Post About Food

Ok, so I'm going to start out with the very known fact that I an NOT a health food nut, I love my coffee, sugar and butter (hence the cinnamon tools that have recently been made and eaten). But on occasion I have been know to make real food. With the extra time that I had today due to the fact that the schools are on spring break (and I have chicken in the fridge that I HAD to use), I made one of my favorite recipes. It's super easy, super good and even I can make it without trouble. It comes from the book 1001 Short, Easy, Inexpensive Recipes, and I have made this multiple times.
     Cranberry Chicken

• 6 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 (16 ounce) can of whole cranberry sauce
• 1 (8 oz) bottle of Catalina salad dressing
• 1 (1oz) packet of dry onion soup mix

Mix cranberry sauce, Catalina dressing and soup mix together. Pour over chicken in a sprayed  a 9x13 glass backing dish and let marinate over night. Bake at 350℉ for an hour.

See? I told you it was easy.

Til next time,

~ The Young Dreamer

        

The beginning of the end

Well, it's second semester of senior year here in sunny California and things are ramping up in preparation of graduation.  It's the time of projects, study dates, and count downs (yes I have a count down to graduation on my phone). In all honesty I won't graduate until mid-July, but still, the ceremony is soon. On top of papers, exams, homework, songs to memorize, there needs to be time to think about commencement tickets, senior portraits, yearbooks and summer jobs.  But after a VERY long day all I want to do is sleep, maybe watch a little TV, but mostly sleep. So I will bid you a good night.
 ~ The Young Dreamer

Growing Older

This is a blog that I started a very long time ago to express my thoughts. Unfortunately it has fallen by the wayside. This is an attempt to pick back up and write. To write about what I’m thinking about, what I feel, what I am going though. I know that this probably will not be read, and it could very easily abused, but I will try my best to not let those things happen. 

One of the things that has been happening lately had been the ever coming event of growing up. Even though I have resisted, I am getting older and I have realized that it is official because I got a crockpot for Christmas, and was excited about it……. I am growing up. I know that this doesn’t surprise anyone and is the natural order of things, but it never fails to surprise me. When all of a sudden I’m looking up hoe decor on pinterest, or searching for a recipe or actually make real food, I see the affects of growing older. It’s in the moments when I tell people that I’m going to be graduating collage, or I start realizing I need to find a place to live after this summer because I wont be in student housing, or in the time where I’ dreaming about real life rather than a meadow of wildflowers with talking animals but rather a silver forest with a family seeing children play in the snow. It’s in these moments that my fears are stilled and excitement fills my being and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has planned for my life. And if the speed of the past semester is any indication, I suppose I wont have to wait long to find out. 

Rice pudding

Ok, so my math class was canceled today so I was able to come home :) As I came home I decided that I was going to make Rice Pudding. And it turned out pretty good if I do say so my self :) The recipe was really easy too
1 1/2 cup cooked rice
3 1/2 cups milk (I used whole goats milk)
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
tsp of vanilla
stir it all together over medium heat fort about 40 min and there you go!
I learned that you need to stir it constantly, it thickens faster. Also I didn't cook the rice long enough so its not quite as soft as I would like but it's still good.  If you want to you could put cinnamon in when you cook it and add raisins after for more flavor. But I like it the way it is. Also if you don't know how to cook rice it's really easy its 1 cup raw rice + 2 cups water = 3 cups cooked rice. but it all in a sauce pan, bring it to a boil then let it simmer with the lid on for about 20 min and presto! Rice :)

Dance and Life

As I was dancing around the kitchen this morning thinking about my upcoming performance and practicing some on the routine I realized something, Dancing is like a relationship. I know your all looking at me with a 'yeah right' look. But it is, I promise!
Before I go on, I'm talking about REAL dancing, like ballroom dance. Ok, first.... you need two people. Duh! :) But seriously you need a partner. Someone who knows what their doing it really nice. There has to be a lead and a follow.
The lead needs to know what to do, how his partner moves, what their strengths are, their weaknesses and how to lead. Just because they are the lead doesn't mean that they know how to lead. They have to know how to give direction, to give signals as to what to do next, how to move. They have to also make sure their follow doesn't run into anyone else, they have to steer and watch out for their follow. Their foot work might not be as complicated as the follow's but they have a lot to think about. They also have to support the follow as they spin or dip. Having a sturdy base is something that isn't learned over night either, neither is having a strong frame. Their frame helps to lead, guide and protect the follow.
For the Follows, the first thing is WAIT FOR HIM TO LEAD. This is your biggest and hardest job. You are the follow, they are the lead, let them do what they are suppose to. Listen to what they are telling you, be aware of their signals. Don't try to anticipate what they are going to do, because more often then not, it's not what they are planning and you have to stop and find the music again. Be aware of where you feet are, don't just let them move, know your movements, know where you body is. Yes, the follows have more complicated footwork and we're the pretty ones, but we can't do most of out moves if the lead isn't there so don't get a big head. Keep your frame. I know when you dance with a good lead you just relax and it is wonderful, but you still have to keep your frame, to make it easy for him to lead you.
and for both lead and follow, you can't do it alone. Someone has to teach you the moves. To show you where the step went wrong. This someone has to be a person that has learned to dance with their partner successfully and knows the steps. Don't be afraid to ask questions, to learn what you can, to understand how the combination really goes.
Don't be afraid to Dance
~ The Young Dreamer

Titanic

Hello my wonderful readers, I'm so sorry that I have been so absent! School has started to enter into the final stretch so tests and project have been in my mind. But I have found things that are much more fun to balance all my school work :) Recently a friend and I went to go see Titanic for the 100th year since she sank. As always the movie was beautiful. I cried the last hour of the movie and every time the tune of 'My Heart Will Go On' played. Of course I then had a Titanic kick, looking up dresses from the time period and tutorials on how to do the up-do that Kate Winslet and have been dying to try it on someone!

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice, a love story that has lasted nearly two centuries. First published in 1813, it has survived and thrived through many generations. From it's first lines to it's closing words Pride and Prejudice has captivated the romantic in all of us. Many movie adaptations have tried to do it justice. My personal favorite is the 2005 directed by Joe Wright. Keira Knightly plays Elizabeth Bennet in a way very different from the other movies that I have seen. Unwilling to be bullied in to marriage, Lizzie does not see herself being married any time soon. But enter Mr. Darcy, played by Matthew Mcfadyen. Darcy struggles against his fascination and growing love of Elizabeth from the moment he lays eyes on her. I know that it sounds really corny and cheese, but Matthew Mcfadyen does such a wonderful job of character development with Darcy that you can follow him as he falls in love with her.
This story is one of my absolute favorites! It is so beautiful and happy. The characters are real. They aren't perfect. They all have flaws. Elizabeth judges, jumps to conclusions and has an awful mother. Darcy is socially inept, prideful and has a disgruntled 'friend' out to get him.
But they both have qualities that we should mimic also. One of those is Loyalty.
Both characters show Loyalty to those they cared about. Elizabeth to her sister and Darcy to Bingley.
When Elizabeth finds out that it was Darcy who took Mr. Bingley away from Jane, Lizzie's sister, she is loyal to her sister. I'm not sure she would have said 'yes' to Darcy when he asked for her hand, but she wouldn't have lashed out if it hadn't have been him. After she did, I think, is when she realizes that she loves him.
Darcy also shows loyalty to his closest friend, Charles Bingley. when he saw that Jane was not showing as much attachment to him as Bingley was to her, Darcy thought it best to separate them, to protect his friend. And Elizabeth's rejection helped to make things right in the end :)
Respect. Both Darcy and Elizabeth respected themselves and others. Elizabeth did not throw herself to men, even if she liked him. Darcy did not throw himself at Elizabeth either. He made himself known to her, in his own way praised her and took her advice when she gave it, even if it did cause him discomfort. In all this he was not doing it to point out that was following what she had said, only doing it because he loved her. After he made his affection known and she turned him down, he respect her wishes and didn't talk about his affections, but he did want to discuss the two charges against him, which he cleared.
They both realized and took responsibility for their mistakes. Lizzie when she judged her best friend Charlotte and when she misjudged Darcy. Mr. Darcy for taking away Bingley and he even made right Wickham's blunder.
Protective. Both Darcy and Elizabeth are protective of those they love. Elizabeth over Jane and Darcy over Elizabeth, Bingley, and his sister. And this is not a bad thing! It's a good thing that Darcy and Lizzie are protective, it's a way they show their love.
So lets recap: Loyal, Respectful, Owning up to their mistakes, and Protective. Now these are not all their qualities, but if you are looking for a Darcy or a Lizzie of your own, make sure that a Love of God is the Number 1 thing on their agenda. If they don't love the Lord, then they are not worth your love.
If you haven't seen the movie or read the book I won't ruin the ending for you, but you must do so.

Forever yours
~ The Young Dreamer