Category Archives: Travel/Food

Travel/Food

Christmas cookies

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By: Sophie Elmstrom & Lily Sheldon

Photo by Jonathan Meyer on Pexels.com

The holidays have come to an end, but that doesn’t mean that all of the recipes that come with it do!

During the holiday season there are so many treats to make, with Christmas cookies being a staple recipe. There are so many different cookie recipes for the holiday season. We wanted to share a few of our favorite cookie recipes to make.

Sugar Cookies:

Sugar cookies are a classic, and are a very common cookie, not just made for Christmas, although once you add the red and green sprinkles it will add Christmas cheer! This is a very simple recipe, so it’s easy and quick to make. It’s sure to be a staple cookie to add to your holiday baking. These cookies have cream cheese in them, and that adds a richer flavor to them.

You can find the directions here: https://www.nourish-and-fete.com/sprinkle-sugar-cookies/

Hershey’s Peanut Butter Blossoms:

These cookies have a delicious peanut butter cookie base topped with a Hershey’s Kiss that is perfectly melted on top. These are a fan favorite, and they don’t take long to make either. With a simple list of ingredients, and a short baking time of 8-10 minutes, these cookies have the perfect texture with a slightly crispy outside and warm chewy inside, and the kiss on top adds the perfect flavor and richness to the cookie base.

Here is a simple recipe: https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/peanut-butter-blossoms.html

Christmas Bark:

Christmas bark or “ Christmas crack” is a saltine layered base with chocolate and toffee pieces on top. This is a very versatile cookie, with the option to add any combination of chocolate and toppings to the saltine layer base. Here we have a version with milk chocolate and toffee pieces, which is our personal favorite combination. Other ideas you could make are white chocolate with peppermint, or milk/dark chocolate with various toppings such as M&M’s, pretzels, etc. This is a crunchy treat that is so delicious and a fun bake for the holidays!

Here is a recipe: https://therecipecritic.com/christmas-crack-recipe/

Sandwich Cookies:

These sandwich cookies are flaky and buttery, they crumble in your mouth. This recipe is very complicated and takes a while to make because you have to refrigerate the dough for the cookies before you roll them out and cut them. Even though these take time to make, they are so worth it and don’t have to be made in just the holiday season, you can make the frosting different colors for different events and enjoy them all year long! Make sure to bring these to a cookie competition, it will be a sure win for you.

Here is the recipe: https://inspiredbycharm.com/cream-wafer-tree-cookies/#Ingredients

Wreath Cookies:

The wreath cookies are an easy to make recipe without using an oven. All you have to do is melt marshmallows and combine them with rice crispy cereal, shape them into a wreath and add some green food coloring and you’re done! These cookies are very good and chewy and once you show them to people they will be begging for more. We’re sure you could make these into different shapes for different holidays and events.

Here is a simple recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10070/christmas-cornflake-wreath-cookies/

Travel/Food

The effects of energy drinks

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By: Ruby Anderson and Priya Anderson

Energy drinks have begun to rise in popularity, especially among younger people, often replacing coffee as a new popular form of caffeine intake. These drinks can contain dangerous amounts of caffeine and other chemicals that can be unsafe to consume, especially to those who drink them on a regular basis. According to the ‘National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’, energy drinks are the second most popular dietary supplement for American teens and young adults and almost one third of teens ages 12-17 drink them regularly.

While caffeine can be safe in limited amounts, too much caffeine can cause side effects. The most common side effects of energy drinks are short term effects such as shaking, rapid heart beat, increased blood pressure, anxiety, and restlessness. The recommended caffeine intake is up to 400 milligrams per day for adults and 100 milligrams for adolescents. Sticking to these amounts or less per day can prevent you from experiencing serious health issues.

Energy drinks contain ingredients like taurine, caffeine, and lots of sugar which when consumed daily can cause many long term health issues. Some include insomnia, dehydration, digestive problems, heart palpitations and can even cause problems as serious as cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. Long term use of caffeinated beverages can make you dependent on caffeine and without it can cause you to experience withdrawal symptoms like headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, a depressed mood, and many more symptoms.

Energy drinks have become very popular recently and many of the most popular drinks contain the highest amounts of caffeine. A few of these drinks are: Redbull, Monster Energy, Bang, and tons of other drinks which can contain dangerously high amounts of caffeine. These energy drinks are available to almost anyone, being sold mostly at grocery stores, gas stations, and in vending machines.

Even though energy drinks are so easy to access, there are many groups of people which energy drinks can be especially dangerous to. Children and adolescents, pregnant people, those who have conditions like heart or kidney disease, and anyone who takes medications regularly can be more negatively affected by energy drinks than others.

Even with all of these negative effects from energy drinks, these beverages can actually be beneficial for certain people. If you consume energy drinks in a safe amount, a few of the benefits you can get include increased energy, concentration, mental alertness, and enhanced physical performance. Many people, especially athletes or those who participate in other strenuous activities, use energy drinks to enhance their abilities. Energy drinks can also contain vitamins and minerals. The majority of energy drinks contain B vitamins, most commonly biotin.

For those who still would like a caffeine boost in the morning without drinking energy drinks or coffee, there are many alternatives that are much more healthy. Green tea is probably the most healthy alternative with typically 25-45 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounces. Really, any tea is a good alternative and also includes many health benefits that energy drinks don’t contain. Fruit juice and smoothies are nutritious alternatives and even just simply drinking water can give you a boost of energy when you wake up.

For more information, please visit:

Editorials/Student Voice, Travel/Food

Why is McDonald’s a popular fast food restaurant?

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By: Grace Lopez

McDonald’s is such a popular fast food that anyone can eat. This fast food is most known for their fries, chicken nuggets, hamburgers etc. McDonald’s was created in 1940 and from then to right now business has been booming and a lot of people really like McDonald’s. McDonald’s could be really affordable and really expensive for some people, but a lot of people really like the food.

Not a lot of items on the menu have really changed through the years. Little kids really only mostly go to McDonald’s for Happy Meals. They only really like the toy that’s inside. When I was little I also only wanted the toy.

Some people have different nicknames for McDonald’s like, Mickey D’s, McDirts, Macas and more.

McDonald’s also has a mascot: Ronald McDonald. He dresses up like a scary clown and a lot of people are really scared of him.

When me and my friends always try to go to another place to eat we always end up going to McDonald’s because it has a lot of different locations and it’s never too far from anywhere we go so that’s how they get the popularity from being so famous.

At McDonald’s you can also collect points from your visits and can earn free food and that’s how McDonald’s really knows how to advertise and get a lot of people to go there.

About three McDonald’s open a day and that’s how there are so many McDonald’s fast food restaurants around the world. The most popular McDonald’s, in Orlando, has an aquarium and an arcade and that’s how they get a lot of visitors and the popularity goes up everyday.

Travel/Food

Fast food secret menus

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By: Ian Larson

Many fast food restaurants have secret menus available only to the people who know about them. Just ask for any of these items and you’ll probably be able to get them.

First are the secret items at McDonalds. McDonald’s has many secret menu items that are available at most locations. One of these items is the apple pie McFlurry, which is a McDonald’s apple pie blended into a McFlurry. There’s also the grilled cheese which is just 2 of their burger buns with cheese in the middle. Another item is the Big McChicken, which is a Big Mac, but instead of buns it has McChicken patties. McDonald’s actually has many more secret menu items, but I thought these were the most interesting of them.

Another fast food restaurant that has a secret menu is Burger King. You can actually order a BK ham and cheese sandwich on a sesame seed bun. You can also order another classic type of sandwich by getting the BK BLT , which is BLT toppings on a Whopper. Can’t decide between fries and onion rings? You can order “Frings”, half fries, half rings.

Five Guys also has their own secret menu. One option is the cheesy fries which are just Five Guys fries with cheese melted on top. Another cheesy item is the patty melt with buns grilled just like a grilled cheese sandwich. If you want some fries that are unique but don’t want the cheesy fries, you can order the well done fries that were fried longer and are more crispy.

While there are many other fast food restaurants that have their own secret menus, the last one that will be shown here is Chick-fil-A. One of the Chick-fil-A items is the buffalo chicken sandwich where buffalo sauce is added to their spicy chicken sandwich. A drink you can order is the root beer float. The last item you can get is the chicken quesadilla. The chicken quesadilla is chicken and cheese in a tortilla.

Travel/Food

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies review

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By: Norah Hoglund and Max Cahoon

While chocolate chip cookies are very delicious, what is even better is peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. We tried this recipe out because right now is the perfect time to make cookies and share them with your friends and family. Just make sure no one is allergic to peanut butter!

Review

Taste

These cookies had such a good taste; we would say they were probably some of the best cookies we have ever made. The peanut butter makes them really really good because the saltiness of the peanut butter contrasts the sweetness of the cookie and it is a really great flavor, especially if you love peanut butter. A lot of people know that chocolate and peanut butter go really well together, and that fact does not change in this instance.

All of the ingredients in this cookie just go very well together and make for a great cookie. It is also not too sweet, due to the peanut butter. When they came warm fresh out of the oven, they were the best. We had them with milk and we agreed that they were some of the best cookies ever.

The only downside is that once you taste them when they are warm it’s a little underwhelming when you eat them at room temperature, but you can always warm them up.

Our rating: 9.9/10

Ease of making

These cookies were a bit of a challenge to make. We decided to brown the butter (see how in the recipe notes), even though the recipe doesn’t call for it, because it makes for a richer cookie. The recipe said to melt the butter anyway, so we browned it in a pot and added the peanut butter to the butter.

Once we had mixed together all the wet ingredients and dry ingredients, we mixed the two together. The dough then was very thick and we had to mix it with our hands because a whisk or spatula couldn’t mix it.

We filled up two trays with all of our dough and decided to put both trays in the oven at the same time, to save time baking them. The only thing we had to change was to bake them for 2-3 extra minutes.

The rest of the instructions were fairly easy and these cookies were definitely worth the effort we put into them. It was also a really fun experience making these, especially if you love baking. Our rating: 8/10

Overall

Overall, these cookies were so delicious and fairly easy to make for a high-quality cookie recipe. These cookies were very good and absolutely worth all of the effort we put into them. It was a fun experience. We rate this recipe a 9/10 and you should absolutely try it.

Here is the link to the recipe: https://handletheheat.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Recipe

Ingredients

  • ▢ 2 1/2 cups (318 grams) bleached all-purpose flour, measured correctly
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ▢ 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
  • ▢ 3/4 cup (202 grams) creamy peanut butter
  • ▢ 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • ▢ 1 cup (200 grams) packed dark brown sugar
  • ▢ 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ▢ 2 cups (340 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  1. In a large heat-safe bowl, microwave the butter until melted. Vigorously stir the peanut butter into the hot butter until well combined. Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  1. Dough may be loose and slightly crumbly. It will not appear like normal chocolate chip cookie dough. If it’s unbearably crumbly, that’s likely due to discrepancies among brands of peanut butter and if you used unbleached flour. Add 2 tablespoons milk if that’s the case.
  1. OPTIONAL: If time permits, cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop.
  1. Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a large spring-loaded cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough slightly into disc shapes with your palms. Dot each disc with a few extra chocolate chips for picture-perfect cookies.
  1. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
  1. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

NOTE: to brown butter, cook it in a pan on medium heat until it turns golden brown. This should be 5-7 minutes after it melts.

Travel/Food

Holiday things to do in New York City

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By: Sophia Elmstrom & Lily Sheldon

The month of December is such a magical time to be in New York City. There are endless activities to do or see in the Big Apple. Coming to the city can be a great way to celebrate the holiday season. Here are 7 things you can do this Christmas in NYC.

1. Book tickets to see The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. The Rockettes are a classic wintertime spectacular to see when visiting New York City; many families make it a tradition to see them every year. It is such a cool experience and it can ignite your holiday cheer!

2. Visit the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The Rockefeller tree is a classic destination for holiday lovers in NYC during December. The amazing 74 foot tall tree is decorated in over 50,000 lights for the holiday season and is a perfect place to go for photos with the family or by yourself.

3. Going to F.A.O. Schwartz. F.A.O. Schwarz is a toy store that is filled with holiday spirit this time of year. This store is well known in the movie ‘Home Alone’ 2, and inside it is decorated beautifully for Christmas. It has 2 floors but it was crowded making it seem smaller than in the movies. It is a great place to visit, but you have to be willing to wait in the long line to get inside. This long line can be worth it because when you turn the corner the Rockefeller tree is there and it is the closest you can get to it, so it is a perfect place to take a few pictures without crowds!

4. Visiting the Plaza Hotel. The Plaza Hotel is a beautiful hotel decorated elegantly for Christmas. Although the hotel itself is not open for visitors, and only guests, you can go around the corner to the shops at the plaza and look at the beautiful Christmas decorations while shopping.

5. Going to see the lights in Dyker Heights. Seeing a Christmas light display is not what you would expect to see when going to NYC but if you take the subway to Dyker Heights, just 39 minutes away from Manhattan, there is a neighborhood with many houses decked out for Christmas with many food trucks and lots of hot chocolate!

6. If you are walking near Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree, stop by Bryant Park to visit their annual Christmas market. You can do lots of holiday shopping and there are local crafts and other gifts at the shops as well. The Winter Village is also a big hit with its food and drink. It is more on the pricey side, but there are lots of fun holiday snacks and drinks available at different vendors and cafés. The Bryant Park Winter Village is a great place to grab a bite to eat, visit some shops, and experience the winter wonderland!

7. Another fun activity you can do downtown is ice skating at the Rockefeller Plaza. This seasonal rink is iconic in New York as you are skating right under the Rockefeller Christmas tree. This is definitely something that you want to check off on your list if you are traveling to the city. The rink is open all day and is a super fun way to experience the city’s holiday spirit with family and friends.

Overall, visiting New York City during the Christmas season is a great way to make the most of the holidays. There are so many attractions to see, shows to watch, and activities to do. There is really no other place that has this charm like New York City does during Christmas time. With all of the twinkling lights and decorations, the city is bursting with holiday cheer that is sure to be an unforgettable experience.

Travel/Food

Five underrated state parks in Minnesota

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By: Kumari Mia Wijetunge

Banning State Park, Minnesota – Winter Hiking Trail by: Tony Webster courtesy of Wikimedia commons

Minnesota offers all kinds of natural beauty, and many of its state parks are often very popular destinations, but there are many lesser known parks that are equally just as beautiful and an even more peaceful experience since they tend to be less populated. Here are five underrated state parks that you should visit.

Banning State Park

Located along the Kettle River, Banning offers hiking trails, scenic views, and fishing or canoeing opportunities. It’s known for its many photo-worthy rapids, and remnants of an old sandstone quarry, and it’s especially photogenic during the winter seasons.

Frontenac State Park

Situated on the Mississippi River bluffs, Frontenac offers beautiful views of the river, bird watching opportunities, and quiet hiking trails. Frontenac is a great park for people who want to explore the bluffs and frosted hills without the crowds.

Tettegouche State Park

This park is a little bit more well known but is still less crowded than some other parks nearby like Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock. It offers cliffs, waterfalls, and access to Lake Superior, along with hiking trails.

Judge C. R. Magnet State Park

This park is often overlooked because of its relatively remote location near Grand Marais. It features a waterfall known as Devil’s Kettle where water will disappear into a hole, a unique natural phenomenon that draws visitors seeking natural wonders away from the crowds.

Sibley State Park

Near central Minnesota, Sibley State Park is known for its hills, peaceful lakes, scenic views, and the highest point in the park, Mount Tom. It’s less visited than nearby parks like the Glacial Lakes and Monson Lake State Park , making it an ideal place to visit alone or with the whole family.

Travel/Food

THE BEST CHRISTMAS DESSERTS TO EAT

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By: Grace Lopez

1. Gingerbread cookies

Photo by Damir on Pexels.com

These cookies have a really good cinnamon, strong and sweet flavor. This is such a good snack to have every Christmas and whenever you want. This type of cookie is also really popular to make and use to make gingerbread houses and decorate them with frosting and small candies.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-gingerbread-cookies/

2. Brownies

Brownies are an awesome chocolate, gooey snack. A lot of people really like to snack on them daily. Brownies are also a really popular snack for any occasion. A lot of people also like to put different toppings on the brownie like sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, frosting, etc.

https://www.loveandlemons.com/brownies-recipe/

3. Sugar cookies

Sugar cookies are one of my favorite cookies to have on Christmas. They are really good and amazing to eat and a lot of people also like them with frosting. Sugar cookies are also really popular for Christmas and the holiday seasons.

https://sugarspunrun.com/easy-sugar-cookie-recipe/

4. Pecan pie cheesecake

Pecan pie cheesecake is also an absolute favorite to have on Christmas. A lot of people really like the sweetness of the cheesecake combined with the taste of the pecans and it is really good to eat.

https://www.thekitchn.com/pecan-pie-cheesecake-22956001

5. Peanut butter snowballs

This dessert is perfect if you really like a peanut butter and chocolate combined flavor. This is a really popular dessert for the peanut butter lovers. This snack tastes really good with any type of chocolate dipped in it. I personally like it with white chocolate but you can choose any type of chocolate.

https://lilluna.com/peanut-butter-snowballs/

Advice/How To, Travel/Food

Benefits of eating your fruits

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By: Samson Belihu

Let’s talk about common fruits you’ve hopefully eaten before, but perhaps don’t know the benefits of.

First, you should eat your apples because they are rich in fiber, which can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and improve the heart’s health. As they say, “An apple a day keeps the doctors” away.

A banana is high in potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. Due to its carbohydrate content it also provides quick energy making them great for pre- or post-workout snacks. It contains dietary fiber, which helps in digestion, and it is said to contain tryptophan, which may help improve mood and reduce anxiety.

Oranges are rich in vitamin C, fibers and antioxidants like flavonoids. Vitamin C helps boost the immune system, which helps fight viruses. Antioxidants help fight free radicals, and reduce skin damage, so if you’re trying to find a natural remedy to heal your skin it is suggested that using oranges can help with the healing.

Now, pineapples are also rich in vitamin C just like orange, but it also has manganese, and bromelain. Manganese helps the body form connective tissue, bones, and blood clotting while bromelain may reduce swelling, bruising, healing time, and pain after surgery and physical injuries.

Watermelon, which is high in vitamin A and C, and contains citrulline, is also a good fruit to eat. Fun fact: The name citrulline comes from Citrullus vulgaris, the Latin term for watermelon. Watermelon is composed of 92% water, making it excellent for hydration.

In the end, you should at least try to incorporate some of these fruits into your diet, as they have numerous health benefits to offer. Personally, I try to eat some apples, bananas, and oranges at least 4 times a week, and I think you should too.

For more information, please visit:

I think you should check them out and see what they have to offer.

Getting To Know/History, Travel/Food

Why 43 is the largest natural number that is not an original McNugget Number

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By: Ian Larson

Did you know that 43 is the largest natural number that is not an original McNugget number?

McNugget numbers are based on the idea of Frobenius numbers AKA coin problems which were made by Ferdinand Georg Frobenius. These coin problems were to see what the maximum number of values that you can’t make with 2 values is, as if they are the values of coins. For example, if you had a coin worth 3 and a coin worth 5, you could make any number above 7.

McNugget numbers were introduced by Henri Picciotto in ‘Games Magazine’ in 1987. A McNugget number is any number of McNuggets you can order, and originally the McNuggets came in boxes of 6, 9, and 20. This meant that the largest number of McNuggets that you were
not able to get was 43 McNuggets. You can prove this by the fact that you are able to get 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49 McNuggets, and if you add boxes of 6 to any of these you are able to get any number greater than 43.

In modern day, you are actually able to get 43 McNuggets. In most locations in Europe and Asia, a box of 4 McNuggets was added to the menu. This made it so you were able to order 43 McNuggets. I was personally able to order 43 McNuggets, as is shown in the image for this article. With this 4 piece box, you are actually able to order any amount of McNuggets that is greater than 11. In fact if you are able to get McNuggets from one of these locations and Japan, which has their McNuggets in boxes of 5 and 15, you are able to order any amount greater than 7. It is likely that nobody has ever ordered 11 McNuggets because you have to order McNuggets from multiple countries.

McNugget numbers are a very interesting and weird math concept. I hope McNugget numbers were as interesting to you as they were to me.