Mount Hood

Apple themed dessert recipes

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Thanksgiving is a time of giving and spending time with loved ones. It’s also a time for a lot of food, including delicious desserts. Here’s some apple themed sweets to bake for that next holiday gathering.

 

APPLE PIE

Start to finish: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Serving size: 8 slices

1 unbaked pie crust

7-8 Granny Smith Green Apples peeled and sliced thin or chopped into small cubes

¾ cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of cornstarch 

1 tablespoon of vanilla

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

 

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

Peel and slice (or chop) the apples and place them in a large mixing bowl. 

In a smaller separate bowl, mix brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon together.

Add the small bowl of ingredients to the apples, mixing and fully coating the apple slices.

Drizzle the vanilla over the apple mixture. 

Add apples to a prepared unbaked pie crust, top with pie dough or crumble. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

APPLE CRISP

Start to finish: 1 hour

Serving size: 4-6 pieces

6 apples — peeled, cored, and sliced

2 tablespoons of white sugar

1½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 cup of brown sugar

¾ cup of old-fashioned oats

¾ cup of all-purpose flour

½ cup of cold butter

 

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Toss apples with white sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon in a medium bowl to coat, then pour into a 9-inch square baking dish.

Mix brown sugar, oats, flour and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a separate bowl. Use a fork to mash the cold butter into the oats mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Spread over the apples to the edges of the baking dish and pat the topping gently until even.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and the sides are bubbling.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

 

SWEET APPLESAUCE

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Serves 4 people

4 apples (preferably granny smith)

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons of white sugar

 

Cut and core the apples. If desired, apples can also be peeled, but it’s not necessary.

Take a medium sized pot and fill with about an inch of water. Turn stove top on between levels 4 and 6. Once it’s set, place apples into the pot as the water begins to heat up. 

Begin stirring after water begins to boil. Continue stirring until apples are soft, then start mashing with stirring utensil. Mash apples until desired texture and thickness.

Turn off the heat on the stove and add in the sugar and cinnamon. More sugar and cinnamon can be added as preferred. Stir until fully mixed in.

Serve once cooled, or store in a container for later. The applesauce can be kept in the fridge for about a week and a half, and can last up to three months in the freezer if packaged in a freezer bag.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photos by Trinity Phan-Low (apples & applesauce)

Photos by Rylie Horrall (apple pie & apple crisp)

Simple DIY Thanksgiving decorations

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

As a child, you may have made Thanksgiving decorations in school, such as the classic hand turkey. Here’s some of those decorations that you can still use now.

 

Hand Turkeys

Hang a blast-from-the-past decoration that can be made into a chain. Start by tracing your hand onto a piece of paper and then cutting it out. Color the fingers to create feathers. Alternatively, trace your fingers on various colored paper, then cut and glue onto the fingers of the hand outline. Draw a face onto the thumb to make the head of the turkey.

To make the hanging chain, repeat the process as many times as desired. Take the finished hand turkeys and glue the head of the turkey onto another turkey just below the tip of the pinky. Hang where desired when finished.

 

Pinecone Turkey Centerpieces

Decorate your dining table with an easy-to-make centerpiece. Take a pinecone — which can be bought in bulk or potentially found outside for free — and glue googly eyes onto the front of it. Alternatively, eyes can be drawn on paper, cut out and glued on. Take some colorful paper and cut out oblong oval shapes to create feathers. Glue the makeshift feathers onto the pinecone near the back. Repeat this step to layer the feathers. Lastly, cut a small triangle out of orange paper and glue it on to make a beak.

 

Turkey Treat Bags

Organize your snacks and create a cute decoration in the process. Take a small plastic bag and fill it with Reese’s Pieces (or a different candy of your choice). Tie off the end with a string or hair tie. The end of the bag can be fluffed up to make a tail, or you can add to it by cutting feathers out of paper. Take an orange pipe cleaner and twist it to make a beak, leaving extra standing up in order to glue googly eyes on. Alternatively, you can use candy corn for beak and paper for the eyes. Take yellow pipe cleaners and twist them to create feet, or use paper glued to the bottom of the bag.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Rylie Horrall (hand turkey)

Photo by Cora McClain (pinecone) 

Photo by Trinity Phan-Low (treat bag)

Where to find late season apple picking farms

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

During the fall season, pumpkin picking isn’t the only autumn activity that’s available. Many farms offer a chance for customers to pick their own apples — whether it’s for recipes, or just a prime photo opportunity. While many have closed down for the season, here’s a few farms that are still open for apple picking.

Beilke Family Farm is located in Brooks at 4925 Rockdale Street NE, and is open through the month of November. The farm offers customers the opportunity to pick their own apples from a variety of 15 different varieties. They call their trees ‘dwarf trees,’ as they cut them to make sure they remain at a reasonable height for both adults and children to be able to reach. Twenty-five apples fill a bucket, and each bucket costs $12. If a visitor buys 10 buckets, the 11th one is free.

Currently, Beilke Family Farm is hosting an event called the Largest Apple Contest, where the customer that brings in the largest apple will win three free buckets of apples.

The farm is open on Monday–Saturday from 8 a.m.–6 p.m, and on Sundays from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. More information can be found on their website, beilkefamilyfarm.com.

Green Bridge Gardens, located at 3730 Jefferson Scio Dr SE in Jefferson, has not only apples available, but peaches, tomatoes, strawberries and peppers for customers to pick. Customers must bring their own containers to fill at this location, and availability of produce changes daily.

In addition to their u-pick produce, Green Bridge Gardens has a variety of jams, spreads and syrups for customers to purchase as well. They’re open daily from 9 a.m.–6 p.m., and can be found at their website, greensbridgegardens.com. The farm recommends following their Facebook page for updates on u-pick availability.

Three Cedars Farm has fresh apples each day for customers to pick up. Located at 5751 Wallace Rd NW in West Salem, their farm stand has apples available for $1 per pound, or a 20-pound box for $12. Additionally, they have fresh pressed cider obtainable for $8 a gallon or $5 for a half-gallon. Three Cedars Farm stand is open from dawn until dusk, and further information can be found on their Facebook page.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Step-by-step processes of fall inspired makeup

Ashlynn Norton | Digital Media Manager  Alyssa Martin | Freelancer  Cora McClain | Editor in Chief

 

Ashlynn:

Look #1 – The every day/night look to fall for

This is one of my go-to looks for fall. For me, it’s really fast and easy. I find that as a person with glasses, my makeup can get hidden by the shadows of my glasses, so going a little darker keeps my makeup from disappearing. 

 

Products:

MaryKay Eyeshadow: Auburn

Mary Kay Eyeshadow: Coal 

Milk Kush Mascara

 

Step 1: Take any copper color (I used Mary Kay’s “Auburn”). Put the color on your eyelid and take it a little above the lid.

Step 2: With black eyeshadow (I used Mary Kay’s “Coal”), take your finger and swipe the color onto your eyelid. I find that when applying a single color to your eyelid, using your finger really helps pack the color on, in comparison to using a brush. Alternatively, if you don’t want to use black, a dark brown would work just as good.

Step 3: I like to finish this off with winged eyeliner and my favorite mascara by Milk.

Optional: I think this look pairs well with a nude brown lipstick, but would also go well with a dark brown or red.

 

Look #2 – The punk/more colorful autumn

I love super colorful makeup. I was inspired by the amazing fall sunsets to create a look that is a little more on the colorful side but is also still pretty simple. This look is great for pretty much everyone.

 

Products: 

BH Take Me Back to Brazil Eyeshadow Palette

Milk Kush Mascara

 

Step 1: For this look, you will want to use a lighter copper color and put that on your eyelid and a little above that. (Unfortunately, the palette I used doesn’t have names for the shades so I can’t tell you exactly what colors I used.)

Step 2: Using your finger, take a dark purple and apply that on your eyelid.

Step 3: Take a dark brown shade and put that in your crease to add dimension. 

Step 4: Again, I finish this look off with winged eyeliner and my Milk Kush mascara.

Optional: I really like to finish this off with a bright red lipstick, but this would also look good with a dark brown.

 

Cora:

Look: The just-out-of-the-oven-pumpkin

This is my first experimentation with warm-toned eyeshadow. What started as a fun, bright orange soon turned smokey with a touch of dark brown. Using a bold lip can help balance out the darkness of this look.

 

Products:

Elf Rose Gold – Sunset Eyeshadow : Auburn

Elf Rose Gold – Sunset Eyeshadow : Brown

Elf Rose Gold – Sunset Eyeshadow : Gold

Wet n Wild Matte Lip : A362

Loreal Paris mascara : Voluminous Original 

 

Step 1: Use a light matte auburn color as the base of this look. Cover your lid completely.

Step 2: To add some depth, take a matte dark brown and lightly add the color to the outer edge of your lid and along your crease. If it ends up outside of your eyelid, you can use concealer or foundation to clean up any mistakes once you’re done.

Step 3: Blend the two colors together; this should soften the harsh lines between the brown and auburn and soften the boldness of the brown. Usually this is best done with a soft brush with longer bristles, so I recommend using a blending brush.

Step 4: I like to highlight the middle of my lid in most of my looks, so I use a glittery dark gold to make my smokey eye pop. Highlighting the inner eye with this color can also make your look pop.

Step 5: Finish your eyes off with whatever mascara you like, either a black or brown color can work with this look. I generally like doing this instead of curling my eyelashes since it puts less stress on them.

Step 6 : Use a bold lip to balance out the bold eye, I used the “looking for truffle” color of Wet n Wild. 

 

Alyssa:

Look: The ‘Carmel Apple’ look is perfectly scrumptious to wear day or night……..

I am far from a makeup guru so this look is easy and quick. I like adding a more shimmering color as an accent but you can definitely do this look with a matte finish. 

 

Products:

Lashes – Lash Sensational by Maybelline New York

Lips – 120 Go Wild by Almay 

Eyes – Base: BB Cream-Nude by NYX 

Eyeshadow: A362 Looking For Truffle Velvet Matte Lip Color by Wet n Wild 

Accent Eyeshadow: Color Wonderland Palette (on the ‘Neutrals’ side) by Sephora 

 

Step 1: I use a small soft paintbrush to apply BB cream onto my eyelids but you can use your finger or whatever else works for you. Apply a thin layer of BB cream onto the desired area of the lid just enough to coat the entire area you want. This will help the color stay on the lid. 

Step 2: Dab the eyeshadow onto the base, evenly applying the color onto the lid. I am using a matte lipstick as the eyeshadow, but hey, when it works, it works. Continue applying the color onto the lid until you get the desired brightness. 

Step 3: Apply a small amount of BB cream at the inner corners of the lid and going until a little less than halfway across the lid. This will help the accent color pop out more. 

Step 4: Dab the accent eyeshadow directly onto the new BB cream and blend where the two eyeshadows meet.

Step 5: Apply mascara onto both the top and bottom lashes. 

Step 6: To finish the look, apply lipstick and you are done! Now you’ve got a look that can be both festive and cute. 

 

Contact the authors at amartin17@wou.edu & anorton17@wou.edu

Photos by Ashlynn Norton, Alyssa Martin, and Cora McClain

Catch a bite to eat at Greece Lightning Express

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Greece Lightning Express is located at 156 Catron St in Monmouth — specifically on the corner where Catron meets Jackson Street. It’s owned and operated by Pete Kalogeras, who chose to open a food truck due to their apparent popularity in Oregon.

The food truck opened on July 20, 2017, making it open for nearly two-and-a-half years. Kalogeras decided to open in Monmouth because of the town’s growing size, and chose to serve Greek food in respect  to his personal heritage.

“There are very few Greek food carts and (coming) from an ethnic Greek background I decided to open one up.” Kalogeras said.

The dish he recommends to first-time customers is a traditional beef and lamb gyro, and the truck’s signature meal is the Original Gyro. The Original Gyro consists of beef and lamb cooked with seasoning on a spit with tomatoes, red onions and tzatziki sauce all served on warm pita bread.

Greece Lightning Express also carries a Veggie Gyro, which comes with feta cheese, red onions, tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, tzatziki sauce and lettuce put together onto pita bread. Other than gyros, the truck additionally serves fries — regular and Greek-style loaded fries. Both are made from fresh-cut potatoes, but the Greek fries have feta cheese, Greek seasoning and lemon.

If customers want something sweet, the food truck offers Baklava, a dessert that’s made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey.

In addition to staying in Monmouth, Greece Lightning Express occasionally moves to Dallas and travels for events. Their hours of operation are 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in Monmouth, and the same hours on Tuesdays in Dallas in the parking lot of the “Some Things” furniture store. Kalogeras posts events that the food truck will be at, along with additional information on Facebook and Instagram (@greecelightningexpress).

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo by Cora McClain

Opportune locations for autumn photoshoots

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Autumn brings a prime opportunity to take some aesthetically pleasing photos, whether it’s for a holiday card or just for the perfect Instagram post. Here’s some locations that could provide great photo opportunities.

 

Outside of NS (bench) – On the edge of campus lies the Natural Sciences building. In addition to the bench right outside the building, the newly renovated pond provides an opportune photo.

Monmouth Ave Stretch – The street that runs through campus is lined with trees; the changing leaves will be perfect for your fall aesthetic.

Fountain – Near the center of Main Street in Independence, the water glistening from the fountain enhances your photo.

Park near waterfront – Just behind the fountain and near the waterfront lies Riverview Park. The changing leaves and amphitheatre are ideal for both portraits and group pictures.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photos by Cora McClain

Spice up your pumpkin pie with this recipe

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Family recipes are something that are often protected and cherished – this is true for my family as well. Once fall rolls around, my mom takes the time to start baking fall inspired goodies for the next three months. One dessert she never fails to prepare is a delicious pumpkin pie, here’s the recipe she follows. Happy baking season.

 

PUMPKIN PIE

Start to finish: 1 hour 10 minutes

1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust

¾ cup of white sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of ground ginger

¼ teaspoon of ground cloves

2 eggs

1 (15 ounce) can of 100% pure pumpkin 

1 (12 fluid ounce) can of evaporated milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F°

Combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in a larger bowl. Stir in the pumpkin and the sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Pour the finished mixture into the pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F°. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Do not freeze — this will cause the crust and filling to separate.

 

To create a more festive Halloween pie, try using cookie cutters to create some spooky shapes to place on top of the pie, such as a ghost, bat, spider, or pumpkin. Cookie cutters in the shapes of various leaves are an alternative for a general fall look.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu