Twenty Birthday Cakes!

Today I celebrate twenty years of waking up.

Twenty years of being called Julia.

Twenty years of birthdays.

Twenty "Happy Birthday" songs.

Twenty times a million, hugs.

Twenty birthday cakes.

Twenty is my number today.

Happy Birthday me!

(Also, Happy Birthday to my little sister Sarah! Who today celebrates 18 years!)

Today you celebrate eighteen years of being my sister.

Eighteen years that i have loved you.

And Eighteen years of being my best friend.

xo

Edamame, Avocado, and Cranberry with Rice

This is pretty one. (Like, I wouldn't be surprised if you were scurrying to find your camera to take a picture of this picture.)

No seriously. When you mix the cranberry sauce into the rice, it turns pink, and with accents of green throughout...it's technically art.

SO going to the highest bidder-- the recipe!

Going Once.

Once.

Once!

Okay fine. I will just give it to you. You have convinced me! That, and the title of this post doesn't exactly hide the ingredients from you; nor does the full colour photo.

My friend Genevieve is one of the healthiest people I know and she inspired this recipe. She pulled this yummy vegetarian protein dish out of her purse the other day at the coffee shop and I was (in line buying sugar I didn't need...) like, woah! What is that!?

Cooked brown rice, eaten cold or hot, topped with edamame and avocado. She introduced me to edamame, or soy beans; you can buy them at the grocery store in the frozen section for only a few dollars. They are high in protein and pretty yummy.

In my version, I added homemade cranberry sauce, which added a nice sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 c. prepared brown rice

1/4 c. edamame (from fresh or frozen)

2 Tbsp. homemade cranberry sauce

1/2 an avocado

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Top cooked brown rice with edamame that has been prepared according to the package directions, large scoops of avocado, cranberry sauce, and salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Happy Healthy Vegetarian

I am happy to announce that my lacto-ovo vegetarian diet has been going great! I feel really good, and the food I have been eating has been just as satisfying as meat. In this post, I want to explore the ins and outs of how to be a happy, and most of all, healthy vegetarian.

Maybe this post will assist you in finding more vegetarian options to incorporate into your week, or maybe you too are a vegetarian. Either way, there is some exciting vegetarian exploring to be done!

Lets start with the basics, shall we?

As I discussed in a previous post, there are 4 main types of vegetarians. (Some can count 5 or 6, but I am drawing attention to the 4 most popular.) I began my transition from omnivore to vegetarian COLD TUKEY. In fact I took on the vegan diet for a few days!

This proved to be too difficult for me to stick with at school (with the limited selection of food I have on campus) and was getting slightly discouraged. I took on the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet soon after in the hopes that I would be able to get most of the nutrients I needed in a much more convenient manner.

This is the food pyramid that I follow as a lacto-ovo:

I use this pyramid as a reference point, but if you are a vegan or you are not sure about how to go about fitting your veg. diet into your lifestyle, consult a nutritionist.

Nutrients you may be missing

The very first thing I did upon becoming a vegetarian, was research. (Find some great links at the end of this post.) It is important to figure out (for the sake of your health), what food you need to include in your diet so that you get all of the proper nutrients. In my case, it wasn't good enough for me to drop meat out of my diet but not add anything new.

Vegetarian diets are typically low in protein, iron, zinc, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin B12, however you can subsitute these nutrients quite easily if you know how.

Protein is abundant in eggs and milk, but there is also a significant amount in beans, soy products, nuts, seeds, whole grains, soy foods, and legumes. (Did you know that most North Americans actually consume too much protein!? People always worry, oh your a vegetarian so you must not get enough protein! Actually, I get plenty! And my body is probably happy that I'm not overloading it anymore.)

Iron* is found in dark green leafy vegetables and animal products (like eggs), but I still try to take an iron supplement each day. You can get one over the counter at the pharmacy, but make sure you talk to the pharmacist first. You will want to let him/her know about things like a family history in iron deficiency, and potentially a little something about your diet. Vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron, so with your salad, maybe have some orange segments too!

Zinc* is important for growth and your immune system. Zinc is found in whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, dairy products, soy foods, and legumes. It is also richly supplied in animal foods (which may be tricky if you are a vegetarian...)

Calcium* is found in dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese. Some foods are not naturally high in calcium but have calcium added to them; these foods are called calcium-fortified. Look at the Nutrition Facts Label to find out which brands are highest in calcium

*These 3 nutrients are all richly supplied in animal foods, and while they are

found in plant foods too, their absorption is reduced by phytic acid in whole grains and legumes and oxalic acid in green vegetables and soybeans.

Vitamin B12 does not exist in non-animal foods, but certain soy milks and cereals are B12 fortified. A vegetarian should definitely eat fortified foods. (And minera

l supplements as mentioned earlier.) Examples include nutritional yeast flakes, fortified soy milk, and fortified cereals.

My Diet

I know we all love examples! We love to be told what to eat rather than how to eat, so here is the food I eat (more specifically).

I replace the missing nutrients with:

• Supplements of Iron and Vit D every day
• Soy Milk (I love the PC Blue Menu Chocolate Soy Milk)
• Beans (chickpeas, black, kidney, edamame [soy], etc.)
• Whole grains more often (brown rice, w/w pasta, bread, etc.)
• Eggs more often
• Cheese (Lots of cheese)
• Brightly coloured veggies (esp. red, orange, green)
• Vegi burgers
• Nuts (and nut butters- try almond butter!)
• Lots of veggies (esp. dark green, bright red, and orange fruit)
• I don't like tofu that much, but I will eat it if it was prepared well

Some of my favorite meals and snacks:

• Hummus and pita for a snack at work OR as a sandwich topped with veggies and tzatziki sauce
• Vegetarian chili with loads of vegetables (like zucchini, red peppers, tomatoes, onions corn, etc.) and lots of kidney beans
• Brown rice with edamame, avocado and homemade cranberry sauce
• Stir fry
• Hot grains cereal with banana and apples
• Hummus with carrots or celery for dipping
• Fresh berries are amazing when in season
• Apples tossed in cinnamon and sugar
• Breakfast for dinner (eggs, hash browns, toast, juice, etc.)
• A smoothie with fruit, milk, flax seed, almond butter, and fruit juice
• Cheese sandwiches
• Pasta Ponza (with chickpeas added)
• Chickpea burger patties
• Yogurt with homemade cranberry sauce or fresh fruit
• Squash or sweet potatoes cooked and mashed with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter
• Breakfast wraps
• Salsa and chips
• Homemade soups (You can control the salt if you make it yourself)

More Resources

• 101 Cookbooks (See the vegetarian section for really creative recipes)
• Go Veg (You can order a free vegetarian starter kit, and this website has endless amounts of information)
• VegCooking (Lots of great recipes)
• Eating for Health (Learn more about how to be a happy healthy vegetarian)
• Factory Farming (Learn more about where most eggs come from)
• Meet your Meat video (This video features the worst of the worst, but is still worth checking out)

Cranberry Sauce: On a Whim

I don't really know why in particular I decided to make cranberry sauce.

It could have been Martha's latest Living magazine, with its awe inspiring photos. This month she made a cranberry compote that was served on mascarpone cheese and cookies.

It could have also been the fact that I have been dying to make a cranberry brie omlete some morning for breakfast.

It could have been because the last time I went for groceries, I was enamored with this gorgeous, fiercely coloured fruit.

All I do know, is that last night I got home from work at 10pm and decided to make cranberry sauce. I also decided that I would not look up the recipe, and that I would make it up as I went. Turns out, I know how to make cranberry sauce.

My version is not as sweet as the Thanksgiving/Christmas version, which I like. It has a bit of a tang, and you you could eat it straight if you really wanted to. Last night, I really wanted to.

Brilliantly red berries, sugar, cinnamon, and lime juice simmered until I felt the time was right make-up this sauce that I made on a whim.

whimy-whim whim-whim,

whim!

Ingredients:

(Makes 1 cup prepared sauce)

I'm sorry that these amounts are kind of vague. I sort of threw things into the pot and discovered, it is hard to mess up cranberry sauce! That should encourage you:)

3/4 of a bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
4-5 Tbsp white sugar (add additional sugar to taste)

few good shakes of cinnamon

1/4 cup water

the juice from 1 lime

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a pot to simmer over medium heat. Allow it to come to a light simmer for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch out because the cranberries have a tendency to pop open!

2. When the cranberries have simmered down and take on the consistency you like, it's done! (It will thicken slightly after you let it cool.)

The Decision To Go Vegetarian

How many of you picked up on the slight change in my personal blurb recently? If you did, (well done, Sir!), you would know that I am now a:

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian!

And just incase you are wondering about the different types of vegetarians, I will break it down a bit.

There are 4 primary types of vegetarians, and no, they do not differ primarily by age/gender/hair colour/and holiday destination preference. Each type's name is indicative of what food their diet will (and technically won't) allow.

The 4 types (in order of their diet's strictness) are:

Vegan: A vegan diet does not permit any animal products whatsoever. This includes milk, eggs, fish, honey, and jello. (Yes, Jello. Did you know that the thickening

agent in Jello is made of bone marrow? It's true! Sorry if I just turned you off of it.)

Lacto Vegetarian: A lacto vegetarian diet does not permit most animal products-except milk. Animal bi-products like honey and jello are usually acceptable.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: (Me!) A Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian diet does not permit eating any type of animal flesh. Eggs, milk, honey, and jello are acceptable.

Semi Vegetarian: A semi vegetarian may choose to eat a vegetarian diet that includes milk, eggs, fish, honey, and jello, or they may choose to eat vegetarian meals for the majority of their diet (and will eat meat occasionally).

The major variance between vegetarians, is their reason for going veg. The most common would be 1) Issues with Animal cruelty, 2) Diet and Health reasons, 3) Environmental reasons, and 4) Religious reasons.

I personally can attest to two of these as the main reasons for my decision: I disagree with the mistreatment of animals, and I am also keen on the various health benefits. Here are some facts you may or may not have known about meat (and a lack thereof), that convinced me to become a vegetarian:

The Mistreatment of Animals

• Factory farming. Really, enough said if you have ever seen what factory farming is.
• The PETA film, "Meet your Meat" gives a pretty good summary of where our meat has been before it arrives at the supermarket and eventually, your plate. Keep in mind that this video shows the worst of the worst but it is still worth watching. You may also want to have an empty stomach before viewing this one. To view the film, click here.

Health Benefits

• Lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease
• Lower blood cholesterol levels
• Lower blood pressure and rates of hypertension
• Lower rates of type 2 diabetes
• Lower rates of prostate and colon cancer
• Vegetarians are less likely than meat-eaters to be obese.
• Well-planned vegetarian diets provide us with all the nutrients that we need, minus all the saturated fat, and cholesterol.
• Vegetarians may have stronger immune systems.
• Vegetarians and vegans live on average 6-10 years longer.
• Studies have shown that vegetarian diets help children grow taller and have a higher IQ.

I cannot speak with as much passion and conviction as a vegan might, which is a major reason why I am am not able to follow that diet. I feel that it is important to be smart about what you are eating and to follow what you believe, but if it causes you to get sick or to lose out on vital nutrients, then you are missing the point. In my opinion, animals are important, but your health is far greater. I respect anyone who can religiously follow the vegan diet, but I will never be able to attain such dedication. I just like cheese to0 dang much!

My parents are not vegetarian, and I was raised eating meat with the understanding that it is completely normal and accepted. So it wasn't until recently that I made this decision, and to be honest, I don't know how long it will last. I want to see how my body responds and if I have a negative response, I will probably try going semi-vegetarian for the sake of my health. Everyone truly has their own experiences so I am definitely curious as to how this will pan out. I will keep you posted!

However I don't want it to seem that I am taking this decision lightly. I think that we as consumers have gotten so used to separating the animal from the food on our plate, and for me, I can't do it anymore. I have seen (thank you PETA) what happens before our meat arrives at the grocery store, and it doesn't look good. I choose to eat milk and eggs which have been produced at a farm with high standards and regulations. For example, free range eggs from chickens who actually see the light of day. There is a market near my home which supplies both eggs and milk products directly from the farmer.

I think it is important to consider your options as a consumer and to not settle for the norm just because everyone else seems to be okay with it.

If you have been intrigued by this post then stay tuned for great vegetarian recipes! My next post talks about what you can eat as a vegetarian, and how to stay healthy and happy while doing so.

Photo courtesy of http://ticklefight.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/lisa_the_vegetarian.png

Are These Eggs Still Fresh?

Here is a great trick my pal Courtney taught me to tell whether those eggs that have been sitting in your fridge for a month past the "expiry date" are still good.

I didn't have any of those! Never.

Because in the case of eggs, that date is actually a "sell by" date, and does not give an accurate indication as to when you should throw them away.

So here we go!

Take your egg in question, and place it in a tall glass/bowl of water (substantially taller than the egg itself). If the egg sinks, its still good! If the egg floats, don't open it! That will be a smelly situation. If it kinda bobbles between sinking and floating, I might not eat it, but if you want to keep it, use it soon.

Thanks Courtney, for sharing this tip with me! You have saved me (and others) many dollars that we almost threw away because of an "expiry date!"

Who reads those anyways?

Oh. Right. Everyone.

Photo courtesy of http://www.ozarkbantams.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/eggs.jpg

Apple Gingerbread Sweet Potatoes

This recipe brings warmth to any meal. I bring it forth as a nomination for the category of "yummy creative side dish made in under 30 minutes", in the food Oscars. Do they have those? They should.

The combination of smooth and creamy sweet potatoes, gingerbread tea which can be cooked directly into the potato, honey, tart and crunchy apples, topped with nuts, dried fruit, and sugar, makes for a satisfying side dish.

I might add that I made these potatoes right after class and in-between homework sessions, so they are pretty easy if you have the right ingredients in your pantry. I literally kept throwing matching flavors into this dish because sweet potatoes are a very versatile vegetable. Sweet, but not too much, so you can add a seasonal flare to them like I did here. Crumbled up gingerbread cookies on top would be a nice addition as well.

You can use any type of gingerbread or cinnamon tea to infuse the potatoes that you can find. I bought mine at the grocery store and have had it sitting around for 2 years, and thought, It's about time to put this tea to some use! So I did. When the water with the potatoes in it comes to a boil, I let one of these seasonal tea bags and 3 black peppercorns steep for about 2 minutes, and the potatoes took on a great flavor!

You can use this same trick when making potato salad. Put a few garlic cloves in the water while the potatoes cook, and they will taste like garlic!

Combine some fresh apples into the cooked and mashed potatoes, cinnamon, and honey or brown sugar.

I didn't cook mine for too long because I didn't want the nuts to potentially burn, but you could leave yours in longer if you left the nuts off until a bit later into the cooking process. Maybe your sugar will caramelize more than mine did.

Ingredients:

(For one portion)

1 medium size sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1'' pieces

1 gingerbread tea bag (or chai/cinnamon/etc.)

3 black peppercorns

1/2 medium size apple, chopped (I used an Empire apple)

1 tsp. butter (optional)

1 tsp. honey or brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

a few pinches of large crystal sugar (like turbanado)

a handful of mixed nuts/dried fruit

Directions:

1. Cook peeled and cut potatoes into a pot full of cold water on high. When water comes to a boil, place tea bag and peppercorns into the pot (steep for 2 minutes) and allow the potatoes to cook another 8 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender enough to be be cut with a fork. Drain.

2. Mash potatoes, cinnamon, honey, and butter in a bowl with a fork until smooth. Stir chopped apples in gently.

3. Spoon mixture into a oven safe dish, and top with mixed nuts/fruit and sugar of choice.

4. Cook on broil for approx. 5 minutes. (You can cook it longer if you want the sugar to melt further, but watch so that it doesn't burn.)

Elephant Ear Ice Cream

I bet you have, (if never indulged), at least smelled this delicious treat at a fair or two. I know my nose has led me many a time, right over to the large bus on wheels which deep fries dough to perfection, and tops it with way too much sugar/cinnamon/chocolate/whip cream/fruit/or all of the above.

The 'Elephant Ear' is a classic.

But before you start searching for the closest carnival, I will let you in on a little secret. The delicious sweet flavor of the 'Elephant Ear' is closer than you think! In fact, you can re-create it your kitchen using only 4 ingredients, and no deep frier! My best friend Leah has re-created it in ice cream form.

Now I don't exaggerate, this stuff tastes like the real thing! (Especially the variety topped with cinnamon and sugar.) I'll admit the temperature and texture are slightly different, but it makes no difference in getting across a serious 'Elephant Ear' flavor! And you will never guess what's in it.

Good thing I'm going to tell you!

Your Welcome.

Ingredients:

For one serving.

2 large scoops of vanilla ice cream/frozen yogurt

1 tsp. real cocoa

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. large crystal sugar, like turbanado (If you don't have a larger suga

r variety you can leave out this ingredient and it will still taste the same--it's used for texture)

You can top the finished ice cream with fruit or extra 'Elephant Ear' toppings if you wish:)

Directions:

1. Scoop ice cream into a bowl and allow to sit for a minute or two to soften.

2. Sprinkle with cocoa, cinnamon, sugar, and stir. Combine all ingredients well, or at least until the dry powdery cocoa is combined. It can be slightly marbled in colour OR you can combine it completely until it it is one solid colour.

3. Serve into a new bowl if desired.

Enjoy!

Elephant Ear photo courtesy of http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1020/

1332875893_21a32e0a25.jpg

Happy Early Birthday to Me!

UPDATE: It is with contentness that I announce that my G10 went back to the store of purchase. The decision to take it back (and to keep searching for a new lens) was largely caused by the G10s inability to take a proper picture of a moving subject on Thanksgiving weekend. Seriously, I don't think I am being too fussy to request that my camera take a clear picture of my adorable cousins whilist they play. No sir.

So a new lens it is!

My 20th birthday is coming up quick, and I don't know whether to be excited or dreading it. I mean, 20 practically means 30. And that means that my life is almost half over!

Dramatic enough for ya? I'd say so.


Enough of that. I'm almost 20 for goodness sakes. No more joking around. It's time to get serious, and to say what I came here today to say. And that is....

I got a new CAMERAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem.


It's an early birthday present, and I am kinda excited:) If you can't already tell.


I was shopping around for a new lens, as you may remember my old one broke, but then I stumbled across this little baby:

It's a Canon PowerShot G10, and it is like a digital SLR, without the lens replacing capibility, but with waaay less bulk. Like here:

And it's retro...sigh.


So I am preeeety excited about all of the possibilities. I get the best of all worlds with a light portable camera with excellent photo potential. (AND video, by the way.) Now I've just gotta learn how to shoot with it. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what's new in my world. The birthday festivities have started early this year! You can expect nice 14.7 megapixel resolution photos any day now.


Photo courtesy of: http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/
images/2008/10/15/canon_g10_photo_003.jpg and

LOL

For those of you who don't know what LOL means, first, I love you for being so darn cute, second, you are not alone (my Dad thought it meant Lot's of Love--Sending LOL your way Dad!), and third...it means 'Laugh out Loud.'

Technically I am steeping the stereotypes of my generation by even using the short form, but oh well. We all know that people are lazy when it comes to msn talk, but we live in a busy world which is getting busier. That's what we should be worried about! (Not about u n me writin' n ltrs--haha itz all jks anywz<3).

But I digress.

I laughed out loud because of sheer coincidence. Last night, I was watching this great cooking video on Rouxbe, (read about it here) where they cooked pan fried chicken. They emphasized the point that when you cook at a proper temperature, you can make pan sauce out of the little bits of meat left at the bottom of the pan.

Now I thought to myself, I really need to learn how to make a pan sauce! I searched the website, and couldn't find a lesson on how, and I was really set on learning! So I guess one could say I was bummed.

But tonight, low and behold, I found that their free feature video on (drum roll)... pan sauce :)

Made me pretty happy.

So okay, maybe you wouldn't find this to be to be so humorous that you would LOL, but I bet you would chuckle.

You can learn about pan sauces too, at Rouxbe's online cooking school. If you missed the pan sauce video but are still interested in learning more, here is a great link to the 411 on pan sauces.

Photo is courtesy of http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/ck/04/03/salmon-sauce-ck-592310-l.jpg

Rouxbe Online Cooking School

Why, hello and good eeeevening. Welcome to cooking with Julia. The part of the program where Julia comes out and teaches you about the marvels of food and what you can do with it.

Nat! (Not now anyway--next post.)

Today I will actually be referring you to another cooking program: Rouxbe. Rouxbe is an online cooking school! I know, crazy. (Crazy fun!) And it's almost free! You can pay ($99+) to get a membership for it's premium lessons, but I don't have money for that so I use their, still amazing, free videos, along with the complimentary daily cooking lesson. (Some, usually only available to those with memberships.)

Today I learned how to properly pan fry! Who knew that it was such a science! Did you know that you can figure out exactly when your pan is hot enough, by waiting for the perfect water droplet formation? But don't take my word for it, go check it out tonight! Click here.

If you missed the pan frying lesson, not to fret. There are lots more lessons where that comes from.

The sexy music and narration give a whole new meaning to cooking school. In fact, not too long ago I was considering cooking school (for a hobby.) Now, I think I can learn the most crucial information to cook well at home from my bedroom/basement/office/kitchen. Where ever my laptop will take me!

Check it out! And let me know what lessons you found particularly inspiring :)

Photo courtesy of http://wwff.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/rouxbe-pic.jpg

Orchard Fruit

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?

Well here are two pictures of apples...will that do?


Alllrighty then!

---------------------------------------

In case you were wondering, I'm currently shooting with a Sony HD video camcorder. Just until I get my new Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens, then I'll be back in business!

But the video camera isn't half bad! Wouldn't you say?

Baby Pun'kins and Mulled Cider

I went to the market today after church and bought these baby pumpkins (affectionately dubbed pun'kins):


Kinda inspired by the adorable pun'kins I taught in Sunday school this morning:)

"Okay Max, it's Jehova and YAH-way, not Jehova and HIGH-way. Nice try though."

So in the spirit of the fall weather and all that it brings (adorable pun'kins of all varieties), I did not hesitate in making my room even more 'fall-ish.'

See?


Okay. Okay. So it probably doesn't look 'fall-ish' at all. But I'm workin' on it! Next project is a fall leaf collage. I'm thinking that once the leaves are nice and colourful, I will find a few pretty ones (not too difficult) and then dry them out in one of my over sized textbooks. (I knew those things would come in handy one day!) Then, once the leaves have fully dried out, you can make a collage with them! On a canvas, on a poster, which ever.

And to go along with this crafty endeavor, a hot glass of mulled cider should do the trick. Here is my recipe:

Julia's Mulled Apple Cider

Hot and spicy, this mulled cider will have you craving more all season long. Bring a thermos-full to work and share it with your friends. Or package up the spice mix in small baggies to give as gifts (for any occasion) with instructions on how to make it.

Ingredients:

Amounts can change depending on how much you are making, but I would suggest making a large batch, and cooling it in the fridge for later; rather than having to make each glass separately.

1 qt apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
20 whole black peppercorns
3 cloves
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
the zest from 1/2 of a lemon, or orange or from 3/4 of a lime
5-6 thin slices of fresh lemon or orange or lime

1 crock pot/slow cooker (if available)

Directions:

1. Place cinnamon, peppercorns and cloves into a saute pan at a low heat, just until you start to smell the aromas. This bring out the essential oils in each.

2. Plug in crock pot and set to a medium heat. I like to use a crock pot because I can heat things and walk away; the stove is not so forgiving.

3. Pour apple cider, spices, and sugar into the crock pot and stir gently.

4. 5 minutes later stir in the zest. Place lid on the crock pot and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. 25 minutes before serving, stir in fruit slices.

5. Pick out the cloves and peppercorns or strain the HOT apple cider in a fine mesh strainer but be very careful if you choose that method.

6. Serve in mugs with the cooked fruit slices and cinnamon sticks for garnish. Would also be nice with whip cream and a caramel drizzle.

Now, excuse me while I go 'mull' over my homework. A task that has not been attempted yet this evening. It's not my fault that I'd rather be making crafts and cider than reading 200 page articles ;)