College-Friendly Desserts

I had to go to a party this weekend and, being the nice friend I am, thought I should bring some food to share. The problem is, what do you make when you're on a college budget and your kitchen cupboards only contain ramen noodles?

The answer (courtesy of Pinterest) is Oreo Truffles.

Source: chef-in-training.com via Becky on Pinterest

I take no credit whatsoever for this genius idea--that goes to Nikki at Chef-In-Training. Honestly, a desert that requires no baking, three ingredients and makes enough for everyone at the party? I'm there.

For about 25 truffles I used:

--1 package Double Stuf Oreos
--1 8oz package of Cream Cheese
--1 package Hershey's Bliss White Chocolate

Crushing up the Oreos turned out to be a problem without a rolling pin, but a wooden spoon and about fifteen minutes of mashing them gave me this.

I added the whole 8oz of creme cheese to the Oreo crumbs mixture and rolled them into 1" balls. Some crumbs should be leftover. Then I froze the balls for 15 min.

While the TIPs (truffles-in-progress) were waiting, I unwrapped the white chocolates and melted them for about 1 minute in the microwave. 

After the balls were frozen, I dunked them in the melted white chocolate and, before the truffles could set, garnished them with the leftover Oreo crumbs (it kind of worked)...When dipping the truffles, using a spoon instead of just your fingers helps you cover all the surface, in my experience.

[yes, I wasn't just eating these by myself..I just did some amazing cropping for this picture!]

Volia! Me at the party holding one of my delicious truffles. They're so sweet you can't eat more than one at a sitting. 

The whole "cooking" process took about forty-five minutes, but if I had a food processor or a rolling pin I could've crushed the Oreos much quicker. 

Super short on time? Grab a tube of pre-made cookie dough and bake some cookies. They turn out good every time.

Any suggestions on the next easy dessert I should try?

Review + Giveaway:: Corner Bakery Cafe's BBLT + Arugula Salad

Recently Corner Bakery Cafe contacted me and asked me if I would like to try out their new BBLT (the two B's=double the amount of bacon!) and arugula salad. Even though I'm in Chicago and I see these restaurants all over the city, I've never actually been inside one. I was pleasantly surprised!

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The decor is vintage and looks like they're trying to model the cafes of the early 1900s. However, the atmosphere feels more modern: it reminded me of a Starbucks, yet it had a full breakfast and lunch menu. People were reading books, on their computers, and simply enjoying their time at the cafe. I brought my computer and hammered out an English essay while enjoying my meal.

The BBLT was AMAZING! The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh, the bread perfectly toasted, and the bacon was delicious. But it was the salad that was the best part of the meal. I've never tried arugula before and assumed it was just a fancy word for lettuce. It's not! I don't know how to describe it, but it's more like an herb. Usually I'm not a fan of tomatoes, but I loved the tomatoes on the salad--they tasted almost fruity.

The meal came with a complementary piece of fruit or cookie. Because I have a  sweet tooth, I had to choose the Monster Cookie--a chocolate chip cookie with mini M&Ms on top! It was to die for.

Now onto the giveaway part: I was given four vouchers for a Corner Bakery Cafe free BBLT & Arugula Salad Corner Combo. Therefore, 4 of my lucky readers will receive one of these vouchers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let me know if you have any questions! This is my first time using Rafflecopter for a giveaway, so hopefully it'll all run smoothly. I will contact all the winners at the end of the contest and ask for their addresses to send the vouchers to. If there is no response within seven days, I will pick another winner.

Thanks everyone, and thanks to Corner Bakery Cafe for letting me promote their product!

*Product voucher provided by Corner Bakery Cafe; as always, all opinions are my own

5 Things to Do Before the Olympics!

The Olympic Opening Ceremonies are TONIGHT! 6:30 pm for those of us in the states watching on TV. I'm so excited, but trying to keep my hopes down...the opening ceremony for Beijing was so amazing that I have to keep telling myself that nothing will ever top that. But I did hear that Lord Voldemort is making an appearance...not even kidding. Harry Potter is gonna be in the opening ceremony!

I've been doing it up for the Olympics, and I made a list of the Top 5 Things you absolutely MUST do before the games begin!

5 Things to Do Before the Olympics by preppypremed featuring essie nailpolish

1. Download Olympics-Related Apps on your Smartphone
--Check out this infograph for a list of the best Olympic apps. I already have a bunch of these on my phone.

2. Write down a list of all the events you MUST watch
--For those of us in the U.S., go to NBC's Olympics website to check out the TV schedules. I made sure to write down all the nights I wanted to tune in at primetime, as well as what events I want to stream live on my laptop.


3. Paint you nails in your nation's colors!
--I'm alternating my nails in red and blue to represent the U.S., then painting my ring fingernails with white and a gold-sparkling topcoat. I'll be sure to show you all pictures!


4. Make an English meal for the Opening Ceremonies:
--I'm making fish and chips (out of a box...sorry, my cooking skills are below par) and this English trifle to celebrate the Opening Ceremony like any Londoner would.


5. Pre-program the Opening Ceremony on your DVR:
--Since the Opening Ceremony of Beijing was so amazing, be sure to record this year's Opening Ceremony as well. Odds are, it's something you'll want to see again and again.

Are you all excited as I am? Let the games begin (I want to pull from The Hunger Games and say "and may the odds be ever in your favor!")

Puttin' Nutella on the Ritz

One night this week, after all the nearby stores had closed, I was hungry. Hungry for something sweet. After looking into my dorm's pantry, I came to the sad conclusion that there was hardly anything edible in there to eat. I had to experiment a bit.

I love the combination of sweet and salty (pretzel M&Ms, anyone?) so I spread some almost-expired Nutella on Ritz crackers. I topped them with either almonds, dried banana slices, walnuts or cashews from a trail-mix box.

I recommend the almonds. The dried banana slices didn't really taste like anything at all (but that could be because I bought them last November...) and the walnut takes away from the Nutella. With the almond you have the tastes of salty, sweet and buttery all wrapped into one little cracker!

And the whole snack would've looked much better if the Nutella hadn't been half-melted and watery. News flash: almost-expired Nutella isn't the greatest.

 

P.S. This post's title was inspired by this awesome 20s song "Puttin' not the Ritz". I don't know why, but I feel the need to share this with all of you. I'm a sucker for anything from the 20s era.

Happy 4th of July!!!

I hope all my USA followers are enjoying this nice day of barbecues, parades, fireworks and relaxation. Me? I'm spending the day studying, but what else is new? It's kinda a bummer that the 4th has to lie on a Wednesday this year, stuck sandwiched in between two weekends.

Anyway, here's a few fun patriotic things I pinned just for the occasion!

Source: omglikewhoa.com via Becky on Pinterest

Source: bigeyecreative.com via Becky on Pinterest

Source: gadling.com via Becky on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Becky on Pinterest

Have a great 4th of July everybody!
--Becky

Rome's Best Gelaterias

One of my professors in Rome was a bit of a gelato connoisseur. He doesn't eat sweets all throughout the year--he only eats sweets (i.e. GELATO) during the 6 weeks that he teaches the summer session in Rome. I'm serious here.

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So...we went to a LOT of gelato places. He ranked for us the Top 7 gelato places in Rome. See, gelato isn't just ice cream (beginner's mistake, I'm afraid). It's like ice cream on steroids. Instead of being made with cream, it's made mostly with milk, making it be healthier for you...according to my teacher, at least.

Here were some of my favorite gelato treats, and the gelaterias I'd recommend visiting in Rome.

FRIGIDARIUM

This is their signature "Frigidarium" flavor (some sort of butterscotch) hand dipped in dark chocolate with a cookie placed on top. The chocolate-dipping is what they're known for.

OLD BRIDGE

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Old Bridge is known for their generous portions. See this cone here? It was already half done by the time I took this picture. This is their pistachio and cookie flavor. When in Rome, you must try a pistachio gelato. I had never tried anything pistachio before, and by the end of the trip it's the only flavor I wanted to eat!

GELATERIA CREPERIE

My last gelato in Rome! This gelateria was close to our campus. It won't make any "best gelateria" lists (except mine), but it was conveniently located near our campus and was well-priced. This is pistachio and muffin--yes, muffin!

GELATERIA DEL TEATRO

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According to my teacher, this is the best gelateria. Hands down. It's located in this tiny alleyway, so it's a little hard to find. I tried the dark chocolate (made with a red wine), and the rosemary. It was delicious.

--Becky