Hi everyone, today I am writing a super exciting blog article. Over winter break I developed a bunch of innovative recipes you can make with basic ingredients available to students in their college dining halls, or easily accessible for dorm preparation. Being a college student who goes to the dining hall almost every day I was intrigued by this idea. I was wondering how good these recipes were, and figured they could provide some interesting variety. So, I decided that for a week I would try out different recipes, making changes for variety for two reasons: to adapt them to my preferences, or due to availability.
A lot of these recipes were based on a dinning hall cookbook I found and you can try all of them yourself. You’ll find all all the details at the end of this article. Give them a try!
Apple Cinnamon Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
- Red apple
- Cinnamon
- Grilled cheese
Equipment:
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Microwave
- Knife
Instructions:
- Get a grilled cheese from the sandwich bar
- Chop up a red apple into bit sized pieces
- Put apples into microwave safe bowl
- Add cinnamon on top and mix with apples
- Microwave for about a minute
- Add cinnamon apples to grilled cheese
I thought that this dish was ok. It was not my favorite but not my least favorite either. I thought the apples tasted good with the grilled cheese. Also, it added a nice crunch to the grilled cheese. I may make this again.
Thai Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
- Peanut butter
- Soy sauce
- Cut up chicken
Equipment:
- Bowl
- Knife
- Spoon
- Fork
Instructions:
- Put peanut butter into a bowl
- Adding a little bit of soy sauce
- Mix the peanut butter and soy sauce together
- Cut up chicken to dip in
I tried this one with my dad, when he came top visit. Personally, I did not like this or that much, since it was very thick, and too salty. I made a similar dish at home using my own ingredients, and it was a lot better. All in all, I had high hopes for this dish, but it was disappointing.
Italian Herbed Bread
Ingredients:
- Bread cut into squares
- Butter
- Oregano
- Basel
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Soup or salad
Equipment:
- Knife
- Microwave safe bowl
- Spoon
Instructions:
- Melt butter in microwave safe bowl
- Cut bread into cubes
- Mix bread into butter
- Add spices on top
I really liked this one, and tried it out with a friend. Initially, I thought this could make a good alternative alternative to croutons. But they were not crunchy, as you would expect for croutons. The seasoning was great, however, and mixed in with lentil soup it was tasty, but again, a bit too soft. Despite the softness, I actually liked these more than the usual croutons, and I would make it again!
Peanut Butter Mousse
Ingredients:
- Peanut Butter
- Cottage cheese
Equipment:
- Bowl
- Spoon
Instructions:
- Put cottage cheese into a bowl
- Add peanut butter on top
I did not like this one, because the peanut butter was too thick to mix well with the cottage cheese. The end result was it tasted like It just tasted like plain peanut butter, making it disappointing.
Queso
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Salsa
- Cheese
- Baked potatoes (or anything else you would like to dip in)
Equipment:
- Fork
- Microwave safe bowl
- Spoon
Instructions:
- Get a baked potato with cheese, butter, and salsa
- Add everything into a microwave safe bowl
- Dip potatoes in
- Enjoy
I loved this dish It was my favorite thing I made during this experiment. The salsa adds a new layer of flavor. I will definitely make this again.
Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
- Bread
- Milk
- Apple sauce
- Cinnamon sugar
Equipment:
- Microwave safe bowl
- Microwave
Instructions:
- Tear up bread and put into microwave safe bowl
- Add in enough milk to cover the bread
- Microwave for a minute
- Add in applesauce and cinnamon sugar
I thought that this recipe was pretty good. My only complaint was that there was too much milk. It made the bread break apart. I think I will add in less milk next time. I would retry this recipe again.
Poutine
Ingredients:
- French-fries
- Chicken
- BBQ sauce
- Cheddar Cheese
Equipment:
- Microwave safe bowl
- Knife
- Microwave
Instructions:
- Cut up chicken into small pieces
- Add chicken, French fries, cheese, and BBQ sauce into a bowl
- Microwave for a minute
I really loved this. All the flavors blended together. I think this would taste really good with the queso recipe.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this experiment. I learned a lot of new recipes and can not wait to try more.
Here are the details of the dining hall cookbook I used as the starting point for this experiment: Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks: Create Extraordinary Dishes from the Ordinary Ingredients in Your College Meal Plan by Priya Krishna. You can find it on Amazon at this link. (I do not get a commission for this plug!)
