The Magic of the Mountain

I must admit that these past few weeks I have been a bit homesick for the big apple. It may be that I miss a certain Deane Davis but I also miss the hustle and bustle of the big city. But I could not just hop on a plane and go back to Manhattan because I had been hired to work at Idyllwild Arts as a counselor in the Children's Center. Obviously I was a bit skeptical of going to the middle of no where when I was craving the havoc of a city. But after spending a week here I must say that there is no place I would rather be at the moment. Living in the middle of a forrest, meeting some truly amazing people, and just having fun, who could ask for a more perfect summer! And there is no cell service here. I rely on my cell phone way too much and it is nice to have a break from it. The kids have not even arrived yet and I'm already having an amazing time!! I thought I would share some of my favorite experiences from the last week.


-Hiking to the Point
After getting done with duties early Sarah, Richard, Georgie, and I decided to hike up to the Point one afternoon. The view from up there is spectacular, not only can you see the surrounding mountains but also the city of Hemet. A view like that really takes your breath away and puts everything in proportion.

-Walk to Town
On our first day off a bunch of us decided to walk to the town of Idyllwild and get lunch and look at some of the shops. There and back is a grand total of 5 miles!! The town is adorable and kind of reminds me of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls. On the "Welcome to Idyllwild" sign it says "home of adventure, music, arts, and harmony." I am in the right place! The town is incredibly artsy and it makes sense that it is the home of one of the only arts boarding schools in the country. Dolly Parton has (or used to have) a house here as did Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston when they were still married. My favorite place in town is Candy Cupboard where I bought a vanilla ice cream bar dipped in chocolate and rolled in peanut brittle. Yes, I do have a bit of an ice cream addiction but I can't help it!!

-Morning Runs
My roommate Josie and I have been running these past few mornings before breakfast. I am one of those people who loves to workout before they start their day, it always leaves me feeling so energized! Unlike many musical theatre students at Marymount Manhattan I love having dance in the morning because it leaves me feeling awake and ready to go. I wish I could go running through the woods every morning. I love smelling the trees and seeing squirrels and bunny rabbits as I work my butt off. There is always something to see and yet it is incredibly peaceful at the same time. And of course I have to work off that ice cream bar somehow!!

-Singing in the Troys
At college and sometimes at home it is often hard to find some alone time to just sit and sing. There are always people around and so it never works out. The other day I decided to head down to the Troys (which are practice rooms here at Idyllwild) and practice my song for the talent show and just spend some time singing for fun. It was so refreshing to just stand in a room for an hour and sing with no one there to judge. It gave me time to remember why I love to sing. I also came up with some goals that I would like to achieve this summer. These goals include learning two Italian songs ("Time to Say Goodbye" and "Nella Fantasia"), as well as conquering the "Queen of the Night" aria, and possibly "Glitter and Be Gay." Hopefully I will still have time to spend in the Troys this summer because an hour of just singing here and there is just what I need this summer!

The Happiest Place on Earth

Disneyland will always hold a special place in my heart, my family's visits there are one of the many highlights of my childhood. While I may not be old enough to remember the original Captain EO I do remember the short lived Rocket Rods (which I always believed were called the High Speed PeopleMover), the submarines that were not Finding Nemo related, the Lion King Parade, The Festival of Fools, and a time when there was no Disney California Adventure or FASTPASS. I have a very love/hate relationship with California Adventure but that is a whole other story. In my opinion FASTPASS has completely screwed up the lines at Disneyland but again that is another story. Disneyland truly is one of the happiest places on Earth, nothing can beat Mickey Ice Cream Bars, seeing Belle in real life, or riding Space Mountain. I learned the other day that Space Mountain only achieves a maximum speed of 28 mph, the fastest roller coaster in the world, Furius Baco, achieves a maximum speed of 84 mph! The illusion of speed is created in Space Mountain by keeping the track barely visible. My sister and I recently visited Disneyland which prompted me to think of my fondest Disneyland memories.

Top 5 Disneyland Experiences:
(In Chronological Order)
1. A Rainy Day at Disneyland
When Becca and I were kids my family had season passes to Disneyland. Becca and I would wake up at 7 am on a Saturday morning and decide that we should go to Disneyland that day. This would lead us to go jump in bed with our parents and tell them our grand idea. On one Saturday we decided to go to Disneyland even though it was pouring rain when we left. Apparently no one goes to Disneyland when it rains because the place was empty! Almost all the rides were open even though it had been raining though Becca's favorite, Dumbo, was closed for part of the day. This trip began my dad and my tradition of line hopping in the Indiana Jones Ride when coming out of the exit. A rainy day at Disneyland is the ultimate fast pass!

2. Backstage at Disneyland
Somewhere between the age of 10 and 13 my family went to Disneyland with my friend Lilly and her sister and mom. The day was like any other day at Disneyland until we rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds at 11 at night. My mom, Lilly, and I got in the bobsleds, went up the hill, raced past Harold (yes the Abominable Snowman is officially named Harold), when all of a sudden our bobsled stopped. After sitting there for about 15 minutes we saw two crew members walking up the track towards us. They informed us that the ride was broken and that we were going to have to walk the rest of the way. Not only did we get to walk down the mountain but we got to go INSIDE of it too. Ever wonder what is inside the Matterhorn? Well from what I saw there are some control rooms, what looks like some offices, and a break room for cast members. I later learned that at the top of the mountain, above where the ride goes, there used to be half basketball court where the climbers would hang out. Since I am a complete Disney buff getting to go inside of the Matterhorn was extremely exciting even though in reality the stuff in there is not actually that spectacular.

3. Madrigals Go to Disneyland
During my senior year of high school the choir that I was a part of went to Disneyland to compete in a singing competition. There is no better way to experience Disneyland then with your friends and a handicap pass to skip lines. Unlike the FASTPASS system, which is good and bad, a handicap pass allows you to skip almost any line in the park. As a result we were able to ride way more rides then one typically could on a Saturday. I also got the opportunity to show just how much of a Disney nerd I am. The judges of the competition as well as some Disney performers put on a show for us in what used to be The Festival of Fools space. After they sang they asked the audience to identify all of the Disney songs they performed and of course I was the only one who knew the song "Out There" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Yep I am a bit of a Disney nerd.

4. Grad Nite 2010
Grad Nite at Disneyland will always be one of my favorite experiences at the Happiest Place on Earth. Yes it is frustrating that it takes an hour and a half just to get in the park because of the intense bag checks that security does but it is complete worth it. Dance floors all over Disneyland, cutting the line for Space Mountain (how did we not get kicked out?), bumping into friends from other schools, and the thrill of knowing that in a few short days I would not be a high school student anymore. Rides like Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, and Space Mountain still had extremely long lines but other rides like the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were relatively short. My favorite moment of the night happened when some friends and I rode Pirates of the Caribbean. First we got yelled out for taking a picture right before we went down the first hill. Who knew that there was a crew member standing in the dark right before the drop? It freaked me out! Halfway through the ride one of my friends proclaimed that this was a boring ride. The Snow White ride is boring, how can someone call Pirates of the Caribbean boring??!! I love the pirate with the pigs especially the pig who's leg twitches and the scene at the end with the pirates shooting each other. When I was younger I was always scared that I was going to accidentally get shot by one of the pirates. While that night was exhausting it gave me with some incredible memories that I will probably never forget.

5. Becca's Birthday Celebration
This past week Becca and I went to Disneyland to celebrate her 17th birthday. Some memorable moments include: rediscovering the single rider line for the Indiana Jones ride (how could I forget about this?!), riding the Peter Pan ride for the first time in years (I forgot how amazing the effect is when you fly over London and then Neverland), and explaining to Becca why FASTPASS creates longer lines while we waited in line for almost 2 hours for Space Mountain. My favorite part of the visit was when Becca and I rode Its a Small World. I was a little mad that Becca did not want to watch Fantasmic! I love the nighttime spectacle on the Rivers of America especially the dancing monkey's on the rafts. But Becca wanted to ride It's a Small World and since it was her birthday celebration of course I complied. I love riding It's a Small World, if people in this world could get along like the dolls in that ride then our planet would be a much better place. As we came to the end of the ride we heard loud booming noises which turned out to be fireworks. The fireworks show was amazing as always but the neatest part was the projection of Disney movies on the facade of the ride during the fireworks. It was the perfect end to a fun day!

The Magic of Baking

Baking has always been a cathartic experience for me. When I am having a bad day or need time to think there is nothing I would rather do than mix a bunch of ingredients together in a big mixing bowl while listening to Rascal Flatts. And of course licking the wooden spoon after everything is in the oven makes all my problems better. Baking is not for everyone but if one day you find yourself having a bad day then grab the largest mixing bowl you can find and try one of my three favorite recipes!

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies:

My earliest memories of baked goods always involve my mom's chocolate chip cookies. They were always a big hit at the Torrey Pines Elementary School Bake Sales and even at class parties at La Jolla High School. When I was little I used to always sneak a chunk of the cookie dough from the freezer and eat it. I always thought I was being pretty discreet but I think my mom knew what I was up to. To this day I still have friends who request that my mom bake her cookies and of course she still does. This is one of my favorite recipes to bake and trust me even the dough tastes amazing!!

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened (typically 2 sticks)

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

3/4 cup of packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (a pinch more for a little extra flavor)

2 1/4 cup of flour

1 package (12 ounces) of semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Directions:

1. Soften butter in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

2. Mix butter, both sugars, and eggs in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and flour. Stir in the flour a bit at a time, do not attempt to stir it in all at once. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Freeze dough 2-3 hours so the cookies will stay together better.

4. Preheat oven to 375°F.

5.  Roll dough into balls about the same size of a half dollar. Put balls about 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown (the centers will be slightly soft still). Remove cookies from cookie sheet and set them on wax paper to cool. Enjoy!!

Banana Bread:

I have absolutely no idea when I started baking banana bread but before I knew it, it became my signature dish. I gave Deane half a loaf of my banana bread after our first date and I am pretty sure that is the reason he fell in love with me. One time when I was a on a mass banana bread baking spree I forgot to put eggs in 2 of the loaves. Thankfully they still came out okay and tasted just fine! Banana bread makes the perfect gift if you are short on cash. Wrap it up in some tin foil and stick a big bow on it and voila instant gift!!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)

3/4 cup of sugar

3/4 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 cups of flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Mix bananas, sugar, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients. 

3. Grease a loaf pan, either 9x5x3 or 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2, with vegetable oil or PAM cookie spray.

4. Pour mix into pan.

5. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes our clean, around 60 minutes.

6. Let cool for 30 minutes and then remove loaf from pan.

Paula's Cake Balls:

My mom sent me this Paula Deen recipe a few months ago while I was still in Manhattan. We made them for the first time last weekend and they were delicious!! So far we have tried two different combinations: red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting dipped in milk chocolate or dark chocolate and strawberry cake with strawberry frosting dipped in milk chocolate. Next time we are planning on trying lemon cake and lemon frosting dipped in yellow candy melts. These bite size treats are perfect when you have a sweet tooth but do not want to consume an insane amount of calories.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package cake mix

1 (16 ounce) container of prepared cake frosting

6 ounces of chocolate flavored confectioners coating disks or bar (milk, dark, or white chocolate)*

*Confectioners coating disks can be found at Michaels' stores and are called Candy Melts

Directions:

1. Bake cake according to the directions on the box. When the cake is finished baking let it cool for 30 minutes.

2. Crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Add frosting and mix until well combined. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

3. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Use a melon baller as a scooper to form balls with the cake mixture. You will want to use your hands as well to form the balls. Place balls on wax paper. Once you have used all of the cake mixture, place the baking tray in the freezer for at least 1 hour (the longer the better).

4. Melt the chocolate in a glass cup in the microwave, stirring every 5-10 seconds until smooth. If you're using white chocolate you can add food coloring.

5. Remove the balls from the freezer. Put each one on a candy stick and dip them into the chocolate one at a time.

6. Once you have covered all the balls in chocolate coating remove the sticks (if you want) and place the tray in the refrigerator until the chocolate coating is set. At this point you can drizzle other chocolate on the balls for decoration.