An Ode to Self Pity, Unemployment and Graduation

I've been absent from the blogging world a while.

Two days after graduating college in May, I zipped off to Europe with my cousin for a month, equipped with a broken backpack, gummy bears and Rick Steves.

After spending a month downing Strongbow and Nutella crepes, I returned home, apprehensive to confront life decisions and normalcy. I realized the rest of the summer would not be full of beaches and Louvres and S-Bahns, but unemployment and uncertainty.

Graduating from college is a scary step. There is no next semester lined up, no trips to Target to buy throw pillows and Steno Notebooks. The future is a question mark, and it's up to you to choose where your life will head.

So naturally I've been reclining on the couch watching "Say Yes to the Dress" and "Gilmore Girls," eating pita chips, doing a little yoga and throwing in the towel at 5:00 p.m. I don't want to work too hard. Limbo never felt so comfortable.

I've talked to many other graduates who are in the same boat. Maybe September will bring a job offer or graduate school, but for now, it's all about eating off the fat of the lamb and wallowing in your parent's family room with no money.

So to spruce up the summer, add a little zest to limbo, and save myself from "Say Yes to the Dress" marathons, I've decided to begin blogging about fun, cheap things graduates can do in the area. Summer concerts, tasty, affordable restaurants and ice cream stores, scenic trails, rollerblading excursions and any Hugh Jackman sightings (He's renting a house in Franklin). After all, we're only young once, and everyone says to savor these times of joblessness and uncertainty. Carpe-a-diem.

S'more Nutella, Please

While abroad last spring, I blogged about my nutella infatuation. I would put nutella on bread, carrots, pretzels, naan, fingers, anything I could get my paws on. 

Well, a year later, that love affair is still going strong, except this time, I've found some delectable nutella combinations that don't involve flesh. 

1. Trefoil Nutella Sandwiches. For those of you with Trefoils stacked in your room from your annoying neighborhood Girl Scout, smear some nutella in between two Trefoils and put those shortbreads to good use. Not exactly a jaw dropping taste, but it works as a snack. I recommend using as much nutella as possible. 

2. Nutella S'mores. A revolutionary idea, no? Screw Hershey's, rub some nutella on that graham cracker and you have a delicious feast. If you are really into the spreads, try it with Fluff. 

3. Vanilla ice cream, pretzels, brownie bits and my lover. This may seem stolen from Coldstone, but I'm just ahead of the trend. 

4. Your index finger. Ok, I lied. There will be flesh involved. Nothing beats scooping nutella out with your hand. I sound like a Violet from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

So eat up! And let me know what you think of these recipes, and if you have others to try.