1. My favorite Christmas song BY FAR is Jingle bell rock by Bobby Helms. (It was also in Mean Girls, my favorite movie!) But I am a true fan of Mariah Carey Christmas songs as well.
2. I love a traditional gingerbread cookie.
Recipe:
INGREDIENTS
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2″ piece fresh ginger, grated (optional)
Zest of 1 orange (optional)
1/2 tsp.
finely ground black pepper (optional)
Sugar Cookie Icing, for decorating
Sprinkles, for decorating
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, spices, baking soda, and salt until combined. With the mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, as well as fresh ginger, orange zest, and black pepper (if using), until dough just comes together. (Do not over mix!)
- Divide dough in half and create two discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 to 3 hours. (Alternatively, divide dough in half and roll each piece of dough between two pieces of parchment to 1/4″ thick. Chill until firm.)
- Preheat oven to 350° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place one disc of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll until 1/4″ thick. (Alternatively, peel off both sheets of parchment from dough, then replace one sheet of parchment back underneath dough.) Cut out gingerbread men with a 3″ wide cutter and transfer to baking sheets.
- Bake until slightly puffed and set, 9 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie cutters. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Decorate with icing and sprinkles as desired.
3. My Favorite Holiday movie is elf, because I think it is hilarious. No one could play Buddy better than Will Ferrell.
4. My favorite holiday activity is making hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies. I also enjoy have arguments with my brother about if Die Hard is a real Christmas movie.
5. I know it’s not gonna happen, but I would like to have a pet for Christmas. Even a goldfish would work for me.
6. I work at a charity called ForTheKids, and I do enjoy doing Christmas fundraisers for student council.
7. 
8. I like giving my Christmas baking.
9. The Christmas wreath is a symbol of love and eternal life.
10. My best Christmas memory is when I got a phone for Christmas
Although it may be a ways away, Christmas is coming up! With all COVID-19 related shipping problems, I would advise to start your holiday shopping NOW.
- Candy! (Obviously)
2. Cozy Socks!
3. Card games! Everyone loves a little bit of good ol’ uno.
4. Stickers! Random, but effective.
5. Fidgets
The rainbow of leaves is coming! We’ve been in fall for at least a month and a half now, so we should start getting ready for thanksgiving! Here are some must haves for easy decor!
- Welcome Fall Wreath
2. LED Maple Tree
3. Pumpkin LED Lights
4. Maple Leaf LED Lights
5. Artificial Assorted Pumpkin Decor
I hope you liked all of these ideas!
Introduction
Don’t lie, you know what butter is! It is very likely that you have had it at some point either through cooking or just on toast. But making butter is actually really fun, no less a workout too! Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients & Supplies:
- 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt (you could also add the seasonings of your choice to make a unique homemade butter!)
- 2 Jars of some kind, mason is recommended. (if you would like to keep the buttermilk, 2 jars are necessary, otherwise just use one.)
- Strainer
- Marbles (clean), add as many or as little as you like for an optional helper to see if your butter is done. I recommend 2!
Let’s Cook!
- First pour your heavy whipping cream into your jar of choice. Make sure it’s cold, and pour into the jar until it is about halfway full. Add your marbles if desired.
- Make sure to screw your cap on tight, it’s gonna be a mess otherwise!
- Shake the jar for 8-10 minutes, this is the workout! If your arm gets tired, make sure to switch off, but still shake.
- Check on the progress. Take a quick break to see the changes happening to the heavy whipping cream, it might be staring to solidify if the marbles are becoming quieter!
- Add seasonings of choice, and put the lid back on.
- Shake for about another 8 or so minutes. You will know when the butter is ready if you feel a lump when shaking and/or can’t hear the marbles.
- Dump the contents of the jar into a strainer to separate the lump of butter from the creamy liquid. If 2 jars were used, put the butter into the second jar. (This leftover liquid is buttermilk, which you can save for things like homemade waffles!)
- Taste-test, and then put in the fridge for later! (I bet that thanksgiving turkey is begging for your butter.)
Enjoy your butter!
Although there is definitely going to be some hate towards this post, Journalism is the BEST elective. You cannot change my mind. Journalism is amazing because you get to start your own blog and do fun activities to share with the world. (If you somehow get your site link out there) And if writing and prompt activities aren’t your thing, there is also a photography unit where you have a photography prompt, and you can go outside and take photos with (usually) a group of your choice. During the photography unit, we learn how to use the cameras and sometimes mess around a bit, resulting in some fun and silly photos. We also complete a podcast unit, which is really fun. The class gets to record alone or with a friend on a topic they want to talk about and we will complete about a 5 episode series and each episode is about 5-10 minutes long. Mrs. Steel is also one of the reasons this elective is so great. She is a very chill teacher and has fun lesson activities, while managing a class of mixed 7th and 8th graders. Journalism is the best!
Some items from the journalism photography unit:
Quarantine may be ver, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have an awesome bedroom once more! Clear out the empty pizza boxes and let’s get decorating!
1.Throw Pillows. The bed should be comfy and aesthetically pleasing!
2. LED Lights! Vibe lighting is essential.
3. Saucer Chair or Bean Bag. Just the bed isn’t enough, lots of comfort is required.
4. Rug. Just a rug.
5. Lap Desk. You should be on your bed when your working right?
That’s all for now!
Everyone has that bunch fo things that we used to do or watch or wear because we thought it was cool. But now as we get older we are interested in new and old things. Let’s take a look at some old trends!
- Yo mama memes. It’s the same joke every time. Respect your mothers kids.
- Gru memes.
3. Caliou
4. Fidget Spinners. I actually had one of these!
5. Dabbing. Please, please stop. Just stop.
6. Pokemon Go and Cards.
7. Water Bottle Flipping. This still is done sometimes as throwback fun or youtube challenges.
8. Rainbow stuff, it just was.
9. Certain celebrities were in, like Taylor Swift and others.
10. Unicorns? Still don’t get that.
My top five needs for my dream bedroom!
I love my bedroom, but the grass is indeed always greener. Like everyone, I do have quite an idea for a dream bedroom. But the first thing to be stated, I would love a city skyline view for my bedroom, that is the main thing that I want for my bedroom.
Bedroom Necessities
1. A nice super comfy bed with lots of pillows and a fluffy blanket. I will be sleeping for at least 12 hours a day (Probably)
2. A really cute mini-fridge! I need room for all the fanta and dr pepper.
3. LED lights! I gotta get that vibe lighting.
4. A super comfy couch! I need somewhere to sit and watch TV don’t it?
5. Elliptical. I probably should burn off those McDonalds calories.
(I hit the max amount of links, I I will make a part 2!)
Who Am I? Put your best guess in the comments!
Introduction:
If you’ve got bananas laying around and you know how to spell bananas, this recipe is for you!
Ingredients:
-
- 3 ripe bananas, or 1 ½ cups mashed
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or oat flour
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup, or honey
- 1 tsp baking soda
For a boost of flavor you could also add:
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- mix-ins of choice, (chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, etc.)
Instructions:
-
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9×5-inch loaf pan with foil or parchment and spray with cooking spray.
-
Add all ingredients to a
blender and blend until smooth. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
(If desired, stir in any mix-ins, or sprinkle on any toppings.)
-
Bake 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
-
Allow cooling completely before cutting.
-
Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for a week.
Enjoy your fresh banana bread!
