- Set foot on all continents.
- Obtain a culinary arts degree.
- Help someone find love/happiness.
- Speak another language fluently.
- Interview someone who is famous for respectable reasons.
- Create something that will outlive me.
Katie
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Life: My Bucket List
During my lifetime, I would like to...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Treats: Peanut Butter Fudge
Mama Marshall is not my mother (she is a friend's mother). However, she taught me how to make some really delicious deserts, including her famous Peanut Butter Fudge. She told me I was going to ruin it the first time I made it, and I did! But I think I'm pretty good at it now, so I'm going to share this top-secret recipe with you!
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
12 oz. evaporated milk
5 cups sugar
3 cups peanut butter
2 cups marshmallow cream
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
12 oz. evaporated milk
5 cups sugar
3 cups peanut butter
2 cups marshmallow cream
- First, mix the butter, evaporated milk, and sugar in a large pot. Separately, in a giant mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter and marshmallow cream. It is important to measure everything out beforehand because you won't be able to once you start.
- On the stove, melt the butter, evaporated milk, and sugar together over MEDIUM heat. Stir continuously. If you mess up, here is where it will happen! DO NOT RAISE THE TEMPERATURE ABOVE 'MEDIUM.' It will take 30-45 minutes for the mixture to boil. Yes, you need to stand there stirring the entire time! :) When it boils it looks something like this:
- Boil the mixture for exactly 8 minutes and then pour it over the peanut butter/marshmallow in the mixing bowl. Stir until all ingredients are combined.
- You can pour your fudge into a greased 9x13" baking dish. Cover, and place in the refrigerator until it becomes solid. I distribute the fudge into three 8x8" cake pans because it takes less time to solidify and is easier to remove from the pan once it has done so! :)
For gifts, cut these bad boys into bricks, or squares, wrap in red or green cling wrap, slap a holiday bow on it, and voila! Hope you enjoy! :)
Love always!
Katie
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Life: Elite Education
I just read this article on the disadvantages of elite education written by William Deresiewicz. I think this was my favorite paragraph...
"If one of the disadvantages of an elite education is the temptation it offers to mediocrity, another is the temptation it offers to security. When parents explain why they work so hard to give their children the best possible education, they invariably say it is because of the opportunities it opens up. But what of the opportunities it shuts down? An elite education gives you the chance to be rich—which is, after all, what we’re talking about—but it takes away the chance not to be. Yet the opportunity not to be rich is one of the greatest opportunities with which young Americans have been blessed. We live in a society that is itself so wealthy that it can afford to provide a decent living to whole classes of people who in other countries exist (or in earlier times existed) on the brink of poverty or, at least, of indignity. You can live comfortably in the United States as a schoolteacher, or a community organizer, or a civil rights lawyer, or an artist—that is, by any reasonable definition of comfort. You have to live in an ordinary house instead of an apartment in Manhattan or a mansion in L.A.; you have to drive a Honda instead of a BMW or a Hummer; you have to vacation in Florida instead of Barbados or Paris, but what are such losses when set against the opportunity to do work you believe in, work you’re suited for, work you love, every day of your life?"
You can read the rest of this article HERE
Katie
"If one of the disadvantages of an elite education is the temptation it offers to mediocrity, another is the temptation it offers to security. When parents explain why they work so hard to give their children the best possible education, they invariably say it is because of the opportunities it opens up. But what of the opportunities it shuts down? An elite education gives you the chance to be rich—which is, after all, what we’re talking about—but it takes away the chance not to be. Yet the opportunity not to be rich is one of the greatest opportunities with which young Americans have been blessed. We live in a society that is itself so wealthy that it can afford to provide a decent living to whole classes of people who in other countries exist (or in earlier times existed) on the brink of poverty or, at least, of indignity. You can live comfortably in the United States as a schoolteacher, or a community organizer, or a civil rights lawyer, or an artist—that is, by any reasonable definition of comfort. You have to live in an ordinary house instead of an apartment in Manhattan or a mansion in L.A.; you have to drive a Honda instead of a BMW or a Hummer; you have to vacation in Florida instead of Barbados or Paris, but what are such losses when set against the opportunity to do work you believe in, work you’re suited for, work you love, every day of your life?"
You can read the rest of this article HERE
Katie
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Life: Becoming and Staying Motivated
Motivation is a major part of having a successful and fulfilling life. Below I have listed some ways to help you become, or stay, motivated.
It is important to understand that there are two categories of motivation: positive and negative. Negative motivation occurs when we are driven by losing something including our jobs, money, friends, etc, and a sense of fear is triggered in our brain. Positive motivation comes from our curiosity and desire to serve. If you are not curious about something, you are less likely to do it. It is important to keep yourself in a positive mindset to continue to be motivated. Having a negative mindset could lead to a self-destructive pattern.
Katie's Methods for Becoming and Staying Motivated:
1. Clean up
Your house. Your e-mail inbox. Your work space. Get rid of the unimportant things.
2. Exercise
For most people, getting started is the hardest part. This really is the easiest way to get motivated. You don't need to do an hour of cardio, just get up and go for a brisk walk. Bonus points if you spend time outside! De-clutter your physical being and get those endorphins moving. Endorphins = happy = positive motivation.
3. Affirmations
Write clear goals and talk about them with friends and family. Say them out loud. Talking about your projects with other people will give you accountability to have things done when you said you'd have things done.
4. Keep yourself inspired
Put on some good music and surround yourself with positive people. Make your workspace yours by arranging it the way you want to, incorporating things that represent you, and customizing it to look the way that helps you be more productive. Switch tasks if you find yourself losing interest or becoming frustrated. Keep track of success and breakthroughs and read other success stories. For the love of god, get away from whiny people who like to complain.
5. Learn how to say "No."
To anything that will disrupt your focus. Limit your promises and don't make daily life a chore.
6. Accept failure
If you aim too high, you're setting yourself up for failure. Similarly, if you take on too much at once it can become overwhelming. It is important to balance your workload, and when you have done that and still fail, learn. Failure is just one of two possible outcomes. Pick up, learn, and move on.
7. Most importantly... LAUGH
Watch funny movies, read jokes, or keep a stash of funny pictures at your work station. Try not to keep a serious look on your face. Play some games. Relax your mind. JUST LAUGH!
The harsh truths:
1. You have the ability to fail.
Unless you're in a superhero movie, you won't succeed at everything you do. Things won't always o your way. However, if you never try, how can you succeed? Being afraid of failure is one reason negative motivation exists. Don't let it eat you alive.
2. Only you can transform your life.
If you want to make big changes, you can't let anyone hold you back. There is only so much you can do if you rely on others.
Thanks for reading! I hope you're all tremendously motivated!
Katie
It is important to understand that there are two categories of motivation: positive and negative. Negative motivation occurs when we are driven by losing something including our jobs, money, friends, etc, and a sense of fear is triggered in our brain. Positive motivation comes from our curiosity and desire to serve. If you are not curious about something, you are less likely to do it. It is important to keep yourself in a positive mindset to continue to be motivated. Having a negative mindset could lead to a self-destructive pattern.
Katie's Methods for Becoming and Staying Motivated:
1. Clean up
Your house. Your e-mail inbox. Your work space. Get rid of the unimportant things.
2. Exercise
For most people, getting started is the hardest part. This really is the easiest way to get motivated. You don't need to do an hour of cardio, just get up and go for a brisk walk. Bonus points if you spend time outside! De-clutter your physical being and get those endorphins moving. Endorphins = happy = positive motivation.
3. Affirmations
Write clear goals and talk about them with friends and family. Say them out loud. Talking about your projects with other people will give you accountability to have things done when you said you'd have things done.
4. Keep yourself inspired
Put on some good music and surround yourself with positive people. Make your workspace yours by arranging it the way you want to, incorporating things that represent you, and customizing it to look the way that helps you be more productive. Switch tasks if you find yourself losing interest or becoming frustrated. Keep track of success and breakthroughs and read other success stories. For the love of god, get away from whiny people who like to complain.
5. Learn how to say "No."
To anything that will disrupt your focus. Limit your promises and don't make daily life a chore.
6. Accept failure
If you aim too high, you're setting yourself up for failure. Similarly, if you take on too much at once it can become overwhelming. It is important to balance your workload, and when you have done that and still fail, learn. Failure is just one of two possible outcomes. Pick up, learn, and move on.
7. Most importantly... LAUGH
Watch funny movies, read jokes, or keep a stash of funny pictures at your work station. Try not to keep a serious look on your face. Play some games. Relax your mind. JUST LAUGH!
The harsh truths:
1. You have the ability to fail.
Unless you're in a superhero movie, you won't succeed at everything you do. Things won't always o your way. However, if you never try, how can you succeed? Being afraid of failure is one reason negative motivation exists. Don't let it eat you alive.
2. Only you can transform your life.
If you want to make big changes, you can't let anyone hold you back. There is only so much you can do if you rely on others.
Thanks for reading! I hope you're all tremendously motivated!
Katie
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Treats: Apple Caramel Twist
I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine and thought I'd give it a whirl. It's a great fall treat It is definitely not as easy as it looks, but it was a lot of fun and tastes delicious! :) I doubled the recipe so I could leave one at my parents' and take one back to Purdue with me, but the following recipe will only make one twist.16 RHODES(tm) dinner rolls, thawed and risen
2 large tart apples (I used grannysmith)
12 caramels, cut into fourths
3/4 cup sliced almonds, divided
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 to 3/4 cup vanilla frosting
- Spray work surface lightly with cooking spray. Combine eight dinner rolls into a ball adn roll into a 16" x 6" rectangle. Repeat with remaining rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest. In a large bowl, combine apples, caramels, 1/2 cup almonds, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Remove wrap from dough.
- Spread half of the apple mixture down the center of each. Fold both edges of each rectangle over the filling, overlapping slightly; pinch tightly to seal.
- Place rectangles side by side, seamside down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Carefully twist them together. Pinch two ends to seal. Cover with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray; let dough rise for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove plastic wrap. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool for 10 minutes. Microwave icing for 10 seconds. Spread or drizzle over top; sprinkle remaining almonds. Serve warm
- ENJOY! Yeilds 16 servings.
(This is the magazine picture)
I encourage everyone to give this one a shot--especially with the family. Yum yum yum!
Katie
Saturday, October 10, 2009
New Reader?
Hello and welcome! I'm Katie and I'm discovering my dreams and blogging about it as I go since 2009.
Topics I post about are anything from tasty recipes to life-hacking discoveries. I hope to share tips, tricks, and fun ideas that inspire and entertain you.
Whatever the subject of the entry, I strongly encourage you to express your thoughts, ideas, interests, and personality through your responses. If there's anything in particular that you would like me to post, don't hesitate to e-mail me or leave me a comment and I will do my best to make it happen. My updates are not as consistent as I would like, but are updates, nonetheless! Browse the archive on the right of this page to begin reading my entries.
Enjoy, and feel free to subscribe!
Thanks,
Katie
Topics I post about are anything from tasty recipes to life-hacking discoveries. I hope to share tips, tricks, and fun ideas that inspire and entertain you.
Whatever the subject of the entry, I strongly encourage you to express your thoughts, ideas, interests, and personality through your responses. If there's anything in particular that you would like me to post, don't hesitate to e-mail me or leave me a comment and I will do my best to make it happen. My updates are not as consistent as I would like, but are updates, nonetheless! Browse the archive on the right of this page to begin reading my entries.
Enjoy, and feel free to subscribe!
Thanks,
Katie
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