A quick, journalistic glance

Hi, everyone!

I know that I’ve been away for some time now, but trust me, I’ve been baking, gathering photos (though not of the jello cheesecake or caramel-topped brownies I made in the past two weeks. I’m dumb), and doing homework until I drop. Speaking of homework, here’s a post about what copy editors can do to stop the perception that media is biased and inaccurate:

Is this thing on?, or Shop Rite cookie dough makes an appearance

Excuse me? *loud screeching noise of feedback* Hello? It’s me, Niki. I’m back, really I am, this time. I know what I said about “no-bake summer recipes,” and I’ll admit, I fell off track with the summer experience. I got a job – my first real summer job – and now I will be adding magazine experience to my especially light resume. It carries over into the school year and I could not be more excited about it.

In addition to the lovely position, it’s time to bring up my kitchen situation. Because it’s a new semester, I’m obviously back at Rowan, but now I’m in a new building (ah, the joy of the resident assistant position). My apartment on the other end of campus is a fond memory in journals now stored in my grandmother’s house, and I’ve taken up residence in a freshman hall built in the 1960s.

This is the kitchen I now work in, a little bit larger than my last one, although it is still not my dream kitchen. Let’s wait a few more years for that one. . . .

I’ve been on campus for nearly two weeks and though I have been getting more than four hours of sleep each night, I still feel exhausted. This product review of Shop Rite cookie dough was simple to use and especially tasty raw. When the cookies baked up, they had a lovely brown color, although they were slightly dry and missing that vanilla taste that usually pokes through with homemade treats.

These cookies are fairly simple to bake and I purchased them on sale, two packages of 24 cookies for five dollars. I was skeptical of them at first because they’re store brand cookies, but I tried them out on my new residents who were watching “Fight Club” in our lounge. My two boys who were hosting the movie night said that the cookies were delicious and didn’t want to share with the others.

There are two basic steps to baking these cookies. Take them out of the package, break them apart, and spread them out, about three squares per row on a ungreased cookie sheet. I use a silcone cookie sheet on top of my metal cookie sheet for easy clean-up, as well as being able to remove the cookies from the tray without any problems. Bake these cookies at 350 degrees for about 14 minutes, let cool for about two, and enjoy. It really is that simple.

One last thing before I crawl into bed and go to sleep – I’m so happy to be back!

Niki’s Note: Now that I am back in a college setting, I feel more compelled to bake and try out new things. I’m starting a cooking class that should begin some time at the end of this month and I’m trying to come up with new recipes, activities, and avenues I can try in order to expand my horizons. I’m glad to be back and I hope everyone sticks with me!

Cherry Baby Cakes Recipe

Check out this beautiful Cherry Baby Cakes recipe that I found on the Better Homes and Gardens website. I know it’s not no-bake, but I couldn’t resist sharing it with all of you.

I know I’ve been lazy recently, but I promise that there is plenty coming, soon!

Busy Niki

There’s much to talk about, but it’s getting late and I’ve been a bad girl this week, sitting on wonderful photos of the campsite my boyfriend and I went to and the fact I got a job! WHOO!

Anyway, I’m cranky, so it’s time that I go watch stupid things on the television.

~Niki

Dirt Pudding

There’s nothing like a smooth, cool treat topped with sugary candies to sooth the inner child in you. Dirt pudding, a classic take-to-the-kids’-birthday-party treat, has been around since pudding realized it belonged with gummies and cookies.

This whole project takes about ten minutes, perfect for hungry kids (or adults!).

Dirt Pudding

Niki’s Note: This recipe I modified to suit my dirt pudding tastes. The best part about this treat is that you can modify it to suit the occasion, like Halloween, or even to make it healthier!

Ingredients:

1 box of instant chocolate pudding

1 3/4 C cold milk

24+ Oreos (to be crushed)

1 small (8 oz) tub of whipped toppiung

1 tub/bag of gummy worms

Directions:

1. Mix the cold milk into the pudding mix. I used less milk to make a thicker pudding. Use 1 cup of milk if you want pie filling consistency. Whisk for two minutes. Then put in the fridge to set.

2. While the pudding is setting in the fridge, crush the Oreo cookies until broken. You’ll want there to be chunky pieces!

3. Set the cookies aside. Bring out the pudding and the whipped topping. Slowly fold the topping into the pudding, mixing in about 1/2 c increments. Add only as much as you want, less if you want to maintain a thick, chocolatey pudding. I used almost the whole tub, about 1 1/2 cups.

4. Bring out your crushed cookies, pudding mixture, and gummy worms. I used a 3 1/2 C tubberware container for my dirt pudding. Start by layering chocolate cookies at the bottom, then a scoop of pudding, then three or four gummy worms.

5. Keep layering until you run out of space or ingredients. I find that a top layer of chocolate cookies and hidden gummy worms, makes a great presentation!