Stouffer's Subs

Anyone else seen the Stouffer's commercial for their new line of submarines? Well, I have, and they look so good. I'm always a bit terrified of trying frozen/refrigerated dinners, but I decided that Stouffer's was a good enough brand to try.

I have to say, the frozen meatball italiano submarine was very good. It is two halves, and one half was enough for me. I put it in the oven because I like my food crispy, but you can microwave it too. I thought it was made well, and it did not taste fake at all. Many frozen dinners taste artificial or barely have any meat in them, but this sub is not the case. So if you like subs, try Stouffer's out. And check out other products from Stouffer's at www.stouffers.com.

Cake: The College Dorm Version

Best idea for dorms with only microwaves EVER! My mom's friend from work and church sent this recipe for cake that can be made in a mug. A MUG! How awesome is that?

Cake in a Mug:

1 box Angel food cake mix (MUST be angel food)
1 box cake mix of your choice
water

Mix the two boxes of cake mix very, very well. Fill a mug--I would recommend a taller one to prevent spillage--with 1/3 cup of the mix. You can guessimate by filling a regular-sized mug about 1/3, or a taller mug about 1/4 full. Then, fill with 3 Tbsp water, or about 5-6 of those plastic spoons, and mix well. It should look like a cake batter, a thick liquid. Then microwave for one minute.

And that's it! Then all you have to do is enjoy, either on its own, or with ice cream, syrup or whipped cream! How simple, right? Make sure to keep any leftover cake mix in an airtight container. Also, since the mixes need to be mixed well, a different-colored cake mix is recommended. For example, try a chocolate or red velvet cake mix with the angel food cake mix. Yellow or white cake is fine too, but it's harder to see if you mixed it well with the angel food cake.

Trust me, this is a great quick fix dessert, perfect for dorm students!

Microwaving Pasta

Many college students make macaroni and cheese in their dorm room. But let's face it, it gets old fast. But it's such a quick fix for food. Such a dilemma, I know.

So my thought process? Many brands have pre-made sauces, so why not simply boil water/cook pasta, strain, and add a sauce. That's basically how most box mac-n-cheeses work, so it should work, right?

Well, it's a work in progress. I tried it today, and it wasn't as simple as I thought it would be. First of all, I tried putting the pasta in a mug. Not a good idea, because it doesn't cook as well. Also, water overflowed numerous times during cooking, which made for lots of cleanings and a very wet kitchen towel (sorry Mom)! A bowl definitely works better for cooking the pasta.

So lesson of the day? I need to find 1) the best bowl for the job and 2) a more accurate time. When I find this out, I promise I'll let you know. Because I don't want to have mac-n-cheese every time I need a quick dinner!

Microwave Pizza

Pizza. Most people love it, and it has numerous varieties. For an easy version, make bagel pizza.

Ingredients:
1 bagel (Use both halves or just one, depending on how hungry you are. I used both!)
2-4 spoonfuls of pizza sauce, or a packet of sauce
shredded cheese, depending on tastes; preferably use mozzarella, cheddar, and/or parmesan (I added provolone to mine, so again, it all depends on your tastes.)
oregano (optional)
any other toppings, such as pineapple, ham, sausage, pepperoni, etc. (optional)

Toaster Oven Version:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Toast the bagel. Toaster times depend on the toaster. For reference, I toasted mine for 3 minutes.
3) Add sauce, spreading evenly over the bagel.
4) Sprinkle cheese on top, again spreading evenly.
5) Place in oven until cheese is melted.
6) Enjoy!

Microwave Version:
1) Microwave bagel. If it needs to be defrosting, do so first for about 1.5 minutes. If not, microwave for only 10-20 seconds. You could also omit this step if you are in a hurry, but keep in mind that your pizza might not be as warm when you eat it.
2) Add sauce, spreading evenly over the bagel.
3) Sprinkle cheese on top, again spreading evenly.
4) Microwave again for 30 seconds to 1 minute (until cheese is melted).
5) Enjoy!

If you do add oregano, or another spice of your choice, add it either before you melt the cheese or after.
If you add other toppings, add before you melt the cheese.

Hope you enjoy this simple meal!

Oven to Microwave....Can it Work?

A certain reader of mine has consistently asked "What if you don't have an oven?"

Honestly, I have never tried converting an oven recipe to a microwave one. So I tried to find some articles on the subject. They are harder to come by than I thought. More articles were on converting microwave recipes to oven ones. Not sure why, but that's how it was.

I did find one article that was decent. So, working backwards, subtract 1/4 c. of the original amount of water and/or liquid. Then, the time in the microwave is three-fourths of the time used for the oven. So, time x 4/3=time for the microwave.

Hope this helps!

Blueberry Muffins Made Super Easy

Enjoying the blueberry muffins with my friend Lindsey!

When you make muffins from scratch, it takes a lot of effort and quickness. But, fortunately, Betty Crocker makes mixes for muffins, and all you have to do is add water! How simple, right? One mix plus one-half cup of water makes six muffins, which is a reasonable amount for a college student. A dozen would be too many unless you shared them with your floor/roommates. You can always re-warm them in your microwave. The mixes come in blueberry, banana nut, chocolate chip, triple berry, lemon poppyseed and cornbread. Yum! The label says "3 Minutes Pouch to Oven," and for once, it's right!

Italian Night with My Sister

Tonight was make-food-for-your-sister night. Always an interesting experience, but usually fun. My sister is a HUGE pasta fan, so of course, we made basil pesto sauce for rigatoni pasta, with garlic bread on the side. Not exactly a way to avoid the freshman 15, but delicious all the same. We started with a recipe from Betty Crocker: Cooking Basics, but we adapted it for our tastes.

For the pasta, fill a medium sized pot around two-thirds full of water. Put a pinch of salt in, and then boil the water. When the water is boiling or close to, add the pasta till it touches the top of the water. Meanwhile, make the basil pesto sauce.

Basil Pesto Sauce
1/2 cup of fresh basil (or 1-2 tsp ground basil)
*to measure fresh basil, press it into the measuring cup
1-3 cloves garlic, depending on your taste preferences
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp pine nuts or walnut pieces (optional-I didn't use them)
seasoning to taste-salt and pepper would be fine, or any general
**around 1/8 cup alfredo sauce

Mix all these ingredients in a food processor or mini-blender. Or, if you don't have either of those available to you, finely chop and basil and garlic, and then mix with the rest of the ingreidents. The ground basil will be chopped fine enough to add before mixing.
**For a creamier sauce, add pre-made alfredo sauce after mixing all of the ingredients.

After pasta is cooked fully, strain with a collander. Add sauce to pasta. Enjoy! This recipe serves one to two, depending on how hungry you are.

For garlic bread, use the following ingredients:
EITHER a french loaf or ciabatta bread
butter AND/OR olive oil
garlic salt OR garlic powder and salt
seasoning

There's a LOT of flexibility in this recipe, if you didn't notice already. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. While the oven preheats, slice the bread in about 1/2 inch slices and place on a cookie sheet. Coat with butter and/or olive oil...a little goes a long way. Sprinkle garlic and seasoning on...again, a little goes a long way. It's up to your tastes. Cook until crisp, about 7-10 minutes or so.

Enjoy Italian night!