Amy N. Worthington

What a great time of year to use those seasonal M&M’s to make some delicious baked treats. I guarantee you wont regret using this recipe – it’s quite possibly the most wonderful M&M cookies recipe.

Recipe:

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Squares of Butter/Margarine
• 2 Eggs
• 3 Cups Sifted Flour
• 1 tsp Soda
• 3/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 bag M&M’s

1. Combine brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, and butter in a bowl. Mix well.
2. Add eggs, mix well.
3. Add all dry ingredients and stir well.
4. Add in M&M’s
5. Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes
6. Enjoy!

Just as a side note, I usually double my batch to get the desired amount of cookies. You may want to try different kinds of M&M’s – mint, plain, dark chocolate, etc. Use what suits your fancy. If you’re not in the mood for M&M’s chocolate chips also work well in this recipe.

What to do with your free time is a constant question for many college and university students. Often times when I talk to friends about their respective schooling experiences sometime during the conversation they say something similar to “There’s not much to do in..insert city name” Every time I hear an exclamation like this I find my self wondering if these people are just not aware of what’s available around them.

Every city I’ve ever been to is immersed in a culture and opportunities unique to the area. I’ve found that the college arena holds many opportunities for to partake of sports, activities, service, movies, plays, concerts, etc. Since my first semester at BYU-Idaho I’ve been continually amazed at the opportunities to be involved as well as the wide variety of entertainment and activities available.

Not only do we have wonderful concerts, stage plays and musicals but we also have a bi-weekly classic movie night, monthly foreign film night, as well as various Center Stage performances where the school brings in a wide variety of performers and entertainers, dance concerts, etc.

To anyone who says that there’s nothing to do where they’re currently stationed – to you I say to you, look around you buy a $3 ticket and go enjoy some culture!

Don’t feel like you have loads of money to go out and purchase a Christmas Tree this season? Especially for college students who more than likely wont be around for the actual Holiday itself there’s a great way to celebrate the season without all the expense.

Make your tree.

All it takes to make an awesome tannenbaum this holiday season is a couple yards of butcher paper, a few sheets of construction paper, yarn, staples and tape. We constructed this beauty last Saturday night.

We traced a spoon and created the lights and kind of eyeballed the shape of the rest of it. It may not smell like a real tree – but for someone on a budget it definitely works.

We’ve even taken frugality to the next level by making our ornaments out of recycled things. Some of our ornaments are old yogurt lids, soup can lids, wrappers cut to look like ornaments or scraps of paper shaped to look like ornaments. There’s also a napkin cut into a snowflake  as well as junk mail cut into ornaments. Be creative and make it your own. Make it a tree to remember!

For anyone who has ever attended a Univeristy you will know what I mean when you say December can just stink sometimes. Not only is it the time that you’ve been dreading all semester with Finals approaching. But, it’s also the time where you’ve recently spent lots of great time with family for Thanksgiving and you want nothing more than to be home for the holiday season to celebrate Christmas.

For some reason Christmas Lights and decorations seem to make being away from home and working hard at school more bearable. I’ve recently made it a point to drive up and down Main Street here in Rexburg at least 2 or 3 times a week to enjoy the small but festive display of lights.

So, for all you students struggling through finals – my recommendation for you would be to go out and find a local display of Christmas joy and find a way to bring a little more joy into your day.

Remember when you were young and your mom would have a pile of deliciously soft Rice Krispie Treats waiting for you when you got home from school? On a college budget there really is no better treat that the sweet treat of your childhood. There are many ways to switch it up, whether it be the type of cereal you use (cocoa kripies, frity pebbles, golden grahams) or add ins you put in with the marshmallows (chocolate chips, m&m’s) there’s no denying that Rice Kripie Treats can make anyone’s ordinary day into an extraordinary day.

A great place to find some recipes is on the Rice Krispies website. They have fun ideas to make your treats seasonal (turkeys for thanksgiving, pumpkins for halloween) as well as a couple variations on their classic recipe. I’m going to share the classic recipe.

Recipe:

• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Package (10 oz) Regular Marshmallows or 4 Cups of Mini-Marshmallows
• 6 Cups Rice Krispies

1. In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add cereal and stir until well coated.
3. With a spatula spread evenly into a 9×13 pan
4. Let cool. Cut, and Enjoy!

For those of you who love the small town feel and a classic diner experience I highly recommend The Frost Top in Ashton Idaho. This small town drive in has been around since 1965 and offers all those traveling a tasty stop. It’s a great place to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner on your way to Island Park, Yellowstone, Driggs or even just for a quick get away from the college scene in Rexburg.

It’s not only a great date destination, but The Frost Top also has a wide variety of sandwiches, milkshakes, chicken strips and not to mention the most delicious fries around. It’s family friendly complete with high chairs, games for kids to play while they wait and not too mention an awesome bar stool counter area to eat as well.

For all you BYU-Idaho Students looking for a great place to eat and a scenic drive of 30 minutes head north on Highway 20 and once you get into Ashton take a left at the giant rootbeer mug. I promise you wont regret it!

Frost Top Counter

Frost Top Bacon Cheeseburger

Frosty Drink at the Frost Top

The Frost Top

This is quite possibly THE best recipe for pumpkin chocolate chips! They’re moist, simple to mix up and they have a little zing that you wouldn’t expect (orange zest). This recipe originated from a good friend of mine, his sister-in-law gave him the recipe and he passed it along. In sticking with tradition I’ve decided to pass the recipe along to all of you.

These cookies are perfect for sharing with others, especially at parties, gatherings or to take to other people. This recipe will make just shy of 3 dozen.

Recipe:

• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 Cup canned pumpking
• 1/2 Cup shortening
• 1 Tablespoon grated orange peel (orange zest)
• 2 Cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 Cup raisins (if desired)

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.
2. Cook at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

To go along with that wonderful pie crust recipe that I posted earlier, I thought I would include an easy and delicious recipe for quick, fresh, and delicious apple pie filling. This is a great recipe to use when you have fresh apples from a tree, but apples from the store will do as well.

Recipe:

• 6 cups apples sliced (peel if you desire)
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon butter (for top of pie)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (for top of pie)
• Pie crust

1. Combine apples, sugar, flour, spices and salt. Toss until well mixed.
2. Put filling in pie crust, sprinkle with lemon juice.
3. Dot top of filling with 2 Tablespoons of butter
4. Cover with top crust, press edges together.
5. Cut slits in top crust to allow pie to steam.
6. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Turn oven to 350 and bake for another 25 minutes or until nicely browned and apples cooked.
8. Cool. Eat and Enjoy!

This recipe will meet all your pie crust making needs. Whether it’s fresh apple, cherry, or a pot pie, this crust will be the perfect (and easy) solution! It takes about 5 minutes to mix up and is incredibly versatile. Mix it up, add some filling and love it!

Recipe:

• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Shortening
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Milk

1. Cream 1 Cup of flour with shortening in a bowl
2. Add rest flour and dry ingredients. Stir well.
3. Add milk. Stir well.
4. Roll out, use a bit of flour if the dough is too sticky

Now is the perfect time of year to use fresh apples for all sorts of recipes. Lately I’ve been given fresh apples from co-workers, roommates and neighbors. I’ve had delicious apples all over the place so we decided to try some new apple recipes. Out of all the favorites this one could possibly be my most favorite. Give it a shot, it’s incredibly easy and out of this world delicious!

This recipe originally came from the Costco magazine, for those of you who have had their apple, caramel muffins – this is very similar.

Recipe:

CAKE

• 1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Oil
• 3 Eggs
• 3 Cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 5 apples, cored peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I didn’t peel them, and it worked great)
• 1 Cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

CARAMEL GLAZE

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×13 cake pan.
2. To prepare the cake, beat both sugars and oil in a mixing bowl until very well blended.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, mixing just until blended.
5. Stir in apples, nuts, vanilla; pour into pan.
6. Bake for 50-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out lcean. Let cool in the pan while preparing the glaze. (Note: Mine cooked for around 55-60 minutes)
7. To prepare the glaze, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in both sugars and salt; cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.
8. Add cream and bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
9. Poke holes in the cake with a skewer or fork. (Holes should be somewhat small) Pour and spread the glaze.
10. Eat and Enjoy!