Special K. That's about as gourmet as it gets.

I’m a little cocky in the kitchen. But that’s probably because I’m the best short order cook that I’ve ever met (and that’s including the time I met Ratatouille). I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I sat in my college kitchen and re-enacted stressful scenes from Top Chef. I played all the contestants and my broom played Padma (pre-pregnancy). And spoiler alert, I ALWAYS won.

So obviously, when I moved into NYC I had grandiose visions of whipping up gourmet meals (as well as incorporating more 3 syllable words like grandiose into my vocabulary). I would spend my days running all over the city getting the finest cheeses, the freshest fish, and the ripest fruit. And to top it all off, I would carry it all on a hat, Chiquita-banana-lady style. Not only would I be the Julia Child of my building, but I would also be a fashion icon for fruit mascots around the world. Talk about killing two bucket list items with one stone.

And then I went to a real live NYC supermarket and found out that I would be paying $25 for non-name brand cold cuts and $1000 for organic eggs. How could I whip up exotic dishes like baked macaroni and cheese and chicken parm when it cost me an entire paycheck just to purchase drink mixers? And most importantly, what the hell was I going to do with my new cookbooks that I insisted I have? I immediately regretted demanding that my mom buy me the famous cookbook “very expensive meals that have so many rare ingredients that it’s better off that you just got a restaurant and order it. Seriously, these recipes aren’t worth the time, the money, or the frustration you’ll have looking for quail eggs.”

I’ve gone from making creative meals (it’s amazing how much time you can spend cooking when you have a paper to write) to simply cooking old standbys. Egg salad, omelets, pasta, deviled eggs, deviled pasta salad with a side of omelet. I’m lucky these days if I can even muster the energy to make a toasted peanut butter and jelly. Gone are the days when I swaggered around my kitchen wearing nothing but an apron around my waist, a spatula behind my ear, and a hairnet. And trust me on this one, no one pulls off a hairnet better than me.

And while I still consider myself an accomplished chef, I’m growing gravely concerned that I’ve lost my zest for cooking. If I’m already resorting to dinner sandwich entrees at 23, god knows I’ll be eating Lean Cuisines by 24, and canned cat food by 25. So while part of me wants to finish up this blog and whip up a souffle (and by souffle I mean cookies) just to prove myself wrong, the other part of me wants to order in lo mein and froyo and call it a night.  Truth be told, I’ll probably just end up eating chocolate chips for dinner.

I just want to go back to my college days where I can charge all my groceries to my student account, bribe the dining hall ladies for their hairnets, and procrastinate studying by cooking a 6 course gourmet dinner.

Except, I do imagine it. I catch myself worrying about non-existent assignments and responsibilities that won’t resume until September. But even more, I constantly find myself spacing out at work, reminiscing about all the good stuff that comes along with college. Mostly the whole not-bored-at-work-9-to-5 thing.

And I miss it!

Meal Plans: While I’m lucky enough not to be taking classes this summer, I do have to work — which means I’m stuck in a college town all summer long without the benefit of visiting home, and therefore the benefit of home cookin’. My freshman year, I ate dining hall food. My sophomore year, my sorority dues included a meal plan. This summer, with my sorority house closed and the dining halls freshmen-infested, I’m armed only with my apartment’s kitchen and whatever the hell I find when I Google “easy, cheap, healthy recipes” and pudding. Do I enjoy learning to cook? Absolutely. Would I prefer a cook to prepare my meals? Uh, hell yes. Plus, there’s no clean up if you’re not the one using all the dishes…

The Gym: As any lady knows, summer is either the best time to flaunt your hard earned bikini-bod, or to berate yourself for spending more of Spring watching The Office than a yoga instructor. So naturally, gym time is a necessary evil (unless you enjoy working out, which I sadly do not). Imagine my disappointment when I arrived at my campus gym early for kickboxing, only to have my student I.D. DENIED at the turnstile. It was almost as embarrassing as having a credit card declined, weirdly enough. Apparently, if you don’t take summer classes at FSU, you can’t use the gym (I guess the tuition I pay during fall and spring doesn’t cut it). Every day as I run outside (instead of on a treadmill with AC and Daisy of Love repeats) I count the days until I’ll be back at the student gym.

The Bar Scene: Never in my life did I think I’d find myself wishing for the bar to be more crowded. There are no lines for the bathroom, the bartenders are almost overly attentive, and I have enough room to extend my arms. All of these are seemingly good things, but when there are no people to watch, no strangers to mingle with, and no one standing between me and unlimited mojitos, things at the bar just don’t end well. When it takes me 20 minutes to fight my way through the crowd to the bar in Fall, I will look back at this time lovingly, but for now, the bar scene just seems kinda boring.

“Academic Expenses”: As I mentioned before, I’m a working woman. But when my parents offer to help out with any school related costs, I definitely don’t turn it down. The beauty of this is that there is always some way to explain a purchase as necessary to my academic career. “Supplies” at Walmart, “Business attire” for those in-class presentations, and my personal favorite “Whatever they sell at the bookstore” because Mom’s credit card is on file there. A random charge on her statement is easily explained during the semester, but trying to convince her that I need money for “road trip supplies” doesn’t go as smoothly.

Overall, I’m not complaining about a long, hot and relaxing summer—but there are definitely a few things I miss about Fall and Spring. What about you guys?

[Life isn’t black and white. As much as we wish we simply loved or hated things, there is often that whole annoying gray area in the middle. Like, we hate how Walmart treats its employees…but we love the low prices! Or, we love how that boy makes us laugh….but we hate that he has no motivation in life. Damn you, gray area; you make decision-making that much more complicated!

There are so many difficult choices in life (do we love or hate high heels??), so we thought we’d sort through ‘em right here. Every week we will discuss another issue we are torn up about. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!]

Whether you call it the caf, the d-hall or the sh*t hole, you definitely have one. The dining hall is a place to meet with friends, grab a bite to eat or flirt with the sandwich guy. As college students, we spend endless amounts of time there, whether by choice or because our schools force us to pay for meal plans. And, just like every other serious relationship in our lives, this one has a lot of highs and a lot of lows.

Love it:

The lack of washing dishes – When you’re done eating, you can put your dishes on the conveyor belt and watch them disappear into the kitchen.

Stocking up on kitchen utensils…for free – Currently, I am the proud owner of a stolen spoon and fork. While my collection is particularly small, some of my friends have enough place settings to host a small dinner party. I recently heard that a certain “goody two shoes” friend of mine, gets a rush from stealing cutlery (knives in particular), from our dining hall.

The fact that you don’t actually have to cook anything - Yeah, I’m a big fan of not having to chop vegetables or boil water to make pasta. I have better things to do…like nap!

That one amazing food you can’t reproduce – My favorite is the raspberry bar. It never fails to brighten an otherwise bleak day. Everyone has that one (or two, or three) favorite food(s) that only the school chef can make.

The social aspect - Mealtime isn’t just for eating; it’s a social event. Whether you’re catching up with your girls, meeting with a study group or grabbing dinner with a new guy, there’s no better place than the dining hall.

Loathe it:

The effect on your weight- And it’s not just the “Freshman 15.” If you’re a picky eater like me, you lose weight. If your mom is a bad cook, you probably over-eat at school. Either way, you come home for vacation and everyone looks at you….worried.

The gross-factor – Just because there are antibacterial dispensers by the door, doesn’t mean you can’t get sick from eating in the dining hall. Today, I saw a girl break off a piece of an onion ring. With her hands. From a plate she didn’t even take. She also put back her hot dog when she realized she could get a fresher one. Eww – clearly her parents never taught her anything about cleanliness or respecting other people. And clearly I will be the one affected by that.

The awkward run ins - If you had a bad one-night-stand with him, you’ll probably see him in the dining hall. Sorry, but running into people you’d prefer never to see again is inevitable.

The lines – The best food always has the longest lines. And I have better things to do (lay around) than wait in line for some chicken teriyaki. Some weeks I even end up eating pizza or Lucky Charms 3 meals in a row because there is no wait.

The expense - Why does my lunch cost the same as that of a 250 lb basketball player? Every time I go into the dining hall, I pay a fixed meal price. Whether I’m grabbing a muffin before class, munching on a salad or scarfing down 15 plates of spaghetti, I still pay $9. Or maybe it’s $11. The point is, no muffin is worth that.

Well, you’ve heard what I have to say. Now it’s your turn: how do you feel about the dining hall?

[Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College.]

I’m sure you may be wondering what kind of time-warp I fell into that I didn’t graduate four months ago. Or maybe you’re not. The truth is, I did what a lot of people do—I got burnt out. First of all, I picked a ridiculous career: Computer Engineering. Not to say that the career itself is ridiculous, it was just a bad choice for me. Three semesters and only two true Engineering classes later, I was burnt out. And hard up for cash. I ended up withdrawing from classes my fourth semester in school. I was just going to take a semester off, work hard enough to save up the money and go back later in the fall. Yeah, right. That “semester off” turned into three years!

I’m almost twenty-three and starting over. And so I present, the top differences in College: Then and Now:

As a freshman four years ago, I couldn’t legally drink. Or smoke. Or do much of anything except hole up in my dorm room doing homework. Now? I am free to drink as I please. And smoke. But my inclination to do both has significantly lessened. What is it about forbidden things being so much damn cooler??

As a freshman four years ago, I was living on campus. Which got old. Quick. Especially because we were forced to buy into the meal plan to eat at the crappy caf. Definitely not missing the weird mystery pasta they had every Thursday.

As a freshman four years ago, I knew nothing of the ways of the Off-Campus Bookstore and half.com. Though I haven’t thoroughly investigated half.com yet (tip from an alumni) I do know that rather than spend $400+ to purchase books from the university’s bookstore, I can save at least $200 by driving a mile or so off campus. And that’s two hundred that I can spend on new clothes. Which makes me a happy student. And a happy student is a productive student.

As a freshman four years ago, I was not socially active at all. Now I have friends all over the place, from different groups on campus, to alumni that can offer priceless bits of wisdom.

As a freshman four years ago, I was not privy to time management skills. Which meant I did my homework either the day before it was due or the day of, depending on class time. (Tip: This does not work for your 8 am hell classes. Learn from my past mistakes, as I have.)

As a freshman four years ago, I had no idea how important it was to work hard. True, in the time I took off I learned what I really wanted to do with my life. Otherwise I’d still be slogging through crazy Engineering courses that made my head feel like it was going to explode. But still, if I’d known then what I know now, I would’ve tried a lot harder.

Got any good tips for some young scholars out there? Let me know.

[photo from farm3.static.flickr.com]

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 cups veggies of your choice (some good ones: onions, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp another flavorful sauce (teryaki, barbecue, etc) – it’s your choice, be creative!

1/2 cup white rice

Alright so let’s begin:

1. Heat up a frying pan to about medium and add the vegetable oil. Add chicken. Cook chicken on each side for about 10 minutes, until browned (HINT – cut the chicken open at the widest part in the pan to see if it’s cooked!).

2. In a small pot, prepare the rice according to directions.

3. Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan and cut into strips. In meantime, add all the vegetables to the same pan. Throw in 1 tbsp of each of your sauces.

4. Cook veggies for about 3 minutes and then add chicken strips. Add last 1 tbsp of each sauce and mix around the chicken and veggies, soaking up all the flavor! Only cook this for about a minute.

5. Once cooked, mix with rice in a bowl. If you’re feeling ambitious, eat it with chopsticks!

While I was whiling away the couple of weeks between the end of the semester and sweet, sweet winter break, I ended up supplementing my meager collegiate diet with tons of grapefruit, since I was lucky enough to have a fruit tree in my backyard.

I came up with all kinds of ways of eating these acidic, pink babies: drizzling them with honey, cubing them in salads, juicing them, and slamming them down with a glass of O.J.

What I didn’t know then was that eating a little grapefruit with every meal helps you shave off pounds. Of course, thems were desperate times, and I don’t think I cared very much about stemming my freshman fifteen, but whatevs.

Still, according to a 2006 study, something about the acidic plant compounds found in grapefruit helps lower insulin levels — and the smaller the amount of insulin you have coursing through your blood after eating, the more efficiently your body uses food for energy, rather than storing it as fat. It seems unbelievable, but apparently participants in the study who chowed on citrus before they ate lost on average 3.6 pounds more than people who didn’t.

After my long-term grapefruit diet ended, it took me months to even be able to look at the damn things again, so I worry that months of citrus meal-prefaces would drive even the most devoted dieter to madness.