Category Archives: Silly Stuff

9 Ways to Eat UVM [+1 Sweet Giveaway]

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If you didn’t know this about me, I love food.

This week, I wanted to take a minute to showcase some of my favorite foods made by UVM alums. Alums own tons of businesses in Vermont and around the world and here are 9 of my favorite ways to Eat UVM.

As an added bonus, at the end of the post, enter our raffle to win this care package of UVM food goodies (and I don’t mean stuff from Brennan’s).

Here are 9 of my favorite ways to Eat UVM.

1. Polar Seltzer – Look, it’s not what you expected, in fact, how many of you knew that Polar Seltzer, the greatest of the seltzers by far (tsk tsk La Croix), was owned by a UVM family? I didn’t either until this year, but now that I know, I will continue to be a huge advocate.

From their classic flavors to seasonal standouts, drinking Polar has become a constant in my daily life. Personal favorite flavors – Raspberry Lime, Black Cherry and Ruby Red Grapefruit.

2. Lake Champlain Chocolates – Pretty much perfect chocolate, LCC helped me understand the nuances of dark chocolate compared to the overly creamy milk. However, just when I started substituting my ice cream habit for chocolate squares, I tried their ice cream on Church Street, and uh…yeah, it’s really good too.

LCC totally satisfies my sweet tooth and is one of my faves for sure. Try all their different products! Great gift for the chocolate lovers in your life (aka me – I’m accepting LCC gifts)

3. Bluebird BBQ – At first I was skeptical, pretending to know what real BBQ was supposed to taste like, wondering if Bluebird had the goods. The answer is yes.

Delicious meats and sides for days. Not really vegetarian friendly of course but definitely good for us Ron Swanson types. Hint: use all the sauces. I’ll take a family meal for one please!

4. My Little Cupcake – I bet you know all about these. So many flavors, so little time. Grab a dozen and sift through all the fun. What a great idea, all the deliciousness of a regular cupcake but in a portion size that makes sense.

5. Dakin Farms – Here is the Vermont experience all in one place, get everything you need (meats, cheese, jams, maple products etc) and have a picnic after your hike.

6. Bove’s – Sadly, Bove’s is no longer open downtown, but the classic sauce (and meatballs) remain sold in stores all throughout Vermont. Be sure to pick some up for your next pasta dinner and experience the reason why Bove’s stayed open for generations!

7. Champlain Orchards – Who doesn’t love apples? Enough said.

8. Jasper Hill Farm Cheese – Seriously, don’t miss this cheese. Rated as some of the best in the country, Jasper Hill does not disappoint. Honestly, cheese is probably one of my favorite foods, so I saved this one for last.

I wish we could ship you a whole wheel, but we will have to settle for a smaller portion.

9. Adult Beverages. You might be wondering, what about the all breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries? Well, there are too many to list here, but here’s a short list of my favorites: the Alchemist Brewery, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Queen City Brewery, Trout River Brewery, Snow Farm Vineyard, and Fresh Tracks Farm & Winery.

Just in case you forgot — enter the giveaway to win the Eat UVM care package:

(Unfortunately, no liquids or cupcakes in the care package — you definitely don’t want to receive a ready-to-explode can of seltzer or smooshed cupcake in the mail)

DIY UVM Halloween Treats!

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My favorite thing about any holiday is the food, and Halloween is no exception.

So, in honor of the spookiest holiday of the year, I present you with two UVM-themed Halloween treats. They’re simple, easy and perfect to bring to a Halloween party with UVM friends.

First up, Catamount Crispies. This twist on the traditional rice krispie treat is so easy, you don’t even need an oven. Check out the video below to see how I whipped these up in the office kitchen with just a microwave.

Catamount Cripies
I adapted the recipe right off the back of a box of Rice Krispies.

You’ll need:

  • 6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 package (10 oz) of marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
  • Green food dye
  • Frosting for decorating

Here’s how you do it:

Stove top directions:
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add 10-15 drops of green food coloring.

2. Add cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

Microwave Directions:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

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No dessert is complete without an accompanying beverage.

Enter my Ghost of Ira Allen Punch. It glows green and plays well with other spirits, if you know what I mean…

Ghost of Ira Allen Punch
Recipe borrowed from Pillsbury.

You’ll need:

  • 1 quart lime sherbet, slightly softened
  • 1 container (12 oz) frozen limeade, thawed
  • 1 bottle (1 liter) ginger ale
  • Gummy worm candies
  • Lime slices (or lemon for that Green & Gold flair)

Here’s how to do it:

1. In punch bowl or pitcher, mix sherbet, limeade and ginger ale.

2. Pour into glasses. Garnish each glass with candy and lime slices. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

— Ryan

Farewell, Derrick! (and 3 Tips for leaving a job)

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As the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end.

My Afterword partner, Derrick Dubois, is leaving the UVM Foundation to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot.

He’s off to the Aviation Technology Program at Vermont Technical College which, in partnership with the Vermont Flight Academy, offers the only pilot certification/licensure program in the state of Vermont.

I’ll miss my partner here on the ol’ blog, but I’m really happy for Derrick. He’s making his dream a reality — which is not always an easy thing to do. To send him off, we made one last overly dramatized Afterword video for you:

And in true Afterword form, Derrick and I put together some tips and lessons learned from his experience to share with you.

3 Tips for Transitioning out of a Job

1. Give appropriate notice – once you’ve accepted a new job, a grad program, or whatever your next step may be, be sure to give your current employer notice of your departure. Work with your direct supervisor to decide on an end date and communicate that date with the rest of your organization.

2. Wrap it up – take stock of the projects and programs you work on. Set ‘hand-over’ meetings with those who will take over (whether permanently or temporarily) for you. Make sure important files are saved on shared drives so they can be accessed by your successor and share any instructions and log in information that needs to be passed on before you leave.

3. Keep in touch – leave the lines of communication open when you leave. Be available to answer questions or help locate a file or contact for your old colleagues and the person who takes your place. You never know when you’ll need your old colleagues.

Farewell, Derrick. Don’t be a stranger…

— Ryan

Whoops. Introduction to the Class of 2016, Part 2

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Hi Class of 2016!

So…you are all receiving emails from us at the UVM Foundation and Alumni Association with links to original, fun and informative blog content every week right?

Dwight Meme

We JUST realized that only half of your class has been receiving emails about our posts each week. Don’t ask why — it’s really dumb, so let’s never speak of it again.

To make up for our mistake, here are some important links to everything you have missed so far.

We know this isn’t the best introduction, but we hope you will find this blog useful and will return when you actually receive our weekly emails.

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Sam Jedrey

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Class of 2016 Check In Survey - this summer

Zach Zimmerman

 

Join us each week for new and helpful content to guide you through the often confusing first year out of school. As recent alums, we know that the struggle is real!

Hang in there and see you next week!

Ryan & Derrick

 

Afterword at the Olympics

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You thought we went to Rio? Not a chance!

We are perfectly content watching the games from our couches eating as much junk food as possible and putting off the gym until tomorrow…

However, the achievements of these amazing athletes really have stirred up some emotions and inspired us to go out and try a few events like Gymnastics, Track, Swimming and more.

We’ll leave it to pros like Simone Biles, Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky to handle the real events, but for now, we’re going to have some fun.

Enjoy the video!

UVM Olympics from Afterword on Vimeo.

With some hard work, maybe we can qualify for Tokyo 2020. Let the training begin!

Ryan & Derrick