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Sunday, December 21, 2014

Recipe: $2 Vegan Chocolate Covered Pretzels!


The holidays can be the hardest time for college students to find presents or desserts they can afford on a budget especially if you're a vegan.  Thankfully I've found an easy way to make vegan chocolate pretzels that taste amazing for just $2 a dozen. Note, the chocolate I used in this recipe is made in a facility that uses milk and egg so traces could be in your chocolate. If you're an absolute stickler about that kind of stuff, you'll have to find different chocolate. If not, continue reading!!

These chocolate pretzels are so easy to make. You can even make them in a dorm room! All you really need is a microwave, some waxed paper, and a coffee mug. An easy cruelty-free holiday season never tasted so sweet!!




$2  Holiday Chocolate Covered Pretzels (VEGAN!)
Ingredients:
  • 1 bar of Sweet Obsession Dark Chocolate (4.9 oz) Available in the $1 aisle at Rite Aid
  • 1 bag of Benzel's Pretzels (8oz) Available in the $1 aisle at Rite Aid
    • Optional: Vegan Sprinkles or crushed candy canes. 




1) Break the chocolate bars into their squares and place them in a microwavable coffee mug.

2) Microwave the chocolate until smooth, stirring every minute to 30 seconds once it begins to melt. On my microwave it takes about 2 minutes to thoroughly melt the chocolate.

3) Tilt the coffee mug sideways in your hand and roll a pretzel rod in the chocolate, making sure to thoroughly cover it. Shake the excess chocolate off.

4) Place the chocolate-covered pretzel rods on a tray or cookie sheet lined with wax paper. If you're using sprinkles or crushed candy canes drizzle them on the chocolate pretzels now.

5) Wait for the pretzels to harden. I sped up the process by using a freezer. My freezer hardens the pretzels in about 10 minutes. :)

6) ENJOY, SHARE, & HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! 


If you make them, Instagram and Tweet a pic with the hashtag #ThatGothHippie so I can see it!! <3
Blessed be,
B!


Wednesday, December 3, 2014

"Our school education ignores, in a thousand ways, the rules of healthy development." -Elizabeth Blackwell


I could never fathom teachers that cared more about the rules than the educational development of their students. It seems to be pretty counter-productive to me. Maybe I feel this way because I have become an art student and we are a bit more relaxed; however there is nothing that bothers me more than a teacher that cares more about the money they're making than her students education.

I've been attending school for quite some time. I've had teachers that I've just adored. They cared more that you understood the curriculum they were teaching instead of having their students not understand any of it and (for lack of a better term) 'half assing' their way through the class. I've also had teachers that demanded you understood the curriculum right there, and then. If you didn't understand it by next class you were SOL. I do not feel this is right for a teacher to abide by in the slightest.

I am paying over two-thousand dollars a semester at the establishment you are currently employed at to understand the major I am planning on to better prepare for my future in the work force. I am not paying two-thousand dollars a semester for you not to take the time to help me with aspects of the projects I don't understand, or to have you not accept something because of a formatting error that was a complete misunderstanding.

Don't get me wrong, you're a fabulous teacher! In fact your lectures always have me fully involved throughout; however I can't help but feel you people skills lack a bit. I rather enjoy your jokes in class, and think you are incredibly skilled but any teacher that doesn't accept a project due to a minor formatting error and misunderstanding and then fails them for it without questioning them before it is beyond me. An assignment worth 30% of my grade at an establishment I am paying over two-thousand dollars to attend is not something I am going to take lightly. I would have a appreciated an email saying "Hey-your font size looks to large to me is it size 12?" instead of you failing my classmate and I over a misunderstanding of computer formats.

The default setting for Mac computers using Pages (the mac equivalent of Microsoft Word) is size 12pt Font Helvetica. To us, as mac users, this looks completely normal to us. We've never had any problems with you over this font before, you've never mentioned anything to us about it, and suddenly without any warning or questioning you failed one of us over a font size malfunction. 

Do you really believe, that for a second, either of us would sacrifice something worth 30% of our grade to receive a grade less than satisfactory? Never in a million years, and you know that. You know that.

Why is it then, that upon one of us receiving our paper back you didn't even bother to grade it because you claimed it didn't meet the criteria when we could bring the computer up to you and show you exactly where it said 12pt font. You did not specify the font you wanted your paper in. All you said was no script because it go hard to read after a while. Helvetica may be larger, but that was not either of our intentions in the slightest. It is simply that neither of us bothered to switch the font to anything besides the default setting because you didn't specify it.

How is it you, such an intelligent woman couldn't understand a simply mistake made by students that make the attempt in your class? The only class we've missed was because of a car accident we had on the way to your class. We don't skip your class willie-nillie, we do the work, we don't miss due-dates. How did we deserve this? Why is it you couldn't take a minute to be a compassionate human being and allow us to explain our formatting error instead of responding completely hostile to our humble questioning?

I am not a negative person. I strive extremely hard to remain positive even in the darkest of times but right now you have got me impeccably angered. I am terribly sorry that we had this misunderstanding but can't you understand that the educational value is far more important than the mistake you've made? This mistake was surly on your part for not setting a specific font you wanted. If you wanted Times New Roman and we turned our papers in with the Pages default of Helvetica I would understand. This was purely unintentional and your grading policy of not even bothering to read the essay because of the font is ridiculous. This could have been the most amazing essay you've ever read in your life and your bigotry mind wouldn't read it because of the font misunderstanding?

Are. You. Serious. Right. Now?

I hope you find it in your heart to re-evaluate your opinion on this matter and take a moment to look into the educational development of your students as opposed to the accidental misunderstanding. Until that day I'll have to say we're not going to get along too well.

Blessed be,
XØ.
B!
17 Days till Yule.