By Therese Arturo
Living on campus as a young adult has many pros and cons. You may have more ease of access to your classes, knowledge of social events, and you don’t have to worry about paying rent every month. One thing that may sit at the back of one’s mind is the comfort of food from home: smelling warm cinnamon and toasty waffles, hot maple syrup over soft pancakes, fluffy scrambled eggs and hot crispy bacon. These are the smells that you want to be waking you up in the morning, bringing sweet comfort to the start of your day.
But what if you are in a dorm room, with only access to a shared kitchen that is not exactly as clean or uncluttered as you may feel comfortable using? Perhaps the Greenery is a bit further to walk than you want this morning, and how many times this week are you going to have to eat the same small pre-packaged cereal that comes in much too tiny single-use plastic containers?
The comforts of home should not be only accessible where you grew up, the often crowded dining hall, or even the IHOP (just kidding, we’re broke, it’s Denny’s) down the street. These trivial delicacies can all be cultivated in one’s own bedroom, with only the limited supplies that are allowed by the haunting overruling forces that monitor these dorms.
Left-Over Rice Cooker Pudding
- 1 ½ cup cooked rice
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
Combine milk, vanilla, spices, and egg in rice cooker bowl with a non-metal spoon. Once thoroughly mixed, add your cooked rice to the milk, breaking up the clumps of rice with your fingers. Stir the mixture ensuring all rice is wet. At this point, add raisins if desired.
Place the lid on, and turn on the rice cooker to “cook” setting. Every 5 minutes or so, stir the rice until the pudding is at a thicker texture (about 20 minutes).
Turn off heat and let sit for about 10 minutes on “warm” setting until more firm and cooled. Serve and enjoy.
Microwaved French Toast
- 2 thick slices of bread (or hamburger/hot dog buns)
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 beaten egg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Butter or oil
Take slices of bread and either cube or rip apart into 2 inch pieces. With a paper towel, rub inside of mug with oil or butter to prevent sticking and to give the French toast that warm butteriness.
Fill mug with bread pieces until slightly overfilled. In a separate bowl or mug, whisk milk, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon until frothy. Carefully pour mixture over bread pieces, saturating evenly.
Place filled mug into the microwave for 1 minute, and add an additional 15 seconds until it is fully cooked (or no longer soggy). Let cool for 1-2 minutes before digging in. It will be hot! Top with whipped cream and fruit jam, or maple syrup, obviously.
Big Ass Pancake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- Spray oil or oil on a paper towel
Mix all ingredients (except spray oil) together in a large bowl, until you only have small lumps. Oil your rice cooker and set it to “cook” with the lid off. Keep an eye on rice cooker to prevent burned oil. Depending on your size of rice cooker, you can either make one large pancake or several smaller ones. Once rice cooker is hot, pour in your batter, and replace lid.
Cook batter on “cook” setting until bubbles appear on the pancake and the edges become more firm. Once set, gently flip pancake over with non-metal spatula or spoon and continue to cook with the lid off. The pancake is done when the bottom side is slightly browned and the top is golden.
Using a potholder, gently flip pancake out of rice cooker onto plate. Slather that sucker with jam, butter, honey, or maple syrup and invite your roommate to have a slice of your monstrous breakfast cake.
Bacon and Egg Frittata!
- 2 beaten eggs
- ½ slice of chopped bacon (or more, your choice)
- 3 tablespoons chopped onion (¼ in pieces)
- 3 tablespoons chopped bell pepper (¼ in pieces)
- 1 sliced crimini mushroom
- Small handful of loosely chopped spinach (6-7 leaves)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Green onion (optional)
(Note: Omit oil/butter if using bacon, unless you really want a fatty breakfast. You do you.)
Preheat rice cooker on “warm” setting. Add chopped bacon and turn rice cooker on to “cook” setting. Once bacon is cooked (when butter is melted or when the oil is hot) add your chopped onions, mushrooms, and bell pepper, sauteeing veggies until softened. Add spinach and continue to cook until spinach has wilted.
In a separate bowl beat eggs, salt, pepper, and milk until frothy. Pour egg mixture over veggies, and cover with lid. Let eggs cook undisturbed until edges have firmed and the center is wet, but not runny. Carefully use a non-metal spatula to separate egg from sides of rice cooker, and gently slide out of rice cooker onto plate (or bowl).
Top with green onions and hot sauce or salsa, then enjoy!
•••
Some of you may be vegan and now ask me: How can I make this recipe work for me? Well my sparkling wide-eyed young friend, I have some alternative options for you.
Vegan Alternatives:
1 egg : 2 tablespoons warm water + 1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 egg : ¼ cup apple sauce
1 cup milk : ¾ cup canned coconut milk + ¼ cup water
1 cup butter : ¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup butter : 1 cup avocado puree
——-
There! Nice and easy for those days where your executive function decides to hotwire and you don’t want to leave your bedroom.
