Tricky Treats

Every time I set foot in Marshall Hall, I can't help but survey the tables on either end of the foyer to scope any clubs or campus organizations trying to raise money. Bake sales seem to be the most popular fund raising technique, and they work like a charm, at least on me. The other morning I was entering the building with a friend as we gabbed about our weekend ventures. Mid sentence I veered off both in thought and movement, eyes fixed to the table covered in plates of brownies, cookies and fresh baked sweet breads.

My wallet emerged as pupils dilated and I honed in on a plate of brownies that appeared to be topped with a smothering of peanut butter. Handing over a dollar bill, I selected a brownie heavy on the peanut butter and walked away grinning. Once I found my seat in class, I took a sweet bite of the brownie and cringed as a crunchy edge broke away in my mouth. Not as chewy as I'd hoped, I was also surprised to discover what I thought was peanut butter was actually cookie dough. Fine. I'll take a crunchy brownie any day if it is adorned cookie dough instead of peanut butter. Two treats for the price of one.

Cookie brownie

Later that day I walked with another friend to a coffee shop to catch up on homework. The place only takes cash and I had to spot my friend who forgot this small detail. After ordering our drinks I pulled out my wallet to pay, realizing I was a dollar short. Had I not purchased my brownie treat earlier in the day this mini crisis would have been avoided. Luckily, the barista graciously covered my missing dollar. Funny how the world works sometimes.

Hot chocolate with a heart

I'll Make You a Deal

"I'll let you bite me if you make dinner!" Mary Kate yelled down the stairs as Ashley rolled around on the playroom carpet giggling uncontrollably, still suffering from a bad kool-aid high.

"Where do I get to bite you?" Ashely blurted, kool-aid stained lips flapping in excitement.

These are the types of arrangements I am forced to mediate when things start to get a little too far fetched on my watch. The girls are always making strange sister deals that remind me of the mischief I used to get into with my own sister. I'm glad I don't still go crazy for kool-aid.

Feast of Beasts

Everyone had been talking about the Beast Feast at school. Hosted by the Wildlife Society, this event is an exciting and delicious fundraiser that boasts a delightful array of meaty dishes featuring the finest cuts of squirrel, beaver, venison and other tasty mammals that our fellow students have hunted and skinned. Luckily for those who don't have a hunting license, several students had donated game from their own personal assets. This year my roommate and I were handed a sizable sum of frozen venison, and we  baked it with the same glaze I used on the pork roast on Valentine's Day. Prior to pouring the glaze, we were put to the enjoyable task of cutting out all of the tough, chewy tendons that no Beast Feast patron would have enjoyed crunching into. We all giggled as we sat butchering our deer meat on a Friday night, wondering what most other college kids would think of our extracurricular activity. The roasted venison turned out well, but I neglected to photograph the finished product. Our venison didn't win the "best dish" competition, but there were a lot of tasty contenders this year.

Knife skills

There were SO MANY tendons

Tasty tendons

Couldn't help but look at my orange and
compare that thick white vain to the rubbery
tendons we'd just finished sawing off the meat

I was so hungry I almost forgot to take
this photo. That's buffalo squirrel pizza off to the right

Cookie Hangover

There is a special table in Moon Library that seems to only serve one purpose: it is the snack table. A round wooden table situated in the main entryway directly in front of the circulation desk. Anytime there are leftover munchies from a conference, seminar or other gathering, the tasty morsels are placed on this table. Students quickly emerge from behind heavy books and piles of dull homework to flock to the table newly topped with treats.

Luckily for me, my friends always sit at an advantageous rectangular wooden table in plain view of the snack table. Anytime there are treats to bed had, we are among the first to know. My blonde friend, whom I will refer to as Marilyn Monroe, alerted us of the current snack situation in case any of us remained oblivious. Whilst waiting for the snacks to emerge from the conference room we chatted, and it was during this chatting when I was told one of my roommate's had celebrated a birthday that previous saturday. That's right, I missed my roommate's birthday, but NO ONE reminded me. I've known the guy for less than a year so it's not like I ever knew when his birthday was to start out. I did still manage to live through that entire weekend without a single hint that one of the guys living across the hall from had just turned a year older. Honestly I blame my other roommates as much as myself for not bringing it up. The shock of this realization was suddenly lost when Marilyn Monroe nodded in the direction of the snack table. That gesture could only mean one thing...

On this particular day, there was some sort of presentation taking place, and we had all seen the boxes of cookies on our way into the library. Those glistening boxes of plastic, lids spread wide open waiting for eager hands to pluck out the chewy bites of cookie delight. We were on full alert and ready to pounce. As soon as the boxes were carried from the conference room to the table, Marilyn Monroe gave us the signal, and we were speed walking before the cookie carrier could back peddle out of the way. Hands eagerly grabbed for molasses, oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip. There were even a few mini brownies in the mix but they were the first to be snatched up.

Returning to our table, we relished in our small cookie victory, and I crammed my winnings into my sandwich container for later. After walking home, I approached the roommate whose birthday I'd missed, apologizing profusely for not recognizing the date. No feelings were hurt, partly because he didn't care that much about his birthday to begin with. Feeling reconciled, I went back to my room, and pulled open my desk drawer where the container of cookies patiently waited. I stared longingly at the box contemplating giving away its contents to the boy whose birthday I missed. I gingerly pulled the container out of the drawer and on onto my desk. Lifting the lid, I plucked a molasses cookie from the container. And then another. And by the time I had decided not to give my roommate a belated birthday treat, there was nothing left to give away.

Death Defying Playground Stunts

"Daddy, what is that stuff?" Ashley Olsen shrilly asked. He glanced up at her as he filled a small green flask with whiskey over the kitchen sink.

"It's Jameson. Irish whiskey."

"Is that really bad?" Before her father could answer, he bent down in an attempt to slurp the excess trickling from the rim of the flask's spout.

"It's pretty bad," Ashley's mother chimed in. "We're giving this to a friend."

Mother and father were off to the local irish pub for green beer delivery day, an annual tradition leading up to St. Patrick's Day, or as Ashely calls it, Leprechaun Day. There was talk of making green cupcakes in spirit of the holiday, but Ashley persuaded Mary Kate to agree to snickerdoodles instead.

After cookie baking concluded, we drove to a nearby playground so the girls could expend some pent up energy. I'm always more than willing to spend time outdoors with the girls because they usually get me running through some obstacle course or an army training game which is great exercise.

We arrived at the playground to find it deserted and were happy to have the place to ourselves. The three of us hurried out of the car and pranced to the playground only to nearly tumble into each other after slipping on the thick layer of ice lurking beneath a thin layer of snow. No wonder there were no children playing today; the playground was treacherous.

Leery as I was, the girls were not concerned with a harmless layer of ice and played as they normally would, just occasionally falling to their knees and laughing. Part of the normal playground routine involves a game they invented called "Dare Devil." The format is similar to a game show where one of us will announce the other two contestants as well as the daring feat about the be performed. One of the day's stunts involved sliding across the track ride while avoiding contact with the deep and dangerous puddle of ice water swirling below. Luckily, we all managed to slide across the track without succumbing to the puddle's icy grip. There were other, more death defying tasks that I refused to take part in. As a college kid who relies on my own two feet to get me to class every day, I couldn't risk an injury. Ashley would eventually pull me aside, calling me out as a "scaredy cat" when I refused to take part in some of the more challenging Dare Devil exploits on the icy playground.

Sliding acros the track and avoiding the frozen lake of doom

Girl can't keep her laces tied. Rookie mistake

Oh look, another giant, icy puddle

Sweet and Tart

Being sick sucks. Luckily, thanks to my recent acquisition of several herbal remedy books, I am becoming well versed in the ways of medicinal healing. A great recipe for colds is a simple concoction that you may have even tried before. The first time I tried it, I was hooked.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Boiling water

All you must do is mix the three together and if forms a magical cold remedy to delight the taste buds  It think of it as a little cup of sunshine and I've been drinking at least two of these a days for the past three days and cold symptoms are already subsiding.

Leave the lemon wedge in your mug for
an extra lemon kick and a pretty presentation

Maple and Mustard are Marvelous

In my view, Valentine's Day is a great excuse to prepare a sinfully delicious meal that would not typically be featured in the regular menu of a poor and lowly college student such as myself. Honestly, I would probably hold this view regardless of whether or not I had a significant other to share it with, but sitting down to dinner with two plates on the table is much more comforting than eating alone.

This year Ben Affleck and I went all out. Maple and mustard glazed pork roast was the feature of our Valentine's menu board, accompanied by a savory selection of roasted vegetables. The photos do not do the best job of showcasing the deliciousness of the meal, but I was too ravenous to take the time and extra effort to snap high quality photos.

Everything was roasted in the oven at 350 degrees. The carrots were simply tossed in olive oil, the potatoes were tossed in olive oil, herbs de provence, italian seasoning and parmesan cheese, and the recipe for the pork was extremely easy. Feast your eyes.

I used whole grain mustard to add some texture

Those green lookin' things are the potato wedges.
They may be a funny color but  they sure were tasty