Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Mini Cheesecake Recipe (Graham Cracker Crust)



Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yields 12 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:

-2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
-2 tbsp white sugar
-2 tbsp margarine, melted
-2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1 tsp grated lemon zest
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and margarine with a fork until combined. Measure a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, pressing firmly. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then remove to cool. Keep the oven on.

3. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in the egg.

4. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the muffin cups, filling each until 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan before removing. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add pie filling or other toppings as desired. Enjoy!
This is one of the best mini cheesecake recipes I've found with graham cracker crust. I got it from allrecipes.com. I like it best with strawberry topping. Let me know what you think :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Loving You Isn't The Right Thing To Do...

...How can I ever change things that I feel?





Why can't music today be like this?


"Open up, everything's waiting for you..."

Sunday, November 14, 2010

25 Things About Me

I can't successfully describe myself in a blog post. I'm terrible at writing, and it's nearly impossible for me to organize my thoughts. But this should begin to paint a picture of who I am.

1. I'm obsessed with posters, bright colors, and peace signs.
2. Whenever I see old people, I always try to imagine what they were like when they were younger.
3. I dance on a daily basis, but only when no one's watching.
4. I've been to almost 20 funerals.
5. I don't really like the idea of Christmas or Valentine's Day. I love giving, but I like to be kind on a daily basis. If I see something at the store that I think one of my loved ones would like, I feel the urge to buy it and wrap it and give it to them the next time I see them. But I never do, because I don't want them to feel like they have to return the favor. I just think it's a little absurd that we have to say "Oh, I can get this for them for Christmas." I'd rather not wait.
6. I'll probably never use the A/C in my car. Windows down is the way to go.
7. I feel like they put too much pressure on students these days. My parents never had homework in high school, only the occasional project or paper. I know we need to be prepared for college, but we also need to enjoy our youth while we can. After we graduate, the work isn't gonna end until we're almost 70, if we live that long. This is supposed to be the easy part. There were times I had 5 hours of homework in high school. Now they have AP everything, college credit classes, and the days seem to get longer and longer. What's it going to be like for the next generation?
8. I consider myself a liberal, but I'm no expert at politics.
9. I love the smell of spring rain, coffee, chlorine, and cigarette smoke.
10. I feel like I should've been born in the 60s.
11. I'm kind of a workaholic. I enjoy working as many hours as I can while going to school and keeping my grades up.
12. I'm a huge math nerd.
13. I love iPhones and Androids, but I don't think I'll ever get one. I refuse to pay $100 a month for a cell phone.
14. Ice cream is my best friend. It's also my enemy.
15. I wouldn't mind living alone, but I like the idea of having a "full house." If more families lived together, it'd be a lot easier for people to keep up with their bills. I know a couple with no kids, but they own a house with 5 bathrooms. I don't even want to know how many bedrooms there are. Why in the world do you need that?
16. I'm usually late.
17. My car has had more than its share of problems, but I love it.
18. I laugh at everything, funny or not. Laughter really is the best medicine.
19. Celebrity crushes: Ashton Kutcher, Bo Burnham, Kyle Gallner, William Beckett, Michael Cera, and Shia Labeouf.
20. Herbal Essences is the best.
21. They should legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use.
22. I used to love making tents. I still do. :)
23. Tie dye is the best design. I've always wanted tie dye sheets or a tie dye blanket.
24. Some of my pet peeves include talking during movies or TV shows, people who don't recycle, one uppers, careless drivers, not closing drawers all the way, and being woken up.
25. I love using smileys when I talk on the computer. :)

Saturday, November 13, 2010

First Post


I don't even know where to start. I have so much to share, but still so much to see. I'm just your average college student, trying to find myself and shape my future. My greatest struggle: I hate planning. You can't plan. It's impossible. You can try, but who knows what will happen over the next few years, let alone what will happen tomorrow. How am I supposed to limit myself? I want to experience everything life has to offer. The only thing left to do is take it all in one day at a time... and share with those who are willing to listen.