades up so that when it comes down to the wire you don't have to worry about grades and you can finally relax.
13. Scholarship Time Management - Scholarships start coming out early fall and continue to come out until maybe April depending on the scholarship. But always have a copy of your transcripts, letters of rec, personal statement, resume, list of activities and awards, sat/act scores, and ap scores so you can always just make more copies and staple together scholarships. Most scholarships just ask for an personal statement so you can often use the same essay. KEEP TRACK OF DEADLINES. I missed a huge scholarship deadline and I hate myself everyday for it so pay attention!
14.  MAKE A PROFESSIONAL EMAIL - Most colleges don't want NiallHoranLover96@hotmail.com or BabyMama@yahoo.com to go to their school. And once you get a professional email CHECK IT DAILY MULITPLE TIMES. And I would definitely recommend a gmail because of the use of the google drive.
15.  If You Didn't Know... You Are Graduating This Year - I am definitely not the most confident person when it comes to high school. But what really got me out of my comfort zone my senior year was the fact that after this year I was moving on with my life. I didn't care what others thought because I'm a senior and after this year I never have to see most of these people ever again. So who cares what they think now?
16. Your Mom Is Probably Going To Cry At Random Things - Not only is the fact that you are growing up scary for you but its also scary your parents. Don't get crazy just let them hug you and take pictures because hey they aren't going to be right there forever.  
17. DO NOT GO TO COLLEGE OR STAY IN TOWN FOR A GIRL/BOY - OH MY GOODNESS. Please for the love of all the sweet baby children of this world do not do this. How old are you like 17? You have so much to do and explore do not let one person hold you back because you are in "love." You don't even have to break up with them but take some space. Find out who you really are. My great grandmother always believed that each young women should take a year to find herself before she settled down, I truly believe this and this applies to young men as well. SO DON'T LET A GF/BF HOLD YOU BACK.
18. Pay For Things In Advanced - Pay for stuff like Grad Night, Yearbooks, Cap and Gown etc. early because by the end of the year money is going to be flowing out like nobody's business.
19. Don't Be Exclusive - I'll admit that senior year often kids have a smaller friend circle. But don't just stop making friends. My senior year I had a blast and made a bunch of new friends. Senior activities are way more fun when you have a big group of friends. Even if you aren't super close best friends its way more fun to have a big group of friends plus your super close tight knit of friends.
20. Don't Slack Of And Miss A Lot Of School - I am definitely guilty of this in addition to the many seniors who just had their mom call the school and went home when they felt like it. To graduate you can only miss so many days so don't screw it up just because you didn't feel like going to 7th period.
21. Don't Be Stupid - Before you do that senior prank or post that thing on twitter just think is it worth not graduating? Because you are so close. And it could be gone in an instant.



First Day Of Senior Year

Welcome to my blog!

You're probably thinking "What is this girl doing? How much can a 17 year old say?" Well considering I'm about to under go one of the biggest transitions in life, moving from home to on my own, I have plenty to say. At this point I don't know exactly what will be on my blog but I hope you benefit from it and enjoy what you see on my blog. Hope to see you soon!