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Show Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 Page 4 AggieLife Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Gobble goes global International students get taste of Thanksgiving A dorm room thanksgiving A delicious, homemade Thanksgiving dinner can't be recreated by microwave and prepackaged foods, but one can definitely get a taste of the Thanksgiving basics with quick and easy cooking (or reheating). We've compiled a list of easy Thanksgiving staples that can be whipped up quick and easy for a dorm room Thanksgiving. 1. Turkey Turkey is the most fundamental part of a Thanksgiving meal and there are several small portion options for college students. For the real deal, a small 40-ounce boneless turkey breast roast from Private Selections ($8.99) can be thawed and cooked at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. For a reheatable, packaged option, check out either the frozen Boston Market Turkey Breast Medallions Dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy carrots and green beans ($3.10 for one serving) or the Hormel "Compleats" Turkey and Gravy Dinner ($2.71 for one serving). Both can be heated in the microwave for a cheap and easy turkey dinner. 2. Mashed Potatoes Aside from the turkey, mashed potatoes are another Thanksgiving must-have. Betty Crocker offers boxed mashed potato mixes in sour cream and chives, roasted garlic and cheddar, butter and herb or creamy homestyle butter. All they require is butter and water for a "great taste in eight minutes" ($1.99 for two servings). There are several other boxed and packaged choices for microwavable mashed potatoes. 3. Rolls Warm, fluffy, flakey and buttery. Rolls are my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. Buy three for $1 at Smith's Bakery, or for the truly ambitious, cook some frozen Rhodes Rolls (about $3.50 for 24 rolls) and freeze what you don't need for later. 4. Stuffing Make a single serving of stuffing with a cannister of Stove Top Stuffing Mix, just add water and heat in the microwave for about two minutes ($2.49). INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ARE often invited by friends to spend Thanksgiving with their family. The Cache Valley Unitarian Universalist Church has held a Thanksgiving dinner for the past three years for students who can't go home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Every year between 15-20 students attend the event. COURTNIE PACKER photo By APRIL ASHLAND staff writer Cache Valley Unitarian Universalist (CVUU) Church has held a Thanksgiving dinner for the past three years for students who can't go home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Susie Flann, CVUU hospitality and fellowship chairwoman, has been working to get the event up and running this year. Each year, the group gives the time and date to the employees at USU International Students and Scholars Office, who spread the word. "We realized that the students would be alone, and we want them to have a warm community to turn to instead of being alone," Flann said. "And of course, there's good food." Every year, between 15-20 students attend the event, as well as members of the CVUU church community. This year, the church is providing two turkeys and a ham, and the other members will bring side dishes and deserts. Some members, like Flann, attend the event every year. She said it's an event that spreads the welcoming feeling CVUU stands for. "We open our doors to everyone and not being able to go home for the holiday is hard," Flann said. "So we decided to start the event and have continued it ever since." This year, the attendees will be dining at 2 p.m. and will be watching a short play afterward, Flann said. The play, "The Tapestry," is about a futuristic world and two societies. "It's about a tapestry that shows another time, and how one society brings information to another," she said. Some international students are invited by their friends to go home with them for the week, or they spend the time in another place with friends. Paola Magallanes, junior in business, said this year she is home, in the Dominican Republic, for Thanksgiving but last year she spent the week at a friend's house. "I went with a friend to her house in Salt Lake. They invited me over for the week, and so we spent the holiday together," Magallanes said. Magallanes said she was invited over because she was good friends with the girl. Her friend's mom made Dominican food the first night she stayed with them. "It was an adventure. Her mom went online and got these recipes for Dominican food, and so I got to teach them how to make the food," she said. Thanksgiving is something international students don't celebrate in their home country, and Magallanes said she liked the experience. "Thanksgiving isn't something I celebrate, so it's a unique experience," she said. "Of course, the family I stayed with last year was vegetarian, so I didn't have the turkey and all the trimmings like most families. But it was still really nice to be included and treated like family when I couldn't be with mine." Two years ago, Magallanes said she spent the holiday with friends, shopping and hanging out around Salt Lake City. "I had some different experiences, but they were both worth repeating, because they were so much fun," she said. "I wouldn't have it any other way." — april.ashland®aggiemail.usu.edu 5.Jell O Jell-O is essential for a true Utah Thanksgiving. For zero preparation, buy a Jell-O Snack Pack of six individually packaged Jell-O portions for $1. For a little more work, stir a Jell-O mix (about 80 cents) with boiling water and refrigerate for about three to four hours. - 6. Pumpkin Pie A pumpkin pie is necessary to finish off a true Thanksgiving dinner. An eight-inch pumpkin pie is about $3.50, and Smith's also offers smaller sized pumpkin cheesecake for $4.99. For the pumpkin taste without the pie, try making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Mix one spice cake mix (about $1), one can of pumpkin (about $1) and half a bag of chocolate chips (about $1.50) and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes for another delicious pumpkin option. For true Thanksgiving authenticity, add a can of cranberry sauce ($1) with the turkey and microwave your favorite frozen or canned vegetable (yams for a Thanksgiving flair, peas, carrots, broccoli, string beans, etc.). Give these microwave and reheatable options a try and then sign on to www.aggietownsquare.com and let us know how they taste. Happy eating. All prices from Smith's Food and Drug in Logan. Information gathered by Karlie Brand Helping others with challenges through music therapy By APRIL ASHLAND staff writer Music therapy majors learn a variety of instruments and go through an audition process to be admitted and take classes in music, music history, as well as psychology and general classes. Julie Hewkin, junior in music therapy, said she has been playing various instruments since she was 3 years old. She said her first instrument was the piano but the harp is her primary instrument, though she still plays the piano. She said she chose music therapy because she wanted to help people by using music. Hewkin said she plays many instruments, which has expanded her range of skill. "I play the harp. That's my primary instrument, but I also play the piano, violin, flute, trumpet, clarinet, bassoon, french horn, hammer and dulcimer and a multitude of others," she said. The music therapy major has broad requirements. According to a pamphlet from the Humanities, Arts and Social Science (HASS) advising center, students beginning in the music major are given premusic status until they have completed a required audition for the program. Hewkin said students have to perform a classical piece on their primary instrument and at least sing, play guitar and piano. According to the General Catalog, to graduate from the program, students must complete four years of course work and an internship. "Students who successfully complete four years of course work and a six-month internship will have met all requirements to sit for the board certification exam administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists in order to become a Board Certified Music Therapist. The primary goal of the program is to prepare men and women in skills using music to provide therapy for individuals with various disabilities," it reads. Hewkin said her ideal job would be working with developing children, disabled adults, people with eating disorders or people in jail. "I love jailbirds," she said. "Music therapy can do so much for them, as well as other people." I See THERAPY, page 5 • ;4 1-> -73\ - \ , I MUSIC THERAPY IS AN EMPHASIS in the music department, which students learn a variety of instruments. Music therapy majors go through an audition process to be admitted and take classes in music, music history, as well as psychology and general classes. UTAH STATESMAN photo illustration |