I feel so fat.
Now, hear me out, hear me out.
I honestly have gained weight in the last six months. I've been trying to do more to manage it. Eat better (or eat in general), get more sleep, drink lots of water. The hardest part for me has been exercise.
Not for lack of trying. It's not that I don't exercise. It's that when I do, I end up stuck on my couch for two or three days because of the pain that follows.
Take today, for example. I had plans to clean the entire house from top to bottom, you know, to get it ready for when Chels comes home tomorrow. I had plans to bake cookies for her and Jeff, to welcome her home. I was going to go out for another half hour of interval training.
Nope.
I can barely walk -- I can barely even sit down.
And so, I'm sitting in my too tight jeans on the couch, doing homework while watching Cake Boss (because it's freakin' amazing how they make those cakes and I love it), trying not to curse myself and everything else out of frustration.
Because cursing doesn't help anything.
Does anyone have any ideas about how to get some exercise that doesn't leave me useless for days? Here's what I've tried so far:
yoga (yeah -- even that hurts -- :P )
walking
interval training
water aerobics
dance (of many kinds)
I'm going to try and bake cookies now. Yay!
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
things I learned today...
- My dryer only shuts off if it gets too hot. The rest of the time I have to pay careful attention to how long clothes have been in the dryer so that things don't shrink. That's why I noticed -- I put a load of towels in the dryer and a little while later the house was quiet. Yep. Dryer had gotten too hot and had shut itself off.
- Most of the curators and non-student staff at work now treat me like I'm in charge of Workflows. The student employees like me know better, and none of us can figure out why the big wigs don't spread things around a little bit more. I mean, come on -- I haven't even been trained on the super specifics, yet I'm expected to know them.
- When Kala gets hungry enough, she will not hesitate from waking you up from an unexpected nap by huffing and whining in your ear. And if that doesn't work, she'll full on whop you on the face with her paw. I guess she was really hungry, or I slept a lot longer than I thought I did.
- It is possible for professors to assign homework that takes five to six hours a day, and have exams once to twice a week for an entire term.
- I really, really like my job.
- I CAN MAKE GOOD COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously. Never before have I been able to make a good batch of cookies by myself. But this time, they're turned out amazing. Which is why I am actually going to take them to the neighbors as I originally intended, rather than tossing my mess into the garbage bin. Because it's not a mess! It's cookies!
- Chelsea's pillows are much more comfortable than mine.
- I really need to get better sleep!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
question mark...
dear World,
Why am I so bad at baking? No matter how closely I follow recipes, things never work out well for me.
Sincerely,
a concerned girl who made rolls which she will not be taking to her boyfriend's house for dinner because these are not going to impress his mom.
at all.
ever.
Why am I so bad at baking? No matter how closely I follow recipes, things never work out well for me.
Sincerely,
a concerned girl who made rolls which she will not be taking to her boyfriend's house for dinner because these are not going to impress his mom.
at all.
ever.
Monday, July 30, 2012
biscuits...
I found a recipe on a blog that I've been wanting to try for awhile. Seeing as it's my turn to take a treat to work tomorrow, I decided to try my hand at it.
I've never made biscuits before. That being said, the buttery little beauties that I pulled out of my oven were surprisingly delectable. I've had to stop my sisters from eating all of them so that I can share some for Tasty Tuesday (I know, I know -- English majors are so creative).
I've never made biscuits before. That being said, the buttery little beauties that I pulled out of my oven were surprisingly delectable. I've had to stop my sisters from eating all of them so that I can share some for Tasty Tuesday (I know, I know -- English majors are so creative).
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 scant teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons butter (yes, 5 -- but I think I might use a little less next time)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Heat oven to 450. Mix together all of the dry ingredients. Cut the
butter into bits, picking up the dry ingredients and rubbing the butter between
your fingers. Make sure all the butter is thoroughly blended into the flour. Stir in the yogurt until the mixture forms a ball. Turn the ball onto a
lightly floured surface and knead about 10 times (or 20 -- I lost count). Dough should be slightly
sticky (they bake fluffier if the dough is a little stickier).
Press the dough into a 3/4 inch-thick rectangle (or if you're like me, you'll make a circle) and cut into
rounds with a biscuit cutter (unless you're like me and didn't even know such a thing exists, so I used a glass cup instead). Place rounds on ungreased baking sheet. Reshape leftover dough and cut
again. Bake for 7-9 minutes (7 is better than 9, at least in my oven) or until golden brown. Serve with butter and jam (strawberry is particularly good).
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
whoa...
For having been caught by a rather flooring cold (because I didn't catch that thing -- there is no way I would ever voluntarily reach out and grab any bug, let alone one as disgusting as this one), I've gotten a lot done this weekend:
...I've cleaned my room so well that you can see almost the entire floor
...almost all of my clothes are put neatly into the closet (minus the ones that need to be ironed)
...I've boxed up the winter clothes (which I find I might need because it's actually been rather cold)
...I finished my FAFSA application
...written an outline for my 251 project
...started up a skeleton blog site for aforementioned project
...written three papers for my internship
...compiled a couple of different music lists of various genres for workouts
...I planned workouts (!!!)
...began working on a budget for The Move
...selected cupcake recipes to practice before I take them to the writing center to share
...went to the library and braved the deathly still fifth floor to find research materials for the project
So yes, I've been productive. I've been motivated and I've made progress. And after all of that...I only have one question:
WHY am I suddenly in tears?!
I don't get it. See, it's one of those times where I feel so very sad, but I don't understand why. I can't explain it, so I can't talk about it. I write things out (a friend told me I'm very good at writing what I'm thinking) and there's no connection. It's just this dumb feeling that has no logical explanation.
Well. That's that. I'm going to make cupcakes. Maybe. This project kinda takes precedence...
...I've cleaned my room so well that you can see almost the entire floor
...almost all of my clothes are put neatly into the closet (minus the ones that need to be ironed)
...I've boxed up the winter clothes (which I find I might need because it's actually been rather cold)
...I finished my FAFSA application
...written an outline for my 251 project
...started up a skeleton blog site for aforementioned project
...written three papers for my internship
...compiled a couple of different music lists of various genres for workouts
...I planned workouts (!!!)
...began working on a budget for The Move
...selected cupcake recipes to practice before I take them to the writing center to share
...went to the library and braved the deathly still fifth floor to find research materials for the project
So yes, I've been productive. I've been motivated and I've made progress. And after all of that...I only have one question:
I don't get it. See, it's one of those times where I feel so very sad, but I don't understand why. I can't explain it, so I can't talk about it. I write things out (a friend told me I'm very good at writing what I'm thinking) and there's no connection. It's just this dumb feeling that has no logical explanation.
Well. That's that. I'm going to make cupcakes. Maybe. This project kinda takes precedence...
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Christmas cookies...
Yesterday my friends Alyssa and Chelsie invited me to make cookies with them at Alyssa's house. It was so much fun! I haven't done anything like that in a very long time. Usually when I bake I'm by myself, and I haven't done any cookie decorating since I was in Young Women's. It had been kind of a hard weekend due to repeated episodes of health problems, and being able to spend time with Lyssa and Chels was a real mood lifter. I'm so, so grateful that I got the job at PartyLand. I've met some pretty quality people there, people I have come to count as dear friends.
Christmas cookie magic...they make me happy! This recipe is so great, too. I'll get it from Alyssa and share it with all of you, deal?
A normal Christmas tree.
A Christmas tree after it caught fire on the candles in its branches...
I'm not weird.
Not weird, remember?
Christmas cookie magic...they make me happy! This recipe is so great, too. I'll get it from Alyssa and share it with all of you, deal?
I'm not weird.
Monday, December 12, 2011
reminders...
To Do:
1. Print off list of books and materials needed for next semester
2. Print off schedule with building and room numbers
3. Go to BYU andpurchase books/materials pay remaning tuition provide proof of insurance (first figure out what that means) purchase parking pass find buildings and classrooms
4. Scrub kitchen
5. Make cake bites and freeze for next week
6. Clean front room
7. Put up Christmas tree/decorations
8. Re-memorize lines for tonight's Scera Home for the Holidays concert
9. Re-memorize lines for Christmas show tomorrow since I messed them up last night
10. Christmas cards/LDC gifts
11. Make gifts for Primary students
I have time to do this. I have money, too. I have motivation...ha. No, not really.
1. Print off list of books and materials needed for next semester
2. Print off schedule with building and room numbers
3. Go to BYU and
4. Scrub kitchen
5. Make cake bites and freeze for next week
6. Clean front room
7. Put up Christmas tree/decorations
8. Re-memorize lines for tonight's Scera Home for the Holidays concert
9. Re-memorize lines for Christmas show tomorrow since I messed them up last night
10. Christmas cards/LDC gifts
11. Make gifts for Primary students
I have time to do this. I have money, too. I have motivation...ha. No, not really.
Friday, October 21, 2011
pin it...
Yep. I did it. I followed the rising trend and got a Pinterest account. Do I love it? Why, yes. Yes I do! And am I actually learning things from it? Why, yes. Surprisingly...I am! See, look what I found: a recipe for Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes (or more like itty bitty muffins)! I decided to make them when I got home from work, and I DID! See?!
Now the reason why I'm so excited about this (and Pinterest as well) is because I have always been a rather non-talented maker of food, whether baking or cooking or even just opening a bag of cereal. I kind of struggle. Seeing all of this stuff on Pinterest has kind of inspired me to try my hand at learning how to do some of this stuff, especially when it comes to cooking. So far I've tried two recipes, and they both turned out really well! And there are other things to "pin" to a "board" as well, like quotes and sayings, photographs, places to travel to, clothes (a particular favorite of mine), and lots of other stuff. It's so much fun! I have so many ideas for things now, I don't even know what to do with them but PIN! Because after that, I can always come back to it later.
So, the donut holes that are really more like mini muffins. These are super easy to make, and they're actually really good. I'll share the recipe with you (I've doctored it up a bit because the first batch had a bit too much cinnamon when it was rolled, so I changed it for the second go around) and you can try it, too!
Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes (yes, baked--it's healthier!)
For donuts:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons allspice
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 cup low fat milk (not that it matters, it's just healthier that way)
For coating:
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin (you don't have to have a 24-cup one, I used two 12-cup tins and greased them with shortening to keep the muffin bites from sticking).
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, egg, vannilla, pumpkin, and milk until smooth (I used an electric beater because I can, haha).
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter (I don't know what that means, so just mix it until it looks right to you! My batter didn't have any clumps or streaks of the dry ingredients. If that's overmixed, well, they still turned out fine!)
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (about 1/2-2/3 of the way full). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the muffins pass a toothpick test.
While those are cooking:
Make the coating! Melt the stick of butter in a smallish bowl, depending on what you have. In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
Now that the muffins are done:
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool until they can be easily handled. Dip only the top of each muffin into the butter, then dip into the cinnamon sugar to coat.
Presto! You're done! Just as a heads up, these are good with milk, hot chocolate, and apple cider. So...yeah! Happy baking! (And pinning. ;) )
Now the reason why I'm so excited about this (and Pinterest as well) is because I have always been a rather non-talented maker of food, whether baking or cooking or even just opening a bag of cereal. I kind of struggle. Seeing all of this stuff on Pinterest has kind of inspired me to try my hand at learning how to do some of this stuff, especially when it comes to cooking. So far I've tried two recipes, and they both turned out really well! And there are other things to "pin" to a "board" as well, like quotes and sayings, photographs, places to travel to, clothes (a particular favorite of mine), and lots of other stuff. It's so much fun! I have so many ideas for things now, I don't even know what to do with them but PIN! Because after that, I can always come back to it later.
So, the donut holes that are really more like mini muffins. These are super easy to make, and they're actually really good. I'll share the recipe with you (I've doctored it up a bit because the first batch had a bit too much cinnamon when it was rolled, so I changed it for the second go around) and you can try it, too!
Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes (yes, baked--it's healthier!)
For donuts:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons allspice
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 cup low fat milk (not that it matters, it's just healthier that way)
For coating:
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin (you don't have to have a 24-cup one, I used two 12-cup tins and greased them with shortening to keep the muffin bites from sticking).
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, egg, vannilla, pumpkin, and milk until smooth (I used an electric beater because I can, haha).
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter (I don't know what that means, so just mix it until it looks right to you! My batter didn't have any clumps or streaks of the dry ingredients. If that's overmixed, well, they still turned out fine!)
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (about 1/2-2/3 of the way full). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the muffins pass a toothpick test.
While those are cooking:
Make the coating! Melt the stick of butter in a smallish bowl, depending on what you have. In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
Now that the muffins are done:
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool until they can be easily handled. Dip only the top of each muffin into the butter, then dip into the cinnamon sugar to coat.
Presto! You're done! Just as a heads up, these are good with milk, hot chocolate, and apple cider. So...yeah! Happy baking! (And pinning. ;) )
Saturday, April 23, 2011
charlotte's web...
Tonight I am very much reminded of a quote from the movie "Charlotte's Web". The narrator talks about Wilbur's inability to get to sleep and says, "When your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's often very hard to fall asleep."
Amen. There is so much on my mind. And I'm hungry, but I don't feel like eating anything. Which is why I'm up. That quote kept running through my head, as well as all of the other things and it made me laugh.
Finals are next week. I finished my rough draft of my philosophy paper tonight. I'll probably look over it tomorrow before I submit it. College algebra? I just can't. I care so much that it stresses me past the point tears, and I can't see my notes or review sheets. It's pathetic. Psychology final? Hopefully it will be okay. I got 106/100 on my midterm.
I'm upset. I don't know why. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't even study anymore.
Perhaps it's because of the unknown of tomorrow. I may or may not see Aries. I don't want to see him, but I am not going to miss a friend's mission farewell because of this whole mess. It is a mess, one I'm finding very hard to clean up, or keep clean, because it just keeps coming back.
Today was Jordan's birthday. He went through the temple for the first time in preparation for his mission. I made some cookies for him, chocolate peppermint drops. Next time I'll use Andes mints instead of York patties, which the recipe called for. The peppermint candy center would melt and, unlike chocolate, wouldn't reform well so the batter didn't set nicely. I hope he likes them. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Jordan!! I love you!!
Do you ever feel so much for a person that you start to get mad at them? Do you ever look at someone and realize how much you care and just wish you could yell, "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO WONDERFUL?! STOP IT!!" And then you get angry at yourself because it's not the other person's fault. It's entirely YOUR fault. And it hurts, and it's ridiculous. It's all because you know it's not right. Whether it's timing or personality or dreams or any number of factors--it's not right. And all the same, you still wish for it to be right. "Don't wish. Don't start. Wishing only wounds the heart."
He gave me pennies today. Three of them. He found them in Logan, and said that each time he found one, he thought of me.
I'm the biggest drama queen ever. Just a pathetic little child.
My parents gave me a bouquet of roses last night at the concert. I'm looking at them right now. They're so pretty!! I love roses. I'm starting to love daffodils, too. I never really noticed them until this spring. Someone planted them at random all over campus. They're so bright and yellow and odd looking, you can't help but notice them. It's not a bad odd, though. It's a confident sort of odd, a flower of such a strange shape standing so tall and bold, but delicate as it bobs its head in the breeze. Hello, hello, it seems to whisper, I'm giving you something to smile about. Cheer up! Chin up! Cheer up! Flowers. Love.
This post is a tangled web of thoughts. They don't connect, but somehow they do connect, one idea jumping from another. Tangled webs. Tangled hearts and minds, tangled lives.
I love that movie, by the way. I think I will watch it when my finals are over. If I have time. If not, then I'll watch it the week after choir tour.
My finger hurts. The pointer finger on my left hand. Every time I type a key with it, it feels like it's jammed. I'll take the hint and finish.
Amen. There is so much on my mind. And I'm hungry, but I don't feel like eating anything. Which is why I'm up. That quote kept running through my head, as well as all of the other things and it made me laugh.
Finals are next week. I finished my rough draft of my philosophy paper tonight. I'll probably look over it tomorrow before I submit it. College algebra? I just can't. I care so much that it stresses me past the point tears, and I can't see my notes or review sheets. It's pathetic. Psychology final? Hopefully it will be okay. I got 106/100 on my midterm.
I'm upset. I don't know why. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't even study anymore.
Perhaps it's because of the unknown of tomorrow. I may or may not see Aries. I don't want to see him, but I am not going to miss a friend's mission farewell because of this whole mess. It is a mess, one I'm finding very hard to clean up, or keep clean, because it just keeps coming back.
Today was Jordan's birthday. He went through the temple for the first time in preparation for his mission. I made some cookies for him, chocolate peppermint drops. Next time I'll use Andes mints instead of York patties, which the recipe called for. The peppermint candy center would melt and, unlike chocolate, wouldn't reform well so the batter didn't set nicely. I hope he likes them. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Jordan!! I love you!!
Do you ever feel so much for a person that you start to get mad at them? Do you ever look at someone and realize how much you care and just wish you could yell, "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO WONDERFUL?! STOP IT!!" And then you get angry at yourself because it's not the other person's fault. It's entirely YOUR fault. And it hurts, and it's ridiculous. It's all because you know it's not right. Whether it's timing or personality or dreams or any number of factors--it's not right. And all the same, you still wish for it to be right. "Don't wish. Don't start. Wishing only wounds the heart."
He gave me pennies today. Three of them. He found them in Logan, and said that each time he found one, he thought of me.
I'm the biggest drama queen ever. Just a pathetic little child.
My parents gave me a bouquet of roses last night at the concert. I'm looking at them right now. They're so pretty!! I love roses. I'm starting to love daffodils, too. I never really noticed them until this spring. Someone planted them at random all over campus. They're so bright and yellow and odd looking, you can't help but notice them. It's not a bad odd, though. It's a confident sort of odd, a flower of such a strange shape standing so tall and bold, but delicate as it bobs its head in the breeze. Hello, hello, it seems to whisper, I'm giving you something to smile about. Cheer up! Chin up! Cheer up! Flowers. Love.
This post is a tangled web of thoughts. They don't connect, but somehow they do connect, one idea jumping from another. Tangled webs. Tangled hearts and minds, tangled lives.
I love that movie, by the way. I think I will watch it when my finals are over. If I have time. If not, then I'll watch it the week after choir tour.
My finger hurts. The pointer finger on my left hand. Every time I type a key with it, it feels like it's jammed. I'll take the hint and finish.
Monday, April 18, 2011
speaking of JAR OF HEARTS...
My song for the day is JAR OF HEARTS. I just reread the post I wrote a over the weekend (because I don't have time during the week so I scheduled the songs out in advance). Talk about appropriate! I ran into my friend who I had a kinda sorta break up with (we're going back to calling him Aries, his star sign). It was awkward, uncomfortable, embarrassing, all of the above and more. Apparently he figured out from the way I acted that I'm still pretty upset about what happened. I hate to stay upset about things, but this is really hard. It's hard to be a friend to someone and then to feel completely unable to trust them.
Aries texted me this morning, asking what he'd done. Basically it confirmed what I already know about him, and I don't want to have to deal with this. To be honest, I'm afraid of him. He knows exactly how I work, and he knows how to use that to his advantage. He's proud of it, too.
JAR OF HEARTS wise, I can't go back. I trust him about as much as I trust a rattlesnake with two heads and no rattle: you never know which one is going to strike, and there's no sound to warn you of what's coming.
Happy update: I baked a cake today!! I've found that baking and cooking help me feel better when I'm upset. I rarely eat what I make, but it's nice to make things for other people. My little best fwend (Jason and Jordan's little sister) picked out a cake mix and she "helped" me at her house with it. I hope it turned out all right, and I hope they like it! They liked the last one. The boys are still talking about it, and it's been over two weeks since I made that cake. You know something was really good if a boy remembers eating it two weeks ago and still talks about it. Usually they just move on to the next meal. I can't figure out how they can eat so much and stay fit. They're so lucky!
Aries texted me this morning, asking what he'd done. Basically it confirmed what I already know about him, and I don't want to have to deal with this. To be honest, I'm afraid of him. He knows exactly how I work, and he knows how to use that to his advantage. He's proud of it, too.
JAR OF HEARTS wise, I can't go back. I trust him about as much as I trust a rattlesnake with two heads and no rattle: you never know which one is going to strike, and there's no sound to warn you of what's coming.
Happy update: I baked a cake today!! I've found that baking and cooking help me feel better when I'm upset. I rarely eat what I make, but it's nice to make things for other people. My little best fwend (Jason and Jordan's little sister) picked out a cake mix and she "helped" me at her house with it. I hope it turned out all right, and I hope they like it! They liked the last one. The boys are still talking about it, and it's been over two weeks since I made that cake. You know something was really good if a boy remembers eating it two weeks ago and still talks about it. Usually they just move on to the next meal. I can't figure out how they can eat so much and stay fit. They're so lucky!
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