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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bowling Green chapter.

Since I was young I always loved to help my mom and grandma in the kitchen. Mainly because whoever helps make the brownies gets to lick the spoon. However, as I have grown up I have formed a love for cooking and baking. Once I moved out of my parents’ house and into my own apartment I started cooking and baking a lot more. I not only enjoy cooking because I get to choose what food I want to eat, but because I enjoy seeing what others think of the food too. Although I still bake Betty Crocker brownies using the recipe off of the box, I have upgraded to some new recipes. Since I have a developed love of cooking and baking, I thought I would share some of my family’s recipes that I have been using lately! Feel free to try any of these and I hope you enjoy the food as much as I do!

Spaghetti & Sauce

Ingredients:

  • Spaghetti noodles
  • ½ cup of finely chopped onion (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon of garlic
  • Tomato sauce (any brand, I usually use Preggo)
  • 1 regular size tomato paste
  • 1 ¾ – 2 cups of water
  • 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon of oregano (optional)
  • Pinch of parsley flakes
  • 1 whole bay leaf

Instructions Noodles:

  1. Boil noodles
  2. Drain water
  3. Leave noodles in pan on low heat

Instructions Sauce:

  1. Cook on low heat
  2. Onion, in a very little virgin olive oil with basil, oregano, parsley flakes, and italian seasoning (for a few minutes)
  3. Add sauce, paste, and water
  4. Add one pinch of sugar
  5. Leave bay leaf in sauce for duration of cooking

Spinach Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breast
  • Baby spinach
  • A small yellow onion (optional)
  • Beef broth
  • Flour 
  • Butter
  • Penne pasta

Instructions:

  1. Cook chicken
    • Can either do this in a frying pan on the stove top or in the oven
      • If in oven, 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes depending on size
  2. In one pan, put 2 tablespoons of butter, let it melt
  3. Put spinach (as much as you would like, roughly ⅓-½ of the tub) and ½-¼  onion in 
  4. Cook in butter for around 5 minutes on medium heat, fold so all get cooked
  5. Once chicken is cooked and a little cooled, shred it into chunks
  6. Add chicken to the spinach and onions
  7. Add another tablespoon of butter into pan, melt it
  8. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour onto spinach, onion, and chicken
  9. Stir until mixed in
  10. Add 1 cup of beef broth and turn heat to medium/high, let cook for 5 minutes, stir every 20-30 seconds so nothing sticks to the pan
  11. Boil noodles
  12. Drain boiled water from noodles
  13. Add sauce and chicken mix into the noodles, stir to mix together

Quiche

Ingredients:

  • 1 pie crust (I pick up the premade ones from the store)
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups of half & half
  • Salt & pepper
  • ½ cup chopped onion (optional)
  • 1 ½ cups baby spinach
  • 6 slices of bacon/turkey bacon
  • 1 ¼ cups shredded cheese (your choice, I typically use cheddar)
  • 1 cup of dry beans (to cook pie crust, place on parchment paper)

Instructions:

  1. If pie crust is not already, roll out and place in pie pan, crimp edges (i typically use a fork)
  2. Place parchment paper on pie crust, add dry beans on top
  3. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes
  4. While pie crust is in the oven start cooking the bacon/turkey bacon (I typically do this on medium heat) 
  5. Once bacon/turkey bacon is cooked, place on a separate plate
  6. Wipe grease off of strips and then chop into pieces
  7. Try to remove the grease off of the pan as best as possible before next use
  8. Chop 1 ½ cups of baby spinach and ½ onion
  9. Put a tablespoon of butter onto pan and let it melt
  10. Add pieces of spinach and onion into pan
  11. Saute for 2 minutes on medium heat, stir
  12. Remove parchment paper and beans
  13. Prick bottom of pie crust with fork
  14. Bake again still at 375 degrees for 8 minutes
  15. Add cheese, onion, spinach, and bacon in the bottom of the pie crust
  16. Beat the 5 eggs
  17. Add the eggs, half & half, and a dash of salt and pepper into a blender
  18. Blend for a few minutes 
  19. Pour the mixture into the pie crust
  20. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees
  21. Let the quiche cool for 10 minutes before eating

Tater Tot Casserole 

Ingredients:

  • Frozen tater tots
  • Cream of chicken

Instructions:

  1. Pour cream of chicken into pan
  2. Add frozen tater tots onto cream of chicken
  3. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, check periodically

Mint Chocolate Chip Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of Jello instant vanilla pudding mix
  • ⅔ cup of nonfat dry milk powder
  • 1 ¼ cups of water
  • ½ teaspoon mint extract
  • 2-3 drops of green food coloring
  • 1 cup of cool whip
  • 2 spoonfuls of mini chocolate chips (can honestly add how many you would like)
  • 1 oreo pie crust (can be just a dark chocolate pie crust)

Instructions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, dry milk powder, and water 
  2. Mix these well using a wire whisk
  3. Fold in mint extract
  4. Fold in green food coloring 
  5. Fold in cool whip
  6. Stir in chocolate chips
  7. Pour mixture into pie crust
  8. Optional, can add more mini chocolate chips on top of the pie crust
  9. Refrigerate for at least one hour before eating
Joslyn Stauffer

Bowling Green '27

Joslyn is a second year student at Bowling Green State University, studying Criminal Justice with a specialization in forensic investigation. Some of her favorite things are the ocean, the mountains, spending time with friends and family, and making new friends!