The first idea was to laser cut my information into styrene, but as you can see from the bubbling and burning that did not go so well.

Okay so then it was on to paper. But my first idea of cutting into some bright green or pink paper, and printing the back, still had issues with burning.

So finally, with the right combination of black paper and layering with colored paper, the final product was born!

I’ve been extremely happy with these, and they’ve accomplished exactly what I wanted them to: they’re a superb conversation starter with anyone, in particular, a potential future employer. With the sheer number of applicants for all jobs these days, having someone look at your card just a few seconds longer than someone else’s and having them ask you questions about it can be instrumental in standing out.

Like what you see? Talk to me at rleepatrick@gmail.com if you’re (a) full of questions (b) interested in having some version of these or a different design altogether constructed for you.

Toodles,

Rebecca

(2) They have regular “Student Spotlights,” and

(3) This recent student spotlight of Andrew Kim from Detriot has made me incredibly envious. But after perusing his blog a bit, I’m also inspired because he’s only 18 and has done some really incredible work.

Below is a proposal for new and more efficient Coca Cola packaging.

+

(1) iMac

This baby is incredible. I chose to upgrade to the 3.33 GHz and 8 GB memory and…wow. On my MacBook, I could only have one Adobe CS4 program open with no other applications open at the same time. Yesterday, I had Flash, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, iTunes, Google Chrome, and Word, and everything was just as smooth.

(2) Lynda.com

I love this website. They have tutorials on almost every software one could imagine, and have everything I need to learn Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks, and sharpen my skills in Photoshop, inDesign, and Illustrator. They have a basic subscription for around $25/month, which I think is just fine, but if you’d like to have all the exercise files they use in the tutorials there is an upgrade for that.

Needless to say, with all these new toys I’m having a tough time keeping my concentration on my Europe in the Era of WW2 class term paper (on French memory of the Occupation).

Toodles,

Reb

Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars

adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups plain granola
• 1 cup rice cereal (Rice Krispies, etc.)
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup peanut butter chips

Process

1. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar after butter starts to melt.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Add the granola and rice cereal into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.

4. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate and peanut butter chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down.

5. Put the pan in the refrigerator until cooled and firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into bars.

18 servings

S’mores Chewy Granola Bars

adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups plain granola
• 1 cup rice cereal (Rice Krispies, etc.)
• 2 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs (optional)
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Process

1. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar after butter starts to melt.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Add the granola, rice cereal and graham cracker crumbs into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated. Very gently fold in the marshmallows.

4. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down.

5. Put the pan in the refrigerator until cooled and firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into bars.

18 servings

Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars

adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups plain granola
• 1 cup rice cereal (Rice Krispies, etc.)
• 1/2 cup raisins

Process

1. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon after the butter starts to melt.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Add the granola, rice cereal and raisins into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.

4. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill.

5. Put the pan in the refrigerator until cooled and firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into bars.

18 servings

Strawberry Millefeuille*

Ingredients

1 Sheet Puff Pastry (1/2 package), thawed according to package instructions and unfolded
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 ½ Cups Thinly Sliced Strawberries
Juice of ½ Lemon
1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Heavy Cream
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

On a lightly floured board, roll out the pastry sheet to ¼ inch thickness. Cut in half lengthwise. Transfer the 2 rectangles to a rimmed baking sheet. Prick them evenly all over with a fork and brush with the beaten egg. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Set aside.

In another bowl, using a whisk, whip the cream until soft peaks form.

Using a serrated knife, slice 1 rectangle horizontally to create 2 layers. Use the uncut rectangle as the base. Top with half of the whipped cream and 1/3 of the strawberries. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to create 2 more layers, finishing with just strawberries. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving

Serves 6

*Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking for Friends by Alison Attenborough and Jamie Kimm

Ingredients (makes 9 bars)

crust

butter to grease the pan
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9 graham crackers
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

filling

16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

make the crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8 inch baking pan. Cut two pieces of parchment paper in rectangles long enough to extend up the sides of the pan (so later you can use them as tabs to pull out the finished cheesecake bars). Place the parchment paper in the buttered pan cross-wise and press it into the corners.

In a plastic bag, crush up the graham crackers in to dime size pieces or smaller crumbs. In a bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and graham crackers. Add the melted butter and mix until the butter is incorporated. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and evenly press it into the bottom of the pan and about a 1/4 inch on the sides. Use a glass or another smooth surface to disperse the graham cracker mixture. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Cool crust.

make the filling

Before you begin, ensure the cream cheese is at room temperature. This will make your bars more creamy. In a bowl with an electric mixer, add the cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar. Mix until the ingredients are creamy and the cream cheese is fully incorporated. Pour into the pan with the cooled crust. Then evenly distribute the blueberries.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cheesecake comes out mostly clean. Only allow the top to get a hint of brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Remove the cheesecake from the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into 9 bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Poppy Seed Cake with Blueberry Glaze

(10 inch cake)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 large egg

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

Blueberry Glaze

1/4 cup frozen blueberries, thawed but not drained

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons buttermilk (or regular milk is fine too)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place a rack in the center of the oven.  Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  In another medium bowl, whisk together canola oil, buttermilk, egg, vinegar, and vanilla extract.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once.  Whisk together until just combined and no lumps remain.  Stir in the poppy seeds.  Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cook in the pan for 20 minutes.  Carefully run a butter knife along the edges of the cake to assure that it is well loosed before inverting the cake onto a wire rack to cool.

To make the blueberry glaze:

Mash the thawed blueberries in a medium sized bowl releasing lots of dark blue juice.  Remove most of the blueberry skins from the juice and discard.  Add the vanilla extract, buttermilk and lemon.  Add the powdered sugar and whisk to combine.  If the mixture is too thick, add more milk to reach the desired consistency.  If the mixture is too thin, add just a bit more powdered sugar.

Drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled bundt cake and allow to set for 20 minutes before serving.

The Green River runs through Desolation Canyon in Utah, and to be able to run it in the past you had to be on a waiting list. Some years back, though, they changed it to a lottery or first come first serve type system. When Kyle was in high school, his grandfather got a spot, and about seven years later his father has a spot. And I’m invited!

Five days with the Perry family floating on the river, in the river, camping in this:

Yes! Only three months and six days to go!

Super Citrus Smoothie

(adapted from Sunset Magazine)

Here’s what you’ll need for one big smoothie:

A juicer

A blender

2 Tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

the juice of 1/2 a grapefruit (save the other half for tomorrow’s smoothie?)

1/2 cup fresh orange or tangerine juice

2 tablespoons honey

heaping 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 frozen banana (they blend better when frozen)

1/2 cup ice cubes

In a blender, combine juices, yogurt, and honey.  Blend for a few seconds.  Add the ice cubes and blend until smooth.  This recipe makes one giant smoothie.