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(More customer reviews)I'm not a foodie, but I like to cook. I've also found its one of the greatest ways to pull together people from diverse backgrounds--nothing like closeting a group of unrelated people in a cozy kitchen, pulling out some good food and drink, and chatting. Beats the heck out of the cardboard pizza most study and discussion groups serve. So, when I received a copy of Megan and Jill Carle's College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Your Friends, I have to admit I was more than ready to give it a go.
Now, normally a cookbook labeled "College Cooking" is going to have 101 things to do with Ramen Noodles or 100+ ways to microwave canned foods so that they no longer resemble canned foods. The Carles didn't take this approach, however. They've put together real recipes, using real foods. The catch is, you're going to need a real kitchen--or at least access to one--to make their dishes. Sometimes that's not such an easy item to come by when you're still in college--even if you are a graduate student.
What do the Carles have to offer? Let's take a look at last week's brunch: fresh tomato soup (ripe tomatoes, salt, milk, and pepper), chicken salad pita sandwiches (real chicken, lettuce, celery, cucumber, grapes and a peppery mayo), zucchini olive salad (strips of crisp zuchinni, garlic, basil, lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, Parmesan, black olives and sunflower seeds), and lemon sugar cookies (made with real butter). Everyone had fun lending a hand with the meal and it was absolutely yummy!
Unfortunately, everything in this meal--with the exception of the zuchinni salad--required access to a full kitchen; and that particular fact applies to almost every recipe in the Carles' book. Also, the Carles give quite a few tips on making vegetarian dishes using their recipes; but few tips on making their recipes either low-cal or low-fat. All of which explains why I'm reviewing this particular "College" cookbook on the graduate school site and not the colleges site--graduate students have been out of the nest long enough to have learned a few tricks to manage these particular issues.
If you do have access to a full kitchen (and a nice enough bank balance to afford some of the more particular ingredients these recipes call for--like fresh black olives as opposed to canned), the Carles have put together a really nice collection of recipes covering everything from comfort foods to party foods in College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Your Friends.
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College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Your FriendsYou have a midterm tomorrow and a fierce growl in your stomach. Your roommate just nabbed your last cup o' ramen. Do you: (A) Ignore your stomach and brew another pot of coffee? (B) Break out the PB&J? (C) Order pizza—again? (D) Make a quick trip to the grocery store? The answer's D, and College Cooking is the only study guide you'll need.Sisters Megan and Jill Carle know all about leaving a well-stocked kitchen to face an empty apartment fridge with little time to cook and very little money. They practically grew up in their parents' kitchen, but even that didn't prepare them for braving the supermarket aisles on their own. That's why they wrote COLLEGE COOKING—to share the tips and tricks they've learned while feeding themselves between late-night studying, papers, parties, and other distractions.Starting with kitchen basics, Megan and Jill first cover ingredients, equipment, and other prereqs for cooking a decent meal. They then provide more than ninety simple yet tasteworthy recipes—hearty home-style dishes, study-break snacks, healthy salads, sweet treats, and more (along with low-cal and veggie options). You'll find easy and cheap-to-make dishes, like: Tortilla Soup • Chili with Green Chile Cornbread • Chicken Salad Pita Sandwiches • Baked Penne Pasta with Italian Sausage • What's-in-the-Fridge Frittata • Peanut Butter Cup Bars • Brownie Bites You'll also find recipes for feeding a household of roommates, maximizing leftovers, cooking for a dinner date, and hosting parties with minimal prep and cost. Just consider COLLEGE COOKING your crash course in kitchen survival—and required reading for off-campus living.Reviews"College Cooking is a must-pack, along with the fry pan and the blender, for those going back to college or starting this year."—Arizona Republic"The recipes are quick, easy, and simple."—Kansas City Star"This is reasonable food reasonably fast. I was going too give the cookbook to someone in college, but no way. This is going straight into my collection."—Oakland Tribune
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