Talk about your turn of events

I know I haven't updated in a long time, and I probably would have kept going without an update but I HAVE to write about today and I can not find my journal the one time in two weeks I have something solid to write about.

So...this morning I woke up feeling terrible. Not like physically but emotionally. It took me sooo long to get out of the mood I was in, I can't even begin to tell you. There were a couple of things that happened that sort of made it worse, but they do not need to be shared with the internet, so moving on. A couple of times I thought about wanting to go home and trying to figure out how to do that (I even thought about stopping by the board on campus with all the people seeking rides, or to carpool with around the country). Every time I thought about that I told myself I was crazy because while the last time I went home was wonderful, it showed/reminded/taught me that I am sometimes better off here in Provo. I said a tiny prayer seeking some divine help/guidance.
Later in the afternoon [4 pm, weekend plans: maybe a wedding reception? then mope about my lack of potential wedding reception] I remembered I had to take some stuff back to the library and make a copy or two. After giving up on Jane Eyre (sorry Charlotte, I'll try again later I promise) and returning HSM and HSM2 from my High School Musical Marathon I went to the no shh zone to make my copies and I ran into no other than my friend Alyssa. Upon seeing each other we remembered that we were supposed to hang out and had yet to make plans to. Now obviously being the perfect time, we cummenced a rather short, but eventful hang out.
A: You're from the LA area right?
Me: Well, San Diego, so a little south, but yes. Why?
A: A group of us are going down to go to Disneyland and some other things and every place we have tried to stay keep backing out. Do you think your parents would mind if we stayed there?
Me: Oh Disneyland?! I love Disneyland! I'd have to call and ask...
A: You should totally come too.
Me: When are you going?
A: Wednesday thru Sunday morning...
OF course I agreed to go! I'm not working, I really have no plans made. I've been bumming around Provo for the past few weeks and am more than happy to have an excuse to see my beloved family and play in California. [5 pm, weekend plans: CALIFORNIA! Stay with the fam, go to D-land, beach then back to Provo] I was extatic! No more boring, mope around after a wedding receptiong wishing to be less of a lonely number for me. A surprise trip to California to give myself a last burst of energy to get me through till Thanksgiving. Plus Kaity-poo had agreed to come to D-land with us so I would get to spend the whole day with her as well.
All through the rest of the evening and FHE (which went swimmingly btw, haha punny because we played in the pool) the one thing on my mind was the fact that I would be home in two days and at a beach on Friday. I know Kaity-poo has been having a tough time this summer and my only regret was not being able to spend more time with her. (Other things that could be regretable are also slightly unavoidable with surprise trips). About midnight here in Provo I got a text from my dad asking if there was anyway for me to come and stay for awhile to help Kait get through everything. Since I was hoping to surprise somebody with this trip, I hadn't told Dad about it yet. I called him and explained the whole surprise trip and offered to stay on longer since I'm not getting any hours at work until the 12th at the earliest. [12:30 am, weekend plans: CALIFORNIA! Stay with the fam, go to D-land, beach then stay in ENC until probably the 1oth of August] Yes, that's right, in less than 12 hours ALL of my plans for the rest of the summer changed. Unbelievable! I just can't get over it! I've known for awhile that I should be in Provo this summer, but I think this weekend my time ran out and I'm needed back home until it's time to come back to get ready for the fall (work, move etc).

Wow, this is way longer than I meant it to be! I should really put a moral of the story at the begining of each post for when they get this long, but then I'd be afraid no one would read the rest of it. Maybe next time.

I probably need a new hobby

So, I was going to go to bed and dream happy thoughts of Hrithik Roshan and Elephants...but then I realized I have had a FULL week of movies and therefore need to blog about it.

Thursday: Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham
Any movie where Hrithik and Shah Rukh Khan are adopted brothers is obviously going to be a winner. If you've got four hours to spare (or even if you don't) watch it. And don't worry, it really doesn't feel that long.
Or if you only have 6 mins...watch this video

Friday: U Me aur Hum
So Friday G calls me to inform me that there's something about boats in movies that make her cry. Wanting to know what in the world could possibly have this effect on her, I found it on Youtube and devoted my Friday afternoon to it. It's a bit slow in the beginning and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't taken the much needed adventure into bollywood movies...but if you have, then go ahead and watch it! Not my all time favorite, but still really cute.


Saturday: TAKEN
Most of this last weekend was spent getting K moved into my room. However, needing a little break we walked across the court to her brother's apartment to watch Taken. A couple things to note: 1) this is not my kind of movie, and 2) no really, I don't like movie's with lots of killing in them. HOWEVER, this is a fantastic movie! Every death was (somewhat) justified and all the fight scenes were pretty epic. I am slightly afraid to go to Europe now, but I figure if I take a strong man or two I should be just fine right? Especially if one of them is Liam Neeson.


Sunday: P.S. I Love You
I don't think I really need to write about this, but I just have to say, you can only watch this movie if you're in the right mood. I was definitely in the right mood.

Monday: The Unsinkable Molly Brown

Well dip me and fry me! I love love love this movie! Watch it! Just do it. You'll thank me later.




Tuesday: UP and He's Just Not That Into You
Yes, two movies in one day. But it was sooo what I needed!
Up is fantastic! I went and saw it with an orange loving friend and a positive friend. I am officially in love with this movie! I want to see it again, and again, and then one more time...until it comes out on DVD and I can do nothing BUT watch this fantastic movie! Everyone will find this movie entertaining, no matter how old you are, no matter your station in life. If you don't, then there's probably something wrong with you.

So after we went and saw Up, we started talking about dating and relationships and such. Of course the subject of He's Just Not That Into You came up and after doing a bit of research we discovered that it had come out that day. I think this movie has interesting insights into the world of dating. While everything should be taken with a grain of salt, there are somethings that were basically right on. This was the second time I'd seen the movie (the first time with a couple of girls) and getting to watch it with boys is an entirely different experience... ok not entirely, but significantly different. (Thank goodness for DVD's and being able to skip entire scenes!)

Wednesday: Jodhaa Akbar
Thank you Bollywood Night! I don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but almost every Wednesday a group of kids from my last ward gets together to watch a Bollywood movie. It has done wonders for my already large amount of love for all things foreign. This week was Jodhaa Akbar. While this movie contains more fighting and less dancing/singing than I like in my Bollywood movies, it's still an excellent movie! It gives some great insight into the issues that arise when people of different faiths marry (a Muslim man and a Hindu woman would have a lot of issues!). Plus there's the bonus of seeing Hrithik Roshan without a shirt on. I know SOME people think he's oddly formed and should snap at the waist, but I'm not convinced that's a bad thing.


Oh no! I haven't baked in like two weeks! Someone help me!

A Memorable Trip Home

Now that I've been back in Provo for about a week I guess it's time to write about my trip home Memorial Day Weekend...
Friday:
I got to see Steen! We watched Seven Pounds and her bf was there (who is very nice and I approve of), so we didn't get to do a ton of catching up but it was great seeing her.
I had In'n'out and Rico's in the same day! No trip home is complete without both.
The Fam (Mom, Dad, Kait & Em), Grandmom (who came into town for Lucas' b-day) and I went to see Night at the Museum 2. The Smiths couldn't come :( but Kaits beau did!
Saturday:
After much craziness (including losing a chef and the failure of a firetruck cake), we got to Lucas' firetruck themed birthday party. It was so fun! I finally got to see Lucas (after being home for almost 2 days!) and ate delicious bar be que. There were a lot of family members to chat with and young children to run after.
I taught my family nerts. They are obsessed! That's all they wanted to do for the rest of the weekend. No joke.
Sunday:
Family time galore! And good food. and nerts
Monday:
DISNEYLAND!!! I love that place soo much! All I have to say about this trip is: 11 rides in 5 hours, I'm awesome.
Then it was time to come back to Provo...but no worries. I'll be back for two weeks in 16 days :)

PS Recipe? Remember Chocolate Thunder? Well...get ready for Firetruck Thunder. Basically the same, except store bought everything and cheery juice instead of rasberry jam. and red icing...hence the Firetruck. Three-year-olds everywhere approve :)

Create your own visitor map!

If I waited a couple more days I could make it exactly a month since my last post, but I've decided not to.
SOooooo much has happened since my last post...here's a quick recap:
I was homeless for a weekend. Thanks to my lovely friend MP and her Aunt, I had a place to crash AND store my stuff.
I moved into my new apartment.
I got a new roommate named Tiare (pronounced the way its spelled Tee r ee)
I started new classes (Econ 382, Hist 201 and DANCE 180!!!)
I worked a ton, had an impromptu pizza party with a co-worker.
Tiare moved out after 2 weeks, a new girl Michelle took her place.
I withdrew from my History class.
K has gone to Texas, not once, but twice in the past three weeks. (her dad is a pilot, she can do that sort of thing.)
I've decided to stay for not only the Spring but Summer as well...
I have made BYU Brownies TWICE in two Sundays.

BYU MINT BROWNIES



Sugar-n-Spice, Cougareat Food Court

MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)

MINT ICING (I've been having trouble getting the icing right...good luck)
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Easter!!!

So I'm aware that I'm a little late getting my Easter post up, but I've been really busy recently...
Easter was really great! Church was awe-some. Afterward, our apartment had a fun get together. I bought a ham and successfully glazed it! Once we had stuffed ourselves on green bean casserole (thanks to G), orange creamsicle jello (thanks to S) and mashed potatoes (thanks to N), we went out and had our own little twist of an easter egg hunt. Ok, ok, it wasn't our own. Technically it originated in Texas and N was the one to introduce us to it. Basically, for like a month we cracked eggs in a special way so we could save the shell mostly intact (after we washed it out). Easter Sunday, N dyed them and S and G helped put confetti in all of them (I was busy with the ham). So after dinner we went outside and cracked them on each others heads! It was way fun and there's still confetti and egg debris outside on the grass behind our building.
Once we had cracked all our eggs we went back inside to watch The Testiments (which I still love! and cry during).

In the spirit of the ressurection of our Lord and Savoir, here are a couple of YouTube videos...
An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ


All Creatures of Our God and King (one of my fav's)


To keep with the Baking theme of this Blog, I made a yummy, chocolate mush on Easter which we have dubbed "Chocolate Thunder". I unfortunately didn't get a picture of it, so basically imagine a mixture of Chocolate Cake with Sour Milk, Sour Cream Frosting, Chocolate Pudding, and watered down raspberry jam. Sooo good! Trust me on this.

Girl Scout cookies?

So Conference Weekend was awesome! (ya ok, two weeks late I know) N and G went and visited family so S and I stayed home and watched. I love being able to hear the words of the Lord! I decided that Sunday I would have a baking extravaganza. Mainly to keep busy and give some people in the ward cookies, but also because I have recently decided to become a PASTRY CHEF!!! I think by my most recent calculation I decided that it's going to take me about three years before I can get my degree from the pastry school of my choice. I still have to graduate from BYU (hopefully August 2010), and then I'm planning on finding a job for a year to finance said educational adventure. Plus it might be nice to take a trip somewhere foreign. We'll see...

But back to Conference weekend. I was looking for recipes to bake when I stumbled upon one for Caremel de Lites (aka Samoas!). After about a month of wishing I knew some Girl Scouts, I realized I'm talented enough to make my own GS cookies. So I found a recipe for Thin Mints and got super excited to bake all of Sunday. I then realized that I should have my own baking blog! So...this is officially becoming my baking blog. Fear not! In case you were wondering how you are going to keep track of my busy, busy life I'm still going to add tidbits about my random happenings. I might even update more.

Homemade Samoas Bars
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping). Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes 30 bar cookies.

Mock Thin Mints
An Occasional Chocolate recipe
1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 Eggs
2 T. Water
2 T. Cooking Oil
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1 pkg. Guittard Chocolate Chips
2−3 drops Mint Flavoring Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cake mix, eggs, water, cooking oil, and cocoa. Blend together well. Let stand for 20 minutes, and then shape into 1/2 inch balls. Place balls on cookie sheet 2 inches a part and smash down flat using a spoon covered in non-stick spray. Bake for about 8 minutes. Let cool.
Heat chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. When completely melted add a couple drops of the mint flavoring. Dip the cookies into the chocolate using a dipping tool

After having to combine melted chocolate chips with cookies I realized two things; 1) I need better chocolate chips to melt down so things aren't so thickly covered, 2) I need to get better at working with chocolate. I just chatted with a girl in my ward who dipped her own strawberries for our wards desert night and she said she uses Almond Bark chocolate from Wal Mart for her melted chocolate purposes. I shall investigate.

Oh PS...this is what I made on the Saturday of Conference. It turned out pretty good I think.

Elvis Gooey Butter Cake
recipe from Paula Deen
Ingredients:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoon (1 stick) butter, melted
Mint leave (for garnish)
Whipped cream (for garnish)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, eggs and butter together and mix well. Pat into a lightly greased 13 X 9-inch baking pan. Prepare filling.

Filling:
One 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 whole banana
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
One 16-ounce box powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Add peanut butter; beat. Add the banana and butter and mix well. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake mixture. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 325 degrees if using a metal pan; 350 degrees if using a glass pan. You want the center to be a little gooey, so do not over bake. Top cake slice with mint leaf and dollop of whipped cream.

I put half a can of chocolate frosting on top. Chocolate + Banana's+Peanut Butter=Yummm!