Of the many things I’ve learned during my first few weeks of college, perhaps the most often reinforced lesson is that Friday night + Saturday night = party time on campus. But if you’re like me and not really into the party scene, there are still tons of ways to have a great time on the weekend without resorting to the usual standby of a DVD and popcorn.

Just get creative (and a permit from public safety)!

Here are a few ideas on how to have some extraordinary (in a good way) fun on Friday and Saturday night, based on things my friends and I have done or aspire to do at some point this year. Although it’s always nice to have a plan in mind, I’ve found that the most spontaneous things end up being the most enjoyable, so don’t be afraid to just go with the flow when the sun goes down!

Screen a musical outside and have a massive sing-along

A couple of weeks ago, a program house on campus screened Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and the musical episode of Buffy on the porch. If you’re a techie (or have friends who are), you can gather up all the theater geeks and have your own musical screening on the side of your dorm! Just be sure you have the necessary permits to do so.

Set up a bowling lane on your hall

This one’s really easy. All you need are assorted shampoo bottles/hairspray canisters and something that rolls, and there you have it – a bowling alley! If you want to raise the stakes, have a tournament for prizes, or simply for bragging rights. Not that knocking down a few bottles of shampoo with a grapefruit is that impressive, but it’s still something, I guess. Read More »

I have a confession to make: I’m a little bit of a cupcake ho. How can you resist those cute, mini cakes? A portable slice of heaven? The perfect frosting to cake ratio? Recipes that make a dozen so you don’t have to stop after one?

How could you not fall truly, madly, deeply in love?

Unfortunately, being that I’ve been around the cupcake block a few times, I’ve become a bit of a cupcake snob and find myself snubbing the dry and uncreative store-bought variety.

Lucky for me (and you!), I found a simple and yummy cupcake recipe via Appoggiatura. Read More »

I’ll let you in on a not-so-small secret: I love pie. Like borderline-unhealthy-obsession-with-pie syndrome. Like if a recipe looks delicious and simple I will think to myself “Hmm, Kari, how can this translate into pie form?” (Which, I should warn you, doesn’t work with everything…like margaritas.)

So, pie obsession in mind, I was strolling the produce section last Sunday and stumbled upon super ripe, super cheap summer blueberries and, well, the rest is history. This recipe is delicious and somewhat nutritious (seriously people, pie is still pie, even if I sub sugar for Truvia), and the best part? Incredibly easy. Some might even say easy…as pie. Read More »

Who doesn’t love a little Southern cooking? Fried, greasy goodness? I wouldn’t trust someone who didn’t dream about it once in awhile.  And better yet, who doesn’t love a little Southern dessert? There is nothing. better. on earth. (I love you, Paula Dean!)

This recipe comes from my best friend’s mother, Mrs. D, a Southern mom who doesn’t have time to bake like all those other mommas.  These Oreo Balls are easy, quick and delicious, which is perfect for the college girl with a sweet tooth. You’ll need zero to no cooking experience or talent, so don’t fret if you’re not Betty Crocker. Hell, you don’t even need a full kitchen; you can make these balls of heaven right in your dorm room.

There are a lot of different recipes for Oreo Balls out there, but, again, I’m sticking with Mrs. D on this one. That woman totally knows her shiz. Read More »

You know those people who screw up the brownies where all you have to do is add water? Yes, that’s me. I have screwed up popcorn, switched ingredient amounts, and frequently embarrassed my mother with my basic lack of culinary skill. However, one summer’s night when my sister and I had nothing to do I typed in “Cookie Recipes” to Google. After sifting through ladybug cookies, frosting cookies, and every variation of chocolate chip that you can imagine, I finally came across the god of all cookies:

The Peanut Butter Cup Cookie.

Taken from allrecipes.com, this cookie is not only easy to make, it is nearly impossible to screw up. The first time I made them I was ecstatic; the second time I made them, I had everyone at my aunt’s Father’s Day party telling me what a gem I was and how lucky it was that I had inherited my aunt’s natural cooking abilities. I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud of myself. To all of the peanut butter lovers out there who want to make something sweet, try these. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. Besides being easy to make, they’re totally fun, and taste…well, like heaven melting in your mouth. Read More »

Confession time: I quit my (stable-ish well-paying, super fun) job a couple of weeks ago to go to culinary school for baking next year. Was this an awesome decision or a terrible one? The jury’s still out, but the way I think about it, the more time I have to devote to desserts, the better. So I’m leaning toward awesome.

To celebrate my decision, I’m using this week’s DIY to share an incredible buttercream frosting recipe with all of you. You can use it to frost a cake, cupcakes, cookies . . . or to eat it straight out of the Tupperware with some pretzels when you’re dealing with a breakup. Stop buying this stuff and make it yourself.

Ingredients
(Makes enough buttercream for one standard-size cake with 12-16 servings)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream Read More »

Ok, so I’ll be honest: I’m completely broke and can’t really afford an amazing gift for my dad for Father’s Day. To make matters worse, last year I had to go out of town on Father’s Day weekend making it the first year I didn’t see my dad on his day. I have a lot of ground to make up as far as good daughters go.

For anyone else in my position, never fear; you can still have a good day without shelling out wads of cash. Here are a few ideas for spending time with your dad instead of money.

Day at the Park – Some of my best memories with my dad are from when we’d go to the park to fly kites during the summer. Why not relive some childhood memories that were equally as good for dear ol’ dad? Even if you didn’t do stuff like this when you were a kid, there are plenty of ways to hang out with dad outside: toss around the football, go for a hike, have a picnic. Options abound in the great outdoors.

Day in the Kitchen – This is for the dad’s who cook/grill. Why not plan a big Father’s Day meal and cook/grill it together? Dad will love showing off his skills (I know mine does), not to mention get some quality time with you. You could also bake him some special “I Heart Dad” cookies or cupcakes… and let him lick the bowl. How could he not love that?

Day at the Game - Fitting with our low cost theme, look into local sporting events for cheap tickets. In my hometown we have an indoor football league with $10 tickets and colleges who have free admission to their baseball games. Dig enough and I’m sure you’ll find something you and your dad can enjoy together. Read More »

I love baking, but I’m not the hugest fan of following directions. As a result, I often end up mis-measuring things or adding my own little touches to otherwise boring recipes. Hey, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Anywho, there is nothing that works better with my “add this, throw in that” cooking style than pancakes. Plain pancakes are good, but chocolate chip granola pancakes are fantastic. And pancakes that look like cupcakes? Could there be anything more amazing? I found this recipe on katin cooks and I can’t get enough. It’s simple and delicious, the perfect canvas for fun add-ins and has fool proof instructions that even I can follow. Plus, these little babies make great hangover food! Read More »

Ah, pie crust. I could practically eat it raw . . .

Well, okay, that’s pretty disgusting, so I take it back (sorta). But baked pie crust is an entirely different story. It’s so versatile—you can use it for tarts, dessert pizza, and (obviously) pies. And you can fill those pies with anything—lemon curd, banana cream, fresh strawberries . . .

Now that we’re getting into some serious summer weather, fresh fruit (yes, the kind that you don’t take out of the freezer and probably haven’t had since you were home for Christmas) is soon going to be abundant in grocery stores and farmers’ markets all over the country. You’ll be able to pick your own berries for cheaper than the cost of a vanilla latte, and everyone knows that berries taste best in pie!

It’s easy to haul down to the store and pick up a ready-made pie crust, but who needs that? People (cute people, obviously) will be sooooo much more impressed if you can make your own. Not to mention the feeling of accomplishment that comes from putting a homemade pie on the table!

Here’s how you do it.

Stuff You Need
To make one double pie crust (bottom and top), get together:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A bowl of ice water
- A rolling pin Read More »

Let me just start out by saying that I’m not someone to be admired. I didn’t give up something agonizing for Lent, like chocolate or looove. But I did give up something that’s every bit as valuable to me: baking.

As a frantic home baker and a person who is seriously considering enrolling in culinary school for a pastry certification, baking is like my lifeblood. I tried to get rid of the baking urge right before Lent started by going on a mad baking spree—I spent an entire weekend and most of the following couple of days making huge batches of granola, cookies, muffins, and sweet breads. But it wasn’t enough! I’m now going out of my mind because I can’t bake until Easter. WHY did I choose to do this?!

I suppose I could have just taken the easy way out and given up eating sweets. I sample everything I bake, but that’s about it—if I have one cookie or half a muffin, I don’t need any more; I’m perfectly content to give my stuff away. I just want to make it. And I have had a crazy craving to make cupcakes since basically the day that Lent started. Oh, my precious cupcakes. Why do I have to wait so long to make them??? It doesn’t help that I keep looking at sites like this one all day long. Read More »