Adams Media - The Quick and Easy College Cookbook

Avon, Massachusetts

Copyright 2016 by F+W Media, Inc.

All rights reserved.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by

Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.

57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.

www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-4405-9523-2

ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9523-3

eISBN 10: 1-4405-9524-0

eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9524-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The quick and easy college cookbook.

Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, [2016]

LCCN 2015043727 (print) | LCCN 2016000198 (ebook) | ISBN

9781440595233 (pb) | ISBN 1440595232 (pb) | ISBN 9781440595240 (ebook)

| ISBN 1440595240 (ebook)

LCSH: Quick and easy cooking. | College students--Nutrition. |

LCGFT: Cookbooks.

LCC TX833.5 .Q53256 2016 (print) | LCC TX833.5 (ebook) | DDC

641.5/12--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043727

Contains material adapted from The Everything College Cookbook, by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson, copyright 2005 by F+W Media, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59337-303-1, ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-303-0; The Everything Healthy Meals in Minutes Cookbook, by Patricia M. Butkus, copyright 2005 by F+W Media, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59337-302-3, ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-302-3; The Everything Quick and Easy 30-Minute, 5-Ingredient Cookbook, by Linda Larsen, copyright 2006 by F+W Media, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59337-692-8, ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-692-5; The Everything Easy Vegetarian Cookbook, by Jay Weinstein, copyright 2015 by F+W Media, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-4405-8719-1, ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-8719-1; The Everything Mediterranean Cookbook, 2nd Edition, by Peter Minaki, copyright 2013 by F+W Media, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-4405-6855-3, ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-6855-8; The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbook, by Carrie S. Forbes, copyright 2013 by F+W Media, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-4405-6568-6, ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-6568-7; The Everything Easy Asian Cookbook, by Kelly Jaggers, copyright 2015 by F+W Media, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-4405-9016-8, ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9016-0; and The Everything Busy Moms' Cookbook, by Susan Whetzel, copyright 2013 by F+W Media, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-4405-5925-2, ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-5925-9.

Always follow safety and commonsense cooking protocol while using kitchen utensils, operating ovens and stoves, and handling uncooked food. If children are assisting in the preparation of any recipe, they should always be supervised by an adult.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and F+W Media, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Cover design by Erin Alexander

Cover images iStockphoto.com/jatrax; Stuart Monk/margouillat/Yulia Yunovidova/123RF

Delicious, healthy food isnt hard to cook and it doesnt need to take a long time. With what you and your roommates have got in your kitchen (and maybe a quick trip to the corner grocery store), you can whip up something that will get you ready for back-to-back classes, an evening of studying, or a night out with friends.

The recipes youll find here are easy and fast. There are appetizers like Potstickers for when a couple of your friends drop by, and main dishes like Meaty Spaghetti that you can whip up in between classes. There are even quick bites like English Muffin Pizzas for days when youre on the go.

Under the weather or missing your parents home-cooked meals? Comforting dishes like Potato Soup, Five-Ingredient Chili, or Mexi Mac n Cheese will leave you feeling more like yourself. Recovering from a late night? Try some Chicken Noodle Soup or a Cheese Omelet to ease the pain. Pulling an all-nighter to finish that twenty-page paper? Throw together a Microwave Lasagna for an extra boost of energy.

Doing your own cooking is simple, and itll save you money by avoiding the endless stream of takeout meals or cafeteria food. Youll find that buying groceries stretches your money further than ordering takeout. Also, by doing your own cooking you can eat what you want, so youre spending your money more wisely than at a restaurant.

Many of these recipes are super-healthylike Mushroom Risotto or Tofu Rancheroif youre vegetarian or vegan or following a gluten-free diet. And theres plenty of flavorful stuff to keep you ready for exam week: Bacon Burgers, Spicy Italian Sausage Pizza Wraps, and Meatball Pizza, among others.

To make these and other delicious dishes, you dont need a huge, fancy kitchen with tons of expensive equipment. Basic ingredients and equipment, outlined in Chapter 1, will get you started. And you dont have to be world class as far as cooking skills go. Everything in this book is quick, simple, and affordable.

So get out the pot to start some Spanish Beef Stew, get a couple of South of the Border Burgers sizzling in a pan, microwave some Microwave Smores for dessert, orif you just want a snack for you and your friendsput out a plate of Spicy Chicken Wings, chips and Chili-Cheese Dip, and some Crispy Fried Shrimp Balls.

Its time to do some quick and easy cooking.

Leaving home for college presents challenges as well as opportunities. For students whose kitchen know-how doesnt extend beyond the reheat setting on the microwave, the idea of having to learn basic cooking skills along with calculus can seem overwhelming. Its all too easy to give in to the lure of the dining hall or food court. However, these basic tips will help turn cooking from a chore into a creative, stress-free break from studying.

There are a few basic pieces of equipment that every well-equipped kitchen should have. Of course, whether or not you bring all of them to college will depend on your specific circumstances. For example, residences with communal kitchens often provide pots, pans, and other cooking essentials for residents. And there is no point in bringing a heavy-duty frying pan if youre going to be relying on a microwave oven as your primary heat source. Here is a basic list of items for setting up a kitchen, which you can add to or subtract from based on your own needs.

There are a few basic utensils you will need to stock your kitchen area. Fortunately, most are quite inexpensive and can frequently be found at discount stores. Items you absolutely need for cooking include:

• Plastic mixing bowls for mixing ingredients and serving noodle and salad dishes
• Wooden spoons for stirring and mixing
• A heatproof rubber spatula for mixing ingredients and turning food during cooking
• A plastic or metal colander for draining washed, blanched, and boiled food
• Knives, particularly a good French knife for cutting meat
• A plastic or wooden cutting board for cutting, chopping, and mincing food
• Measuring spoons and a plastic measuring cup
• A vegetable peeler and a can opener
• A grater for grating, shredding, and slicing cheese and other foods
• A pastry brush for basting food
• A wire whisk for whisking sauces and eggs