Cooking in college — Lee Clarion

Being a senior at Lee means I've had my fair share of cereal for random meals in the dining hall, Chick-fil-a three times a day and stood in long Dunkin' lines on Sunday nights when nothing else is open. However, I've had the tremendous privilege to be in an apartment and a townhouse this semester. I'm proud to have successfully lived off the meal plan for two years!

Cooking in college can be tough and time consuming, but it's extremely worth every minute that you put into it. So,this semester I'll be sharing recipes that I've tried and love with hopes that you guys can use them too! So to start us off, I came up with a nowhere near extensive list of reasons why to cook in college.

10 Reasons to Cook in College

1. #domestic on every single one of your foodstagrams

2. Earn husband/wife points (I have yet to figure out where to trade in my points for a husband- but that's beside the point)

3. No more Ramen.

4. No more dining hall.

5. You can only eat at Chick-fil-A so many times before gagging at the smell when you walk into the PCSU to print a paper.

6. You'll eat healthier without even trying.

7. Your roommates/ friends will love you for your delicious culinary creations.

8. Having cookies on hand is always a good decision.

9. Singing and making food is a fantastic stress reliever.

10. One day when you're 89 and feeding your 17 grandchildren (or when you're trying to pacify the zombies- can't be sure), you'll be glad you learned.

Here's a recipe to start you off. It's incredibly simple, but it looks and tastes excellent.

I got the original recipe from bettiebaker.com, but adapted the ingredients and the process a little as I went.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2½ cups oatmeal

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1½ cup mini chocolate chips

banana slices for garnish

1. Preheat your oven to 350.

2. Spray your loaf pan with non-stick spray.

3. Grind the oatmeal in a blender. It should become powdery and look a lot like flour.

4. Place the ground oatmeal and all other ingredients except the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl.

5. Get messy! I found that it was best to use my hands to mix the ingredients together. If it's a little hard to get all the oatmeal mixed in, add a tsp of water to the dough. The dough is going to be crazy thick, so don't freak out (like I did).

6. Fold in a cup of chocolate chips to the dough.

7. Put the dough in the pan. I mashed it down and gave it a loaf shape before putting it in the oven. Add the last bit of your chocolate chips to the top of the loaf, and stick banana slices on top if you want to get super fancy.

8. Bake the bread for 25 minutes.

9. Enjoy the smell. It's fantastic.

10. Remove your masterpiece from the oven and let it cool.

There you have it! You're practically a chef. All of your friends will bow down to your superior domesticity skills.