No-Bake Cookie Exchange Treats

Happy New Year, y'all! I'm coming off of the holiday rush and feeling that new year optimism. In light of this fresh outlook on the next twelve months, I wanted to share a fun post on one of my favorite things in this whole wide world: food.

During cookie exchange season this past year, I learned a few things. 1) I still hate baking, even when my "cookies" are no-bake treats. And 2) Shortening is a must-use secret ingredient when melting chocolate. Seriously, just a tiny bit of shortening will make your melted chocolate so smooth and silky and very easy to work with. I will never go back to my old ways.

Alas, I made dozens of no-bake treats to exchange at two different cookie exchange parties and, if I'm being honest, I wish I never exchanged them. These things are so good, you won't want to share them. If you do, save some for yourself so you're not stuck with an equal amount of those dry, sugar-almond-snicker-bread cookies. Real talk? I feel like I got screwed. But you don't have to be, she exclaimed in her best sales pitch voice! Enjoy.

Oreo Truffles (Makes 48 truffles)

36 Oreos (one package)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
12 oz. white chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. vegetable shortening
Sprinkles, optional

Directions: Pulse all oreo cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs are formed. Mix the Oreo crumbs and the softened cream cheese until a sticky dough has formed. Roll dough into about 48 1-inch balls and set aside on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Chill the balls in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate chips with the shortening in a double-boiler on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl. Once the balls have chilled, slide a fork under the balls to dip them into the white chocolate, covering them completely. Set aside on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Decorate with sprinkles or Oreo crumbs. Allow the melted chocolate to harden at either room temperature or in the refrigerator, then enjoy!

Thailand

Someone asked me this week if I could remember where I was on that particular day two years ago and it came to me so vividly. How could it not? Two years ago on this day, I was in Thailand alone doing one of the bravest things I've ever done in my life. I chose to travel to a place I knew very little about all my myself because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and experience life in a completely different way, and boy did I!

I thought about it carefully and worried about whether or not it was a good use of my funds (hi, I was unemployed at the time). Booking my flight was a complete leap of faith. It was scary and nerve-wrecking, and also incredibly exhilarating! And that was just the booking part of the trip.

I traveled all around the country with a desire to dive deep into their culture. I visited temples, ate weird sausage from a street vendor, kayaked through caves, fed elephants, visited WWII POW grave sites near River Kwai, backpacked 45km through the northern mountains, slept in local families' homes, camped on a private beach with a 5 foot lizarddragonthing, swam in crystal blue waters, stared down giant spiders until I finally fell asleep, learned how to cook Thai food, and hiked up a seven layer waterfall. Most of that trip was uncomfortable and terrifying, but that was the point! It was incredible. The best gift I could have given myself.

This courageous adventure gave me a lifetime of sweet memories and the guts to say yes to adventure more often. I'm a middle child in family with four kids and lots of cousins. I'm a person who has always had a lively social life. And I had been living with someone for all of my adult life up to that point. I don't do alone. The thought of being alone and taking on something so big independently was a major step for me. And I don't regret it one bit. Take that leap of faith and go get yourself some adventure, friend!

I Don't Know What I'm Doing

What do I actually want to be when I grow up? When will I pay off my student loan debt? Did I just forget another dentist appointment? What does an alternator even do? I know I said I’m on a diet, but do you want to get pizza tonight? Will I ever grow up and become a responsible adult?

Y’all, I don’t know what I’m doing. You know that feeling? One thing that remains consistent when talking with friends, family, and co-workers is that no one knows what the hell they’re doing! Everyone I know seems to be at a crossroad or in a pivotal moment in their life. If they could only achieve this. If they can just get through that. News flash: life is one pivot after the next. There is no smooth and steady promised in this life.

Listen. I live in a place that is equal parts majestic and horrifying: Washington, DC. Living in DC is hard, you guys. Everyone here is highly educated, Type A, and on a mission to Get. Shit. Done. People here are so smart! They have the stamina of the energizer bunny, eat plant-based diets and have rock-hard abs. These Super Nerds are working toward world peace, ending homelessness, fighting for justice, and protecting our Earth. I don’t know how they even let me in.

But, you guys? I am here. And I have a seat at the table. I am incredibly grateful for this life and I feel an immense responsibility to fulfill my potential. I didn’t start this blog to tell the world how to do it right. Lord knows I am in no position to be giving advice. I’m here to be vulnerable with you - to share what I’ve done wrong, what didn’t go my way after giving it my all, and how I keep pushing forward one step at a time every day. (I started this blog as a creative outlet, so I promise it won't be so serious all the time, too).

Friends, I’m here to let you in on a little secret. None of us really know what we’re doing. We fake it ‘til we make it. We choose to walk boldly into our future even when we don’t think we have the skill set or know what our future looks like. I want to cultivate a space for women to be encouraged, feel loved, and find a restored confidence in themselves. I will share my story in hopes that it can inspire others to go scared, to play out of our league, and to represent Courage in the Capital.