I am a feminist. So is Jo.

Has anyone heard JK Rowling’s “Women of Harry Potter” speech yet? It’s amazing. I never realized women were so powerful in her stories. I mean, I knew they were there, and I knew they were just incredible people, but never really thought “Crumbs, they’re such a driving force.” They are.

Hermione, take Hermione, she’s this girl, and that’s quite important, and she’s not stunning, she’s not everyone’s friend, she’s this huge know-everything bookworm. And she’s a heroine.

Ginny. Ginny’s this little girl, and I think that’s how we see her most of the time, and she grows up kind of behind Harry and the crew, and she has a lot of drama, but she ends up being this great person. I’m just like “Wow, where’d she come from?”

Luna is incredible, not for those reasons, but because she is herself. Not what someone else wants her to be. Luna (in the words of Jo) “Doesn’t give a damn.” She believes in herself. I think that is part of the reason why Evanna was so wonderful for Luna. Luna’s here, not giving a damn about how others see her, and Evanna had troubles with self-image. That’s not to smash on her. Who hasn’t looked themself in the mirror and thought something awful? I have. You have. But we can learn.

Even Molly. Molly Weasley is this sweet, nice lady who wants to be the mother of everyone. Wants everyone to have a wonderful family life. But even through that, she’s got some mettel. She is family and love.

Speaking of love, there’s Lily and Narcissa. Lily, we don’t see her much, but she starts this whole story. She loves Harry so much. She saves him and is a force through everything. She’s there for him in the end. Narcissa is much like Lily. A shadow of her, maybe. Narcissa is willing to sacrifice everything on the off-chance Draco is still alive in the castle. She loves him so much that she leaves Voldemort. And runs away. Sometimes you have to know when to run away.

There’s McGonagall. She’s my favorite. I love her. She’s strong, right from the get-go. She sticks to her beliefs, rather like Luna. But unlike Luna, she isn’t holding to the self-image ones. She’s holding to the morals. The rights and wrongs of her life. I don’t think she’s immune to words, like Luna is. I’ve read the Pottermore stuff, but even before that, she’s just had this feeling that was like she cared, and she knows it. She loves people, but she’s hiding it, she’s hiding her great admiration/respect/love for people under her “obey the rules or die” shell. She’s this great rock. She’s always there, after Lily’s gone, Lupin, Sirius, Dumbledore, Snape. She’s ready to go and stand for her right. Not in the “Might is Right” sort of sense, but “Right is Right,” if you understand.

The Potter women are a huge force, and I never really knew. This really raised my respect for Jo, higher than ever before. It brings her on par with Tamora Pierce. In case you don’t know, Tamora Pierce is… well she created the shero, from my view. Her women are strong, kick-arse, and ready for everything. They are a bit more than real maybe, but it’s okay. Now I have real and not real. (Haha, Hunger Games reference!)

Mastiff

I'm sorry for not posting, but time seems to be so short at hand now. There's spoiler code in this post, so just highlight the blacked-out bits with your mouse to read them.

At any rate, I just finished Tamora Pierce's Mastiff Beka Cooper #3. I nearly cried at the end. I can't believe it's over.

So Beka and Tunstall end up going on this huge Hunt to save Prince Gareth, the King's four-year-old son, who's been kidnapped. She and Tunstall join forces with Lady Sabine and a mage named Farmer Cape. They travel all across Tortall, fighting for every step. But then, oh it's terrible! TUNSTALL TAKES A BRIBE!! Seriously. I was like "Tunstall, you sarden looby, what in Mithros' name are you doing?! You're being a total coney! A crooked Dog! A gods' fool, cracknob, scutty, mumpin', new Tom! You need to get your fambles back where they belong afore you get bit! I thought it wasn't for real, that they were smarter than that. And then the sarden looby betrays them all to Prince Baird's men! The end, oh, the end was so tragic! Beka figures the whole thing out and- I'm going to cry- Tunstall attacks her. He says he doesn't want to, but if need be he'll push her over the cliff. Beka asks why he did it, and Tunstall says he did it because they promised him a barony and the Lord Provost's spot. He thought that way he could marry Sabine without her having to be disgraced for marrying a commoner. OH MITHROS! This is beyond Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Aragorn and Arwen, Snape and Lily. *Cries.* Oh, Tunstall, why did you do it? You know she still loved you! You betrayed her! And then, at the end, Beka talks to Goodwin. All that's mentioned of Goodwin is she had a "chill voice." How she must have suffered.

Don't let that get in your way of reading it. This is one of the best books I've ever read. I LOVE IT!!!!

*Cries some more.*

But I still love it. I still love him.

Tumblr

Tumblr is pretty legit, as I've found out. If you want to check mine out, it's http://www.lavictoiredanslabrume.tumblr.com. I'll talk to you later.

PS- Nanowrimo starts soon... ;)

Apparently Snape does normal things.

 

I am Snape, the Kitchen Cleaner

Computers.

I now have my school computer, so- hopefully- I'll post more often.
Just a quick bit, here's what my teachers said about their classes.

Chemistry- "It's going to be glorious. Chemistry is all about linebackers, farts, and burps."

Biology- "Someone needs to say something! Anything! What's your favorite candy? Someone?"

British Literature- "This class is hard. You need to read books. No Markert- Harry Potter does NOT count as British Literature. Yes, the Hobbit is fine."

French- "Hello, I want Techworld. My class can't get online, heeeeelp."

That was about the extent of my day. Haha.

Dreams Not About Flying

So flying was pretty fun. My dad and I held this competition between our two hosts aux aire, Stripes and Nice Sweater. I think stripes was the new guy because he was constantly slightly behind Nice Sweater. ;) Stripes did have a nice smile though....
Last night, when we were at my uncle's house, I had this big long complicated dream. All I remember about it now is that my friend, a runner, had her feet amputated. It was like she had had it done a while ago and I hadn't noticed until she pointed it out. What is a dream like that supposed to mean, eh Professor Trelawney?

Your perspective changes when you grow up.

This post is about two things I thought about when I was little.
a. I hated being slightly bucktoothed, and I imagined being like Hermione and having Madame Pomfrey shrink my teeth.
b. I thought Hot Topic was a "bad" store for weird people.

Now, I was in Billings today, after driving myself up, and I went to the orthodontist and her fixed my braces and then sanded some bits of my teeth off. So I don't have slightly bucktoothed teeth anymore. It's kinda hard for me to take in; the source of so much childhood stress is gone, completely. Wow....

I also went to Hot Topic and bought a Hogwarts flag and a cute sparkly scarf. And I signed up for a points card. I really like that store now, they even have Uglydoll hats. The punky people there are so nice. They're some of the nicest store people I've ever met. I have to admire punks in a way. I think it takes a lot of courage to dye your hair and get pierced and just be yourself, like they are.

Haha, listen to modern-day me....

This is cool!

So Kristina, one of two people in this band I like, met Evanna Freaking Lynch. Isn't that cool! I would love to meet her. Both hers again actually. Then I got to thinking, "someone I met met Luna Lovegood." You can't tell me that's not kinda cool. Because it is. To finish this post off, here's another of my cousin's great photos, and a few of mine.

I think this would be a great one for Symposium.

Makes them look like normal people going to Snowcoming or something.

:)

Cute photoshop, ya?

:'|

Lol. This is Alasse's.

Look!

Look at this! It's literally a crayondog.

Love it?

More Exciting Things

This weekend I attended a quincenera. It was incredible, nearly as fancy as a wedding. The girl who's party it was looked spectacular. She had a white dress for the Mass and a violet one for the dance. She recieved a corona, ring, bracelet, a "medal" (apparently a necklace with a saint on it), a rosary, and a Bible. After that, she renewed her vows to be "pure" until marriage and dedicate her life in honor of Christ. At the dance, she received her last doll, changed her shoes, and had a last dance with her father. It was cool.
Switching subjects, I'm thinking of getting feather extensions. What do you think of them?
And lastly, a few photos I like.

Bonnie Wright at the premier. One of my friends mistook her for my cousin. Which my cousin loved.

the cast

Emma!

Like those heels.

Doesn't get much better than this does it?

She looks like a Barbie, yes? Nicki Minaj.

Wink, wink.

This was soo incredible.

Professor McBadass. "I always wanted to use that spell."

Ohh.

This is amazing!

Part Two = !!!!

So I've just spent nearly six hours at the local movie theater. I was dressed in a green striped cloak, round glasses, lightning bolt scar, star spangled leggings, Gryffindor shirt, time turner. In short, I was obviously a Pottermanic. But oh heavens, it was incredible. The pyrotechnics, effects, the humor and darkness. I heard they actually blew up parts of the sets and props to make it look even better. It was interesting, how despite being very dark, there was a lot of humor and comic relief. For example, McGonagall (I love her!) tells Seamus Finningan to blow up part of castle with his fireworks. He says "Blow it up, like 'boom?'" McGonagall says "Yes Finnigan, boom!" Oh it was great! At during the fight, the Malfoys just leave, Narcissa and Draco hand in hand. The odd thing was that aside from Harry, the size of the parts were nearly equal for most people. Luna was probably in there about as much as Ron or Hermione. She probably said more than Ron. There were a lot of characters who were there just to show that they were still alive, ie: no speaking, on screen for a moment. Trelawney, Aberforth, Greyback, Lupin, Tonks, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Fleur, Bill, Hagrid. Lily actually had a pretty decent part. You get to see what happens in the Potter house after Voldemort attacks. Snape is the first one there, and he's just sitting and cradling Lily. Snape, well Alan Rickman really, did a great job with the acting. He was amazing. The King's Cross scene was great, I thought. Several people said it was too bright, but I thought it was perfect. The movie was quite canon too, very few disrepencies. At one point Luna expresses that she likes Neville, and it's implied that she wants to tell him she loves him, but she never does, and later she and Neville sit together after the fight. However, nothing ever comes of it, as neither oneis in the epilouge. I loved it though. As for the post-potter kids, it showed Rose, Lily, Albus Severus, and you see James for a brief moment. Hugo is seen but unnamed. Victoire and Teddy aren't shown. One of the thigs I loved most was how they ended the movie and rolled the credits with "Leaving Hogwarts" and what I think was "Hedwig's Theme." Go see it. Go love it. It's now 3:16 and I need to be up and functioning in a few hours so.... have fun and don't get too carried away with "boom"-ing stuff.

Hi!

So, I know I haven't been keeping up. I'm sorry, and I'll try to say something once in a while. In the meantime, head over to Claribel Hawkins to read what I'm writing. I've been primarily fanfiction for my Fanfiction.net account, because I didn't keep up with my stories. I feel I own my friends over there a bit and I  know you can entertain yourselves without me.
By the way, has anyone cut their thumb on a bread knife before? I did, but I can find anyone else who has.

PS, If you load the fanfiction thing and it says there's no such page, try reloading. I don't know why it says that because it is the correct link.

Driver's Non-Education

Sorry it's been so long; I don't have a computer anymore, so this is on my ipod :). A couple weeks ago, I took drver's ed. The driving part was fun, the education not so much. I nearly fell asleep a couple of times learning while being told which side of the road to drive on. Once I think I actually fell asleep, because I remember watching, then kinda falling sideways and almost out of my chair. Haha, poor teacher.
The driving was fun. Before the class I had never driven, unless you count one lap around the rodeo grounds, which I don't. Or go-kart racing. Or- nevermind. The first day my inthecar teacher pulls me out and says we're going to drive. I'm like okay, I can do this. So I go to our poor little Pontiac AM and walk over to the passenger side.
No sweetheart, you're driving.
Oh. So I get the keys and it takes me nearly five minutes to get the car unlocked, as I eventually figure out I'm sticking the ignition key in the door slot. I get in, and it's like climbing into one of those turtle cars the Shriners drive. So I look over at my teacher in semi-shock/wonder/surprise.
You're going to drive it to the bus barn.
WHAT?! I've never driven before. Which one is te brake, again? The skinny one?
He gave me this look (You know which one, the look.)and is like Yeah.
So I ended up driving across town, around the bus barn, to the Cody Legacy Inn, the bus barn, the KOA, the bus barn, then finally back to the school. It was fun.
Have a good summer. We just hit 70 degrees!

Oopsssss...not really

I haven't posted in forever. That's because almost every post comes from my ipod. I think the ipod is about 2"x4", so you can imagine the keyboard. At any rate, it's snowing, and raining, and it's the middle of June. WTFM? (Fudge monkeys....) Here's a few funny things to keep you amused until next time.

1. I passed my trig final.
2. After passing my trig final, I kinda screamed (really loudly, I think...) and got kicked out of Mrs. Gerber's bio classroom.
3. I took driver's ed. It was actually okay. I didn't crash the car or anything even.
4. My parents wanted my to learn to drive stick, so I got a lesson in Mike's fricking ginormous truck. Like the truck that you climb stairs to sit in. And then I drove it down the highway. AHHH!!! So cool. If they got good mileage, I'd almost buy a truck just to feel totally...like I was driving a truck. It was amazing!
5. I split my lip three times in two days. It seems like I get more injuries in the summer for some reason.
6. My Nanowrimo novel arrived in the mail.
7. I have a Death Kight in WoW. Her name's Fishpuppy and she's a Draenai on Elune. I likey.

Have fun for now, and keep off the roads ! :)

Summer again

So it's summer again, and I don't have my school computer anymore. That is actually more than okay with me. Those things weigh a ton. I don't care if they're nice, shiny Apples, they weigh a lot. So I'm using my ipod to post. Meaning, I can't post pictures. Maybe you'll see one once in a while, but for now you can give up. :)
School's over, I passed my classes, and it's snowing and raining and raining and being cold here. It's not summer. It's flipping winter. In May. So I've ended up spending some time on Netflix. I looked up Mary McDonnell shows (she plays Laura Roslin from Battlestar) and she came up in Grey's Anatomy. I started watching and it's pretty good. It's about these four interns at the Seattle Grace Hospital, and it's pretty good. It's definitly dramatic and kinda silly, but it's funny too and it has good characters. I like Izzy, the model turned surgeon, prsonally. She's funny, totally heart-on-her-sleeve, and she manages to get all the crummy jobs. As it turns out Mary McDonnell is only in three episodes, but I'm going to watch anyways. I'll let you know.

Updates

Sometimes, things update too fast for me. Sometimes it's good, like Wallaby for iPad. sometimes it's not so good, like heycanyouworkyourdayoff?. And sometimes it's plain okay.
School is coming to an end again and I realized I've been on Blogger for nearly a year. I've had over two thousand hits and a hundred posts. I've put all sorts of bit and pieces of me here, panic and joy and...things. It seems kinda significant now. I wonder now if someday I'll come back here, after college and years and read it and think "I did this?" "Oh, I so got over that. How was it such a big deal?". It's kinda funny. Just for the sake of nostalgia, I'll put a few more bits of me up now.

The Song In My Head- Originally by Sixpence None the Richer, this version by Alassë Suiauthon.

A Couple of Photos I Like

Gorg lighting.

Doesn't it look delicious? Especially the cowlick. :)

From the Thistle.

Simplicity.

I wish my hair would do that. It's one reason I envy dark-haired people. White flowers look 

beautiful in their hair.

(If you'd like to know who did the photos, let me know. She doesn't put her name straight out.)

My Final AP History Essay (You don't have to read it.)

The United States is continually advancing technology. This nation is the birthplace of the electric vehicle and the PC. NASA put the first man on the moon. America has been at the forefront of creative thinking at science for decades. I believe the country will continue along this track of advancement. However, if we don’t find a way to reduce global warming, I believe humans will have to go off-planet and live elsewhere. I think the United States would be one of the first nations to create spaceships and send people away, despite lingering memories of the Challenger explosion. I believe this will eventually happen as America seems to be thoroughly dependant on electronics and fossil fuels. When a new space race actually occurs, nations will be at odds with their rivals and I see the United States stepping in as a peacemaker as in the Yom Kippur War. I think the United States will be a technologically advanced nation, moving away from Middle Eastern oil, but still dependent on electricity and electronics, such as the Internet.

The United States has continually been one of the world’s most technologically advanced nations. Ever since its origin, America has been refining techniques and ideas. In the 1700s, Virginian tobacco was renowned for its smooth flavor, unlike anything else in the world. Not long afterwards, Eli Whitney created the cotton gin, which revolutionized the cotton market. In the twentieth century, American scientists created the first atomic bomb, followed shortly by the hydrogen bomb. Within a century, America put a man on the moon, invented the PC, the blog, the GPS, Mars rovers, Segway, and bionic contact lenses. However, most of these inventions (and all of the recent ones) require either electricity or oil products to work. American advances are dependent upon oil and gas products and, more recently, electricity. It’s as though the US is addicted to oil and electricity is the first step in a recovery program; it’s still a “drug” so to speak, but it’s not as bad, not as addictive.

Even though electricity is cleaner than oil, it still contributes to global warming/climate change. Oil is still used to produce the electronic items. This combination of dependencies is leading to the downfall of humankind. I believe that we must become less dependent on oil and gas or leave Earth almost altogether. It sounds extreme, but we have become too dependant upon modern appliances. We wouldn’t survive if oil and gas or electricity supplies suddenly cut off. To continue surviving in the changing world, I believe we must cut back on our consumption of man-made products and prepare to leave the planet.

Leaving the planet is not a revolutionary idea. Many hit movies and books, such as Avatar, Battlestar Galactica, and Across the Universe involve people living in oil/electric dependent worlds that are dangerously polluted. The characters leave their worlds and join others in naturalistic, paleolithic lifestyles. Our world is within reach of the type of technology needed to do so. In fact, NASA and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) scientists are already developing a project called the “Hundred Year Starship” that would take people to the Martian moons of Phobos and Deimos, the first attempted non-orbital spaceflight since the explosion of Challenger. The “starship” would not return to Earth, suggesting NASA is looking for ways to colonize other planets, not just research them.

As global warming becomes a more prominent issue, I believe other nations will begin researching non-terrestrial colonization. This would likely lead to an international “space race,” similar to that of the 1950s and 1960s. If people need to get off-planet as soon as possible (following the eruption of Yellowstone, for example), military invasions of advanced nations would likely occur. I believe the United States’ relative geographical isolation in North America would lead to its stepping in as an international peacemaker, as happened in the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel, Syria, and Egypt.

I think the United States will continue to be a technologically advanced nation, however, it will continue to be dependent upon oil and electricity; resultantly, I believe nations will begin a “space race” to find a method for extra-terrestrial travel and colonization. American inventors created many commonplace items, such as the PC, GPS, and blog. Most of these inventions rely upon oil and gas products or electricity in order to be useful. This continual depletion of natural resources will eventually lead to the downfall of humankind on Earth, in the pattern of a predator/prey relationship. To counteract that end, scientists will need to develop spaceships to carry people to other planets and moons. When such a “space race” results, the United States will need to step in as an international peacekeeper to prevent military invasions of technologically advanced nations by less advanced nations. The US’s comparative physical isolation from the rest of the world should help us to remain neutral while advancing our own technology.

Oh. Pie.

I know I keep saying how sorry I am I'm not posting, but I am. It's dead week at school at we've been totally slammed....At any rate.
Today Annamarie and I had to bake pies. We put in two apple pies during lunch and went to class.

When we came back this is what we saw.

Annamarie immediately thinks the pies burned. Beyond recognition.
I think "Oh. Pie."
It was pretty funny. Obviously neither of us were really with it. Maybe someone could make a study of that. "Sleep Deprivation And Homework Overload In Teens" To the far left we have "jumps to conclusions" and on the right "jumps to nothing." As it turns out, our friend came and got them when they finished cooking and put the new ones in. And just to keep you amused, here's a few funny pie pics.

The Wrong Era

Yes, I am wearing a slightly ratty, purple t-shirt with a horse on it. Yes, I know it doesn't match a gray gauze skirt. Yes, I would wear a tutu if I had one available right now. Sometimes I just need to get intouch with my femininity and I can't wear pants.
Sometimes, I think I was born at the wrong time. For one thing, I live in Wyoming and I have this deep longing to play bagpipes. I've wanted to since I was little. Not really a smallpipe, but a full out bagpipe that you can't play in town because it would drive everyone insane.
I also love soundtracks. Worded stuff is nice, but the music... ohhh. I get goosebumps listening to Kara Remembers, Fawkes the Phoenix, A Window to the Past, songs like that. I wish I could play music. I'd be happy just being able to play the Deilide Trace Sonata.

And the Beatles. I love them. You've heard John Lennon, surely. Have you ever heard his son, Julian? Julian sounds so much like John; it's incredible.
Sometimes, I think I'm sentient in the wrong universe, if you go by the string-theory. If not, I was born in the wrong era. I think of people like Alanna of Trebond and go I wish I was her. 
When I was little, my closet became a kingdom, rather like Terabithia. I actually would draw forests and landscapes and tack them up. I had my own crown and queen name and I made up wonderful adventures. And when I played Barbies... the adventures they'd go on. Maybe I grew up feminist because I never had a Ken, but the girls kicked but and ziplined. They broke stuff quite often too. I had one go to the doll hospital several times for beheadings.  I looked at them a while ago, and one of them, I think her name was Meg, had a broken leg, arms, and a nearly busted head. I seem to remember she had a tie-dye glittery cat suit that she wore. Maybe that was part of the problem.
Sweetest dreams,
Pxioe

eye-byoo-PROH-fuhn

Enough said. That was health class today. We played a "guess-what-drug-Longcat-is-describing" thing. It was kinda interesting. In trig, we found out Osama Bin Laden was dead. Lacei says "That made my day. I passed my driver's test (after failing 9 times) and now that guy is dead." A few minutes later, we saw an old clip of him and Lacei goes "Wait! I thought that guy was dead! Is he alive now?"
(More) good news. One of my friends is offering to publish some of my Clari Hawkins stuff in the school lit mag. If it ever comes out. NTL, cool.

It's almost May, right?

Today, I was biking home from school. I was kinda cold, so I thought to myself "It was rather silly to just wear close-toed shoes, a sweatshirt, insulated gloves, and a hat, wasn't it? I mean, it's only almost May." Later, I was at tennis (where it was colder and I was wearing less clothing, haha). We were picking up balls and I said "Hey, Morales, if you bend my finger backwards fast enough, I think it'll snap off." She goes "What?" and then she figured it out, pretty funny. Earlier, we were playing reaction volleys and I laid my finger on her neck and she jumped about a foot. "Are you awake yet?" "Definitely."

To Do Someday List

Just like what it sounds. Things I'd like to do someday, not necessarily in order. They're not ordered by importance either.

1. Play bagpipes
2. Go to France
3. Go to Dragon*Con
4. Meet Tamora Pierce
5. Go to Great Britain
6. Live out East, at least for a little while
7. Pass my driver's test
8. Write a novel
9. Make a quilt
10. Finish my Sabriel cross-stitch

Oh Hey Kristina: BEDA 22

 So I was reading Oh Hey Kristina, and this is what she was writing about. I'm thinking I might temporarily move to Washington. Honestly, why do we have to take Longcat's health class when we could be taking a class about Miyazaki. Spirited Away. I love that movie. But that's not what we watched in health; we watched people argue, among other things. Anyways, check Kristina's school out:

"I've received two emails that have made me want to re-enroll in college. Check out these focus groups they're offering Summer quarter this year:

[CHID496A] Pokémon 101
The focus group will be watching Pokémon episodes, doing readings on Pokémon, learning about Japanese popular culture, and encountering questions about animal representation and rights.

[CHID 495] Animation: Miyazaki and the Vitality of Media
M and W are film screenings of Hayao Miyazaki's films and other important anime. Tuesdays and Thursdays we talk about the films in relationship to readings we've finished. Some of the films we will watch: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away.


DUDE. Why didn't I get to take these classes? It's like they created these classes FOR ME and I won't even be there to enjoy them!!!!

Moral of today's blog post = life is unfair. Also, stay in school."

Trailers:







I like all three of these. Spirited Away is a good adventure story, long but good. Princess Mononoke is more of an environmental film, and the part about the (I think it's called the) Nightwalker is a little confusing. Howl's Moving Castle is set Victorian era and I really liked it, especially the end. There's a novel called HMC, too, by Dianna Wynn Jones.

I'm shocked, slightly.

I think I'm getting over Battlestar Galactica. I guess part of it's because it's now Spring Break and I'm trying to wildly finish a whole load of school stuff, (And because I've gone through all 35 pages of links to Laura Roslin fanfics...) but I'm turning back to the Circle Universe stuff, as per usual. I'd talk more but I've got to finish at least a couple more chapters in my fanfics tonight. Check it out at Clari Hawkins.

Anagrams.

They're pretty fun. Try this one.
Here's some stuff I got for my name.

• A Ultramarine Elk Grill
• A Margarine Tulle Krill
• A Triangular Miller Elk
• A Intramural Leek Grill

I also got things involving lemurs, algae, mint, lurking, earmarks, and tigers.

Potatoe Salad

What You’ll Need: Serves 4

*1 pound (6-7) medium-size white or red-skinned potatoes

*1/3 cup coarsely grated carrot

*2 green onions

*2 tablespoons fresh, chopped dill or parsley

Dressing:

*1/4 cup each: plain yogurt, low-fat mayonnaise

*1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, such as “Grey Poupon”

*2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

*Freshly ground pepper

*Salt to taste

What You’ll Do:

1. Chop the potatoes into quarters, then cut the quarters into (about) one-inch pieces. Put them into a large saucepan with just enough water to cover the potatoes. Cover and turn the heat on high for a minute, then lower the heat to simmer.

2. Cook for about 20 minutes just until the potatoes are tender when you insert a fork. If you overcook the potatoes, they’ll fall apart, making mashed potato salad. Put a colander in the sink and carefully pour the potatoes into the colander to drain. Stick the colander into the refrigerator to cool down the potatoes.

3. Grate the carrot and chop the green onions into thin circles. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dressing ingredients. Add the carrot and green onion.

4. When the potatoes are no longer warm, add them to the salad. Stir carefully with a wooden spoon until the dressing is mixed in. Chop the dill or parsley and sprinkle over the salad. Serve; or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until mealtime.

Other Ideas: If you don’t care for carrots, chop a stalk of celery instead. If fresh dill or parsley are unavailable, sprinkle the top of the salad with paprika for color.

Banana Muffins

What You'll Need: Makes 12 Muffins

1 cup mashed banana, about 2 ripe bananas

1 large egg

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

2/3 cup reduced fat buttermilk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup rolled oats (thick “old-fashioned” oats)

1 1/2 cup sifted whole wheat pastry flour* or unbleached white flour

What You'll Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place the paper liners into the muffin pan. Try not to use non-stick muffin pans; they cause the muffins to get too brown. If that’s all that you have, it’s OK, the paper liners will help insulate the sides and bottom from burning.

2. In a glass measuring cup, mash the bananas with a fork. In a large mixing bowl, add the egg, oil, sugar, and molasses. Mix well, using a mixer. Mix in the banana and buttermilk.

3. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. (cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, oats, flour) Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and mix slowly just until blended. Pour into the muffin pan, filling each muffin liner almost to the top.
Tip: If you want to fill the holes easily, without globs of batter everywhere, use a glass measuring cup with a pour spout or use a small soup ladle.

4. Bake 20 minutes until they're lightly browned. Pull out the oven shelf and stick a toothpick into the center of a muffin to see if it comes out clean or without wet dough. Muffins get tough if they’re over cooked, so watch carefully. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack or on top of the stove. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Other Ideas: Add 1/4 cup currents, raisins, or golden raisins.

Chococake

What You’ll Need:

1 1/2 cups sifted unbleached white flour or whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup cold water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

What You’ll Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Oil the bottom of an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan (or a 9-inch round cake pan) with a small piece of paper toweling and a few drops of canola oil. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. Pour in the oil, water, vinegar, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed just until the batter is blended. You may have to scrape down the batter on the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again. 

3. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes just until an inserted toothpick into the center of the cake comes out clean. (A 9-inch pan will take about 30 minutes.) Remove from the oven immediately and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.

*Hey, I love to add in chocolate chips. They're really good if you add just a few, like 1/4 cup. Or try white chocolate or butterscotch. Nom.*

Eggplant! Yay!

I've found some recipes I like, so I'm posting them. I'm not putting them as one post, because this way I can tag them differently. :D

What You’ll Need:
4 tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Eggplant
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tomatoes
20 Black Olives
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning

What You’ll Do:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Get a large baking sheet, cover with foil, and spread olive oil to cover the foil.

Cut round slices of eggplant as thin as possible and lay on top of the foil. Don't let the edges touch. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of cheese over each slice of eggplant.

Dice up all of the olives and spread 1 tbsp of olives on top of each eggplant. Cut the tomatoes into round slices and lay 1 slice on top of each eggplant. Sprinkle garlic powder and Italian Seasoning on top of each eggplant slice

Put in oven for 30 minutes. When ready let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

More eggplant-y goodness!