<p>So I am finally transferring to an OOS university and will be living in a dorm (though my grandparents live 2 hours away and make AMAZING food. I'll be taking leftovers when I visit them). I will have a microwave and mini-fridge in the room. There are kitchens on each floor of the dorm, though I don't know how crowded they would be. I'm not planning on getting the meal plan since it is really pricey and the food (from what I've heard) isn't all that good. Does anyone have any good recipes/websites/books that they would like to share? Otherwise I'll be eating pasta roni and peanut butter sandwiches every night. Thanks!</p>
<p>Krazy Queso:</p>
<p>One small jar of Tostitos salsa, one small jar of Tostitos cheese, one big bag of chips (you may substitute other brands instead of Tostitos)</p>
<p>Mix equal parts of salsa and cheese in a bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir.</p>
<p>Preparation Time:<em>15 minutes
Microwave Time:</em>5 to<em>9 minutes</em>
1/2 lb<em>frozen shrimp,</em>thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper*
2*<em>teaspoons</em>chile powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 small handful of cilantro, finely chopped
The juice of 1 small lime
1<em>teaspoon water
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 green and</em>1 red<em>pepper,</em>cut into thin strips
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
*Corn or flower tortilla shells
1/2 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese
Salsa
Sour cream</p>
<p>Remove the shrimp from the freezer about an hour before starting to cook, and let thaw out completely. Pat the shrimp dry with paper<em>towl.</em> In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the<em>shrimp, salt, pepper, chile powder, cumin, paprika, cilantro, lime juice,</em>water and worcestire sauce.* Cover the bowl loosely with microwave-safe plastic wrap, and microwave on high for<em>2 to 5</em>minutes, stirring half-way, until the<em>shrimp is hot.</em> Drain any excess water off of the shrimp, and set aside.</p>
<p>In a separate microwave-safe bowl, combine the sliced<em>pepper, diced onion, and olive oil.</em> Cover loosely with microwave-safe plastic wrap.<em>Microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, until vegetables are softened.</em> Drain excess oil from vegetables.</p>
<p>Lay out your desired number of tortilla shells (makes<em>6 to 10 fajitas, depending on portion sizes), and spread some sour cream and salsa on all of the shells.</em> Next, sprinkle on some cheese, then top with vegetables and the</p>
<p>Do you like Italian food? </p>
<p>Quick gnocchi:
1 cup boiling water
1 egg
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup potato flakes
salt & pepper to taste</p>
<p>Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and let it sit until it’s cool enough to handle. Take a handful and roll it into a long rope, then cut it in bite size pieces. You can either boil them in salted water (they’re done when they rise to the top) or pan fry them until they’re golden brown. Super easy, super delicious. One recipe (hypothetically) serves two, but if you’re hungry, it’s basically one serving.</p>
<p>Baked potatoes are easy and you can top them with salsa, cheese, broccoli or whatever you like. Potatoes keep well, so you don’t have to buy them often.</p>
<p>The gnocci and baked potatoes sound like great ideas! Though I’d have to hang around in the kitchen for awhile to wait for the potatoes. I’m a huge fan of both pasta and potatoes (let it never be said that I didn’t eat enough starches). I only know a few quick recipes which is why I asked you guys for help. Here are mine:</p>
<p>1) I used to do a roast beef hash. You get the beef from the deli and have them cut it up thin. Cube it when you get home and boil a cubed potato in a skillet. Once the potato is done, add the beef and cook until warm and a little crispy. Season with salt and Szechuan pepper. </p>
<p>2) Boil pasta and add either pesto sauce or olive oil and salt/pepper. Can’t get much simpler than that! </p>
<p>Please keep it coming, I really appreciate your input!</p>
<p>If you’re on a budget, there are a million different things you can do with ramen noodles. You can stir fry vegetables and meat/tofu, then add the cooked noodles and a little soy sauce.</p>
<p>If you can make a basic Bechamel, you can also make mac and cheese with the ramen for super cheap.</p>
<p>How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. Super simple recipes that sort of encourage experimentation. The writing and ingredients are really approachable unlike many other books.</p>
<p>^Second Mark Bittman. I don’t have his original, but I have “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” and it’s pretty phenomenal. There are also cookbooks dedicated to/written for college students, so you could look that up on Amazon.</p>
<p>Hobo dinners! </p>
<p>Cut up onions, potatoes, or carrots (unless you don’t like one of these) and hamburger or veggie burger. I personally recommend Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers. Mix them all together in some tin foil with whatever condiments you like. You can put some small pieces of bread in there, too. I usually put in a little water to steam the vegetables. Stick it in an oven for a while and when it’s done you can put on any condiments you like and enjoy. They’re best when made over a campfire but I’m still experimenting with cooking them indoors. It’s a nice lazy meal when you don’t feel super creative.</p>