Sometimes, it isn’t easy living on campus. Many times, both apartments and dorms don’t have the best kitchens, leaving you to resort to your common room if you want to cook when the food at the COG doesn’t seem quite up to par. BUT WAIT! What if you don’t even have the ingredients or the money to pay for them (we’re on a college budget, I know…)? Don’t worry about it! Here are a few easy recipes that you can make in your common room with little number of ingredients!
Breakfast: Stuffed French Toast
What you need: White bread, cream cheese, jelly of any flavor (I like raspberry!), 2 eggs, and 1/2 cup of milk and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Optional: Syrup and powdered sugar
To start this recipe, heat up a pan on the stove (one you would use for french toast). Next, make some sandwiches with both cream cheese and your choice of jelly on the inside. In a separate bowl, mix your eggs, milk and cinnamon together. When you’re ready, coat your sandwiches with your mixture, then fry them on the pan until they’re a beautiful golden brown! When you’re ready to dig in, top your stuffed french toast with syrup and powdered sugar. Voila!
Lunch: Mug Pizza
What you need: 4 tablespoons of flour, 1/8 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/16 teaspoons of baking soda, 1/8 teaspoons of salt, 3 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, marinara sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, dried Italian herbs. (a little more expensive, but definitely worth the taste!)
In that same favorite mug, mix your flour, baking soda, baking power, and salt. Next, add milk and oil, then stir. Add a layer of marinara sauce on top along with your mozzarella, pepperoni, and Italian herbs (totally optional)! Microwave for 90 seconds or until the cheese starts to bubble. There are lots of ingredients, but it’s easy to make over and over again!
Dinner: BBQ Chicken Ring (MY FAVORITE)
What you need: 2 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded (buy a rotisserie chicken! It works perfectly), 1 cup red onion, diced, 1 cup BBQ sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 16 pieces of crescent dough (2 cans)
First, make sure to preheat the oven to 375˚F. In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, red onion, and BBQ sauce. Place a small bowl, in the middle of a greased baking pan and arrange crescent dough triangles around the bowl with the smallest angle on the outside (picture below). Sprinkle ½ of the cheese along the inside of the ring and spoon BBQ chicken mixture on top of the cheese, also in a circular shape. Top with the rest of the mozzarella. Lay the top of the triangle over the filling and repeat until all of the triangles have been wrapped around the filling. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown, then cut into pieces and serve with choice dressing in a bowl in the middle!
Placing the crescent douch on the greased baking pan
With ingredients and dough folded over before baking
FINAL PRODUCT!
Dessert: Chocolate Mug Cake
What you need: 1 banana, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, and Pam Cooking Spray
The instructions are simple. Grab your favorite mug you brought from home and line it with Pam or another cooking spray. Then, mix all of the ingredients and pour it in the mug. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes and you now have a delicious treat for those late night study sessions.
Sometimes, a dinner date with your roommates is just what the doctor ordered after a busy week, so go and have fun cooking!