All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Travel/Food

Chocoflan

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By: Jessica Garcia Saligan

This pastry called chocoflan is a traditional Mexican pastry that has a rich taste. Chocoflan is a two layer cake: chocolate cake on the bottom and flan (the custard on the top layer) that has caramel sauce all over it.

Ingredients

Cake

  • Any type of Chocolate cake
  • Cooking spray
  • Carmel sauce

Flan

  • Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • Evaporated Milk
  • Softened Cream Cheese
  • 1 Large Egg
  • Vanilla Extract

First, you’re going to want to preheat the oven to 350 for it to heat up when it’s time to put the chocoflan in.

Then in a spray a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.

You’re going to want to spread an even layer of any kind of Carmel sauce.

In a large bowl you are going to be mixing the cake batter. It could either be homemade chocolate cake or out of a box cake; either one works.

Once you’re done, you’re going to pour the chocolate batter into the pan carefully.

In a blender, you’re going to place all the ingredients to make the flan part of the cake.

Blend on a high speed for 20 seconds or until the mixture becomes smooth.

Very carefully pour the flan mixture into the cake batter, both batters are going to mix but they will separate while baking forming a two layer cake.

Place a sheet of foil and spray cooking spray on it, then place it on the bottom of a large roasting pan.

Place the cake pan in the large roasting pan; add 1 inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Once the timer goes off, to make sure your cake and flan mixture is baked completely, get a tooth pick and stick in the middle. If it comes out clean it means it’s ready but if you notice some batter on the stick leave it in for a few more minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake pan from the water and set it on a cooling rack; remove the foil.

Let it cool to room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours.

Once it’s done cooling, run a metal spatula around the outer and inside of the pan to loosen the cake.

Place a plate on the bottom of the pan, turning it over and slowly removing the pan.

Remove the extra Carmel, that was left on the, pan onto the cake.

All done. Enjoy!

Track & Field

Track events

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By: Ellie Moore

While deciding the hardest track event is opinion based, many people believe the 400m is the hardest event, but each event requires a unique set of skills and presents its own set of challenges.

One event that is often considered to be the hardest track event is the 400m hurdles. This event combines the speed and endurance of a 400m race with the technical skills required to clear ten hurdles. It requires a lot of coordination, balance, and timing to maintain a consistent pace while jumping over the hurdles without losing speed or rhythm.

Another hard event is the 800m dash, which needs a balance of speed and endurance. It is considered middle-distance, and athletes must maintain a fast pace while conserving enough energy to finish strong. The 800m race is a tactical race, because athletes have to carefully plan their strategy to conserve energy for the final stretch while still staying in the lead.

The 1600m dash is another super hard event that requires both speed and endurance. It is considered a long-distance race, but it’s not long enough to just pace the entire thing. Athletes must maintain a fast pace while conserving enough energy to finish strong and avoid being outpaced by competitors in the final stretch.

Finally, the 100m dash is considered by many to be the most challenging event because of the extreme explosiveness and power required to cover the distance in mere seconds. Athletes need to have a perfect start from the blocks and continue to have good form throughout the race.

Every track event has many challenges, but the 400m hurdles, 800m dash, 1600m dash, and 100m dash are often considered to be the hardest track events.

Science/Nature

Artemis 2 space exploration

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By: Mushtaq Yonis

A new mission to the moon is coming up next year, the Artmetis 2 exploration. This exciting journey is going to happen in the Orion MPCV spaceship.

This mission will include a lunar flyby, which is when a spaceship orbits the moon without landing. The first flyby was the Soviet Union’s in 1959.

The Artemis 2 will have 4 crew members whose names are Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch. Reid Wiseman as the commander, Victor Glover as the pilot, and Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen as the mission specialists.

If you don’t know, there are 3 Artemis missions:

  • Artemis 1 – was an uncrewed test of the Orion spaceship on November of 2022
  • Artemis 2 – crewed flight that will take place in November of 2024
  • Artemis 3 – crewed flight that will land on the moon and will take place no earlier than 2025

The Artemis missions are a series of lunar exploration missions that have been designed to send humans farther into space than they have ever been before.

The crew will fly the Orion, which is an exploratory vehicle designed for longer flights beyond the moon. It will fly 8889 km beyond the moon and then return to Earth. The mission will take a minimum of 10 days.

This mission will be the first time with astronauts who are women and POC. For a reminder the crew will not be landing on the moon but instead will be doing a flyby.

NASA will also collect information about the moon’s environment and potential challenges astronauts might encounter. This will be used for NASA’s goals in establishing a permanent human presence on the moon.

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Basketball

Biography of Steph Curry

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By: Nagad Omar

4x NBA champion, Wardell Stephen Curry plays for the Golden State Warriors. But let’s look at before Curry became the man he is today.

Curry was born on March 14th, 1998 to parents Dell Curry and Sonya Curry in Akron, Ohio. Curry has 2 siblings, Seth Curry who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets and his sister Sydel Curry who used to play volleyball for Elon Phoenix.

Curry played basketball in High School at Charlotte Christian, in North Carolina. Curry was then recruited by coach Bob Mckillop to play at Davidson college where he attended from 2006-2009, where he averaged 21.5 PPG, 4.6 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists in his very first season.

Curry also led tiny Davidson college to the 2008 NCAA tournament where they played util the Elite 8.

In 2009 Curry was the 6th pick in the NBA draft; drafted by the Golden State Warriors. Curry made an almost immediate impact on the Warriors. He was named the team’s starting point guard and averaged 17.5 PPG in his first season.

Curry made the most threes in the league in the 2012-2013 season when he made 272 threes, and 261 in the 2013-2014 season where he also got his first All Star selection.

He was named MVP for the next 2 years and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014-2015 season to give the Warriors their first title in 40 years. The Warriors then won the championship in the 2016-2017 season and won in the 2018-2019 season where he also played into his First-Team All NBA honors.

After breaking his hand in the 2019-2020 season the Warriors bounced back the following year to have a winning season.

The Warriors then won their most recent championship last season where they beat the Boston Celtics in a six game series.

Now, Curry is widely known as the best three pointer shooter in the history of the NBA and has set numerous records including shooting the most threes in NBA history at 7,929.

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Music/Concerts

Who I think gave the best Coachella performances

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By: Mya Olson – Williams

Many are aware that 2 weekends ago was the first weekend of the popular music festival in California, Coachella. There are two weekends of this three day festival. The headliners are Bad Bunny, BlackPink, and Frank Ocean. Smaller artists that are also performing are Kali Uchis, Labrinth, TV Girl, and so many more.

Labrinth

Labrinth’s music is usually recognized from the show Euphoria. In his weekend one performance, he brought out the special guest, Billie Eilish to perform their newest collaboration.

On weekend two, he sang another two singles with special guest, Zendaya. During Labrinth’s shows, the crowds were loud and interactive. His stage setups were cool and unique. He sounded great live, overall giving an amazing performance.

Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris is popular for collaborating with other artists like Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, and Dua Lipa. During his shows, he played lots of well known songs, had cool stage lighting, and a massive crowd with high energy. On weekend two, Calvin sang with Ellie Goulding. At one point, he made a tribute to the rapper Takeoff, who died in late 2022.

boygenius

boygenius is a smaller band, featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. They recently released an album called ‘the record’. They sounded great together live, and you can tell everyone loved their music. boygenius had a really cool stage set up as well.

Overall, there were multiple amazing shows and performances this year, and these were my personal favorites. Coachella 2023 seemed like a great time, and I hope next year is the same.

Travel/Food

Best places to eat in St. Paul

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By: Lauren Kottke & Ella Sutherland

St. Paul has some great restaurants and places to eat. Here are some of our favorites!

One of our favorite places is The Nook. The Nook is a family owned business located on Hamline Ave. We love this place because it has great food, atmosphere and fun activities. The burger is great, and we would definitely recommend getting it from here. They are best known for their Juicy Lucy Burger.

It’s also a great place to bring your kids and family. Downstairs they have a bowling alley connected to another part of the restaurant. You can go bowling for a very cheap price and then grab some great food all right there.

Another great thing about this place is the wall they have downstairs in the bowling alley. The Nook is known for their great burgers, but also their money wall. In the bowling alley restaurant, they have the walls and ceilings filled with $1 bills decorated. You can decorate a $1 bill and then put it anywhere on the wall!

Another great place we recommend is French Meadow. French Meadow is another amazing restaurant close by, it’s located on Grand Ave. We have been there many times and we have always had a good experience. They have great food and service. Our favorites are the soups, salads and fries. They also have a very good chicken wrap during lunch.

If you go there, you must check out the deserts! They have different types of brownies, pastries and cakes. Our go-to is the caramel brownie. Although this place is very different from The Nook, it is still a great place to visit!

The family restaurant DeGidio’s has been around since 1933. They are known for their amazing Italian food, but they also do have some great American food, like burgers. Our favorites are the Chicken Parmesan and the Lasagna. They also are known for their bread that they give out. It’s fluffy bread with seasoned butter. Definitely one of our favorites!

Every experience we have had there, has been a great one. Another thing that makes this place so special is the service. Anytime we have been there it has been busy, but never a long wait. The workers make sure you don’t wait too long for a table. And they always make sure you have a good time!

Sakana is one of our favorite places to go out to eat. It has such a wide range of sushi. There are so many different kinds of sushi you can get, whether that be having raw fish, cooked fish, or no fish. The atmosphere is great with trendy music playing as well as excellent service. The prices are very reasonable and affordable.

You may also sit at the bar where they have TVs and they serve drinks. There is also a place where you can sit and watch the chef make the sushi right in front of you. They have great appetizers as well as great soups. This place is overall just great!

The last restaurant we recommend is Punch Pizza. This restaurant has a few locations that are scattered around Minnesota, but there is one located right on Grand Ave. They have so many different kinds of authentic Neapolitan pizza that are cooked with a 900 degree wood-burning oven.

The restaurant itself has such a lively atmosphere and it is always overflowing with customers. They have amazing side salads as well, that are quite filling. This is a great place to go with friends and family!

These are just a few of the places that Saint Paul has to offer, and our favorites!

Science/Nature

Jupiter: A world more than its size

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By: Trump Vang

Looking at the night sky many objects shine brightly. The moon is easily the brightest out of these objects, followed by Venus and then Jupiter. Despite it being much farther away than most other visible objects, Jupiter still shines brightly due to its size.

Jupiter is known as a gas giant. This term refers to worlds that are mainly composed of gasses and other substances. These types of planets won’t have a solid surface, rather showing a mix of clouds and atmospheric storms.

A day on the planet lasts around 9 hours, being the fastest out of any object in our solar system. Although its year is much longer at a whopping 12 Earth years. In relation to Earth’s calendar system, it’s like having roughly 10,450 days within a year.

It stands as the biggest, largest and most massive planet within our solar system. In past times, humans named the planets after certain aspects they held; Jupiter was named after the king of the Roman gods due to its enormous size. Although, the planet has much more to show than just its mass.

Its appearance shows a multitude of colors in band-like layers created from its clouds. Although its most distinct aspect is a storm known as the ‘Big Red Spot’ on its ‘surface’. Unlike storms on Earth, the ‘Big Red Spot’ is more permanent, having lasted over 300 years. Its furousity doesn’t stop there, as its size is also unmatched, being nearly three times as big as the Earth in its entirety.

The planet also contains a strange relationship with the Earth. Earth has always been under attack by asteroids, or large space rocks. Often an asteroid may pass close to Earth, but as of this moment, it has been a long time since we’ve had a collision with them. One of the main reasons for this is Jupiter’s influence on them.

Without the planet, the existence of life could have never had a chance through the abundant asteroid collisions. So how does Jupiter affect the paths of these asteroids? Due to its large size, Jupiter is able to disrupt the orbits of asteroids, sending them out into far space, far away from the reaches of Earth. Through this, our planet was given the time to grow and produce life, bringing us to where we are today.

Jupiter is an interesting world with many quirks and aspects, from its storms to its presence and influence on other celestial objects. Taking a look at the massive planet, it stands as not only the giant in our solar system, but a world full of colors and gasses orbiting through space.

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Music/Concerts

The career of SZA so far

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By: Isabelle Baidoo

SZA, Solána Imani Rowe, is by far one of the most influential music artists of this generation. Not only has she topped the charts countless times, but she has been nominated for a Grammy 15 times.

Rowe was born on November 8, 1989. She was raised in Maplewood, New Jersey by Abdul Mubarak-Rowe and Audrey Rowe. Her father was an executive producer for CNN, and her mother was an executive at AT&T.

Rowe created the stage name, SZA, from the Supreme Alphabet. The Supreme Alphabet is a system of interpreting text and finding deeper meaning. The S in SZA stands for savior or sovereignty. The Z stands for Zig-Zag, which means Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding. Since it’s the last letter of the alphabet it represents the final step of consciousness. Then lastly, the A stands for Allah. She also stated that she took influence from RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.

Her musical career started in the early 2010s. She had released two pieces before signing with Top Dawg Entertainment. After being signed with her record label she released ‘Z’. This would be her third EP and first retail release.

Rowe has 7 Top 10 Hits on the Billboard Charts and has had 39 songs in the top 100. The highest song on the list being “Kiss Me More”, which remained on the charts for 43 weeks; its peak position being 3rd place.

She has won countless awards, but the most recent dating back to 2019 are:

  • The NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group (“All The Stars”)
  • The BET Her Award (“Good Days”)
  • The Billboard Music Award for Top Viral Song (“Kiss Me More”)
  • and lastly The iHeartRadio Music Award for R&B Song of the Year (“I Hate U”).

On June 9, 2017, SZA released ‘CTRL’, her debut studio album. This album has fourteen tracks, all co-written by SZA herself. She collaborated with many other artists for this album including Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad.

‘CTRL’ pays homage to the fear of losing control. In the intro of “Supermodel”, she states “That is my greatest fear. That if, if I lost control. Or did not have control, things would just, you know? I would be, fatal”. ‘CTRL’ is made to be a relatable commentary on how life is for a “20 something” year old. Facing issues with love, body image, confidence, and of course, control.

Rowe is commonly known for her advice and inspiring quotes. 

Such as, “I love empowering women. I think it’s crazy: if you ever try to belittle women, you’re playing yourself – I ride with whoever rides with me.” -SZA

Or, “Don’t get discouraged with your skin when it doesn’t do what you want it to do…Give it some time. That’s the only way to get to know yourself.” -SZA

SZA has helped so many people realize that their dreams of succeeding in the music industry are possible, and with hard work and determination you can achieve whatever you put your mind to.

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Getting To Know/History

The secret behind “Where’s Waldo’s” success

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By: Caden Kipfmueller

“Where’s Waldo?”

This question has plagued many of mankind’s greatest scientific and philosophical minds for generations.

“Where’s Waldo?” is the name of a series of timeless children’s puzzle books created by Londoner Martin Handford in the late 1980s. Originally called “Where’s Wally?”, Handford’s books were a global success, finding their way to libraries, schools, and homes around the world. Where’s Waldo was known for its intricate drawings, charm, and, of course, Waldo’s signature red and white striped outfit and glasses.

Waldo is set apart from his puzzle book competitors because of author Martin Handford’s unique, extensively detailed illustrations. He takes up to 8 weeks to finish each drawing, and he describes them as “full of both activity and entertainment.” Handford also fills his pictures with visual puns and other Easter eggs. Each drawing feels alive and rich with life, which makes it all the more exciting to search through exhaustively. Even if you can’t find Waldo, you’re bound to find plenty of secrets that will keep you occupied.

The reason why “Where’s Waldo?” was so successful around the globe was the series’ accessibility. While it was translated into 26 different languages, reading wasn’t necessary to understand that the point of “Where’s Waldo?” was to find Waldo. Martin Handford made that abundantly clear with his illustrations, as he believed that Waldo should be shared with all.

The final reason behind Waldo’s success lies in the elusive, bespectacled man for which the series is named. Waldo’s character design is so unique that he is instantly recognizable. Even his silhouette can be pointed out by the casual viewer, and he is drawn to be friendly and non-confrontational. Waldo’s character design undoubtedly contributes to the success of the series, as it is easily marketable. In addition to the standard line of books, two TV shows have been made about him (one in 1991 and one in 2019), as well as a video game for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).

Where’s Waldo remains an incredibly successful franchise to this day, finding popularity even in the modern age. The question still remains, however:

“Where’s Waldo?”

Advice/How To

Fun summer activities to do in the Twin Cities

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By: Mackenzie Malek and Calla Fragassi

With the summer months coming up, we wanted to share with you some fun indoor and outdoor activities you can spend your summer days doing if you are bored, or you just simply want to try something new.

Outdoorutdoor activities

In the Twin Cities area, mainly Minneapolis, there are a variety of different lakes that have many different trails, parks, and beaches. Biking around the lakes is a great way to spend your day in the Cities. The lakes are all within a couple of miles of each other which allows you to get a good ride in during the warmer months. Each lake also has its own unique qualities, for example, Lake Nokomis is a very popular lake where people rent boats or paddle boards, go bridge jumping, or play volleyball on the beach. This could be compared to Lake of the Isles, which is a much smaller lake that is mainly just for walking and biking. Some of the other main lakes include: Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, and Lake Hiawatha.

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the highlights of the year for residents in the state. It lasts 12 days every year beginning at the end of August, and ending on Labor Day. The State Fair was first held in 1859 in what is now downtown Minneapolis. The fair traveled throughout the state until the early 1880’s when they found a permanent home in Ramsey County that is currently standing at 322 acres. The fair hosts an average of 2 million visitors annually, increasing more and more every year. It attracts people from all over the nation for its different foods, rides, music, and entertainment.

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a great way to spend some time outdoors while enjoying many iconic sculptures. The sculpture garden is free and is open all year long from 6am to 12am every day. You will find 40 different kinds of modern and contemporary arts here, and they are most known for the cherry on a spoon sculpture. The average time it takes to walk around and look at all the sculptures is about 2-3 hours, so come prepared and be ready to take lots of pictures.

Indoor activities

Since 1883 the Minneapolis Institute of Art has been sharing artwork with the community. The Minneapolis Institute of Art, often referred to as Mia, is an art museum filled with over 90,000 pieces of art. Different kinds of sculptures, paintings, artifacts, from different cultures are all found at Mia. Mia’s goal is “Inspiring wonder through the power of art.” Next time you’re looking for something to do, stop by Mia to learn a little something new.

Located in St. Paul, the Como Park Conservatory is a great way to spend a rainy summer day. The conservatory is entirely free but accepts donations from visitors. Open 365 days a year, the conservatory welcomes visitors of all ages with something for everyone. Filled with colorful plants and flowers, you will find yourself spending hours inside here. It’s a great place to study, walk around with a friend, and even a popular place to take prom pictures!

If you have younger kids or siblings and you want to bring them somewhere fun, the Minnesota Children’s Museum is the perfect place to go. The museum has three floors filled with different fun activities that kids are sure to enjoy. Some well known exhibits include:

  • The Scrambler, which is a four story jungle gym
  • Our World, which is a fake town with a post office, and fire station
  • And the Studio which is an area for kids to do arts and crafts

The museum also always has a special limited time exhibit, depending on when you are there. They currently have an exhibit called Framed, which allows kids to look closer at famous art pieces. The Children’s Museum is a perfect option for a rainy day in the summer for kids!

All of these places and activities have a little something different for you to try. Whether you’re into biking, looking at art, or simply just spending time outside, the Twin Cities have many great places for you, always feel free to come back to this list when you find yourself bored in the summer.