Tiger Tips
Theme: Microwave Cooking
Hey Tigers,
CDR food is great, but sometimes you want something more home-like and comforting. If you have a microwave, you have the master tool to home-cooked treats in your dorm. So for those times when you’re looking for a little something more or you just want to try something new, here are some tips and recipes that I think you’ll find delicious!
- Mug Cake: Prep time 10 minutes. Ingredients: 1/4 cup flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons milk, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, and a dash of vanilla extract and salt. This recipe is a simple sweet treat that you could make for someone’s birthday or just when you need some chocolate. All you have to do is whisk the above ingredients into your favorite mug and heat it for 2 minutes or until puffy on top. TIP: If you stick a clean toothpick or a knife straight down into the center of a cake or other baked good and it comes back out clean, it is done cooking.
- Crispy Bacon!: Prep time 1-5 minutes. Ingredients: Bacon. Wait, you can cook bacon in a microwave? Of course you can (and your room will smell great)! Just make sure the bacon is fully cooked before you eat it. You can tell bacon is done when it is curled up, thin, and crispy. Place the bacon strips in the microwave on several layers of paper towels and cook on high for 1 minute and then 30 second bursts until it reaches the desired crispiness. TIP: In order to make really crispy bacon, place a few strips on the edges of an overturned bowl. The grease will drip down the bowl instead of soaking into the paper towel and will allow the bacon to crisp better.
- Mac n’ Cheese in a Mug: Prep time 10 min. Ingredients: 1 cup water, ½ cup elbow macaroni, ½ cup cheeses of choice. Macaroni is the epitome of all home-like comfort foods. There is no better food to have in a dorm when you’re feeling especially homesick. In order to make it, put the macaroni and water in a mug. (You may have to adjust water amount due to cup size but there should be enough to cover the noodles.) Cook in the microwave on high for 8 minutes (or until fully cooked), and stop at the 5 minute mark to stir and add more water if necessary. Add the cheese of your choice, and make sure there is still a little bit of water left in the bottom. If the cheese doesn’t completely melt, stick the mug back in the microwave for another 30 to 60 seconds and mix the cheese in. TIP: Like hotdogs in your mac n’ cheese? Make three shallow cuts into a hotdog, and wrap it in a paper towel. Stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds and you have the perfect hot dog to cut up into your macaroni.
- Microwave Potato Chips: Prep Time 5-10 minutes. Ingredients: 1 1/3 pounds Yukon Gold or red potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed, 2 teaspoons or so of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cooking spray. Potato chips don’t have to be incredibly unhealthy, and you can make them right in your own room. Mix thin slices of potato in a bowl with the salt and oil so that all pieces are evenly coated. Distribute cooking spray evenly on a microwave-safe plate, and lay out a single layer of potato slices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip all of the slices over. Continue to cook until they crisp and brown at the edges. Repeat until all slices are cooked. TIP: The longer you allow the chips to cool, the crispier they will become. Keep them fresh in a sealed container for up to three days.
Tiger Up!
