How to actually enjoy canned soup, healthy TV dinners, and pizza-pockets

Yes, hello, I am a college student and a food blogger. Weird combo? Yes.

Truth be told, the recipes I post are usually ones I make when I visit home, or when I have a class canceled, because I never cook during the week. I faithfully meal prepped for the first two months of school, then learned that I can’t eat the same thing every day. I ended up desperately giving away frozen portions of the food I made, because I could not stand another bite.

So, I started making a lot of Lean Cuisines, Hot Pockets, Soup, etc. I try to eat real food for one meal and pre-made food for the other every day. I’ll scramble some eggs for dinner if I had a frozen pizza for lunch. I’ll make a grilled cheese if I had canned soup earlier. This way, I don’t feel like I am living exclusively off of preservatives.

I have found that I actually save money when I’m buying 1$ frozen meals for most of my shopping. Still, I get sick of everything feeling so heavy. Even when the meals are only 200 calories and loaded with veggies, they don’t exactly feel fresh and exciting. It’s all one sauce or one broth, one flavor coating everything

So, these are my tricks for my fellow apartment-bound, busy young adults out there to make these kinds of food a little more exciting.

FOR A FROZEN PASTA DISH:

If it’s any kind of frozen cheesy pasta, like Alfredo, Ravioli, or Mac and Cheese, I add veggies and seasoning. Firstly, I stir in some frozen broccoli halfway through cooking. You could also do fresh spinach right after it’s done. A few diced tomatoes wouldn’t hurt either. Then, I add smoked paprika, seasoned salt, garlic salt, Cajun seasoning, or BBQ seasoning. Anything to add more depth of flavor. I’ll also do a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or Italian salad dressing for some acidity. If I happen to have a lemon in my fridge, I’ll zest it on top. This is a great chance to clean out your veggie drawer or try those spices you never use.

If it’s a frozen spaghetti-dish, I still add the veggies and the seasoning, but I top it with shredded cheese instead. Or, I’ll do store-bought Parmesan Crisps for some texture (they’re over by the salad toppings).

FOR A HOT POCKET, LEAN POCKET, PIZZA-POCKET, ETC.
This is a fun one. Right after those things come out of the microwave, when they’re still too hot to eat, cut a slit in the top. Then, insert a hunk of cheese. I will do a piece of string cheese that I broke in half and put one on each side of the slit. It’ll melt and get super gooey. I also will shove in a folded up slice of cooked bacon or some fresh spinach. Then, adding a dipping sauce helps bump it up. With a cheesy-ham one, I’ll do ranch dressing or honey mustard or BBQ sauce. With a spinach-cheese one, I’ll do store-bought pesto or marinara sauce. With a breakfast-one, I like ketchup with a dash of hot sauce.

FOR A CAN OF SOUP:

Microwave it for one less minute, then stir in some frozen chopped veggies. Put it back in for that last minute, and the veggies should be warm. Then, top! I love cheese, crackers, sour cream, ranch dressing, popcorn, cayenne pepper, tortilla chips. Soup is all about the toppings. Don’t forget you can also season your soup!

Pesto Shrimp Nachos

Last summer, I was feeling very lovey dovey, and I asked my boyfriend what his favorite food was. I wanted to store it away in my head until Valentines.

Now, we’ve been dating for four years, so I obviously knew his favorite foods in general. He loves Mexican, but alternates between nachos and chimichangas. He loves crawfish, but sometimes ops for shrimp. He’s a burger fiend, but does he like them more than he likes lasagna? I needed a specific, all-in-one answer to his favorite.

The answer? Shrimp nachos. Okay, I can do that.

I kept it in the back of my mind for 5 months. I never had to ask what we would do for Valentines, because I already had my plan.

The only thing I hadn’t entirely planned 5 months ago was the pesto. But, I know it’s his favorite thing that I make, and it would help add some brightness to a heavy dish. So, I figured, why not? I make it a little differently than I normally do: I use less oil, because nachos are already greasy. I’m not trying to get it to coat pasta, so it doesn’t matter if it’s a slightly more gritty texture.

These nachos have a great balance of flavors, and they’re perfect for sharing! I’m a little loose with quantities here, because it’s really up to you. Just make them how you like!

I won’t go on. Nachos are nachos; take them or leave them!

INGREDIENTS:
Pesto:
3 cups spinach
2 tbls olive oil
2 tbls lemon juice
1/4 cup parmesean
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tsp minced garlic
Cheese sauce:
3/4 block of white queso cheese log (you know, the processed stuff that isn’t real cheese)
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp cumin
Assembly:
1 pound tail off, peeled and deveined shrimp
One onion, sliced
One green bell pepper, sliced
1 tbls butter or oil
1 bag tortilla chips
4 cups shredded pepper jack or Mexican cheese blend
Sour cream/ avocado for topping

TO PREPARE:

Preheat the oven to 250

For the pesto, combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Done.

For the cheese sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until the cheese totally melts. Done.

For the shrimp, combine the shrimp, onion, and pepper in a pan with one tbls butter or oil. Cook until the shrimp turn pink and the onion and pepper are tender.

To assemble: In a 9×13 cake pan, layer chips all over the bottom. Pour over some of the cheese sauce, layer on some of the shrimp and veggies, dollop on some pesto, and top with shredded cheese. Add another layer of chips, and continue all the way to the top or until all of the ingredients are used. Be sure to end with a good layer of cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes, until everything melts and combines.

Serve with sour cream and avocado. Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Sauce and Ganache

My boyfriend and I had been dating for two years when I moved to college. From the beginning, I mad it abundantly clear that I was going out of state. No boy would change that; if you were in this for the long run, then it would be long-distance.

I don’t think I realized how hard it would be to keep that attitude. I love my school, but I also love him, and the balance between the two is a constant tug. Right before I moved there my freshman year, he came up with my family and I to see the city. I was doing student orientation all day while he oriented himself to campus. We did not see each other until dinner.

We had come upon a random but nice looking Italian place downtown with public parking nearby. We had no recommendations or reasons to assume it was good, but we were hungry and tired and willing to settle.

Two years later, I now know that this is one of the most popular places in town.

Anyway, the meal itself was lovely, but the dessert is why I remember this night. I wanted cheesecake, but when my boyfriend looked at me with those pleading eyes- the “I’m about to say goodbye to you for four years” eyes- and asked to split the chocolate torte, I could not refuse.

To be entirely honest, I did not think it was remarkable. Tortes are typically very light, but this place kept them chilled, making it sink into a very dense hunk of fudge. Naturally, my boyfriend was entirely enthralled in this slice of chocolate bliss.

Since then, he has referenced the torte several times, and we keep meaning to go back to the restaurant and order it. But, there’s always something more pressing to do when he visits, or I want to make dessert for him myself, or we’re broke, etc.

So, when I was picking a dessert for Valentines day this year, I knew what to make immediately. I’d wanted to make it last year, but we ended up doing a Mardi Gras theme and having King Cake. This was the year of the chocolate.

I, however, make my tortes correctly. They are served room temp, so that the texture is a cross between a souffle and a truffle. There are only 5 ingredients in a real chocolate torte; I poured over dozens of recipes to find the perfect balance. Because a torte is so rich, I pour a tart raspberry sauce over the top. For a temperature contrast, a scoop of ice cream with hot ganache takes it to pretentious-baker level. It is not a cloyingly sweet dessert, actually. The torte is rich but not sugary, the sauce is tart… really, the ganache and cream are the sweetest part, and it’s kind of needed to cut the darkness.

So, there’s the personal story and what it tastes like. Here’s the recipe. Why should you make it? It’s easy, impressive, beautiful, make-ahead, romantic, mature, and more than nice enough for company. I really can’t sell it any better: this stuff is the best.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 8 oz semi sweet chocolate
• 2 sticks butter
• 8 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
•  1 tsp vanilla extract

For the sauce:

• 2 cups raspberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 10 oz jar of seedless raspberry jam

Ganache and serving:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1.5 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
• good vanilla ice cream- like, buy the expensive stuff that stays soft in the freezer. It’s worth it.
• sea salt, optional

TO PREPARE:

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan, and dust with cocoa powder. Tap out the excess if you can, but don’t make a mess. I always stress about this part, but tortes have so much butter, they don’t tend to stick anyway.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate and butter until smooth. Set off the heat too cool.

Beat together the eggs and sugar for 4 minutes until super airy and thick. Once the chocolate is cooled to room temp or just above, fold it into the egg-sugar mixture, along with the vanilla.

Pour into the pan and bake for 30 minutes, until the sides are set and the middle has a teeny bit of jiggle (it’ll set up as it cools)

Let cool to room temp.

While it’s baking, you can make the sauce: Combine the raspberries, sugar, and water in a small pan over high heat. Bring to a boil for four minutes, until all the berries burst. Carefully pour into a blender or food processor with the jam, and blend! I sometimes add a dash of bitters here, if you like. Put the sauce in the fridge to chill.

Right before serving: Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan until simmering on the edges. Pour in the chocolate chips and stir to melt.

Lay a pool of raspberry sauce on the bottom of each plate. Lay a slice of torte on top (it should cut easily with a pie-cutter). Sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat with the other plates.

Scoop ice cream onto each plate, and drizzle raspberry sauce over the top. You’re getting all of the plates done in steps instead of one at a time, because the hot ganache will melt the ice cream. If you did them one at a time, the first plate would be a pool of melted ice cream before you finish the last one.

Finally, pour ganache over the top of everything and serve with a spoon and a fork! A fork for the cake, a spoon for the sauce. Trust me.

Everyone that has tried this in my life freaks out. I hope you do, too.

Meat n’ Cheese Skewers

Well, the Superbowl came and went, as did about 6 cookies and 3 of these skewers. I am not a football person, so I really only watch for the food and the company. Though, granted, when everyone else is watching football, they’re not exactly great company.

I was going to a party as my boyfriend’s plus-one, and I knew the demographic that would be there. College-aged boys. Straight, white, football-loving, meat and potatoes and beer boys. Nothing wrong with that, however, it meant my options for food were somewhat limited.

I went ahead and assumed they would not want cucumber sandwiches, caprese bites, or tapenade, as my usual go-to recipes would be. I also did not attempt to make lemon tartlets or strawberry bars for dessert.

This situation called for chocolate and sausage. After whipping up 3 dozen double-chocolate cookies and giving my boyfriend my drink order (1 Yoohoo, 1 strawberry milk, and 1 rootbeer) I knew my diet was out the window for the day. However, that didn’t mean I had to make a some sort of cheesy dip with bread and red meat everywhere.

I made it a goal to come up with something that was a little bit lighter than the other snacks, so that I could at least fill up on something healthy before I hit the cookies.

Therefore, these skewers were born. No, they’re not exactly clean or veggie-laden, but they are lowcarb, high protein, and no-cook. I’ll take my successes where I can get them.

I won’t turn this one-step recipe into an actual recipe card. Here’s how you make them the easy way:

MEAT N CHEESE SKEWERS:

Slice up some smoked turkey sausage (fully cooked) and your fav cheese into 2 inch chunks. Skewer onto wooden sticks with deli ham, gerkins pickles, mixed olives, and serve with mustard.

Feel free to mix this up with different meats, cherry tomatoes, cooked tortellini, roasted red peppers, etc.

Baked Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

My junior year of high school, I went to Italy with my mother. Caught up in the moment, we purchased a bunch of dry pasta, jarred sauce, seasoning packets, olive oil, vinegar…. and then we arranged for a case of wine to be sent back home.

When we got home, I knew that I would have to cook a giant Italian meal for my family using all of these ingredients. A future food blogger, I was very ambitious. Macerated tomatoes with balsamic and vinegar over fresh mozzarella was the first course, followed by melon and prosciutto with olives, squid ink fettuccine with olive oil and a fancy seasoning packet, and tortellini with marinara. This was followed by gelato and biscotti.

About an hour later, I wasn’t feeling too well. Now, one might assume it was because I overate, but, quite the contrary, I was not that full. I don’t like raw tomatoes, so I’d skipped the first course, and I don’t like squid ink pasta, so I’d skipped that. I also passed on the biscotti and settled for a small spoonful of gelato. So what was wrong?

Less than 30 seconds after I started feeling sick, I was hunched over the toilet. I continued to be violently ill for 24 hours. We had decided if I was not better by the next day I needed to be hospitalized, because I was getting severely dehydrated and weak.

Luckily, I felt better and kept down water and toast. However, that experience killed me on marinara sauce for two years. Not to be graphic, but I had been tasting it every time I was sick, and it was miserable.

My two years without marinara were the years I developed my recipe for pesto, lemon cream sauce, and alfredo. I also became a fan of buffalo chicken pizza and white pizza, and learned that you can order meatball subs at Firehouse without the sauce.

Now, I am finally at a point where I will eat marinara again. It started gradually: a small dollop on pizza, a dipping sauce for bread, and finally on pasta.

But, that said, I have a very special place in my heart for alfredo. It feels like a safe-zone. It never made me sick, it’s creamy and comforting, and it’s perfect on spaghetti squash because it’s so filling.

Nowadays, I have learned how to cut the carbs from a usually flour-based sauce by folding in melted cream cheese. Bake it on top of some spaghetti squash with spinach and turkey sausage, and you can have creamy baked “pasta” any day! I rarely eat pasta anymore, and I don’t miss it one bit because of this dish.

Feel free to leave out the sausage if you’re vegetarian, just add extra margarine.

And maybe don’t import a bunch of food from Italy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 pound turkey Italian sausage, sliced
• 2 cups spinach
• 6 cups milk
• 1 cup grated parm
• 4 oz fat free cream cheese (or full-fat if you’re keto)
• 2 tbls margarine (or butter)
• salt, pepper, nutmeg
• 2 cups mozzarella

TO PREPARE:

Preheat the oven to 300

Melt 1tbls margarine in a sauce pot and add sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until brown.

Meanwhile, cut that spaghetti squash in half. Put it face down in a dish with 1 inch of water, and microwave for 15 minutes. I do mine in two batches because I can only cook one half at a time in my microwave.

After the sausage is cooked, remove from the pot. Leave the fat, unless it’s more than 2tbls. If it’s less, add a little margarine. Just get 2 tbls of fat in that pot.

Turn the heat up to high and add the cream cheese. Once it’s melted, pour in the milk.

Here’s the crazy part: boil that sucker. That’s right, I’m having you boil milk. Without the flour, it won’t thicken unless a good chunk of it evaporates from the heat, and it must boil for that to happen. Just keep stirring and keep an eye on it. When it boils, turn the heat down and stir. If it’s still thin, boil it again. You really can’t mess up.

After about 15 minutes of stirring and boiling occasionally, it’s ready! Stir in the parm, seasonings, and turn of the heat.

Shred the spaghetti squash with a fork. Add it to a 9 inch casserole dish with the sauce, spinach, and sausage. Top with mozzarella and bake for 10 minutes.

Serve!