If you’ve been a CollegeCandy reader for some time, you know we run our Intro to Cooking series every week, where even the most kitchen-shy co-ed can find easy, yummy recipes to please her suitemates (and sweet tooth!). Well, we’ve changed up the syllabus for Intro to Cooking: you’ll still get the fabulous recipes you love, but we’ll be including background nutritional info on specific ingredients that are must-haves in every college girl’s pantry.

This Week’s Ingredient: Pineapple!

This tropical fruit is currently in season and has an impressive nutrient and health-benefits resume:

* One cup contains more than 125% of your daily value of manganese, a nutrient that keeps bones healthy and maintains blood-sugar levels.
* One cup contains more than 40% of your daily value of vitamin C.
* Pineapple is even more useful than carrots in preventing macular degeneration, a disease which causes loss of vision.

Easy Meals

1. Chop it up and add it to Greek yogurt for a sweet-and-sour combo.
2. Drizzle some pineapple slices in maple syrup, place on an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan for 5 mins (or until brown) and serve as a delicious dessert. Read More »

Tomorrow is 4/20, also known as “Let’s Get Stoned Day.” Or, for me (and Michael Phelps), just another Tuesday.

While most people will celebrate this national holiday behind a hanging tapestry in the privacy of their dorm room with 12 bags of chips and a tub of frosting, there are some schools that turn it into a campus affair.

Cue my regret for choosing the wrong school.
And pass the Cheetos.

UC Berkeley – People’s Park Celebration
Last year, more than 1,000 people joined this pot-extravaganza to celebrate with (slow) dancing, (lots of) eating, and (passionate) speeches. I can just see it: people cooking rice and beans under the shade of a willow tree, with and endless supply of Cliff Bars and positive feelings. Utopia.

University of California, Santa Cruz – Celebration at Porter Meadow
Not even a lack of shuttle services or parking stops UCSC students from hiking up Empire Grand for a glassy eyed, sunny day in Porter Meadow come 4/20. “National Pot Smoking Day” has turned Parker Meadow into a ‘baked circus’ every year at the University. Vendors set up in the field to feed the munchies of nearly 5,000 people while bands perform, ‘Santa Cruz 420′ t-shirts are handed out, and a soft haze sits over the meadow. Sounds like a party. Read More »

If you’ve been a CollegeCandy reader for some time, you know we run our Intro to Cooking series every week, where even the most kitchen-shy co-ed can find easy, yummy recipes to please her suitemates (and sweet tooth!). Starting today, we’ll be changing things up in Intro to Cooking: you’ll still get the fabulous recipes you love, but we’ll be including background nutritional info on specific ingredients that are must-haves in every college girl’s pantry.

The Ingredient: Greek Yogurt

Every health-conscious girl knows yogurt builds stronger bones and is a good source of protein. But did you know that not all yogurts are created equal? Check out the nutrition label on the cups in your fridge–many “light” and fat-free yogurt brands substitute extra sugar and preservatives for fat. For a leaner, creamier, alternative, try Greek yogurt. It packs a giant protein punch (usually 14g or more, almost a third of your daily value!) and boasts more digestive system-cleansing active cultures than regular yogurt. Plus, it comes in guilt-free, fat-free varieties (with none of the added sugar!), and because it doesn’t separate, it’s great for baking or cooking. Read More »

Warning: Insanely Addictive.

The edges are crispy and savory while the insides are soft and piping hot. They’re so much better than the fries you buy at the concession stand or a fast food restaurant, because they’re actually made from potatoes. They’re easy to make and even easier to devour. Just writing this makes me want to whip up a batch and chow down. In my bed. While watching an ANTM marathon.

You can use regular or sweet potatoes for this recipe, or even mix them up in the same batch, which I do here. These fries are already healthy (and totally natural!), but you could make them have a lower glycemic index than starchy russets by choosing waxy potatoes, such as new potatoes or red potatoes. Really, this is the perfect college recipe – healthy, easy, tasty – so memorize it. It will get you through the rest of your college career, I guarantee it. Read More »

Like Reese’s? Yeah, me too. Honestly, I’m not sure I can ever trust someone who doesn’t. The problem is that a girl can’t subsist on peanut butter cups alone . . . but it’s fun to try.

No, seriously, the problem is more that those things are crazy unhealthy. Not only will they set you back more than 200 calories and 13 grams of fat for a pair, but they’re full of artificial flavors and preservatives. And that, my lady friends, is why I make my own. (Well, that and the fact that the CVS lady looks at me funny when I come in and buy, like, 12 Reese’s packs before 10am.)

Now, I need to be clear here—these homemade treats aren’t really much healthier, but they do taste better, they don’t contain any weird artificial stuff, and they are far more effective at impressing your friends. Plus, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to make a dozen of these than it is to buy six packs of Reese’s. So what are you waiting for?

Read More »

Easter is here! Well, almost. For me, that means I can finally have coffee again after going without it all through Lent. I don’t even drink that much—maybe a couple of cups per week—but I am seriously going insane over here without it. Whenever I walk into a coffee shop, I inhale that deep, heady scent and realize that I have to order tea or chai or a steamer instead. You can bet that I’m going to have a pot on as soon as Easter morning rolls around.

Besides indulging in Lent-withdrawn pleasures, one of other great things about Easter is Peeps. Honestly, they don’t even taste that good, but those little, tennis-ball-colored marshmallow chickies are endlessly fascinating to me. Put one in the microwave, and it balloons to the size of a basketball. Stick one to the wall, and it will still taste fine three years later. Now that’s something not every food can boast.

If you’re the DIY type, I guarantee that homemade marshmallows won’t let you down. They’re a tad involved, but they taste about one million times better than store-bought, and you can use them to make Peep shapes and cover them with colored sugar. Oh, and they are gorgeous. See what I mean? You will need a stand mixer or electric mixer for these, so if you’re on Spring Break, use your mother’s.

Ready to give it a try? Let’s go. Read More »

Is it just me or is life all around better when it’s sunny and fabulous outside?

All the constant sunshine makes me crave ice cream! But if you’re trying to be healthy and still can’t fight off your sweet tooth, fro-yo is a deliciously perfect, calorie-conscious substitute. Unfortunately, all these fro-yo shops popping up charge one-month’s rent for a small cup with a few berries sprinkled on top.

Stop wasting all that hard earned (or hard-begged-for) money, and start whipping this stuff up yourself. It’s cheaper and easier than you think. (Editor’s Note: Funny, that’s what someone said about me once….) This scrumptious recipe will sooth your throat, entice your taste buds, save you money and cool you off in the beautiful spring sun. Read More »

For some reason, sugar cookies make me think of Spring. Maybe because they’re light, sweet, and I could eat about seven. Alright. So that last thing has no coloration to Spring, but I can eat my own weight in sugar cookies.

So imagine my delight when I saw a recipe for them that was simple enough to do in a dorm kitchen!

What You Need:

* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Read More »

In case you haven’t noticed, the Oscars are tonight. (Have you made your predictions yet? You only have a few hours left to enter!) If you’re anything like me, that means you’ll be perched on the couch, surrounded by friends, starting at 5pm to catch, and talk about, all the red carpet drama.

And at about 6pm, after you’ve discovered that Brad and Angie aren’t actually coming and your stomach is growling, you’ll be wishing you had something to munch on. And by “munch” I mean “devour.” But just like you can’t serve Natty Light at your Oscar bash, you really can’t chow down on Sun Chips and Swedish Fish for such a special occasion.

You need a snack fit for the evening and nothings says “Fit for a red carpet affair to impress your friends but still totally easy and OH MY GOD SO DELICIOUS” quite like baked brie. I swear, this recipe is easier than opening a bag of Tostitos and so. much. better. It only takes a few minutes, so run to that campus market, get the goods, and you’ll have plenty of time to whip this up somewhere between studying and settling in for the big night. Or, you know, any night of the week. Because it’s just that good. Read More »

[The following post was written by Eli Sussman - an adorable boy who also happens to be the co-author of an awesome college cookbook, Freshman in the Kitchen.]

College can be the greatest place on earth… that is, until the cash starts running low. And since right after you read this you are going to head to Urban Outfitters “just to look around”, and you are bound to find that rug/lamp/’80s drinking game/hip wall art, and you just “absolutely have to have them all because they are all so cute and will go perfect in your room,” you might not be the most frugal shopper on campus.

College can become a pretty expensive place for a lot of different reasons. Now, we know you aren’t paying for drinks at the bar (ahhh… to be a girl in college…) but next week is your BFF’s b-day and then your MFF’s HY b-day (most favorite friend’s half year birthday) and you are way past making them a friendship collage. Also I’m pretty sure season two of Gossip Girl comes out on DVD soon so there are some big purchases in the near future you cannot avoid.

With all these costs racking up, the 300 person line to that cheap franchised burrito place isn’t looking too long anymore (even though you know it only tastes good after 7 Slippery Nipples) and the Golden Arches seem like the right option to squeeze every penny. But we are here to convince you of another option. It’s called cooking. For yourself. With real ingredients.

Wait… wait. C’mon, at least let me explain before you go check Perez and go watch The Bachelor choose the skanky girl with the tongue ring. Read More »