News-Letter

Eating General Tsao's Chicken from Orient Express every night can get pricey. Making dinner for yourself can be simple and cheap. If you haven't learned how to work your Bradford stove yet, you should be ashamed. (Vadim Gretchouchkin/News-Letter) [Click to enlarge]

Spaghetti with mushrooms, garlic and oil. Doesn't this look a little more appetizing than the pork rinds you had for dinner last night? (Courtesy of Quick From Scratch Pasta) [Click to enlarge]

If the only time you use your blender is to whip up margaritas, then perhaps you are underestimating your culinary abilities. One of the debatable pros of living off campus is being off the meal plan and being able to feed yourself what you want, when you want. In addition, even the upgrade from the AMRs to Wolman or McCoy presents a new challenge for the Julia Child or Emeril Lagasse in college students, as these residents now have microwaves and stovetops at their disposals.

That said, planning and preparing meals still can be a hassle. Before the clerks at Subway and UniMini associate your face with an order and before you buy stock in EasyMac, you may want to give cooking a try.

Whether it's for a social gathering with friends, an effort to impress your special girl or guy, or just dinner some night, have fun with a kitchen experience. Just don't set your apartment on fire. Here are some low effort recipes to get you started:

Anyone can handle pasta, right? The following recipes from Quick from Scratch Pasta call for basic spaghetti and a few accoutrements to make a complete meal.

One important thing to keep in mind when cooking pasta is to add a palmful of salt to the water before adding the pasta. This will prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Spaghetti with Tuna and Fresh Tomato Sauce, serves four

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes (about 3), diced

6 tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp. balsamic or red wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

3/4 lb. spaghetti

2 6-oz. cans tuna, packed in oil, drained

Preparation:

1.) In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, oil, garlic, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

2.) In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain and toss the pasta with the tuna and tomato mixture. Serve.

Note: Tuna can be omitted as marinated tomatoes can serve as a sauce on their own.

Spaghetti with Mushrooms, Garlic and Oil, serves four

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves, minced

1/8 tsp. dried red-pepper flakes (optional)

2/3 lb. mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. salt

1 pound spaghetti

3 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

Preparation:

1.) In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and the red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic softens, about 1 minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and the salt and cook until the mushrooms exude liquid, the liquid evaporates, and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

2.) In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 9 minutes. Drain and toss with the mushroom mixture, the parsley, and the pepper. Serve.

Rotelle with Bacon, Watercress, and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch strips

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 bunch watercress (about 5 ounces), tough stems removed

1/4 pound rotelle

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 scallion including green top, cut into thin slices

Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving.

Preparation:

1.) In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until golden brown and just crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the fat.

2.) Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to the pan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the tomatoes soften slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the watercress and cook, stirring, until just wilted, about 1 minute.

3.) In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rotelle until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and toss with the bacon, 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, the tomatoes mixture, the butter and the olive oil. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water. Top with the sliced scallions. Serve with grated Parmesan.

From Maxine Clark's The Book of Light Italian Dishes, these potatoes make an easy side dish.

Garlic Potatoes, serves four

Ingredients

1 lb. medium sized waxy potatoes

4 tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Few sprigs thyme or rosemary

Salt

Preparation:

1.) Cut potatoes lengthwise into quarters and place in a bowl of cold water. Rinse under cold running water and pat completely dry with paper towels.

2.) Heat oil and when smoking hot, add the potatoes and garlic. Reduce heat and brown the potatoes on all sides. Stir in herbs, cover and cook in their own steam for 15 minutes

3.) Remove lid and increase heat to evaporate any water and crisp the potatoes. Turn into a warm serving dish, if desired, and sprinkle with plenty of salt and more herbs.

This bread can be used for a dessert selection or a quick breakfast. The recipe is adapted from Irma Rombauer and Marian Rombauer Becker's classic Joy of Cooking.

Quick Banana Bread, an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 --Inch Loaf

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2salt

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup grated lemon rind

1 to 2 beaten eggs

1 to 1 1/4 cups ripe banana pulp

Preparation:

1.) Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2.) Blend shortening, sugar, and lemon rind until creamy.

3.) Beat in eggs and banana pulp.

4.) Add the sifted ingredients in about 3 parts to sugar mixture. Beat the batter after each addition until smooth.

5.) Place the batter in a greased bread pan. Bake the bread about 1 hour or until done. Cool before slicing.

Another selection from The Book of Light Italian Dishes, Strawberry Sorbet, calls for that blender you never use. And as an added bonus, it is a healthy dessert option. .

Strawberry Sorbet, serves six

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 lb. fresh strawberries

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

1.) Pour 1 cup water into a saucepan and add the sugar. Cook, stirring, to dissolve sugar, then bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Cool, then chill in refrigerator. Meanwhile, wash and hull the strawberries. Puree in a blender or food professor until smooth, and pass through a sieve, if desired. Chill the puree.

2.) Stir the syrup into the chilled strawberry puree and add the balsamic vinegar. Freeze in an ice cream maker for best results.

3.) Alternatively, pour mixture into a shallow freezer tray and freeze until the sorbet is frozen around the edges. Mash well with a fork, beat, and refreeze until almost solid. Repeat this twice more. Serve in chilled glass dishes.

Finally, this easy classic is from http://www.quickneasyrecipes.com:

20-minute Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 Boneless and skinless chicken breast halves

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

1 3/4 cups spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

1.) Using palm of hand flatten chicken to even thickness.

2.) Dip chicken into egg then into crumbs to coat.

3.) In skillet over medium heat, in hot margarine, brown chicken on both sides.

4.) Add sauce. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10 minutes.

5.) Sprinkle with cheese and parsley.

6.) Cover; simmer 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

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