Quarter Life Crisis

Lemon Tilapia with Cucumber and Feta Quinoa

2013-04-23T20:56:00.000-04:00

I did it! I finally made quinoa! I've been reading about it for years and I've finally gone ahead and made it. This adventure into quinoa came about during Passover, when all other starchy side dishes besides potatoes were off the table. As you can probably tell by now, tilapia is a fan favorite of ours, so this recipe fit perfectly with what we had and what we wanted to make.

This recipe can be whipped up quickly, which makes it a perfect weeknight meal. Get your quinoa rinsed and boiling, and by the time it's fluffy the rest of the dish is ready to serve! Make sure you go lightly when you salt the quinoa (you might not even have to) since the feta cheese will bring salt to the table. Feel free to garnish with dill and enjoy!

Lemon Tilapia with Cucumber and Feta Quinoa

Serves 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

- ½ c quinoa, rinsed

- dash of salt and pepper

- 1 lemon, halved

- 2 tilapia fillets, rinsed

- 2 ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil

- ½ c cucumber, peeled and diced

- ¼ c feta

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil. After the water begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and cover, allowing quinoa to absorb all water (10 – 15 minutes).

Season the tilapia fillets with salt, pepper, and juice from half of the lemon. Coat the bottom of a frying pan with 1 ½ tsp of the olive oil and sauté the tilapia over medium heat until the fish is opaque throughout and flakes easily (about 4 minutes on each side).

When the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, using a fork to fluff the quinoa and stir in 1 tsp of the olive oil, cucumber, feta, and juice from ½ of the lemon. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve quinoa
immediately with the fish.

Adapted from: Martha Stewart

Traditional New Orleans Bread Pudding

2013-04-10T11:13:00.000-04:00

I have been lucky enough to experience two different types of authentic bread pudding - traditional New Orleans bread pudding and traditional English bread pudding.

During my sophomore year in college, I had the opportunity to travel to London over spring break to study Shakespeare. The course I took that semester was called the London Shakespearience, and during the spring semester we studied plays and folios, and when we went to London we visited The Globe, Stratford-Upon-Avon, did some scene studies with Globe actors, and saw a production of Much Ado About Nothing. And now you all know I am a Shakespeare nerd. Besides seeing the sites, we also visited many pubs and I made sure to order a couple orders of bread pudding while there.

The following year, I went to New Orleans twice, once for an ultimate frisbee tournament (and Mardi Gras) and then went back a few weeks later for Alternative Spring Break, where we worked on building houses with Habitat for Humanity. Both experiences, while very different, were incredible. That was when I fell in love with the city and its food, and I made sure to stop at Cafe Du Monde for beignets and other restaurants in the French Quarter bread pudding.

The major difference between traditional English and New Orleans bread pudding is that with your English bread pudding, the milk and cream mixture are heated to create a custard, while the New Orleans bread pudding is usually served or infused with a whiskey sauce. Because I was making this bread pudding for a breakfast at school, I decided to forgo the whiskey sauce, but would certainly use Emeril's recipe for his whiskey sauce should I make this recipe again for a non-school function.

This recipe is beyond easy to make since most of your time is spent waiting for the bread to soak and then waiting again for the pudding to bake and set. You can use ANY type of bread for this recipe, from slices of white bread or a loaf of Italian or French bread. This is the perfect thing to make if you happen to buy loaves of bread at Costco, left them in the freezer for way too long, and then didn't know what to do with them. No bread is too stale for this recipe, just leave to soak until all cubes are completely saturated with this delicious cream. The bread pudding was wonderful for breakfast warm, and I took some extras home to heat up with ice cream for dessert. I love a recipe that can be used for breakfast or dessert :)

Bread Pudding

Serves 10

Prep Time: 1 hour

Bake Time: 30 min

Ingredients

- 1 loaf white bread (Italian, French, or classic loaf bread), about 6 cups, cubed*

- 4 tbsp unsalted butter

- 1 c heavy cream

- 3 c milk

- 3 eggs

- 1 c brown sugar, packed

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

- pinch of salt

- ½ c raisins

Directions

Pour the bread crumbs in a large bowl and melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Pour the butter over the bread and toss to make sure they’re coated evenly.

In a separate bowl, mix together the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins. Thoroughly mix and pour the cream mixture over the bread, tossing evenly to coat. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the bread becomes very soft.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 in. pan. Pour the bread mixture into the pan and bake in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the bread is slightly browned and set. Serve warm and store in the refrigerator.

*Note: use the whole loaf, even if it isn't 6 cups. You can fill the pan up since the bread won't bake up.

Adapted from: Emeril

Gooey Pecan Bars

2013-04-02T17:37:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to me! I'm not going to lie, being featured on Tasty Kitchen last week reignited my love for cooking, baking, and blogging. One of the hardest things about teaching is that it absolutely consumes your life. When you're catching up on grading and planning over the weekends, it leaves little time for your hobbies. Granted, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, but it's important to remember that teaching isn't the only thing I like to do...

So in order to spurn myself forward, I signed up to bring in two different baked goods to work this week; one for a baby shower (for a baby that was already born!) and one for our monthly breakfast. I'm going to start with the pecan bars I made for the baby shower, which were a huge hit!! I'm very excited to be back with this recipe.

Right after work, I usually have just enough energy to change into "comfy pants" and plop down on the couch to watch my after work cooking shows. One afternoon, I saw Ina Garten making these pecan bars and dipping them in chocolate!! I debated dipping mine in colored chocolate to go with the baby shower theme, but with Easter yesterday I sort of ran out of time. This does make the pecan bars a very versatile dessert - perfect for any occasion!

The dough for the bars is very sticky - you're going to get your hands dirty for this one! Make sure you use plenty of flour (I used between 2 1/4 and 2 1/2 cups) so that you can actually get the dough into the pan. The crust will take a while to bake, so don't make the topping until the dough is out of the oven. You want the crust to be cool and set before pouring the delicious topping all over it...

You really cannot go wrong with this recipe. The combination of shortbread crust and pecan pie filling is such a indulgence. That being said, this recipe is incredibly rich, so a 13 x 9 in. pan can go a long way. I cut mine into 2 in. squares and that was PLENTY for each person. The bars were well received by everyone and I'll be making copies of the recipe tomorrow at work :) Stay tuned for another baked good later this week!

Gooey Pecan Bars

Yield: About 20 bars (13 x 9 in pan)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust

- ¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

- ½ c granulated sugar

- 2 eggs

- ½ tsp vanilla extract

- 2 ¼ c flour

- ¼ tsp baking powder

- pinch of salt

For the topping

- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

- ¼ c honey

- 1 c light brown sugar, packed

- ¼ c heavy cream

- 1 pound pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 in pan.

To make the crust, cream the butter and sugar until butter becomes fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter about 1 cup at a time until incorporated. The dough will become sticky, so you may need to combine it with your hands (flour your hands first!).

Flour your hands and press the dough evenly into the greased pan, making an edge around the outside. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes and allow to cool.

While the dough is cooling, make the topping. Combine the butter, honey, and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook over low heat until the better is melted, stirring often. Boil for 3 minutes and then remove from heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour mixture over crust, starting in the middle and using a spatula to press to the edges. Do not let the topping flow over the edges of the crust! Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the topping is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Once pan has reached room temperature, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour to prevent the crust from crumbling while cutting. After cutting, store in an air tight container in a cool, dry place.

Adapted from Ina Garten

Life Updates

2013-03-25T18:32:00.003-04:00

Be sure to check out Tasty Kitchen today, I'm a featured member!

Sorry to be so absent lately. I do have some fantastic news though - for the past 1 1/2 months, I have been working as a 6th grade science teacher in a school near my hometown. The best thing about this position, though, is that it's a full-time, tenure track position!! I am so lucky to have landed this position and have really loved it so far. It's been a lot of hard work, and I still have my doubts and difficult days, but I think in the end it'll be all worth it.

As you can see, the blog has kind of fallen by the wayside. I've still been cooking and baking and (of course) teaching, so I'm hoping that over breaks I will be able to add more posts, recipes, and teaching ideas. Stay tuned and thank you for all of your support!

Quarter Life Weekend Update #3

2012-12-30T11:56:00.000-05:00

I can't believe December has gone by with only 1 post. Sorry everyone! Needless to say, these past few months have been a whirlwind, and the break went by quickly as well.

The holidays were somewhat low key. To be honest, I had a fever starting on Christmas Eve and have been sick ever since. Sadly, that meant no holiday baking and not much of anything, to be honest. It has, however, left me plenty of time to get ready for my next position. The position I had since September ended a week before winter break, and I was incredibly sad to go. I had taught a subject I was incredibly passionate about, with an age group I ended up really enjoying. I don't think I could go back to elementary education. I'm happy to be using my degree and sharing my love for science with older students that can really get into the material and appreciate it. Middle school was incredibly difficult, but I cannot see myself continuing down any other path.

My next position starts right after New Year's, and I will be teaching 6th grade Earth Science for most of the remainder of the school year. It'll be an interesting experience to say the least, since my first unit is on minerals and I know much less about minerals than I do about cells, for example. Plus, I will also be teaching an 8th grade computers cycle class, which should be interesting as well...

I am both excited for and terrified by the arrival of 2013. 2013 will bring a lot of changes and take me out of my comfort zone, which is both thrilling and intimidating. I had such a wonderful experience at my last position that it makes it hard to leave, but I know I will grow to like this new school as much as my old one. It'll be difficult to start over in a new school with new students, parents, and staff, not to mention an additional 40 minute commute. However, every new experience simply adds to my repertoire, and I'm not going to lie, I kind of hope the second half of 2013 begins with a full-time position...

New Year's Resolutions? Same as every year I guess...keep up with my workout routines, run a 10K, and to continue to push myself to develop as a teacher (in both my lessons and my classroom management).

I hope 2013 brings you health and happiness and you get to spend New Year's Eve with loved ones :)

Thai Curry Noodle Soup

2012-12-17T11:58:00.002-05:00

Growing up, my parents always cooked the standard meals. We'd rotate between steak, chicken, and pork, with pasta and fish thrown in. I think most of it is because I was the pickiest eater when I was little. For a while, I went through this stage where I would only eat tan foods. And then my parents had to put up with me being vegetarian for about 3 years. Needless to say, I was (and still kind of am) a high maintenance eater.

When I did finally begin to branch out in college and start to eat more diverse foods, I forayed into the world of Asian cuisine. It started with sushi, and then different types of noodle dishes (my favorite tan food), and now I'll eat bibimbap and curries. I've attempted to recreate some of these dinners at home, but one of my most recent favorites was this Thai curry noodle soup. It wasn't based off of something I had eaten in a restaurant, but more or less something that I saw on Pinterest. This soup combines a lot of my new favorite flavors and can be adapted to fit many different types of pallets.

You need to start with a curry base, which you can buy in mild, medium, or hot. Then you pick your veggies and protein (we went with red peppers, green onion, and tilapia). Finally, you decide whether or not coconut milk is too sweet for you (we left it out) and pick out your favorite type of noodle. Allow to simmer and reduce for about 15 minutes and you have an easy out-of-the-box weeknight dinner. Even though it is a soup, the meat, vegetables, and noodles make it very filling. This soup was really enjoyable and made enough for 4 plus some leftovers!

Thai Curry Noodle Soup

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients

- 2 tbsp vegetable, peanut, or olive oil

- 2 - 3 fillets tilapia

- ½ tsp sesame oil (optional)

- 1 ½ c Yellow Curry Simmer Sauce (mild)

- 1 ½ c water or coconut milk

- 1 red pepper, sliced

- 2 green onions, chopped

- 1 head broccoli, diced

- 6 – 8 basil leaves

- 1 (3/4 lb) package Lo Mein noodles

Directions

Heat a medium-sized frying pan over medium-low heat and add the oil. When hot, add the tilapia and fry until both sides are just golden brown. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sesame oil, curry simmer sauce, and water or coconut milk and bring to a low boil. Add the vegetables and let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add the Lo Mein noodles, stirring constantly so they break apart. Add in the tilapia and allow to simmer for about 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Adapted from: Zen Family Habits

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

2012-11-27T16:52:00.000-05:00

I'm a little bit of an Italian restaurant snob. Whenever we're choosing a place to go out to dinner, I usually steer away from Italian restaurants because, "I can boil pasta at home." Now, I know that is incredibly naive and stubborn of me, but if I'm going to spend money on going out to eat, I want to get something like Korean BBQ or all you can eat sushi. I do have to say that I once had a lovely meal at an Italian restaurant in the city, and if I do happen to come across an Italian restaurant that boasts homemade pasta I will choose to go there. Most of the time, I'll spend my money elsewhere.

Unless, the Italian restaurant is Olive Garden (I know, it's not a real Italian restaurant. Bear with me here...).

My mom and I like to have "Mommy and me lunches" at Olive Garden. Unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks? There's nothing better in my book. During the week I had off from school I was hoping to find an open Olive Garden so my mom and I could get our favorite lunch, until I came across this recipe on (where else) Pinterest. Why go out when I can make something almost as delicious at home?

The soup is really easy to make and comes together relatively quickly. You just need to remember to stir it often so you don't get that nasty skin on the top, and keep the heat on medium-low so that you do not scald the 1/2 and 1/2. Yes, this soup is made with a quart of 1/2 and 1/2. Be sure to share it with family members and friends so you don't end up eating that quart on your own. Balance it with a salad made with this dressing and some bread for the whole Olive Garden experience, without having to leave the comfort of your home.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Serves 6

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients

- 4 tbsp butter

- 4 tbsp olive oil

- ½ onion, diced

- 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced

- ¼ c flour

- 1 qt half and half

- 1 (18 oz) package gnocchi

- 1 c cooked chicken breast, cubed

- 1 2/3 c chicken broth

- 1 c fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

- ½ tsp dried thyme

- Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the flour and combine completely to form a roux. Then, add the half and half and bring the pot down to medium – low heat, stirring constantly

Cook the gnocchi according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.

Once the soup begins to thicken (after about 10 minutes), add the chicken, chicken broth, spinach, seasonings, and cooked gnocchi. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring often. Serve immediately.

When reheating this soup for another day (because this recipe makes a lot of soup), you might want to thin it with some more chicken broth. The soup will thicken overnight.

Adapted from: Pass the Sushi

Giving Thanks

2012-11-22T16:47:00.001-05:00

This post is going to be short and sweet (like myself....)

I just wanted to stop in to say Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones! Thank you for being a part of Quarter Life Crisis, and a special thank you to those who still check in with the blog even when I'm swamped with teaching and don't get to post as often. I have another fall recipe to post, some end-of-term thoughts as my long-term teaching position comes to a close, and maybe even some crafts and workouts. Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. This blog (much like my life) has taken many different turns over the past two years, thank you for joining me on this journey.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Broccoli and Bacon Mac and Cheese

2012-11-12T18:11:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to make my own mac and cheese for a while. Once, I tried to make mac and cheese before running off to a work function and just combined shredded cheese with my warm pasta. That resulted in clumps of cheese, which is not as pleasant to eat as one might think. I decided to use a real recipe to make my mac and cheese.

When making the sauce, you need to play with it a little bit. If the sauce starts to get hard to stir, add a little pasta water. Also, be sure to use freshly shredded cheese. The pre-shredded cheese you buy at the store is coated and doesn't melt as well as freshly shredded cheese.

I like the combination of flavors in this dish. To be honest, cheese on top of anything is fine in my book. I'll definitely be using this sauce as a base to experiment with different cheese and mix in combinations. Any suggestions?

Broccoli and Bacon Mac and Cheese

Serves 2

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients

- 1 c penne pasta

- 2 slices of bacon, diced

- ½ c broccoli, diced

- ¼ c plain yogurt or light sour cream

- ½ c shredded cheddar cheese

- Dash of salt and pepper

Directions

In a medium pot, boil the water for the pasta and cook according to directions on the back of the box. Reserve about ½ c of pasta water before draining.

While the pasta is cooking, fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat and remove once the pieces are crispy. Allow to drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.

In a small pot, boil the water for the broccoli and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Drain the pasta and pour the pasta into a large bowl. Add ¼ c of pasta water, the sour cream or yogurt, and about half of the shredded cheese. Stir continuously until the cheese has melted. Add the rest of the cheese a handful at a time and stir continuously to prevent clumping. If the cheese sauce is too thick, add more of the reserved pasta water.

Stir in the broccoli and bacon and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Note: This recipe is best eaten the day it’s served.

Adapted from: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Fried Green Tomatoes

2012-11-05T19:23:00.000-05:00

This is something that I have been wanting to make for a very long time. Whenever I see fried green tomatoes on the menu, I will always get them. Some of the best fried green tomatoes I've ever had were at the Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem. They serve them crispy and hot with this tangy, spicy, creamy dressing and they are to die for.

There weren't any posts about my garden this summer because my garden was mostly non-existant. The basil did well, until I cut it all up to make this pizza, and my dad planted beans so we were able to get about a single harvest of green beans. However, the tomato plants I grew from seeds did not do too well, and we were left with lots of green tomatoes on the vine; tomatoes that refused to turn red. So I decided to slice them up, bread them in my favorite breading, and deep fry them to perfection.

I've been told that there are different green tomatoes that you're supposed to use for fried green tomatoes, but the unripened tomatoes in my backyard worked just fine. I served them with some Chipotle Ranch dressing and it was like I was at the Dinosaur BBQ. They're crispy, yet the tomatoes retain a lot of their juice even after frying. Also, we heated a few up the following day in the toaster oven and they were still crispy. If your garden was a dud or if you happen to find green tomatoes at your grocery store, this is an excellent way to use them.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Serves 6 – 8

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 2 – 3 minutes per batch

Ingredients

- 2 c oil or vegetable shortening for frying

- 3 green tomatoes, sliced

- 1 c flour

- 3 eggs, scrambled

- 1 c Panko bread crumbs

- 1 c Italian bread crumbs

- Dash of garlic powder, salt, and pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot until the oil reaches 350F.

Grab 3 bowls and place the flour in one, the egg wash in another, and the Panko, Italian breadcrumbs, and seasonings in a 3^rd. Dredge the green tomato slices in the flour, then coat in the egg wash, and then coat in the bread crumb and seasoning powder.

Place 2 or 3 slices into the oil at a time, depending on the size of the pot. You do not want to overcrowd your pot because it will drop the temperature of the oil dramatically. Keep the oil between 325 and 350F. Fry until both sides are golden brown (about 2 – 3 minutes each piece) and then place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle the fried green tomatoes with a little bit of salt to keep them crispy. Serve immediately with chipotle ranch dressing.

An Ali B original

Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Sandwich

2012-11-02T18:13:00.003-04:00

When I was in school, I would come home, make myself a quick snack of Pop Tarts or sugar cookies with strawberry milk, and plop in front of the television for about an hour or 2 before forcing myself to do my homework. I loved those shows that came on after school - Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Reba, and all of those other shows on WB11 before it became the CW (gross). Now my after school shows consist of shows on the Food Network, mainly an entire hour of Paula Deen.

We all know of my obsession with Paula Deen. I love the woman, I love her cooking, and I love her cheesy show. I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding her food but you need to take her recipes with a grain of salt (and about half as much butter). Whenever I make one of her recipes I always cut out unnecessary butter, salt, and other fats. Plus I usually cut her recipes in half since many of them make enough for 6 to 8 normal people. I feel these tweaks make her recipes much more accessible to the average person, and I try to limit myself to 1 Paula Deen recipe every once in a while.

When I watch Paula Deen I'm usually eating or thinking about eating, and everything she makes on her show looks amazing. I'll grab my computer, log on to her site, and pin everything she makes. So when I was browsing through my "To Make" board for something to make for lunch the other day, I came across this sandwich and my first reaction was "really?" I was thinking about just deleting the pin, wondering if I was somewhat delirious after a full week of school when I pinned it, but the more I thought about it the more I realized I love all of the ingredients for this sandwich independently so why wouldn't they make the perfect sandwich when put together? Plus, when I have afternoons at home I really want to make the most of them, and there's nothing cozier than curling up on the couch in your ~~pajamas~~ comfy clothes and heating a nice hot lunch (ok, maybe I was still in my pajamas).

This sandwich, despite its odd combination of ingredients, is wonderful. The creamy avocado and cream cheese balance out the salty egg and bacon. I love sandwiches that are layered with many different flavors, and this sandwich is certainly one of them. Make this treat next time you have an afternoon in!

Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Sandwich

Serves 1

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 5 min

Ingredients

- 2 pieces of bread

- 4 tbsp cream cheese

- 2 stalks of chives, chopped

- 2 slices of bacon

- 1 egg

- 1 tomato, sliced

- 1 avocado, sliced

- Dash of salt and pepper

Directions

Toast the bread. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and the chopped chives to create a spread. Remove the bread from the toaster and spread the cream cheese on one side of each piece of bread. Set bread on a plate, cream cheese side up.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Remove once crispy and let drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. Drain the pan and reserve about 1 tbsp of oil in the pan.

Cook the egg to your liking (fried or scrambled) in the same skillet and place on one piece of bread.

Layer the tomato and avocado on top of the egg. Place the bacon on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stack the sandwich with the other slice of bread and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen

Happy Halloween!

2012-10-31T08:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween! Although it doesn't feel at all like Halloween. We have no school today, which you would think would send kids into a Halloween frenzy. However, Halloween has actually been canceled in our town due to the downed power lines and trees littering the neighborhoods. We'll probably still get a few trick or treaters anyway, since kids with no power need to get out of the house, but the mayor said to postpone trick or treating until Saturday, and even that might not be possible if clean up is taking too long. Instead, he urged people to have something in their home.

I couldn't imagine being a little kid and told not to trick or treat. I know kids will come today (and the same ones will probably come back Saturday), but I can also see the value in having a Halloween party at home rather than wandering the debris filled neighborhoods. Or, you can always do both :)

Here's a short list of items that would be fitting for a Halloween party. Unfortunately, I was unable to make any Halloween-themed treats this year due to the storm. But there is still a whole day left!

Drinks
Grownup Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes - For the parents. Just remove the bourbon to make little monster pumpkin pie shakes

Dessert
Apple Cider Doughnut Holes
Butterscotch Whoopie Pies
Funfetti Sugar Cookies - with black and orange sprinkles!
Pecan Pie
Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing for decorating cookies
Sugar Cookie Sandwiches - fill with black and orange icing!

And don't forget the Pumpkin Pie Spice

Happy Halloween everyone! And be safe!

Creamy Bacon and Caramelized Corn Dip

2012-10-29T12:32:00.000-04:00

I love dips. I think I can safely say that if you give me something I can dip a corn tortilla chip or a crusty piece of bread into I'm going to love it. And I think I'm starting to love football more because I love the food that goes with it. Plus, I now have a team to root for, even if other teams are shredding through their defense...

I actually made this dip a couple of months ago in anticipation for football season. My friends were hosting our annual draft and I brought this along with some blue corn tortilla chips (the best) as a little treat. Well, as you can see by the only picture I have of the dip, it was snatched up in a matter of minutes. This dip combines sweet and savory and includes ingredients you would never think would go together but DO. I have been waiting to make this dip again and will probably pull it out for a Superbowl party. That's also not to say you can't serve it at a regular party either, because blue corn tortilla chips always brighten up a plate :)

One suggestion that I do have for this dip is that if you have time, drain the yogurt in a sieve lined with a paper towel over bowl for a few hours (see this post for a better explanation). This will remove a lot of the liquid from the dip. Also make sure you drain the bacon and corn well too.

For all of you on the east coast, stay safe tonight! And make this dip before your power goes out ;)

Creamy Bacon and Caramelized Corn Dip

Serves 6 – 8

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 20 – 25 minutes

Ingredients

- 4 slices bacon, chopped

- 1 (15 oz) can corn, drained and rinsed

- dash of salt and pepper

- ½ onion, chopped

- 2 green onions, chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- ½ tsp paprika

- 1 (16 oz) container of plain yogurt

- 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican Cheese blend

Directions

If making this dip ahead of time, pour the yogurt into a sieve lined with a paper towel and place that over a bowl. This will allow some of the excess liquid to drain and will result in a thicker, creamier dip. If you do not have time to do this, this step is optional.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat and fry the chopped bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel. Leave a small amount of grease in the pan and add the corn to the same skillet, stirring often until the corn is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove corn and add to a large bowl.

Turn the skillet down to medium – low and add the onions and salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the green onions and garlic and cook for an additional 2 – 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the corn. Add in the paprika, yogurt, bacon, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese mixture and stir until well combined.

Pour the contents of the bowl into a 2 quart Corningware dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove once cheese is golden and bubbly. Let cool for about 5 minutes and serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Note: can use fresh or defrosted frozen corn as well. Also, you can make this recipe the day before, just pop it into the oven 30 minutes before you want to serve it.

Adapted from: How Sweet Eats

Science and the 2012 Election?

2012-10-16T19:37:00.000-04:00

Think the two have nothing to do with each other? So did my students, until I did this project last week.

I had two extra days at the end of my first unit and wanted to do a small project with my class. I was debating between two different types of projects; the first one would have something to do with the Curiosity Expedition and the characteristics of living things. I liked that project, but I wanted to do something a little more relevant, so after watching the presidential debate a few weeks ago, I started to research into how I could tie the 2012 election in with my science curriculum.

Unfortunately, there aren't many great sites that let kids explore the issues of 2012 election in great depth. The sites that I did find only focused on the major issues like the economy and foreign affairs, whereas I wanted information on where the candidates stood on issues related to energy and the environment. After looking at a multitude of sites ranging from TIME for Kids to CNN, I decided to go right to the source - the websites for the Democratic and Republican Parties. You could certainly use the sites for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney as well, but the former two websites seemed a little less biased.

I created a webquest to help my students navigate the two sites and asked them to answer specific questions about where the candidates stood on issues like clean energy, protecting the environment, and using foreign oil. This part took them about 2 days (my periods are 45 minutes), and students were able to spend the last 15 minutes of the second day working on the second part of the project: the campaign.

I asked students to critically investigate these issues and choose a candidate whose ideals about energy and the environment (because I wanted to tie it back to science) matched their own. They were then asked to campaign for their candidate by making a poster or brochure. The project followed very specific criteria; the students needed to include pictures and captions and specific reasons why the reader should vote for their candidate (using the research they completed for their webquest).

The students became very involved with this project, which I really appreciated. This is a very important topic and as citizens these students need to understand their responsibility in presidential elections. I would hear students talk about it in the hallway and in other classrooms, however, some students took this discussion too far, and I unfortunately overheard students bullying each other into telling them who they would vote for, and then criticizing their opinions and beliefs. On the following Monday, I had to have a discussion about when debating becomes bullying. I asked my students to write a project reflection, and many of them stated it was hard to keep an open mind about who they would campaign for based on what they heard from their family and friends and what they saw on the news. This particular presidential election seems to be more charged than past ones, so if I were to do this project again, I would have my students make more of an informational poster, rather than becoming fired up over why their candidate would be better than the other. However, being able to defend a point of view and convince readers are two important skills, so I do believe the project was a success.

The students (and I) loved doing this project because it allowed students to see the pervasiveness of science in our every day lives. Science teachers can become involved in the 2012 election as well!

To purchase the webquest, lesson plan, rubric, and project description for this project, please visit my TPT store. Thank you!

First Year Stories: Walking a Fine Line

2012-10-14T13:13:00.001-04:00

I think the hardest part about being a teacher is that you never leave your work at school. I'm used to being a very busy person, so I didn't mind bringing home 100 tests to grade on my Tuesday night or staying up until way after my bedtime to plan an activity for next week's class. To make matters worse, in an age where anyone can reach us at any time through email, it's even harder to break away from work.

I've been trying to leave more work at work over the past few weeks. I try not to stay at school later than 5:00pm and I try to stop working at 10:00pm. Of course, there are nights where I just need to grade the quizzes from 1 more class...and then I'm working until 11:00pm and of course can't fall asleep until much later than that. I realized I needed a change this weekend when I let 1 parent email almost ruin my whole Saturday. It actually took a second parent email to spur me to set rules (not guidelines) for when I should be doing work.

I have noticed the stress of my job affect my health and my personal relationships. The wonderful thing about teaching is that it's more than a job, and that yes you do take hours of work home with you because the planning, grading, and emails never end. However, in most other professions, work stays at work, and teaching should not be much different. My mentor told me I need to make the students fit to my schedule, not the other way around.

So, I came up with a list of rules (not guidelines) I plan to follow. If you're a new teacher, you need to read these. It's already October and I'm unbelievably stressed out. These rules are meant to keep your sanity, improve your mental health and relationships, and teach you to segregate work and your personal life.

1. Don't check work emails between when you leave work on Friday and when you sit down to do work on Sunday. I try to avoid doing work serious work on Saturday (maybe some light planning), and after I let this parent email ruin my Saturday, I realized I needed to have a day just for myself. Plus, that second email I received from a parent pushed me to create this rule, since she flat out told me not to check my work email on the weekends. Good advice.

2. Don't stay at work later than 5:00pm. The school is not your home, your home is your home. Spend time after school getting ready for tomorrow's lesson(s) and gathering the materials you need to bring home to work on and then go home! For me, this also means not checking work emails after 5:00 either.

3. Stop doing work at a set time. Because different people have different home schedules, the time where you decide to stop doing work will be different for you. If you have kids at home, you may decide to do a couple hours of work after they go to bed. I try to stop doing work by 10:00pm, but I'm probably going to bump that up to 9:00pm. You cannot spend your entire week working. It's unhealthy.

4. Make a point to do things for you after school. I'd put off going to yoga, watching MNF with friends, or going for a run because I had too much work to do. You need to make time for you - remember those things called "hobbies" you used to have before the school year started? Schedule 1 or 2 activities after school, even if it's just going for a 10 minute run or meeting friends to watch the latest episode of Glee.

One thing I noticed when I set these guidelines/rules for myself is that I was much more productive during the time I set aside to create lessons, do some unit mapping, or grade tests. As a new teacher, the hardest thing is being able to balance your life with your job, and the line between the two becomes very thin. Following these guidelines will certainly help keep those boundaries and keep both you and your relationships healthy. If you have any more tips to add to this list please comment below!

First Year Stories: Meeting Expectations to Meeting in the Middle

2012-09-26T10:10:00.004-04:00

As a teacher, you are always meeting someone else's expectations. The expectations of your school, the administration, your coworkers, the students, the parents - the pressure is enough to bring on an anxiety attack. And you have your own expectations as well - expectations for how your class will be run, how your students will behave, and how well your students will do in your class. And you have expectations for yourself - you expect to be completely prepared for all of your lessons, you expect you can handle difficult situations with parents, students, and staff with dignity and grace. And yet there are times (and there will be many of them) in which these expectations will not be met.

I realized that I run a very tight ship in my classroom. My students come in, and I already have them with their planners out recording homework and their notebooks out recording today's objective and Do Now. My morning classes greet these expectations by being very quiet. There will be some chatting going on, but it's subdued and will usually stop when I come to see how much writing they've done in their notebooks. To me, a quiet classroom is one I can control, and I feel my morning classes run very smoothly.

My afternoon classes are another story. My first afternoon class comes in like a whirlwind - they need to chat with each other before they sit down. They need to chat while they are working. And recently, they felt the need to chat when I've been teaching. That certainly did not meet my expectations, and I convinced myself that there was a big issue with this class. I tried every trick up my sleeve - discipline ladders, rewarding the whole class should they not chat while I am teaching with a series of strikes. Yet, nothing really seemed to work, and I found myself going to my coworkers with fear of losing control of my class.

My coworker had a prep during one of my afternoon classes, so she said she would peek in to see how it was going. And after she did, she told me something I didn't expect to hear: "Your afternoon class is supposed to be like that!" "But," I kept telling myself, "My morning classes aren't...why should this afternoon class behave so differently?"

I talked to my other 7th grade team members, and found they were having similar issues as well in terms of chatting and literal hyper activity in their afternoon classes. My coworkers helped me see the bigger picture: they're coming off from lunch and their fine arts classes, where structure is minimal. Then, they come to my class, where I expect them to be quiet and they just can't - they have too much pent up energy from the past two periods. I realized at that point that it was my turn to change my expectations, instead of expecting others to rise to mine. I set more concrete rules for when students would be disciplined, not something vague like "being loud" which I had before, but more like, "you will not chat while you are supposed to be taking notes." I also practiced being calmer, and instead of constantly calling them back to attention with my countdown (which I only have to do once or twice with my other classes), I would stand there and wait and say, "we'll start this lab when you're ready" in a low voice. I realized they're excited for my class and for science because they get to "do labs" - even in they're not 100% what that entails just yet, so they would quiet down pretty quickly.

Basically, the moral of this "first year story" is that sometimes you need to adapt and change your expectations. Once I met my afternoon classes in the middle, I found myself enjoying them more. And now that we are in the 4th week of school, I find they have also settled into my routine. I opened my ears and my eyes to other classrooms as well, and watched as the 7th graders took forever to settle down, would run into the classroom and make a scene, or would have the absolute hardest time staying in their seats. Moving forward, I realize that I need to not only adjust my expectations, but my teaching styles as well to fit the energy within this class. My Do Nows need to be more concrete so they become settled quicker (a worksheet they will turn in for a grade instead of an open ended question in their notebooks) and I need to embrace the noise and the energy and realize a loud class is not a class I don't have control over. That is not to say I need to throw away my expectations, and my students still need to know that they cannot chat while I am teaching and cannot be too loud or rambunctious during laboratory activities or experiments.

I feel that as a "first year teacher," there are so many things I was never told and a multitude of lessons I was never taught in school. The hardest part about being a teacher is that although you are constantly surrounded by people, the profession can sometimes feel so lonely. It is only you in that classroom, and you have no idea what is going on with other classrooms or other teachers when you are concerned only with what is going on within your four walls. Sharing my story with other teachers helped me overcome my issues, and I hope it will help other teachers, be they first year teachers or veteran teachers, as well.

Tips for Making Review Time Interesting!

2012-09-17T11:46:00.001-04:00

When I was in school, I always dreaded the day before the test. Not because the test itself was approaching, but because I knew I would have to sit there and complete a study guide, which was pointless when I had been studying for the test all week. I appreciated my teacher's efforts to let me know what was going to be on the test, but regardless I still hated sitting through students asking the same questions over and over and being assigned busy work to help me review for the test.

My cooperating teacher had a lot of great ideas for review games, especially in Math. The day before a test, I would have my students play games like "Hands Off!" and "Face Off!" The kids enjoyed these games because they were a creative, fast paced way to practice review problems. Rather than have my kids work on problems independently, I had them working in teams, using the blackboard (which kids love to do, really), and tackling problems that were on their level.

The school I am working in now loves technology. There are SmartBoards in almost every classroom, and this year every staff member was given their own MacBook Pro in order to help us prepare for when every student at the high school will receive his or her own MacBook within the next 1 or 2 years. I wanted to make the most of my 2 months here by immersing myself in technology. The information on technology and applications and software for teachers is overwhelming, and this summer I found myself getting lost going from blog to blog as I read what other teachers were doing with the SmartBoards in their classroom. During my search, I found this wonderful site that teachers have used to create review games for their students. These games allow teachers to go over the necessary material, yet the students are actively involved. You can have students work independently or in teams to solve problems and answer questions. The games will keep track of your score, so you can reward students who did the best (on a side note, I knew a teacher that would give 10 extra credit points to the team that scored the highest during a review game. As we know, many of these games have a large element of chance, and I would never recommend awarding points to boost a student's test grade and give them an unfair edge over others. Being able to pick a song to listen to at the end of the day is a nice reward though).

I wanted to take the time to review these games, as I have already made one of them. If you don't have a SmartBoard, do not fret - you can still play these games with a computer attached to a projector (just control everything from your computer). You could also create similar games in PowerPoint.

I do have to add a small disclaimer for this site. There's an option where you can download the game, but to do that you need to sign up for a subscription. I registered my email address, but then it went to another page where it asked me for my credit card information. I never put it in because I didn't want this company to have my credit card number (even though downloading the games comes with a 30 day free trial), but for a few days I had a $1 pending charge on my credit card from this company. My credit card is fine, but if this makes you nervous, I would suggest not using this site, and certainly not giving them your email address. Make these games on a work computer and not one with your personal information on it. I hate that this site does this, because my students have had a wonderful time playing these review games.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Complete with the sound effects from the actual game show, this game allows the teacher to create multiple choice review questions. If students have their own laptops, you can assign students to answer each question independently and see who can reach the $1 million mark first. When I did it with my class, I had them split into groups of 4 or 5 people each. However, because the game just keeps going from question to question (as if 1 person was playing it) I challenged each of my 5 sections to see if they could earn the most amount of money. So, not only were they working in a small group to come up with answers to these questions, they were supporting each other on a whole class level as well.

Jeopardy!

This is a great review game for open ended questions. This game is good for a small group setting, and you can keep other groups involved by reminding them that any wrong answers can be answered by other groups. The game keeps track of the teams' scores so you can just worry about moderating the game. Plus, you can create final jeopardy at the end, with each group wagering how many points they want to risk on getting the right answer.

Speed Match Quiz Game
This game would be best for independent review. I would probably use it as a center for my middle students who need some extra review, but don't need my instruction for it. This game times students as they match terms to a question. If you know all of your students have computers at home, I would send this review game home for homework and ask students to write down how quickly they solved the quiz.

Board Review Game
This is another game which could be used as a center for 5 or 6 students to review the material. The thing I like most about this game is the way you can differentiate it. Just like with the speed match quiz game, you can make three different types of games - one for your high, one for your mid, and one for your low students. This way, students are being challenged appropriately. You can also play this on a whole class level as well, with the class grouped into 5 or 6 teams.

This site also has a few classroom management tools as well, such as a random name generator you can use instead of popsicle sticks and a group making tool so you can quickly and easily group students for these review games or centers. I can see myself using this site often, especially the jeopardy and who wants to be a millionaire games, to help my students master terms and definitions as well as review for any upcoming tests. Let me know if you try these games out for yourself and tell me what you think!

Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza

2012-09-10T18:30:00.002-04:00

I've been on this kick lately in which I've been actually making dinner for you all. If you take a look at my recipe box, I'm pretty sure it is about 80% dessert recipes. However, in the past week I have made 3 different dinner recipes. I've made pizza before, but when I made it last year I had made individual pizzas on the grill. This time, we decided to make it in the oven. Including the time it took to make the dough and the pesto, the whole process took about an hour (with help, of course). Plus, I was able to save about half of the dough to make another pizza later (or to make both at once).

I had been waiting to make this pizza for a long time. Waiting for the basil plants to grow tall enough, waiting for there to be leftover chicken. This pizza was definitely worth the wait. This is also another really great recipe to have on hand during the school year, since you can make the pizza dough over the weekend, freeze it, and then leave it in the refrigerator during the day to defrost. Then you can come home, preheat your oven, top your pizza, and dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes. Now that I'm teaching, easy weeknight meals are clutch to have around :)

This dough is for a thin crust pizza, so you can either bake it right away, or let the dough rest and rise for a couple of hours to get a thicker crust pizza. I made it both ways and both ways were very enjoyable.

Have fun with this recipe! Have everyone in your family make their own mini pizza. Or put all of your favorite toppings on one pizza and see how it comes out. The only thing that needs to stay the same is you need to put your cheese on at the very end and let it bake for about 3 minutes. The cheese will scorch before the dough is cooked if you put everything on at once.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza

Makes about 3 pies, depending on the size of your pan

Ingredients

For the pizza dough

- 1 ½ c water, lukewarm

- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1, ¼ oz packet)

- 4 ½ c flour

- 1 tsp salt

For the toppings

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 c pesto

- 1 1/2 c cooked chicken, sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 cup mozzarella cheese

- 1 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 500F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil.

Pour packet of active dry yeast into lukewarm water and whisk with a fork until the yeast is dissolved. Let sit for about 10 minutes to activate the yeast.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and form a well in the center of the flour. Pour the water into the well and, using your hands or a dough hook on an electric mixer (not a beater!), mix the flour and the water together. When combined, transfer half of the dough to a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, not sticky. Repeat with the second half. (Note: at this point, you can let the dough rise for a couple of hours in a cool, dry place, or you can let it rise in the oven while it bakes).

Take one ball of dough and place it in your baking sheet. Press the dough down and stretch it out until it fills the pan. Brush olive oil over the dough. Spoon your pesto sauce into the center of the dough and spread until it is about ½ in from the edge of the dough. Pile on the chicken.

Bake the pizza for about 5 minutes and then rotate your pizza 180 degrees. Bake for another 3 minutes, sprinkle the cheese and garlic on top, and bake for an additional 2 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then serve.

Dough can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer.

Dough adapted from: The Kitchn

Baked Tilapia with Creamy Basil Pasta

2012-08-30T11:42:00.001-04:00

Words honestly cannot describe how much I love Pinterest. I mentioned in this post from this weekend that Pinterest has saved my life when it comes to organizing ideas for my lessons, labs, classroom management policies, and classroom itself, but I also love my To Make board, where I can answer "What should we have for dinner tonight?" with a simple click of a button. I actually pinned this recipe because of the sauce. I tried to make an alfredo sauce in college, and it didn't come out too great. When we decided to make this dish, I paired it with some pan seared tilapia and it was amazing! I immediately fell in love with this recipe because of how easy it was and how quickly it came together. My father had a birthday last week, so I decided to make him this dish for his birthday dinner (since he's not really a fan of sweets anyway).

You need to multitask a little when making this recipe. To save time, I preheated the oven and set the water for my spaghetti at the same time. Then, I prepped my fish and the other ingredients while everything was heating up. I popped the fish in the oven and the spaghetti in the pot at the same time, and luckily they took about the same time to cook. The sauce itself comes together in a matter of minutes. It went from fridge to plate in about 30 minutes. You really can't ask for better than that.

This pasta sauce would compliment chicken as well as a white fish. Pair it with a salad and you have a quick and easy dinner to make during the week. The cream sauce is definitely a once a week treat and I highly suggest pouring it over your fish as well as your spaghetti. However, it's a treat that is certainly worth it, as evidenced by my family's empty plates.

Baked Tilapia with Creamy Basil Pasta

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients

- 4 fillets of Tilapia, rinsed

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- dash of salt and pepper, plus extra to taste for the sauce

- ½ lb spaghetti

- 1 tbsp butter

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 tbsp flour

- 1 c milk

- 2/3 c half and half

- 1/2 c basil leaves, chopped

- ¼ c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with non stick aluminum foil. While the oven is preheating, boil the water for the spaghetti. Add in the noodles once the water begins to boil and cook for the time stated on the back of the box. Coat the tilapia in olive oil, salt, and pepper and place in the oven once it reaches 375F. Bake for 12 – 18 minutes and remove once the tilapia is white throughout and flakes apart easily when cut.

While the tilapia is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter and garlic. Cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds) and then whisk in the flour until it dissolves. Let the roux cook for another minute and then add the milk and half and half, stirring constantly. Allow the mixture to slightly thicken (about 8 minutes) and then toss in the basil and Parmesan. The sauce won’t thicken completely until the cheese is added. Add salt and pepper as desired. When the spaghetti is done cooking, add it to the sauce and toss with tongs to coat the spaghetti evenly. Serve immediately with the tilapia and pour extra sauce on top.

Note: if making this recipe for 2 people, do not decrease the ingredients for the sauce.

Sauce adapted from: How Sweet Eats

Quarter Life Weekend Update #2

2012-08-25T14:53:00.001-04:00

My mind can't wrap itself around the fact that school starts in less than two weeks. I've been spending the better part of my summer planning for the two months I'll be working. When I'm running, I'm running my "welcome back speech" through my head. When I'm on vacation, I'm devising ways to make my labs meaningful and exciting for my students. I'm constantly working, and thinking about work, and yet I still don't feel prepared for the first day of school. I guess I won't feel fully prepared until I'm in the school, in my classroom, implementing my lessons to my students.

I said before, I have been doing an inordinate amount of prep this summer (although I have heard you could never do enough planning), and one thing I have noticed is that there is a multitude of information on teaching online, yet little way to organize it. If you follow me on Pinterest, you can see how much I have pinned to my Teacher's Toolbox and For the Classroom boards. This is the main way I have been able to organize all of the material I have found online. I may not read through everything as I find it, but I know where it is when I want to go back to it. With a quick glance, I can peruse through my toolbox for lesson ideas, management strategies, and other classroom activities. I would highly recommend using this method to organize your life; I think it's safe to say Pinterest is one of the best sites to have come around in years.

I've also found this blog incredibly helpful when it comes to creative lesson planning and, well, anything! Rachel Lynette has tons of worksheets, lesson ideas, and resources that align with common core standards. It's the perfect resource for any elementary teacher. Unfortunately, I'll be teaching 7th grade in the fall, but I have been saving these resources to my hand Pinterest board should I find myself in an elementary class in the future. I've recently been grabbing worksheets and resources from Laura Candler as well, and would definitely consider buying her books if I ever have to teach the reading workshop. She has a lot of great resources and tips, and many of her materials can be modified for middle school students.

One problem I often find when planning lessons is that I have the perfect worksheet in mind to go along with it, and then I spend a couple hours making one up. I wish there was a site with blank worksheets that I could pull from (especially concept maps). Sometimes I'll find the perfect worksheet, but it's in PDF version and I can't edit the template to fit my needs. I have found this site incredibly helpful, and am often downloading the free science resources. Yet I wish there was a better place for me to find the templates I need to create my own worksheets quickly and efficiently. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)

In other news, both my mother and father had a birthday this August. We celebrated my mother's birthday with this angel food cake roll, which was well received by everyone. I would highly recommend making it for your Labor Day party! We celebrated my dad's birthday with a special pasta and fish dish, which I will post sometime next week when I can get the pictures off of my camera. See, my camera won't connect for the computer, so the only way I can get my pictures off of my camera is to insert my SIM card into my dad's laptop, which he took with him to Pennsylvania. You know what else he took with him to Pennsylvania? This cupcake. Which he ate without me. But, I did receive a picture.

It's going to be a pretty crazy week next week as I begin to finalize my plans for the first few days of school. Any tips other than establishing consistent and firm procedures would be greatly appreciated :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Roll

2012-08-17T15:16:00.000-04:00

My mom had a pretty significant birthday this week, so I wanted to make sure I made her a really special dessert. She had immediately asked for angel food cake (since it's the healthiest kind of cake you can eat - no butter!) and I had thought of making one from scratch. I began to look at recipes and found them to be a little more complicated than I was anticipating. 12 egg whites? My mom didn't want me to use up all of those eggs anyway, so I decided to use a box mix. However, when I was searching through angel food cake recipes, I came across a recipe for an angel food cake roll by Brown Eyed Baker. My mom had wanted homemade whipped cream and strawberries with her angel food cake, so I thought this recipe would be perfect!

The most intimidating part of this recipe for me was rolling up the angel food cake. Here's how I did it and found success: after dusting my tea cloth with powdered sugar (sift the sugar over the cloth for best results), I inverted the pan over it at an angle and used my other hand to run a spatula along the sides and the bottom of the cake to coax it out of the pan. Then, I rolled it up the long way, and left it in the tea towel to cool completely. You want to do this step while the cake is still warm (I had to hold the pan with a pot holder) so that it rolls easily. When it cools in the tea towel, it will mold into this shape and be easier to roll back up once you spread your filling on the inside. Wait too long, and you'll risk the chance of your cake being too cool and breaking! However, the spongy angel food cake really lends itself to being rolled like a jelly roll, which makes this process easier than it initially looks.

Don't go crazy with spreading the filling either; a thin layer is best (about twice as much as what's shown in the picture on the left). This way, you can roll the cake up tightly without all of your filling coming out of the sides. The tighter you can roll your cake, the more beautiful it will look when cut. You'll have some filling leftover, so be sure to save it to serve with your slices of cake!

Also, want to see a neat trick for hulling strawberries? Take a straw and stick it through the bottom of the strawberry so it comes out right underneath the hull! Quick and easy, especially when you're hulling a lot of strawberries.

I could not have asked for a better cake. The presentation was very pretty, and my family was raving over how delicious it was. I couldn't take all of the credit since the cake came from a Duncan Hines box, but if you're serving this cake at a party your guests don't need to know that ;) And much to my surprise, the whipped cream didn't make the cake soggy even 2 days after I had made it. I would absolutely recommend making this cake simply because of how beautifully it comes out with minimal effort. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Roll
Yield: 2 rolls, serves about 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 15 - 20 minutes

Ingredients
- 1 box Angel Food Cake Mix (with ingredients called for on box)
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 1 dozen strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions
Preheat the oven according to the directions on the cake mix. Instead of using a roll pan, grab 2 9x13 in pans. Do not grease unless told to do so on box.

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the back of the box. Pour the batter into the prepared pan until the batter is about 1 in. thick (no more than 1/3 of the way up the side of the pan). The thinner the cake, the easier it will be to roll later. Repeat with the second pan. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes.

Dust a clean cloth kitchen or tea towel with powdered sugar. Turn the cake out onto the cloth and roll up the cake in the towel starting with the short side. Repeat for the second cake and let cool completely in the towel on a wire rack.

To make the filling, whip the whipping cream on medium - high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Gently fold in the strawberries and place in fridge.

To assemble the cake, unroll the cake completely and spread the filling on the inside of the cake to within about 1/2 inch from the edge. Roll the cake back up and store in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap, until ready to serve. Repeat with the second cake.

Right before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar (if desired). Cut the cake using a back and forth motion with a serrated knife. Serve with any leftover strawberries and cream. Will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Turn a Baggy T-Shirt Into a Workout Tank!

2012-08-13T17:08:00.000-04:00

It seems that this post is better late than never. To tell the truth, I have been on vacation for the past week, and just recently had a chance to download all of the pictures off my camera so I could finalize this post. As promised last week, I'll show you how to make the work out tank I wore in my back workout post. The tank is incredibly easy to make, with new sewing involved! All you need is a t-shirt that's about 2 sizes too big, scissors, and about 20 minutes of your time.

I'm a t-shirt hoarder. I have about two drawers filled with t-shirts - ones that fit, and ones that are slightly too big for me but I hold on to them as "sleep shirts." The thing is, I don't need 25 sleep shirts. I have shirts from plays I did in high school, shirts from races, and shirts from random trips and concerts. Most of these shirts, even if they're a small, are too big for me, so I often forgo them for more form fitting shirts when working out.

I believe many of you have seen this tank floating around the Pinterest-sphere. I decided to finally make two (a white and a dark) for my games at Wildwood. I wanted something light, comfortable, and that I could completely destroy in the sand, sun, and surf and not have to worry about it. So I went to the original post and put together some easy tanks in less than 30 min! Plus, there's no sewing involved! Here's how it's done:

Cut the collar, sleeves, and bottom hem off of the shirt. Set that strip of hemming to the side. Take some more off of the arms and neck to create straps about 2 inches thick.

Cut a v in the back of the shirt. This is important for the next step.

Take that hem that you set aside and use it to tie the straps together. This is why you want the V in the back of the shirt, it'll help keep the shirt from bunching when you tie the straps together. Wrap the string down the straps, back up, and then tie the loose ends together.

That's it!! This is such an easy way to turn that baggy t-shirt you'll never wear into a fashionable tank. I love how you wrap the shirt around the straps in the back - it looks so cool and you don't have to sew anything! Pair them with some yoga pants or running shorts and you're good to go!

Back Workout

2012-08-03T11:04:00.000-04:00

I've been working as a part time teacher at a local tutoring center for the past few weeks. I enjoy the work very much and, like the students who go there, it keeps me fresh for the upcoming school year. I've been working mornings since that is when I am at my best, plus I like having the rest of the day to myself. However, I've really missed being able to sit on my laptop with a cup of tea and be productive in the mornings. This morning, I woke up early and dressed for work, only to receive a call that my student had called out and they didn't need me to come in. I was already awake, caffeinated, and dressed, so I decided to take charge of my morning and actually get some work done!

I always loved waking up early(ish) because it makes it seem like the possibilities for the day are endless. Like, I actually have time to watch the Olympics. I've been staying up way too late to watch the coverage (why don't they air it earlier? It happened 6 hours beforehand!!), but this morning is the first chance I've had to plop myself on the couch with my laptop and keep the Olympics running in the background while I get some work done. The track prelims are happening right now, and lot of these women are from countries I've never heard of, advocating for other women in their country to gain equal rights. Plus, the sportscasters keep commenting on how this is the first year in which every country participating in the Olympics has sent a woman. Pretty inspiring. Especially when these women are running 100M in the time it takes me to run 50M. I always get so antsy to work out with the Olympics on - all I want to do is run at the track and swim in the pool. So in the spirit of the Olympics, I thought I would post a workout!

There are a myriad of reasons as to why it is important to have a strong back. Having good posture not only makes you walk like a supermodel, but it helps prevent injury to your lower back as well. Plus, many of these exercises will increase your overall core strength, which is incredibly important when it comes to running, climbing, swimming, and, well, any sport really. To note, I don't like to assume that everyone who reads my blog knows exactly what I'm talking about when I say "lat pull downs" or "hyperextensions," therefore, this post became a little lengthy with all of my explanations. I also provide adaptations for each exercise so that people of any athletic ability can find a challenge in this workout. Remember, if you've been experiencing back pain, make sure you speak to a doctor before attempting any of these workouts.

planks - targets arms, shoulders, and back/core

Get into a push up position, but instead of putting your weight on your hands, put it on your forearms. Keep your core tight and your spine straight; you don't want your belly to be sagging or your butt to be sticking up in the air. If you've never done planks before, start by holding the position for 30 seconds.

Adaptations:
- hold position for longer.
- side plank - rest on one arm and one foot
- go into regular push up position for an extra arm workout

supermans - targets lower back/core
Lie on your stomach with your arms in front of you. Lift your chest off the floor as high as you can and hold the position for a second. Do not let your arms touch the floor. Lower yourself back down. Start with 10 if you've never done them before and then add on reps as they become easier and you can raise your chest higher off of the ground.

kick backs - targets lower back/glutes

Make a "table" with your body by getting on your hands and knees. Use slow, controlled movements to kick one leg out behind you, straightening it as you kick back. Lower your leg so you're back in the table position. Repeat 10 times on each side if you've never done this before.

Adaptations:
- strap on an ankle weight
- use an inflatable disc. I like to challenge myself this way because I'm kicking back with one leg while trying to keep my balance with the other. Plus, when you're balancing on the disc, the leg you're kicking back with can't touch the ground, so you're creating a more difficult workout since you're removing the rest periods as you lower your leg back down. To use the disc, place your weight over your knee right in the center of the disc (this will take some adjusting) and proceed with the workout. A rolled up towel or yoga mat can have a similar effect if doing this workout at home.

If you're at the gym:

hyperextensions on ab machines - targets lower back

Google Images

You probably have walked by this machine dozens of time without knowing its true purpose. It looks like a very odd machine, but it can provide a fantastic workout for your back. To use the machine, place your feet against the platform and make sure the pads are resting right under your hip bones, against the top of your thighs. You want to be able to bend over at the waist without the pads pushing into your stomach. Bend forward at the waist and keep your back straight! Pull yourself back up, still keeping your back straight. To increase the difficulty, do more reps or hold a weight against your chest (like the disc-shaped weights that go on barbells).

lat pull downs - targets shoulders/back

Google Images

I love these next two exercises because they target so many muscles in your back. However, you're going to need one of these machines. Set the weight to about 10lbs if you've never used this machine before. Even if the weight seems a little light, you want to make sure you have the motion/form perfect before you begin to add on weight in order to prevent injury. Grab the bars and pull them down so you're sitting. Tuck your legs under the foam cylinders in order to keep yourself from rising up in the seat. Pull the bar down until it is at your chest, and then let the bar raise up using a slow controlled movement until you are just before the point of your elbows locking. This is one rep. Increase the reps (I do three sets of 8) or the weight in order to increase difficulty.

rows - targets shoulders/biceps

Google Images

Similarly, you're going to need this machine if you're to do seated cable rows. If you have free weights, I outlined how to do rows with them in this post here. The cable rows, however, provide for more controlled movements, and you can usually tack on more weight using this machine rather than if you use the free weights alone. Sit on the bench with your feet against the pads. Grab the pulleys and scoot back on the bench while holding onto the pulleys until your legs are almost straight. Keeping your back straight and your core tight, pull the pulleys back until your hands are at your sides, and then extend until just before your elbows lock. That was 1 rep. It's incredibly important for you to keep your back straight and your core tight, slouching can cause injury.

And there you have it! I hope you hit the gym or just find a spot on your living room floor to work on your back/core strength. P.S. Like that tank I was wearing? It used to be a super baggy T-shirt! I'll be demonstrating how I did this next week :)

How-to Make the Perfect Hot Dog!

2012-07-24T20:47:00.000-04:00

This may be cringe inducing to some of you, but I love hot dogs. When I was younger, I'd only have ketchup on my hot dogs, and my dad would encourage us to eat them by writing my brother's and my name on the hot dogs in ketchup. Very cute. Nowadays, I'll put almost anything on my hot dogs. I've been dying to go to one of those hot dog shacks with all of the crazy toppings because I think I would just go WILD. Absolutely wild. In fact, I'm going to Wildwood this weekend for the annual Beach Ultimate Tournament and will be making a stop at this restaurant that I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I'm already having trouble deciding what I'm going to get!

Alright, so this is what you need to do. First, boil your hot dog in water, just to get it warm.

Then drain the pan, throw in some butter, and fry the dog until it's a deep red color. This gets the outside really crispy and the inside stays juicy. So good. I recommend the Kirkland brand hot dogs, even if you have to buy 50 of them at a time from Costco.

I love mine with sauerkraut and a pickle. Yumm. Also here's another little tip - put your toppings on the bottom. I know, a little backwards, but it'll keep your toppings in place. And be sure to have a fork handy for those pieces that do get away.

What are some of your favorite hot dog toppings?

Angry Birds Cupcakes

2012-07-20T16:46:00.000-04:00

As you know, I love themed parties. And it turns out I have a lot of friends whose birthdays are in July. So, we gathered a bunch of our friends together and threw and Angry Birds themed birthday party! Why Angry Birds? Because I love that game. And I was looking to make decorated cupcakes - I haven't whipped out my decorating tools in a very long time.

These cupcakes were so incredibly easy. I picked which birds (and pigs!) I wanted to make and dyed my icing accordingly. I iced my cupcakes and then began applying the details. My favorite part was the white chocolate discs I bought to use as giant eyes, they really made the cupcakes. I then went over and around the eyes using a Wilton #3 and #2 tips to apply the details to the eyes, beaks, and feathers. One piece of advice I can give is that less is really more when it comes to details. I wanted to keep adding things to my birds and pigs but when you add more details, sometimes the design becomes cluttered as the details run together.

I think my favorite ones were the pigs. They're so goofy, I really love the way they came out. And the best part about these cupcakes was it took me about 20 minutes to decorate them! If you look closely, I only used two different colored icing for my piping: black for the outlines and a gold color for some of the details and the beaks. I would highly recommend trying your hand at these cupcakes if you're even considering having an Angry Birds party, you need very little detail to get such a fantastic result!