I haven’t always liked eggs, but I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love them deviled! I love graduation parties and barbecue season strictly for the promise of deviled eggs (although the sunshine and the good company aren’t too bad, either). The best part about these tasty treats is that they’re easy to make! They’re also the absence of muss and fuss that you get with regular eggs, and the ability to hard boil an egg is an excellent cooking talent to have!

This appetizer is the perfect introduction to a summer (or any season, really) get-together. And if you have leftovers, though I doubt you will, they can substitute as a satisfying lunch when paired with salad! Enjoy!

What you’ll need:

• 6 eggs
• Dash of salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Paprika

Growing up, my mom always knew the best ways to cheer up her children. If I was having a bad day or felt sick, she would make my favorite foods, and that would be an instant mood booster for me. One of my favorite dishes that my mom used to make was her famous chocolate eclair cake. This easy to make cake doesn’t require baking at all which is the best part! No need for an oven!

This is one of my favorite dessert dishes ever, and my mom still makes it whenever we come home for the holidays or just feel like eating some sinful dessert, she whips up this recipe and we’re all happy campers! I cannot wait to make this dish for my kids! (Awww…) It’s so easy to make and only takes a little while to get chilled and then it’s ready to serve! Enjoy this tasty dish! Read More »

With summer quickly approaching, I can’t wait to go home and…go hiking. I’ve been in my freshman year of college for the past 8-some months, and the closest I’ve gotten to a hike was pumping up the incline on the treadmill and trying to imagine some form of shrubbery around me. In the summer, I pretty much go hiking every day. Whether it’s with my dad or my best friend, hiking is one of my favorite forms of exercise because I don’t even realize I’m exercising. I can have a really nice, interesting conversation with whomever I’m hiking with, burning calories the whole time.

This burning of calories requires some form of energy-replenishing, however. It’s important to bring water and snacks, especially when the hike is really difficult and takes a long time. In this case, granola bars are my favorite thing to bring on a hike. They’re easy to throw into a backpack, they’re tasty and they just go well with nature. I started making my own granola bars (recipe courtesy of my favorite chef, Ina Garten) for this exact reason, and let me just say that I think they’re pretty damn good. Read More »

I’ve been stuck in bed for the past three days with a whole slew of symptoms (fever included), and I will admit that I’ve been a little homesick. I miss not having to deal with my roommates going in and out of the room for class. I miss knowing my mom is just a few steps away with a warm cup of lemon, honey tea. And I really miss my grandma’s matzah ball soup…thinking about all these things right now makes me feel weepy.

I’d give you the recipe for my grandma’s matzah ball soup, but I truly believe no one can make it like Grandma. Also, she’s tried to teach me, but matzah ball-making happens to be the one culinary skill I do not possess. Don’t worry though! I’ll teach you how to make the next best thing: chicken noodle soup. It’s pretty close to matzah ball soup but way, way easier. If I had the energy (and a kitchen) I’d be making this for myself right now:

What you’ll need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 bay leaves (dried is fine!)
• Salt and pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth (I usually go with Swanson Chicken Broth)
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders, diced
• 1/2 pound wide egg noodles

How to make it:

Place a large pot over moderate heat and add extra-virgin olive oil. Add the vegetables in the order they are listed.

Add the bay leaves and season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste (this is easy. If it tastes good, it’s good!). Add the chicken broth to the pot and raise the flame to bring the liquid to a boil. Add the diced chicken tenders, return the soup to a boil, and turn the heat back down to moderate. Cook for 2 minutes then add the noodles. Cook the soup an additional 6 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Remove the soup from the heat.

This is a thick soup. If you like chicken soup with lots of broth, add up to 2 cups of water and it will still taste great! At this point, you can also add in a handful of chopped, fresh parsley and a handful of chopped, fresh dill, but I prefer the soup without the herbs!

Enjoy and stay healthy through finals!

Ashley is a freshman at George Washington University majoring in International Affairs with a minor in English. She has a slight obsession with astrology and Bon Iver. Follow her on twitter @ashleybrooks25

[lead image via Marie C Fields / Shutterstock]

We all have those recipes that remind us of our childhood. For me, that is this Sloppy Joe recipe. When I was little, my mom used to make this for my sisters and me every week. The flavors remind me of being home, something that I miss when I’m away at college for months at a time. With summer arriving quickly, I can’t wait for my mom’s Sloppy Joes. I’ve been craving them recently, which probably shows how much I’ve been missing home.

This recipe is not only really good, it’s really easy. And it happens to be fairly healthy because it can be made with ground turkey!

Read More »

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? Right. They also call this “Engagement Chicken” for a reason. Apparently, if you make this for your boyfriend he’ll propose to you. While I wouldn’t rely on this chicken alone to get your boyfriend to pop the question, it certainly helps!

If you don’t have a boyfriend (or don’t want a husband like the majority of us college girls) you can make this for your friends. Think about it like a “get whatever you want” chicken. Want to borrow your friend’s brand new shoes? Make this chicken. Need to apologize to your friend after she had to take care of your drunken self last weekend? Make this chicken. Read More »

Next year I will finally have a kitchen in my dorm. Since I got my room assignment, I’ve been collecting recipes so my roommate and I can cook our own dinners and not just go out for dinner every night (which I am so sick of!). I’m a big fan of chicken with lemon, but listen to this twist: tequila lime chicken. Sound good? Not only is it delicious, it’s also super easy!

Unfortunately, this recipe requires a grill (which most of us don’t have readily available in our dorms) so either you can make it this summer at home or you can follow my “alternate ending” version of the recipe to bake the chicken in the oven!

This recipe is easy because it uses a marinade, meaning you can prepare it the day before. Because this chicken needs to sit over night, this is not a quick, spur-of-the-moment kind of recipe. But it is so worth it! This recipe serves 6 so it’s perfect for a dinner party with your friends. Read More »

I’m not even going to sit here and pretend I am some master Paula Deen-esque chef. I can barely make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without messing it up. My mom is a terrible cook as well, so I never really got the life lessons in cooking from anyone. I’m more of a frozen pizza/Ramen noodle type of girl. Every now and then I truly try to branch out and give cooking an actual meal a try. While I usually fail miserable and end up ordering Chinese, I did finally perfect the perfect pasta dish. It is now my favorite go-to recipe.

I am such a sucker for a great pasta dish and this tortellini with chicken and pesto recipe will make any mouth water. If I could get it right every time (and not gain 100lbs in the process), I would eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Check out what you’ll need and what you’ll need to do to make this awesome meal! Bon appetite! Read More »

I love to cook. I find it so relaxing and fun – it’s one of the best stress relievers for me. But when I’m really busy, I tend to stick to the same few recipes. And that gets boring. I make a lot of chicken, and usually I do a simple lemon chicken recipe that I learned from my grandma. That’s great, but I’m tired of that flavor. This week, I decided to try something new: garlic chicken with white wine sauce.

The best part about this recipe is the fact that it’s one of those dishes that sounds super gourmet, but isn’t tough to make at all. It requires a few more steps and ingredients than my typical lemon chicken, but it’s totally worth it. This recipe is perfect for a weekend evening when you have plenty of time to set aside for cooking, and it makes 4-6 servings, so it’s especially good if you have friends to share it with. Read More »