Um, I’m really not into the Olympics. Sorry.

Yeah, I get it, nations get together and compete to show that their differences aren’t all that big after all, blah blah blah. The truth of the matter is, sports has never brought nations together. Maybe they can put their differences aside for a few minutes for the sake of the cameras (and to try for that gold medal), but the moment they leave the venue, the world is back to the way it was.

But, hey, I do like dessert. So, to honor the Beijing Olympics in the only way I know how, I propose a making delicious Chinese dessert: deep fried watermelon. Yes, it’s fried, but, hey, at least it’s fruit!

Happy sporting!

What You’ll Need

1 10 pound watermelon
2 beaten egg whites
11 tablespoons of flour
7 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 cups of vegetable oil Read More »

Summer is not coming to a close! Do not listen to your television blaring “back to school” commercials at you! Keep on loving the sun and living the summertime life. Here are my five favorite things about summer - the good, the bad and the sweaty.

1. Venti Starbucks Iced Passion Tea Lemonade (with two pumps of melon):
If you haven’t tried this drink, walk… no, RUN, to your nearest Starbucks. Don’t worry; if you live in America it will probably be no further than a block away. This drink is the greatest non alcoholic summer beverage I’ve consumed. I’ve even attempted to make it the greatest alcoholic beverage I’ve consumed. Do not mix with vodka! Not good. Anyway, it’s sweet, tangy, caffeine free and most importantly, it’s pink.

The bad?: Friends mock you for embarrassingly long and girly drink order and local Starbucks staff start knowing you as “Two Pump Melon Girl.”

2. Rainbow flip flops
Obvious summertime staple! These go with everything and flip flops are the only shoe of choice for the summer. I have a beach pair, which are completely destroyed and a nice pair, which are on their way to being completely destroyed. Can wear these to class, bars and the gym. But only to the gym if you plan on just walking around observing, in lieu of legit exercise. My kind of gym shoes! Read More »

When I was a little kid, I had a lot of great ideas. I think everyone does. Sometimes we’d get to see these ideas come full circle, and learn a valuable lesson. Like why you don’t swing from chandeliers, or why you aren’t supposed to convert an old refrigerator into a ‘fort.’ Most of the time, however, these ideas had to stay in our heads, because our (evil) parents wouldn’t let us try them out.

But one of the good things about growing up is you get to try some of these crazy ideas out. Especially if you kept them all in a notebook, like me.

I was never allowed to eat sugary cereals as a kid. In retrospect I don’t really resent it because that’s probably why I don’t need medicine to focus, but at the time I thought it was total bullsh*t. Whenever I was at a friend’s I would sample all the different sugary cereals like I was some desperate 11 year old Shaker who didn’t understand electricity. One vivid memory is when I first got to try Cookie Crisp. It was disgusting. It tasted like Sand Dollar Crisp. I was so disappointed. The ad promised cookies for breakfast! That dog!

Speaking of cookies, one of my favorite types when I was little was Teddy Grahams. I loved these because you could eat handfuls of them and that felt great. Of course I’d never have access to the entire box, so I’d usually be eatin’ my grahams out of a plastic baggy at lunch time. Well, one such lunchtime I was thinking about my cereal experience while nibblin’ on some grahams and couldn’t figure out why a company didn’t make a cereal that did taste like cookies. It seemed so easy…just pour cookies into milk. Just then, it hit me. Teddy Graham Cereal. Booya. Read More »

The quintessential dessert of summer is the strawberry shortcake, and for good reason. There’s even a licensed character named after the dessert, for crying out loud. So when you make one, you want to make it good—and no, that does not involve picking up a four-pack of preservative-loaded, Twinkie-like “shortcakes” from Walmart.

What, you’ve never made your own shortcake before? Then you, my friend, are seriously missing out. Allow me to be your guide for your first foray into the world of better-tasting shortcakes—once you’ve entered, you’ll never look back.

For two nice-sized shortcakes (a little bigger than those store-bought lumps), you need:

• 2/3 cup flour
• a generous sprinkle (about 1/8 tsp) salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons sugar Read More »

I have this distinct memory of being 6 years old and covertly trying to chew the hair of my Strawberry Shortcake doll. She smelled like chemically enhanced cupcakes, and I wanted to know if she tasted that way too.

She didn’t.

Even though she was devoid of sugary hair, I loved my Strawberry Shortcake, as well as the Saturday morning cartoon she starred in. All of her friends were named after cakes and pies, and that was awesome. Plus, all they ate seemed to be cake and pies. And S. Shortcake was covered in sparkles. Sparkles and cake. What else could a girl ask for?

Apparently, these days, girls ask for a lot more. According to the New York Times, toy companies are trying to update old 80’s brands for today’s kids who are way more media savvy than we ever were. Strawberry Shortcake no longer spends her days talking to her animals and making muffins. Now she has a cell phone. Oh, and all that cake and pie talk? Outlawed.

“…In keeping with contemporary nutritional concerns, the franchise will downplay the sugary dessert theme and move…“fruit-forward.”” Read More »

This happens to me all the time: I want to eat a nice, healthy salad, I really do—but I crave sugar instead. Usually, I end up eating a square of chocolate instead of a bowl of Romaine.

But now I’ve found the perfect solution: sweet spinach salad!

This takes less than five minutes to make, and it’s DELICIOUS. I feel like I am eating a dessert salad whenever I make it, no joke. All you need is some spinach, a few strawberries, a dab of honey, and a squirt of lemon juice.

Easy process: slice the strawberries and cut off the tops. Rinse the spinach and chop or tear it into smaller pieces. Toss the spinach and the strawberries in a bowl, and poke them for a few seconds to combine them.

Now for the fun part: squirt the lemon juice (I use about half a teaspoon) over the salad, then drizzle the honey over it. Mix everything up with your fork, and that’s IT! Dig in and enjoy… it’s the perfect side for a warm, summery day.

Ever since our family dentist looked at my brother’s teeth and asked him if he routinely fell asleep with candy in his mouth and my mother saw the amount of money it would take to clear his teeth of cavities, I haven’t had anything but diet soda.

Sugary sodas and juices went out the window as soon as my parents realized the havoc they were playing with our health (not like the aspartame in diet soda is any better…but…I mean…let’s not think about that), and since that fateful dentist appointment 13 years ago, I have been very conscious of the hidden bad stuff inside innocent-seeming liquids.

Sometimes, even the good, “healthy” stuff can stab you in the back. Need some examples?

Glaceau VitaminWater (20 oz)
This shiz has 130 calories and 33 grams of sugar. I love VitaminWater because it makes me feel like I’m ingesting actual vitamins, but when I force myself to think about it…how healthy can something that tastes THAT sweet really be?

Pina Colada
This summer drink has 625 freaking calories and 75 grams of sugar. Do you KNOW how many miles on the treadmill that is? Give me some rum and a splash of lime — still tropical, but waaayyy less mean to the waist line. Read More »

So, I set out the other night to make a crostata, but let’s just say I don’t seem to be at that level in my baking prowess yet. In my understanding, a crostata is supposed to have a nice, firm, flaky, golden brown crust… and, well, mine didn’t.

In good news, though, it tasted great. And it ended up looking exactly like something else I like a lot—pizza.

So if you too want to try dessert pizza, here’s all you need: about 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries, 1 small sliced apple (optional), 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water, enough pie dough for 1 small pie (use your discretion), 1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon milk, and a little bit (not more than a tablespoon) of brown sugar, oats, and flour. Read More »

Moving is one of those experiences that forces you to look at what quantifies your existence in the real world. As I box up books and birthday cards, clothing and toiletries, it occurs to me that my possessions are ideal for a nomadic lifestyle.

Aside from my bed, I could pick up and go at any time to start over in another overpriced, undersized apartment. This feeling is surprisingly liberating in the “world is my oyster” sense. Wee! I can go anywhere! My options are limitless, budgeting excluded!

After rigorously going through my wardrobe and neatening my bedroom, I took stock of my kitchen. I really have nothing to take with me, save for my toaster oven, which was a birthday gift from my roommate and is my favorite appliance of all time. As I lovingly patted the top of it, assuring her that her new home would offer her counter space, I thought how much easier takeout is than cooking. Food out is so much better. Food at home is so… bland.

Why? Because spices are freaking expensive and salt and pepper can only do so much. But really, overall, I could save tons of money if I would stop getting delivery and started grocery shopping. After some serious contemplation, I comprised the following list of spices that must be staples to my future creative kitchen: Read More »

Making pita bread from scratch… is it even possible? Is it even worth it? Fortunately for you and me, the answer to both questions is a resounding YES.

To me, these little breads are almost like magic. You roll them flat as pancakes, then they puff up and fill with air. How does it happen? I have no idea, but I’m glad it does.

For two pita pockets, you’ll need ½ cup flour (all-purpose or wheat works), 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon rapid-rise yeast, and 2 tablespoons water.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and water. The water should be around room temperature—just make sure it’s not way too hot or too cold. It’s OK if the dough hardly comes together—you’re going to knead it, and it will absorb more flour when you do that.

In the bowl or on a flat work surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. You may need to add more flour as you go along to keep the dough from getting too sticky. When you’re finished, shape the dough into a ball, and put it back in the bowl. Read More »