You don’t have to come from culinary school to know how to cook. Here are a few simple dishes that will leave your roommates wanting more.
A well-balanced and delicious meal might be a little time-consuming, but it is worth it in the end.
Crustless spinach & mushroom quiche with mixed cheese
This dish is both simple and delicious. It requires typical household ingredients and basic cooking skills.
Ingredients:
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
2 cups (8 ounces) mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup white onion, chopped (optional)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 1/3 cup of mixed cheese (I recommend 1/3 cup feta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere)*
4 slices of ham; cut into pieces** (optional)
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Thaw frozen spinach in microwave per box instructions, then drain in colander.
3. Add oil in heated skillet. Sauté garlic, onion and mushrooms with a sprinkle of salt and pepper until fragrant. Be sure to let the mushrooms release all moisture with no remaining water in the skillet.
4. Squeeze excess water in thawed spinach and spread evenly on bottom of a glass baking dish (pie dish). Then add garlic, onion, mushrooms and feta cheese.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs. Add milk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well.
6. Pour egg mixture in baking dish over the rest of the ingredients.
7. Sprinkle remaining Gruyere cheese on top.
8. Bake for 45 minutes.
* Use a mix of cheese that you like. Be sure not to add too much strong flavored cheese like feta.
** The ham is optional. You can either not have any or replace it with bacon bits.
Potatoes Au Gratin
This dish is a little more time consuming, but it’s definitely worth it.
Ingredients
4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter, softened (can be replaced with baking spray)
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup cooked bacon bits (optional)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of black pepper (or enough to taste)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Fry bacon until golden brown, but not crispy. Remove excess oil with paper towel and set aside.
3. Evenly spread softened butter all over the baking dish.
4. Slice potatoes, then cut in half, set aside.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper.
6. Place 1/3 of potatoes in the baking dish and pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.
7. Repeat step 6 two more times.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. (make sure that it is bubbling)
9. Generously sprinkle cheese on top of the potatoes and bake for 5 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and there you go!
Asian style baked chicken thighs
Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Xing wine (chinese rice wine)
3 tablespoons Panda Express chili sauce*
2 tablespoons sesame oil
5 tablespoons honey*
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and white pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients except the chicken thighs.
3. Place chicken thighs in a zipper bag and pour half the marinade into the bag. Squeeze all of the air out of the bag before sealing. Be sure to evenly coat the chicken. Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning bag once**.
4. After one hour, pour remaining half of the marinade in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often to thicken sauce.
5. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Place chicken in baking dish and brush 1/3 of the thickened marinade on chicken.
6. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove baking dish and baste chicken one more time after 10 minutes.
7. Serve with steamed rice.
*Add or reduce honey and chili sauce as preferred.
**This step is to make sure that the chicken gets evenly coated.
Reach the reporter at jmoo1@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @moojuliet.
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