As a college student living on your own, it is hard to find the time to cook. You have to juggle classes, homework for those classes, and the everyday responsibilities or worries of a young adult. It is so easy to pick up the phone to order a pizza (in my case there is a Dominos down the block and a McDonald’s around the corner, so much temptation!) or go out to eat for a quick bite. However, why not learn to cook for yourself and make something that you will like?
This blog will be a series of posts dedicated to cooking at home. Some recipes are my own, while others I researched and highly recommend. I made sure to focus on recipes that are all about prepping and then popping it in the oven. I am busy and I find that baked dishes are better as you can multitask while cooking and get some work done. Minimal work, and a great meal in the end!
The key to cooking great food is flavor, so I believe that its best to start off this cooking journey discussing the best seasonings for our future dishes! You want to cook a healthy (or at least somewhat healthy) dish without compromising flavor. Every meal recipe calls for different seasonings but below you will find must-haves to start off with.
- Sazon’ (I personally do not cook without it)
- Goya Adobo
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Parsley flakes
- Onion powder or onion flakes
- Garlic powder
- Old Bay
I would also buy some red and green peppers. You can find all of this at your grocery store. These are just a few things to start you off! The more you cook, the more you will get a taste of what you like from what you don’t like, and expand. As for oil, I always use corn oil as vegetable oil isn’t for me. Lately I’ve been using Virgin Olive Oil and everything tastes so much better and less greasy.
Now that the small things are out of the way, lets get cooking!
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I had a late class yesterday so I cooked before I went to class. I decided that I wanted to eat baked chicken and potatoes!
Preheat your oven to 350.
First things first, I washed off the chicken and poured some lemon juice on the meat as well to fully clean it. After the cleaning is out of the way it is time for seasoning!! I used all of the seasons above except for Old Bay. I do not mix Old Bay seasoning with Sazon – way too salty and there isn’t a need for both (please remember this). I also added Jerk seasoning.
If you have never heard of this and you enjoy spicy food, I would definitely recommend this to you. My family is from the West Indies and we put jerk seasoning on almost everything! Be careful!!! A little bit of jerk seasoning goes a long way.
Next, I chopped up my red and green pepper, also throwing in some sliced onion for added flavor. Lastly, I drizzled some virgin olive oil on the chicken as well as the pan and put some foil on top of my pan, poked some holes in the foil, then placed it in the oven. The foil prevents your meat from drying out. Midway, you can take off the foil and when you take it off you will see how juicy the chicken will look!
After seasoning my chicken I cut up my potatoes and placed them in a small foil tin. Unseasoned potatoes are no fun. Sprinkle some Adobo, salt, pepper, and parsley on your potatoes! I also sprinkled a little bit of sazon (I told you, I cannot live without it). Drizzle some olive oil in the pan and on your potatoes and you’ll then be ready to throw it in the oven! Don’t forget to put foil on this tin too.
Your meal won’t be ready until about 45 minutes so that frees you up. When you come back in about 25 minutes to check on your food, take off the foil and slice your chicken a little to see if it is cooked yet.
Once it is cooked to your liking and it is all done, enjoy!
Main Steps:
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Clean off the meat
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Season the meat
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Add Virgin Olive Oil, and foil the pan at the top — do not forget to poke a few holes
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Put it in the oven
This is My Meal Prep Photo
Below is My After Picture
As you can see, I dug right in 🙂 I also made a little gravy on the side!
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[Outline]
Theme:
My theme is all about cooking as a busy college student. I will be recreating popular restaurant dishes at home. There are already some recipes on the web but many don’t know which are actually accurate. I’ll be testing them out and posting the entire process with multimedia on my blog.
I will also be cooking some general favorite meals that would be great for busy college students on the go. This will be a step by step process, including a recipe and how long the meal usually takes to cook. If you have limited cooking ability or just never bothered to try, all of my posts will be a great how-to guide!!
Lead:
I am a college student. I have experience in this, which gave me the idea originally. When you don’t live at home (especially if you live off campus) you must figure out how to cook or else you will be spending so much money ordering food. I want my readers to come away from reading my posts knowing that it isn’t that hard to take the time to cook for yourself and it’s much more beneficial in the long run. If you save money on food, you’ll learn to be much more responsible (you will have more money to spend on shoes).
Research:
I will research recipes of restaurant favorites online and use them for my recreation of restaurant dishes at home. I’ll rate if it actually tastes like the restaurant dish and demonstrate everything at home. I also have a recipe or two myself about restaurant recreation food so if I created the recipe I’ll be sure to note it.
I will also research how to make a meal healthier without losing the taste of the meal.
Interviews:
I will be interviewing a few of the students that attend my college and do a questionnaire about cooking. I already have one interview from a restaurant/managerial point of view.
[Query Letter:]
To Whom It May Concern,
When you are out on your own as college student, food is the one thing that can make everything okay at the end of the day. However, while it can make your day, it can also break your pockets – especially if you live in New York City! At times, we may not even realize how much money we spend on outside food.
I have the perfect resolution for every college student going through this. Cooking at home! I know what you’re thinking, not everyone can cook and not everyone may have the time. However, instead of having buyers remorse when that bill comes, or crying about that ‘Freshman 15’, we can take charge.
I have developed a blog that is all about cooking delicious and easy meals at home, as well as testing out online recipes that is all about cooking your favorite dishes from your favorite restaurants. You save money and you learn to cook your must-have dishes at home! Many of the dishes involve just seasoning the food and popping it in the oven which is great because it frees you up to complete whatever work you have to do until the food is done.
I myself am a 23 year old Fashion Design student at Parsons The New School for Design as well as a blogger. I know what it’s like to have limited talents in the kitchen but I am totally happy now that I can cook for myself, and because the dishes have such short prep time I can multitask and be productive at the same time!
I thank you so much for your time in advance. Attached you will find a few posts of mine for your perusal, and I hope to speak with you soon.
Sincerely,
Xenia Janniere
Bibliography
“Funfetti Cake Dip.” Eat Yourself Skinny. N.p., 13 June 2012. Web. 14 May 2016.
“Is It a Good Idea to Cook With Olive Oil? A Critical Look.” RSS 20. N.p., 11 May 2014. Web. 15 May 2016.
Angay, Abigail. “Cooking With Abigail.” Personal interview. 15 May 2016.
Hall, Carla, and Deborah Wright. Twitter. N.p., 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 May 2016.
Hall, Carla, and @Steelfancity86. Twitter. N.p., 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 May 2016.
Hall, Carla, and @MapleKEA. Twitter. N.p., 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 May 2016.
Hall, Carla, and Lois Reichert. Twitter. N.p., 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 May 2016.
Hall, Carla, and @Mkraustin. Twitter. N.p., 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 May 2016.
Hall, Carla, and Brigida Pirraglia. Twitter. N.p., 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 May 2016.
Roman. “Hudson View Restaurant.” Personal interview. 18 Mar. 2016.
“Miami Chefs Agree Culinary School Is Falling Out of Fashion.” Miami New Times. N.p., 02 Mar. 2016. Web. 15 May 2016.
“Jobs by Salary Range.” Browse Salaries by Salary Ranges. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2016.
Xenia Janniere
