Double Decker Nachos

Looking for a snack? Something to eat after the café closes for the night? Why not try the easiest thing to make (besides toasting bread!)? These double decker nachos will be sure to hit the spot.

Ingredients:

Tortilla Chips

Shredded Mexican blend cheese

Salsa

Prices:

1 bag tortilla chips: $ 3.50

Shredded Mexican blend cheese: $2.38

1 jar Salsa: $2.98

Total:  $8.86

How To:

1.       Cover paper plate with a thin layer of tortilla chips.

2.       Add another thin layer of salsa on top.

3.       SPRINKLE cheese over that.

4.       Repeat (add another layer of chips, salsa, and pile on the cheese!)

5.       Microwave for 50 seconds. Just make sure cheese is melted.

6.       Devour the pile!

If you really want to get crazy, add some spicy taco sauce or jalapeños. Of course you can add sour cream as well but add that after you microwave the big pile. The tricky part is making sure all the cheese is melted since you can’t see through the pile. This recipe reuses many ingredients from previous ones which is nice and convenient.  I definitely suggest trying this recipe. Although I didn’t make it this time, I’ve done it before at home where I can use an oven and could choose to cook anything else. That just shows how easy this is, try it!

Familiar Food

The classic quesadilla… Everyone has experienced its goodness at least once in their lives. The simplicity of it makes it perfect for a dorm room. Plus, you only need two ingredients!

Ingredients:

1 8-inch tortilla

shredded Mexican Blend cheese

Prices:

10 8-inch tortillas: $1.98

Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese: $ 2.38

Total: $4.36

How to:

1.      1. Cover the tortilla with the shredded cheese.

2.      2. Microwave on high for 40 seconds or until cheese is melted.

3.      3. Fold in half.

4.      4. Optional: Serve with salsa and/or sour cream.

Literally takes two minutes to make! The ingredients are similar to the pizza version so ideally you could use the same ones but make a different meal. I mean no money spent is always a good thing! After I made mine I thought about adding rotisserie chicken from the deli (so its precooked and you don’t have to do it!). Maybe adding salsa or jalapeños to the middle of it would give it a little flair as well. Adios!

Cookies... minus the cook!

Had a long day? Need a little piece of happiness? These simple cookies are here to take your troubles away… or at least for as long as it takes to eat them!

Ingredients:
3 squares baker’s semi-sweet chocolate
14-20 Andes mint candies
Wafer cookies

Cost:
Wax Paper: $1.58
Baker’s Chocolate: $2.64
Vanilla wafer cookies: $2.75
Andes Mints: $1.84
Total: $8.81

How to:

1. Melt microwaveable, semi-sweet chocolate for 30 seconds.
2. Continue in 10 sec intervals until chocolate is melted.
3. Stir in Andes mints. (They will melt into the chocolate if you continue stirring for a bit.)
4. Dip wafer cookies into melted chocolate.
5. Lay on wax paper.
6. Let chocolate harden. (You can stick them in the freezer/refrigerator if yours is big enough.)
7. Eat them up!

 They were great! However, I would have liked them more if the wafer cookie was chocolate rather than vanilla. I looked everywhere and could not find chocolate ones. Also, melting chocolate in the microwave can be difficult! I know from experience since I almost set the fire alarms off…(thank god for windows that open all the way because everyone in EML would have hated me!) So just make sure you stir the chocolate in between the intervals. It also gets fairly messy (not that I would complain cause it is chocolate after all!). With that said, I think these cookies are definitely good! If you’re ever bored during the day, try them. They are a nice little treat when you just want something sweet.

Pasta Salad

In South FL the weather is notoriously known for being hot. So why have your food that same temperature all the time? Try some cool, refreshing, and totally satisfying pasta salad- made in the comfort of your air conditioned dorm room!

Ingredients:

1 cup Garden Rotini

¾ cups Italian dressing
2 cups water

Prices:
Garden Rotini: $1.08
Italian Dressing: $1.50
Total: $2.58

How To:

1.      Pour 1 cup of garden rotini into a microwave safe bowl.

      2.      Add 2 cups of water.

3.      Microwave for 5 minutes.

4.      Take out and stir (be careful its hot!).

5.      Microwave for 6 more minutes.

6.      Drain excess water.

7.      Rinse with cold water then drain water again.

8.      Now comes the lengthy part… wait for it to cool.

9.      Add the Italian dressing.

10.  Add any other veggies or meat you’d like.

11.  Eat up!

The great thing about pasta salad is you can make it any way you want. You don’t have to use garden rotini, but if you chose another type of pasta the cooking time may vary. I kept my plain and simple by just adding pepperoni pieces I had from my previous pizza recipe. Here are some other suggestions though!

Add ins: broccoli, black olives, tomatoes, green bell peppers, cucumber, diced ham or pepperoni.

A simple meal idea that you can change to fit your taste, WIN!

Snack Time!

Rice krispie treats… I can still remember how stoked I was to get the individually wrapped ones in my packed lunches back in elementary school. So how about we take that same great idea, add a few delicious ingredients, and viola….. a tasty snack!

Ingredients:

6 cups of Cocoa Rice Krispies cereal

1 bag of mini marshmallows

3 tablespoons of butter (the sticks have it pre-measured for you)

1 square baking chocolate

1 ½  cups of caramel bits

Teaspoon of water

1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Prices:

Pans: $1.48

Butter: $2.98

Marshmallows: $1.18

Caramel Bits: $2.86

Bakers Chocolate: $2.64

Rice Krispies: $2.98

Chopped Walnuts: $1.98

Total: $16.10

How To:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl on high for 45 seconds. Note: You may have to mix the chocolate a bit because I thought it wasn’t melting but it just held its shape.

2. Add the bag of marshmallows to the melted butter and chocolate and stir to coat the marshmallows. 

3. Microwave marshmallows for 45 seconds, take out, stir, then microwave for another 45 seconds. 

4. Add cereal and stir until fully coated.

5. Optional: Add ½ cup of the caramel bits to the cereal mix.

6. Flatten cereal into a 13x9 pan.

7. Melt the rest of the caramel bits and a teaspoon of water in the microwave for 2 mins or until fully melted.

8. Drizzle the caramel over the rice krispies.

9. Optional: Sprinkle walnuts or pecans over the top as well.

10. Enjoy!!

 Hard to believe that my younger brother was actually the one to show me a variation of this recipe, but I altered it a bit to make it easier to cook in my dorm. All I can say is YUM! I could probably eat the whole pan by myself…. The ingredients are pricey for a poor college student but I think it’s totally worth the splurge. It’s a great snack idea especially if your week is stressful and you just want some chocolate! A 13 x 9 pan is fairly large for just one person so feel free to share! :)

Pizza or Not?

This recipe is so simple and actually really tasty as well! I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a delicious pizza? The best part is that you can change it up and add anyone’s favorite pizza toppings.

Ingredients:

1 8-inch tortilla

3 tablespoons of sauce
6 pinches of shredded cheese
5 pepperoni slices


Price:

Jar of Pizza Sauce: $1.32

Shredded Pizza Blend Cheese: $2.32
10 8-inch Tortillas: $1.98
Prepackaged Pepperoni: $2.98
TOTAL: $8.60


Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook/ Cool Time: 1 ½ mins

How To:

1. Place tortilla on a plate or paper towel.

2. Add a thin layer of pizza sauce over the top.

3. Sprinkle as much shredded cheese as you like over the layer of sauce.

4. Add desired amount of pepperoni.

5. Microwave on high for 1 min then check to see if cheese is melted.

6. If it is, take it out and let it cool for 30 seconds. If not, microwave until cheese is melted.

7. Roll it up and enjoy!

I like my pizza with little sauce and lots of cheese, so it took a little bit longer in the microwave to melt the cheese all the way. The only problem with it is the amount of ingredients you have to buy for one roll up (even though I ate two!). Wal-Mart only had the jar of pizza sauce in one size and since I don’t like too much sauce, I think I’ll run out of the other ingredients first. However, most of the ingredients can be refrigerated and enjoyed for weeks later, meaning more pizza roll ups or options for later recipes. Its nice that you can adjust the recipe to your specific likings as well. Overall, I think they turned out great! Super easy, fairly cheap, and definitely delicious!