The Weekly Arrangement 4.17.15

The Weekly Arrangement 4.17.15

My dear friends! Hello! So this past Sunday, my roommate, Voleak, and I decided to go Washington, D.C. for the day. The week leading up to Sunday, I was day dreaming about the cherry blossom trees in just about every class. I've only seen them in pictures and could only imagine their sweet smells and subtle pink colors contrasting against the baby blue sky. I had been watching the cherry blossom live cam throughout the week to see when they blossomed. {Yes, yes I was a little over-obsessive about these trees. And yes, there was a live cam for the cherry blossom trees. I have come to acceptance and have no shame.} Cause apparently, they come and go really fast and I did not want to miss them. Any way, we were talking about going for about three days, but actually went through with buying the bus tickets the night before. Thank goodness for MegaBus and NY2DC for their low bus fares and enabling this dream to be a reality. And let me tell you, the cherry blossoms definitely exceeded my expectations. I just don't know how something could be so beautiful! Well, I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Featuring: Cherry blossoms

Featuring: dogwood tree (much bigger flowers than the cherry blossoms but just as beautiful)

Featuring: Cherry blossom trees and Thomas Jefferson Memorial 

Featuring: more cherry blossoms and the Washington Memorial

Featuring: dogwood tree

Mini Cherry Cheesecake Tarts

Mini Cherry Cheesecake Tarts

Well, this past Sunday my roommate and I spontaneously bought tickets to Washington, D.C. to see the cherry blossoms during their peak dates. It had been a dream of mine to go see them for the last three years and I finally did it. It was divine. So in inspiration of the beautiful cherry blossoms, I decided to make these little, fluffy cherry cheesecake tarts. Not only are they just about the easiest things to make, but they are just the perfect combination of sweet and gooey balanced with the buttery graham cracker crust. I could easily eat about 5 or 6 of these things. No shame. 

Featuring: roommate's shirt. 

Mini Cherry Cheesecake Bites
Makes about 18 regular sized cheesecakes or 36 minis  

Ingredients: 

For crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup butter melted

For the filling: 
12 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 can cherry pie filling

Misc.
paper or tin cupcake cups

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. 
2. Mix cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter. Put 1 tbsp mixture into each paper cupcake cup. Flatten crumbs with thumb. Place in muffin tins. 
3. Have cream cheese at room temperature; beat to soften. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in sugar and vanilla. 
4. Fill cups half full of cream cheese mixture. (They will rise a bit so make sure that they are filled no more than half.)
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tops feel velvety smooth and aren't wet. 
6. Cool in muffin tins. When cool, put about 1 tbsp cherry pie filling on top of each. Tastes best cold. Enjoy!

The Weekly Arrangement 4.10.2015

The Weekly Arrangement 4.10.2015

Greetings again! So I happen to be a bit behind on the weekly arrangement. I apologize for that. But, I was surrounded by so many flowers last week--it was great. So I have many things to share with you. As I mentioned in my last post, last week was interregnum. One of the competitions I helped out with was 3-Hour Art. Pretty self-explanatory. Make an art piece in three hours with the required medium of paint and a canvas. What was the theme, you ask? I Corinthians 15:55. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where O death, is your sting?" (P.S. I go to a Christian school, hence the Bible verse theme.) It was very open ended, but here is the process to our final product. And yes, those are all fresh flowers. 

Featuring: daffodils, pink roses, green mums, baby daisies, and yellow mums. 

Featuring: Far left- mums, daffodils, roses, daisies, carnations. Center- hydrangeas, baby's breath. Far right- ferns, purple and blue dyed daisies. 

In case you ever need to know how to remove a rose head from the stem...

Step 1. Gently hold the head in your left hand. 

Step 2. Place your right thumb on the stem/base of the flower.

Step 3. Twist the base while holding the head in place. The flower's center will come out of the base. Careful, the seeds will make a mess!

Step 4. Voila! You now have a handful of beautiful rose petals. 

Featuring: The name of the house that I'm in--The House of Margaret Thatcher. 

Featuring: super glue. It's pretty super. But let me tell you, that was one sticky situation. I still have super glue on my fingernails. 

The final product and the description beneath. 

In 1 Corinthians, Paul asks us to consider the seed: the fruit does not look like the seed from which it grew. Man is like the seed- "Born in weakness," and transformed to Christ's image, so he can see Christ's glory, unlike the Israelites who did not see Christ's glory, "lest [they] die" (Ex. 20: 19). Through the death of the new Adam, the new law (Jer. 31:31) is alive in man's heart, rather than dead in stone. A new creation is inaugurated through Christ's suffering and victory. 

That's part of the team/some of my good frands, hard at work. (Pun intended.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well, hello there friends! This past week was one long week. It quickly went from normalcy to hectic. The college I attend has this thing called Interregnum--where all students participate in a school-wide competition. We stop school for three days for the houses to compete against each other. (The houses are kind of like sororities or fraternities, but much different. You see, this isn't Greek life. We have houses like, the House of C.S. Lewis and the House of Susan B. Anthony. I'm in the House of Margaret Thatcher--in case you were curious!) 

The competitions consist of performing arts, art, debate, speeches, etc. It's a really complicated and confusing system that I'm still trying to figure out. Regardless, interregnum is a lot of fun, but it can be really draining if your participating or helping out in a handful of the events. For example, at one point during the week, I may or may not have fallen asleep underneath a office desk.

Anyway, without this getting too detailed, there was a celebration get-together afterward in my apartment on Friday night. I realized that I didn't have snacks--and well, snacks are always a necessity. So I resorted to my go to recipe-- the original Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies. In between baking batches, I just pop the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge (to let the flavors marry a bit and to make cookie forming easier.) I personally think cookies taste better if the dough has chilled in the fridge overnight. Try it sometime! These cookies are wicked quick, easy, and nearly foolproof. They're truly perfect and scrumptious for any occasion. Certainly not a crumby choice. 

The recipe also makes a ton of cookies and they're great for breakfast!  

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12-oz. package) chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (the cookies taste good with or without the nuts!)  

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. 
3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 
4. Eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

The Weekly Arrangement 4.3.15

The Weekly Arrangement 4.3.2015 

This weekly arrangement comes from Trader Joe's in Brooklyn for $3.99. This has been one of my favorites this semester because its vibrant colors have brought me great joy for the past two weeks. {That's a very long time for fresh cut flowers!} Flowers on my desk have been a pretty big theme this semester. I like to think that their calming and pleasant scent have kept me sane through late night studying for midterms, endless homework assignment, and everything in between. I hope you can enjoy them as much as I do! 

Featuring: (from left to right) baby chrysanthemums, alstroemerias, golden rod, pink daisies, and white daisies. 

Featuring: one large chrysanthemum, accompanied by baby chrysanthemums. Special appearance by the Freedom Tower.

Strawberry-Lemon Layer Cake

Strawberry-Lemon Layer Cake

The weather is warmer, trees are budding, and the days are getting longer. Spring is here and that means sweeter and fresher fruits. So this week I picked up some strawberries and celebrated all things spring by making a cake. My creation? A strawberry-lemon layer cake! The neat thing about this cake is that all you really need is cake mix, butter and confectionery sugar. The rest is up to your imagination. This recipe is versatile and can be tailored to your taste buds. I started with vanilla cake mix (mostly because it was on sale and I can't pass up a good deal!) I added lemon juice and lemon zest for a little kick. On the inside is a strawberry filling and a vanilla butter glaze. And finally, the cake is topped off with vanilla butter cream frosting and raspberries. This cake is fresh, light, and scrumptious. It truly was the perfect way to bring in spring. 

To me, baking is all about experimenting, colors, and taste. 

1. Don't be afraid to adapt a recipe within reason. For example, if a chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for chopped nuts, you can replace it with more chips (becuase you can never have too much chocolate.) 
2. Natural colors are really appealing to the eye. If you want to impress a guest, stick to the natural colors of fruits, vegetables, or spices. 
3. For taste, sometimes you will bake something that is terrible. It happens to all of us, but the best thing to do is to laugh at yourself and move on. There is always room for improvement. If you've lost hope, don't because you can do it! 

Strawberry-Lemon Layer Cake

Serves 12

Ingredients:

*For the Cake*

1 box of cake mix (vanilla or lemon would work great)

        -water, vegetable oil, and eggs called for on the back or side of the box 

4-5 tbsp lemon juice 

2 tsp lemon zest

*For the strawberry filling (modified)*

1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch

*For the frosting*

1 cup unsalted butter

3 cups confectionery sugar

1 teaspoons of vanilla

1-3 teaspoons of water, milk, or lemon juice (I used water)

1. Preheat oven to 350° and follow instructions on the cake box. 
2. Once, you have incorporated the cake box required ingredients. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until incorporated. 
3. Split the batter equally into two 9-inch round pans and bake for the suggested time on the box. 
4. In a small saucepan on medium heat, whisk together water and cornstarch. Add the strawberries and sugar. Simmer until desired thickness. Set aside and cool. 
5. Mix butter on medium speed for three minutes, until fluffy. Add sugar, vanilla, and liquid and mix on low until combined. (Don't mix on high or there will be a BIG mess.) Once combined, mix on high for 2 minutes, until light, fluffy, and delicious. 
6. Once the cakes have cooled, spread the filling in the middle (reserve some for drizzling on individual pieces of cake.) Frost the cake or pipe on designs. Garnish with pretty sprinkles or fruit. And voila! You just made a cake!