It's time to talk about something uncomfortable... period products. For some reason, there's this huge cultural stigma against periods. They're gross, the worst thing ever, you never discuss them. If we're being honest here, I kinda hate that. Periods are a natural occurrence for roughly half the world's population. They mean your body is working properly. Why should we, as a culture, hate and ignore them? 
Anyone who has talked to me in the past year and a half has probably gotten my spiel on reusable menstrual products. See, a negative side effect of having that period stigma is that no one actually knows much about period alternatives because it's just something we never talk about. I want to change that. Most people think there are just two options for periods: pads or tampons. That's wrong. There's a whole other world of period products out there, and odds are many of those products are going to work better than a pad or tampon ever will. 
There are SO MANY pros to switching to reusable menstrual products that I will cover here. I switched over a year and a half ago and I am never going back. Let me just say this upfront: my main experience that I am speaking from is from using a menstrual cup— and I couldn't recommend menstrual cups more. However, I do also have a dabble of experience with both menstrual discs as well as period underwear. I will discuss all of my thoughts on these products later in this post. 
This is going to sound cliche, but I can't help it: it's true. Switching to a menstrual cup was a life changing experience for me. It completely changed the way I felt about and saw my period. So before any of you ask: No, I am not sponsored. I'm just passionate about reusable products, and think that there's not enough knowledge out there about them. I want to spread the word and get other people in on these. I want other people to also have their lives changed by menstrual products. I promise that making the decision to switch is not one you're going to regret. 
For those of you wondering about ages: there are no age minimums or maximums on reusable products. Someone experiencing their period for the first time is actually able to use a cup— many brands even make "teen cups" just for that purpose. But then again, just because you're physically able to do something doesn't mean you want to or are comfortable. There are less "hands on" options, such as period underwear and reusable pads. I think people just starting their periods should be using what they're most comfortable with— even if that means pads/tampons— I just thought I'd put it out there that there are reusable options. I, for sure, would've loved to know about some of these products even when I was first starting my period. 
Now, here are some reasons you should switch the reusable menstrual products 

1. It Will Save You Money 
On average, a period can last from 3-7 days, and most people will menstruate from around ages 13-51. This means most people who menstruate will go through around 456 total periods/2,280 days of periods— which comes out to around 6.25 years of one's life. That's a lot of time, and if you're using single use products that's a lot of money. On average, a lifetime of spending on solely tampons costs almost $1800, and that's not including the extra costs of pads, medicine and new underwear to replace ruined pairs. Those who suffer from particularly heavy flows end up spending even more (Sources).
Let's compare that to my favorite reusable menstrual product: the menstrual cup. If properly taken care of a menstrual cup can last up to 10 years. On average, reliable brand menstrual cups cost between $25-40. While yes, up front that can seem like a pricey investment, believe me when I say it's worth it. (Lots of brands offer plenty of coupons and deals as well). On average, menstruators will spend up to $60 a year on tampons (source). One cup for 10 years will average out to $3-4 a year vs. $60. Comparing those prices it seems pretty simple which one is the cheaper, more cost efficient alternative.
 
2. It Will Save The Environment 
Single-use products also contribute to plastic waste. Think about the amount of plastic that goes just into the packaging, if not in the product itself. It's a lot. Solely the United States contributes around 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons to waste annually (source). Again, that's a lot of plastic & waste going into the environment and that's not including the environmental cost of production of these products as well. To quickly sum all of it up:
Why do reusable products save the environment? Simply put, less of them have to be made, and less of them are thrown into waste. They're reusable, after all. If treated properly, you only need about 4 menstrual cups for your entire life, that's a very small amount of waste created compared to thousands of pads and tampons. 

3. Comfort 
Honestly, I understand the period dread coming from when I used pads and tampons. Tampons can be uncomfortable and leak, and they have to be changed so often. Pads? Well, pads aren't as invasive as tampons but sitting down on a wet pad? Yeah. Not comfortable. At. All. 
Reusable menstrual products—especially cups & discs— can change that! When you find the cup/disc that's right for you, you can't even feel it. I honestly will sometimes forget I'm on my period or that my cup is even in, that's how invisible and comfortable these products can be when you find the right fit. 
Also, this is a little more explicit but anyone who has ever pulled out a tampon dry knows it hurts terribly. That always makes one question whether they should even risk using a tampon right before their period is supposed to start or towards the latter day of the period. It's hurts that much because tampons absorb everything. Meanwhile, with cups and discs, they simply sit in the vaginal canal (or fornix) and collect. So pulling a cup/disc out isn't extra painful on any given day as they are not absorbing any natural moisture. This means that you can stick your cup/disc in when your period is supposed to start and on your period's later days without worrying about the pain of removal. 

4. Timing 
Every person has a different timing on when they switch out their period products. Generally, tampons are advised to be switched out every 4-6 hours. While pads are a little more open ended as to when you need to switch them, you probably want to switch them a fair amount, especially if you have a heavy flow.  
Cups/Discs on the other hand only need to be switched around every 12 hours. That's right, 12 hours. No more multiple trips to the bathroom while covertly holding your tampon/pad behind your back or up your sleeve. You really only need to change the cup/disc when you get up in the morning & when you go to sleep at night. No more awkwardly trying to change your product in public restrooms either. Hurrah. 
Again, with cups/discs the timing varies person to person. People with a heavier flow may need to change theirs more often as the cup/disc will leak if full. (Though, I should mention now that there are high capacity cups/discs available). Meanwhile, people with a lighter flow may find that they don't even need to change it that religiously. I've been guilty of waiting longer than 12 hours to change my cup (though this isn't advised by the companies).
 
4.1 Safety
On the topic of timing, I think it's important to also mention that insertable reusables are actually safer than tampons. While tampons are at high risk of toxic shock syndrome, cups/discs run a very low risk of it. This is why you can leave the cup/disc in much longer than you can for a tampon. The one case I've ever heard of about someone getting TSS with a cup was from a girl who left it in for 2 months. Which, well, just don't do that, okay? 

5. Wide Variety to Choose From— There is a Perfect Product for You 
A common myth around reusables, especially cups, are that there are very few of them to choose from. Many people I know thought there were only two kinds of cup: The Diva Cup 1 or The Diva Cup 2. No. There are hundreds of different brands and varieties out there. If the Diva Cup works for you, great, but don't be worried if it doesn't or doesn't look like it would. There are plenty more shapes and sizes and types out there. They make different cups for virtually everything: heavy flows, light flows, high cervixes, short cervixes, bell shaped, bullet shaped, (insert here)-shaped, softer cups, stiffer cups etc. Everyone's body is different, so it would make sense that there's no one size/shape fits all. All you have to do is a little extra digging to find a product that works right for your needs. If you're interested at all in menstrual discs & cups I would highly recommend trying this recommendation quiz. It asks things about your period, lifestyle etc. to recommend what might be the best fit for you to try. 
I was also under the misconception about cups, so when I tried the Diva Cup and it DID NOT work for me, I thought that was it for me and menstrual cups. Skip to me procrastinating writing an essay a few months later, I stumbled upon an article on menstrual cups. Then I took a similar quiz, and picked a cup based on the recommendations. Guess what? That was the perfect cup for me, and unlike the Diva, it worked. That being said, I can't guarantee that your first cup will be a success, some people go through a couple cups before they find their "goldilocks" cup. You'll know it's your goldilocks when it's comfortable and has no leaks. That's right, if you have the right cup it will not leak. Unlike the tampon, where you just shoot it up and hope for the best, the cup sits in a specific position, and if it fits right, it will create a seal that ensures you have 0 leaks and therefore never have to worry about ruining underwear again. 
If cups aren't working for you or you just really don't want to use a cup, don't worry! There are plenty of other reusables out there. As mentioned before, there are discs or period underwear. Reusable pads are also an option. There are a lot of other reusable products out there such as sponges, interlabial pads etc. out there, but seeing as I don't actually know much about them I'll leave that research up to you. 

6. Great Customer Service  
Most good menstrual product brands have phenomenal customer service. I've only had personal interaction with one brand, but I've heard most other reputable brands also have similar services. Most menstrual cup companies will offer you a full refund on your cup if it doesn't work for you. They just ask that you actually try to use it for 3 cycles first. Not only that, but if the size/firmness of the first cup you ordered is wrong, many brands will send you another cup for free. That's how much they believe in their products and are invested in their customer's satisfaction. Of course, I also can't guarantee this treatment from every brand so definitely look into the company's policy before ordering. 
Many of these companies also have "help" lines, meaning you can shoot them a chat or an email in real time. So yes, if you're sitting on the toilet and have a question, you can shoot them a chat and they'll try to respond as fast as possible. 
My favorite menstrual company is Saalt. I have basically every product from this brand, and I love them. I love how environmentally conscious and useful they are (I believe a percentage of every purchase goes towards not just sending products to people in need, but also towards providing education). Their products are also top tier. I've also had a great customer service interaction with them. My first cup was a defect, which I discovered in early spring 2020— right at the beginning of when everything was going terrible with COVID. I contacted Saalt through their customer service email, and they got back to me within the next day. They immediately sent me another cup for free, no questions asked. I love that. A friend of mine had the situation where she had the wrong firmness and size cup from Saalt, and they sent her a new cup for free as well. Those are just two personal experiences on how amazing these company's customer services are.
 
Some Things To Take Into Consideration 
While most of this post has been praising and glorifying reusables (namely cups), I should mention there are some potential "cons" you might want to consider. I want to put all the facts out there. Probably the biggest thing to think about when deciding whether or not to switch to a cup is that fact that it's very hands on. You have to be willing to put the cup in and get it out. To be fair, once you get this right it's a very simple process that takes less than a minute and is mess free. But if you're not comfortable with the idea of putting a cup in and taking it out, it may not be the best option to switch to. (Reusables are still an option though! Period underwear & reusable pads) 
I also need to say this loud and clear, just like any new product there is a learning curve to using menstrual cups/discs. Unless you are extremely lucky or skilled, you are probably not going to get the cup to work perfectly the first time. There are going to be leaks and tweaks to your techniques to get it right. How long that takes really depends on you. I have friends who only took a couple tries to get it right, whereas for me it took a few cycles to finally get a perfect leak free period. Yes, several cycles. But I stuck with it, and now I love cups enough to be making a public post about them. While first learning to use a cup, I would recommend having a backup just for those little leaks, whether that be reusable pads, normal pads, or period panties is up to you, but definitely don't assume it will go perfectly the first time. 
Yes, reusable products will save you money in the long run, but the initial cost is pretty steep. That means if you don't get lucky and your first cup doesn't work for you, then you might be spending quite a bit to find the right cup for you. I can't guarantee that the quiz will give you the perfect cup, and yes the first cup you get may not work for you. Even if it doesn't, I would encourage you to keep looking. Why? Because like I mentioned earlier, a lot of companies will work with you, at least for cups. They're willing to send you different sizes & firmnesses, and if the cup still doesn't work for you, many will offer a refund. There are also selling sites out there where you can sell your products just to get some money back. While this may sound gross, if the cup is boiled for the right amount of time it is completely sanitized. If you're okay with that, you can even look for cups/discs on these sites, but if you're not, you can always just sell your own. 

Products That I Have Used 
I've decided that I won't spend too much time on this post about this. Why? Since this post is so long I've decided that I'll make at least one more post about cups/discs/period underwear to describe exactly what they are and how to find the right fit for you. As soon as I write and upload that, I will add the link to this post as well. But I'll add some links at the bottom of this post as well to some useful resources if you want to jump right into looking for reusable products (which hopefully you do after reading this post!) 
But as for products I have used, as mentioned above, I'm a huge Saalt fan. I have used the Saalt cup small, the Saalt soft cup small, and Saalt wear (period underwear). I love every product I've gotten from Saalt. You may be wondering why I have two firmnesses for the Saalt cup. Well, for one I wanted to be able to try both so I can, in good conscious, recommend both, I also find on different days of my period it's useful to use a different cup. I know some people who use different cups for different days of their period, whether it be for capacity or firm/softness. That doesn't have to be the case, though; a lot of people are fine with just one cup. 
Side comment: Saalt cups are also pretty universally recommended as a good beginner cup as they are pretty neutral and average for a cup. 
Both cups are the perfect fit for me (which makes sense, since they're the same shape, just different firmnesses. I'll make another post about the pros/cons of different firmnesses). The Saalt Wear is my first (and only) experience with period underwear, and I absolutely love it. It's made out of recycled plastic, for starters. Somehow, incredibly, the Saalt Wear is even more comfortable than my normal underwear? I kinda wish I could wear it every day (I mean I could...). It's light and stylish— does not at all feel like you're wearing anything remotely diaper-like, and its gusset design makes it absorb quickly but also feel dry. You don't feel like you're sitting in your own blood like with pads, and it also doesn't feel bulky. If you're looking for a reliable period underwear, I couldn't recommend it more. 
I have also used the Lena Cup. It's similar to the Saalt, but I prefer the Saalt in comparison to the Lena because I prefer the stem on the Saalt. Though, I have heard Lena has similar customer service. As mentioned before I've tried the Diva Cup and it didn't go well for me. 
I've tried using the Nixit Disc once. It didn't go well the first time, but I'm planning on trying again. I am also planning on trying the Lumma Unique Discs, so I will make a post and definitive statement about discs once I've tried them out more. 

Conclusion 
Anyway, I hope that this post has at least made you take reusable products into serious consideration, or even convinced you to switch. If you have any questions feel free to contact me in the help section! I'm always open to helping and answering any questions. Even if you're not convinced at all, at least you now have some knowledge about reusables that you didn't before. I hope this was helpful! 
I'll link below more useful resources for any more menstrual reusable questions you may have. I'll also add in later links to more posts I make about cups, discs & period underwear. But for now, here are some useful links. :) 

Hi all! It's been many, many months since I last posted... Sorry about that! I honestly haven't exactly been up to anything interesting over the summer so there was nothing compelling me to make a post about my rather mundane life. But now I do have something to write about, so here it goes. 
As some of you probably already know, I'm now a freshman in college! Yup. If you think that sounds weird, think about how extraordinarily strange it feels for me. Seriously, how am I a college student? I still lowkey feel like I'm a freshman in high school... Definitely don't feel like a college student in the slightest. And yet here we are. 
Where am I going? Well, it's funny that you ask because it's a kind of complicated, long answer. The easy answer is I'm a freshman enrolled at University of Delaware.... but I'm actually writing this post from Spain so what's the deal with that? That's where the longer answer comes in. I actually got into this really unique and cool program called the World Scholars, where they send you abroad for your first semester. So the answer right now to where I'm going is Saint Louis University Madrid which is, shockingly, located in Madrid, Spain. 
So yeah, my first semester away from home is a lot more AWAY than I originally anticipated. BIG emphasis on away. Seriously, I was thinking that colleges in North Carolina were too far from home so I decided to go to Spain instead. That makes perfect sense. Anyway, as I am writing this post I believe I am still in the "honeymoon" stage of the whole process. See, I've only been here for a little over a week, which is short enough to feel like vacation or short term. I don't think it's really hit me yet that yes, I am here for a rather long time. Still, I'm really glad that I chose to participate in this program due to how truly unique it is and all the opportunities it provides me. 
The World Scholars Program is particularly unique because it's more than just a study abroad opportunity. It's a complete four year immersive commitment to teaching world stewardship and just an all around appreciation for other cultures and differences. In the first semester of freshman year, participants get to study abroad in one of four locations-- Madrid, Auckland, Rome or Athens. While abroad we're also required to take a Global Politics class to further educate us and expand our view past that of just our own home country. Though we don't study abroad our sophomore year, we are required to live in the International housing on campus, as well as take more courses and participate in other events to keep expanding our interaction and awareness of other cultures. Then junior year (jeez, that's really far away at the moment), we get to study abroad again, this time at a location of our own choosing that works best with whatever our chosen major is. And finally, senior year I believe we work with people from the Fulbright program / I'm not actually sure what goes on but it's something about Fulbright! Haha, that's so far away I'm not exactly thinking too hard about it. 
Back to me, because that's really what this blog is all about haha. So we arrived in Madrid about a little over a week ago now on Saturday Morning (August 31). It was a very long flight, which isn't usually an issue for me because I have this weird ability to fall asleep just about anywhere, especially moving things like planes, cars, trains and boats. This time not so much, I actually got sick on the plane which is not usual for me, so when we arrived in Madrid I was running on little sleep. Unfortunately since we arrived in the morning, we were encouraged to not sleep in effort to fight against the inevitable jet leg. It was actually a pretty packed day, too, so napping would've been pretty difficult anyway. We FINALLY got to find out our roommates-- due to something about Spain's privacy laws we weren't able to know who our roommates were until arrival, which was a point of anxiety and annoyance for all of us. Then we got about a hour to go up to our rooms and unpack and such before a required walk around Madrid to show us a bit of the campus and to a grocery store.
I have to say, starting off in a dorm in Spain has truly ruined American dorms for me. I might cry upon going back because these dorms are infinitely better. See, in Europe, the idea of communal bathrooms is gross, so we actually get our own little bathrooms in our rooms, complete with toilet, sink and shower. Being the germaphobe that I am, going back to America and having to use a communal bathroom is a definite nightmare. Not only that, but the dorms here are basically like staying in a hotel room, we even have little electronic keys AND once a week cleaners come in and clean for us, including giving us new sheets and towels. Ha, fun little difference-- in Spain they don't use fitted sheets. 

After the walk around the city and to the grocery store, we got lunch and got a smidgen of chill time before heading out again in groups. Each group did something different. In mine, we went to the metro and for those of us who forgot to order an unlimited metro pass ahead of time (*cough* me), we got some temporary metro cards. Then we took the metro to Puerta del Sol, which is where the first picture on this post was taken, though on a later date. There we wandered around searching for a phone store open enough for us to either get new SIM cards or new phones-- it took a few tries, though, eventually we found an Orange empty enough for our group to invade. I got a new SIM card so if you're trying to send anything to my old number I'm not ignoring you! I just am not getting any of those messages as I have a new Spanish phone number for the moment (I'll be switching back to my old number when I get back to the US.) If you want to contact me, I still have the same US phone number logged onto Whatsapp, which is actually the method most other countries use for texting as unlimited texting and calls is unusual outside of the US. So if you REALLY want to talk to me, get Whatsapp and text me, or you know, if you're someone who actually knows me well enough to really be contacting me frequently, you probably have enough information to be contacting me if you aren't already doing so. 
After going to the phone store, most groups went out for churros at Sin Gines or just back to the dorms because you know, we had just landed that day and were all exhausted. Not my group though! Instead, my group just went on a walking tour around basically the whole of Madrid and didn't get back until 8-- while all the other groups got back at like 5. It wasn't all that horrible because we got to see some really beautiful and cool places and monuments around Madrid. Like, it was actually a great experience because we got to see the city, but I was also just already exhausted and all that walking just added up. Seriously, that night my feet were throbbing so it hurt to actually just sit, and walking was beyond painful. (No, for those of you who know me and are saying it was probably the heels, I was not wearing heels. I actually wore some very practical sandals made for walking a lot.) When we got back to El Faro (the dorm), dinner had already started. It was actually pretty cute because the staff at El Faro threw a welcome BBQ for us Americans. 

In Spain, as with a lot of Europe I believe, the mealtimes are a whole lot later than us simple, hungry Americans have them. Here's the eating schedule for my dorm-- which actually starts a bit early to try and work around peoples' classes. 

Monday-Friday 
Breakfast: 7-10 AM 
Lunch: 1-4 PM 
Dinner: 8-10 PM 

Weekends & Holidays 
Breakfast: 9-11 AM 
Lunch: 2-4 PM 
Dinner: 9-10:30 PM 

So basically when you have to get up around the same time for classes, days feel a whole lot longer when you gotta wait until 8 for dinner. Then again, days here do just seem a whole lot longer, because in Spain it's more common to stay up later. Honestly, I'm not sure how much sleep most Spaniards live off of, because people really do stay out pretty late around here. 
The eating habits are also very different here than they are back home in America. While us Americans tend to eat smaller meals and just snack all day long, Spaniards seem to have three big meals and then two planned snacks-- one around noonish and then another in like the four to five time zone depending on when they eat lunch. 
Honestly, the eating habits have been one of the hardest transitions for me (have been, haha, it's definitely not past tense). In an effort to really immerse myself into Spanish culture and also because the portions here are so huge, I've been trying to balance my diet by snacking less. This is a bit of an issue because it leads to me being absolutely ravenous at meal times and scurrying down to the dining hall as soon as the meal starts. I wonder if I'll ever be able to go to meals later than the earliest possible times. Back to the issue though, I just gobble down all the food way too fast-- which is surprising because I'm the slowest eater I've ever met, but I'm pretty freaking fast during the meals. Still slower than most people around me but it's fast for me haha. Waiting for meals is pretty painful on the stomach. In America I just sorta snacked whenever I wanted, and I'm really trying not to do that here. To encourage my less snacking policy (notice I don't say no snacking because I know that isn't gonna happen), I don't let myself buy snack foods, though, I have been to the grocery a lot recently to LOOK at snack foods. All I have in the food cabinet is a giant pack of Maria digestive biscuits, a smaller back of dark chocolate dipped digestive biscuits, ORANGES and two types of cereal. (And also all the Pan de Leche I steal from the dining hall, but we're not gonna acknowledge that). So basically the idea behind this is I don't want to eat too many cookies because the freshman fifteen is real and I am very, very afraid of it. So I will occasionally nibble on a Maria, but I never chow down on them. The chocolate dipped ones are for special occasions and I haven't really touched them yet, haha. So basically the main snack I go for is the oranges, but eating too many oranges can cause you to gain weight as I found out in the 8th Grade when I did a research paper on oranges, so I limit myself to one orange a day around 4:30-5 time. The cereal is another story to be told later, haha. 
It's actually pretty interesting that we all give Americans a hard time about giant portions, but from my experience so far and my past experience in Valencia, the Spanish actually have larger portions, they just eat less between. So there's a thought. 
Anyway, this post is getting a little long so I'm thinking that I'll split it up! Who knows when or if I'll actually finish it by writing more parts we'll see haha, but I'll try, or thinking about trying. With school catching up, I'm not sure how much actual free time I have! We'll see! 
So thanks for reading, and hopefully another post about my first week in Spain will pop up eventually if not soon. 
Adios, 
​Anji

picture is worth a thousand words... right? Sorry for not posting...

Let's just say I'm very apologetic for not actually writing that blog post I promised, okay? But here's a nice short and sweet one for y'all. Every year, towards the end of the winter term and the beginning of spring term, I go through a health phase where I start cooking and baking healthy recipes, and trying all new things. This golden milk recipe is my new favorites. I make a cup every evening, and it's the perfect thing to help me settle down. (Which 
Golden milk is a trend I'm quite behind on, it seems like everyone and their mother have already tried and become obsessed with it, but if you're like me and apparently living under a rock, here's a quick explanation of what it is. 
Golden milk is a milk infused with a blend of superfood spices such as turmeric, cinnamon and ginger. That means it has quite a number of health benefits, which include but are not limited to having anti-inflammatory  and joint relieving properties, being filled with antioxidants, perhaps aiding in memory and brain function and mood, protecting against heart disease, and lowering blood sugar levels and risk of cancer. If you're interested as to why that is, I may make another post, or it's pretty easy to look up, but I promised a quick post and explanation, and I'm going to try and stick by that promise. 
Just a a few more quick side notes about the recipe.  if you're wondering about the pepper, it helps to bring out the health benefits locked inside the turmeric so your body can actually absorb them. 
You can use any sort of milk in the recipe, even cow's, and heat that milk any way you wish. I use a milk frother, but I am aware not everyone has those so use whatever you prefer: microwave, stove, etc.
You can sprinkle cardamom and clove on top of the milk to add more flavor and health benefits, but I personally am not a fan of those flavors and do not use them. 
There are a ton of recipes, all differing from each other, on golden milk, but this one has been my favorite of them all because it makes a paste that you can make once and use for a long time-- that means not having to heat milk up on the stove every night = making my life and level of dishes so much easier. 
The most difficult part of the recipe is making the paste, which simply involves sitting by the stove for 5-10 minutes, whisking some spices and water so not really all that difficult. Without further adieu, here's the recipe. 

Paste: 
Ingredients: 
1/2 cup water
2 tsp turmeric (ground spice) 
1 T + 2 tsp coconut oil 
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
1/4 tsp ginger root
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

Recipe: 
1) Place all ingredients into saucepan. 
2) Put on medium heat and whisk until a thickened paste. 
3) Place in a container and keep in the fridge. (Will keep for a long time as none of the ingredients are particularly perishable). 

Milk: 
Ingredients: 
1 tsp paste
1 cup milk (coconut, almond, soy, hemp, etc.) 
Maple syrup or honey to taste
1/4 tsp cardamom (optional) 
1/4 tsp cloves (optional) 

Recipe; 
1) Heat milk. 
2) Stir all ingredients in a mug until well mixed. 
2b) Throw ingredients into a blender to make a frothy latte. 
3) (The hardest step of all) Enjoy! 

Thanks for reading, hope you all love this recipe as much as I do. <3 
​Anji

I know, I know, I'm always beginning these posts with sorry I never post and a ton of excuses, so I won't update y'all on excuses, and just say that hopefully I'll be able to get another post out before my winter break ends :) Happy New Year Everyone. 

Sorry for the lack of updates recently-- I've been so busy with the fall of my senior year (field hockey, AP courses, college applications etc.) that I haven't really had time-- hopefully I'll be able to make a decent post soon!

Chocolate chip cookies were a staple in most of our childhoods. I, for one, have many memories of helping to measure flour and sugar, and then being told NOT to eat the cookie dough (and then eating it anyway). Then again, as a child I was more than happy to be given anything sweet. Now a days I'm not the biggest consumer of cookies-- I find them boring to make and boring to eat. Nevertheless, when I came across Buzzfeed's "Perfect" Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, I felt a relentless urge to try it out. Why? I'm not exactly sure, especially since Buzzfeed's "Perfect" Chocolate Cake recipe turned out to be such an epic failure. Still, I tried it, and here are my results. (In the video) 
The conclusion that I came to was that yes, these are in fact some spectacular cookies. They have a crunchy outside and a goey middle-- which, for most, is what would be defined as the "perfect" cookie. Would I say they're the best in the entire world? See, the difficult thing is that first off, they're not exactly my preferred type of cookie, and secondly I don't eat a lot of cookies therefore I can't exactly be the best judge of what the "best" is. My favorite kind of cookie is the really crunchy sort-- and while goey is good, I think crunchy is better. The recipe is certainly better than your average cookie, due to the extra ingredients in it such as browned butter and espresso powder-- they just add more layers of flavor that really make it a treat for your tongue. 
The recipe is definitely a lot more work than your average cookie recipe as well-- such as the browned butter. While the browned butter makes the flavor go beyond average, it also takes an age to make. And all the extra steps do add up to a lot of extra time (which can be assumed, I suppose, because adding anything extra would obviously add extra time). I would recommend trying making these if you're looking for something fancy-- maybe to impress people, or maybe just to try a really good cookie. If you just want a quick and easy cookie, this certainly isn't the recipe for you. 
I followed every step given, including the recommended but unnecessary step of leaving the cookies to sit in the fridge overnight. This is a way to develop more flavor in the dough-- actually, it's a trick that many bakeries use, and since I wanted these cookies to be the best they could, I left them to sit overnight. Which turned out to be harder than I expected-- the extra ingredients made this cookie dough even more deadly and tempting than other doughs. All I wanted to do was just gobble down the raw dough, needless to say I was pretty excited to try them after they were baked off the next morning. 
I also added half a teaspoon less salt than the recipe called for after reading a comment on the original video saying the normal amount was WAY too salty. Personally, I think this was a good choice because the cookies I tried seemed to have just the right balance of salt in them, but according to Caitlin, I should've added the extra salt and that would've made them just perfect for her. So, if you're a fan of salty cookies, go for the full two teaspoons. 

Also here's the link to Buzzfeed's video and recipe-- but just so you don't have to click on another link, here is the full recipe written out below as well. :)


Makes 18 cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 cup bread flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1½ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2-3 tablespoons cold water
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). (Unless you want to let the cookies sit overnight in the fridge)
In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. 
In a medium light-bottomed saucepan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. 
Bring the butter to a boil, stirring occasionally. As the water begins to boil out of the butter, the milk solids in the butter will separate, sink to the bottom, and begin to toast and brown. As this begins to happen, make sure to stir constantly so the butter browns evenly. It may become quite foamy and difficult to see, so keep a close eye on it.
Once the butter has turned a nice nutty brown, remove from the heat and pour into a liquid measuring cup to stop the cooking. Give it a stir and add 2-3 tablespoons of cold water to the butter to bring it back up to 1 cup of liquid. Set aside to cool to room temperature. To help speed this process up, you can place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. You want to make sure the butter is still liquid when you’re adding it to the dough later on, so make sure to remove after 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, add the sugars, vanilla, espresso powder, and cooled brown butter. Cream together with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. (If not becoming fluffy, the butter may be too warm. Stick in the fridge for a bit to let it cool off and then try again.) 
Add the egg and yolk and beat until incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients, about ⅓ of the mixture at a time, and beat between additions until just incorporated. It’s okay for there to be a bit of unmixed flour on the edge of bowl, this will be incorporated in the next step. 
Using a wooden spoon, fold the chocolate chips and chunks into the dough
Scoop the cookies onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in 3-tablespoon-sized mounds. 
For optimal flavor, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or, even better, overnight. 
Evenly space the dough 3 inches apart from one another on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for 12-14 minutes. 
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!

Thanks for reading, 
​Anj

It's the end! It's the end of everything. But of course, to be totally cliche, the end of everything is also the beginning of something. For those of you who don't live around Bryn Athyn, and didn't read the title of the post, you may be asking yourselves "The end of what? It's not the end of 2018, we're only about half way through it..." And to that I'd reply- it's the end of the school year. Or we're past the end of the school year now. The seniors have officially graduated and the juniors (aka me) have officially become seniors. 
Scary thought, right? And how exactly did that scary thought become reality? And how did it become reality so soon? The answer to that is that I have no idea. While junior year felt like the slowest possible time ever, looking back it feels like a blur. (Isn't that how life always is, though?) The end of this year just feels like it sort of jumped out from behind a corner and surprised me. I can't believe this year is over, and I most certainly can't believe that I'm a senior. Even writing those words feels wrong. I. Am. A. Senior. That's wrong, that most definitely can't be right. Me? A Senior? Just the other day someone asked me how old I am, and you know how I answered? I said I'm 15. 15. You know how off that is? I haven't been 15 for two years. TWO YEARS. Where did those years go? HOW AM I a SENIOR? 
Excuse my (not) mild freaking out. I am just in total awe and disbelief by the fact that I'm a senior. This really is coming close to the end of my high school career. A year from now I'm probably going to be writing on this blog about how senior year really just flew by and I can't believe I'm off to college. A YEAR FROM NOW I'M GOING TO BE OFF TO COLLEGE. And more importantly to my freaking out brain, this year I have to make some big life choices such as which college I'm going to go to and what I might want to major in. How can I be making these choices when I literally still feel like I'm 15? 
And no, this is not a philosophical post answering that question and all the life questions you've been dying to have answered. I'm just splatting out words on a post because I haven't posted on this blog in a while, and also in a tribute to my senior (now college freshman) friends. 

Here's a quick little word of remembrance (no, they're not dead... I'm just going to see them a whole lot less next year :( ) for my senior friends. 
Caitlin-- thanks for being my partner in crime this year. We did everything together, ranging from tackling defense on field hockey to producing a play and a musical to being the best statistician and statistician's assistant for the wrestling team. (Guess who was the assistant. Hint: It wasn't me.) You're one of my bestest friends, as proven by how well we've gotten to know each other-- we literally know each other's food orders. I'm not sure it gets any more personal than that. Love you so much, and can't wait for the shenanigans we're going to get up to in the months and years to come. 
Rayna-- thanks for being my Broadway buddy. We made some pretty great memories together going to some fantastic shows. I loved having you there to experience the magic of theater with me, despite the fact that people around us start to think we're crazy. Of course, going to Broadway with me isn't the only thing I love you for. I love you for making the field hockey and capes team fun for me this year. Nothing will be the same without your bright, smiling face. 
Ellie-- thanks for being one of my oldest friends. We're so close that we literally finish each other's sentences and thoughts. I can't believe you graduated this year. You're such a talented musician, and I'm so lucky to have you as a friend. You know I'm always down to play you (crush you?) in video games or just to hang out and have oddly deep talks or really random, light discussions about random occurrences. 
Waverly-- thanks for being my lacrosse and musical buddy. You helped me to endure hours upon hours of dry tech and tech, and you made me feel included in the lacrosse team, even though I'm just a statistician. It's a real shame we didn't become friends sooner, because I feel like we really bonded this year and since you're going to college down south next year... Well, it's likely that I'm not going to be seeing you all that much. :( Good luck, though, and I hope you have the best time next year. :) 

And... the Class of 2019 is about to be the top of the school. You hear that underclassman? You have my permission to start running and screaming now, because with my class in charge, I'm sure it's going to be a chaotic year. Of course, hopefully that also means that's it's going to be not just a fun year, but the best year of our entire lives. Look out senior year, because here we come! (and I'm still not so silently screaming about the fact that how are we seniors, what are we going to do, how is this end so near???)
Thanks for reading, 
​Anj