Make chocolate for Valentine’s Day

By Varun Ravuri

Recipe (3 servings)

1.5 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon milk powder (optional, recommended)

½ tablespoon cocoa powder

2 tablespoons sweetener (maple syrup, sugar, honey, etc)

¼ cup water

⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

First, turn up the heat to a medium-low temperature and place a medium-sized pan on the stove. Add the water into the pan and bring it to a simmer, and then add the coconut oil. I used butter, which is one of many possible subsitutions, such as cocoa butter, palm oil, and just plain old butter. Results may vary slightly depending on the product chosen, but they should all result in a delicious, homemade chocolate. Let it melt completely and occasionally stir to ensure the water and oil are well combined. At this point, add in the cocoa powder and milk powder. The milk powder is completely optional, but it makes it taste like classic milk chocolate, giving it a more creamy and lush consistency. For better results, I sifted in the cocoa powder and milk powder using a coffee filter.

Stir and completely combine the cocoa and milk powder for 2-3 minutes, then begin to add in your sweetener. I used white cane sugar, but the sweetener is up to the individual—brown sugar, white sugar, sugar-free options, maple syrup, and honey are a few among dozens.

Remove the mixture from the heat and begin to let it cool down while occasionally stirring. Once it has reached a temperature where it does not burn to touch, optional items can be added, including nuts, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, which are all popular options.

Begin to pour the chocolate into molds; store-bought ones or even simple containers at home will suffice. However, ensure that it is not too thick, which may make it harder to chop up and consume within multiple servings. If you are in the Valentine spirit, you can use heart-shaped molds for a spe- cial occasion or person. The chocolate has a freezer life of four months and a shelf life of two weeks, but with the simplicity of this recipe, it can be made multiple times.

Review vored water. Their pani puri was underwhelming and a little bland, but it hit the spot. I found that the fillings were pretty basic and didn’t offer any unique flavors. I also tried the vada pav, which is a potato cutlet slider. I liked the vada pav better since the spices were perfectly balanced and the bun was soft and fluffy. The potato wasn’t too heavy, and I thought it would make a nice snack in the future. Overall, it was a pleasant experience, and I could see myself coming back if I was in need of an Indian street food fix.

After trying the first piece of my homemade chocolate, I quickly realized how rewarding the experience is. The chocolate was creamy and delicious, all with a simple four ingredients that can be found in almost every grocery store. I didn’t have molds on hand, so the shape did not come out perfectly, but the taste made up for it entirely. However, there are a few changes I would make to the recipe next time to fix a few minor flaws and better the flavor. A pinch of sea salt on the top of the chocolate before placing it in the fridge would add a nice contrast of flavors. Also, now that I have realized how easy the process can be, I would put in plenty of toppings next time and be more creative. The entire recipe is completely open-ended, whether you want to use it for Valentine’s Day or any other holiday. Get creative with it.

3. Mount Everest Momo: 4/5 stars While their menu consists of several Nepalese dishes, the Everest Momo truck is definitely known for their momos, which are Nepalese dumplings. They are located in a parking lot near the Milpitas library, and while the area was eerily empty, the food was worth it. I ordered both the chicken and vegetarian momos, and was extremely impressed. The vegetarian momos were seasoned well but a little too soft, as they fell apart when I tried to pick them up. I did not enjoy the flavor of the vegetarian ones that much but my friends did, which made me think it was just personal preference. However, the chicken momos stood out to me because of their perfect flavoring, texture, and juiciness. The meat wasn’t dry or bland and the dough held up even when taking a bite out of it. The momos came with two chutneys, one mild and one spicy, and both were good in their own ways. I also tried the masala chai, since I was getting cold while waiting for the food. The chai was basic and didn’t make me feel too impressed, but the momos blew me away enough to give this truck the top spot.

Trying to unshackle myself from phone addiction

By Adrian Pamintuan

Cell phones. They are seen in almost everyone’s hands at almost every waking moment. Whether it is before we head to bed at night, wake up in the morning, or throughout the day — it is an understatement that phones have taken over the lives of this generation. Though not present for much of human history, mobile phones are used on a day-to-day basis — largely replacing much of our social interactions at dinnertime, school, and even hangouts with friends. I took a shot at breaking my own phone use habits to hopefully inspire more people on our campus to do the same.

A tip I have used numerous times in the past, but decided to employ more rigorously, is the Apple iPhone “Focus” mode. Essentially, I set my phone on a lockdown mode to avoid receiving messages, app notifications, and alert sounds from select apps and contacts. I also manually disabled notifications from my largest consumed apps like Instagram, Twitter, and Discord, making it intentionally more tedious to respond to pings. Next, I challenged myself to the 30-30 rule—which no doubt tested my discipline skills—where I would not be able to pick up my phone 30 minutes before bed and 30 minutes after waking up.

With these measures laid out in front of me, it was not an easy task to keep up with for an entire school week. Believe it or not, being forced to break years of a habit is no easy task.

In addition to this change, I made it a routine to leave my phone in my room whenever I had to be in other parts of the house, forcing myself to physically separate my body from my phone. While I was not completely cut off from the Internet, I found that within the first couple of days, I was able to complete my schoolwork faster. Due to my phone’s “Focus” mode being turned on throughout the day, I had less reason to pick up my phone or listen out for its pings and vibrations. Charging my phone away from my bedside came in addition to helping remove urges to reach for it at night. As a result, I was able to stay focused when reviewing a textbook section, filling out my mathematics worksheet, or writing my English journals.

The most effective aspect that I learned was physical separation from my phone. At times before this experiment, it was easy to reach for my phone, only intend- ing to use it for a little while, and finding myself getting sidetracked because of a new notification. This case was especially common during dinnertime where halfway through the meal, I would eventually be glued to my phone screen while the food turned cold. However, post-experiment, I established a good balance of efficient phone-time use and an increased physical presence in the world around me.

Avoiding the bright LED screen made a huge difference in how I ended and started my days. Though at first it seemed like I had nothing to do in the morning, I decided to try new routines such as boiling tea, preparing meals, or even getting some extra sleep.

One thing I have come to learn out of this experience is that even making small attempts to break bad habits provides me the opportunity to fill that headspace with more beneficial, self-improving measures. What phones have trained our bodies to respond to is instant gratification — shortform videos that people find themselves watching for hours or feeds to scroll through. Though breaking these routines can be a hard task in the short-term, even five days can open your eyes to an entire world of possibilities.