A Day in the Life

One of the things that I was the most excited about going to college was being able to create my own schedule for life. I would be able to make more decision on what I wanted to do and when. Well, being a creature of habit, I pretty much live life how I did in high school but now I just workout in the morning instead of going to school right away. I still wake up early and still need to go to bed early, but I am guessing that it will change by the end of the school year. 

In general, I really like how my day is structured. This kind of a day happens three times a week for me, and the other days are similar except I have no classes in the afternoon. On those days I try to keep up on other things I need to do such as laundry and cleaning my dorm. The only thing I would change about my day is doing homework with all of my free time, but sadly that is the one thing I don't have a choice with.

What is your day like?

xoxo,

Maddie

College Cooking: Taco Night

I am dead sick of dorm food. I have already complained about this several times on my blog, so I won't go too in depth on this. Mainly, I have decided to stop my constant complaining (at least for now) and do something my dining situation. This week I went grocery shopping with the goal of picking up ground beef based meals. Last night I made tacos and it was amazing. This is probably the simplest thing to make, but it is so rewarding to make my own food. 

Ingredients
1lb Ground Beef
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
2 Torilla Shells
1 Tomatos
1/2 Avocado
Sprinkling of Shredded Cheese

Instructions
- Brown the ground beef, and then add the packet of taco seasoning according to the instructions on the package.
- Add desired toppings.
- Save the other have of the avocado and the ground beef for leftovers.

Here are the other meals I have planned for this week:
Bagel Pizza's
Beef and Cheese Quesadillas
Pasta w/ tomato sauce and beef

I am now ready to attack this week with good food, and avoidance of the dining hall.  If nothing else, this week will be one of the best dining weeks of the year so far. I finally feel somewhat like an adult with the grocery shopping and making my own meals. This has been one of the most exciting parts of the month for me since I have been able to start cooking again. 

I'll let you know how this goes!

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

I lived through my first week of mid terms. Really that just means I had two mid-terms on Monday which made for a really boring weekend of studying. I was also finally able to share how school has been going for me (here). I have been trying to figure out how to say what I have been feeling but expressing my real emotions isn't easy for me. Enough with boring things... here was my week!

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Last Thursday was my big little reveal! My big was exactly who I was hoping she would be so I am so excited. We met out for coffee earlier this year and I knew I wanted her as my big since then. She wasn't able to make it the reveal or social, but it was still fun getting to meet my Grand Big and Great-Grand Big. I am in love with my fam!

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Madison isn't the prettiest campus, but the beginnings of changing leaves can make anything gorgeous. During one of my expeditions around campus, it hit me how pretty this scene was. The state capital makes any picture of state street look good. I have been dying for the leaves to start changing (I check everyday) so this is a good sign. 

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So I have found the best scone flavor ever. The Red Eye scone from Silly Yak Bakery is the best. It is a chocolate coffee scone with an espresso glaze. I have gotten one almost every week at the farmer's market this year. I just warm it up in the microwave for a couple of seconds to melt the chocolate chips and then I have the best breakfast of the week. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

My True College Experience

     College has been something else that's for sure. I have been at school for about a month and a half now but I can sincerely say that it is nothing like I thought it would be. I was expecting to fall in love with Wisconsin right away, I was going to meet a ton of friends right away, be best friends with my roommate, and overall just find my place right away. 

     Nothing has really gone how I planned, which had made for an interesting start to my year. I did not really want to go to Wisconsin, but I not matter what I was determined to make the best of it. Right away things started off on the wrong foot with the roommate situation. We just don't get along very well which makes for being in the dorm uncomfortable for me. Well actually, we just don't talk.... ever.  

     I have always had issues meeting people right away. I have been able to meet a fair amount of people right away, but I really haven't been able to become close with anyone. I am close(r) with a couple girls but there is no one for me to really be with. If it wasn't for my sorority, I really don't know how happy I would be at school. 

      School in general has been so overwhelming with the combination of homework, clubs, blogging, greek life and more homework. I can hardly fit in time to create halfway decent blog posts. I feel like I never have time to spend on myself. All I have been wanting recently is to go out for coffee and treat myself, but it seems like I never have time to do anything

     College has not been anything like that of the movies or books. I knew that this would be the case, but I didn't think it would be like this. I can't say that I am really unhappy at school, but this definitely isn't classified as the best time of my life. I certainly hope that things get better and I can't wait to be able to post a more positive life update. 

sorry for the rant...

xoxo,

Maddie

Easy Halloween Costume Ideas

Halloween is a really big deal at UW Madison so having a good costume is important. I have never been big into Halloween, so putting in effort will be a new thing for me. Pinterest has been my go to for finding ideas. I really don't want to go as a "sexy (interest random object)", like a cat. Thankfully, there so many ideas that would be warm enough for the end of October, but still fun enough to hang out in. 

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Of these, I really like the gum ball machine or the Waldo costume. Both of them would be warm enough for a night that will probably be about 50 degrees. Where's Waldo was always my favorite game to play at family gatherings. The gum ball outfit could be really easy to make which is exactly what I am looking for! Make sure you check out the Thursday Three after Halloween to see what I wore!

Which one of these is your favorite?

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

This was probably the most stressful week so far. I have two big mid terms next Monday and I feel so overwhelmed. They are a huge portion of my grade so I am really worried about messing it up. Most of my week has been studying which explains the lack of a post Tuesday (sorry!). Here was what I was able to do:

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This past weekend was my dad's weekend for my sorority. It was such a great weekend. I had been really missing my family, so seeing my dad was perfect. We went to eat, went grocery shopping and watched the badger game together. It was a great weekend. 

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Today is the big/little reveal for my sorority so for the whole week I have been receiving little gifts from my big. There is nothing better than coming back to the dorm after a long day of studying to find a surprise. I am so excited to find out who my big is tonight! 

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My biggest news for the week is I am published on Spoon University. This is a multi-campus website with the focus on food. I have been reading this website for a years so I was so excited to be accepted as a writer. Remember the draft latte, I wrote about that. Check out my article here! 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie 

Mississippi Mud Brownies

     Desserts are always a great thing to bring to a potluck or any type of gathering. At my job, everyone knows that if I have a day off there is a good chance I will be baking if I am home which means that they get treats. These Mississippi Mud Brownies are the perfect thing to bring. They are rich enough that one could be enough per person but they are so good that you are guaranteed to bring home an empty plate. The mix of brownie with a fudge-ganache topping is perfect. The ganache somehow makes sure that the marshmallows don't harden so that they are still soft after a couple of days.

      This recipe is from The Girl Who Ate Everything. You can find it here. Everything on Christy's blog looks so good. There are several seafood recipes that look yummy, but her desserts are the real eye catcher. I have fallen in love with food blogs and this is a good one. 

Ingredients

Brownies:

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate 
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour


Chocolate Ganache-Marshmallow Topping:
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 Tablespoon butter
3 cups mini marshmallows1 cup (2 sticks) butter4 eggs2 cups granulated sugar1 Tablespoon vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup all-purpose flour

Chocolate Ganache-Marshmallow Topping:2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips3/4 cup heavy whipping cream1 1/2 Tablespoon butter3 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions
For the brownies:
-Beat in eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until well blended.
-Stir in flour, blending well.
-Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake! Brownies should be moist. Cool in pan.

For topping:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

-In a large glass bowl, combine the unsweetened chocolate and butter. Heat in microwave 1-2 minutes stirring intermittently until melted and smooth.

 -Combine chocolate chips and cream in a large glass bowl. Heat in microwave 1-2 minutes stirring twice until melted and smooth. Add butter and stir until melted and smooth. Fold in marshmallows.

-Spread topping evenly over the top of cooled brownies. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

I am missing cooking so much right now, that I couldn't help but share one of my favorite recipes. There is only about two months until I can go home for Thanksgiving that cook up a storm. My family won't know what to do will all off the food I am planning on making. 

Let me know if you try these brownies!

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

This week was pretty dull, but it has made me appreciate some of my favorite parts of my week. Most of this was spent doing homework so I won't have any this weekend. It is my sororities dad's weekend so I want to be able to spend the whole time with my dad. I am so excited for it! Here is what happened this week.... other than homework. 

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I have been loving the farmer's market, even to the point that I woke up at 6:20 to get there before the badger game. Let's just say it is always worth it. This week I tried a cinnamon raisin roll, and to be honest, it wasn't amazing. In order to make up for sad things like not amazing rolls, I had a really good apple cider doughnut so don't worry, I lived. 

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I had my first tailgate this weekend! It was so much fun, and what was nice was that it was for a 11am game so it didn't use up all of my day. I wasn't able to get tickets for the football games this year, so I am always looking for things to do if I can't buy a ticket. I have decided that I like tailgates more than games, mainly because it doesn't involve spending. my money. (college ya know?)

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I really hate dining hall food so I avoid it as much as possible. One of my favorite things I made was a simple peanut butter and banana toast with flax seeds. It is always a treat to have toast, especially with a good bread. I picked up the bread at the farmer's market and let's just say it was gone in a couple days. After this month, I swear I will never take making breakfast for granted!

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

Fall Inspiration

I love to use Pinterest as my way to find inspiration for each season. Nothing quite gets me excited for the upcoming months like going on Pinterest and seeing new idea for outfits, food, photography and any other topic. I alway check out Pinterest when I do core as a way to stop me from getting bored during planks. (weird, I know) This gives me a little bit of time each day where I can check things out without getting too sucked in. Here are some of my favorite fall finds. 

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Everyone seems to be in the fall mood right now, and by my last couple of posts it is pretty obvious that I am. I don't know why people love fall so much, but I'd have to guess that it is just something about the comforting feeling that comes with the food, fashion, and atmospehre. I am ready to wear my favorite fall outfits (like this one), style a new long sleeve shirt (here) and I am already counting down the days to Thanksgiving break  so I can have my mom's chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes. Also, did you see the fall bucket list I made? 

Make sure to check out my Pinterest!

xoxo,

Maddie

Fall Bucket List

It is October! Fall in finally in full swing with cooler weather, pumpkin flavors and cozy layers. There are always so many things I want to do in the fall, that I need to make a list to check them all off. Fall is my favorite time of year, so there is nothing stopping me from going all out. 

 

     I have already scouted out a stand at the Farmer's Market to buy a pecan pie and pumpkin bread from. I also have plans with a club for a bonfire so I am on my way already to checking off this list. When I made this, I had't been to a tailgate yet, but yesterday I went to my first one. Check that one off!

      This fall my biggest disappointment is that I can't bake in my dorm. Officially I can in a shared kitchen, but let's be realistic, I am not going to buy a dozen eggs just to use one. I have seen so many recipes that I want to make but sadly, all I can do is just send them to my mom and hope for a care package.

What do you want to do this fall?

xoxo,

Maddie