Preface

College was great for pretty much everything except for the food. Even the most delicious and affordable dining dollar sandwich grew bland and boring after the fifteen millionth time you were forced to choke it down because you couldn't spare the time to buy or make something else before class. Plus, it was nigh impossible to eat healthily, stay on a budget, AND have something other than pasta/the same five fruits+vegetables for every meal.

The schools do their best, of course; I deserve a lot of the blame because I just didn't know how to cook. Recipes were daunting because they all required fancy unipurpose equipment like "egg beaters" and "crock pots" and "ovens," and I had neither the skill nor the income (nor the dorm space!) to stock up on all of those. How I wished that some Blogger in Shining Armor would answer my google searches with a simple how-to guide on cooking with limited means!

When I left college and got a big kid job, the size of my budget was at odds with my desire to "eat like a real person" (no offense, undergrads). I thus embarked on a quest to find easy-to-prepare, healthy, cheap food that tasted different from the macaroni-based dishes of college cafeteria notoriety. As this exploration produces fruit, I will post my results here for your harvesting. May all you readers be spared the boring, tasteless food routine that I once endured!

Let's get a few things clear: although I like playing in the kitchen, I am no professional cook. I am also willing to risk that I'll make mistakes as well as meals. If you can do the same, we'll get along just fine here.

I make no promise regarding updates, but I'll strive for something at least once-a-weekly for a while.


FOOD MANTRA

• Make it cheap - generally a good thing.
• Make it easy - only very basic equipment and cooking proficiency needed.
• Make it portable - if you can't wrap it in a napkin and eat it with one hand, you can probably keep it in here and scarf it wherever you sit. (Seriously, though, go buy those or similar tupperware; you can also use them to store cotton balls or screws or unused computer cords and your life will be better for it.)

WHO IS THIS FOR?

• Students: Fear not, all ye who suffer with only a shared minifridge-microwave to your name! You, too, can save money and impress your friends with some simple kitchen hacks.
• Young Professionals: Honestly, the students I've met are often better off than the people with actual, reinforced financial independence from their parents. Living cheaply when you're young is a damn good idea, and slimming your food budget can help. Since you may even have an oven of some sort, so your easy cooking options are bountiful.
• Talentless cooks who yearn for compliments: My brethren! Let us fool the world together.
• Anyone looking to save a buck

HOW CAN YOU USE IT?

• Use the tags to find recipes using the stuff you already have in your pantry
• Gather tips on managing your food life
• Be a member of the Commentariat! Did a tip or recipe help or hurt you? Warn the world before it's too late.