It’s big-little season in the Panhellenic world! If you don’t know what that is, or if it hasn’t taken over your social media news feeds, I’ll tell you. When you join a sorority, you get paired with an older “sister” who is a mentor, a friend, and is there to help you adjust to the sorority and college life. For a week, or in my sorority’s case two weeks, the “littles” have no idea who their “bigs” are. During this time, the bigs spoil their littles, showering them with gifts, crafts and surprises.

A friend told me she was going to buy her little chocolate-covered strawberries. I told her that would be silly and expensive and that she should just make them herself! They are really easy and fun to make, and homemade ones taste exactly the same as those from the store! Crafting in sororities usually takes the form of puffy paint on wood, but who doesn’t like to decorate something edible?

With the holidays around the corner, I suggest practicing some of your favorite chocolate flavor combinations and giving them as gifts!

Dear little, these are for you!

The trick is melting the chocolate perfectly. You can melt it in the microwave, but from my experience, this usually gives the chocolate a burned taste. The best way is to use a double boiler.

You can buy pots specifically for this, or you can try what I do and makeshift one by setting a smaller pot on top of a larger pot. Fill the larger pot with water, and heat it up on a low setting. When it starts to steam, put the chocolate in the smaller pot and place it on top of the larger pot. Make sure the water doesn’t hit the bottom of the small pot, as that could burn the chocolate. Add a tablespoon of milk, and stir until it’s thoroughly melted.

Hold on to the strawberry stems and twist them in the chocolate so that they’re smoothly covered. If you like thicker chocolate on your strawberries, dip them again after the first layer of chocolate has cooled. Apply toppings after you dip the strawberries and while the chocolate is still goopy. Let them sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, and then they are ready to decorate with icing.

I used coconut shavings, sprinkles and decorative icing, but be imaginative! Crunch up some graham crackers or your favorite cookies to sprinkle on, or apply speculoos (cookie butter, otherwise known as my guilty pleasure), or maybe even use bacon bits. Play with flavor combinations that best suit your palate!

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Naan flatbread pizza with ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, pesto and spinach

Ingredients:

1 Trader Joe’s frozen tandoori garlic naan

¼ cup cooked spinach

½ cup cooked and cut sun-dried tomato chicken sausage

2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon pesto

4 cherry tomatoes

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread out the cheese on the bread. Drizzle and spread out pesto sauce around the bread. Sprinkle the spinach around the bread, then spread out the chicken sausage and cherry tomatoes. Cook for six minutes. Dribble a little more pesto on top with fresh basil, and enjoy!

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Changing leaves; football; apples; and the fresh, crisp air are clear indicators that fall is here. But in autumn, pumpkins take the cake, cookies, lattes and so much more. I’m usually one to turn down trends, but the pumpkin-fad train is something I’ll gladly ride.

Photo Courtesy Emily Krantz.

You can really exploit the whole pumpkin experience if you’d like. There’s pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, pumpkin cooking, and most importantly, pumpkin eating!

So seize the season and try a new pumpkin recipe!

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookie cake sandwiches with cream cheese cinnamon pumpkin filling

Ingredients:

For the cakes:
1 Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bar Baking Mix

Prepare the mix as directed on the box. Spray a cookie sheet and spread out golf ball-sized balls of dough on the sheet.

Cook the balls on the top rack at 350 degrees for six minutes. Make sure the oven is completely preheated before putting in the dough.

Take out cooked cakes and let them cool down for at least 20 minutes.

For the filling:
2 ounces whipped cream cheese
⅛ cup sugar
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

Put the cream cheese, cinnamon and canned pumpkin into a bowl. Whisk until homogenous. Slowly whisk in all of the sugar; at this point it should be a creamy mixture. After the cakes are completely cooled, spread filling on one cake and top with another. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy right away, or store in the fridge for later.

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At Drexel, lunch trucks seem to dominate the campus. We have a myriad of gourmet trucks near Buckley Field, and the typical “grease trucks” spread out throughout campus. What college student doesn’t like to revert to quick, convenient and cheap food?

Photo Courtesy Emily Krantz.

I can’t deny my love for Cucina Zapata or the fact that I’ve picked up countless eggs and cheese on everything bagels from the many lunch trucks serving breakfast. However, an egg sandwich made at home can be healthier, more affordable and tastier. So when you’re not in a rush, I challenge you to take your health into consideration and make your own breakfast!

This recipe is a great opportunity to use those leftover ingredients that have been sitting in your fridge for too long. For me, I was able to incorporate leftover cooked veggies from the previous night’s dinner. Putting leftovers in omelets makes for some of the best breakfasts and minimal food waste!

Egg omelet with brie, cooked mushrooms and onions, fresh tomatoes and basil, topped with balsamic vinegar on toasted bread

Ingredients:
½ tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup minced onions
¼ cup minced mushrooms
Greek seasoning
Cumin
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 ounce brie
Little bit of butter
¼ small tomato sliced
2 fresh basil leaves
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 piece of bread

On medium heat, warm olive oil in a pan. When it starts to bubble, add the minced onions and mushrooms; add a pinch of Greek seasoning and cumin while the veggies are cooking. The smaller you cut up the veggies, the faster they will cook. Cook them thoroughly until the onions have browned. When the vegetables have finished cooking, remove them from the stovetop and put them to the side.

Whip up the eggs, add the milk, and add a pinch of Greek seasoning and cumin. The milk will make your eggs fluffier. Put your bread in the toaster.

While the bread is toasting, heat a pan on medium-to-high heat with a small wedge of butter. Add the whipped eggs when the butter is melted.

Allow the eggs to solidify in the pan, then add the cooked vegetables and brie to half of the eggs. Once the cheese has melted, flip over the portion of eggs without veggies onto the portion with veggies.

Add a smear of butter to your toasted bread, place the omelet on the bread, top it with freshly sliced tomatoes and basil, and sprinkle half a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar over everything. Add salt and pepper for taste.

*ForkU tip: Buy a basil plant! They are the easiest plants to keep alive besides cacti. They’ll also keep your kitchen smelling fresh. Plus, you can grab one at Trader Joe’s for as little as $4.

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It was at the 2012 Firefly Music Festival that I first saw Michael Franti. I wasn’t familiar with his music  besides his well-known song “Say Hey,” but my friend told me I had to see him. After that show, I knew why.

Photo Courtesy JM Mullins. Michael Franti, known for his hit song “Say Hey,” performed at the Electric Factory Sept. 21. People of all ages packed the venue in anticipation for the reggae-style performer. They were pleasantly surprised by the unannounced opener, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, who put on a low-key but impressive set.

A modern-day Bob Marley, Franti is the definition of an entertainer, advocating love, unity and peace through his catchy reggae music. The end of that concert was like finishing a small dessert; without a doubt, I was craving more.

I spoke to multiple people, who all agreed that Franti was a pleasant surprise as a nonheadlining, “below-the-radar” festival performer.

The story of Franti’s life is interesting. To start, he was adopted by a white family and raised in a black community in Oakland, Calif. He developed into a young, angry hip-hop  artist who resented the world’s negativity and corrupt politics. At that point, he was on the route to finding his niche in the music world. He channeled his energy away from cynical rap and into positivity to become what he is today — a speaker for social justice.

When Franti visited the Electric Factory Sept. 21, which was coincidently also the International Day of Peace, I was extremely excited to see the contrast between his festival performance and a show at a local venue.

The first difference I noticed was something to be expected, which was that the crowd was much different. The age range of attendees was more diverse because of the nature of the venue. There were also people of all races there to revel in the music.

That is the beautiful thing about Franti — his fans speak for his music. It amalgamates all different ages and kinds of people to form a common bond over his music and his messages.

Despite not having an opener announced, a performer named Michael Bernard Fitzgerald kicked off the show. He was a very low-key performer with an obvious knack for singing and playing the guitar.

Granted, I think the dominating talent onstage was Andrew Ball, who accompanied Fitzgerald on the drums. He played a kick drum turned on its side (essentially a gigantic floor tom) in addition to rattling a shaker in his right hand and using a tambourine with his foot.

The crowd went wild as soon as Franti stepped onstage, many fans shrieking with joy. He opened with “I Don’t Wanna Go,” and the echo of the crowd sang along.

Genuine happiness radiated from Franti as he performed to an equally joyful crowd. During “The Sound of Sunshine,” large green balloons were thrown into the crowd and everyone smiled, jumped and played with the balloons as the show went on.

The always-barefoot Franti joined the crowd to dance with concertgoers. He even ventured up to the second floor of the Electric Factory, stopping to dance with the usher en-route, to boogie with the crowd of older people near the bar.

He became part of the crowd, and it was a humbling experience. Because the stage is raised, it often feels like the performers are on a pedestal, bigger and better than their fans. However, when Franti immersed himself in the crowd, it was like he was saying, “We’re all people, here to have a good time.”

Franti ended the show with an encore of two of his most well-known songs, “I’m Alive” and “Say Hey,” during which he invited kids from the audience to join him onstage.

All in all, if you need a good dose of happiness, a Michael Franti performance is an effective remedy. So until he comes back to Philadelphia, put some headphones in, play “I’m Alive” and keep smiling.

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Photo Courtesy of STS9/Megan Dusenberry

There is nothing quite like a seeing a jam band live. You have to understand that you don’t know what you’re going to get, see or hear, but the experience is going to be amazing. No two sets are ever the same, the lighting and visuals will captivate you, and the crowd will be notably friendly. It’s an overly positive, addictive and very beautiful atmosphere. Viewing a jam band like Sound Tribe Sector 9, also known as STS9, or Umphrey’s McGee is something that anyone who loves musical exploration should put on their bucket list.

When you blend a jam band and electronics, it produces a magical harmony that many call jamtronics. For over a decade, STS9 has proven to be a unique band and has risen to the top tiers of the jamtronic music scene. STS9 has had a busy year; in addition to touring with Umphrey’s McGee, they played at festivals such as the All Good Music Festival, BUKU Music Festival, Camp Bisco, Summer Set Festival and Summer Camp Festival.

Since the late 1990s, Umphrey’s McGee has also proven itself to be an extremely talented and precise improvisational jam group. Umphrey’s McGee’s  musical abilities are largely underrated and deserve much more attention. Umphrey’s McGee truly masters the art of the jam band.

STS9 and Umphrey’s McGee played for the Philadelphia crowd Aug. 30 at the Mann Center. This was the perfect ambiance for these two bands due to the multifaceted nature of both the venue and the music. To me, a college student interested in a large spectrum of musical genres, this music can be enjoyed in a wide variety of settings including, but definitely not limited to, studying and driving.

The Mann Center has an atmosphere that allows concertgoers to take pleasure in listening to the music in the scenery of their choice. There are two stages, one with assigned seating that has lawn seats in the background and one that is a short walk away and has a general admission arrangement, where one can stroll around and enjoy the music in whichever spot they want at any given moment. STS9 and Umphrey’s McGee played at the general admission Skyline Stage.

When going to see jam bands like STS9 and Umphrey’s McGee live, you’ll notice that many people aren’t there just for the music. It is interesting to witness the different types of people and how they revel in the music. There were both gawkers and ragers in the front few rows, people calmly dancing in the back of the crowd, hula hoop users, attention-grabbing costumes, people sitting on blankets, star gazers, and more.

Even without catchy verses or musical hooks, I’ve witnessed some of the best synergy between a crowd and these two jam bands. They attract a certain judgment-free crowd of people who really make the experience unique to the jam band.

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Photo Courtesy Devon Christopher Adams/Flickr. The members of reggae-rock band Iration are originally from Hawaii, but the band only formed when they all reunited at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where they have a steady fan base.

Reggae-rock band Iration has gained many fans since the release of its first EP in 2006. Luckily for fans, the band is now touring the U.S., promoting its latest album, “Automatic.”

Iration’s relaxed and humble sound can be attributed to the group’s upbringing. The band hails from Hawaii, but they all went to school in California at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where their music is already very popular. With this tour, they are trying to spread their melodious tunes all over the U.S., including the City of Brotherly Love; they will be playing their mellow reggae sound in Philadelphia Aug. 23 at the Theatre of Living Arts.

In the midst of a busy tour day in Detroit, while “trying to not stray too far from the bus,” Micah Pueschel, the band’s vocalist, spoke with me about his laid-back band.

Triangle: Iration started as a cover band, but how did you initiate the change into writing your own music?

Micah Pueschel: When I joined [Iration] it was kind of when we started to write [our own] music, and it was kind of after they were a cover. I was writing music on my own in college, so when I joined the band, I kind of just said, “Well, I’ll start writing music.” They had a bunch of songs that had no lyrics, … so I just made lyrics.

T: EDM and Dubstep have revolutionized the music industry. Have you ever considered working with a disc jockey to mix one of your already released songs or a future song?

MP: Yeah. We have definitely considered it, and we actually have people who have remixed a track, but we’ve never done anything where we had any

part in it. But we’re totally open to it. We’re open to any kind of musical exploration.

T: Besides music, what do you and the band like to do in your free time?

MP: We’re all from Hawaii, so most of the boys like to surf. We like to play golf a lot. That’s what we do on the road, play a lot of golf. Besides that, surfing, skating, being outdoors, hiking; we just like to be in the ocean or outside.

T: This may be a sensitive subject, but in April you announced that vocalist Kai Rediske was leaving the group. Do you feel like you are under more pressure individually or have more freedom without another vocalist?

MP: It’s not touchy at all. I never felt like I didn’t have freedom before. I think I definitely had a little more pressure on me to carry the weight of the vocals. But I was carrying a large majority of it before Kai left the band, especially for the live stuff.

For me, the hardest thing is I have to sing for a lot longer every night. I have a lot less breaks, or shorter breaks. I have to be careful and warm up to save my voice. You have to take care of your voice when you sing for an hour and a half every night.

T: Do you mind sharing why exactly he left?

MP: He just wanted to make a change in his life. He got engaged, he moved back to Hawaii. For some people it’s just hard when you’re on the road a lot and you don’t want to be on the road anymore. He was never really 100 percent in performing or being onstage. It wasn’t the same for him as it was for us. He just wanted to move on.

T: What influences your music, and what do you use when you have a writer’s block?

MP: I get my inspiration from life — me, myself, my own life. I generally try and make songs that are real and true and honest. I feel like people can connect to real honesty. A fake or contrived idea just doesn’t vibe the same way.

My musical influences come from all over the place. I love so many different styles of music. First and foremost, I’m a giant Beatles fan. I love so many different types of music, anywhere from Fleetwood Mac to Hall and Oates to Weezer to Tom Petty to The Strokes. Obviously, a lot of reggae.

Our goal has been to reach as many people as we can with our music and try to not alienate any one demographic.

T: What’s the atmosphere like on tour and on the bus?

MP: Pretty mellow. We’ve been doing it for a long time. We’ve gotten a little more mature about the way we tour and the way we take care of ourselves, staying healthy and doing it right so we don’t burn out midway through the tour. No matter what you do, you’re going to be tired, you’re going to be traveling a lot. It’s important to stay healthy. You can’t get sick because you can’t cancel a show and let down fans.

T: I’m sure you know your bandmates very well because you’ve been traveling so much. Does anyone have any fun or interesting quirks?

MP: It’s hard to say. You know everybody does, but our tour manager, Colin, is a major hoarder.

T: How so?

MP: Like food. He’ll get food and just never finish it, and he’ll take it with him and store it in a bunk or under his sheet for a few days and then all of a sudden pull out a sandwich from two days ago.

One time we were walking to the airport. We had an early-morning flight, it was like 4 in the morning in the airport, and he was carrying his shoes, and I just looked in his shoe and there was an apple and a sandwich in his shoe!

T: Which song that you’ve written are you most proud of?

MP: They all are about me or things that matter to me.

“One Way Track” is one of the best songs I’ve written lyrically. It’s about the life of a musician; those are the things I really enjoy. It’s real, and it describes what it’s like to be a touring musician.

Also “Go That Road,” which is a song about doing your own thing and going your own way in life. That’s what we’ve all decided to do for ourselves. You can go a different path than the normal route. You can do college and after you graduate go into the business world or job world, which we all kind of did, but then we wanted to take on music full time.

Also “Automatic,” just because it’s about fans, you know. [It’s] our thank you letter to our fans. We do the social media and the meet-and-greets because that’s how you build a fan base. You never want to hold yourself above anyone.

More information about Iration can be found at IrationMusic.com.

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Emily Krantz, The Triangle

As the sisterhood chair of Delta Phi Epsilon, I plan fun events for our sisters. This past weekend I planned a potluck picnic at Kelly Drive. It seemed like the quintessential outdoor weekend activity, perfect for the end of the summer. The perfection was dampened when Mother Nature got in the way and decided to rain on our parade. The overcast skies and drizzle called for a quick change of plans and led to an impromptu potluck movie day instead! Some snuggling on the couches, pausing of the movie for quick conversations, and good food was a relaxing way to spend a cloudy Sunday.

For the potluck, I brought a fruit salad. I chopped a watermelon in half and put the fruit salad right in the hollowed-out middle. I squeezed fresh lime over the fruit and topped it all with fresh mint. Adding lime and mint is a great way to add some flavor to a traditional salad.

Potlucks are a great way to learn about cooking and what your friends like to eat! At these events, food is obviously a great topic of conversation. When people bring their own dishes, they talk about how they made them, where they bought their ingredients, and what else you can do with them.

From this potluck, I learned from a friend the deliciousness, simplicity and versatility of Pillsbury dough. She made this amazing cream cheese and roasted red pepper miniroll. It inspired me to think about different flavor combinations, which is how this dish was created:

Minced Onion and Basil-Spiced Ricotta and Tomato in a Croissant Roll

Servings: 8

1 package of Pillsbury croissant rolls

1 diced tomato

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons basil

2 teaspoons minced onion

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take the croissants out of the package and place them on an ungreased baking sheet (if you use another brand of dough, be sure to follow package instructions with regard to greasing the pan).

Spread approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese onto each croissant. Top with the diced tomatoes. Sprinkle the basil and minced onion over the cheese and tomatoes. Roll up the croissants.

Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

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Photo by Emily Krantz

After an extremely long weekend at Firefly Music Festival, I was excited to get back into my kitchen and have a real home-cooked meal. Don’t get me wrong; the food at the festival was delicious. I noshed on nachos, wolfed down chicken and waffles, and enjoyed some refreshing ice cream. Not only was the food good, but the weekend was incredible and filled with my best friends and my favorite music. All these wonderful things jam-packed into three days drained all my energy. I came home a zombie, and my body was in need of a nutritious home-cooked meal.
When I saw the brie in my fridge, I had a cheese craving so I worked a recipe around it. That is how I came up with one of my now favorite dishes:
Basil chicken, brie, balsamic caramelized onions and cherry tomatoes, with garlic aioli mustard on multigrain rustica bread, served with lemon parmesan spinach
Ingredients
For chicken:

3 ounces chicken breast
2 teaspoons basil
Dash of olive oil
Dash of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Dash oil on a pan at medium heat. Add the chicken and cook thoroughly. When the chicken is almost done, shred it. When it is white throughout, it is complete. Mix in the basil, pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
For the onions and tomatoes:

¼ small onion
4 cherry tomatoes
3 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Dash of olive oil

Peel the onion and thinly chop lengthwise. The smaller you slice it, the quicker it will cook! Heat the oil in the pan at a moderately high setting. Add the onions, cherry tomatoes and sugar. Halfway through the cooking process, add the balsamic vinegar. Cook until brown. The longer you cook the onions, the more of a caramelized taste you’ll get.

For the sandwich:

2 slices multigrain rustica bread
1 ounce brie
½ tablespoon Trader Joe’s garlic mustard aioli

Toast the bread with the brie on top of one slice until it melts and the other slice of bread is browned. If you don’t have a vertical toaster, you can use an oven. Spread Trader Joe’s garlic mustard aioli on the other slice of bread. Put the sandwich together by adding the chicken and the vegetables to the bread and cut in half.

For the spinach:

¼ pound fresh spinach
½ tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 slice of lemon
Olive oil

Cut the stems off the spinach and rinse. Heat the pan with a little olive oil and the garlic. Cook for about a minute, and then add the rinsed spinach. Add a dash of water and cover the pan. Cook for about two minutes, squeeze fresh lemon, add the cheese, mix and enjoy.

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Unless I have a specific recipe or category of food in mind to cook, I’ll just buy a bunch of random things that appeal to me when I go grocery shopping. The produce might just look, smell or feel perfect to eat. The sauces might just sound interesting to taste. Sometimes I’m guilty of judging a book by its cover and buying food items based on their packaging.

This week I challenged myself not to have a specific meal in mind. I purchased food sporadically instead of sticking to a list with a particular goal.

I came home from co-op with very little time before my night class. I wanted to make a quick meal that involved little preparation but was delicious. I opened my fridge, looked at the produce and the sauces, and checked the cabinets for other food items. It’s actually a really hard task; when you review some sauces, you’ll think of something that sounds great but will be limited by the ingredients you have. I felt like I was on one of those kitchen game shows where they give the contestants random food items and say, “Make something.”

That’s how this week’s article was planned — or really, not planned.

Coconut green curry egg noodles with mushrooms, onions and edamame beans

Ingredients:

1 cup egg noodles
¼ cup mushrooms
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ cup edamame beans
2 tablespoons Thai coconut powder
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons green curry paste
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ cup milk

In a saucepan, add the mushrooms and onions to a dash of heated olive oil at a medium-high setting. Cook until soft. Add the milk, coconut powder, curry powder and curry paste to the dish. To thicken the sauce a little bit, add a tablespoon of flour and whisk in the heated sauces. Cook until vegetables are cooked thoroughly.

Cook the egg noodles per the instructions on the packaging. Stir in the sauce and vegetables. Garnish with the cooked edamame beans and a dash of curry powder.

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