Mini Memoir

While instructing the class on how to write a personal narrative, my English professor decided to have us read a series of food memoirs. Essentially, they are stories written about the impact that certain foods had on the authors and how those foods colored the author’s experiences. Initially, I considered reading food memoirs to be a ridiculous task. It’s just food. We eat it every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and a few snacks in between, if you’re like me). When I opened my textbook, my perspective changed quickly. The narratives were tasty little morsels filled with descriptions of sugary happiness, bitter anger, and savory relaxation. The authors delicately intertwined the taste of certain foods with the impact of the setting and story behind those foods to create poignant pieces that delved into deeper emotions. Like the subtle spices that flavor a favorite dish, the enjoyment or disgust for the foods described melded perfectly with the authors’ thoughts to create a full-bodied story.

When considering foods that could play a role in my own food memories, one that came to mind was soft pretzels. Every young child is familiar with soft pretzels. They are the simple, buttery twists of bread that are often enjoyed at carnivals or sporting events. They may be simple and common, but, for me, they hold countless memories beneath their golden crusts. I most vividly recall munching on a pretzel during one of the many hockey games that I attended with my sister, my dad, and my grandpa. I tasted the sweet cinnamon sugar as I watched the players skate swiftly around the rink. I heard my sister and my grandpa bicker lightly about the progress of the game. I could feel the energy in the arena as the team passed the puck carefully around the opposing team’s goal. It was a simple mixture of flour and butter, twisted into an odd yet iconic shape, probably, one of a thousand made every day. But, it tasted of the sweet flavor of excitement, youth and familial love. 

Last weekend, my mother had the unique opportunity of visiting my sister at Virginia Tech. She got to meet many of my sister’s friends and share multiple meals with them. One of my sister’s friends, a young boy from Germany, made a batch of homemade soft pretzels for the entire group to enjoy with their beer. My mother was so impressed by these pretzels that she asked if we could make our own when she came up to visit. We chose Alton Brown’s recipe (because he is the ultimate foodie/ mad scientist) and were delighted by the results. As we bit into the buttery crust, we both were flooded with our positive memories and felt that our expectations had been fulfilled. On top of that, the process of making the pretzels together had allowed us to create a new memory to associate with the pretzels.

The dough smelled amazing! As soon as the yeast was sprinkled on top of the water, the kitchen was filled with the distinct scent of fermenting yeast!

We decided to top our bagels with both salt and cinnamon sugar!

Who can resist something so deliciously soft and golden brown?

Homemade Soft Pretzels

From Alton Brown's Pretzel Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Pretzel salt (We topped half of ours with a cinnamon sugar mixture)

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Reminders

The human brain can only take so much pressure. Memorize this! Recall this! Remember that! Though the highly developed bundle of nerves is capable of more than we will ever understand, even the brain can use some help sometimes. So, we turn to reminders. Everyone has their reminders. My reminders crowd my desk and bulletin board in the form of lists and post-it notes. Other people rely on their phones to tell them when and where they need to be and what they need to remember. Whatever form they take, reminders are our way of giving our brains a helping hand so they can maintain maximum efficiency and NEVER slow down. But, that’s the problem.

If we rely on so many reminders all the time, maybe we should remind ourselves that our brains need a break too. The constant influx of information that results from classes, technology, talking with our friends, and just thinking about what we need to do next keeps us so plugged in to the world that we tend to forget about ourselves.

This past week, while studying for my Physics exam, I found myself getting buried in papers as the time progressed. My desk was covered with to-do lists, problems I still had to work out, and notes I still needed to review. The whole mess was just a reminder that my exam was rapidly approaching, and I had to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible. As I spent hours surrounded by the never ending list of equations and problems, I began to feel run down. My head ached and my throat was parched. I had forgotten to remind myself of something very essential to my success… myself.

I realized that the only reminder I really needed was that one that would tell me to stop, breath, unplug myself from the world, and truly release. My brain just needed a break. It didn’t need to be told what else it had to do or remember, it needed to be told not to do anything at all.

So, after that long winded realization, I have resolved to always have a new kind of reminder. I need a one-word mantra to tell myself to release. There is so much jumbled information inside my head that I have lost all sense of calm. Due to this, my current mantra is calm. When I think calm, I will stop whatever I am doing and take care of the most precious resources for success that I have, my mind and my body.

These bracelets are some one-word reminders that I intend to give to some of my friends. It's similar to the old "tie a string around your finger for the things you need to remember" trick except much simpler and, hopefully, a little more stylish.

Limited Resources

It is THON weekend here! The entire campus is energized with youth, excitement, and, most importantly, hope! THON weekend is the result of a year-long effort, carried out by many individual organizations at Penn State, to raise money for the Four Diamonds fund at the Hershey Medical Center. The Four Diamonds fund helps the families of children with cancer pay for their treatments and instills hope in the hearts of many suffering people. THON itself is a 46 hour no sitting (Compared to what those smiling children have to go through with their treatments, no sitting or sleeping for 46 hours is nothing!) dance marathon. THON is a reminder to all Penn State students that, though buried in stress trying to become astrophysicists and journalists and entrepeneurs, there is still that hint of childhood innocence, and yes, hope left in all of us. We band together, clothed in T-shirts and crazy costumes of many colors, sharing a need for companionship and love with our fellow children. In honor of THON, I decided to adorn myself with something colorful as a reminder that, despite the pressures placed upon me by my cirriculum and my type A personality, I am still a child at heart with vivid dreams, dazzling hopes, and unquenchable passions.

Unfortunately, I did not have my usual jewelry making equiptment with me, so I had to work with limited resources.  I made this bracelet with what I had, some ribbon and a few colorful paper clips. I found it quite difficult to make without my handy-dandy plyers, but I finished it none-the-less. Despite the shoddy craftmanship and the very amateur appearance, I am proud of my little bracelet. The imperfection is a prominent reminder that children are imperfect, but, with their unending faith and love, they can achieve many things!

A Little (Late) Love

The middle to end February marks the first round of midterm exams. It also is the supposed time of "Love." (Yes, even the oblivious college student sees the hearts and flowers that decorate shops and other buildings). Unfortunately, love and exams don't coincide well, especially the form of love which I lack the most, self-love. It is so difficult, when you are studying for hours or having trouble with a particularly boggling concept, to realize that you are a talented, worthwhile person. On the other hand, it is easy to want to give up and simply say "I can't do this because I am not smart/ talented/ confident enough." My goal this Valentine's day was to start by showing myself a little compassion and allowing that compassion to permeate through the rest of my life (my actions, my relationships, etc.). I felt, with a little difficulty, I was able to tell myself that, though I am certainly not perfect, I am intelligent enough to get myself through my exams by loving myself, loving others, and accepting their love in return. Newton said that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, by loving myself and others, I will recieve the love of others. Valentine's day is so much more than chocolate and roses (though they are certainly some great perks during the dreary part of winter). It is a holiday that reminds us to put a little love into everything! So... Love others, love the things you do, and, even when you are overcome by stress, love yourself!

Cold Morning, Warm Breakfast!

I was able to come home for the weekend as a little reprieve before my first big calculus exam of the semester. Not only was it amazing to wake up and eat my breakfast in a kitchen in my pajamas, but it also SNOWED! The blanket of white outside the sunroom window created the perfect atmosphere for cooking a warm, delicious breakfast for my mom and I. Due to the special occasion and some input from my mom, we decided on crepes for breakfast. They are fast, easy and very francais! The recipe we love has a few special modifications. We substitute rice flour for regular flour and use egg whites instead of regular eggs. It gives them a beautiful light color and even lighter taste. The are the perfect complement to the light layer of soft, white snow!

Rice Flour Crepes (Modified from Betty Crocker's Cookbook)
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups White Rice Flour
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Cups milk
• 3 eggs worth of egg whites (measurements should be on the side of the carton, about 3/4 Cup)
• 2 Tbs. butter or margarine (we use benecol)
• Canola oil (for the pan)

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients (Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until well incorporated. (we sometimes use a food processor to make the process faster)
2. Heat an 8-inch pan with a light coating of oil on medium heat. Have a small container of oil on the side so you can add more to the pan between crepes to keep them from sticking.
3. Ladel the batter onto the pan and swirl the pan immediately to coat. (The batter sets quickly in the pan).
4. The crepes will cook quickly. To check their progress, lift the edges lightly with a rubber scraper and loosen the crepe. The crepe should appear lightly brown when it is ready to be flipped.
5. Gently flip the crepe and allow it to brown. When finished, transfer to a plate and enjoy!

The most exciting thing about crepes is that you can fill them with whatever you want! I personally enjoy a sweet, fresh filling of blueberries and strawberries with a light sprinkle of powdered sugar. My mom chose a more savory path with a smear of cream cheese. We agreed that both combinations looked delicious, and we happily sat down to our plates with our coffee and tea in hand. What a wonderful way to start my Saturday at home!

Mmmm! The pictures make me hungry for them all over again! The photos are courtesy of my omnipotent smartphone (sorry, about the blurred edges. I was a little impatient because I wanted to eat them!)

The Beginnings

Blogging has always been a little intimidating to me. It's basically a form of journaling, except the whole world wide web can see your thoughts. Recently, though, I've found myself interested in looking at other people's blogs (it may be because it is a wonderful way to procrastinate when there is lots of physics homework to be done). I especially love baking blogs! I have collected way too many creative recipes from websites in the past few months. Unfortunately, I don't have a kitchen in my dorm so I have to wait until I home to try out all of the tasty temptations. These blogs have inspired me to conquer my mild fear of blogs and create my own. I hope my blog will be a combination journal/ baking blog/ crafty things page. That is my intention, but you know what they say about the best laid plans... Anyways, for my first post, I included an image of a doodle I made when I was bored one evening. It's nothing special, but I felt like a whole post about me rambling about blogging would be a little dull without some visual interest. I have no idea where this little blog will take me, but I hope it will help me get through my next few years in college by enjoying the little things (baking, drawing, etc.)