First Day of School... and starving begins.

  Welcome back to school everyone! I am not sure who all will follow this because not a lot of the world knows about the post... which is probably a very good thing because I am about to vent.  Why am I about to vent you ask?  I am SO hungry.  I am -$55.00 because I needed to get gas to get to work, to make money, to buy gas, and pay for bills, and pay for school, and maybe get something to eat.  At least this will make me lose the 10lbs that I gained over Christmas break (thank you mom). And that is all I will post for today.  I am tired and watching New Girl before my class begins. On the up side: It is my birthday, and I got my homework done for the day:) Later Gator.

Video Game: Forest of Words

A project that was assigned to me in class was to write an informative video game script.  Here is Forest of Words: a spelling game for elementary school children.

http://fs.finearts.utah.edu/~mnix/forestofwords/videogame/

Holiday Baking- Candied Pretzels

Candied pretzels make one of the easiest and scrumptious holiday traditions of my past. If you have children, they will love these (I know I did).

1 pkg of vanilla almond bark
1 large bag of pretzels
Red and Green Sprinkles

Crush pretzels in bag.  You DO NOT want dust so do not crush them too much.  After pretzels are broken up enough, break almond bark into squares.  Put just the almond bark in a large pot and turn on stove to low-medium heat.  Make sure to keep stirring so bark does not burn to the bottom of the pan. After the bark has melted all the way through, add pretzels and stir.  Lay out wax paper/foil and spoon tablespoon sized pretzel clusters onto paper.  Add sprinkles and let them harden.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has passed... but one can be thankful anytime of the year correct?! And if there is one thing I am thankful for all year round, it is pie.  In lieu of the holiday spirit I have a delicious pumpkin pie recipe to share. This is also a family recipe.  Both of my parents come from the south which means southern homestyle cooking is where I grew up and have taken a lot of that to heart when I am cooking/baking.  Therefore, this is no ordinary pumpkin pie. It is a molasses pumpkin pie!

1 12oz can of pumpkin
3/4 cup of evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
3 Tbsp of Molasses (I always add a bit more)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
pie crust (frozen or homemade)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix sugar, eggs, and spices all together. Add pumpkin and molasses. Slowly beat in evaporated milk. Pour mixture into pie dish.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes.  Check mixture with a toothpick/knife to make sure middle is not runny.

Let it cool for 2 hours.

Happy Holidays! Enjoy.

Ma's Cheese Stuffed Shells

There is nothing like the cravings of a mother's cooking.  Unless your mother was a horrible cook and in the case, I feel bad for you my friend.  As I was pondering what food I most loved that mom made, I realized there is not a lot that does not include meat.  My family loves meat... they live in Iowa, land of corn and most importantly- cows! As I was running through my recipe book I came across these Stuffed Shells. It is a Italian meal perfect for a cold night that will leave you full for a day.

1 box of jumbo shells
1 1/2 lb ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
Handful of fresh chopped parsley
2 jars of your favorite tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put shells in a large pot filled with water.  Boil shells for 10-15 minutes (watch to make sure shells do not begin to split).  In a 9x13 casserole dish, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom.  Meanwhile in a separate big bowl- combine ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses with the eggs, parsley, salt and pepper.  Once shells are to the medium soft stage, drain and let set to cool for a little while but not too much or the shells will start to stick together (to help this, add olive oil when shells are boiling).  Once shells are cool enough to touch, stuff the shells with cheese filling and place in casserole dish.  Pour desired sauce amount over the stuffed shells.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Serve with garlic bread or baguette.

Animal Abuse Website

  It looks as if my latest version of my "Animal Abuse" website did not save unfortunately.  Dreamweaver... if only I could say a couple of things on this website about you that were appropriate.  One positive side, the links were easy to create.  The website that I have created is not that great, but honestly it is on a very important topic that everyone should know about and try and do something to help the situation.  Even though it's not that great of a website, check it out.  Please and Thanks!

http://fs.finearts.utah.edu/~mnix/AnimalAbuse/

Breakfast!

Breakfast has to be the best meal of the day, especially after a long night.  What is even better than breakfast at 2 p.m., cheap breakfast.  And if you did not feel like going out to eat because you seem to be paralyzed from exhaustion- this meal would be very easy to make at home.  The restaurant is called The Other Place, the meal: Greek Breakfast. 2 scrambled eggs, diced tomatoes, onions, and feta.  The side dish was just simple hash browns and toast.  Delicious and nutritious! Hears to the morning after a very long night. Cheers!