Dishing It Up
In this article, Assistant Social Media Director Hadiza shares all of her favorite meals to cook throughout the day!
By: Hadiza Mshelia
“When to cook or when to go out to eat?” This is the age-old question that every college student has asked themselves at one point throughout their college career. It can be quite the struggle to decide between spending another 11 dollars at Honeygrow or cooking a simple noodle recipe at home.
As a 20-year-old college student balancing academics, social life, extracurriculars, and my internship, I enjoy eating out from time to time. I swear I can feel my bank account suffer when it receives another charge from Chipotle or Playa Bowls. As much as I want to keep eating out and spend less time cooking, at the end of the day, I fit the “broke college student” stereotype.
To combat the constant urge to walk to the nearest food truck on campus and order tacos or pizza, I have from time to time taken advantage of my lovely kitchen in my apartment to whip up some of my favorite meals.
Avocado Toast with Egg
Starting off strong, one of my all-time favorite meals to eat for breakfast is the classic avocado toast with eggs on top! Usually, I recommend having fresh avocados or pre-made guacamole packets. As for the bread, I typically buy sourdough bread from Trader Joes or the whole grain choices from the Fresh Grocer or Old Nelsons. Depending on how I’m feeling, I normally go for scrambled, sunny side up, or poached eggs. Put these three ingredients together and you’ll have yourself a lovely breakfast!
Penne Alla Vodka Pasta
Another one of my favorite meals to eat is penne alla vodka pasta inspired by model Gigi Hadid and her famous recipe that took TikTok (and other social media platforms) by storm during the COVID-19 pandemic. This easy-to-follow recipe will be worth it at the end of the day! I use two different pots or pans; one for the pasta and the other for the tomato paste mixture. For the pasta pot, I boil water, along with a dash of oil. I typically use penne or moscato shaped pasta. For the tomato paste, I combine olive oil, followed by adding in onions and garlic. After letting that simmer, I add in my tomato paste, and a little bit of heavy whipping cream. I also like to add in some grated or shredded parmesan cheese, for that extra kick! After some time, I mix these two together and then I have a yummy meal! My drink preference is either the Classic Cola Poppi or a Diet Coke, but of course you can have any drink you want.
Rice Krispie Treats
(Source: https://natashaskitchen.com/rice-krispie-treats-recipe/)
Wow! My mouth is watering after writing this. It is an absolute understatement to say that this is the best late-night snack ever. I just love the exquisite combination of crunchy Rice Krispies cereal and the sweet and gooey marshmallow. Even though I love the store-bought ones from 7/11, nothing beats the warmth coming from my homemade recipe!
This easy recipe consists of warming up a half stick of butter on the pan, waiting for it to simmer, adding in the marshmallows, then the rice krispies and mixing it all together as smoothly as possible, to your desired consistency, and voila!
These are some of the things that I love whipping up from time to time, while I still give in to the temptations of spending money. I hope this has taught you a thing or two about convenience versus creating a delicious meal in the comfort of your kitchen!