It’s so hard to believe that it’s been an entire six months since I’ve blogged and six months since I moved into my room in McCarty Hall at college. I sit on the floor of my family room as I write, surrounded by boxes of hangers, books, and shampoo that I have yet to unpack, even after having moved back home for a week. Dorming has been…an adventure, to say the least. I was blessed with having the very considerate J– as my first roommate ever in our cozy room at the end of the hall.
Dorming was having to stand outside in the cold when a fire alarm went off because someone forgot to add water while making ramen on the stove. It was watching “Jersey Shore” in the lounge with my floormates while imitating Pauly D and Ronnie’s ridiculous dance moves. It was walking to the nearby 24-hour QFC at 3 am because one of my best friends C– and I decided we wanted food. It was studying (or trying to study) in the rooms downstairs with her until 5:37 am and capping it all off by dancing on tables because we were the only ones left. It was the cheers that echoed through the row of North Campus dorms when announcements of “School cancelled” were made back in January because of snow. It was the 24-hour Mexican fast food place by the name of Memo’s that we frequented (and the memories that were made there). It was blasting Britney Spears in our room and hearing “Oops…I Did It Again” echo from our neighbors’ room, and then having the R.A. come tell us to quiet down.
Besides calling it an adventure, I don’t quite know what other word to make synonymous to my dorm experience. Looking back though, it all ended in valuable friendships being made, experiences had, lessons learned, and two quarters gone.
I baked this cake with my future roommate and wonderful friend R–, while dancing in the kitchen and laughing helplessly (the way we usually do). And to think, 3 months from right now, I will be packing everything up in these boxes again and lugging it all back to McCarty for another year in the dorms. The thought of re-packing the many, many things I have unpacked is quite terrifying. Before any of that happens, though, there’s summer! This summer I’ll be taking a half-term history class about space (oooh!) and working at my research lab, before heading to Cancun with my family the end of July through early August. And then it’s work, and…September! The great thing about colleges on a quarter system is that we don’t start until the end of September, so I can savor my last bit of summer that month.
And, now that I’m home, expect to see a lot more blogging happening. Toodles!
Future roomies!
Crumb-Topped Banana Toffee Cake (Adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)
Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
8 TBSP unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and still warm
1¾ cups cake flour
Whisk sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter in medium bowl to combine.
Add flour and stir with spoon until mixture resembles thick, cohesive dough; set aside to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
Cake:
1 ½ cups cake flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
4 TBSP unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into 4 pieces, softened but still cool
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 bananas, super ripe
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup Heath toffee bits
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 8-inch baking pan with baking spray and set aside.
In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix butter, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine.
With mixer on low speed, mix until batter resembles moist crumbs, with no visible butter chunks remaining, 1 to 2 minutes. Add banana and beat until fully incorporated.
Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk; beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping once if necessary.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Transfer batter to baking pan.
Spread batter into even layer. Break apart crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces and spread in even layer over batter, beginning with edges and then working toward center.
Bake until crumbs are golden and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan.
Seattle Lunchbox 