Tag: James Cameron

Recently, while house hopping down Washington Street, Ellie and I overheard the sentiments of our fellow students concerning the veggie vs. meat debate. As two food fanatics and living representations of both sides of this argument, we thought it would be an interesting endeavor to devote this week’s article to exploring the discourse around this question. As always, we will provide you, our lovely readers, with recipes that are sure to excite extremists on both sides of the spectrum. In the spirit of our very vocal liberal arts campus, we present to you two recipes that serve as prime examples of the strengths of both vegetarianism and, well, non-vegetarianism: the hearty yet healthy tempeh Reuben and succulent gut-busting steak sandwich.

While not necessarily the orthodox version of this typically meat-tastic sandwich, the tempeh Reuben is a vegetarian alternative that serves as an extremely healthy, well-balanced, yet delicious meal.

Begin by heating the tempeh in a shallow pan for 20 minutes. To add even more flavor, brown the tempeh in a few dollops of margarine (dairy free for vegans!) after it has been steamed, sprinkling each strip with garlic, salt, pepper or any spice of your choice. Although caramelized onions may seem like a tricky task, fear not my budding veggie lover, for the process is actually very easy, just time consuming. For four sandwiches, slice an entire onion into quarter inch wedges. Fry on low heat in olive oil for around 30 minutes, or until the onions are very soft, brown and have a sweet flavor. To help the caramelizing process along, sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar and/or some balsamic vinegar over the onions as they are cooking. While the onions are cooking and tempeh is browning, lightly toast your rye bread (or any other bread of your choice, rye is merely the classic) and set it aside. To make the vegan Thousand Island dressing, add ¼ cup Vegenaise (mayonnaise alternative derived from grapeseed oil), two teaspoons dill relish and three teaspoons ketchup.

The time has at long last come to assemble this vegetarian masterpiece; but first, one step remains. Add as many spoonfuls of sauerkraut as you desire into the frying pan with the onions and allow the onions to heat up and absorb all the delicious flavors. When it has heated to perfection, add the sauerkraut to the top of your tempeh Reuben, followed by a healthy dose of the caramelized onions and, at last, a generous spreading of the vegan thousand island dressing. Sit back, relax, and bask in vegetarian goodness.

Although the vegetarian Reuben is sure to leave you feeling sated, nothing says a happy tummy like Grandma’s steak sandwich. This simple, mouthwatering sandwich is sure to satisfy even the most ravenous hungers and give the Philly  Cheesesteak some fierce competition.

The ingredients you need are basic: a steak, white bread, butter, garlic, onions and water. Your cookery: one big frying pan, a knife and a metal spatula. (Yes, this recipe is simple and delicious.)First slice the onion into quarter-inch slices and mince two cloves of garlic. Proceed by lathering the pan with butter and begin sautéing the two together. For better flavor, chop off bits of fat from your steak and mix it into the vegetables. Pound the steak until it is about an eighth of an inch thick and place it in the pan alongside the vegetables. This mixing of both meat and vegetable allows for an explosive blend of flavors and smells that will only further whet your appetite. Add a bit of water to the pan to create more juice for you to soak up with the bread. Take two slices of bread and let them soak up some of the juice from the steak, and then place the onions and steak on the bread and take a bite of pure heart-stopping perfection.

As you can see, there are delicious times to be had by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. With the vegetarian lifestyle, you are assured good health, unclogged arteries, a cruelty-free diet, and the undying gratitude of Mother Nature. Whilst vegetarian cooking provides a fairly guilt-free lifestyle, the benefits of consuming animal products provides you with a guaranteed source of essential proteins, an array of flavors in your diet, and a greater selection at Usdan. Whichever lifestyle you end up choosing, rest assured that you can dine in style either way.

Peace and Love,

The Freshmen Foodies

Spam may be one of the most feared, maligned, and underappreciated foods in this country. I learned quite quickly how to hide my love for Spam—to insist that I was shopping for my dog at the grocery, to shout “bacon” when my housemates asked what I was cooking, and to hide my Costco-sized jumbo pack in the depths of my pantry. It is only when I’m alone that I’ve allowed these 12-ounce cans of spiced ham and pork to emerge from those depths, but today I will share my secret with the world: Spam is awesome.

Spam was introduced into my home country, the Philippines, during World War II, when it was fed to occupying U.S. soldiers and eventually caught the attention of locals. Aside from being the most patriotic of foods, Spam is also incredibly versatile, and has been incorporated into a surprising amount of dishes—from various Spam pasta dishes to the famous Hawaiian Spam musubi (a spiced ham sushi dish). Whatever your taste buds are craving, rest assured that there is a Spam recipe for you—except for vegetarians…sorry!

Spam is absolutely delicious with rice. If you’re going plain, I suggest coating thinly sliced pieces of Spam in brown sugar before frying them, and serving it up with fried egg. If you have more time, grab some soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, chopped carrots, and Spam cut into matchstick size pieces and whip up Spam fried rice. Day-old rice is ideal, so if you have any leftovers, definitely consider this preparation.

We also have the staple Spamwich. Pretty much anything can go into this—make it a breakfast Spamwich with egg and cheese, or a lunch dish with the basic condiments.

There are a plethora of spam pasta recipes out there, but my personal favorite, Spam mac and cheese, is absolutely perfect for the cold months of the year. This recipe is tailored to the busy college student’s schedule: Easy Mac + Fried Spam = instant satisfaction. If you’re feeling more gourmet, you could try making it from scratch with the leftovers from your last cheese co-op pick-up—but who are we kidding, you’re making Spam.

So give it a chance, Wesleyan! Spam does not judge you—it caters to all your unhealthy indulgences, and can get you through any snowy day. Whether you’re whipping up a complex dish or just piling fried spam on top of white rice, do me a favor—Spam it loud, Spam it proud.

What you’ve heard is true; Indian food is WAY better in India than it is in all of your favorite go-to spots of Middletown. Not only have I found the food flavorful, spicy, and diverse, but also, every Indian woman I’ve met has made it her duty to feed me until I’m stuffed. I finally learned how to say “My stomach is full” in Hindi, so hopefully my problems will be solved, but let’s just say that in the past few weeks, the food has been overabundant.

I’m currently studying abroad in Jaipur, which is in Northern India. The types of Indian food vary just as much as the country’s religions, languages, castes, and tribes. My host family is Bengali, so a lot of the food I have been eating has been Bengalese. What most Americans call Indian food is an oily version of North Indian food, vastly different from all of the South Indian dishes (if you’ve ever gone to Udupi, those dosas are from the south).

I thought for my first column I would share with you the recipes of two crucial dishes to any Indian family: chai and roti (bread).

Chai

I have chai (which literally means tea in Hindi) at least five times a day. We have chai breaks built regularly into my school schedule, and it is the first thing I am served in the morning and when I return from classes. Don’t think that this chai is like the American chai lattes from Pi; it is fresh, steamy and slightly spicy depending on the morning. This recipe is a little more involved than just sticking a tea bag into boiling water, but definitely worth the effort. This is the recipe from Sandra, my host sister.

• Put 1 cup of water in a pot and let it warm up for a bit.

• Add 1 cup of milk, whole milk is preferred.

• Add 2 spoons of loose chai leaves. Add a few slices of fresh ginger, cardamom and masala-ja if you want it to be a bit spicy.

• Let it boil until it is nice and steamy.

• Add 3 spoonfuls of sugar.

• Pour the tea through a strainer into your mug and you are done!

Roti

Instead of having rice with our meals, most of the time roti is served. Rotis are round, thin circles of bread that have been grilled on your stovetop. Most Indians eat with their hands (only their right hand, of course) and use the roti to spoon the dal or vegetables into their mouths.  My host family makes this recipe ahead of time and then puts it in the fridge so fresh roti can be grilled at each meal. Delicious.

• In a mixer (or by hand if you don’t have one), mix one cup of flour and one cup of water. If you don’t have a mixer, knead the dough until it is smooth. Put it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

• Roll out a small ball on a surface into a thin circle. It should be about 7 inches in diameter.

• Fry it on a small cast-iron pan with a little oil, about a minute on each side.

• Now this step might only work if you have a gas stove, but I guess you could try it on a burner too. Use tongs to place the roti on the flames of the burner and quickly flip it back and forth until it is a bit browned and puffs up.

• Let it cool on a plate and it will sink back down so it is flat. Enjoy!

I’m sure many of you have gone through this scenario: you open up the fridge and all you see is capers, ketchup and cheese, and nobody has gone grocery shopping in three weeks. At times like these, I usually pull out the takeout menus and order Mexican. However, one day I was feeling particularly resourceful and decided to concoct something out of the sparse ingredients in my fridge: cheesy rice.

It is now one of my favorite recipes, and I have started making it at school when nothing in Usdan appeals to me. I’m not sure if I invented cheesy rice—after all, it’s fairly basic—but I’ve never met anyone else who has stumbled across the same idea. I figured it was time to share the recipe when one of my friends tried my cheesy rice the other day, and I caught him sneaking back into the dining hall to make more for himself. While I don’t think Ina Garten would approve, cheesy rice is tasty, satisfying, and has that warm, stick-to-you quality that makes it great on a cold winter day.

Instructions:

You start with a bowl of rice: whether it’s brown rice, white rice, or lemon rice doesn’t matter, whatever you can find in Usdan. Head over to the salad bar and put a nice, healthy scoop of cheese on your rice. I like a 1:1 ratio, but if you’re not the biggest fan of cheese you might want to put a little less. Then go look for the hot sauce. At lunch it’s usually next to the stir-fry station, but at dinner you might need to search a little longer to find it. You might even have to ask one of the chefs to fish it out of the fridge for you. Even if you don’t like hot sauce, I highly recommend this component because it just doesn’t taste the same without it. You can opt for the red or the green Tabasco sauce—neither of which is very spicy—but I like a combination of both. Now take your bowl and walk over to the microwave (which is next to the dessert table in case you didn’t know Usdan had one). Microwave it for forty seconds—if you put it in for too long the cheese turns to oily liquid, but if that’s what you’re into, then go for it. When it’s done cooking, stir it with a spoon until the cheese is evenly dispersed. You’ll love this delicious, spicy blob of cheesy rice so much you’ll be running back for seconds!

If you find yourself longing for a reminder of summer, a visit to Jerk Fish, a charming, unassuming Jamaican restaurant on Main Street, may provide a taste of the tropics to take you away from the ice storms and slush-filled streets that plague these bitter winter months.

Jerk Fish’s lime and creamsicle-orange walls, miniature palm trees, and glossy photographs of beachscapes give it a fun-loving ambiance. This casual vibe makes the place feel like more of a hang-out than a restaurant; you order your food at the cash register, decide for yourself at which table you want to dine, and a larger-than-life image of Bob Marley keeps you company throughout your meal.

The food is not mindblowing or revelatory, so if your standards are impeccable, this eatery may not be the right fit.  However, its dishes are applause-worthy for their authenticity and rich flavors.  The menu is quite varied, offering bona fide Jamaican delights like stew peas with pigtail, curried shrimp, salted codfish, and a spectrum of meat-filled patties. Most dishes come in small, medium, or large sizes, and are served alongside rice and beans, steamed vegetables, and plantains.  The beverages include sodas that hail from the homeland, obscure juices such as Irish moss and plant root extract, and your average corporate American drink selection.

The dishes sampled had their high and low points, but by and large they were pleasing and ultimately fulfilling.  The curried goat was spirited, and infused with a piquant multi-note sauce.  (Tip: to get the most out of the peppery curry, order the coco bread and dunk repeatedly).  An unfortunate byproduct of the curry was that its intensity overpowered the intrinsic gamey taste of the goat.  Texturally, the meat was spot on; it was cooked to a state of perfect succulence.

As for the sides, the rice and beans had well-rounded flavor, yet the vegetables were run-of-the-mill. The plantains were drab and starchy, offering almost none of their typical toasty fruitiness.

Jerk fish, their eponymous dish, is a whole red snapper fried to a crunchy crisp and flavored with traditional Jamaican jerk sauce.  According to its mythology, the name jerk derives from the “jerky” wrist motion one makes when cooking it. The snapper was meaty and jam-packed with morsels of smoky, sweet flavor.  Eating the eyeballs is highly recommended.  There was a serious excess of salt, yet despite this quibble, the snapper’s skeleton was left exposed at the end of the meal.

Although it isn’t within walking distance of campus, Jerk Fish is definitely Wes-friendly: they deliver to campus and accept Middletown Cash.  So get off the beaten path and check out Jerk Fish’s fiery Caribbean fare.

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m to 7 p.m.

Location: 276 E Main St.

Price Range: $-$$ (appetizers cost between $1.75 and $7.00, small entrees range from $5.50-$7.00, and large dishes fall between $8.00 and $10.00)

Brunch is arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated meals of the week at Wesleyan, second only to lunch at Usdan on Fridays when the vegan apple crisp makes its coveted appearance. Brunch is a no-judgment zone, the one time all week when it is socially acceptable to show up with smudged makeup and disheveled hair from the night before and replenish your body of calories lost from your morning walk-of-shame. I can’t keep track of the number of oversized t-shirts I have seen girls sporting, or the remnants of costume-themed outfits from last night’s rave dispersed throughout the dining hall. Conversations often consist of friends recapping each other’s nights and retracing each other’s steps from the past evening. Phones and keys are returned and dignity is restored—sometimes. Don’t worry if your pants are stained with jungle juice—you’ll fit right in.

There are three delectable dining options on campus to choose from: Usdan, WesWings, and Red and Black Café. Brunch ends at 2 p.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays, allowing one to stay out late on weekend nights and wake up late the morning after without having to stress out about missing breakfast.

Some brunch options on campus even cater to your hangover needs—WesWings offers “The Hangover Special,” which consists of egg, cheese, and your choice of bacon, ham, or sausage served on a bagel with a side of fries. It doesn’t stop there—WesWings boasts several other options, ranging from Eggs Benedict to the California omelet. And let’s not forget the ominous “Breakfast Pail,” a personal favorite: four wonderful layers of hash browns; chopped bacon or sausage; cheddar cheese; and two scrambled or over-easy eggs, creatively presented in a Chinese food container. If you’re not a fan of eggs, don’t fret. You can opt for one of the several delicious pancake options, which are served alongside your choice of bacon, sausage, or fruit. If you’re looking for something lighter, there is the classic “Bagel N’ Lox,” hot oatmeal, and a yummy yogurt parfait. WesWings even offers free coffee during brunch.

Usdan offers a similar variety of options for those who do not wish to spend their precious points. Usdan brunch is also great because, unlike at WesWings, you can have a little of everything—a pancake, some eggs, a little oatmeal, and fruit salad to top it all off. For my indecisive comrades, Usdan is the place for you. The Classics section offers two kinds of scrambled eggs (cheesy and plain), bacon, sausage, hash browns, and either pancakes or French toast. The kosher/vegan section offers similar options that cater to dietary restrictions. There are two omelet stations, at which chefs make egg white and regular omelets and allow you to choose from a list of seven toppings. You can also make your own waffle at the waffle station. (Warning: don’t forget to grease the waffle iron! You don’t want to be that kid peeling a charred waffle off of the grill.) Top your waffle off with strawberries, peaches, blueberries, whipped cream, sprinkles, Heath Bar crunch bits, marshmallows, or chocolate chips. If those toppings are intimidating, you can always go the plainer butter and maple syrup route. The salad bar is replaced with fruit salad, yogurt, oatmeal and grits. There are a wide variety of breads, bagels, and the appropriate accoutrements alongside the toaster. There is also usually a more lunch-y option in the Grazing section for those who do not like breakfast food.

If you are up for a walk and don’t mind spending the points, Red and Black Café also has some really tempting options that are very similar to those at WesWings. They make some delicious omelets, such as the Margarita Omelet with mozzarella, tomato and basil, and the California Dreamin’ Omelet with avocado, sundried tomato, and goat chee1se. If you’re looking to switch it up, you might opt for the to-die-for Huevos Rancheros. Red and Black is like a combination between Pi Café and WesWings—you can get a yummy, filling, hot breakfast and a fancy coffee drink. And, if it’s a Sunday, you might want to get that coffee to go—you’ll likely be joining the mass exodus of students heading straight to Olin to tackle the pile of work they’ve been putting off all weekend.

Brunch well, Wes.

Not all kitchens are created equal at Wesleyan. Some senior houses and program houses have big, spacious areas to cook. Most dorms and apartments have slightly smaller—or maybe a lot smaller—kitchens. The HiRise apartment kitchens often feel minuscule. Try getting more than two people in there and, well, you know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen.

Cooking in a small college kitchen requires creativity and using what limited resources you have on hand. For example, in some HiRises, there is only a mini-fridge, which can often limit your choice of ingredients to whatever you can carry back from one trip to Weshop. Cooking in small spaces also requires that you do a lot of tasks with your hands that you might otherwise do with a food processor or some other gadget you have at home (remember, there was some point in history when everyone was preparing food with their hands). Finally, it forces you to deal with stoves that decide to start smoking every time you turn them on. But, most importantly, it makes you better at cooking.

The New York Times columnist and cookbook author Mark Bittman has long argued that all you need is a small, simple kitchen to make great creations (then again, he is “The Minimalist”), and I think he’s right. Being in a small kitchen is no excuse for bad food. Much as anyone (myself included) would love a six-burner Viking range, the charming appliances of Junior Village are not a barrier to cooking and eating well.

Anyone at Wesleyan who cooks is well aware of the limitations of some on-campus kitchens; the kitchens in the Nics and the Butts, for example, are not always the most inviting. Often, students feel that, given the limitations of those kitchens, their ability to cook great food is undermined. Dim lighting, finicky ovens, dirty counters and limited supplies are challenging, but they do not prevent you from cooking delicious, satisfying meals.

So if you’re in college, or in a small apartment, get creative. The next time you want to make a meal, try using just what you have around and see how it turns out. There are probably many more delicious meals waiting in your fridge and cabinets than you think. Next time you want to make dough with a food processor, use a fork and your hands instead. Next time you’re about to order take-out or go to the dining hall, try making something new. Make it simple and easy.

If you’re in a dorm room, utilize your dorm’s kitchen or make yourself a simple dish in the microwave. If you have a tiny kitchen in an apartment, don’t let that get you down. Just start cooking. There’s no lack of simple recipes on the Internet that could give you inspiration, but you don’t need recipes if you don’t want them. Think about your favorite foods and the flavors you like. Try recreating a dish you love. Cooking is more forgiving than you might think.

Delicious food is a result of the dedication of the cook, not the size of the kitchen. So experiment. It won’t turn out perfectly every time, but that’s how you become a better chef. Make it again. Try it a different way. And next time, add more salt, damn it!

When the weather outside is frightful, and the pack of ramen on your fridge looks so delightful, grab your fork and bowl, because it’s Ramen Time! As ice and snowstorms continue to attack our campus, venturing outdoors to acquire a warm meal may seem like a perilous endeavor—one that could lead to devastating injuries. As your freshmen foodies, Rachel and I have a simple, quick and low-budget meal plan that will satisfy your hunger and warm your soul. Today we sat down and asked our ramen expert and fellow roommate Jessie Jackson ’14 to answer a few questions about how to create the perfect bowl.

Whether you prefer beef, chicken, or oriental (i.e. the vegetarian option) flavors; Top Ramen or Maruchan, Jessie has provided you with some of the best insights on how to transform a seemingly banal pack of hard noodles into a sensational dorm room delicacy.

“You have to add the right amount of water into the bowl while you are making the noodles, for starters,” Jessie commented as we began preparing our bowl of ramen. With this in mind, Rachel and I commenced by breaking up the pack of noodles, putting the smaller clumps into a medium size bowl and then filling it almost to the top with water. Be extra careful not to throw away the flavor pack (or allow it to nuke unseen in the microwave along with the noodles) for Rachel and I have committed both mistakes and have suffered the dire consequences. Let the noodles cook for three minutes, and then stir the bowl a few times. Place it back in the microwave for another minute or two, checking it after the first minute to ensure that the noodles are not over cooking.

The great thing about ramen is that you can control the consistency of your noodles. If you prefer them crunchier, take the bowl out after the initial three minutes, but if you like them soft and slippery, keep the bowl in for additional time. When the noodles are finally done to your liking, drain a little bit of the excess water (unless you enjoy a soupier consistency to your ramen), add the flavor packet and stir.

“If you want to give this dish a little something extra, add some garlic salt,” Jessie said. “This goes particularly well if you are using beef flavored ramen.” As Rachel and I can attest, garnishing this steaming bowl of noodles with a dash of garlic salt will give it an absolutely addictive quality. Although this may seem like a saline overload, you’ll just have to trust us.

Although Rachel and I have provided you with what we consider to be the best bowl of ramen, we encourage you to explore and experiment with this culinary endeavor. It may be simple, but creating a unique flavor for your ramen is a culinary adventure certainly worth pursuing. Moreover, ramen is something that almost everyone can enjoy, so make it a social activity. Create several varieties and invite people to try a bowl of piping hot goodness that will make this horribly cold weather a little more bearable. Stay warm and eat well!

Peace and love,

The Freshmen Foodies

Just in time for the Super Bowl, The Argus editors share their favorite dips. It’s up to you to decide whose is best!

Crack Dip

By Eric Stephen

Production Manager

If you’re at all like me, you like hot sauce on everything – eggs, French fries, pizza, Funyons, anyything. So naturally the best dip would have to include hot sauce.

Ingredients:

8 ounce package of

cream cheese

1/4 to 1/2 cup of blue cheese or ranch (whichever you like)

1/2 cup hot wing sauce

1 cup shredded sharp

cheddar cheese

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

2 minced green onions

To make Crack Dip, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. First mix all of the ingredients, except the shredded cheese, in a baking dish. After the ingredients are mixed together, mix in half the shredded cheese. After 15 minutes of baking, top the dip with the remaining cheddar cheese and put back into the oven for 5 more minutes. The cheese should de slightly golden on top. Buffalo lovers, enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

By Bea Lomongo Paterno

Editor-in-Chief

Even though I grew up in a country where football was actually played with your feet, I was also raised to never turn down any excuse to eat. This one may be a little short on the grease, but the warm melted deliciousness of my favorite dip is, in my opinion, the perfect antidote to a freezing cold winter.

Ingredients:

1 pack frozen chopped spinach

2 cans of artichoke hearts

1/2 cup full-fat greek yogurt

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

hot sauce, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a casserole dish with a nonstick spray. Heat the spinach in a microwave for 5 minutes and squeeze dry. Drain the artichoke hearts and chop them up in a blender. Stir all the ingredients except the jack cheese in a large bowl, and place in the casserole dish. Drizzle jack cheese on top evenly, bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy with bagel chips, and don’t burn your tongue!

Adapted from the Food Network.

Baked Potato Dip

By Alex Wilkinson

Features Editor

This delicious dip recipe, which I found on the excellent recipe website thepioneerwoman.com, will come as a welcome gift to anyone who waits in line at Usdan for minutes on end for delectable servings of stuffed baked potato.

Ingredients:

16 ounces sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 package pre-cooked

crumbled bacon

1/4 cups diced green onions

1 and 1/2 talbespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups shredded

cheddar cheese

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, bacon, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, and cheddar cheese until blended well. Cover the mixutre with foil and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until dip is heated through. Serve with your choice of crackers and enjoy the Super Bowl!

Guacamole

By Erin Newport

News Editor

Guacamole is a classic. Bring it to any gathering, and you will be the guac of the town. Legend has it that that the delicious green mush dates back to the Aztec empire, and you’ll get extra authenticity points if you use a molcajete and tejolote (translation: basalt mortar and pestle of Mexican origins) to mix the ingredients. A fork also works.

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados, peeled

and pitted

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 chili pepper, chopped finely

1 roma tomato, seeded and diced

Mix all ingredients to preferred taste and consistency, using as many avocados as possible, and perhaps using caution with the chili peppers, but that’s a personal choice.

Tapenada Dip

By Miriam Berger

Opinion Editor

No Superbowl is complete without a bourgeoisie-tapenada dip. This is for everyone who shrinks at the thought of nachos covered in cheesy goop as a Super Bowl snack of choice.This recipe goes well with baguette slices or crackers, or even on its own if you love olives as much as I do.  It does require a food processor or blender—but if you don’t have one you can just “chew and tell.”

Ingredients:

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted

1 cup green olives, pitted

1 tablespoon chopped

fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

and drained

2 teaspoons chopped thyme

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until olives are finely chopped.

Natty Dip

By Justin Pottle

Features Editor

Few things say “Super Bowl” like kicking back with a couple buds and Budweisers – or, for those of us young ’uns, a couple O’Douls – in front of a giant television. Good times. So, this weekend, if you’re seeking to maximize your intake of malted barley, why not toss some of that week-old Natty in your pretzel dip? This thick, creamy dip goes great with chips and pretzels, and the recipe makes a ton, so go all out. And as far as your beer of choice, it’s really up to you.

Ingredients:

2 packages (8 ounces each)

cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup beer

1 envelope ranch dressing

2 cups shredded

cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ranch, and beer until its nice and smooth. Stir in the cheddar, and you’re good to go. Serve with pretzels and more beer.

Adapted from tasteofhome.com.

In case you have not noticed, our quaint university campus has transformed over the last few weeks into a perilous, icy tundra. Even from our choice location in Clark Hall, Ellie and I have found ourselves incapable of confronting the face-slapping wind and toe-numbing cold that permeates even the fuzziest socks. In this spirit, we recently had one of our most creative, mystical, and overwhelmingly satisfying culinary experiences via the online Domino’s delivery site. We began said experience with mounting apprehension; how could we channel all of our vivid pizza dreams into one, pre-programmed pizza-making website? To our surprise, we were confronted with the real-life configuration of two of our wildest pizza fantasies and one of the most thrilling delivery food experiences of our lives.

To our cold and hungry fellow students, we present to you two whimsical pizza creations which are sure to trip out your taste buds and leave you jonesin’ for more: the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Pizza, a visually-pleasing kaleidoscopic array of ingredients and Mary Jane’s Last Dance, an eco-friendly all-green pizza. You may be sitting there reading this article wondering, “How, how can these masterpieces be achieved utilizing a tricky online ordering website?!” But rest assured, it is possible. To achieve the Lucy pizza, begin by selecting thin crust, minimal cheese and normal sauce from their respective drop-down menus. Once you arrive at the ingredients section, let your creative impulses fly. Our Lucy pizza is heavy on the mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, black olives, and feta cheese; however, feel free to add any other tasty morsels to create your own explosion of flavors.

But perhaps tonight you are just chillin’ and feeling slightly less creative. If this is the case, the Mary Jane pizza is an earthy blend of delectable green goodness. Begin with a thin crust, but this time, be a little more generous with your cheese selection and marinara sauce. If possible, add lots of herbs and spices to your sauce for a more robust taste. For starting ingredients, select fresh spinach and green peppers; however, do not let our preconceived constraints anchor you down. Let your inner hippie out by selecting every available green ingredient that strikes your fancy from Domino’s fairly extensive list. You are sure to be presented with a pizza that will satisfy even the most ravenous late-night cravings.

Although the Domino’s online ordering website is quite user friendly, this same attribute is also one of its greatest faults: it informs you of every step of the pizza making process. Speaking from experience, it may seem like an eternity for your pizza to move from preparation, oven, checking for quality to, at long last, out for delivery. However, your wait will surely not be in vain, for this pizza is guaranteed to have you reach a state of nirvana. The final step in this process is, of course, generously tipping your local Middletown pizza delivery woman or man for their valiant efforts in traveling through wind, rain, and snow to deliver your pizza. Remember to always have fun when cooking or creating, and to share your pizza with the ones you love.

Peace and love always,

Rachel and Ellie