When women think of Valentine’s Day, boxed candy, roses and cheesy Hallmark cards from loved ones often come to mind. But let’s be real. The key to any girl’s heart is chocolate. Lots and lots of it. In honor of the anniversary of Hershey’s Chocolate — which was founded on February 9th, 1894 — and to get you to think outside the heart-shaped box this Valentine’s Day, we present to you some positively decadent chocolate-based recipes.

Impress your friends and loved ones with these cheap, easy and incredible treats. Even the most challenged baker can master what we’ve culled here for you!

Easy Chocolate Bark

This delicious recipe is perfect if you’re craving a chocolatey snack, and it only requires two types of ingredients.

Ingredients:

6 ounces of dark chocolate

4 ounces of semisweet chocolate

½ cup almonds, chopped

Directions:

1. Combine the chocolates and melt in a microwavable bowl.
2. Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper
3. Pour the melted chocolate over the parchment paper. Use a spatula to evenly spread the chocolate.
4. Sprinkle chopped almonds over chocolate layer.
5. Put the bark in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes
6. Cut the bark into three-inch pieces and serve.

Chocolate Mousse

A quick and easy, yet completely delectable, no-bake dessert made in the time it’ll take you to watch the latest episode of Modern Family.

Ingredients:

8 ounces of semisweet chocolate

2 cups skim milk

2 packages sugar-free chocolate Jell-O

2 cups of fat-free cool whipped topping

1/3 cup of fresh brewed coffee

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate, 1 cup of milk and the coffee on high in the microwave for 2 minutes.
2. Add the remaining milk and pudding packages to the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
3. Take the pudding out of the refrigerator, fold in cool whip and serve.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Dark chocolate + Sweet strawberries = A (somewhat) healthy, satisfying and fail-proof sexy dessert.

Ingredients:

6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

3 ounces white chocolate, chopped

1 pound strawberries with stems, washed and dried very well

Directions:

1. Put the dark and white chocolates into two separate heatproof medium bowls.
2. Fill two medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Turn off the heat and set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (If you want to limit the clean-up process or don’t have a stove, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute until melted.)
4. Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat.
5. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper.
6. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl.
7. Set the strawberry on the parchment paper and repeat with the rest.
8. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle over the dipped strawberries.
9. Set the strawberries aside for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate sets.

Oreo Truffle Balls

This is seriously the easiest and most satisfying recipe for Valentine’s Day, and it’ll be hard to resist more than one. Trust me.

Ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 (8-ounce) packages semi-sweet baking chocolate

Directions:

1. Crush package of cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor. (If that’s not available, you can also put the cookies in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin and place in a medium bowl).
2. Add cream cheese, mix until well blended.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.
4. Roll cookie mixture into balls, about 1-inch diameter.
5. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until hardened.
6. In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate until smooth.
7. Take cookies out of the refrigerator, dip the balls in chocolate and place back on baking sheet.
8. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered in refrigerator.

[Lead Image via avs/Shutterstock]

I love cooking, but sometimes I find myself lacking culinary inspiration. This happens most when I’m craving something in particular, but either I don’t have the ingredients I need, or I don’t feel like making the same dishes over and over again. Luckily, I’ve found dinner-inspiration help from Gojee.

Gojee is a recipe search engine that features handpicked recipes from some of the web’s most popular food bloggers. Simply type in an ingredient or dish that you’re craving, and Gojee will return a photo slideshow of recipes to satisfy your cravings. You can also type in what ingredients you already have on hand to filter the results to show only recipes you can make right now. You can further filter the recipes by eliminating all those that contain ingredients you don’t like.

If that didn’t already sound awesome, the more you use Gojee, it learns what you like and don’t like, so you’re more likely to find recipes you love, without having to sift through things you’d never eat.

I’ve already found a ton of great recipes that I can’t wait to try! The only problem with Gojee is that the images are so delicious-looking, just browsing makes you hungry.

Also, as an added bonus for all you aspiring mixologists out there, Gojee has drink recipes too — ranging from the tried-and-true to the o-m-g!

Laura is a St. John’s University grad who spends way too much time watching TV and imagining the characters are her best friends. She’s addicted to online shopping, dessert, and Pinterest. Follow her life at @lkdondero.

BREAKING NEWS HERE. I don’t know what the heck you wanted from Santa for Christmas this year, but this is a gift that’s way better late than never. Drop your diet plans, dust off your checkbooks and dial up the Girl Scout in your life, because the troops have announced a brand new cookie flavor.

Yes, it’s true, it’s that time of year again when those little devils come back out and tempt you wherever you go—yeah, I’m talking about them Girl Scout cookies. Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, Tagalongs and Trefoils aren’t just raising money for little girls nationwide, they’re making my life more delicious. It’s a win-win situation.

In honor of the organization’s 100-year anniversary, a new flavor has been announced. It’s called ‘Savannah Smiles,’ named after the Georgian hometown of founder Juliette Gordon Low and supposedly in the shape of a smile, meaning it’s cut into semicircles. That’s right, they’re half-cookies. And the flavor is described as a “cool and crisp lemon wedge cookie,” so I’m seriously hoping it tastes more like a miniature lemon custard rather than a sour cup of lemonade from a neighborhood stand.

A few things you don’t need to know: five of these half-cookies, which is considered a single serving, is 140 calories and has 5 grams of fat (including 1.5 grams of saturated fat), 23 grams of carbs and one gram of protein. Hey, everyone needs protein, right? And they’re lemon flavored, so that’s like a serving of fruit or something…yes, this new flavor is definitely the nutritious one.

Even more important: Girl Scout cookie-buying season kicks off this Tuesday! Make some room in your pantries and squeeze your gym time in now, because soon, your freezer will be stocked with so many stacks of Thin Mints that you won’t even miss those pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Does this flavor sound like any good? Either way, what Girl Scout flavor is the best? Yes, this is worth a debate.

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

I can’t promise you a spinach dip that will magically make you lose weight, but I can promise you a spinach dip that is delicious without adding a week’s worth of calories to your day. Spinach dip is easy to make, slightly healthy (it’s spinach, guys), and great for when you need a little nibble when you’re, say, finishing up your last finals (how are those papers coming!?) or getting ready to work in retail your way through Christmas. It’s the perfect blood sugar boost.

Spinach is packed with iron; combined with all these dip ingredients, you also get a bit of calcium, which isn’t too shabby. This isn’t a salad, obviously, and you probably shouldn’t eat the whole thing in one go – even though you’ll probably want to and I totally won’t judge you for doing so if you do.

Spinach Dip with Crostini 

You’ll need…

• 1 whole package of baby spinach (I use fresh and wilt it myself – I don’t like frozen spinach!)
• 1 block of low fat cream cheese
• about 1 tablespoon of sour cream
• about one palm full of Parmesan cheese
• about 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
• about 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic (feel free to use from a jar)
• 1 loaf of skinny French bread (a long baguette works!)
• about 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 whole clove of garlic

How to make it…

In a frying pan, warm the olive oil and add the garlic to saute a little bit until golden and the smell of garlic fills your kitchen. Add your package of spinach and wilt it. This should only take a few seconds, but stir constantly to prevent some from becoming too mushy.

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and sour cream. The cream cheese should be at room temp, or left out for a little bit, just so it’s soft and easy to manage. Empty the spinach and garlic into the bowl and combine with cream cheese; add Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Combine completely, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to sit in the fridge for a little bit.

In the meantime, slice your French bread into about 1/2-inch thick slices and arrange on a cookie sheet. Heat the broiler of your oven to 350-degrees. Drizzle a tiny bit of oil on each piece of bread and put in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown (toasted!). Remove from the oven and immediately rub a clove of garlic on each piece of toast. Not a lot, just rub the garlic over the face of the toast and move on to the next piece.

Remove spinach dip from the fridge and enjoy with some garlicky crostini! Yum!

Note: Crostini are good, if saved in an airtight plastic bag in the fridge, for about a week. The spinach dip is good, if stored in an airtight container, for about one week as well. 

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Why? Because it’s a holiday that is essentially dedicated to food. And I love food. Yes, I know, we’re supposed to be giving thanks and thinking about Pilgrims, but I’m really just looking forward to the meal. And the best news of all is that the great eats don’t stop after Thanksgiving – in my family, at least, Christmas and New Year’s Day also bring big feasts.

There are just a few problems with all this. The holiday season tempts us to go way overboard when it comes to eating, which can be rough on our bodies in a lot of ways. Not to mention that one too many pieces of pumpkin pie can leave you feeling a little queasy. So read on for a few tips to stay happy and healthy during the holiday season.

1. Work small amounts of exercise into your daily routine.

Several studies have found that regular exercise can help counteract the consequences of overindulging in unhealthy foods. The more rigorous the exercise, the better. Study participants have seen benefits from exercises as simple as walking. Because running or walking outside may be unpleasant or impossible in colder temperatures, the gym is your best bet. But almost no one’s in the mood to run out to the gym on a holiday. So work exercise in wherever you can. Hanging out with family? Your little cousins, maybe? Run around inside with them a little bit – you get a free pass to do that if you’re hanging out with little kids. Or volunteer to help set the table and take dishes to and from the kitchen. Not only will you score extra points with your grandparents, but you’ll also be keeping your body moving.

2. Don’t skip breakfast.

Sometimes people skip meals, especially breakfast, when they know they’re sitting down for a big dinner later. They figure that they will overeat at dinner, and they can make up for that by not eating breakfast. Wrong! First of all, after going all night with no food, your body needs fuel in order to function properly. And believe it or not, eating breakfast will help prevent you from eating too much later in the day. If you deprive your body, it will only make you more hungry later on. So eat breakfast, and you’ll actually be less likely to overeat at dinner.

3. Go for the fruits and veggies.

Holiday meals often include meaty main courses and sugary desserts. One way to cut down on your intake of fat and sugar is to pile your plate with fruits and vegetables, which are usually served as side dishes. Then take smaller servings of meat and other foods with high levels of fat, sugar, and salt. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you’ll have this taken care of already.

4. Eat dinner before dessert, just like your mom told you.

Yes, there are three kinds of pie proudly on display in the family dining room. Along with cakes, cookies, and loads of other sweet treats. Turns out your mom was right, though. If you sample all those desserts before eating dinner, you’ll feel sick, and have no room left for a nutritious meal. So eat your peas and carrots first, then descend on the dessert table. If you’re already almost full, you won’t be as tempted to overdo it on the sugar. But by all means, it’s the holidays; do have at least one serving of dessert!

Say whaaaat? Look, my “healthy” snacks barely make it under a hundred calories. How in the world can my dinner top that?

Introducing one of my absolute favorite foods – spaghetti squash. Now, this gourd was introduced to me about a year ago, but I never actually bought into it. I thought it was just another one of those healthy food items that tasted really bland and would just be a phase. Boy, was I wrong!

It’s called spaghetti squash because it is the perfect substitute for pasta. It has a medium-heavy texture that looks like spaghetti and tastes a little sweet. Want to know the best part? Here are the nutrition facts for one cup of this delicious squash:

42 calories, 0g fat, 10g carbs, 2g fiber, and 1g protein

Ummm, amazing! It tastes great paired with marinara sauce and turkey meatballs. Due to my crazy work out schedule, I have to eat more than one cup (which is a huge splurge, I know) but it’s so fulfilling. If you ever have a food cheat day, this will easily put you back on track.

I’m not a homemaker, so anything that involves lots of preparing and waiting is not my thing. Fortunately, it’s super easy to make this. Here’s the quick and easy!

1. Purchase spaghetti squash. It’s only $2.99 at Trader Joe’s and I think it turns out to be a similar price at other supermarkets.

2. Cut the squash in half or poke 10 holes in it. If you can get it to cut open, it will look like a pumpkin inside. Simply pull out all of the seeds.

3. MICROWAVE it! I know, right? It’s like making cup of noodles. Microwave the whole squash on high for about 15-17 minutes (depending on how big the squash is). You can also steam or bake it, but it takes much longer.

4. Take it out of the microwave. Use a fork to scrape the inside of the squash. It will come out in strands, just like spaghetti! So fun. It’ll be extremely hot, so just be careful.

5. Serve with marinara sauce, meatballs or sauce up your own creation.

So easy, right? I’m not skipping any steps – I promise! Try your miracle 100-calorie dinner and let me know what you think. I’m so addicted to it and I hope you love it too. Remember, a healthy body is comprised of 80% nutrition and 20% fitness. Fill your body with only the best.

mmmmm

The good news is that bikini season is over. The bad? I still probably shouldn’t eat these anyway. But taking a quick gander at beautiful sweets can’t hurt. Go ahead, get a pseudo sugar lift and peruse these picks.  They’re just so pretty…

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You know, those days? When all you want to do is curl up in a ball in your sweats, sleep, watch some terrible Netflix movies and ask yourself why life can’t be like a Julia Roberts movie. (In fact, I’m having one of those days right now.) But those days are never quite complete without that pint of Ben and Jerrys, that pizza with pineapple, or tortilla chips and salsa.

Comfort food. It’s a necessity for late night binging, breakup wallowing, and rainy days with Real Housewives marathons. Everyone has a favorite, but these? These top ten classics are some comfort foods every gal indulges in at some point or another.

10. Pizza. With extra cheese. And all the toppings. Or none of the toppings.  My personal favorite is a single, original, round slice. But hey, to each her own.

9. Mashed Potatoes. Just as delicious when you have a toothache and can’t eat solid foods as they are paired with a juicy steak or with nothing at all.

8. Cheeseburger. An American classic. (Even if it wasn’t actually first created in America.) Burgers are great because they can be as quick and simple as a Big Mac or as fancy and fab as something with jack cheese and onion rings, but either way they’re delicious.

7. Grilled Cheese. Nothing quite like a 3 a.m. grilled cheese when you’re starving and there’s absolutely nothing in your fridge but well…bread and cheese. Hmm…do I have both of those right now? It’s almost three and I’m getting kind of hungry…

6. Chili. Perfect for cold winter nights. Football games. Toppings for your hot dogs. We don’t judge here, ladies.

5. Burritos. I was debating on whether to go with the quesadilla instead because I’m a quesadilla gal myself, but burritos are really more of a comfort food. Stuffed to the brim with rice and beans and meat and cheese, overflowing with juices in a wrap that never quite stays wrapped, making it the messiest of messy comfort foods. Yep. You’ve got to go with the burrito.

4. French Fries. I don’t really think that this particular food need’s an explanation. I mean it’s french fries. And french fries are classic comfort food.

3. Chicken Fingers. When I was younger the only thing I would ever order any time I went anywhere was chicken fingers. Because it was always on the children’s menu. It was simple. It tasted good. I knew what I liked. And I still do.

2. French Toast. Sure it’s a breakfast food, but it’s one of those breakfast foods that can be eaten at just about any time of the day. And the fact that I recently had a vanilla and orange infused french toast that I can’t stop thinking about at brunch a few weeks ago may or may not have influenced my decision to make this number two on the list…

1. Mac & Cheese. Number one purely because of the diversity of this cozy comfort food. Baked with breadcrumb. Heated up in a microwave. Served in a sizzling platter with three different types of cheese…mmm….

Alright now I’m hungry. Your turn. What are your favorite comfort foods? Your guiltiest of guilty pleasures? 

Happy 4th of July ladies!

I hope you enjoy this holiday and appreciate the day off. Whether you’re spending it at the beach, watching fireworks, or firing up that grill, July 4th is a day to celebrate. It’s a day to reflect on how we got here and remember the people that made this country so great. It’s a day to appreciate our country and everything it has to offer us, whether it be the big things or the little things.

Today though, today I’m going to focus on the little things…

10.  Driving. On the right side of the road that is. I don’t have much experience abroad, and I have absolutely no experience driving abroad but I can tell you this much: I don’t think it would work out to well for me. So yes, I’m thankful to have my Jeep, and my license, and my ability to drive on the right side.

9. Red, White, and Blue. Primary colors often get a bad rep. But there’s something  great about red, white and blue- when the three are thrown together, whether that be on the American flag, or an Uncle Sam outfit.

8. BBQs. Nothing says America quite like a good old hot dog or hamburger right off the grill. (The fact that neither hot dogs nor hamburgers were invented here is completely irrelevant.)

7. Football. I know other countries have football as well, but their football is actually our soccer. Which makes sense because in soccer you actually use your feet. I don’t know why we call it football, but I love the sport all the same. And I appreciate the irony.

6. Thanksgiving. A holiday dedicated to, amongst other less materialistic things, eating so much food that we bust the buttons on our jeans? Dedicated to turkey and stuffing and sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie? Yes, please.

5. Our Youth. Not so much American teenagers on their own, but rather our collective youth. As a country. 235 years old may not seem too young but in comparison to most well-established countries, we’re spring chickens. Yes. I  did just say “spring chickens.”

4. Apple Pie. Why apple pie is such an American tradition I’m not so sure. I just know that it is. And I appreciate that. In fact, I appreciate it even more when it’s pipping hot and topped with vanilla ice cream.

3. Jeans. When I went to London in my junior year I was shocked and appalled by the lack of denim. I know America invented blue jeans and because of that we embrace it wholeheartedly, but it wasn’t until then that I realized other countries had not. I’d never survive.

2. American Authors. I know that when most people think of the classics they think of British Literature, but  America has some pretty amazing author as well. Fitzgerald. Twain. O’Connors. McCullers. Hemingway. Dickinson. Whitman. Just to name a few…

1. The Melting Pot. Yes, there’s an overlying “American” culture but part of what defines that culture is the diversity of our country. There is no one way to be an American, and that’s all sorts of freeing.

Time to turn this into a  love fest. What are the reasons you love the U.S. of A? 

Before I going to a restaurant or bar that I’ve never been to before, I always like to check out their Yelp or Citysearch page and read a few reviews to get a feel for the place. And while these sites might give me a good idea of the place’s service, ambiance, or special deals, the reviews don’t always focus enough on what I’m most concerned with — the food.

Unlike other restaurant review sites that review the restaurant as a whole, Foodspotting keeps all the focus on the food. Simply put, Foodspotting is a visual database of delicious dishes at restaurants (and food stands, coffeehouses, bars, ice cream parlors, etc.) near you, uploaded by other Foodspotting users.

When you type a location into Foodspotting, the Google Map at the top of the page will instantly populate with pictures of delicious food in that area, which you can click on for more information. You can also search for a particular type of food (like cupcakes, mac and cheese, or Thai food) to find what you’re craving nearby, or look up a particular restaurant and see what’s been “spotted” there.

But Foodspotting is so much more than just the picture-sharing aspect. By joining Foodspotting and becoming a “foodspotter,” you can share foods you’ve “spotted,” as well as browse what others have added. In addition, you can bookmark foods you want to try by clicking “Want it!” on others’ posts, and vote up food you’ve tried and liked by clicking “Nom it!” There are also expert guides from Travel Channel hosts and food magazines, to help you find recommended foods near you (or to help you plan your next food-centered trip)!

What I like about Foodspotting is that it lets you actually see what the food at a particular place looks like before you get there, because there’s no way to know that just by reading the menu. Plus, you know that if a fellow Foodspotter liked something enough to put it on Foodspotting, you know it’s probably going to be pretty good.

In my exploring on Foodspotting, I’ve discovered a few places near me that I’ve previously driven by without a second glance — now that I’ve seen their food on Foodspotting, I want to give them a try!