Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
By most accounts, college food has improved over the years. But what happens when you sleep through lunch? What happens on the days when you are really hungry, and there’s a blizzard outside?
With a few simple and cheap supplies, you can have the makings for great snacks and meals right in the comfy space of your own dorm room – assuming you can find your refrigerator and microwave, that is. Each column, I’ll show you how to expand your options to improve your personal menu options, cooking for more than one person, and maybe, just maybe (wince) – eating something relatively healthy.
We all know the staples of every college student’s pantry: Ramen Noodles, mac & cheese, hotdogs and Hot Pockets. By adding a few relatively inexpensive items to your virtual cupboard, you can beef up your options. Adding such items as your favorite spices, rice, soups, nuts, instant potatoes, pasta and crackers – products that don’t need to be refrigerated – will provide quick meals and snacks on the run.
Helpful hint – move your six-pack to the windowsill. It will keep your drinks cold, and free up that more-valuable-than-gold space in the platinum lined fridge you were forced to buy. Keep your refrigerator stocked with shredded cheese, sauces, pita bread (it keeps longer in the fridge), butter or margarine, condiments and a couple of eggs if your diet allows. Freezers should hold items that will last a long time, and have larger quantities – no, not a bottle of vodka – like frozen precooked chicken patties or frozen blueberries.
Didn’t finish your lunch at the Union? Save your leftovers to create a new meal the next night. Craving something like that barbecue chicken pizza from Pat’s, but its two days before payday? With barbecue sauce from your fridge, pitas, shredded cheese and grilled chicken from the Marketplace, you can feed that craving and still have money for Trivia Night at Marg’s.
These recipes are designed for college students on the run, involving minimal ingredients, tools and equipment. But – be forewarned – some of the recipes are ones only college students will appreciate or even attempt.
Baked Potatoes Ranchero
(This recipe feeds two to four people or one football player)
- 1(14 1/2ounce)can diced tomatoes, undrained
-
1(15ounce)can black beans, undrained
- 1(4 1/2ounce)can choppedgreen chilies, undrained
- 2tablespoons choppedfresh cilantro
- 2teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2teaspoon ground cumin
- 1ounce shreddedcheddar cheese(4 tablespoons)
- 2tablespoons choppeddried onions
- 2-4 microwavedpotatoes (depending on size, usually 4-8 minutes. When you can stick a fork in them easily and they slide right off, they are done)
- Combine the first six ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and stir well. Microwave on high until it boils – about five to eight minutes. Cover your bowl with a napkin or paper towel – otherwise you’ll have a nasty mess to blame on your roommate.
- Stir ingredients, cover again and cook for five more minutes, or until tender and heated through.
- Split open the baked potatoes and scoop out the insides. To the potato, add margarine, salt and pepper to taste, and mash well. Refill the skins with the potato mixture.
- Top the potatoes with your tomato-bean mix, add cheese and onion. Microwave for another minute, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with your favorite sour cream or avocado dip.
- Congratulations! Not only have you become a dorm room gourmet, but also you have fed four hungry college students for under $10!
