Festive, Fall, Affordable

At the pumpkin patch.

I'd like to think that I can cook - or at least build up my cooking skills enough to be half-way decent - but having a busy college student schedule means that I don't have the time (or the money) to do a lot of it.  This fall, however, has got me in the mood to cook up some of my fall favorites.  Per usual, when I'm in need of a new recipe, I check out marthastewart.com (don't judge).  These are two of my favorite recipes so far. I've changed the ingredients and directions slightly to make them more college-student friendly.

30-Minute Chili

I made this chili at the beginning of fall break for my boyfriend, sister and roommate.  Paired with some corn bread (literally $.49 at Price Copper) and honey, this chili brought me back to when I was little and my mom would make us homemade chili and cornbread during the colder months.  This chili in particular has a lot of hamburger in it per portion, making it thick and delicious and not too soupy.

Ingredients:

Marthastewart.com

Serves 8

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

3 small onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped (you can never have too much garlic)

Salt and pepper

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 lb ground beef chuck

3 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans (14.5 oz each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional, but not really)

Directions:

1. In a large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add chili powder and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until mixture has begun to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes with their juice and beans. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook over medium heat until chili has thickened slightly and beans are tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Then, of course, on to dessert.

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Squares

I made these last year for a mini-Thanksgiving dinner I had with some friends before Thanksgiving break.  These were a major hit and I'm really excited to make them again this season!

Ingredients:

Makes 24

Marthastewart.com

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 Tablespoon pumpkin-spice (or substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each allspice and cloves - all ground)

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (found this for $.64 at Aldi)

1 package (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. 
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. 
4. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.
   

And there you have it.  Two perfect fall foods to top off my favorite season of them all.

No Matter the Letter, We're All Greek Together.

Many of the best experiences I've had a Rockhurst have been a result of  being involved in Greek Life on campus.  I can go on and on about Greek Life for hours; about how beneficial our organizations are to the community, about sisterhood and friendship, leadership and love.  But I won't today.  Instead I'll tell you about two Greek-related activities that happened this past week.

On Saturday a group of girls from my sorority car-pooled out to Liberty, Mo. to go to the pumpkin patch!  Being from Omaha, I am very spoiled when it comes to pumpkin patches - Vala's Pumpkin Patch is probably the best pumpkin patch in the world - but Carolyn's Country Cousins is very cute and fun in its own sense.  They have fudge and cider slushees and pumpkin donuts that are to die for.  Oh yeah, and it has the same name as me.

We all had a really great time going on the hay ride and picking out pumpkins.  Then we walked around and took pictures and watched Uncle Lester's pig races.  While were were there, however, there were two separate instances where strangers approached our group and asked about people they know who are ASAs at other schools.  That just goes to show how being in Greek Life connects you with a wide variety of people you wouldn't have been connected to otherwise.

Then last night Panhellenic Council hosted a kickball tournament in which all the sororities and freshmen were invited to attend.  I learned two things from that event: 1.) I need to start working out, because I'm feeling sore this morning from playing kickball for less than an hour, and 2.) if all my friends from different sororities are on one team, we are going to lose.  That's okay, though, because we got really into it and had a great time.

Taking a Drive Along I-71

Wow - funny how you think you'll have so much time over fall break to get things done, but you never do!  I'm definitely feeling the crunch time now with two big tests this week.  I'm wishing now I'd cracked open a book during break.

The good news is that I was able to go home to Omaha for a part of fall break.  This has become more and more of a rarity for me because of my work busy schedule in Kansas City, but I was able to take the weekend off to visit my family.  I always love going home for a short visit because I get the perfect amount of time to catch up with my four siblings and my parents before I start to miss Rockhurst and my friends at school too much.

When I went home this past weekend, my sister, Andrea, and I spent a whirl-wind day hitting up every major shopping mall in Omaha.  I was able to get some really great finds and take advantage of the sales.  Andrea and I met up with our dad for lunch, which was nice, and I was able to catch up with an old friend from high school.

One of the things I really had to get used to when first coming to Rockhurst was enduring the three hour drive between Omaha and Kansas City.  The first year or so the drive seemed to take forever (and I don't have it nearly as bad as some other people), but over time I've developed a love/hate relationship with I-71.  I hate having to sit around for three hours, but I love the feeling I get when I glimpse the Omaha or the KC skylines at the end of the trip.  I hate the heavy road construction, but I love being able to drive with my music turned up loud.  Most of all, I love that I-71 connects my two favorite places on earth.

Kansas City skyline

Omaha skyline