Peppermint Patty Surprise Bars!!

I know, I know, I FINALLY got around to posting the first recipe :) This is one of my favorites. I'm a big fan of mint, but I know not everyone is - don't worry, not all of the future recipes will have mint in them! I came across these in a GL magazine back when I used to get those. I've made these bars a few times and would make them again right now if I wasn't trying to be healthy ... enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

11/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp kosher salt (I just used regular salt)

12 oz chocolate chunks

12 oz bag York Peppermint Patties

makes 12 bars

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.

2. Use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until well combined. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chunks. 

3. Spoon half of the cookie dough mixture into the prepared pan and push evenly to all sides. Place the unwrapped peppermint patties in a single layer over the dough, then cover with the remaining half of the cookie dough, pressing to flatten it. Bake for 38-45 minutes or until baked through. Cool completely before cutting.

P.S. On a totally random note, I just discovered this band called Augustana and I love their slow music. My favorite songs are "Boston," "Sunday Best," "Hey Now," "Sweet and Low," and "I Still Ain't Over You."

Favorites Round 2

I was debating on doing my first recipe post or another "favorites" post. Since it's kinda late and I'm too lazy to go downstairs to get the recipe, I'll do round 2 of favorites! Today I am pretty disappointed in myself. I was planning on doing some writing after homework and such, but instead I got addicted to my computer and watched a few tv episodes. I end up hating myself afterwards because I waste my day, so now I'm trying to make up for it.

#1: Eos products!! There has been no lack of these since Christmas :) I got the vanilla mint lip balm and the cucumber lotion. They

both smell super good.

#2: I realize I'll probably be made fun of for this, but I like reading these kind of books sometimes. I read a little bit each night before I go to bed. Not heavy to read, but not useless either. It calms me down and puts my mind in a good place. And I find this book really useful to keep my head on my shoulders and things in perspective. 

#3: 2 words: SALTWATER TAFFY!!! I love this stuff, especially from a candy store called Powell's Sweet Shoppe. The other day I was walking by and just decided to go in and get a few. It was a dollar for about 10 I believe, so that's a pretty good deal.

#4: Another book :) I really like this one, and the movie is amazing as well. It deals with controversial issues between blacks and whites in the 1900s without being boring or too depressing.
Now that it's second semester senior year I have more time for reading!

Ok, I guess that's it for now, but I will post again soon!

Happy New Year + What's New

So, another year is here ... it seems like each year passes by more quickly. My 2015 resolution is to eat healthier and become more fit. This is probably half the world's resolution, but still, a good one. On New Year's Eve, my family went to see a drive in movie, Unbroken, and then I jumped into my really cold pool at midnight! I can be kinda crazy sometimes :) New Year's Day we went for a walk on the beach.
Unbroken was a pretty good movie, but a little too slow for me, although I understand that they were really trying to make the point of how long he was stuck in a boat and the amount suffering he went through in the camps. Over 2 hours is generally too much for any movie, in my opinion, but it was a good movie, nevertheless, reminding me that humans are so much stronger than we think we can be.
Another recent milestone in my life is that the weekend before Christmas I finished my college applications. It was not a fun process, but not as hard as people seemed to make of it. I'm very proud of the essays I wrote, they really reflect me.  I did not ask for, nor wanted help from any of my school's counselors on making my essays "better." I have a stubborn personality, and once I wrote them and edited them with a little help from my parents and friend that know me completely, I refused to have anyone at school read it. They might have told me to elaborate on some things, cut down on others, change the wording, etc. until it would have been shaped to something I did not create, and my voice would have been gone. They might not be the best essays admissions offices have ever read, but I can take pride that they are completely mine. Not to go to the extent to say those who seek help are wrong, but for me, this is what worked, and that's all I know.
I've gotten a bit sidetracked ... the big news I want to share is that I've already gotten accepted into two schools! One I received an email on Christmas Eve, which was the perfect pre-xmas present! The second I got in the mail 2 days ago, which was nice, because I like to open an actual letter rather than an email. The second school was the one I think I want to go to, so that made me really happy. And just knowing that I'm going to college if I want to is a big relief. It was a nice surprise for me, since the last two schools I applied to were the first two that accepted me, and I wasn't expecting to hear back from anyone until spring.
I don't want to mention the schools at the moment. I feel kinda weird to share that news with everyone, where anyone at my school could read. There's just so much judgment out there, and college talk just seems like a touchy subject.
I hope you all had the best of holidays!