For the Suzy Homemakers and Donna Reeds among us, Valentine’s Day is one of the greater excuses to dust off the meager equipment we keep in our dorm rooms and attempt to whip up a meal for our significant other. Of course, even foodies like myself require rather simple recipes when dealing with cooking on campus, seeing as we barely have enough closet space for our shoes never mind a pantry full of ingredients. Below are recipes for a simple three-course man-approved meal (basically, bacon is involved. And pizza. Bacon pizza.). They are simple and, most importantly, easy to prepare in what a dormitory presents as a semi-functioning kitchen.
Bacon Pizza
Ingredients:
- Store-bought pizza dough (you can even go to your favorite pizzeria and ask them to sell you some dough. They’ll do it. I promise.)
- Ranch dressing
- 1 Package of bacon
- 1 Tomato, diced
- Grated parmesan cheese
You’ll Need:
- Cookie Sheet
- Knife
- Skillet
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Put a skillet on the stove on medium-low heat and cook the bacon until crispy. Place on paper towel so soak up extra grease.
- While the bacon is cooking, form the pizza dough into whatever shape you like, keeping it to be about ½ thick. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.
- Cool the cooked pizza dough slightly before spreading ranch dressing, to your preference, as the sauce on the pizza. Leave a border around the dough clean as the crust.
- Crumble up the bacon and top the dressing with it, along with the diced tomatoes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese to taste over the top. Serve warm.
Oven-Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
[Recipe courtesy of Good Housekeeping via Delish.com]
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound(s) (small) red potatoes, unpeeled and each cut in half
- 1 large carrot, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1/2 (jumbo, 1 pound) onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 6 clove(s) garlic, unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) dried rosemary leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper, coarsely
- 4 medium (about 2 pounds) chicken thighs, skin removed
- 1/2 medium red pepper, cut into wedges
- 1/2 medium green pepper, cut into wedges
You’ll Need:
- Knife
- Baking dish
- Foil
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- In roasting pan, toss potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic with olive oil, salt, rosemary, and black pepper. Cover pan with foil and roast vegetables for 20 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven, uncover, and add chicken thighs, peppers, and potatoes. Roast, uncovered for 50 minutes.
- Remove chicken and vegetables, and add ½ cup of hot water to pan to loosen bits and make a sauce. Pour over chicken and vegetables.
- Optional: Crack open the roasted garlic and spread the now soft garlic over chicken.
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- Store-bought vanilla cake mix (and the necessary ingredients on the box needed to prepare it)
- Vanilla Icing
- 1 Package of Oreos
- Cupcake Pan liners
You’ll Need:
- Cupcake Tin
- Knife or spoon, for frosting
- Preheat oven to specifications on box.
- Mix ingredients as instructed.
- Line cupcake tin with the liners.
- Spoon about a tablespoon of the batter into each cup and place an Oreo inside, pressing gently into the batter but not so much that it hits the bottom of the tin. Spoon batter to coat the Oreos.
- Bake for time specified on box, then cool completely.
- Crush up the remaining Oreos into small pieces and mix into frosting. Frost as desired.
- Optional: Seeing as companies love dying things different colors, you can find cake mix, frosting, and even Oreos that are dyed pink and red for the occasion. If you’re an overachiever, you can find those at any supermarket.