4 Ingredient Chocolate Pudding Cake

There is very little in life that gets me as excited as sunshine. But chocolate probably comes close. Last year I stumbled across this recipe on pintrest. It originally comes from Budget Savy Diva, but the recipe is also listed below.

I have made this several times and it is a consistent hit every time! And with only 4 ingredients it makes a great college dessert. It typically costs about $3.50 and serves 12. 

Ingredients 

Super Moist Chocolate Cake (I get Devil's food cake from Aldi) 

1 C Chocolate Chips

1 1/2 C of milk (I put it in a travel mug from the cafeteria) 

1 pkg of dry pudding mix

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. (Do not follow the cake mix box directions). Spoon ingredients into a 13x9" pan (it will be very thick!). Bake on 350 uncovered for 30 min.  

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother

Patricia Polacco is a great person to do an author study. Her books help introduce the idea of an autobiography. My two favorite books by her are "Thank you Mr. Falker" and "My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother." 

This week I read "My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother" to my second grade class. They were engaged and seemed interested in the book the whole time. Their purpose for reading was to discover in Patricia's wish came true. 

This book helped students relate to another character who does not always get along with their brother. They shared experiences of times they did not get along with someone. We talked about relationships and how to be nice to one another. For a classroom that has been struggling with bullying I tried to tie in those ideas as well. 

It was a great read and provided some great opportunity for prediction. Not only this, but students imagined what the grandmother wished for and came up with some great answers! I did learn later that tying in children's experiences such as making a wish could have added to the book. 

I strongly encourage reading this book with 2-4 graders. 

Edible Cookie Dough

There are very few times in life that I feel the need to be rebellious. But eating cookie dough is one of those times. Yes I know raw eggs are terrible for you. Yes I know eating as much of this stuff as a I do should make me sick. But I do. 

Recently I came across a recipe I had to try. Edible cookie dough? Is this real life? Yes, yes it was and it was delicious. Below is my tweaked version of the recipe. Try it out when you have a bad day, a good day, or a day that you need chocolate (which is everyday). 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 box instant vanilla pudding 

1/4 cup milk (or until it’s the right consistency)
½ Tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 - 3/4 cup flour

2 cups chocolate chips 

Directions

In large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pudding and stir well. Add milk, vanilla, and baking soda. Slowly mix in flour until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and chill. 

Buckeyes

 Recently my roommates and I have been blessed to be the recipients of copious amounts of peanut butter. For this I will never complain. Peanut butter is a staple of life. We did have roughly 5 jars of peanut butter, we are now down to two-one of which is 6-lbs. Because of the excess of peanut butter I tried making buckeyes for the first time, according to my co-workers and friends they were a success! Try it out! There's not too many ingredients which I LOVE. 

 Ingredients

 1/2 c peanut butter  

1/4 c butter, softened

 1 t vanilla 6 c powdered sugar 

4 c chocolate chips

Directions 

1. Mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until well blended.

2. Roll dough into balls and place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet

3. Place a toothpick into each ball then place cookie sheets in freezer until frozen.

4. Melt chocolate chips (I did it in the microwave)

5.  Dip in chocolate and place back into freezer until set.

Cafeteria Hacks: Dessert

The weather around here is finally getting a bit warmer....well maybe just sunnier. But, I'm still hoping warmer weather is coming my way soon! After a long day of classes, trudging through the mushy slush, dessert is essential to survival. 

Option 1. Ice Cream Sandwiches. This is my best friends go-to whenever the desserts in the cafeteria are lacking. It's very simple. Take two cookies, same kind different kinds, whatever your favorite is. Then put a big scoop of vanilla (or an flavor) ice cream between the two. Smush it together a bit, and enjoy! If you want sprinkles you can probably find them near the ice cream as well. 

Option 2. Root Beer Floats. Pretty basic. Get a cup. Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the cup. Add pop/soda of your choice. Ta-dah!

Option 3. This one isn't really an option but more of a suggestion to bring desserts to an even better level. Microwave. If your cafeteria has a microwave pop your brownie, pie, whatever it may be in for a few seconds. Its delicious. This also makes the dessert ice cream combination tons better. 

Option 4. Sick of boring ice cream toppings? Want more variety? Look at the cereal and top  your delicious treat with cereal instead!

Cafeteria Hacks: Waffles

Doesn't that picture make your mouth water? A delicious waffle with a steaming cup of coffee...mmmmmm. 

My favorite thing about this picture? I took it in our dinning hall. That's right. Waffle Wednesday's as my friends have called it. 

There are so many great food hacks in the cafeteria, one of my favorites is waffles. Regular waffles are great, but dressed up their even better!

Option 1. On the left is a normal waffle topped with banana, syrup, and peanut butter. But, it's even better when you mash up the peanut butter and banana into the waffle. You can also dress it up more with chocolate syrup (we have it out near the ice cream). 

Option 2. Cut up pieces of apple really small and mix it into the batter. We then brought our own cinnamon and nutmeg and mixed it into the batter. Topped with syrup and powdered sugar. 

Option 3. Dessert Waffles. Make a waffle as normal and then top it with your favorite ice cream flavor...you may want to consider splitting this one with a friend....or not. 

Tortellini Spinach Soup

Okay guys. So, one of my favorite things to do is experiment with new recipes from Pintrest. I made this one when I was home for Christmas break and then tried it out again for people at school. I love relaxing with people on Sunday afternoons. If you have a small group of friends coming over and a Crockpot, check this out.

The ingredients total cost about $10 at Aldi, not bad for serving six, 1-1/2 cup servings. 

Ingredients

1 (19 oz.) bag frozen cheese tortellini
1 bag fresh spinach
2 cans Italian style diced tomatoes
2 (4 cups) cans low-fat chicken broth (or vegetable)
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, cut into cubes

Directions

Add ingredients to a slow cooker.
Stir to combine. Cook on LOW for 5 hours, stirring twice during cooking.

You can easily add  other ingredients like chicken or sausage to this as well. Try it out! 

First Day. All Day.

Recently I had my first full day in a classroom! Oh. Boy.

Somehow throughout my education I forgot the amount of energy that second graders have. But, the moment I sat down in my apartment (for the first time all day), I was very aware how exhausted I was.

Besides assisting the teacher there was one assignment called "a bag of introduction" that was extremely helpful.

What you do is bring in a bag, any bag and fill it with 4-5 items that describe you. Here are some examples of things my classmates and I brought it. 

Sunglasses- like warm weather and sunshine

Favorite Movie (kid friendly)

Favorite Book (on grade level)

Hunting/Fishing License

Coffee Mug

Passport

etc. 

Then you pull out each item one at a time and explain what it is and ask the students questions about it. Make them guess what it is, describe it and then pull it out, ask if they have one too etc, this was a great way for them to know me and keep their interest!

It was a really great experience and I'm defiantly looking forward to teaching more lessons! 

French Toast

French Toast is one of my favorite breakfasts. I also recently learned how easy it is to make in our apartment (I don't know if that's good or bad yet). 

This is the recipe I used, but keep in mind I don't ever use exact measurements.

Ingredients 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or as much as you like)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white sugar
12 thick slices bread

1. Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.

3. Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown.

Serve it with powdered sugar, brown sugar, syrup, berries, peanut butter or chocolate chips. My friend and I loved it. I can't wait to make it again!

Please comment below if you've tried this recipe or have any other great add in ideas for french toast!

Student Tips

I've been a student for most of my life now. Let me just say it, college is hard. But there are some helpful tips I have learned through my time here. 

Tip #1. Don't wait until the night before to study. Seriously. I know everyone says this, but it will definitely help you in the long run. Look over your notes between classes, even just 5 minutes makes a difference.

Tip #2. Don't do all the readings. Profs assign way more readings than one could even read in 24-hours. In your first few weeks of school try to figure out what profs you actually need to read for and which cover the same material during class. 

Tip #3. Buy used textbooks. Many people will rent textbooks, but buying used is even better! This way you can sell your textbook to someone else taking the class, maybe even make some money. 

Tip #4. Reward yourself. Studying is hard and exhausting. Its okay to take breaks, just not too many. Facebook can be super distracting, but Google Chrome has some great apps to help keep you on task.  

Tip #5. Chewing a weird flavor of gum in class and while studying will help you remember information. Also, studying in the room you will have a test in will help you know material better for the test. Do it. 

Tip #6. Read papers backwards. A prof gave our class this suggestion my freshman year. It seems a little weird, but take it sentence by sentence and read the paper backwards. You notice all the grammatical mistakes. 

Tip #7. Know your learning style and use your resources. If you are a visual learning get flashcards or find an empty classroom and whiteboard. If you learn orally make a friend in your class. There are so many different ways to study, find what works for you. 

Tip #8. Be Organized. Again, everyone says this, but do it. My room is not clean and my desk has clothes all over, but my school work must be organized. Make a calendar, buy a planner, use your iPhone, whatever it takes. 

Tips #9. Fun. College is hard, but its also fun. Don't shut yourself out from the world when your stressed. Have people over for a game night. Be goofy. And enjoy your classes. Learn.

Learning

(Noun): the process of gaining knowledge by studying, practicing, being taught or experiencing something. 

Learning is something we do everyday. We must learn in order to survive. We learn to look both ways before crossing the street, and the importance of please and thank you.  But learning goes beyond survival. Learning is a way of living. 

To learn is to grow. To grow in faith, in experience, in life. Learning is not only essential but desirable. It adds beauty to life.

This website is designed to encourage learning through food experiments, teaching and daily life as a student, daughter, and friend.