A good dessert

Well, for family home evening last night, it was my turn to come up with the treat. I decided that I wanted to do something a little different than the usual norm. College students tend to buy a bag of cookies or a carton of ice cream if they have treats for FHE. I guess I should say guy college students tend to do that. The girls usually go all out and cook something that's absolutely amazing. Well, I kind of wanted to go for the amazing type of treat. I don't know if it was or not, but I think it was alright. I made a dessert that is called "dump cake". I know, it sounds really funny and not that good at all, but you'll have to trust me on this. Another name for this dessert is "upside down cake". I'm sure you'd recognize it better like that, than the name. It's simple to make and very good. All you have to do is mix a can of cherries and pineapples together and put it in the pan. The next thing you do is pour white cake mix on top of the cherries and pineapples. Just take it out of the bag and pour it on top. After that, you melt a stick of butter and pour it on top of the cake mix. The last step to making the famous "dump cake" is putting chopped up pecans on top of it all. You can always leave out the nuts if you don't like them. So, that's how you make it. You put it in the oven(350 degrees F) for 30-45 minutes and afterwards have an amazing dessert for any type of activity.

Baloo

Well, for this blog I have to write about a character that best describes me. It took some time to think of one, but I think I found someone that best describes who I am. The character is Baloo off of The Jungle Book. I chose him because he his funny, laid back, and care free. He doesn't worry to much about his problems, but does confront them when necessary. He also likes to dance and sing. Now, I like to do both of those things even though I'm not good at either of them. Baloo is also sociable and very outgoing. I'd like to think that I have these qualities, and that's the reason that I chose Baloo as the animated character that best describes who I am.

One of the best days for a college student!

Well, I just got back from an awesome Easter dinner. Luckily, I have my grandparents that live close, so I got to spend the holiday with them and other family members. My parents were not able to make it because they live so far away, but I did get to be with my cousins, aunt, uncle, and grandparents. It was really good to finally get together and enjoy the company of one another. Another plus, of course, was the food. Wow!! It was amazing. We had ham, potatoes, rolls, dessert, and other neat goodies. It was probably one of the best meals that I've had this semester. I'm sure my stomach was in shock from all the nutrients it was receiving. What an amazing day!

Weird Combinations

So, lately if been having some weird combinations with my meals. I'm not really sure why I've been doing it, but it's been happening a lot lately. For instance, a couple of days ago, I ate a peanut butter jelly sandwich with chicken nuggets on the side covered in salsa. Now, if you don't think that's a weird combination, then I don't know what is. It was good and everything, but it's still the thought. Another example is macaroni and cheese with peas. I don't know if you guys have had any other weird combinations, but I like to hear from you if so.

Giving Plasma

Now, I know that giving plasma doesn't have anything to do with food, but I'm going to make it work. Last Thursday, I decided to give plasma. I had always wanted to, but could never find the time or desire to go. Well, my roommate finally convinced me to go with him. I went, and I actually enjoyed it. I gave plasma pretty quick, and, of course, the best thing about it was the money I got. Something pretty interesting about the whole experience though was when I ate the crackers and juice. Now, you really wouldn't think juice and crackers could make a big difference. But, I'm here to tell you that it does. Just as I had finished giving plasma, I stood up real quick and got pretty dizzy. I laid back down on the bed and asked if they could get me some crackers and juice. In a matter of minutes I was back to normal. Pretty crazy, but true. I'm not really sure why it works like that, but it does.

A Good Weekend!

Well, as you all know, I went to Ogden last week. It was amazing being back and getting to visit everyone. I went up with my trainer from the mission. He visited some people he knew while I was visiting the people I know. My first stop was Layton. I went to a baptism and got to give a talk about the Holy Ghost. It was a good baptism and something I'll never forget. The family (Benitez family) had a dinner after the baptism to help celebrate. They're from Argentina and, of course, had empanadas. After the baptism, I went to Ogden and got to visit some other converts. They're from Uruguay, and they also had a plate of empanadas waiting for me. Argentina and Uruguay have similar traditions and also share traditional foods. They both make empanadas, but they make them in their own special way. After some more visits in Ogden, we made our way up to Logan. I think we got there at about 11:30 p.m.. When we arrived, the Valasquez family was waiting for us and also waiting to give us food. They asked us if we were ready to eat dinner. Of course we said yes even though we were kind of confused about why we were going to eat that late. It was worth it though. We had milanesa, rice, and beans. It was so good!! Needless to say, we ate way too much over the weekend. It felt like Thanksgiving.

Hispanic Favorites

Well, I'm really getting excited for this weekend. For all of those who don't know this, I served my mission in the Ogden Utah Mission (spanish speaking). I know, it's pretty crazy. Not to mention funny. But, the real reason I'm excited for this weekend is that I have the chance to go visit some of my old converts and some good members that I know. Now, visiting them isn't the only thing I'm going to be doing. I get to eat some really good hispanic food! Not the fake stuff that you can get at taco bell, but I'm talking about a home cooked meal. A meal cooked with some love! I'll be with people from all over the world(Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, El Salvador), so I'll be able to eat a different plate of food from every family I visit. I'll tell you how it went in my next blog:)

Comfort Foods

I've been thinking a lot about comfort foods lately, and I've realized that it really isn't good for our health or body. Today, for the first time in a long time, I ran and lifted weights. After getting home from a really good workout, I decided that some pasta would be the energy I needed to get through the rest of the day. Not only did it give me energy, but it was actually really healthy. The only problem was that after I ate my spaghetti, my body had the urge to eat my favorite comfort food. Now, I have lots of comfort foods, but my favorite are chips (especially Pringles). So, without much resistance, I ate about a half a can of Pringles. Not only did I eat Pringles, but I also decided to have some chocolate chip ice cream as well. After realizing what I had just done, I figured that all the calories I lost through working out were more than made up for after eating those comfort foods. So, I guess the moral of the lesson is to eat healthy and stay away from comfort foods.

Comfort Foods

Our Prophet

I thought that this week I'd just say a couple of things about President Hinckley. He's definitely been my favorite prophet since I've been alive. Basically, he's been the only prophet. I guess I just want to let you all know that I'm grateful for everything he did. He was the prophet that I grew up with and a man that just radiated the spirit. He was amazing, and I think everyone of us can learn from him. He truly showed us how to love and serve. I actually have a quote that pretty much explains how great he was and how special we are to be here in these last days.

You were generals in the War in Heaven and one day when you are in the spirit world, you will be enthralled by those you are associated with. You will ask someone in which time period they lived and you might hear, "I was with Moses when he parted the Red Sea ," or "I helped build the pyramids," or "I fought with Captain Moroni." And as you are standing there in amazement, someone will turn to you and ask you which of the prophets' time did you live in? And when you say "Gordon B. Hinckley " a hush will fall over every hall and corridor in Heaven, and all in attendance will bow at your presence. You were held back six thousand years because you were the most talented, most obedient, most courageous, and most righteous.

Elder Boyd K. Packer

Messy Foods

I just got finishing chapter 2 in Rappoport's book, and I had an interesting thought. In the beginning of the chapter he talks about how young women never eat spaghetti on dates. I've always wondered about that and still can't find the answer. I know that Rappoport talks about why they don't, but it still doesn't convince me. I actually find it annoying that girls only get salad when they go on dates. I really don't see the point in that. I think girls should be themselves and not worry about looking attractive while they're eating. I'm not the only one that thinks like this though. I would say that most guys would prefer a woman to eat whatever they want rather than a salad. I'd like to hear your input about it though.

Duck

Well, I'm here again. A couple of days ago in class, we were reading about a big article that has to do with ducks. Actually, it has to do with the liver of a duck. In the article, it talks about how people are protesting and trying to make it were the chefs can't serve liver anymore. They're trying to ban it off of all menu's. I think it's pretty ridiculous. People should have the right to serve what ever part of the animal they want. I know the protesters talk about the living conditions of the ducks and everything like that, but who really cares. Have they seen the living conditions of pigs. They live in their own crap.

Hepe 129

I'm sure by the title you know what I'm talking about. I'm taking Hepe 129 this semester, and I'm actually really enjoying it. Sometimes the lectures are pretty boring, but for the most part it's pretty interesting. One thing that I've definitely realized though, is that I'm out of shape. So, lately I've been thinking of things that I can do to get back in shape. I thought about running, but running isn't really something that I'm good at or like. So, I've came up with an alternative. Playing racketball. It's something that gets your heart beat up and actually makes you work hard. So, I guess my New Year's resolution (it's kind of late) is to start playing racketball again 4 days a week.

About Me!!

Hi everybody! My name is Ryan. I'm from the good old state of Oklahoma. I'm sure you'll probably ask me if I've seen the movie or know the famous song. But to be honest with you, I haven't seen the movie and I don't know the song. Sorry. My favorite restaurant is Chile's. I usually get the same thing every time. It's chicken fried-steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, garlic bread, and I change the side of corn on the cob to green beans. You got a love it! I'm a huge college football fan. I love the Sooners, but I also love BYU.