An Unusual Family Recipe: Boiled Cookies

Yes, I know I've been posting a lot about food lately, but I've been on this cooking spree ever since school ended, so here you go.

Most families have boring, stereotypical family recipes. A chili one, maybe, or perhaps a recipe for salad dressing. But yesterday, I made one of my family recipes, boiled cookies. It was a recipe my grandfather's mother made in the 30s and 40s, and I still love making them today.

Boiled cookies are made in a very different way then most cookies. They do not require an oven, instead, you use a saucepan and the stove. The first part of the cookies is a chocolate mixture which you have to boil.  Then a dry mixture is mixed with the chocolate one, and it has to cool before plopping lumps onto wax paper to harden. You have the option of adding additional nuts, but I, personally, am not a nut person, so I don't. Despite the odd process, and the less-than-perfect appearance, these cookies are absolutely delicious.

I've never some across them at a party or potluck, and that surprises me. Boiled cookies are so yummy, and I'm shocked that no one else has discovered them. They are very simple, and require ingredients almost everyone always has.

"We always made them as kids..." my mother reminisced when I asked her about them. I hope my children, and my children's children will be able to say the same.

I thought about the uncommonness of this family recipe, and how it definitely wasn't stereotypical. But then I discovered, I'm not stereotypical, so why should my family recipe be?

Anyway, here it is if you want to make it.

Boiled Cookies

In a medium saucepan mix:

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

4 Tblsp. Cocoa (or 2 squares Baker's Chocolate)

1/2 cup milk (evaporated is best)

Bring to a slow boil, cook 2 minutes exactly then remove from heat (if it is cooked too long cookies will crumble and fall apart, cooked too short, cookies will run)

Add:

1/2 cup crunch peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups oatmeal (quick cook)

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Let cool, drop on waxed paper.

Asian Food: It's Way Harder Than You Think

Two days ago, I got an unusual craving for Asian food. My mom likes to be healthy, so we don't eat out that often, therefore I don't get much Chinese take-out. I really wanted some, though, and I knew going to my parents to beg them to take us out for Asian was a hopeless cause. So I decided to cook it myself instead.

The recipe I decided on, chicken lo mein, needed some ingredients that aren't used in the typical American household. I needed oyster sauce and toasted sesame oil, as well as some mushrooms, fresh ginger, and sugar snap peas. Luckily, the local international grocery had all the things we needed. My dad and I laughed as we walked down the sauce aisle, filled with 200 kinds of fish sauce.

The Asian ingredients (left to right): Rice Wine, toasted sesame oil , oyster sauce, soy sauce

Unfortunately, due to lack of time, I couldn't make the chicken lo mein that day or the next. So finally, today, I could cure my craving for Asian food. I waited until my dad, who recently took over all the cooking in our house, got home from work. I figured that 1) I wanted him there if I needed any help and 2) My dad gets home at 4:30 pm, which was a good time to start dinner.

I mixed together the sauce (oyster sauce, rice wine, soy sauce), which was the easiest part of the recipe. I began to chop the vegetables, and I learned three things:

1. The small hands of a 6th grader cannot chop veggies very efficiently.

2. You have to peel the skin off ginger before you cut it.

3. Onions really do make you cry.

Finally, I had the chopped vegetables on plates piled up neatly, with a small amount of help from my daddy. The recipe said to make the noodles first, but it didn't affect how the recipe turned out, and it was easier if I made it after dicing the veggies. My dad decided to ditch me, and said before he left, "Don't worry, you've got it covered."

I was really worried I would mess up the pasta, but to my surprise, I cooked it with perfect execution. We had thin spaghetti in the house, so that was what I used. The water didn't explode while it was boiling, the pasta wasn't crunchy, and the hot water didn't melt our drainpipes. Woo-hoo! It turned out perfect (for real). I used olive oil to make sure the noodles didn't stick, and then ran cold water over the whole thing to cool it down. But my tiny bubble of success was about to be popped as the looming threat of cooking the vegetables and chicken hovered over my head.

We don't have a wok, (my mom used to) so I used a skillet instead. This was it. It would prove or disprove my success as an Asian chef. Just a few cups of veggies. I measured in the right amounts of oil, and threw in the ginger. So far, so good. I cooked it for thirty seconds, then put in the onions, which I stirred for an additional two minutes. Then mushrooms (two minutes). Sugar snap peas (one minute). Finally, I was done, and everything looked cooked and edible.

Following the recipe's instructions, I removed the vegetables from the skillet, and placed them in a separate bowl. I took about half the chicken I had defrosted earlier, and my father had so skillfully cut, and dumped it into the pan. I set the kitchen times for three minutes, and began to cook the chicken.

It was hard. The chicken cooked quickly, but it was very difficult to flip over so the whole piece would cook. I had splotchy pink-and-white meat, and I wasn't happy about it. I used a wooden spoon, which was quite ineffective, and yelled at my innocent little brother to get me a spatula. In the process, I accidentally flicked myself with hot oil, which doesn't really help in a crisis. Finally, the chicken was done, but I had another half a plateful waiting for me. Oh, the joys of cooking.

In the end, I had well-cooked chicken, and threw everything into the skillet- veggies, pasta, sauce. I just kinda tossed it around until everything was heated, and this is what it looked like.

Not bad, huh? It was delicious, and my family really liked it too. It took me 1 1/2 hours to make it, which is way too long. I thought about making it again, and really contemplated it. I finally decided Asian cooking just isn't worth it. All that time and energy for one meal. Not to mention the boatload of dishes I had to do once I finished! I know some people like that kind of stuff, because they want a challenge. Not me, thank you very much. I like my simple American cooking and my lemon bars with only five ingredients, and none of them need to be prepared. It's fun every once in a while, but I'll leave it to the Chinese. By the way, if there are any Asians reading this, and you know the secret to easy Asian cooking, please tell me! But if not, don't expect any more posts on difficult foods, because I am DONE.

Here's the link to the recipe

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pork/chicken-lo-mein/

Photography: The Start of Something New?

Photography.

The word still sounds new in my mouth.

Before, I was always entranced by more romantic art, like painting or sketching. But I might have found a passion in a much newer form of art.

My favorite thing to take photos of are flowers. I especially enjoy using different angles, whether it be head on...

... or looking up

I also really enjoy taking pictures of nature scenes. There is a beautiful lake close to my house, and my family and I often take walks around it. I brought the camera one time to see how photos would turn out. I soon discovered that any photographer, even an amateur one, needs a tripod to hold their camera steady. The photos are at night, so they're pretty dark. I was captivated by the reflection of light across the murky waters, but the effect was ruined by my lack of a tripod.

This photo was only slightly blurry, but overall a good photo.

This was a good shot I got of the fountain in the center of the lake, and the only picture that isn't blurry. I was able to steady my camera on the side of a railing to support it.

Some of them are so blurry you see lines instead of individual lights.

Hopefully, in the future I will have the proper equipment and skills to take better photos! Wish me luck!

The Ultimate European Vacation

It has been my lifelong dream (well, my life isn't that long, but still) to go to Europe. I dream mainly of Paris, but I also aspire to go to other city hotspots on my dream vacation. Ten places was too many, so I did five instead. It was really hard, because of all those amazing Italian cities, but I finally narrowed it down.



My Top Five European Destinations: 


1. Paris, France

What girl doesn't want to go to Paris? I dream of the cute corner bakeries, filled with baguettes (I simply adore baguettes) and chocolate croissants. I dream of the Eiffel Tower, the graceful steel arches curving into an architectural masterpiece. I dream of the cobblestone streets, the high fashion, the intriguing accent. But most of all, I dream of the lovely aura of sophistication and elegance that European cities just seem to ooze, Paris especially.

2. London, England

You really can't go to Europe without going to London. London has such rich history I can help but tour it. It has a famous and beloved monarchy. It is also home to favorite British singers and bands (cough cough One Direction cough cough). Plus, I want to see Big Ben and and wear those awesome British flag shirts!




3. Venice, Italy

Oh, with the gondolas, canals, and unforgettable romantic ambiance, Venice is definitely on my list. There are some beautiful art galleries, and the restaurants (delicious pasta!) are fantastic, or at least that's what I hear. I just want to cruise down the Grand Canal at twilight listening to soft opera music, with a picturesque view that looks like it came straight from a painting. *Sigh*




4. Rome, Italy


I tries really hard not to pick two Italian places, but I couldn't help it. With Venice, Rome, Florence, Milan, Naples, and others, it was just too hard to resist. Anyway, I want to visit Rome, like London, partly because it has rich history. You know all the emperors that rules there? I want to see the Colosseum and the Pantheon, and then get some yummy lunch on the way home. I hear they also have excellent pasta and that really good ice cream stuff. What's it called? Oh yeah! Gelato!




5. Barcelona, Spain

I actually had to do a bit of research on this one. I wasn't sure what to do for my last city. I didn't want yet another Italian city, but other places didn't have that much pull. I thought about Athens, Geneva, and Dublin, and cities in Russia and Turkey, but none of them did it for me. I actually had to got o a travel website to find my last destination- Barcelona. The almost surreal city has gorgeous buildings and adorable sidewalk cafes. It's a little off the beaten path for me, but I want to try it. Vacations are about exploring new places, and maybe even yourself. So I hope I can take my Ultimate European Vacation one day!

Theater: A Hopeless Cause?

I love acting. I really do. I could sit for hours memorizing a script, or doing improvisation activities. I never get stage fright, rather, I become ecstatic before a show. In English, we studied Shakespeare, and I absolutely loved it. This is due to three things:


1. Shakespeare has always been one of my favorite topics. I love the imaginative plays, and was delighted to find out we were going to read Macbeth. Usually high-schoolers read Shakespeare, but my sixth grade honors class thought differently.

2. We got to preform a scene of our choice from the book! Ours was from Act IV scene i. For those of you aren't obsessed with the Bard, it's when Macbeth goes back to visit the witches. It was unlike anything I've ever done before. I played the part of Macbeth, and we spent two weeks memorizing lines, designing costumes, bringing in props and makeup, and making digital sets. The day of the performance, my group and I were ready, lines inscribed into our brains, clothed in our Shakespearean wardrobe, ready to preform our show complete with music, dancing, sound effects, and a large variety of props. I loved it.

3. I was in a group with four of my best friends. Not only did it make the whole experience much more fun, but I knew I could trust them to do their part.



With the combination of those three things, I had more fun on Shakespeare than I had on any other unit I ever did for a subject. Since you see my passion for drama, you might be thinking, "Go on, Mona! Be an actress!" But I can't.

The reason is because I can't sing. Well, I can, but not very well. If you read my profile, you already know music isn't my thing. So many productions involve singing and music, and I just can't do that. Most Disney actors and actresses go on to release albums. It's impossible to have a successful acting career without being a good singer.

I tried out for the school musical. In the past, they've done a fall play and a spring musical. But this year, all we got was the musical. I rocked the acting part of the audition, with the judges happily scribbling notes and commenting through their smiles. But then came the singing.

I missed the beginning of the song, hit all the wrong notes, and my voice sounded like sandpaper. I walked from the auditorium in defeat. I wasn't going to get the part. Sure enough, I was absent from the cast list posted a week later. It had me down for a while, but then I realized something.

I can't be good at everything. Like my mom always tells me, I'm a ten-talent girl. God blessed me with intelligence, athletic ability, artistic skill, a loving family, and a passion for so many things. So what if I'm not musical? I need to be grateful for all the other talents I have. The fire of passion for acting still burns, a little less brightly than before, but it still lights up my heart. And I have my own dream to follow, my writing dream. With some art on the side.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter to me whether I become a star on the big screen or never get into the school play. I have other things to do, other things to worry about. I won't let a little bump called singing stop me in the road of life. I can be whoever I want to be, whether it involves acting or not.

The Ultimate Go-to Recipe: Lemon Bars

Recently, while browsing the Internet, I found a recipe that changed my baking career- lemon bars. My mom adores the treats, and first persuaded me to bake them. They need only five ingredients and can be done within an hour. They are delicious and a perfect thing to bring to all those summer picnics.

BTW, that isn't my picture. I forgot to take a picture of my last batch, and these are way more perfect than mine anyway.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/the-best-lemon-bars/

I know it calls for 2 juiced lemons, but, honestly, I never have the fruit, energy, or patience to juice lemons, so I just substitute it with a 1/2 cup of lemon juice. And unless you cut them tiny, there are not 36 servings. It doesn't say it on the recipe, which surprises me, but make sure to sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top when you're done.

Make sure to put in the ingredients in the right order. When making the filling, I put in the flour and sugar in after the eggs and lemon juice, and the flour wouldn't dissolve. My lemon bars ended up with gross flour flecks in them.

Additionally, it can be confusing using flour and sugar twice. I accidentally put in 1/2 cup of sugar into the filling instead of 1 1/2 cups, so my lemon bars ended up really sour. I was all for throwing them out, but my dad, who insisted they were still good, took them to his office. His coworkers devoured them. They must get really cooped up in that office building!

But, anyway, it's a great summer recipe! I hope you try it, because it's so incredibly easy and simple. I took these to a party, and everyone was shocked that I didn't buy them! Gotta love allrecipes. Good luck!

Harry Potter: A Series That Will Stand the Test of Time

I first picked up a Harry Potter novel in January of 2012, and was soon immersed in a world of flying broomsticks and simmering cauldrons. I tore through the series in a month, and probably would've in a week if the books hadn't taken so long to arrive from the library. I finished the series finale by devouring it in seven hours- nonstop.

Before long, I had my own boxed set of all the books and had watched all the movies. I sketched pictures of Hermione on my notebook and made a Harry Potter t-shirt. And yet, a year and a half later, I still obsess over Harry Potter with the same vigor I did when I first read it. But the question is, why? What does Harry Potter have that charm that makes its fans never stop loving it? Why don't they get bored? The answer, at least in my opinion, lies in the author.

J. K. Rowling is a simply terrific author. I could never have that much creativity to think of a masterpiece as Harry Potter. The true beauty of it is that 1st graders read about Harry and so do and 80-year-olds. The mark of an incredible book is that almost any age will read, an enjoy, a book. And Ms. Rowling has certainly accomplished that.

But the biggest achievement she has reached, and what makes her books so wildly popular, is that she has a good idea, and she writes it well. I cannot even count the number of books I have read that have fantastic plots, characters, and themes, but the writer's vocabulary is so awful that the book is boring.The author has no idea how to build suspense or portray emotion. Even though she has a great idea, without good writing to go along with it the story is incomplete and dull.  As much as reading those kinds of books is frustrating, it's almost as bad as reading a terrifically written piece with a boring plot and stereotypical settings and characters. The worst part is, if the idea for the book is awful, then most people won't even give it chance. It's sad to see so many good ideas and extensive vocabulary and writing skills go to waste.

But J.K. Rowling has certainly not gone to waste. With the benefits of both elements, her writing is fresh and exciting. Though a lot of authors have accomplished what Ms. Rowling did, almost none of them did it as well. And so Harry Potter will live on, and truly stand the test of time.