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?

New Music Releases: September 2012

There are so many good albums coming out this month, from bands that I've been following for years. I don't even consider myself that into music, so I'm very excited for these new releases.

The Killers: Battle Born, September 18th

I haven't been out west since I was a kid, but listening to The Killers always makes me want to go on a road trip across the country. A lot of their songs are about small towns in the Midwest, so they strike home for me. And their lyrics? Oh my god, they're amazing. You can already stream this album for free on iTunes, so you should definitely look into that before buying the album!

P!nk: The Truth About Love, September 18th

Okay, I still don't get why there's an exclamation point in her name, but that's beside the point. I've been listening to her since elementary school ("Get the Party Started" anyone? I'll refresh everyone's memories below). Her songs keep up with the changing trends in music and are so powerful. I feel like every girl can relate to them.

Mumford & Sons: Babel, September 24th

Oh, god! Mumford & Sons. Their last album came out three years ago and I'm still listening to it almost every other week. It's one of those albums where you love every single song on it.  I hope my expectations aren't too high for Babel, but I'm sure it'll be great.

Muse: The 2nd Law, October 2nd

I'm not as familiar with Muse as the other artists on this page, but all I know is that I loved their last album, The Resistance. And look at that album art! I don't know what it's a picture of, but it's super cool.

What new releases are you looking forward to this season?

Sunday Confessions

Yay, I'm back! And with my return some confessions:

Via

1. I had a dream about Essie's Fall 2012 collection, which is a little sad. But look at this amazingness...now I just have to wait for my local CVS to get the collection and I'll be set.

2. I have nothing to wear as the temperatures cool off. I thought I'd be going home sometime in September so I could pick up all my sweaters then, but it turns out I can't. Guess I'll be the only one on campus still wearing a mini skirt at the beginning of October. Gonna be outfits like this for the next couple weeks, just with jeans.

Via

3. My roommates are now all obsessed with Downton Abbey! And we pretty much want to live there--if anything, for the clothes and for people to cook all our meals for us. Apparently Season 3 premieres in the UK tonight, but the US doesn't get it until January.

Via

4. J.K. Rowling's new book is coming out soon, and I don't know how I feel about it. On the one hand, even though it's not Harry Potter, I think she's a great writer and I want to read something else from her. On the other hand--what if it's bad?

Via

5. I cleaned up the beach next to my apartment on Saturday for Ecology class extra credit. My favorite items found? A planter, full cans of beer and an iPod Nano (that still works!) Guys, the rocks are not your personal garbage, just so you know (but thanks for the iPod)...

Any of you have any Sunday confessions? Cheers to a new week!

Fizz Candy Giveaway Extended!

So it's been a crazy week and I haven't had any time at all to do any blog-related stuff. Since I was at the retreat all weekend long, I didn't do any homework or plan any posts...so now it's catch-up time! Please forgive me while I get back into the groove of things.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Just wanted to let you all know that I've EXTENDED the Fizz Candy Giveaway to next Friday (the 21st of September). So make sure you enter! You know you want to--the bracelet is adorable!

I'll be back ASAP, but in the meantime enjoy the cooler fall weather!

--Becky

P.S. The winner of the Prichett Prints giveaway is Marija! Marija, I'll be contacting you shortly :)

Retreat Time

Hey everyone,

I've been spending the weekend in Woodstock, IL at Loyola's Retreat and Ecology Center for a Catholic student retreat. My roommate is one of the leaders on the retreat, so after hearing from her how fun it was going to be I just had to sign up.

LUREC: Loyola University Chicago's Retreat and Ecology Center

I'll respond to all of your comments and emails by Monday evening, and new posts will hopefully be up by Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope you're all having a great weekend!

--Becky

Giveaway: Fizz Candy Jewelry

And the giveaways continue! I love hosting these giveaways from independent, Etsy shop owners because then they are able to gain some exposure and more people learn about their products.

Take this week's giveaway, FizzCandy. I was amazed when I heard that the jewelry in the store is created by Payton, a middle school student. I think it's great that Payton already has started her own business. Even better, the jewelry she creates is outstanding!

All of my followers know how obsessed I am when it comes to jewelry. However, I struggle to find jewelry appropriate for a college student--some pieces seem too young for me, while some seem too old.

Payton has managed to create classic, elegant pieces that are appropriate for any age group. I haven't seen any Etsy jewelry store yet that appeals to all demographics--hers is a first! She has colorful pieces as well as ones that are more muted.

Payton says that her signature pieces are her stackable bracelets.  I can see adding a few of these to my stack! The bracelets pictured above are (starting from the top left and going down):
--Watermelon Tourmaline Slices bracelet
--Signature Multistrand Pearl bracelet
--Tin Cup Silver Chain and Freshwater Pearl Double Bracelet

The green bracelet in the middle is the Green Watermelon Tourmaline Slice bracelet and the other is the  Starfish Charm bracelet.

She also creates unique necklaces, like this Robin's Egg Blue Teardrop necklace. What I found so unique about this piece is that Payton mixed materials--Chrysoprase and pearls--to create something I've never seen before. The drop necklace would look great with any fall sweater or turtleneck.

Above are a few other necklaces that I love. They are, starting from the lower lefthand corner and going clockwise:
--Smoky Brown Quartz Pendant Necklace
--Freshwater Pondslime Baroque Pearl Necklace
--Orange Sardonyx Firestone Necklace
--Focal Angelskin Coral Necklace

Finally, Payton also sells earrings. For anyone wanting to venture from their worn-out pearl studs, Payton's earrings would be perfect for you! I love these Kasumi-style Pearl Earrings--they remind me of Japan for some reason, even though I've never been there! Maybe it's the gorgeous black and red beads attached to the pearls, which resemble the colors of the Japanese flag to me.

I also like these orange coral teardrop earrings. The colors are gorgeous and perfect for fall. The shades of orange, brown and beige remind me of falling leaves.

Payton has been kind enough to offer one of my readers a signature bracelet of hers, this "Crazy Lampwork Bead Bracelet. I just love the variety of beads used in this bracelet. And look at the cute packaging the bracelet comes in! The fizzy candy adds a nice touch, and goes great with the theme of the shop.

Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway ends a week from today (September 14th) at 12:01 A.M. As always, I will contact the randomly-drawn winner, who has seven days to get back to me before I choose a different winner. The giveaway is also open to only US residents only (sorry!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Fizz Candy currently offers free shipping on everything. So what are you waiting for? Enter the giveaway contest and go to Fizz Candy right away to see all of the jewelry this inspiring entrepreneur (and artist!) has created!

Also, Fizz Candy is offering Preppy Premed readers 15% off for the month of September. Just enter the code "preppy" at checkout! 

Preppy Premed Playlist #1: Kickin' At Shadows

I don't know about you, but I love making playlists on my iPod. Every season I seem to make on: one for Fall 2011, then Spring 2012, and so on and so on.

Lately I've discovered that you can make music playlists quite easily on Youtube, so I made one based on how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm sure if you listen to all the songs you'll notice the theme (you can even tell it based on the song titles, probably!). Consider this just a little taste of my music collection--I included some lesser-known, indie songs that I just love and want to share it with others.

So, without further adieu, here is is, Preppy Premed Playlist #1: Kickin' at Shadows.

Listen at Youtube

--Becky