Gift ideas for University Freshmen

This started as a list to help a friend picking up presents for a younger sibling heading to college for the first time, away from the parents. But I have decided it's a good one to share, much like my camping list.

1. Cookbook (Just google college cookbook, you'll find dozens boast cheap, easy and tasty recipes) Alternatively you could suggest blogs you've come across like this one ;)
2. Quarters, rolls of them. Freshmen may not understand at first but weither they're used for parking or laundry they will be apperciated
3. Umbrella (espcailly if you live in a windy city like me and are constant breaking them)
4. Campus Gear: Wall calender, bookbag, clip board, hoodie...
5. Stress Ball
6. Vitamin C
7. Picture album / collage frame /scrapbook
8. Sewing kit
9. First aid kit
10. Slippers
11. Housecoat
12. Cork board /white board (with pins /white board markers)
13. Playing Cards
14. Shot glass
15. Lamp
16. Booklight /flashlight
17. Tool kit
18. Poster (for decor)
19. Eye mask
20. Ear plugs
21. A fan
22. Coffee perkulator

Blueberry-Peanut Cheesecake

This recipe came from a book called 500 Desserts by Ann Kay with the slight change of having peanuts rather then walnuts.

What you will need:

350g of blueberries
1 tbsp of honey or agave nectar
6 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup of cream cheese
1 egg
1 tsp of liqueur (optional)

For the base:
1 2/3 cups of peanuts
2/3 cup flour
pinch of salt
4 tbsp butter
5 tbsp brown sugar
1 egg yolk (I used the whole egg)

Starting with the base:

1. Ground peanuts (I used a potato smasher, works just fine, could also put them in a zip lock and roll over them with a can of a soup until satisfied.)
2. Mix ground peanuts, flour and salt in a large bowl.
3. In another bowl cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolk (I just put the whole egg in, didn't hurt!).
4. Fold creamed bowl slowly into peanut-mixture until well combined.
5. Press crumble into a greased 9 inch pie dish, covering completely and evenly.
6. Cover and chill for 30 minutes minimum.
7. Bake crust for 15 minutes on 350 degrees Fahrenheit, let cool before adding filling.

The topping:

1. In a heavy frying pan combine blueberry, honey or agave nectar, 1 tbsp of sugar, lemon juice.
2. Cook for 5-7 minutes over low heat, stirring often. Berries should give off some liquid but retain their shape (I used frozen berries thus they gave off a lot of liquid, no worries).
3. In a new bowl beat cream cheese and  5 tbsp of sugar until fluffy.
4. Add an egg, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, the liqueur (if you choose) and the cream. Beat until blended.
5. Pour mixture into crust.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Cool on a wire rack.
8. Cover and chill for at least an hour
9. Spread blueberry mixture over the top.

Enjoy!

General Camping Supplies List

So this weekend we're driving about 5 hours to sleep in a tent on someone's lawn. And I'm really excited! Mainly for the people we're spending time with but there's also this Mussel Bed Soiree thing that's bringing us all together. Thus my post for you today is the camping supplies list.

A great way to go about camping with friends is to create a google spreadsheet (in google documents) and share with all the campers. Put everything you can think of in catergories blocked out by columns with a spare column in between for everyone to "sign up" to bring specific items. Clearly some items (like sunglasses) are going to be brought by everyone and only end up on the list as a good reminder.

Below is everything I could think up for a universal camping supplies list (obviously food is to taste):

*Shelter
Tent
Tarp (cover & ground)
Rope
Hammer
Hatchet
Dust pan/broom
Sleeping bag
Pillow
Air mattress
Air pump

*Cooking
Water
Ice
Stove /Propane
Lighter / Matches
Firewood
Grill
Fire starters(paper)
Plates/bowls/mugs
utentils/knives
Aluminium foil
Paper towels
Trash bags
Tupperware
Ovenmits
Pots/pans
Tongs
Skewers
Can opener
Dish pan
Dish cloths/towels
Dish soap

*Food
seasonings/condiments (BBq sauce, salt, pepper)
Marshmellows
Graham crackers
Chocolate
Hot chocolate
Tea
Steak
Raw Veggies
Skewers
hot dogs/buns
Soup
Trailmix
Eggs
Cereal
Milk
Bread
Jam
Corn
Hummus
Crackers
BOOZE
potatos
nachos (chips/salsa/sour cream)

*Clothes
Hiking shoes
sandles
jeans
shorts
tees /tanks
socks
hat
hoodie
underwear
pjs
Rain clothes
swimsuit
Gloves

*Personal
towels
wash cloth
soap/shampoo
tooth brush/paste
deodorant
brush
toilet paper
tylenol

*Other
Sunblock
Lantern w/ fuel
Flashlight
Extra batteries
Fly spray
Camera/battery
Books
Candles
Camp chairs
Sunglasses
First aid kit
Cards
Boardgames
Paper
Pen
Umbrella
Scissors

Vegetarian Pot Pie with Sweet Potato-Bechamel Sauce

The finished product!

I don't know if you've ever noticed but vegetable pot pie in the store is an outrageous price. At least around here, and you can only the single serving size (which comes 2 in a box normally). Thus, even though I love love love pot pie it ended up on list of food I only buy as a treat.

Then I figured out how to make pot pies only better. I even have a (not-so-)secret special sauce that came out of a mistake the first time I made them. You just must try this pot pie!!

You will need (for 2 pies):

• Root vegetables
• 4 small potatoes, 1 small turnip, 4 carrot, 1 parsnip (I actually forgot the turnip in mine, but it's all your own preference)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive oil to drizzle
• A handful of Broccoli
• A handful of Cauliflower
• 1 Sweet potato
• 1 package of Bechamel sauce (pictured below)
• 4 pie crusts (2 bottoms, 2 covers -they often come 2 in a box, thus 2 boxes)
• 4 hours (don't worry, it's mainly a waiting game that you can speed up if need-be)

Root veggies prep:

1. Peel and chop up all your root veggies into chunks (excluding the sweet potato).
2. Salt and pepper to taste on a baking tray.
3. Drizzle with oil.
4. Slow roast for three hours on 250 Fahrenheit.
1. In a rush? Though I haven't tried it I'm sure you could up the temperature and take out once they're all soft.
5.  Wait for 2.5 hrs before continuing.

Special Sauce Prep:

1. Peel and slice the sweet potato in smaller the better chunks.
2. In just enough water to cover the sweet potatoe in a large pot bring water to boil.
3. Once the sweet potatoe has lost most of it's shape /is soft enough to make into mush add the Bechamel Mix. You may need to add more water then the package says since you also have the sweet potato. The water can be replaced with milk if you like.
4. If it's not thick enough you may wish to add flour.
5. Adding any drippings from root veggies.

Steamed Veggies Prep:

1. Boil a medium sized pot of water
2. Add Cauliflower
3. Wait a minute then add broccoli
4. Wait max of 5 minutes and remove veggie from water.
5. Alternatively use a veggie steamer.

Final Stage:

1. Poke holes with a fork in each pie and bake for 10 minutes approx.
2. While on a baking tray fill 2 bottoms with an equal amount of root veggies (you may wish to chop your root veggies smaller)
3. Repeat with steamed veggies.
4. Pour sauce on top, don't worry if it's not level, just as long as it doesn't go over the sides.
5. Place your tops on, pressing sides together with a fork if possible.
6. Bake on 300 Ferenheit for 30-40 minutes.

Cookie Dough (eggless)

Pretty simple recipe I found here: Single Serve Cookie Dough

It's eggless, no-bake and thus ready to eat.

Though that site gives you the ingredient amounts for a single serving. We've made this twice now and couldn't resist upping the quantity, if only so we can have leftovers.

Additionally, the site strangely doesn't give a butter quantity and we've found it's best refrigerated.

 Okay, so voila the larger version of the same recipe;

1/2 cup Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Flour
2/3 cup Sugar
Up to 1/4 cup Water/Milk
As many Chocolate Chips as you desire
(Maybe replace chocolate chips with peanut butter chips or butterscotch or vanilla... M&Ms perhaps )

Melt & mash butter.
Add everything else but water and chocolate chips.
Slowly add water (or milk) until it reaches desired consistency.
Add chocolate chips.
Refrigerate(Do not bake! Will not make good cookies)
Enjoy in moderation ;)

Quinoa Sliders

These are amazing. I made them Friday morning to take to the cabin and as soon as I came back Sunday night I made another batch. Approximate cost per slider = 41 Cents and that generously giving all the teaspoon of this and that like sugar and salt a value. Of course you may want to have a bun with it (I recommend the thin buns) and some mayo or other condiment of choice. But this point is these are delicious, cheap and easy to make.

So the recipe I used can be found here: http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/love-my-quinoa-burger/ but of course as everyone does I tweaked it a little. Namely, I used much more green onion and I made many more burgers as a result of doing them mini sized (aka Sliders), making my outcome 22 where that recipe says its more like 10.

Also, the first time I made them my quinoa was a little runny so I had to add A LOT more flour. When you're at that point, just add one tablespoon at a time until it's no longer runny, similar to a thick pancake.

Recipe below but first a word on Quinoa. One of the new biggest trends in world foods with all essential amino acids (aka is a "complete protein"). This site also boasts that "Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis." Other ailments that site boasts quinoa as an aid for include: heart failure, antioxidant protection, breast cancer, childhood asthma, gallstone prevention, ischemic stoke, insulin resistance, obesity and premature death (though the whole time they say these are the benefits of quinoa as a grain and at the very end they admit quinoa is a seed). Hence it's title as a super-food.

While that shit's awesome, what concerns me about quinoa is actually it's effects as an international food product. It's regularly called "the gold of the incas", incas being the pacific ocean side of South America basically. The issue is when the Global North decides that Quinoa is a super food, and decides it's worth a higher price, the people who cultivate it can no longer afford it. We pay for it to be shipped to different hemispheres yet sometimes we neglect to pay the farmer. As a super food, this seed has been a staple in the diets of a whole society before we understood what amino acids even were. When we rip that staple food and source of nutrient out of that society, people die from not having the money to buy the seed they planted and thus not having those nutrients in their diet in a society where nutrients are scarce. It's more complicated then this paragraph obviously and perhaps I'll post a whole entry of the politics of food (or maybe a series of posts).

The best option of you love these burgers /love quinoa /are sold on the benfits of quinoa is to grow it yourself. Google it, it's really not that hard and is a very adaptable plant. I'm currently trying to grow it, I'll let you know how that turns out in the fall.

Next best option, be aware of how you buy it. From who, where it's produced, etc. Fair trade symbols are key. Living in Newfoundland, I haven't yet found fair trade quinoa. However, I bought Bob's Red Mill brand, as depicted. Bob's Red Mill is a co-operative in America, producing all whole grain, gluten free and organic foods (all non-GMO). Most of their products are grown in Canada and America however the quinoa is grown in Ecuador. I've actually just e-mailed them to ask if it is fair trade by stroke of luck. If i find out it isn't, I'll be re-emailing them the benefits of fair trade and also searching harder for fair trade quinoa elsewhere.


I'll repost the recipe below in case the link becomes corrupt or some other non-sense. (Bolded words and pictures are are mine, the rest below is from the link above).

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan bring the 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat.  Add quinoa and reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and the seeds are tender.  Allow to cool for a few minutes. (I first went by the recipe on the bag of Quinoa but this one worked a lot better. Picture depicts cooked quinoa.)

 

OR 2 rounded cups cooked, leftover quinoa
.

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other variety, if you prefer)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, finely grated
3 eggs
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 green onions, including white parts (I used a lot more, basically just cut off what needed to be cut off regardless -you do know to keep your green onions in a glass of water on the window sill right?)
1 /2 teaspoon Splenda or sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (I used a teaspoon of minced garlic)
Olive oil for frying
.
In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrot, eggs, flour, green onions, Splenda, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder. (Combine everything but olive oil, if runny continue adding a tablespoon of flour at a time until similar to thick pancakes).

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat.  Measure 1/4 cup and form into patties about 1/2 inch thick  - mixture will be slightly sticky.  Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.   Makes approx. 10 burgers. (I made them about a tablespoon and a half each to make sliders and had 22 total as an outcome)

***
A note from a friend of mine:
An important note - the brand you buy seems to be pre-rinsed/soaked which is awesome, but make sure for those who are trying it with a different brand, that if they don't know whether it's been pre-soaked, may need to rinse + soak for a couple of hours for the bitter coating to wash away from the grains. Quinoa is a unique grain in that respect for preparation! But well worth it.

Liquidizing Bar Soap

Easy trick to save bucks. Liquid soap clearly has a lot of water in it, but bar soap can be annoying to use. The solution is simple, get a one litre bottle, with an openning large enough for a bar of soap (or be prepared to chop up a bar of soap), fill it up with water and drop in a bar of soap (chopped or grated for faster results). I stirred mine at least once a day and after 4 days pourred enough out to fill a soap dispenser. Voila!


Next time I think I'll grated the bar of soap so it'll have less chunks.

Sprouting Lentils

Go buy a bag of dry green lentils right now.

It cost me $1.89 and lasts a very long time. They're great protein addition to pasta dishes or stir-frys, great snack by themselves (although I don't like them this way myself), once sprouted awesome addition to a toss salad and are probably the best-cheapest things you can buy for your pantry.

You'll probably find them in the beans section next to the dry split peas. Careful to get green lentils and not red ones if you hope to sprout them. Red lentils are generally split and wont  sprout.


Take a look at the nutritional info right from the bag ~~>
Amazing source of Protein, Iron, and Fibre... what else could you ask for?

So how do you make them edible? They're as hard as rocks in the bag!

I'll briefly talk about 3 ways, spending much more time on the third (sprouting). Any way you choose make sure to rinse them first. Both the first and second way would also work for split lentils (including red lentils).

If you've got no time, cooking right now and didn't really think ahead... boil them. Pretty simple, much like split peas. They wont really get much bigger them the original size. Just throw 'em with your soup or in a pot alone, adding it to your dish afterwards. You'll know they're done when you can bite threw one.

If you've got anywhere from 4 hours to a day, measure out half the amount you want, rinse, and soak them in water. They will double in size, so make sure they have enough water to cover them even at double size. Drain the water, add them to your dish.

The pictures depict the same lentils before and after soaking in water overnight.

Finally, sprouting. This four days but feel free to use some on even the third day if you feel like it. But most importantly, be prepared to use them all between the fourth and the sixth day, they wont keep well beyond that.

I used a medium size mason jar, about a 1/2 cup of dry lentils and a bit of cheesecloth (found at dollerama). I used the mason jar lid without the actual lid, just the screw on sides, to keep the cheesecloth in place.

The first night, just soak them in water, easy peazy. The 2nd day, drain all the water out (why the cheesecloth is useful), fill it back up and swish it around and drain it again. After that first night, you always shake out as much water as possible. For the next four days, repeat this 2-3 times daily. This is so you don't get anything else growing in there.

You'll notice the lentils starting to sprout after the 2nd night (pic to the left) and after the 3rd night you get something like the picture to the right. At any point these are edible after about the 4 hour mark but when you really want to chow down is when you see leaves, after the 4th night. (See first picture at beginning)

Now don't forget to eat them all before 6 nights have passed!

I heard about sprouting from this fine blog here: http://honestfare.com/windowsill-sprouting-through-the-winter/

The Intra-web?

 

This TED talk was given by Eli Pariser, and really it floored me a little. The idea that my facebook news feed is filtering out my Conservative friends because it knows on the political scale I'm to the left is astonishing. Well no wonder I'm baffled and confused by the Majority Harper now holds... I didn't see a single news story in Harper's favor... apparently google is filtering my news intake.

So what is the problem with catering to each interweb user? It does mean I get results that uphold my beliefs, generally something people like. But isn't that kind of like Brazilia for the Internet? Brazilia, the capital of Brazil, is a city built from a blueprint on a barren land, an architect's dream. Might at first seem like a wonderful idea where there are no nuances, no weird twists and turns, no one way streets. In fact, there's a whole road dedicated to the sale of lightbulbs, no shopping around town... all of the lightbulbs are on that street. Weird right? What is really means is no surprises.

Why do we need surprises? Well, it makes us more tolerable people. To grow up in Brazilia means you've never been lost or ended up where you never meant to go. When faced with difficult situations we gain character, the aspect of ourselves which is specific to the experiences we have had. Give everyone the same experiences, no surprises, no chance for growth and you have a self contained population which only has the opportunity to reproduce exactly itself.

More to the point of filtering the internet, without showing us opposing points of view, not only do we lose the chance to challenge our own view points, we lose the option of challenging other's beliefs as well. While we preach to the filtered choir, our cries for democracy will be squashed and silenced without our knowledge for we have rose colored glasses filtering out any challenge, surprise or opposing viewpoint.

T-shirt Shopping Bags

I have been hoarding these four t-shirts for far too long and finally I found use for them! I always figured they'd be pillows but instead they are now shopping bags!! Voila the final result:

 Very simple, especially if you can use a sewing machine or has somebody whose willing to do some quick sewing for you. It's possible to sew by hand but the bag wont be as sturdy for sure.

Step one:
Find t-shirts you're willing to re purpose. These are the prints on my four:

Step two:
Use pinking shears to cut off sleeves (if there are any) and widen the neck as that will be the mouth of your bag. Here's a picture of pinking shears and an example.

Step three: Turn each one inside out and sew the the bottom of the t-shirt together as well as reinforce anywhere you cut stitching, ie, where the neck was cut and if it started as a t-shirt rather then strapless underneath the arms.


 

Voila! You're done! Enjoy!!

Here's another great example of how to re purpose an old t-shirt. A friend of mine made a sentimental t-shirt from her younger years into this bag holder.

Pita Pizza!

The only hard thing about homemade pizza is the crust... the rest is just throwing on toppings. Thus this is a super simple recipe!

Don't worry, it doesn't include a frozen crust either! I'll teach you how to make tortilla shells from scratch later, but that is what we're using for the crust -so go grab some at the store or tackle the recipe here at Om Nom Nomnivore yourselves -though I definitely recommend a partner in the kitchen for that recipe!!


But for now...

You'll need:

• A whole wheat pita for every person (those are generally thicker tortillas)
• Enough salsa to cover each pita
• Bowl of mushrooms, sliced
• Bowl of broccoli, sliced
• Ramekin of Bell Peppers, chopped
• A sprinkle of cheese
• Optional: Lentils that have been soaking for several hours at least

Pretty basic really. Lay out your pitas on what you're cooking them on, perhaps a pizza pan. Cover them in salsa. Add lentils if you've chosen to. Evenly distribute the vegetables. Sprinkle on cheese. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you notice the broccoli burning before that, take it out -they're done!

Wire Words

This is a really simple and cheap craft I started making as gifts for friends and family. I got the idea from Family Chic, a wonderful blog with tons of other ideas. All you need is wire, yarn, a set of piliers and an idea as to what word you'd like to make (which might be the hardest part when making them for others.

A couple quick tips:

1. Choose yarn that's subsantially thick. Fluffy or fuzzy are great but feathery can be a pain.

2. Be consistant with how tight your pulling it. For "Maia Claire" I kept it loose which really the yarn and the size of the word I wanted called for. (Which btw was done with a yarn that changes color, I haven't attempted to do any with multiple yarns.) Whereas you'll see "Peace" below which was smaller with a completely different type of yarn so I kept it pulled super tight.

3. Always cut off too much wire... you never know when you'll have to reshape the wire. For example, when your "a" looks like a "o" (always create the a's with the tail on top like you see in type and not how most of us would print). Obviously cut off the access wire before cover it in yarn at the end.

4. When shaping the wire, realize that there cannot be any closed circles. Understand the yarn has to go around each part of the wire and you wont be cutting it off from the ball to feed it through. Thus, while you can use yarn to shut a circle (like in an "e") you cannot use the wire itself (notice the "a"s in Maia above).

To start and finish use piliers to create a little hook that you can squeeze together once the thread is in place. Below are 2 more completed examples.

Election Blues

This election has been a roller coaster ride. Just when you thought you had it all figured out your smacked in the face by polls and then their apparently lack of meaning! So what did we get? With 24% of Canadians voting Conservative, Harper gained one of the most illegitimate majorities in Canadian history. 37 % of Canadians did not vote for Harper and 39% did not vote. I honestly thought we'd see a higher voter turn out this time as youths across the Nation responded to Rick Mercer's 2008 election rant with vote mobs.

Silly me and my idealism even thought we might see a coalition government  for the first time since 1925-6 under Mackenzie King. My hopes were set so high even at 8:30pm as polls closed in Newfoundland and remained so as my riding and the rest of the island went red or orange. But once Conservatives reached into the hundreds before ever hitting Alberta, with Liberals and NDPs still under 30, I knew it was over and yet I watched with shock. Even after 155 I watched, waited and hoped as some numbers toggled up and down.

Four days later I've dared wearing something that isn't black or gray, perhaps because I need to do blacks in the laundry. Perhaps because I held hope for the electoral reform referendum in the UK today. A live blog shows the results as they stream in and I search another black or gray shirt to blend in with the fog rolling in.

Some friends have reminded me that a negative attitude, or worse apathy, will do nothing. We must celebrate the victories we've had and fight ever but of spite we muster up. Elizabeth May won the first green seat in Parliament, may she be the largest thorn in Harper's side that has ever existed. Jack Layton and the New Democrats became the official opposition with 102 seats and 30.62% of the vote; I wish him ever ounce of luck as he takes control of a rookie caucus. Finally, best wishes to Ignatieff, who's already found a different job and Gilles Duceppe, as we wait to see if the Bloc will remain without him, their first MP ever.

As for what we can do... well I challenge you to fight. A facebook friend made the comment Tuesday morning that they did not feel very Canadian. But I do, I am Canadian and that's something to be proud of and something to fight for. Consider these two classic quotes:

"Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism."- Thomas Jefferson
"It is the duty of the Patriot to protect his country from his government" -Thomas Paine

Finally, if you're looking for tangible ways to fight, please check out my sister's recent blog post here.

Cheers,
Trina

An eye for an eye...

It seems everytime I log into facebook I've got a new reason to vote anything but Conservative. Today it was the University of Guelph. They were the ones that kicked of the vote mobs, challenging other Universities to do the same and it seems now for the third time they've held pre-election polling booth via special ballots.

Check out their original vote mob video:  

So the Conservatives are trying to mark 700+ student votes as illegal in a battleground riding. Read more about it here: Guelph Mercury: Campus Votes and here's what you can do about it: Sign a this petition to tell Conservatives where to go and how to get there!!

If you're wondering what other shit Harper's done... there's a website for that which has hit viral status in no time. That's www.shitharperdid.com Love their videos too: 

 

And finally... If you're in a battleground riding like the students at Guelph or for a host of other reasons outlined in this last video then you should check out votepair.ca

What use to be the carrot patch...

After work today I went straight to work on these carrots... they were at risk of going bad, having being plucked from the earth last fall (we ate a ton before now). So I went to work on a double batch of the following recipe;

Carrot Cake Recipe

1 1/4 cups corn oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs (I used half actual eggs and half vegan egg replacer)
4 cups grated carrots
(Optional: Nuts!)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans pan. In a large bowl mix together corn oil and sugar. In a different bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the oil-sugar mixture and blend well. Add the remaining dry ingredients with the eggs, one at a time. Mix well. Add the carrots and mix.

Pour the cake batter into the tube pan. Bake for 50 minutes, or until done. Cool and frost.

This was a variation from www.muchmenus.com/Carrot_Cake_Recipe.htm

The election

So I've got to come clean... I'm doing a horrible job of following the election. Why? Cause I'm in the eye of the storm. I see glimpses of things flying past me but ultimately... I answer the phone in the non-partisan constituency office. Yes people call on a variety of issues but overall I mainly pass them off to the person best able to deal with their issue. Oh what my political science BA has gotten me (I'm fresh out of school).

I'm highly left leaning, a good website to check out where your views put you on the Canadian political spectrum is Voter Compass brought to you by CBC. Very neat tool that will hopefully get people thinking and perhaps even shedding their partisan ways; "Oh my father and his father voted this way so I do too" should not be as commonplace as it is.

Another really cool website new this year is LeadNow. They started with local gatherings, very grassroots, and bubbled up from there with ideas and opinions about what's important to Canadians. Right now they are on their 4th stage I believe, which is the declaration for change.

LeadNow is one of the larger umbrella organizations encouraging the recent vote mobs which began with Guelph: Watch their video here

It's because of these initiatives that I have faith Canada will see a rise in voter turn out this year. These and the fact most sensible Canadians get shivers anytime they think of what Canada might look like should Harper gain a majority. Here are 2 great sites to look at
1. An article from Rabble (look around their site and there's a lot of choice to pick from)
2. A overview video of Harper's corruption

Whatever your views please make sure you vote. You can do today, tomorrow, the next day up to April 26th at your local elections Canada's office and then again on the final day May 2nd.

What type of blogger am I?

I haven't figure this out quite yet... what kind of blogger am I?

To set the mood... turn on some tunes. I recommend http://www.stereomood.com/ I'm currently listening to the "thinking" playlist.

I spent a good deal of time today looking at DIY crafts for weddings, for the greatest day of one of my best friends. She's a ton of fun, loves frogs and winnie the pooh, and the purest person over the age of 15 I know. She's also the first of any of my friends to get married.

One of the things I really cannot decide if I like are the moustaches and lips on sticks for photo props. You can get the idea of what I'm talking about here: Fake Lips and Moustaches

But they use pink moustaches, I definately prefer the photos I've seen with them being at least black. I think what mostly throws me off is the lips... *Shrug*

Here are some of the other wedding diy crafts I've been flipping threw:
1. Rose bouquet made out of Maple Leaves
2. Sparkle Balls
3. Paper Pom Poms
4. Thank You Parasol Photo Prop
5. Button Bouquets
6. String Chamdelier
7. Wine Charms Favors
8. Luggage Tag Favours
9. Bubble Wand Favours