If you’re as addicted to caffeine as I am, you are probably broke (not to mention a real gem in the early morning hours). But, like any good junkie, you’re more than willing to flip the couch cushions in search of a few quarters, or sell your kidney to pay for a grande White Chocolate Mocha on your way to school.

I have to admit, I’m a huge Starbucks fan, and am usually fine with shelling out a few extra dollars to indulge in something tastier than Folgers. Still, I need a new winter wardrobe… so I’m weaning myself off of overpriced coffee drinks (that taste like dessert) and makin’ my coffee at home.

I know it’s a bold move, but after playing around a bit I have learned a few things: 1) Making your own coffee can save you billions, and 2) It is really, really easy. Here are a few tips:

1. Flavor it Up.
Whenever I make my own coffee, no matter how good the brand, or how carefully I measure the coffee-to-water ratio, it always seems to taste like dirt. My solution? Flavor, flavor, flavor. Syrup, syrup, Equal, syrup. Seriously, who just gets a latte from Starbucks? Everyone has their signature: the Pumpkin Latte, Caramel Macchiato, White Chocolate Mocha…what do they have in common? Manufactured taste. Instead of shelling out $4-$5 a day for Starbucks, buy a bottle of Torani Syrups. This brand is used in tons of coffee shops across the country, so you might not even taste the difference. Read More »

You don’t have to fill a plastic pumpkin with candy corn to make the most out of fall’s best holiday. Even if the pumpkins are the best. things. on. earth. Halloween comes chock full of goodies, many of which won’t send you into a diabetic coma or give you a muffin top in your cheap vinyl pirate hooker costume. We’re less than two weeks away from Halloween, and I know I’m looking forward to way better treats than fun-sized Milky Way bars.

1. Horror Movie Overload
As a horror movie fanatic, this is my favorite time of the cable television year. On any given day of the week, you’ll find yourself choosing between installments of Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Scour the TV Guide, and you’ll probably also find lesser-known thrillers like The People Under the Stairs, or a wide selection of Steven King novel-turned-creepy-classics.

This is also the time of year for new horror flicks to hit the cinemas. I’m tempted to shell out $10 for Saw V, which hits theaters October 24. I also have to admit I’m tempted to check out The Haunting of Molly Hartley, which comes out on Halloween, and not just because of Chace Crawford.

2. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Special
Can you believe that this year’s Simpsons Halloween Special will be number 19?!? Though we have to wait until November 2 to see ToH XIX, you can bet the other 18 episodes will be running in syndication every weeknight for the next couple of weeks. This year’s episode will supposedly feature spoofs of Transformers and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (another Halloween treat that deserves an honorable mention on this list). The opening credits are also rumored to have strong political ties, but I’d rather not spoil the surprise. If the blood and gore of horror flicks gross you out, you can still appreciate the hilarious parodies that The Simpsons bring us every year. Read More »

My mom always told me that when things get rough, sometimes you have to “just be.” I never understood that, really; I’d just nod and agree and then go back to freaking out over whatever I was doing right beforehand. But you know, the more stuff you have to do, the more you realize that yeah, you do have to just be. Calm down. Chillax.

After a week filled with tests, papers, about five gallons of coffee, and way too much spiked apple cider (Quickie Recipe: Apple cider + apple brandy, varying the amount of brandy for the amount of drunk, is f*ckin’ delish), a few of my friends and I decided to be a bunch of kids. We hunted down a corn maze and got utterly lost in it, went to a pumpkin patch, and picked apples.

We didn’t do anything particularly stupid or sophomoric — unless you count getting in a fight with a 10-year-old over the existence of infinity. No, we just had fun. Fall is my favorite season, and I hadn’t properly enjoyed it in years ’til last weekend. The only thing missing was a hay ride…

This week was/is slightly worse, with a ten-page-paper that was due yesterday (that still isn’t done, shhh) and a psychology test tomorrow I haven’t really studied for. But this weekend, after dealing with trying to write a paper for an outrageously vague professor (who I think really only teaches because he a) likes to hear his voice b) likes to make students feel stupid) and studying for a test in a class I sometimes think I’d enjoy more if it weren’t for the tests, we’re doin’ it again. No, not the corn maze and pumpkin bit. But hey. Come on, you guys. You honestly mean to tell me that you wouldn’t go to FrightFest if given the chance? Read More »

It’s officially fall. The air is feeling crisper, the leaves are changing and girls are dusting off their Uggs.

Which means it’s time to bust out those fall recipes and all things pumpkin.

I’m a huge fan of pumpkin bread; it just tastes like fall. This recipe is my absolute favorite - it’s always moist, it’s the perfect combination of spices, and it’s easy enough that I can do it. So get the oven ready, bask in the scent of it, and then dig in.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 (16 ounce) can solid pumpkin Read More »

It’s about this time of year that I start to get a little crazy. I start to get a little obsessive and over-indulgent. This is the time of year I start my annual hunt for all things orange. More specifically, I start looking for and eating every pumpkin-flavored food I can get my hands on.

This year, on the day Starbucks started serving their pumpkin spice latte (also known as the best day of the year), it was 88 degrees in Boston. Not exactly pumpkin-eating weather. But did that stop me from ordering a large steaming hot pumpkin spice latte and sipping it in the sun? Obviously not.

Don’t let the all too short pumpkin-eating season pass you by! Indulge. Just don’t indulge so much you start to turn orange. What? Trust me, it happens.

There is more to pumpkins than pumpkin pie:

Pumpkin Coffee: Of course there’s the classic pumpkin spice latte that almost every coffee shop (worth my business anyway) serves. But lots of coffee shops are also coming up with other pumpkin-flavored drinks. All are worth trying, but if you’re concerned with the calories and fat in a latte, just ask for a regular coffee with a little bit of the pumpkin-flavored syrup. It’s perfect when you just want a cup of coffee with a smidge of flavoring. And it’s usually much cheaper than ordering a latte too. Read More »

Can you think of anything that says fall more than pumpkin? I can’t. And if you can, shut up.

Because here, for your reading pleasure, is a delicious recipe for pumpkin pancakes.

Imagine this: It’s Sunday morning and you’re snuggled in to have a nice “me” morning. Sound pretty good? Well, sure. But add pumpkin pancakes–and now you’re in frickin’ heaven.

So, pumpkin pancakes! Enjoy!

Stuff You’ll Need:

1 cup of pumpkin puree
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1 1/2 of milk
2 tbsn vinegar
1/2 tsp of ginger (ground
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of allspice (ground) Read More »

I’m sure at some point in each of our lives, we giggled inappropriately at the appearance of a food product. Maybe it was that Popsicle that looked a little too phallic, or the kiwi in the produce department that looked hilariously like testicles. But in reality, there are certain foods that are linked to our sex drives and get our motors running, and as a dedicated culinary student, I have made it my mission to find some of the best.

1.) Booze - While not exactly an aphrodisiac, alcohol is responsible for more than it’s fair share of one-night stands and awkward mornings. Booze lowers your inhibitions and makes you more likely to make spontaneous decisions.

2.) Chocolate - On top of the sensuality of chocolate syrup or boxed candy, chocolate contains theobromine, similar to caffeine, to keep that fire burning longer.

3.) Pineapple - Although pineapple isn’t a the sexiest food, it’s been used as a natural treatment for impotence, and eating enough of it can sweeten your guy’s “taste.” Why? Fruits like pineapple and citrus have both natural sugar and are acidic, which alters your body’s pH, changing your man’s alkaline-based juices (alkaline gives it it’s salty flavor) to something more neutral. And you thought chemistry was boring! Read More »

VH1’s “I Love Money” was on last night, and since our usual reality TV blogger is on a nice, relaxing vacation, Lauren and I decided the only fair way to get through this show was to force the other one to watch it. We were both exhausted, maybe a few glasses into a nightcap, and totally, completely confused by just about everything that happened. This is what you get when you try to understand a dramz-saturated plot six episodes in.

Read More »