5 St. Patrick’s Day Snacks That Will Leave You Feeling Lucky!

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! The day of green beer, good luck, and everyone is Irish! I am going to help you make your St. Patrick’s day a little tastier with these fun, festive, and delicious treats.

Disclaimer: these are what the treats REALLY look like. I’m not a professional Pinterester so they may not be perfect, but that gives you a good idea of what they will realistically look like!

 

ONE: Little Lucky Bars (gluten & dairy free option)

Just like your traditional Rice Krispies Treats but with Lucky Charms.

IMG_2288What you will need:
– 8 cups of Lucky Charms
– 1 bag of mini marshmallows
– 1 tsp. of vanilla (optional – I like to add it)
– 3 tbs. of butter (I use vegan to avoid dairy)
– Green food coloring

 
Instructions:
1. Melt butter in large sized pot on stove
2. Add full bag of marshmallows to IMG_2304melted butter. Continue to stir         consistently to avoid burning the marshmallows until fully melted.
3. Add vanilla and about 5 drops of green food coloring and mix evenly.
4. Remove marshmallow mixture from heat and mix in 8 cups of Lucky Charms.
5. Once cereal is mixed in pour the mixture into a grease 8×12 inch cake pan and press down the top lightly until flat.
6. Let the mixture cool, then cut and serve!

TWO: Luck of the Irish Mix! (gluten-free) 

Have you had Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies? Make those ordinary treats a little more lucky with this Luck of the Irish Mix recipe!

IMG_2287What you will need:
– 1 bag of white chocolate chips
– 8 cups Chex cereal
– ½ cup peanut butter
– 1 tsp. of vanilla
– ¼ cup of butter
– 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar
– Green candies – I chose mint M&M’s
– Green food coloring

 

 

Instructions:
1. Combine chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter in a medium microwavable bowl.IMG_2303
2. Microwave to melt the contents, stirring frequently to avoid burning mixture.
3. Add green food coloring and vanilla
4. Place Chex cereal in a large bowl and add melted mixture.
5. Stir thoroughly to make sure all pieces are coated
6. Add powdered sugar and mix well. This works best if you have a lid for your bowl so you can shake it.
7. Let the mixture cool.
8. Add sprinkles, M&M, Lucky Charms, or any other green candies!

THREE:  Irish Jell-O Shots (for the adults)

It’s not St. Patrick’s day without at least a little bit of alcohol. You can solve that problem with these Jell-O shots that are the colors of Ireland’s flag.

What you will need:IMG_2290
– 1 box of orange Jell-O
– 1 box of lime Jell-O
– 4 packets of unflavored gelatin
– 7 oz of sweet and condensed milk
– 1 1/2 cups Vodka of your choice
– Whipped cream (optional)
– Plastic cups to make your Jell-O shots in. I like to use the cups with lids for easier storing.

 

Instructions:
1. Start with the box of lime Jell-O. Combine 1 cup of boiling water with contents of Jell-O packet. Stir until dissolvedIMG_2306.
2. Add ¾ cup of vodka and ¼ cup of cooled water
3. Fill 1/3 of shot glass with green Jell-O.
4. Place in fridge to set.
5. Combine contents of four packets of unflavored gelatin with 1 cup of boiling water, mix until dissolved.
6. Add 7oz of sweet and condensed milk to unflavored gelatin mixture.
7. Fill the next 1/3 of your shot glass.
8. Place in fridge to set.
9. Finally, with your box of orange Jell-O, combine 1 cup of boiling water with contents of Jell-O packet. Stir until dissolved
10. Add ¾ cup of vodka and ¼ cup of cooled water
11. Fill 1/3 of shot glass with green Jell-O.
12. Place in fridge to set.

FOUR: Leprechaun Hats – my personal favorite!

Every little leprechaun will love these special treats! Perfect for making with the kiddos.

IMG_2283

What you will need:
– 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
– Circular cookies of your choice
– 1 bag of marshmallows
– Green frosting
– Yellow sprinkles

 

 

Instructions:IMG_2305
1. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave. Stirring every 30 seconds to avoid burning the chocolate.
2. Coat the cookies and marshmallows with semi-sweet chocolate chips.
3. Add a little extra drop of chocolate to the bottom of the marshmallow and stick on the center of the cookie.
4. Put in the fridge to set.
5. Use frosting to add a band where the marshmallow and cookie meet.
6. Use yellow sprinkles to make a buckle.
7. Ready to serve!

FIVE: Shamrock on a Stick  

Mix sweet and salty to create these decorative treats!

IMG_2284What you will need:
– 1 bag of white chocolate chips
– Pretzels
– Lollipop sticks
– Green food coloring
– Green sprinkles

 

 

 

Instructions:
1. Melt chocolate chips in the IMG_2313microwave. Stirring every 30 seconds to avoid burning the chocolate.
2. Add green food coloring to the chocolate.
3. Dip pretzels into the chocolate and set on greased baking sheet in groups of three to form a shamrock.
4. Place the lollipop stick in the center of the pretzels and add a small amount of extra chocolate
5. Add sprinkles if desired.
6. Let the shamrocks dry and then serve!

Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day treats! There’s a recipe for everyone!

This blog was written by Anne Hagerty. 

Top 5 Things You Miss About Home

College is great, don’t get me wrong, you have freedom to do as you please but you take for granted the little things from home. As a senior in college there are definitely a bunch of things that I miss about being home and you really learn to appreciate all the things your parents did for you!

5. Your Pets

pugYour dog is just something you can’t take with you to school. Sometimes you might miss your pet more than some family members (shhh.) It’s like leaving your best friend behind and you’re not able to talk to them at all! Your mom lets you “facetime” the dog, but come on, that dog has no idea what’s going on.

4. LAUNDRY

laundry

I absolutely despise doing laundry. I’ll put it off for as long as humanly possible and there are clothes all over my floor. Being home your parents will just throw it in for you and you have no worries about it. (side note: laundry detergent isn’t free and we have much more important things to buy!)

 

3. Home Cooked Meals

food

Being someone who, frankly, sucks at cooking, one of the biggest things you miss is mom’s cooking and dad’s barbecuing. After a while you just get tired of ramen noodles and Taco Bell (crazy concept right?) and you just want a substantial meal. Not to mention, mom isn’t going to make you pay her for the meal, thanks mom!

 

2. Your High School Friends

friends

Chances are, if you don’t go to school with a bunch of your high school friends you’re going to drift apart. Everyone gets busy with either school or starting their careers and everyone seems to go different ways. You reminisce about fun and crazy times you had with the people you grew up with!

 

  1. Your Family

family

No matter how old you are you always miss your mom and dad when you leave home! It doesn’t get easier leaving and you’re always counting the days til the next time you get to see them. They’re your main supporters and have helped you throughout your whole life so it’s scary when you get out into the world by yourself! You might not admit it, but you even miss your annoying siblings! Leaving home really makes you appreciate the time spent with your family, so to my family: thank you for everything!

 

Post by Shane Monsen, Senior at the University of Montana.

10 Things All College Kids Should Thank Their Parents For

If your parents are anything like mine, they raised you with lots of TLC, advice, and knowledge, and a little tough love as well. Most college kids have their parents to thank for where they are today, so why not take the time to actually thank them, even for the simple things.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for…

1. Listening. If your group projects are anything like mine, you need someone to vent to. When I say vent, I really mean yell and scream to get everything that you’ve been bottling up out so you don’t freak out on that lazy person you’ve been forced to work with for 15 weeks straight. There have been more than a few occasions that my parents have listened to me vent for 30 min. or more, even when I know they don’t care. You guys are troopers!

a8c9dc91bf62ea21d206ecddec4b2acd.500x282x92. Making me humble. Parents teach us the values and morals that mold us into who we are. They hope that they have given us enough knowledge in order to make us good people and to survive out their in the “real world.” I truly believe that being humble got me my job (thanks mom), and my hard work ethic helped me to succeed in my job (thanks dad).

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3. The letters and CARE PACKAGES!! There is really nothing better as a broke college student than going to get your mail and seeing a big box with your name on it. Also, even though the older generation might not believe this with all of our gadgets these days, most college students still love getting letters, or at least I do. I love getting letters from family and friends, knowing that they sat down and took time out of their busy schedules is very special to me. Care packages and letters give college kids something to look forward to, so keep ’em coming please and thank you!!

Me when I get mail that isn’t junk….

2004. Being patient with me. Let’s be honest, all kids suck. Sure, yeah, they are great and all. They love you and they are humble ;). But kids can be shitheads, and parents have to put up with them. I applaud my parents for putting up with everything I put them through; I can’t imagine how much patience they had to have with my siblings and myself.

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Speaking of siblings….

5. Siblings. I guess I should probably thank you for blessing me with two of the most frustrating, loving, idiotic, and comical siblings ever. We fought like all siblings do, but I wouldn’t trade my brother and sister for anything. Siblings teach us many important things in life like how to win arguments and how to get what you want in return to keep your mouth shut and not tell mom and dad. 

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6. Teaching me that it’s good to make mistakes. Growing up I always got down on myself for making mistakes. My parents taught me, as I’m sure yours have taught you, that as long as you learned something from the mistake, it isn’t a bad thing. As simple as this lesson is, I believe it is important in life to not get down on yourself and be positive. Thank you for making me learn from my mistakes guys.

iregretnothing_zps3402d221

7. Giving me my love of pizza. I truly believe that my family loves pizza more than any other family, and I’m sure my cousins will back me up on this one. College students love pizza, and I just think that we should all thank our parents for introducing us to this heavenly food.

8. Being my best friends. A best friend is someone who listens without judgement, who’s there for you always, and who pushes you to be your best. Best friends get excited to see each other when they’ve been hundreds of miles away from each other for months. Best friends make you laugh and cry, and they order you pizza when you’re having a really bad day, or a really good day, or just an okay day, they just eat pizza together okay? My parents and I eat pizza together, and all that other stuff too.  

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9. Worrying about me. I know I missed a lot of curfews and made you wait up for me. I always told you I would be fine and that you didn’t need to stay up and wait for me. I hate that you worry about me so much, but sometimes it feels nice to be worried about. Knowing that there are people out there that are worried about you, makes you feel special.

My parents when I tell them I was at a friend’s house watching movies…

anigif_enhanced-buzz-5653-1394156070-4

 

10. Making it so hard to leave. To quote my dear old friend Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Thank you for being so great at parenting. I like to think you did at least an okay job 🙂

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If you have parents who raised you right, and loved you more than anything, don’t forget to thank them!

This blog post is dedicated to not only my parents, who gave me life, but also to the many other sets of parents that have figuratively “adopted” me over the years. I will never ever be able to thank you all enough for everything you’ve done for me. I love you all to the moon and back <3

Written By: Megan Johnson is a Senior at the University of Montana, graduating in December of 2015.

The Forgotten Middle Child – 90’s Kids and Why We Aren’t Millennials

 

We all know the story. Some of us have even lived it. Forgotten, overshadowed, and pushed aside. Being the middle child was the worst. The oldest sibling received all the accolades and rewards, the youngest received all the attention. And there we were, waving our hands in the air trying to say, “Hey! I’m right here and I’m not like them!” And here we are, still waving our hands, still trying to push our way past the shoulders of our surrounding siblings. A little older, a little wiser, but still just as frustrated. Being a 90’s kid is tough.

 

 

Damn Millennials.” Many times have these words been uttered through the lips of baby boomers and Gen X’s. “All they care about is social media! They don’t know how to work hard!” We hear it. And we take it. But it’s a load of bulls**t. Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back. The definition of a Millennial is someone who was born between around 1980 and around the early 2000’s. While the characteristics of a Millennial can vary depending on the source, the gist is relatively the same. Lazy, narcissistic, coddled, materialistic, disengaged. Positive isn’t it? However in reality, the term “Millennial” isn’t as generalizable as many make it out to be.

People born in the 1980’s are currently aged anywhere between 26 and 35 years old. Having been in the working world for around four or five years, this decade of people are usually seen as responsible employees and entrepreneurs, creating a name for themselves and making short work of corporate ladders all around the world (sounds like the eldest sibling doesn’t it?). Racking up accomplishments and higher salaries, they’re already integrated with Gen X and often aren’t thought of when someone mentions Millennials. People born in the latter half of the term “Millennial” are currently in the height of their teenage years, and because of their youth, are usually grouped in with the rest of the post-century birth crowd. This is where the stereotypes of being a Millennial stem from. But I’ll come back to that later. Right smack in the middle, as always, are 90s kids. Currently aged 16 to 25, we are forced to be grouped into this almost derogatory term, “Millennial”. However we couldn’t be more different than our two surrounding siblings.

I was born in 1994. A great year if I allow myself to say so. Nelson Mandela, Netscape, Rwanda massacre, World Trade Center Bombing…Kurt Cobain…O.J. Simpson… Okay so maybe it wasn’t that great of a year. My point though is that all this happened in one year. Look at what 90’s kids have been through over the course of their short lives: Y2K, 9/11, the dot com boom and bust, the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the War in Iraq, Apple’s rise to power, the Great Recession, the first black president, the legalization of gay marriage. And those are just a few off the top of my head. We’ve been left to solve the energy crisis and are the last generation that can reduce climate change and global warming before it’s too late. The world has changed immensely in the past 25 years. It’s led to one of the greatest qualities that 90’s kids possess. Nostalgia. And a whole lot of it. We grew up in a time that was almost entirely analog and the biggest fear was Y2K instead of war and the economy. We came of age in a time of great turmoil both domestic and abroad. We became adults in an entirely digital age and a slowly recovering economy. We are incredibly young, and yet possess the nostalgia of an old man.

We yearn for the simpler times, when the TV was turned on only after finishing family dinners and calling our friend’s home phone was the only way to reach them (other than AIM). And now I’m currently sitting in front of two computer screens as my phone sits within an arm’s reach dinging with updates of text messages, emails, and social media updates (perhaps this nostalgia is why hipsters came about). This dichotomy in ways of life leaves us 90’s kids wishing we were kids again. And that age was only 15 years ago! This isn’t a bad thing though. Growing up through all of this change has allowed us to adapt to all of the new tech and be very proficient with it. But we also see the value in writing a handwritten note to an employer after a job interview and enjoy relaxing with a good book. In a way, we are the most tech savvy analog people out there. Yes, I know what a tape deck is and watched VHS movies. I also owned a CD player. 90’s kids learned on Gateway computers but can do programming on any Mac book or PC no problem. I could go on and on but my point is that in our eyes, technology doesn’t seem to be advancing that fast. See, we grew up at the same time Apple did. At the same rate Google and Microsoft did. The pace of new technological advancements is about as routine as our birthday coming around every year. And it’s allowed us to be a pretty rare breed. Yes, we are different. But don’t you dare tell me I’m a Millennial.

As I mentioned before, I believe the term Millennial comes from the stereotypes derived from the post-turn of the century kids. All these kids know is digital. This group of kids was seven years old when the first iPhone came out. Is it their fault? Not to me it isn’t. It’s the result of being thrust into a rapidly advancing, tech dependent world and having a cell phone in their hands since 1st grade (that’s not an exaggeration, see the link at the bottom**). Look, our society is convenience oriented. Everything is about what makes things easier and faster. Is it any surprise that it has rubbed off on the very kids that are in their peak of susceptibility? Call it lazy if you want, I call it the effects of their environment. And everything is faster and easier. My cell phone (or mini-computer, however you look at it) has the capability to do anything I want and more. It houses the ability to connect with anyone I know in about 30 different ways. It’s no wonder these kids live and breathe social media. When everyone is connected to everyone else at all times, it’s easy to want to keep attention on yourself (after all, they are the youngest sibling; attention is everything). Has it implanted an entitled “me, me, me” loop track in these kids heads? Gen X seems to think so. And I’m inclined to agree. This is what is scaring employers and causing feelings of regurgitation every time they encounter a so called Millennial.

Sure, call me bitter. I think all of us 90s kids are. We are sick of being grouped into all these Millennials stereotypes. But it is not us. I suppose it’s our fault we’re included in this. We’ve had our heads down, working hard to build a name for ourselves. Haven’t heard of us? Well you’re about to. We are the kids from the 90’s. And we’re about to step out from behind our siblings and shake up the world.

*This article expresses the opinions of a possibly bias student born in the 90’s.

** http://abc7chicago.com/technology/study-53%-of-kids-get-a-cell-phone-at-age-6/637197/

Written by Devon Dietrich, senior at the University of Montana majoring in Marketing, Management, and Psychology.

Sources:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-millennials-are-coming/

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/03/here-is-when-each-generation-begins-and-ends-according-to-facts/359589/

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=90s+collage&imgrc=pxdfMx4kof5G_M%3A&ei=ZC4wVu3EDIiojwO0wr7oDw&emsg=NCSR&noj=1#emsg=NCSR&imgrc=pxdfMx4kof5G_M%3A

http://theodysseyonline.com/ole-miss/middle-child-syndrome-it-is-real/93262

http://www.partyfeverltd.co.uk/party-supplies/birthday-party-themes/60s-70s-disco-80s-party.html

Social Media and the Internet: A Retrospective

Life Lessons I Learned From My Lesbian Mother

Sexual preference and sexual orientation has become very acceptable in the past decade. The LGBT community in the world is growing exponentially with many countries legalizing the marriage of people to the same sex. There are many influential figures that have relationships with members of the same sex and have gone through transgender transformations. If this was how society was 40 years ago when my mother was growing up, I am not sure if I would be here today. My mother is a lesbian and I am proud, inspired and strengthened because of this fact.

My mother and father got a divorce 17 years ago and my world as a child was turned completely around. Divorces between parents are always difficult for the children in families, but mine was exceptionally emotional. My sisters and I (all younger than 10 years old) were realizing our family was never going to be the same. The next 5 years were filled with tears and denial. Our parents were separated, our father turned into an alcoholic, and our mother became a lesbian.

I have learned many lessons from my mother who is a lesbian and here are the ones that have most impacted my life.

  1. Love Who You Want to Love


Cat Dog

 

This lesson was taught to me at a very young age because my mother had changed her sexual preference to love a woman instead of a man. This was difficult to understand at first. Now as I look back at it, I realized that she had always been teaching me to love who I want to love. Have no exceptions and don’t hold anything back. Our family history has had many circumstances where women were not allowed, by family, to love the people that they had true feelings for and this has shaped our family history. My great grandmother had my grandmother with a man who was not socially acceptable (due to religious purposes). My grandmother was given up for adoption and was never told that the family that she was living in was not blood related to her. She later found adoption papers and never had the courage to discuss this matter with her family.   This has a large impact on my mother and who she chooses to love. She passed the lesson onto her daughters, that they can love whomever they want t

 

2. Beauty Comes From Within. Look For Beauty In Everyone

Oprah

Most parents teach their children “You are beautiful! No matter what!” This is told to children as they are picked on in school, when a person who they have a crush on doesn’t like them back, and when children bully other children because of what they look like. My mother taught me that everyone is beautiful and that beauty comes from within. A few years after my mother had told her children that she was going to become a lesbian she drastically changed the way she had looked, by completely shaving her head. As a child I was shocked and mortified. My mother had always had long, dark brown hair that I remember playing with as a child. Getting used to her not having any hair was not the hardest part. The thing that really threw me out of my comfort zone was my mother showing up to a Christmas concert at my school and telling my classmates that my mother was the bald woman in the audience. Did this mean my mother was no longer beautiful? Of course not! She was my mom and I loved her. She would always be beautiful in my eyes. She taught me to carry this vision of looking past people’s appearance and to see the beauty that everyone has, which comes from within.
3. No Matter How Broken You Are, You Can Always Pick Yourself Back Up

Strength

Our family motto is “We glow but do not burn.” As a child I had to deal with many challenges that broke down my spirit. Some childhood problems included but were not limited to alcoholism, drug use, depression, and identity crisis.  My mother would console me in my time of need. She would tell me how strong and beautiful I was and that I had the strength to get through my sadness. I would survive. We are candles in the wind and may dwindle and loose light, but we will never blow out. We will keep glowing and stay lit.  Now she is the one who seems to have forgotten that we have the strength to pick ourselves up. No amount of tragedy, sickness, pain or negativity will be able to stop us. We glow but do not burn.

 

Thank you Mom, I love you.