TulsaPeople / August 2010 / Dining in: The freshman 15

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Dining in: The freshman 15

From ramen to canned tuna, a few suggestions for easy, tasty meals that can be prepared from the comfort of a dorm room.

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When going away to school, young people’s thoughts are typically of new friends, how to decorate the dorm room and what to do now that they are away from their parents — not typically, “What am I going to cook for dinner?”
I am quite positive that dormitory and sorority/fraternity house living has changed a lot in the 20 years (ouch!) since I left Oklahoma State University. At the time, my roommate, Lisa, and I had quite the dorm room — matching bed linens, kitschy posters and the like — but our one luxury was a tiny refrigerator. I’m sure common areas these days are decked out with microwaves, toaster ovens and maybe even a hot plate or two. If not, I guess you better enjoy that meal plan.

Now, I’m not going to lie — Lisa and I ate and drank our weight in Hamburger Helper, spaghetti with Prego and Dr Pepper once we moved into an off-campus apartment together. Nevertheless, I hope to inspire a little more culinary creativity in our college-bound readers (or even those of you who just need some quick, satisfying meals). All of these recipes are made with the most basic of ingredients — and can be prepared in a microwave, toaster oven or saucepan. I hope they help bring a little bit of home to your campus haven.

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Ham and English muffin breakfast strata

Serves 2 to 4

A strata is a layered casserole, typically consisting of bread, meat or vegetables and cheese. A beaten egg mixture is poured over the ingredients and the dish then rests for several hours or overnight before baking. This allows the custard to soak in. Feel free to substitute your favorite cooked meats, vegetables and cheese — or go sweet by adding fruit and some sugar.

• 3 English muffins, torn into bite-size pieces.
• 1/2 cup chopped ham
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs (or egg substitute to equal 3 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons chopped herbs such as chives and parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Tear muffins into bite-size pieces and place half in the bottom of a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Scatter ham over the muffins and sprinkle with half of the cheese.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and herbs; season well with salt and pepper; and pour over bread and ham mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
3. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Other ideas for English muffins:

English muffin pizzas. Smear with jarred pizza sauce and sprinkle with grated or sliced mozzarella cheese. Pop in the toaster oven until melted. You can also add sliced pepperoni, ricotta cheese, chopped black olives or any other of your favorite pizza toppings.

English muffin croutons. Cut muffins into cubes and toss with a little olive oil. Toast in toaster oven until crisp and golden.
Cinnamon-sugar English muffins. Mix together 1 stick softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Smear a generous layer on each half of an English muffin and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn oven to broil and cook until golden and bubbly.