Finals, Bring it!

                                                                                                   

I can't believe fall term is coming to an end. I have 3 days of finals next week, then I'M DONE! We have had sunshine all week, and I hope it is that way next week as well!

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce, a photo by Kitchen Undergrad on Flickr.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It's crazy how fast we transition into Christmas. But even if the radio is playing holiday songs already, you can still hold onto a little bit of Thanksgiving with some leftovers. 

It's not Thanksgiving for me without any cranberry sauce. Homemade. By my mom. It's bitter, tart, sweet, and I love how it goes well with turkey, and with a slice of bread. Even in tea. My mom made extra so I could take back with me a tupperware-full of cranberry sauce. A little extra sugar to help me get through the day.

St. Johns Bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges I have ever seen, and crossed. It had this calming aura, even with cold gusts of wind coming from every which way.   

Oven Roasted Vegetables

Oven Roasted Vegetables, a photo by Kitchen Undergrad on Flickr.

I love having an oven. It's fun having different methods and tools for cooking. With these vegetables I put in a dash of olive oil, but the second time I made them, I didn't and they tasted just fine. Salt and pepper is a must, and I put in some herbs de Provence as well. You can eat them as is, or have them with pasta. I wish I had some cheese and crackers! Brie cheese with roasted peppers? Mmmm

On a Saturday Morning

After weeks of having cereals on the go, I decided to change things up a bit. It has been a goal of mine this month to make homemade granola, and today was the day. I like to keep things simple, and so my granola only has oats, cranberries and some walnuts. Recipes that I saw called for 3 cups of oats, but liking the idea of having fresh breakfast, I decided that 1 cup worth of granola would be enough for me. If I run out I will just make more. It takes about 10 minutes for a cup of oats. This recipe makes a non-chunky granola, and can be mixed in with yogurt, or just eaten as plain cereal. Mmm!

Fresh Granola

Ingredients:
-1 cup of oats
-1/2 tsp of olive oil
-3 tbs. of honey
-a handful of cranberries (or dried fruit of your choice)
-chopped nuts (walnuts or almonds)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, stir oats, honey, nuts, and olive oil. Mix well until the oats get a little clumpy. Lay out the mix on parchment or foil and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. *You want to mix in the cranberries AFTER the oats have cooked.

Greetings from Oregon!

Greetings from Oregon, a photo by Kitchen Undergrad on Flickr.

Much needed art break. Tried printing on light brown construction paper and the vintage-like effect is pretty cool. I think I will experiment a bit.

Potato Chip

Potato Chip, a photo by Kitchen Undergrad on Flickr.

Made potato chips! Simpler than I thought. Slice them about 1/8 inch thick and toss them around in a little olive oil and salt. It takes 30min+ with an oven temperature of 400. Yum!

Warmth of Vanilla

Warmth of Vanilla, a photo by Kitchen Undergrad on Flickr.

The cold kicked in, and as a seasonal trend, I CAUGHT the cold just like everyone else on campus. Lame! But life goes on. I have a midterm on Monday so I've been trying to study. It's so hard though when your mind is elsewhere, wanting to craw back into the warm sheets. But even on a bad day coffee seems to help brighten things up. Not for the energy rush, but I really love the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Wow am I that old? No not even. But I'm getting there. Anyways, the smell of vanilla is the sweetest smell, and so warm, it makes me want to twirl around.

Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest, a photo by Kitchen Undergrad on Flickr.

Went to the annual Octoberfest held the the one and only Oregon State Univ.'s Food and Fermentation Science Club this Friday. The atmosphere was great, being surrounded by food enthusiasts, brewers, and of course the eaters....like me! The soft pretzels were to die for, and the sausages that were made prior to the event were great. It was unfortunate that it was sprinkling but I am most definitely going again next year. I Can't wait!!

The Linus Pauling Science Center

Linus Pauling Science Center, a photo by Kitchen Undergrad on Flickr.

Opened this fall term! At the end of last term, I would pass by the construction site, wondering what the final product would look like. And here I am in complete awe. Jealous, to be precise. Why? Well, I am a chemistry minor, but I don't have any classes in this beautiful building like my chem/biochem major buddies, although I do see why it would be so. But I have not lost hope. I have upper chemistry classes I have yet to take as well as an organic chemistry lab, so I'm not so sad.

Tuna Sandwich

Tuna Sandwich, a photo by Kitchen Undergrad on Flickr.

On a sunny day like this, I wanted a picnic-like lunch that is light, crunchy, and simple. I made a tuna patty with diced celery and onions. I drained the tuna from the can, and after mixing in the ingredients (celery, onion, salt, pepper, 1tsp oilve oil) I took a handful and squeezed out the remaining water to make this patty. I toasted whole wheat english muffins and viola!