Dinner with Einstein

My best friend from home sent me a text yesterday afternoon that read, “If you could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be?” While it is an impossible question to answer, it is still quite fun to think about. But before I let the cat out of the bag about who would make my list, I need to provide a little more background for the reasoning regarding my choice.

In high school, math courses terrified me. While I took higher level maths, such as calculus and trigonometry, I could never get over my fear of numbers. I’d hunch over my I-heart-so-and-so covered notebook, clutching my calculator like a magic eight ball in hopes that the answer I wanted would appear.

I left math behind when I came to journalism school. Aside from an easy statistics class, and a few econ courses, I haven’t been back to my magic calculator since. Instead, I became a word nerd with a slight obsession for extended metaphors.

But the practice of math and science is like a luminous star that enchants me from a distance, shining complexities of theories and logic that make me wonder what else is out there besides words?

So I took this question into consideration when making my dinner date decision, giving physicist Albert Einstein one of the top three spots on my list.

Because I would be dining with Einstein, I would want to choose a dinner that would encourage a great discussion. My experiences at college have shown me that the best and most honest conversations happen over simple, good meals. It’s the midnight box of mac and cheese my roommate and I share that sparks our giggly talks before bed. And it’s the afternoon cups of coffee I pour with my brother that keep us recapping our weekend all Sunday afternoon long. Foods like these are the easy pleasures that make up the unique flavors of my memory. So it is no surprise that I would take Professor Einstein to Courtside for a hot chicken fiesta pizza and a pitcher of cold beer.

I’d pick his brain about the curiosities that spurred his studies into subjects like the theory of relativity and other topics that are way over my head. These kinds of topics I am only familiar with through the come-and-go awe moments I have between blinks. These are the list of studies that I may have left behind on my way to becoming a writer.

Sometimes I wish I could rearrange my choices and have pursued something a little more exact, a little more scientific. I question the good of, and even the point of, my future profession. With graduation soon in my future, I’m running out of time to find the right answer. So maybe listening to logical conversation about the laws of the universe over a slice of pizza and a Bud Light might put some certainty back into the equation.

So I know this was a long answer to a very short question. And since Professor Einstein won’t really be able to make it to dinner, I’ll have to rely on the little-of-this, little-of-that recipe that is my life now anyway.

But if that doesn’t come out right, I’m getting myself a real magic 8-ball.

Great Depression Cooking Video

I found this video on youtube, and I thought it was interesting. It is about cooking in the great depression. I thought us college kids could relate to cooking on a very tight budget, as well as eating from a nonstop pasta menu.

The Crock-Pot: A College Necessity

My roommate and I have quite a few things in common--our love of running, our obsession with Enrique Iglesias, our major and even our name. Where these two Sarahs differ is in the kitchen. While I live for trying out new recipes, she avoids food that requires more than a zap in the microwave. And when I reach for a sweet pint of chocolate ice cream to snack on, she grabs herself a bowl of savory steamed rice.

Clearly, our tastes differ. Despite her lack of enthusiasm for cooking, and for sugary treats, she does seem to find her way to the kitchen while I am making dinner. She asks questions—a lot of questions—about what I am doing, and how I do it. I enjoy teaching her, but I ran out of patience when she asked if we could decorate my tray of homemade brownies with glitter.

Glitter?

We were baking, not bedazzling a pair of jeans. Needless to say, I had to come up with a few rules for her being in the kitchen while I am cooking. Our number one condition? Don’t touch anything.

Although we have different ideas of acceptable kitchen behavior, she can whip up some really tasty stuff on her own. Her secret to cooking dinner without having to actually cook, and without driving me crazy, is a Crock-Pot.

A Crock-Pot is the “hot damn” of cooking utensils. Coming home to a Crock-Pot meal that your roommate prepared is like finding a 5-dollar bill in your pocket—an unexpected thrill that goes a long way. Designed to cook food over a long period of time, Crock-Pots can be left alone while you are away at class for the day. Simply toss your ingredients inside, cover, and set to the desired temperature. Be careful not to set the temp too high because it can boil over and cause a mess. Our Crock-pot seems to heat up hotter than what is required for certain recipes, so we use a lower temperature for some dishes. Soups are a great Crock-Pot item, and it is something that you can pair up with a sandwich or salad a few days later as a great leftover.

So me and my roommate don’t always eat or cook the same way. To each his own, right? Besides, the pork and sauerkraut that she and her Crock-Pot cook up is good enough to make me forget that she doesn’t like chocolate. I’m keeping an open mind. And watching out for glitter.

A Culinary Experience

When I was a child, my cousins and I would wander down to my grandma’s basement. We’d transform the cold, damp room into a haven for hide and seek, freeze tag, and lost kids. Hiding behind broken armchairs and between the washer and dryer, we’d spend Thanksgivings and Christmases fighting over who would be “it.” That basement was our Neverland.

In the dusty corner of this far away place, there sat a mysterious little creature on top of my grandfather’s bar. In our eyes, the olive green water that filled the small jar lit up the basement like Pan’s tinker bell. We’d grab hold of the counter tightly, standing on tiptoes with curiosity, to peer at the strange thing inside, always asking the same question. “How did he get it in there?”

This thing was a pickle—a big, green, monstrous pickle that engulfed the jar from bottom to brim. The answer to how that pickle fit inside was a debate that went on between the getting in trouble and the getting dirty. Each of us had our own theories I think. But no matter how many times we’d talk about it, we’d always end up in the same place, wide-eyed and scratching our heads.

The answer to our question is not the amazing part of the story. According to my father, my great-grandfather slid a jar over what started out as a pickling cucumber. After snapping the cucumber from the stem, he added vinegar and water to preserve it, before tightly sealing it shut with a lid. My dad’s dad, my papa, kept it in his basement, which later became a playground for cousins, brothers and sisters.

The pickle is gone now. So is my grandfather. My papa passed away when all of us were either very young or not yet born. And the pickle was just one of the many items that were lost after my grandma’s basement flooded. But for the younger generation of our family, growing up with the story of that pickle created a very special relationship between us and our papa. The pickle was the catalyst for storytelling, making our aunts, uncles, moms, dads and my grandma the beautiful narrators of his life.

And it is something that brings our small and varied group of cousins—from ages 14-26, filled with musicians, artists, athletes, and even a lawyer—back to the Neverland of my grandma’s basement.

Bad Food Habits

Ordering take-out food is a dangerous habit. The craziness of my schedule over the past week has pushed me into it hard. With nothing but coffee and stale oatmeal in my stomach, I have been running from class to class hungry, cranky and with one thing on my mind—dinner.

Pitas, subs, and burritos were the usual ticket to my really unhealthy and satisfying meal. I love food that comes wrapped up in something shiny. It’s like Christmas, except what’s inside is usually smothered in guacamole, tzatziki sauce or sour cream.

But after waking up this morning and having to hold myself back from ordering DP Dough for breakfast, I decided that this has to stop. I need a reset button for my life.

So how do you kill the craving for a greasy calzone without spending the rest of the day lusting over it? Make it yourself. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not. There is a great Rachel Ray recipe that I used over winter break that resembles the spinner (my favorite calzone), but it has a hearty twist. Along with the spinach, ricotta and mozzarella, it includes earthy artichoke hearts. They aren’t cheap, but because this recipe makes 4 calzones, you can freeze them for later meals. In the long run, the two-dollar can of artichokes will seem like nothing compared to the cost of a six-dollar calzone.

So the next time you find yourself dialing for a quick-fix takeout treat, try this recipe. And if hitting reset doesn’t work, hit the phonebook. Just make sure to get some extra sauce on the side, because if you’re going to fall into a bad habit now and then, make sure it’s headfirst into some marinara.

Mystery Dinner at Baker

Check out the Mystery Dinner and Show on Saturday, February 21, in Baker Ballroom. The dinner and entertainment is being put on by the University Program Council at 7 p.m. during Parents Weekend. For ticket information and a menu, visit the UPC Web site.

Wine and Chocolate Tasting

The Ohio University Inn is hosting a Wine and Chocolate Tasting tomorrow night. Take in the musical styles of Guitarist John Horne while enjoying 5 different wines and chocolate treats. The tasting is being put on by Paul Tolchinsky of Wineworks Ohio. See the Athens Visitors Bureau Web site for ticket information.

Cooking Pictures

Below are pictures of some of my cooking experiences in the kitchen.


Me and my roommate's fiance are peeling apples for a pie. Pie is a lot of work, but it is my favorite sweet to bake.


You cant tell, but I am covered in flour.


This is a picture from a pancake breakfast we had at our house last Spring quarter.

A Culinary Experience

Baking is something that I love to do after a stressful week. With three midterm exams behind me, I decided to kick back by baking last night. I’d suggest this kind of test relief for anyone in college who enjoys being in the kitchen. I was baking for a friend, and his request was simple—a two layered chocolate cake with white icing.

It sounded simple anyway.

I began with a Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe. Mixing together the flour, sugar and cocoa with the wet ingredients created a smooth dark batter that drifted back and forth like tiny ocean waves, making delicate bubbles inside my plastic bowl. They crackled.

I poured the thin, brown batter into a cake pan that I covered with a generous layer of butter and flour. It flowed quickly, hitting the center and rushing to the sides. As I pulled the bowl away from the pan, small spots of batter dropped to the counter. I felt like a child picking up stray pennies in the sunlight. I got every last one.

After the cake was done baking, I placed it on the counter to cool. But chocolate makes me impatient. I flipped the pan over on to a plate, thinking that it would slide out with ease (because that is what happens on all those cooking shows that I watch.) I pulled the pan away to find nothing there but the emptiness of my clean, white plate. My cake was stuck.

Now what? I ran a knife around the edge and tried the flip again. Still nothing. I stood there alone in my kitchen and got extremely frustrated--frustrated with our broken can opener, flimsy used steak knives and our extremely mismatched plates that were always dirty no matter how hard we cleaned them.

But I was being a baby. I’m in college. If there is ever a time to enjoy the broken, borrowed and dirty, it’s now. I like that doing laundry requires a scavenger hunt for quarters, making me dive between couch cushions and under beds. I like that homemade popcorn isn’t ruined by the loud and constant beep of a very sensitive smoke alarm. I like eating from slightly dirty plates, just because I can.

So I took a spatula and scooped instead of flipped. It was in pieces, but much like my life in college, I held it together with a little laughter and a lot of icing.

College Student's Omelet

Last weekend, my roommate and I woke up starving. The night before was filled with the usual Court Street fun, which left us craving a hearty breakfast that morning. As I opened the refrigerator door, I noticed that we didn’t exactly have the key ingredients for the meal I had in mind. Like most college kids on campus, we hadn’t made a trip to the grocery store in quite a while. With the upcoming stress of midterms, and a half quarter behind us, we were out of money and time.

After foraging through every cupboard, drawer and shelf in the kitchen, I compiled a stack of ingredients for what I like to refer to as the college student’s omelet. Not really an omelet per say, but it's rather a jumble of stray canned goods, frozen veggies, almost-expired lunch meat, whatever cheese isn’t molding and one magic ingredient—eggs.

If you have a dozen eggs in your kitchen, you have the start of a fantastic Saturday morning brunch. Because most college kids, like myself, don’t own a pan that is good enough to make a decent omelet in, just sauté all your components together before adding your eggs. Once everything in the pan is singing a sizzling hum, whisk your eggs and toss them in. They may take a little bit longer to cook fully because there is so much going on in the pan. If you have some cheese on hand, add that just before the eggs are done so you can distinguish between cheesy goodness and runny, undercooked eggs.

My list of ingredients follows, but don’t be afraid to get gutsy. And if it doesn’t work out, don’t worry about it. We’re in college, which means we’re used to eating food that doesn’t taste that great.
My College Student’s Omelet:

5 eggs
A splash of milk
salt and pepper
A handful of frozen spinach
Green olives (chopped)
Half an onion
A clove of garlic (finely chopped also)
A small shot of Worcestershire sauce
A teaspoon of Horseradish
Turkey (lunch meat style)
Instant mashed potatoes (prepared according to the directions on the box before adding to the eggs)

Freezing Your Favorites

Ice. Cold, hard, unforgiving ice. In a matter of a few days , Athens has been hit hard with the slick stuff, making it difficult to leave the house without having an almost embarrassing wipeout on the way to class.

So in the spirit of the cold weather, I decided to do a post about foods that make great freezer meals for college students. Making food ahead of time and putting it in the freezer is a fantastic way to eat something homemade when you’re in a rush. While there are a variety of dishes that do well frozen, it’s important to keep in mind that most college students have small refrigerators. In my house, making room for all of our weekly groceries is a big enough challenge. With space being an issue, I freeze items that can shape to the space I have available.

So stick to sauces and soups. My two favorite freezer picks are vodka sauce and chili. The vodka sauce is something everyone in your house will want to try. At first, they may be a little confused by the concept. “You’re making what with what?” But once they taste the creamy tomato and fresh garlic chased by a hint of vodka, they’ll be happy you doubled the recipe so you have more for later in the quarter.

When shopping for your ingredients, there are a few things you can leave out and substitute. The recipe I use is Rachel Ray’s, which calls for shallots and fresh basil leaves. I like to use both because this sauce is my favorite. But because shallots are not cheap, my mom uses onions instead. The basil is a tasty touch to top off the dish, but that can be expensive as well, and it also should not be added to the bag of sauce you plan on freezing.

Saturdays in many college houses are usually fairly lazy days. Chili is a great Saturday afternoon meal because it’s something everyone can relax around the TV and enjoy. Pair it with tortilla chips and cheese to make a great game-day snack. I have found that people are particular about their chili and should find a recipe that works best for them. Some like it a little hotter, while others enjoy a milder flavor. Whichever recipe you choose, remember that you can always spice it up after you defrost it.

So while most in Athens are slipping up on the icy conditions, use it to your advantage to make youself a satisfying meal that will keep you warm all quarter long.

Pictures of My Mother

I wanted to post a picture to go along with my "How It All Began" post. Below is a picture of my mom. She cooked a delicious meal for my roommates and I when she came to visit with my dad last weekend.

She likes to clean my kitchen when she visits.

We baked a cake together, and then I ate most of it myself.

I told you she was tiny. This pan is bigger than she is!

A Culinary Experience

I was sitting on a plane the day after New Years. It was cold. And that sad, depressing feeling of the holidays being over wrapped around me like the complimentary blanket the flight attendant handed out to passengers to keep warm. I was flying somewhere between Boston and Berlin. Nothing but dark blue drifted below me. I was scared.

After tossing and turning through the 8-hour flight, I finally landed. But landing only feels good in somewhere familiar. I knew before arriving in Spain that making the decision to study abroad for the winter was a good one. I knew that I needed to be in a place that wasn’t Athens, Ohio--just for a little while. But I was looking into faces that didn’t smile back at me the way they used to on Court Street. Grabbing my two suitcases, I hoped like hell that I remembered to pack my heart somewhere in the shuffle between my clothes and my camera. Because I knew it fell out of my chest when I left Athens.

When I finally arrived in Salamanca, I started to find myself in the daily routine. On the surface, everything about my life looked the same as it did in the U.S. Class. Friends. Going out. But I felt like I was reading a new book in a series by my favorite author. The big parts were similar, but the details were entirely different. New classes. New friends. New language.

One day, while in class, a friend of mine asked me to lunch. She wanted to go to Burger King. In an attempt to make myself experience as much as I could while abroad, I vowed that I would not live in fast food restaurants. But greasy, salty fries smothered in ketchup squeezed from a packet sounded amazing.

And it was amazing.

Now I want to be clear that the three months that I spent in Europe were some of the best that I have ever had. I want to go back after I graduate. And do what? That part, I am not as sure about. As my very worldly roommate would say, (she studied abroad in Spain for a year) “I just know that I love the feeling of being in a place where not learning isn’t an option.”

I couldn’t agree with her more. I loved finally learning how to use the subway system after being lost beneath the city of Paris the night before. I loved enjoying paella for the first time in Toledo, eating the whole plate prior to discovering that you could remove the heads, which were still attached to the shellfish scattered in the rice, first. And I loved that a trip to Burger King with a friend on a cold day brought me home to Ohio for a short half an hour.

So it may not sound like much, but that is part of the reason why I love food. Not only that, but it is why I thought it would make an interesting blog. It’s the carton of chunky monkey that catches my tears after a bad day. It’s the Thanksgiving dinner that seats me at the “kid table” every year with my eight cousins. It’s the burger and fries that start a friendship strong enough to keep going through facebook messages, missed calls, and voicemails. When goodness like that can come from a meal, who wouldn’t want to share the recipe?

How It All Began

I have smelled like garlic, onions and beef for 22 years.

As a teenager, I would try to escape the aromas of my mother’s cooking to save myself the embarrassment that I would experience at my locker that day in school. Questions like, “Who smells like a bucket of onions?” followed me almost as closely as the savory scents of my mother’s kitchen did. Although dishes like moussaka and keftedes smell amazing on the stovetop or in the oven, having the meaty stench stick to my clothes was something entirely different. Besides, no one wants to bring the girl who smells like a leg of lamb to the prom.

Despite the fact that I grew up smelling like a casserole, I have come to appreciate my mother’s zealous attitude towards food. My mother is half-Greek and half-Italian, and nearly everything in her kitchen is made from scratch. From freshly baked breads to a stockpile of homemade preserves, her cupboards and countertops are piled high with Nadia originals. And she uses real butter. “To me, if it has low and fat together, I’m against it,” Nadia Logar said. In our low-card-low-calorie-workout-obsessed culture, I find that extremely refreshing. And delicious.

So when I began this blog, I realized that I would be a fool not to consult my mother for some cooking tips. Not only is she the first person I think of calling when I have a problem in the kitchen, but she gave me my love for cooking. My life has been filled with good meals and good company because of her. When a family member or friend is getting married, she bakes months in advance, ensuring that the cookie table at the reception will overflow with wonderfully decorated pastries to celebrate with. And when that same family member or friend loses a loved one, she sends over a pot of sauce, fresh cibatta and a box of noodles to make their difficult time just a little easier. Her heart is as light and as warm as the homemade bread she pulls from her oven. At 5-foot-7 and only 105 pounds, sometimes I wonder how that big heart fits inside such a tiny little body.

So maybe I didn’t grow up smelling like the rest of the girls in my class. Big deal. I’m not afraid to use real butter, even if I do smell like a bucket of onions.

Ingredient Substitution Links

Here are some useful sites I found that contain lists of ingredient substitutions.

http://www.e-cookbooks.net/ingresub.htm
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Common-Substitutions/Detail.aspx

Making the Most of Your Ingredients

One of my favorite between-class snacks is pumpkin bread. Pair it with a cup of coffee in your travel mug, and you have a great breakfast for on the way to class. Pumpkin bread is also something you can bake a few recipes of and throw in the freezer to enjoy later in the quarter.

Last week, I decided to make a few loaves for me and my roommates. I found an easy recipe online and got to work. After mixing my dry ingredients, I found myself in a bit of a pickle.

Because everything in our kitchen is either used or half-broken, my can opener demolished my second can of pumpkin. There was no way I could use it, and there was also no way I was walking to the store in sub-zero temperatures to get a dumb can of pumpkin.

So I improvised. My roommate, Sarah, had a few extra bananas that she didn’t plan on using. Pumpkin banana bread? Why not? I googled to see if there were any recipes online for the mixture, and sure enough, there were. So I mashed them up and threw them into the batter. The combination of the sweet smell of banana and the spices of the pumpkin was incredible.

So when you are cooking or baking, don’t be afraid to substitute ingredients. Although baking is more exact, there are many options you can find that will save you from having to throw away an unfinished batch of what could be a very yummy snack.

A Night Out for a Great Cause

Ohio University students involved in the Empower Campaign are hosting two events to help raise money for children in Africa. A Beer Tasting Benefit Event is scheduled Jan. 24 at Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, while a Wine Tasting Benefit Event will take place at Latitude 39 in Ohio University's Baker Center on January 31. More information, including how to buy tickets, can be found on the Empower Web site.

Cooking In College

Welcome to my blog all about how to cook in college. Living in Athens for the past four years, I have spent quite a bit of money uptown buying everything from late-night burritos to early-morning lattes. With Court Street just feet from my house, it’s convenient for me to buy food on my way home from class or work. Unfortunately, these hard economic times have made me think twice before I step into Big Mamas for a baby size chicken chipotle ranch with guacamole and extra sour cream. And the fact that I am a poor, hungry college student does not make it any easier.

Because of all the money that I have spent on takeout, I decided to try cooking some of my favorite kinds of food myself. I have always loved to cook, but never realized how much it cost to make a meal that doesn’t start out in a can or a box.

Now I am not saying that it is realistic for a person in college to have the time or money to cook elaborate meals seven days a week. But I do think that once or twice is doable. Not only will it save you money if you split the cost between your roommates, but I can almost guarantee that there will be leftovers for lunch the next day. It is also fun—tons of fun. Family-style dinners are a great way to catch up with your friends about the busy week they had. And for me, cooking is a stress reliever. There is nothing like putting on some music and having a glass of wine while I am in the kitchen. It makes me feel home.

So stop back in for a bite. You’ll be sure to find great recipes that you can make yourself either after class or at the start of your weekend.

Making pasta for some friends on a Friday evening.