Well, this recipe was introduced to me by one of my teachers, but I removed a couple of ingredients from that list for simplicity and tweaked the directions a bit to help with efficiency. I’ve fallen in love with these biscuits, and baking has slowly started to become a hobby of mine as a result. This recipe only requires six simple ingredients and is overall a perfect recipe for amateur bakers.
Yields: 8-12 biscuits depending on size
Ingredients:
2 cups (260 grams) Flour, plus more for shaping/kneading the biscuits
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (if using regular butter that contains salt, only use 1/2 teaspoon of salt)
5 Tablespoons (2.5 ounces) cold no-salt butter cut into chunks
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons of Buttermilk or Yogurt (If you don’t have Buttermilk or Yogurt, you can use regular milk, add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk, let stand for 5 minutes. Or add 1 & 3/4 teaspoons of cream of tartar to one cup of milk.)
Do Ahead: Cut the 5 Tablespoons of butter into small chunks (about 10-15) and place in a small plate/bowl in the refrigerator. When you are ready to make your biscuits, the cold butter will work better in this recipe.
Directions:
Heat the oven/air fryer to 450 degrees F
Mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Add the cold butter and press it into the flour mixture until well combined.
Add the buttermilk and stir just until the mixture until the mixture is well combined.
Spread some flour on your work surface and turn the dough out onto the flour
Knead the dough a few times. Add flour to hands if dough is sticky.
Press the dough into 3/4 inch thickness and cut into biscuit rounds. You can use a glass or can to do this.
Put the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
These buttermilk biscuits are great with butter and/or honey and are also an amazing way to involve carbs and fiber in your diet!
It’s that wonderful time of year again… the end of first semester freshman year and the beginning of the enduring English 1 ritual: To Kill a Mockingbird.
I’ve heard a lot of complaints about TKaM, usually about how boring it is and how no one can understand what the heck is going on. But I beg to digress, because though it’s one of the most commonly read books in the high school curriculum, ever, I really enjoyed reading this book.
Obviously, the story of TKaM is pretty famous already, and I think it’s important that high schoolers are forced to read a book that confronts issues still relevant in our society today. Especially in a time when books are being banned and voices are being silenced, it’s important to have this classic in our schools and education system.
There have been concerns about the prevalence of the n-word, about ideas of white saviorhood in the book, and also opposition from others who want to suppress this unsavory part of American history. But the tragic story of Tom Robinson is an important lesson, and despite some valid concerns, I think To Kill a Mockingbird fittingly and engagingly introduces an idea and a time period that shouldn’t be erased from our school books.
Moreover, I think it’s just a well-written story and an enjoyable read. Maybe it’s time we stop complaining about the “weird” wording and appreciate it for what it truly is.
To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.
During the summer of 2024, I volunteered at a camp where I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities how to ride a bike on special bikes. The program was called “iCanBike” and I came across it through Lion’s Heart, a teen volunteering non-profit organization. I pursued two of my friends to volunteer at the week-long camp hosted by the nonprofit organization iCanShine, and all three of us loved every moment of it.
We attended orientation where we learned how the specialized teaching bikes worked, the student that we were assigned to teach, and different strategies to keep our student focused on biking.
At the beginning of the week-long camp, my student rode the specialized bike that iCanShine provided while I kept full control of the handle. I taught my student how to use his pedals and how to steer. My friends and I had split jobs to keep our student engaged, as they were in charge of keeping him motivated, while I was in control of our student’s safety (like keeping the bike from running into walls).
Gradually, my student learned how to fully pedal the bike without my assistance. Using cues, I would tap my finger on his shoulder as a reminder to keep pedaling. As the camp came to an end, my student was able to bike on a two wheel bike instead of the specialized bikes and it was so amazing to see his growth!
Overall, this was an extremely rewarding experience. I got to connect with my student one-on-one and teach him the basics of how to ride a bike. I even made an impact on his family, as his mother was so excited to see her child ride a bike. Additionally, the smile on my student’s face when he realized that he was in control and riding the bike all on his own was invaluable. His mom even got him a bike of his own, showing how I’ve had an influence on his life. This volunteer project was important to me because I realized that I can help children with special needs to gain self confidence in their skills like bike riding. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would 100% do it again.
During Track season, I have found a recurring issue that comes back around the same time every year, and that issue is both shin splints and soreness. To fix this problem I have started my journey of using a variety of techniques both individually and in combination with other methods listed.
Proper warmup/cooldown and agility stretching
Proper warmup/cooldown and stretching are essential for any runner who wants to avoid injury. From my experience, however, you should not rely on warmups or stretches alone to avoid or get rid of shin splints and soreness. This method works best to prevent further or new injuries, shin splints, and soreness when it is in combination with good running technique, other injury recovery methods, proper breaks between reps, and listening to your body. Nevertheless, this does not in any way mean that warmup/cooldown and agility stretches should be neglected because they don’t show immediate results. In the long run, a good warmup with agility stretches will get your body ready for plenty of running exercises. And a proper cooldown will prevent build up of soreness and tense feeling in your body.
Hand Massage
Overall, I did not find hand massages very effective in my recovery journey. However, this may be due to my massages being done at home with not much information. If you are looking into hand massages I recommend going to a sports massage therapist directly or talking to your schools sports trainer for tips on shin splints, injuries, or soreness. In the future I plan to try hand massages out again after finding more information on this technique.
Foam + handheld Rollers
foam roller
handheld roller
Foam rollers and handheld rollers have been one of the most useful items I’ve used for recovery and injury prevention. I definitely recommend getting a foam roller if you can. When I was recovering from soreness over winter break I used a foam roller to roll out. Over the next couple days with the use of a roller, the soreness went away very quickly and effectively. Foam rollers are very good for large muscle groups while handheld rollers may be better for more specific and smaller groups of muscles.
Ice Packs and Muscle Sleeves
ice packs for shins
Ice packs and muscle sleeves are good injury recovery items in order to reduce inflammation in muscle groups. Ice packs have proven to be very effective on my shin splints. Over the past couple of weeks of trying out ice packs my shin splints have gotten noticeably better and don’t get in the way of my workouts as much as they did before I used ice packs.
While using shin splint sleeves I have found that they provide good support, compression, and reduction of inflammation. I would however, definitely recommend that if you are going to use ice packs or shin sleeves, to combine them with another technique of recovery/prevention for a more effective and consistent result.
The commonly used phrase “Re” in anime actually stands for the word “again”. Re:Re (Again:Again) also just so happens to be the opening song for in my opinion, one of the greatest works of fiction to exist: Erased. The name Re:Re is a perfect way to pave an introduction to this classic, science-fiction mystery, as not only does the main character go through the same intense, thriller-filled experiences over and over again, but Erased itself also made me read and watch the story more times than I can count.
Erased begins by narrating the pathetic, hollow life of 29-year-old failed manga artist Satoru Fujinuma in 2006. Due to this, Satoru works as a pizza delivery driver to make ends meet. Unexpectedly, after a singular life-changing encounter while delivering pizzas, Satoru awakens a special power that he calls “Revival”, an unexplained, supernatural ability that transports him (however many minutes he needs) back in time to “fix” a tragedy that is about to occur. For the next couple of weeks, “Revival” happens to Satoru almost every day, giving him the hero-like chance to save the lives of many strangers around him.
However, after an uneventful day out and coming home from work, Satoru is met with the horrifying, startling murder scene of his dear mother. To make matters worse, the neighbors come in at that exact moment, pinning Satoru as the suspected killer. In this hell-like scenario while running away and hiding from the police, “Revival” suddenly occurs once more, except this time, instead of time-traveling 1 minute, 5 minutes back in time, Satoru opens his eyes to find himself in the body of his 11-year-old self. He had traveled back in time all the way to 1988. Watch Satoru find his hero within as he tries to save the lives of three fifth-grade classmates who were kidnapped and killed in his past while also trying to identify the person behind murdering his mother in the future.
Satoru Fujinuma, 2006, Age 29
I watched Erased (anime) for the first time many, many years ago. For the record, I had been an avid fan of mystery-genre fiction for a while, yet still, the emotional thrill while binging all 12 episodes in one day was ingrained in my memories and left an indelible mark in my heart for the rest of my life, all up until now. While the plot as described sounds very action-packed, in my opinion, Erased is much more like a reflective commentary on society, problems within households, friendships, the importance of believing others, love, and creating your role, your hero, no matter what it takes. The anime not only gave me the rush of intense drama, but also made me cry and wail, cheer for the friendships and progress made for Satoru and his peers, and even pause the show entirely to digest the weight of its emotions and ideas.
I thoroughly enjoyed the low-key tenseness of the tone throughout the show, as my interpretation of it is that it’s a reflection of Satoru’s inner turmoil. That being said, all the characters are all very well-developed, complex, and gain a better understanding of themselves as the show progresses as well.
Now here comes my opinion on the manga, which I have to say, is at least 100x better than the anime adaptation.
Erased Manga ; Volume 1
Yes, you heard me right: anime adaptation. As what happens with most animes, Erased is yet another unfortunate victim of an animation production team taking the original manga and cutting out parts of the storyline to fit the budget. Except in this case, the anime not only cut out supplementary enjoyable moments but also a big, important chunk of the storyline and even the entire ending. You heard me right again– the entire ending of the Erased anime was in fact not the original ending.
This is also a reason why many viewers were split in their opinions on the show. While very few people say that the whole anime was bad, lots of reviewers on either side (positive and negative reviews) can agree that the ending for the show was, in fact…pretty bad. Personally, when I saw the anime, I felt indifferent to the ending overall, yet can agree it lacked so much potential impact. When I read the manga with the original ending (that the anime should’ve gotten), however, I realized just how perfect this work of fiction actually was. I am a firm believer that the unanimous critique of Erased being “bad” solely because of its ending can easily be revoked if everyone had just read the manga after, or even before.
“The town where only I am missing is my treasure!”
The manga goes much deeper into the psyche of all the characters, their motivations, backstories, and thinking. In fact, the entire last volume of the series (Volume 5), is literally the narration of Erased in the perspective of all major characters. Not only does the anime lack the depth in characters that is characterized in the manga, but it also barely clears up confusing plot points– or even covers them at all!
If you’re thinking about picking up Erased, your question would probably then be: Should I read the manga or watch the anime first? My honest answer would be that it depends on what you’re looking for. And I’m going to be honest: while I do definitely recommend to both read and watch Erased, doing one or the other first could impact your experience/impression of it. I personally watched and then read, but for others, watching the anime ending of Erased first might make them drop the manga. I’m telling you (if you decide to watch the anime first) to trust me on how the manga is worth the read (even if the anime made it seem like that isn’t the case). On the other hand, if you choose to read the manga first, watching the anime after will feel like a waste of time and even a disappointment. Either way, Erased itself as a work of fiction is absolutely phenomenal and worth the tears.
“…”
“I always believed.”
This post has been NECcesarily long (haha), but I would like to end with just another fun point. In the original manga and anime release in Japan, Erased is actually called “Boku dake ga Inai Machi”, which directly translates to “The Town Where Only I Am Missing”. Only upon its English release did that name somehow turn into Erased. This sudden change of a name is particularly startling for me, as the original Japanese title makes much more sense and is directly correlated to the storyline. The name Erased, however, is only a name and title without any further meaning.
The name The Town Where Only I Am Missing seems really dark. But after watching the show, maybe then you’ll realize that such isn’t the case.
Sculptures and figurines: This is a really great way to theme your bookshelf if you want to relate it to a certain genre or character such as dragons. They can also simply be mini replicas or figurines of characters that don’t neccessarily belong to a book you’re reading but fit a similar aesthetic.
Vases and plants: They don’t have to be real, but sometimes adding a little color can make it more aesthetically pleasing and bring a pop of life onto the shelves.
LED and fairy lights: These can help give a warmer atmosphere to your reading nook, creating an almost mystical vibe as you dive into your next book. It espescially helps on cold or dark nights.
Artwork: It could be something simple like a quote from your favorite character or book. You could also put up a picture of your favorite scene or city from a book. Either way, adding artwork can really make the space feel more personal and related to what you’re interested in.
Color gradients: Some people like rainbows while others like organizing their books based on series or creating a fading gradient across the shelves. Based on your own personal preference, this could be the perfect chance to experiment with what works for you.
Themes: Sometimes changing up the decor on your bookshelf can also make it more refreshing or relaxing. Some themes you could choose from are seasonal or even genre-related.
“A guy needs somebody—to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody…”(Steinbeck 108).
Out of the many books I read in class my freshman year, I enjoyed reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the most!
What I love most about this book is the bond between the two main characters: George and Lennie. I love their relationship. George cares about Lennie, but finds him tiresome and a lot of work to take care of, but would never abandon him. Lennie, in turn, sticks with George and looks up to him.
In my opinion, Steinbeck did an amazing job at designing the side characters! My favorite characters would be Slim and Candy, because I feel that those characters were developed the most. Another detail I liked was how Steinbeck constantly dropped hints in the text that most readers would overlook. For example, when we first met Candy as a character, he was described as an old handyman who is missing his hand, and has an old dog that he raised since it was a pup. When I read this in class, my mind immediately drifted off to “Why did he lose his hand?” or “How did he lose his hand?”.
The ending completely tore me apart, however. I know what George did wasn’t the best idea at the moment, but he did it out of his love for Lennie, believing that if the gang caught him, they would torture him before killing him. I wondered however, if there were more possibilities? For example, couldn’t he have helped him escape? There was a cave at the beginning of the story…couldn’t he have gone there instead? However, I do understand. With the gang approaching rapidly, there probably wasn’t enough time. Out of 5 stars, I’d give this book a 4.7. I recommend this book to adults who need a reminder of the good in life.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded from Libby.
An article by Brown University Health states that good habits are exceptionally beneficial to people’s daily lives through efficiency, consistency, goal achievement, health and wellness, time management, skill development, and even stress reduction (“Why Habits Can Be a Good Thing”). This conception emphasizes the importance of good habits and implies that good habits result in a better life. Thus, it is important to implement positive habits that can change your life for the better in 2025.
With the upbringing of the era of technology, planet Earth transformed significantly and people started to depend on technology for their daily use. Although this global transformation had some positive impacts, one of its negative impacts is the amount of time lost by humans in their life due to technology. This means that as humans became reliant on technology, their time started to be consumed by it, especially on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram where it created an endless cycle of addictive scrolling, which resulted in teens using their phones before they go to sleep and right when they wake up. Although this may seem relaxing, it transformed lots of people, specifically teens, through the incorporation of this bad habit into their daily life. In order to prevent your time from being further wasted, then you should start implementing this in your routines. You should go on your phone and put restrictions on your phone for the time you wake up and before you go to sleep in order to prevent yourself from going on your phone. You can also distract yourself with other things. For example, you can listen to energetic music instead of scrolling on social media.
Another habit that can be a head start for a great life in 2025 is to meditate. Many people’s lives drastically change due to meditation and studies from Harvard state that mindfulness makes positive changes to physical and mental well-being (Powell). If meditation is incorporated into your daily life as a habit, then by the end of 2025, your life will definitely have changed for the better.
Lastly, another habit you can begin is sleeping the right amount of times. I can not stress this enough but getting enough is so important to your health. It can impact your mood and how you act. Sleeping the right amount of sleep can improve your mood and your energy. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll all be grouchy and tired. If you get enough sleep, you will be in a way better mood.
In conclusion, the three habits to implement in 2025 are not getting screen time when you wake up and before you sleep, which prevent the loss of time, meditation for your physical and mental well being, and getting enough sleep, which is extremely important for your health in general. Implementing these 3 habits might seem small but their impact is drastic. Thus, you can make 2025 a year of growth step by step with these habits.
Whiplash is a 2014 movie about a drummer named Andrew Neiman, who studies jazz at Shaffer Conservatory in New York. Neiman has one goal in mind, which is to be the best jazz drummer in the world. While at Shaffer Conservatory he meets a man named Terence Fletcher, who has a very frightening teaching method but is effective towards the right person. Neiman can use Fletcher’s method of teaching to make him a better musician. This movie has one of the best endings I have ever watched and has very impactful scenes that will be some of the most entertaining things you will see.
Near the beginning of the film, Fletcher chooses Andrew Neiman to join his jazz band. Fletcher manipulates Neiman into becoming a good enough musician to be a core member of the band. As the film continues, the audience watches Fletcher use his odd teaching method to make Neiman the best. The audience is also able to learn what Terence Fletcher’s goal is. His goal is to bring out the greatness in all of his students, but he was never able to achieve this because his students usually get demotivated because of his teaching method. As the movie ends, Fletcher reaches his goal and Neiman gets closer to his.
Whiplash is easily one of my favorite movies that I have ever seen. What I enjoyed most was the mix of heartbreaking and thrilling scenes. Seeing how much Andrew Neiman was being affected by Fletcher, either in a good or bad way, was very entertaining. For example, as the viewer continues to watch the film, they can clearly see the effect that Fletcher has on Neiman. It was also fun to watch Neiman change throughout the movie. For example, the audience can witness Neiman do actions near the end of the film that he wouldn’t have done at the beginning. With this, Whiplash becomes a very meaningful and engaging movie.
Overall, Whiplash is a great movie to watch, which I recommend for anyone to watch when they have the time. My favorite part of the movie was the variety of scenes that can instantly change your mood throughout the movie. Some scenes will make you sad while others fill you with excitement. Another notable part of the movie that I enjoyed was the character development that the audience is able to see Andrew Neiman go through. I can assure anyone that this movie will not be a disappointment but instead will be a great experience.
The Egypt Game, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, is the story of a young girl named April Hall. April’s mother is an actress in Hollywood, but she sends April away to live with her grandmother in Berkeley, California. April makes friends with a girl named Melanie and her younger brother Marshall. Together, they come up a game that they play behind an old antique store run by a strange man known as the Professor. They call it the “Egypt Game.” As the days go on, the game grows to six members as they make new friends. They wear Egyptian costumes and pretend to have ancient Egyptian ceremonies. It all seems like a fun and imaginary game about Ancient Egypt. However, strange and mysterious things begin to happen to the children, causing them to feel that they are in serious danger.
This book received a Newbery Honor award. I think that it deserves this honor because it is very well-written and engaging. The characters are realistic and the story moves along at a good pace. The story is also very suspenseful, which made it difficult for me to stop reading once I started. Overall, this book definitely exceeded my expectations. I expected it to be a typical book targeted to young people, but it had more depth and originality than I expected. I enjoyed the way this book blended imaginary game playing with real-life action. These imaginative children are very lifelike characters, and their adventures are exciting with many unexpected twists. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did and I would highly recommend it to everyone.
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.
![US] Erased (2016) - Satoru is sent 18 years into the past to prevent his mothers murder. By becoming friends with his shy classmate Kayo, Satoru hopes he can stop a series](https://external-preview.redd.it/BWdAJeQPHjEXKae8Ame6ERf7J7BAtBaOwJtd75zd1-U.jpg?auto=webp&s=75b51885ffb4163e9691e2e54ac45fa88bbda55d)
Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice 