Dorm Cooking Made Easy

I don’t know about you, but some of our school food is really terrible. The other day for dinner Marissa and I got pasta in a bell pepper and basil sauce from our on-campus café. Sounds pretty good, right? WRONG. It was awful. It was flavorless and soggy and just… ick.

Instead of wasting a meal swipe, we brought our dinner back to our room and made a few tweaks. Because we always have pasta sauce at hand, we mixed some sausage marinara with the reject pasta and popped it in the microwave for a few seconds. Then, we added some grated cheese (the kind that comes in a shaker). The result? An awesome pasta dish!

Like I’ve said before, it’s always important to keep a variety of food at hand in your room. Instead of throwing away something that looked a lot better than it tasted, fix it! Add more cheese to your lackluster mac & cheese. Put fresh mayo on your sandwiches. Make your own salad dressing. When you get sick of the food your school offers, instead of ordering out all the time, use these tricks! Your wallet AND your tummy will thank you.

Since we’ve been going to the same school for three years, we know what to expect. We are fully prepared to have to make our own dinners every once in a while. Measuring cups, a pot, a colander, and an assortment of cooking utensils live under my bed.

I strongly suggest taking advantage of your dormitory kitchen. Even making something simple, like buttered pasta or mac & cheese, will give you a nice break from the meals you usually get in the cafeteria. It’s also a great way to spend time with your friends.

Freshman year, we would organize “family dinner night” every once in a while. Everyone would chip in and buy part of the meal. Then we’d all get together in our dorm kitchen, play some music, and cook together.

I remember one time we made rice and some kind of chicken. We only had sushi rice at hand and the chicken was a little burnt. It wasn’t the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten, but we had so much fun goofing off and cooking together.

Those were some of the best nights I’ve ever had at school, even though we had to eat on the floor (we had a kitchen, but no table. Go figure).

I love cooking, and even though our dorm kitchen this year is small, I can still make my own meals from time to time.

What about you? What’s the greatest dorm recipe you’ve ever made? How do you deal with your school’s food?