Dauntless Cake

Hello people of the internet world!

Long time, no blog, huh? I'm sure you've been thinking: "What happened to my favorite blonde blogger? Usually she's ranting about something random."

So I'm back! I can't believe that it's been over a month since my last post, but I have much to say!-Just not now.

Today's post is about cake. Yum! (Side note: I'm the queen of attempting to do something special for someone and having it backfire...Badly. So, we're gonna see how this cake thing goes...) Tomorrow is one of my best friend's 18th birthday. In celebration, I've made a Dauntless chocolate cake. (For all of you who don't know what Dauntless chocolate cake is, it's this yummy cake that is mentioned in the Divergent series. Dauntless are allowed to indulge themselves is such goodies as chocolate cake and it's known for being extremely rich and delicious.)

I found a recipe on Pinterest and made some modifications. I'm gonna share it with all of you and hope that it works out! (Is now a bad time to mention that I haven't had a slice yet?)

Ingredients   
Cake 

• 1 box of chocolate cake mix and everything that it needs (egg, water, oil, etc.) 
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk 

Frosting 

• 1 container of frosting (optional) 
• 1 stick of butter 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder 
• 4 tablespoons of milk 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla 
• 1/2 pound of powder sugar 

Directions 
Cake 

1. Bake cake as directed on box. 
2. When done baking, use a toothpick and poke holes all over the cake. 
3. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk in moderation over cake and spread. Add more as the cake soaks it up. 
4. Once the can is empty or you feel that you've added enough to the cake, let it soak in the cake for about 20 minutes. 

Frosting   

1. Combine butter and cocoa powder in a sauce pan on medium heat until the butter is fully melted. 
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the rest of the ingredients until it has a nice smooth texture.

Notes  

• I made this as a 2 layer round cake. Make sure that you take the cakes out of the pans BEFORE poking the holes and adding the condensed milk...Just trust me on this one. 
• If you choose to leave in a single, rectangle pan, then you should be be fine. Only take it out of the pan if you really want to. 
• I bought an additional can of chocolate frosting; which was a good idea. I made the frosting recipe that was given to me, but only made half a recipe and used it as a filled instead. 
• When frosting a cake overall, put on one thin layer knowing that it will get all crumby and messy. Then just let it sit and harden. When hardened, put on another frosting coating and frost it up! Add as much or as little as you want!  
• If you go with the single pan, you don't need to use two things of frosting. I'd encourage you to use the homemade one, but whichever you want. 
• I also used the leftover filling as an additional spread on top. I did a dribble kind of thing and just let the frosting do as it pleased. It looks good to me. (Then again, I haven't HAD any of it yet, so...) 
• And, lastly, it wouldn't be a Dauntless cake without a quote from the book.   

Lemme know how it goes! Hope it works out okay for all of you! 

Love, 

Katie

P.S. I had the cake. It was delicious. I highly encourage all of you to try it! :) 

Movie Review - The Fault in Our Stars

Hello people of the internet world!

So, first off, today is graduation. Eeek! I am so, so, so, SO not ready! Oh my gosh, like, not at all! I'm trying to distract myself and not look at the clock and think, "In 4 hours, I'll be at the high school taking pictures. In 3 hours, I'll need to be getting ready." But we're not talking about graduation, we're talking about one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time.

Last night I went to the midnight premiere of The Fault in Our Stars with 2 friends. We got there around 9 and I thought that we were going to be the last ones in line and get really crappy seats. (I had to work until 8.) However, that was not the case. We were the second people in line!

We wondered around the mall for about half an hour (all of the stores were closed) until we finally gave up and decided to go sit in line. We were still the second group there, so we just kind of hung out, talked, and desperately wished for time to go by faster.

As time went on, more and more girls showed up. Now let me tell you something: girls are VERY smart. Especially when it comes to big events like this. Girls showed up in sweatshirts, sweatpants, carrying pillow-pets and blankets, and tissues. And, as girls, we ALWAYS have a game plan. These plans were similar to an in-depth zombie plan (sorry, it was the only kind of plan I could think of...). There were girls who would run (and, yes, I mean RUN) to a theater to get good seats. Other girls were on food duty and collected all of the money to get as much food as fast as possible. Others were just guarding spots.

Finally at 11:40, the movie theater started letting us in. Another thing you should also know about girls with very detailed plans: it's either their way or get the hell out of the way.

When we got into the theater, there was a lot of running and yelling. My friends and I kinda just watched it all play out. I was really impressed with all of this. The trailers came on and there was still some whispering and talking and I thought to myself, "If people scream or talking during this movie, I'm gonna lose it." (By the way, the movie trailers actually look pretty good! Lots of good movies coming out, so that's good because the last few months all of the movies have kinda sucked...)

When the movie actually started the theater was silent expect for the occasional "Ssshhhh!" or the "Awwwwww." So the movie went on and it was really good and then...the bomb dropped. Everyone in the theater was crying. No, I don't mean like a tear here or there, I mean full on bawling! Like the "Why is the world so cruel?!?!" kind of bawling. Girls all around us were sobbing. There were so many people sniffling and the breathing changed and everyone was a HOT MESS.

When the movie was over, there were a couple girls still in the fetal position in their seats crying and a couple others leaning on each other. So, if you do go see it, be prepared for that.

Anyway, this is a really, REALLY good movie. It's a melt-your-heart kind of movie. The movie is based off the book and it's actually pretty accurate. They cut some stuff out, but ya do what ya gotta do. The acting, though, was incredible! It was so real and so...I can't even explain it! It's such a good love story and a really good plot! Critics are calling it the best love story of the decade and they are so right. This movie is one that will make you cry. It doesn't matter your gender or age, you WILL sob.

But, of course, you should read the book. :)

Love,

Katie

Snack Time!

Hello people of the internet world!

I apologize for not posting sooner. This week has been so crazy. Ugh! There has just been so much going on and I don't have enough time to do everything. (Usually I get super stressed out during this time of the year, but I'm fairly calm. It's an odd feeling. (And, of course, as I'm writing this, I'm making a list of everything I have to do this week and now I'm getting overwhelmed with my endless to-do list...))

Anyway, let's talk about something everyone is passionate about: food! I love to cook! It's one of my favorite things to do (I'm not very good at it, but we're gonna skip that part...). I'm always up for trying a new recipe or modifying an old one.

I'm gonna share with all of you one of my favorite recipes: homemade chex mix. Yum! The great things about chex mix is 1) it doesn't take very long, 2) it's super easy, and 3) it's perfect for any time of the year! No matter what season it is, it's always gonna be good.

The recipe is below. Enjoy it and lemme know how it goes!

Love,

Katie

Chex Mix 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients: 
• ½ cup butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/4 teaspoons seasoned salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
• 3 cups Wheat Chex square cereal
• 2 cups rice check square cereal
• 1-1/2 cup peanuts
• 1-1/2 cup small pretzel rods

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Melt butter in a shallow pan. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt,
and garlic salt (not garlic powder). Add Wheat Chex, Rice Chex, nuts (peanuts, pecans, or cashews), and pretzel rods. Mix until all pieces are coated with the butter mixture.

Place on a shallow baking pan with sides. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool…Enjoy!

What Happened to Nice?

Happy Wednesday!

So I was at lunch the other day and it was just me and a friend at the table while my other friends went to go get lunch. My friend sat down in one of the open chairs and I went to get a stack of empty chairs so my friends wouldn't have to awkwardly stand with their trays as their food got cold as they scanned the commons for chairs. As I pulled the stack, my friend (who was at one of the only chairs at our table and had started eating lunch) said to me, "You don't need to do that. They can get their own chairs." I was stopped what I was doing and said, "Yeah, but it's the nice thing to do." She kind of shrugged and rolled her eyes.

This isn't the first time that I've been told to stop being nice to people. I've had some friends tell me I'm "too nice" and that "being a sweetheart will get you nowhere in life". I usually roll my eyes or say a snarky comment right back at them because I think they're wrong. (I'm working on not snapping at people or being rude to them, but I'm not a big fan of people (especially friends) who like to tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing. (I'll also stop right there so then I can save you from hearing my rant about how that comment gets under my skin.)))

This made me think about the lack of niceness in our society. I'm serious! Where did all of the nice people go?! People have gotten so involved within themselves that they forget about everyone else! Think about it: Do people stil hold the door open for others? Do people say please and thank you? Do people apologize when they run into others? Probably not.

I mean, there are lots of different definitions of what it means to be "nice", but I hardly ever hear people  call others nice. Why? Because the nice people all left! (Rumor is that they live a small, secluded island where it's always sunny and they eat warm chocolate chip cookies every day and the only way to get there is by a parachute (Oh man, that was a really, REALLY bad attempt at being funny...I feel like I should delete that because it's so bad.)))

It just kind of sucks when I think about it. Being a nice person goes a long way! You are more drawn to nice people because they seem less intimidating. You can build relationships with people and more doors are opened! And people will speak more highly of you because it shows that you're a good person! I'm speaking for myself here, but I really like nice people. I'm more comfortable around them because I feel like they're not gonna be mean or rude. It makes situations so much more comfortable when there's someone nice around.

So I beg to you (all of you imaginary people), please be nice! I'm not asking you guys to go build houses or donate all of your lifesavings, but just be a good person! Do the small things for people: hold doors open, say please and thank you, be respectful; all of this stuff that our mothers taught us at young ages that it seems everyone forgot!

Please be nice. It will pay off.

Love,

Katie

New Attitude

Hello!

Happy Saturday! I hope that you all had a wonderful, relaxing, and beautiful Saturday! It was 70 degrees and sunny out today! (Yes, I did sit outside in the sun to do homework. No, I did not actually do my homework. Yes, I did get burned.)

So, I was working with my brother earlier this week to try to get some prettier fonts, but that didn't happen because I don't understand technology. (Also, he called my blog "The Flavor of Katie". Not a bad title, not gonna lie.) It's a work in process currently, but I want to make it more like me.

Anyway, I had an epiphany earlier this week: I need a serious attitude adjustment. I didn't realize it, but for the past month or so I became very caught up in my life that I forgot about everyone around me. It was BAD, guys. I continued to use the excuse: I've been selfless for the past 18 years, just let me be selfish this one time. (As you can imagine, you can only use that excuse so many times.)

I realized that I began to put myself on this pedestal and declare myself a martyr (Okay, probably a little extreme). I created some drama with friends when they pointed it out to me. Then I realized: Whoa. Are you listening to yourself right now? Who IS this person? (I've had my fair share of moments when I've looked in the mirror and don't recognize the person staring back at me, but this was different.)

So after that I began to change my attitude. It's a work in progress and as much as I want it to happen overnight, it won't. I'm working on little stuff right now; like answering my phone right away, not answering in a short, clipped tone when I'm really annoyed, or talking slower (Don't even get me started on how many people have told me I need to talk slower.).  

I have this voice in my head that's asking: "Now what would NEW Katie do?" It's kind of a pain in the butt, but it's working. Sometimes I get mixed up with New Katie/Old Katie and struggle with who would do what, but then I remember that this is ME! And it's okay that I get it mixed up because I'm still me. I'm hoping to reach that point soon where I won't need to ask myself what would New Katie do.

I don't know if people are noticing, but it needs to be done. I still make slip-ups and go back to my old ways, but it's getting there. :)

Love,

Katie

Patience

Hello all!

Ya know, I really wanna give this blog a makeover! It looks nice right now, but just so...bleh, ya know? Not a bad bleh, but just a bleh. But do to my very, VERY little knowledge on computers and all things technology, I think we're gonna have to keep this normal look for a while. That's okay, though. It could be worse.

Well, first off--because I know you all are just DYING to know--my paper is getting better. I mean, it was "take it to the grave with me" bad, but now it's just "oh my gosh, I've spent how much time on it and it's STILL this bad?!?!?" bad. So yea. (If anyone wants to write a paper for me, lemme know! I'd make you a Pinterest treat in return!)

Anyway, I jut wanted to say that I have NO PATIENCE. I have my days when I can be a fairly patient person and then I have days where I have ZERO PATIENCE. Today is one of those days. It's bad, guys. It's more of like a nervous/excited/anxious patience too (okay, so that's probably just me being anxious, but I still have no patience at all!).

So anyone wanna send me some love and patience? I'd really appreciate it because I can already promise you that it's gonna be a rough few days with me constantly checking phones, clocks, Pinterest, and silently begging: Please hurry up. Please. I'd love you forever. C'mon. Hurry up. 

So yea, that's my life. Hope all is well in the internet world!

Love,

Katie

Life is Good

Hello all of you lovely people! (Or should I say Feliz Cinco de Mayo!) 

I hope that wherever you are, the weather is just as wonderful as it is here. The sun is out, it's not too hot, I have a stack of homework sitting next to me (that is not gonna get done, if we're being honest here), and a new book which I can't seem to put down (It's Paper Town by John Green because I know that all of you are very curious.)

Anyway, so I just wanted to give everyone an update that life is good. I mean it. :) Sun out, nice and warm, great book, yea. (And yes, I know that I'm going to have a horrible sunburn...I can already feel it. But hey, that's what happens when you have porcelain skin like I do.)

I don't really have much to say. I just didn't want to leave my poor fans all alone for too long. (Get it? It's a joke because I'm fairly certain I'm the only one who actually reads this.) BUT here's some humor because-well, why not? (And I'm avoiding editing a really, REALLY bad paper that I wrote that's gonna make me weep tears of shame because it's that horrible. Seriously, guys, IT'S REALLY BAD.) But here's some humor.

Love,

Katie