#YDY

My life motto this quarter has been YDY.  Meaning you do you.  This came about after I decided that I wanted to learn how to be independently happy.  Being happy is an incredibly difficult task and over the past quarter I've struggled a lot over what it means to be happy and how to find happiness within myself. 

I recently came across a blog that I thought did an exceptional job of outlining how to be happy.  Here are their 7 steps to happiness:

1.  You choose: Make your own decisions, don't let other people make them for you.

2.  Focus on the present.  Not yesterday or tomorrow.

3.  Don't forget to be grateful.

4.  Help someone else find happiness.

5.  Simplify: Eliminate 

6.  Do what you like to do.

7.  Or at least do something.

After reading through these I came to a couple conclusions about my journey to find inner happiness.  The first is that I need to live more in the present.  Thinking about what has happened in the past is a waste because (1) you can't do anything to change what has already happened and (2) looking at the past sometimes just makes us regret what we have done which does not lead to happiness.  In my case, looking at my future has been detrimental because I could be imagining a life that has no chance of happening.  Simplifying things is also something that I can work on in the near future.  I feel like there is so much excess in life and it's hard to really appreciate the best things when you're drowning in many things that are unimportant.

As this quarter winds down I'm going to continue working towards happiness and just doing me.

Happy March.

Kat

Katcakes #1: Strawberry Cupcakes

This summer I have started baking A LOT because 1.  I love food, 2.  I love cupcakes, 3.  I love cake, 4.  I love cookies, and 5.  I don't have anything better/more productive to do.  A couple weeks ago a friend and I decided to make strawberry cupcakes....AND THEY WERE FANTASTIC.  So I decided to share the recipe, a couple pictures, and a hint or two to make them a little better.

WELCOME TO Katcakes.

Recipe found on page 146/147 in Martha Stewart Cupcakes

What you need for the cupcakes:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature.  Margarine is acceptable replacement.
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large whole eggs plus 1 egg white
1 cup milk (I used skim but use 2% if you want them creamier)
2 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries

These ingredients make approximately 34 cupcakes...I halved the recipe and had enough for a few days.

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt.

2.  With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy.  Add whole eggs and the white, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk, and beating until well combined.  Fold in chopped strawberries by hand.

3.  Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.  Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto rack and let cool completely .  Cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature in airtight containers.

4.  Top with buttercream frosting and strawberry slices.  We topped our frosting with the leftover strawberry tops and they looked super cute.

What you need for the frosting:

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter

These ingredients make about 5 cups of frosting, we 1/3 the recipe and had plenty.

Directions:

1.  Puree strawberries in a food processor.  Combine egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of a standing electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water.  Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your finger tips).

2.  Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, mix until stiff (but not dry) peaks form.  Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

3.  With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Once all butter has been added, scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula and switch to the paddle attachment; continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes.  Add strawberries and beat until combined.  Stir with a flexible spatula until the frosting in smooth.  Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.  Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

DECORATE

ENJOY

Happy Baking!
Kat

Thoughts on the First Week of Summer

I was REALLY excited to go home for summer this year.  To chill, relax, run, sleep way more than normal....but right before I left school and continuing into my first week of summer I have come to a couple conclusions:

1.  This summer is not so much about the hellos as it is about the goodbyes.
2.  People grow. And change. And .....
3.  I'm not going to have an actual summer.
4.  At this point in the summer everyone has hit cruise and I'm still pulling off of the brakes.

Conclusion #1:  This summer is not so much about the hellos as it is about the goodbyes.

Saying goodbye to my friends from school was exceptionally difficult.  We've gone through a lot together...lots of amazing moments and a few hard times.  Living together definitely brings another level to a friendship and I'm so grateful that I was able to bond with so many people.

While saying hello to all of my friends from home has been nice, for me it has been greatly overshadowed by the fact that at the end of the summer I will be saying goodbye for a lengthy period of time.  Yes.  I'll be home for Thanksgiving.  I'll probably be home for part of winter break.  Maybe, I'll be home for spring break.  But I don't think I'll be coming back for the summer.  Chances are great that this is the last time that I will be spending large amounts of time with people from home.

This is my last summer at home.  My last opportunity to strengthen my relationships with the people I grew up with.   My last time to create bonds and get things straight.  To in a way find closure in relationships.  After this summer all of these relationships are up against time.  We move in the direction of Christmas card friends, checking up only with important news and or a yearly Christmas update.  It's kind of depressing that the relationships that I've been fostering for the last 19 years hinge on the next 3 months.

Conclusion #2:  People Grow.  And Change.  And .....

A lot of the people that I've grown up with have changed.  It isn't bad or good change.  It's just change. They've had different experiences then I have.  They have new sets of friends that have influenced them.  They hang out with different people and value different things in friendships.  I've come to realize that I don't have any control over these situations and it's best to accept what's happening and move on.  Another thing that has influenced me this summer is that I no longer care about the people who don't care.  If people want to make and effort to hang out, then I'm willing to hang out with them and make the effort back.  However, I'm not going to go out of my way to contact people who don't care.

Conclusion #3:  I'm not going to have an actual summer.

I finished my last final on Thursday, June 7th at 5 pm.  Caught a flight home at 9:21 am on Friday, June 8th, and was in the office from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday, June 9th.  My normal work schedule (7am-3pm M-F) began the first Monday I was home....meaning that unlike everyone else who got 3 to 4 weeks to chill and SLEEP before starting their summer jobs, I went directly from school to work and then will go directly back to school in the fall.  I'll be moving back into NU on the Saturday after my last Friday of work (I think we're at 78 days?)!

Complaining but not really.  This is real life.  No more long breaks where you chill for endless hours and spend a whole day deciding what to do just because you can waste that much time.  That's for spring break....duh (and middle/high schoolers).

Adulthood here I come.

Conclusion #4:  At this point in the summer everyone has hit cruise and I'm still pulling off of the breaks.

All of my friends were home for a good 3-5 weeks before I even finished my last final.  Meaning that they've all caught up with each other, talked about their year at school, and are utterly bored by sitting around for hours doing nothing.  ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE SHINY AND NEW TO ME!!!  I want to lay in my bed for hours sleeping.  I don't care about staying out until 3 am in the morning because that's what the school year is for!  This is summer.

People have started to get a little restless.  College is a constant experience where every moment is something new and exciting.  Being at home is chill.  Everything is familiar and you can only enjoy the calm and quiet for a little before it gets a little tedious.  I'm not at that point yet, which is a stark contrast to lots of my friends from home.

Keep it chill.
Kat

Well hello there...

So...let's be honest.  I've failed at blogging BIG time over the last couple months.  It's not that I don't like blogging...I just don't have anything super cool to blog about!  AND...I'm actually semi-interested in the classes that I'm taking this quarter.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about summer.  Not only does summer mean warmer weather (which implies summer dresses, tank tops, flip flops, and pastel colored shorts), but it also means the first time that I will be reunited with all my friends from home.  CRAZY.  It has been a ridiculously fun and exciting year.  I'm sure everyone has grown and learned a lot this year and it will be fun to see everyone again!  However, summer also means a 3 month hiatus from my college family.  It will be an extremely difficult transition...but I think we're poised for a great summer.

So now onto the bulk of the post.  Summer. 

One of my favorite things about summer is making a bucket list.  A list of things that you want to accomplish before the summer is over and reality sets in again.  In past years, my bucket list has included traveling to a new state, going to a specific beach, having a conversation without talking, Chinese fire drill or eating ice cream a certain amount of times a day.

This year, I want to be a little more unique.

1.  Reenact Ferris Bueller's day off.  (Includes:  Going to the top of the John Hancock/Sears Tower, eating at a fancy restaurant, participating in a parade, driving a porsche.)

2.  BUY A NICE PAIR OF SUNGLASSES.  (I may or may not have lost my previous pair #responsibility)
3.  Reach 1500 followers on twitter...
4.  Do a triathalon, running or rollerblading, depending on how much I actually train.
5.  Eat a whole bucket of Sweet Martha's Cookies at the Minnesota State Fair.
6.  Learn Spanish.
7.  Visit a different country (Canada counts).
8.  Watch a movie under the stars (Drive-in, lake movies?)
9.  Laugh so hard I pee my pants.
10.  Finish LOST season one and two (Shout-out to Ali!!)
11.  Find Hogwarts
12.  Have a long conversation on my front porch without saying anything.  And come away completely satisfied.
13.  Finish a game of monopoly (Actually exceptionally difficult....I think we tried this a few times last summer).
14.  Meet someone famous.
15.  Go to at least 5 of my sisters softball games (Challenge.)
16.  Finish the Hunger Games series
17.  Go on a midnight stroll
18.  Get on a first name basis with the cashier at Freeziac
19.  Take a nap on the beach
20.  Become a certified zumba instructor 

BIRTHDAY BLOG!!! (Part 1)

I've definitely been MIA for awhile...and I'm terribly sorry about that.  I actually don't have any excuses beyond life happened and I was being lazy.  But a couple people requested that I do a birthday blog talking about what I did/what happened, so I thought I would do that as my catch-up post!

I got to spend the weekend before my birthday in Chicago with my Aunt who was visiting from Wisconsin.  I woke up fairly early on Saturday morning and arrived in the city by noon.  I met my Aunt at her hotel and we decided to spend the day doing touristy things.  First on the list was a trip to Garret's Popcorn and Sprinkles cupcakes....aka my absolute favorite Chicagoland treats.

Sprinkles

After Sprinkles we decided to go people watching at the John Hancock building.  Instead of going to the observatory we went to the Sky Lounge which is a bar on the floor below the observatory.  We chilled there for around an hour and enjoyed a fantastic view of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan.

View from John Hancock Building

Eventually it was time for dinner and I was really craving Italian so we went to Cafe Spiaggia which was delicious and not to filling.  We ended the night early after watching the final Big Ten team in the NCAA basketball tournament fall to Kentucky.

Cafe Spiaggia

Stay tuned for part 2...aka my actual birthday!

Ask Kat: Edition #1

1.  Who was the last person to call you?:   My mom.
2.  What is the last non-alcoholic beverage you had?:  A glass of orange juice.
3.  When is the last time you cried?:  When I watched Toy Story 3 a couple weeks ago.  Too many memories.
4.  Are you scared of spiders?:  I definitely used to be….black or large spiders are still creepy.
5.  Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?:  Absolutely.
6.  What are your plans for this weekend?:  Going to visit a couple friends at school on Saturday and then headed back to school on Sunday!
7.  Ever been swimming in a lake or river?:  Yes to both.
8.  Last person you drove with in a car?:  My mom.
9.  What did you last buy?:  2 pairs of socks and a dress from American Apparel.  
10.  What’s irritating you right now?:  The constant need of my mother to be around me.
11.  What radio stations do you listen to?:  K102, 101.3 KDWB, 96.3 NOW.
12.  Are you afraid of the dark?:  Usually not, but after watching The Ring I tend to think Samara Morgan is hiding under my bed.
13.  Are you listening to music right now?:  Yep…Lee Brice, Love Like Crazy.
14.  Do you like Chinese food?:  Nomnomnom.  Fried rice, lemon chicken, spring rolls.
15.  What is the last movie you saw in theaters?:  It might have been Twilight…
16.  Is there anyone you wish was still in your life?:  Yes, but relationships change and sometimes things just aren't meant to be.
17.  Do you get distracted easily?:  ABSOLUTELY.  
18.  Was this the best year of your life?:  This past year has been incredible.  It's a tie between 2011 and 2012 right now but we'll see…
19.  Is it easier to forgive or forget?:  Forgive.  Forgetting almost takes more effort because you have to overlook.
20.  What last made you laugh the hardest?:  Got tickle attacked by 3 friends on Thursday night.  Not cool.
21.  Have you ever had a dream about people you love dying?  Yes….is that weird?
22.  Have you ever changed clothes in a vehicle?  Hahaha….good times. #swimminglifestyle
23.  What did you do yesterday?  I ran errands with my mom in the morning and then went to the gym to do a cardio class.  Came home and read "The Girl Who Played with Fire" for a little before watching 2 episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress".
24.  What time did you go to bed at and when did you awake?  Went to bed at 12 and woke up at 10 am.
25.  Believe in love at first sight?  Undecided.

Home Sweet Home

One of my favorite things about being home is eating delicious food all day erry day.  In honor of being home AND loving good food...here are some of my favorite Minneapolis restaurants to grab a bite to eat at in the summer...in no particular order of course.

Divine Diner Digs

Smashburger-  Perfectly toasted bun, delicious french fries, haagen dazs milk shakes, and a juicy burger sum up the only restaurant that I will eat a hamburger at.

Annie's Parlor-  It's all about the atmosphere.  Great malts, decent grilled treats, but more importantly prime location on the University of Minnesota campus.  Best place to grab a bite to eat before watching the gophers take on their next opponent.

Burger Jones-  Another burger place with great location.  Walking distance from Lake Calhoun, Burger Jones offers specialty malts and a HUGE variety of burgers.  This is one of those restaurants that you have to try at least once.  I recommend the s'mores malt.

Honorable Mention:  Mickey's Diner…because it is a St. Paul staple.  However, I can't remember the last time I ate there.

Gimme Pizza

Cosetta's-  My favorite place to get pizza in the Twin Cities…unfortunately a large portion of the Twin Cities population agrees with me so the lines can get absurdly long.  But it's worth the wait.  The pizza and pasta are both delicious and the price is right.

Punch-  For a more traditional neapolitan pizza I like Punch.  Packed with flavor and less fat than the traditional pizza, I might even dare to call this a "healthier alternative".  Also named the best place to get pizza in the Twin Cities by MSP magazine.

I scream for Ice Cream.

Freeziac-  The best froyo I've ever had.  I can't stop raving about Freeziac.  Loads of toppings to choose from and there is always a decent selection of flavors.  If the froyo isn't enough you can always play a game of Jenga while you're eating!

Sebastian Joe's-  A Twin Cities favorite for almost 30 years.  All their ice cream is homemade!  My family hits of Sebastian Joe's every Sunday during the summer time.  Flavors you have to try:  Oreo and Raspberry Chocolate Chip.  Or you can always try them all!

Izzy's-  A recent discovery…every ice cream comes with an "izzy" or tiny scoop of ice cream on top of your order.  A great way to try a new flavor or pack a little punch into your usual sundae.

Honorable Mention:  Grand Ole Creamery.  Another St. Paul spot that has really good ice cream.

Spring has sprung.
Kat