“Instant Fudgy Brownie Cake for One” by Kristina

I had a HUGE craving for chocolate one night. However, I soon learned that there were NO desserts in my house: cookies, brownies, you name it…they were NOWHERE to be found. My desperation, and the fact that I had PLENTY of ingredients in my pantry to satisfy this craving, inspired me to look up microwaveable chocolate mug cake recipes online. Fortunately, I was able to find something worth mentioning, which can be found on the following:

http://knucklesalad.com/instant-fudgy-brownie-cake-for-one/

This met my expectations! A lot of recipes called for cocoa powder, which I didn’t have 😦 (I mean, who really DOES?!?) Thankfully, I came across this quick and easy recipe that only required a few, simple ingredients!
Some advice: I would mix this THOROUGHLY. I was afraid of over-mixing, and ended up with small chunks of flour. I DO think that a little baking powder and/or baking soda, as well as some oil, would help with the texture. My craving was SO bad that I didn’t really care that it was a little tough and spongey, but for those who are picky, I would experiment a little with the three, other ingredients. (Remember, this is baked in the microwave, so you are sacrificing texture for time!) Also, I only added about 1 1/2 tablespoons of honey and it was perfect–not bland at all, but also not over-powering. For anyone who loves dark chocolate, dark chocolate chips worked perfectly!
I microwaved this for 3 minutes according to the recipe. I just watched the cake and stopped it halfway through for one second before continuing so that it did not explode. So, the recipe seems to work as long as you keep an eye on your cake!! (Which you should do anyway.)

Next time, I think that I might put a few frozen hershey kisses or a Lindor truffle in the middle to get a little more of a
“molten chocolate lava cake.”

Lastly, this was a LOT of cake. I had planned on making this just for myself, but for ONCE in my life, I actually SHARED a little bit of it!! If you are making this, prepare TWO spoons!!

Carelessness

Carelessness–

that is the source of human failure: to not care.

Carelessness is letting your dog go outside to go pee and forgetting to let him back in…until a random and kind family in a car find him in the middle of a busy road and return him to your doorstep.

Carelessness is rejoicing in having a day off from school…but not stopping to appreciate the person who is the reason for the break. (In case some of you don’t know, today is a day to honor and appreciate the work of a very selfless, brave, and innovative man named Martin Luther King Jr.)

Sometimes, we become too engrossed in our own desires and our own needs, that we grow careless about the important aspects of life. Carelessness is the result of selfishness…something that can turn ANYONE into a monster. Sadly, this carelessness could end up scarring us…permanently…if something happens to someone or something we care about.

SO FAM, I would just like to give you all a piece of crucial advice today: Don’t become careless. Stop and appreciate what you have….CARE…so that you don’t forget what’s REALLY important.

I dedicate this post to MLK and to the family who saved my dog–and my family–from a potentially permanent and very painful scar.

Stay gold, everyone. 🙂

Regrets

Do you ever look back on the past and regret some things?

Decisions you’ve made?

Decisions you DIDN’T make?

Not using eyeliner until senior year?

Yeah…I’ve CERTAINLY had my fair share of regrets. It shouldn’t bother me, though. The past is in the past, right? Fitzgerald makes it CLEAR that we can’t repeat the past.

Yet, I’m afraid. I regret a LOT of things: not putting myself out more, not taking as many chances, and not caring as much as I should about my life and my relationships with other people. I spent so much time bottled and folded up within myself, because I was too afraid of rejection.

Figuring out who you are, and getting the confidence to BE that person are very hard.

It’s taken a while for me to be who I WANT to be: the person who takes those chances, and opens herself up. I feel like who I am now will just slip through my fingers one day, and I will go back to feeling trapped inside of expectations and erroneous opinions of me.

Stay gold, everyone.

Study Day Done the RIGHT Way

Okay, so this week is midterms week *groan and implied “ugh”*, which means a LOT of studying that needs to get done by your fellow blogger here.

Studying is important. After all, studying contributes to good grades, which help you to do well in school. Doing well in school is important because it reflects the quality of your work ethic. And having a good work ethic makes you more successful in the “real world”, right?

But studying isn’t always FUN…in fact, unless it involves seeing how many episodes of Grey’s Anatomy that I can watch on Netflix in one day…I do not think that studying is fun at all.

THAT’S WHY I decided to come up with ways to make studying all day a little less painful (impossible though it may seem):

FIRST thing’s first… a nonstop source of music is NECESSARY for this day, which means logging onto your Spotify account and finding a BANGIN’ playlist…(Don’t have Spotify? I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU CREATE AN ACCOUNT NOW, OR YOU WILL BE MISSING OUT ON LIFE.) Fitz and the Tantrum’s album, More Than Just a Dream, has been my recent go-to. However, whatever makes you inspired to learn is acceptable (even…dare I mention it… seventies music).

The NEXT point is almost as vital…and this is staying hydrated. I know, I sound like some health ad, but drinking lots of water CAN improve brain function. Plus… it just plain-out makes you feel better! SO DRINK A LOT OF WATER…whether this means putting it in a fun, colorful cup, adding fruit to it, or brewing it to make tea (for all those who, like me, have a hard time accomplishing this).

THESE are just a FEW tips that make “study day” a little better. (Of course, I assume that you are already in sweatpants and a sweatshirt and cuddled up in the most comfortable spot that you can find…this is necessary for ALL study days…both sucky and not-as-sucky)

As it is, I need to get back to MY studying, so I will leave you all with a few tips about study breaks. After all, with study days comes study BREAKS…am I right?!? Stay gold, everyone.

How To Make Study Breaks Worth Your While:
-Food break?? Try actually COOKING/BAKING your meal!!! This lengthens your break (the time that it takes to make the food + the time that it takes to EAT the food) and might help you to make healthier food-choices… (unless you discover microwavable mug cakes…then you’re in trouble).
-Need a little mental break? I find a few chapters from a good, NON-school-related book very effective. However, for all you non-readers out there, watching one or two episodes of your fav. TV show on Netflix is acceptable as well. Just remember, this is a BREAK, not an all-day binge-watching marathon, okay?
-Feeling antsy?? Use the music to your advantage and have a JAM SESH!!!! (If your music is a little too slow and mellow for dancing, feel free to change up your tunes for a little :).)