Easy Recipes and Kitchen Hacks Every College Student Should Know

By Lauren Brose ‘15

The 2013-2014 term was a year of drastic changes for me. I moved out of my house and into a one-bedroom apartment I shared with a girl from Chicago whom I had absolute nada in common with.  Always more of a guys girl (you can thank my brother for that), I faced my fear of socializing with large groups of girls and joined a sorority. Until then, I had never found myself surrounded by so many attractive, accomplished girls who are just my age.

One major benefit of being in a sorority was meals cooked by our own chefs and served throughout the week. Tragically, when something seems to good to be true it probably is. Meals at the House were served regularly only Monday-Thursday with a brunch on Friday. That meant I had to fend for myself for the rest of Friday and Saturday and Sunday. I was then forced to face my second fear: cooking.

Through time I became increasingly more knowledgeable with ways to prevent poisoning myself as well as cooking some pretty decent meals. The biggest compliment that I have been paid thus far has to be the comparison my boyfriend made with my cooking and the food at his dining commons. He said he “much prefers my cooking.” Granted the food at the commons was miserably mediocre, but the point is that my cooking is not the worst.

I’ve found that Spoon University provided for significant inspiration with my cooking as well as other clever articles published throughout food blogs. Here’s a list of my top findings.

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados
• ½ small onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small jalapeño, stems and seeds removed, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• A dash of freshly grated black pepper
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped
• 4 slices crusty white bread
• 4 slices Cheddar cheese
• Butter, for buttering bread
• Bacon

Directions:

1. To make the guacamole-cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a large bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Add the chopped tomato and stir.

2. Heat a pan or griddle to medium-high heat. Spread desired amount of guacamole on both slices of bread then top with cheese. Butter outer slices of bread and grill on one side for about 2 minutes or until golden and crispy. Flip the sandwich and grill until golden brown. Make the other sandwich the same way and serve warm.

Pizza Mac And Cheese 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of elbow macaroni
• 2 cups half and half
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ¼ cup cream cheese (room temperature)
• 8 ounces sharp shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
• ½ cup marinara sauce
• ½ cup sun dried tomatoes
• 3 ounces pepperoni slices

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

3. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente.

4. Strain the pasta, setting aside about 1 cup of the pasta water in a bowl for additional steps later on.

5. In a saucepan, combine up the half and half, oregano and crushed red pepper and place over heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.

6. Add the cream cheese and stir until there are no chunks in the mixture.

7. Mix in the shredded Cheddar and Gruyere cheese until sauce is smooth.

8. Add the macaroni and the previously set aside cup of water to the saucepan. Don’t worry if it looks too liquidy; eventually the macaroni will soak up the excess liquid.

10. Stir in the marinara sauce, sun dried tomatoes and pepperoni.

11. Once thoroughly mixed, pour into a 13″x9″ inch pan.

12. Evenly sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmesan over the baking pan with the macaroni and sauce in it.

13. Stick it in the oven for about 10 minutes to lightly brown the macaroni and allow the breadcrumbs to get crispy.

Mason jar salads 

Ingredients:

you have so much freedom when preparing salads in mason jars you can mix and match any of the following ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula
• Chicken breast
• Cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion
• Strawberries, apples, pears
• Different types of cheese, sunflower seeds, nuts

Directions:
1. Start with your dressing at the bottom of the mason jar. The idea is to keep it far away from the leafy greens to make sure they don’t get soggy.
2. Begin with the sturdiest and least absorbent ingredients at the bottom, and work your way to the top. If you use one of our recipes, just add the ingredients in the order they are listed.
3. Top with a hefty serving of greens, and seal the lid.
4. Shake the sealed jar to distribute the dressing before pouring into a bowl.

Chocolate Nutella cake

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons self-rising flour
• 4 tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons Nutella
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
• Whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
• Chocolate sauce, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a large coffee mug. Whisk well with a fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1 ½ to 3 minutes. (Time depends on microwave wattage.) Top with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce, if desired. 

Baked egg in avocado

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe avocados
• 4 fresh eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Slice the avocados in half, and take out the pit. Scoop out about two tablespoons of flesh from the center of the avocado, just enough so the egg will fit snugly in the center.
3. Place the avocados in a small baking dish. Do your best to make sure they fit tightly.
4. Crack an egg into each avocado half. Try your best to crack the yolk in first, then let the egg whites spill in to fill up the rest of the shell.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of your eggs and avocados. Just make sure the egg whites have enough time to set.
6. Remove from oven, then season with pepper, chives, and garnish of your choice. Enjoy!

 Pesto Salmon on Spaghetti  

Ingredients:

• A pack of spaghetti
• Corn oil or olive oil
• Garlic salt
• A jar of basil pesto (available at Fresh & Easy or Trader Joe’s)
• A pack of salmon fillet, thawed
• Optional add-ons: Tomatoes, cheese, cilantro, salt, pepper, slice of lemon

 Directions:

1. Place the spaghetti in a pot of water and boil until cooked.
2. While the spaghetti is boiling, in a non-stick frying pan, adjust to medium heat and add your choice of corn oil or olive oil. Amount of oil is up to your own discretion.
3. Place your chosen portion of salmon fillet into the pan and sprinkle garlic salt over fillet.
4. Sizzle salmon until cooked. Make sure that you flip the fillet several times with a spatula.
5. Drain water from spaghetti and mix with basil pesto.
6. Add the delectable salmon fillet to your pesto spaghetti and enjoy! Add extra spices and condiments if necessary. 

Ram N’ Cheese 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ¾ cup milk
• 2 packages ramen noodles

Directions: 

1. Grate cheddar cheese and add with cornstarch into a small bowl.
2. Combine with milk in a medium saucepan and cook on medium to low heat until consistent. Keep warm until serving.
3. In a separate pan boil ramen noodles. Set aside the included flavor packets.
4. Once boiling, drain the noodles and combine with cheese.

Creamy Spinach & Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. smoked sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. pasta
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded monterrey jack
• 1 whole green onion

Instructions:

1. Thinly slice the smoked sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.
2. Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes with chiles and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.
3. Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.
4. Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.
5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over top.

Some other quick kitchen hacks worth knowing

• Keurig maker can double as a water boiler for tea, oatmeal, ramen
• Use a pizza slicer to chop delicate herbs such as cilantro or basil
• Use a coffee pot to boil eggs, cook hot dog sausages, steam vegetables and even rice
• Grow your own herbs and spices on your windowsill using food cans as pots
  
• Freeze fresh herbs in ice cub trays using olive oil to give it a longer shelf life
• Cool down drinks faster by filling a bowl with water, adding ice and salt and submerging your beverage in bowl for 2 minutes.
• Use your waffle maker to make bacon—definitely worth a try
• If you burn cookies, use a cheese greater to shave off the burnt part