Winter Outfit Basics

Winter is typically a time where you can throw on some sweats and an oversize hoodie and call it good. But, if you feel like dressing up, it is sometimes hard because you cannot usually wear a skirt and tee shirt due to the climate. In this post, I am going to show you how to dress for winter while keeping warm.

For a feminine style, there are a few recommendations from Liliana Vazquez, the author of the previously mentioned book The Cheap Chica's Guide to Style, Vazquez mentions that a statement necklace and a cashmere sweater are a necessity during winter (Vazquez 134). Statement necklaces or earrings can be found for low prices at places such as Forever 21, Charlotte Russ, and Icing. A statement necklace/earring can elevate a look from basic to dinner chic with a simple piece of jewelry. Along with that, a cashmere sweater is a classic winter basic that is stylish while keeping you warm.

 In this picture, I styled my friend Emilee in black jeans, a black top and a statement over sized jean jacket for a winter photo shoot.

For the masculine style, the style can range from super high end to basic street style. Necessities for someone with more of a masculine style include dark blue slacks, a dark red button down collared shirt, and a quality down coat. Investing in a high quality down coat can save you money in the future. Think about it this way: would you rather buy a new $50 coat every year or invest in a $250 coat one winter and use it every winter for the next 10 years? investing in clothing that is essential is the smartest way to be a savvy shopper.

For both style types, I would recommend a black vest along with either a creme, navy or red quarter zip sweater. These two articles of clothing are staples in outfits when you have nothing to wear. They will also keep you warm during outside events or a nice dinner party.

I am wearing a creme cashmere sweater along with a black vest, ripped jeans and black boot heels for a holiday dinner party.

Winter colors typically include burgundy, dark navy blue, black and creme white. throughout the winter time, stores that sell apparel such as Target, Macy's  and Nordstroms advertise these colors, making them iconic colors that are fit to wear during the cold season.

This is an advertisement from Macy's winter collection, showing how the colors of winter can be influenced by marketers 

Overall, winter is a great time to express yourself in a new way and the only way to find your personal style is to experiment with new things and switching up the basics every once and a while.

If there is anything that sparked your interest, comment! What is your favorite winter go-to? When do you typically try new winter outfits?

Source: Vazquez, Lilliana. The Cheap Chica's Guide to Style: Secrets to Shopping Cheap and Looking Chic. Gotham Books, 2013.

Backpacking and Hiking: Training

Jason Stevenson, the author of the book, The Complete Idiots Guide to Backpacking and Hiking, states, "Your hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes are often the limiting factor in how many miles you can hike" (Stevenson 69). I learned this first hand after finishing the Poo Poo Point trail last week and having very sore legs the next day. This caused me to realize I needed to work more on my leg strength in order to complete harder hikes. In this blog post I will be discussing the leg exercises I 

have been doing that were recommend by my book. 

The first exercise I did was leg extensions on a machine, this works out mostly your quadriceps. In this exercise, you set the machine to your appropriate weight and slowly raise your legs up and back down. I completed 2 sets of 20 reps on the leg extension machine. Stevenson also recommends to push your self but not too hard to where it becomes unsafe (Stevenson 68).

Leg Curl Machine

Along with leg extensions, I also completed leg curls which work your hamstrings. This exercise includes setting the machine to a appropriate weight and slowly pushing your legs down and back up again. I also completed 2 sets of 20 reps on this machine. 

By working out my leg muscles 3 times a week, I am able to become I stronger hiker and become able to complete longer and more strenuous hikes. Overall, reading Stevenson's book has allowed me to grow my love for hiking and become a stronger and more educated hiker. I was able to hike more, and not just in the summer, along with more hiking experience. Do you think training is important to complete task like hiking, if so why? Thanks for reading!




Stevenson, Jason. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2010. Print.

  

Backpacking and Hiking: Switchbacks

Statue at the start of the trail

The steep, forested trail of Poo Poo Point was something to remember. This 3.8 mile trail had a 1760 feet elevation gain along with many switchbacks. This caused the hike to take longer than my expectation before reading the book. In fact, author Jason Stevenson says, "Add an extra hour to your total hike time for each 1,000-foot gain in elevation" (Stevenson 11). The trail itself was slippery in some places due to the occasional rain during the hike but the view from the top was worth it.

By having a large elevation gain, this trail had many switchbacks to reduce the trail's gradient. A switchback is a zigzagging path that makes steep trails easier to hike (Stevenson 11). Even though the trail was longer, the switchbacks made the hike easier. Along the trail, damage was seen from hikers cutting through switchbacks to save time. By cutting through though, other hikers caused erosion to have large rocks from the hillside to be on the trail. Even with the trails damage, the hike to Poo Poo Point was very refreshing and beautiful.

By learning about switchbacks before I started the trail I was better prepared for this hike. Poo Poo Point's many switchbacks and occasional damage did make the trail harder to accomplish but it was well worth it once I reached the top.

Overall, my knowledge of switchbacks helped me greatly while on the trail. Have you ever hiked Poo Poo Point, if so did you experience trail damage? Thanks for reading and make sure to read my last post!

Stevenson, Jason. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2010. Print.

Backpacking and Hiking: Footwear

According to author Jason Stevenson, "your choice of footwear will influence the success of your hike" (Stevenson 129). This shows the great importance of wearing the right footwear while hiking. This was especially important of my last hike to Little Si due to the cold conditions making the trail slippery in places. In this blog post I will explain how the right footwear helped me on my hike and why having the right footwear is important.

During this hike I wore midweight hiking that I purchased this summer. Like my book recommends, I tried the boots on in store instead of buying them online so I had the correct size. This is recommended due to your regular shoe size most likely not matching with your hiking boot size (Stevenson 134).  I experienced the different sizing first hand when I ended up purchasing boots a half size bigger than my normal shoe size. Another important tip the book explains is tightening your shoelaces before heading downhill (Stevenson 135). By doing this you can avoid repeatedly slamming your toes into the front of your boots. This was very important on the Little Si hike due to the 1400 feet gain causing lots of downhill hiking on the way back. Before I headed back down the trail, I used this tip and it worked very well. My boots also helped me be more stable while hiking on slippery parts of the trail.

My hiking boots

My hiking socks

Along with the right boots, my book also recommends you wear the right pair of socks. The socks I wore are made of wool which is recommended by the book. This is recommended due to wool's quick-drying and comfortable properties (Stevenson 139). By wearing the right boots and socks, I was able to be more successful on my hike.
Overall, I learned that wearing the right footwear is very important while hiking. Do you own hiking boots, if so are they helpful while you hike?
Thanks for reading, make sure to read my next post!

Stevenson, Jason. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2010. Print.

The Frugal Gourmet: French Style Potatoes

Happy holidays! Hope you've all been having a relaxing break.
For my next dish, I wanted to make something that could be eaten during Christmas dinner; a last minute side to something like chicken or steak. I was drawn to Jeff Smith's potato recipes because he explained the intricate background of the starch, mentioning, "The bulb was brought to the American colonies during the early 1700s, and it proved to be a lifesaver. It also proved to be a problem. People began to depend upon the potato for daily food..." (Smith 246). Potatoes are very versatile and because of their lack of a sharp taste, can be blended into many dishes. So, I decided to make Jeff Smith's old French style potatoes.

Chopped potatoes

After washing the potatoes, I peeled and cut them into eighths instead of fourths, since they were quite large. Smith mentions to parboil the potatoes in salt water, which reduces cook time in the oven to around twenty minutes since uncooked potatoes take longer to fully cook (Smith 250).

Parboiling in salt water 

After parboiling the potatoes, I mixed a sauce with olive oil and flour. Smith advised adding parsley, but I chose rosemary since we didn't have any other fresh herbs. I advise you to really whisk this vinaigrette well, because the oil doesn't always fully mix with the salt and flour.

I first added lemon rind into the sauce per Smith's recipe, but then the sauce became very bitter so I decided to omit this ingredient. Instead, I decided to add garlic powder when I re-made the vinaigrette.

After mixing the vinaigrette, I put the potatoes on a buttered baking pan and poured the sauce on top, then mixed them. Jeff Smith's recipes suggest cooking them in a 450 degree oven, but since the potatoes weren't as crispy as I wanted them, I put my oven on broil and crisped them for a good three to four minutes after cooking them for twenty minutes at 450.

The finished product

I really enjoyed this recipe! The potatoes came out really flavorful and it was fun to experiment with tastes rather than fully follow a recipe. You shouldn't feel that you have to follow a recipe completely when cooking, because some of the best dishes turn out to be improvised!

Would you try improvising in the kitchen after reading this? Which dish have you made that was improvised?

Smith, Jeff. “The Potato.” The Frugal Gourmet, Ballantine Books, 1984, pp. 246–250.

Backpacking and Hiking: Layering

My first hike during winter was something to remember! For this hike my friend, Gaby, and I headed up to Little Mount Si. This was a 4.7 mile round-trip hike and was the perfect distance to enjoy the hike and still be able to do other things later in the day. The hike did take us longer than we expected though due to us talking and stopping to take in the views. In fact, my book states “to account for this natural slow down add an extra 10 minutes for every mile when calculating the time needed to complete the hike” (Stevenson 22). Even with the extra time this hike was very enjoyable especially since I layered my clothing due to the chilly temperature. In this blog post I will be explaining how I layered and how it let me have a more enjoyable hike.

Layering is very important to all hikers, going any distance. By layering, you can have interchangeable layers to have more flexibility with your outfit while hiking (Stevenson 146). I learned this first hand while I on this hike. At the start of the hike I was very cold but after hiking up a few switchbacks I was warm and needed to remove my coat. By layering I was able to adjust my outfit to my temperature and have a more comfortable hike

Gaby and I at the top of Little Si

By the time we reached the top of the trail, the wind had really started to pick up. Due to this, I put my coat back on which helped a lot. In fact, my book states “outerwear layers like jackets and rain shells block wind and rain” (Stevenson 147). The coat I was wearing not only protected me from the wind but was waterproof which would be helpful if it rained. Underneath my jacket I wore a long-sleeve thermal shirt to help keep me warm. This worked very well and I would highly recommend using one if you get cold easily. By wearing all of these layers I was able to complete our hike successfully and not be too hot or cold throughout the hike

View from the top

Overall, layering helped me significantly and I would highly recommend it to anyone going on a hike. Do you wear a waterproof coat while hiking, if so is it helpful to you?







Thanks for reading, make sure to read my next posts to see how my next hike goes!

Stevenson, Jason. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2010. Print.

Backpacking and Hiking: Essential Gear

Don't let winter stop you from getting outdoors and hiking! From snow covered trails to frozen lakes carved between mountains, winter hiking has something for everyone. Throughout these blogs I will write about tips and about my experiences hiking during winter.

The book I will be using for this project is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking by Jason Stevenson. This book gives tips from hiking basics to first aid along with helpful charts and definitions. I am very excited to learn more about hiking after hiking frequently over this past summer but never in the winter. Soon after starting this book I realized that throughout my past hikes I had never brought the essential supplies like the ones recommended in the book. In this blog post I will share my experience shopping for these supplies and highlight some of the most important items you need no matter how long your hike is.

Shopping for the essentials

According to author, Jason Stevenson, many people while hiking do not pack the essentials due to them not thinking about the possibility of getting stuck on the trail overnight (Stevenson 100). Soon after reading this I went out and purchased the essentials I did not already own in order to get ready for my hike.

The first item I would like to highlight is a knife. Bringing a knife with you while hiking can be very helpful especially when you need to cut or slice something. The ideal hiking knife should be small enough to carry and have around a 2-3 inch blade (Stevenson 103). The author also recommends to make sure you knife does not have a dull blade for safety reasons. The text says, "A dull blade is a dangerous blade because it can easily slip and cut you" (Stevenson 103). The knife I purchased has a three inch blade and is also stainless steal so it will hopefully last me a long time.

The next item I would like to highlight is the first aid kit. I purchased a smaller kit due to only going on day-hikes so the need for lots of supplies would not be necessary. The book also recommends only bringing a certain case size depending on the size of your hike. For day-hikes it is recommended to bring supplies for blisters, cuts, scrapes, sprains, muscle aches, and allergic reactions (Stevenson 104). Lucky for me, the case I purchased includes all of the supplies needed to treat these injuries. Having a first aid kit while hiking is very important due to you never knowing what will happen out on a trail.

The last item I would like to highlight is waterproof matches and waterproof fire sticks. No matter were you go in the wilderness, including trails, these supplies should be brought with you. Since both the matches and the fire sticks are waterproof they can be used in rain or snow which is especially helpful in the winter due to the high chance of it raining or snowing while you are on a trail. Unlike normal matches, waterproof matches need to have the waterproof coating scraped off before use (Stevenson 106). By bringing this items with you while hiking, if lost, the worry about not being able to find dry timber or if your matches will work will be eliminated.

Overall, this shopping experience was very helpful and I feel much more prepared for my hike now. Do you like to go hiking, if so do you bring the essential items when you go?

Thanks for reading! Make sure to read my next blog post to see how my first winter hike goes!

Stevenson, Jason. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2010. Print.

Winter Delite Cookies

Vicki Nguyen
Period 4

Hot Chocolate Cookies

For my 3rd post I decided to make hot chocolate cookies. As you already know the weather is changing and  it's been getting really cold. Hot chocolate are the best winter drinks to stay warm in the winter. So why not make it into a cookie! Everyone loves hot chocolate, "Hot chocolate is one of my favorite drinks, and it's even better in cookie form. I came up with the idea when I was stuck outside in the cold waiting for a delayed train on a winter night" (Thomas 86).

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup hot chocolate mix
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini marshmallows (Thomas)

Procedures

• Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Stir together the flour, hot chocolate mix, salt, and baking soda.
• Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla and mix. Slowly add flour to the mixture.
• Roll the dough into balls and place them on the tray,
• After taking out the cookies place marshmallows on top and it will start to melt on top of the cookies. (Thomas)

Overall, the cookies were pretty good. I'll have to say these aren't really my favorite. As you can see in the picture the cookies was kind of dry. The cookie never vent flat. It was more of a dome shape. I followed the direction and measurement, but it went dry and dome shape. The overall flavoring of the cookie was really good.

Do you guys have any tips on making the cookies flat and not a dome shape?

Sterling, N/A. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., The Barnes & Noble Cookie Bake-Off: Top 75 Recipes from Around the Country New York 2015,