Despite recent improvements in dining hall food (3 new salad dressings!), sometimes Harvard students want to take matters into their own hands and reveal the (home) economics concentrator within. FM surveyed some of Harvard’s most dining-hall-savvy consumers and came up with this list of fun recipes you can try.
1. Egg and Cheese Delight
rder a fried egg from the grill. Toast two slices of bread until golden brown and place a slice of cheese on one of them immediately so that it begins to melt. Then, put mayonnaise/mustard, lettuce, and tomatoes on the other slice of bread. Pick up your fried egg from your friendly dining hall chef and place it between your two slices of bread. Warning: this sandwich can get very messy!
2. Cucumber Salad
Grab a bunch of cucumber slices from the salad bar and set aside in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup white vinegar, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 cup water, and ¼ cup sugar (or sugar substitute). Mix ingredients together and add more sugar as needed. Pour over cucumbers and toss lightly.
3. Apple Crisp
Peel and cut up an apple (make sure you remove the core), place it in a bed of applesauce, sprinkle with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and microwave in a small bowl for 90 seconds. For some crunch, you can add some Harvard granola or Omega-3 Hemp Granola on top of the apples before putting them in the microwave. You can also substitute peaches for apples to make Peach Crisp. Top it off with some vanilla Fro-yo and you’ve one-upped HUDS’s version of this classic fall treat!
4. Feta-Stuffed Chicken
Order a chicken breast from the grill and cut it in half. Place diced tomatoes, feta cheese, leaves of spinach, salt, oregano, and basil between the two halves. Microwave for 20-30 seconds, or until the cheese begins to melt. On days when chicken soup is served, try drizzling the “sandwich” to add more flavor.
5. Make a Smoothie!
Is all of this cooking making you thirsty? Mix your favorite flavors of Fro-yo and juice together in a large cup and stir vigorously! Or, if milkshakes are more your style, mix together 1 whole sliced banana, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 4 scoops ice cream, and 1 cup of milk.
6. Dessert Panini
Take two slices of bread and place peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, sugar, and marshmallows between them. Place on the panini grill for about 45 seconds, and then top off with whipped cream or frozen yogurt.
Concepts courtesy of Francesca T. Gilberti ’10, a Crimson magazine editor, and Rachel A. Strauss ’09, a Crimson photographer.
