As Spring breezes in, students can turn to their kitchen to craft easy, comforting foods to elevate their school day. These recipes listed will put your cooking skills to work, and you’ll have something nicely made to treat yourself after a long day.
Granola Pretzel Sticks
Granola pretzel sticks can be a snack for picnics, get-togethers, or random days craving chocolate. This recipe, on the Taste Of Home website, is easy and simple to make. Of course, anyone can substitute granola for M&Ms, nuts, or other cereals.
Ingredients needed:
- Package of chocolate chips (12 ounces)
- 1 cup of granola
- 24 pretzel rods
To start, melt chocolate chips in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Stir until smooth and pour on one side of a large shallow dish. Roll the pretzels in chocolate to cover one half and allow for excess chocolate to drip off before sprinkling granola on. Place them on waxed paper until they set and store in an airtight container.
Beef Stroganoff
Beef stroganoff is a simple and easy meal that originates from Russia. This dish is perfect for rainy indoor days. Beef stroganoff will only take about 20 minutes to make, so if you are short on time this is a perfect recipe for you! You can also find this recipe at the Allrecipes website.
Ingredients needed:
- 1 (8 ounce) package of egg noodles
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can of fat free condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 half cup of sour cream
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Garlic Powder
Once you have all the ingredients, sauté ground beef for five to 10 minutes until it turns brown and crumbly on a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with slightly salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the egg noodles for seven to nine minutes so it is tender and firm, then drain and put to the side. When the beef is done, drain and discard any fat. After, put the condensed soup and garlic powder into the beef and stir it together. Let it simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and add the egg noodles to the beef and stir to combine them. Put in sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Then make yourself a bowl and enjoy!
Brie, Fig and Apple Grilled Cheese
Recommended by Miss Beth Cafferty, a culinary teacher, this recipe is easy to make at home and can be served with a simple salad or soup. The total time to make this dish is 17 minutes, and can be made for any lunch occasion. This recipe can also be found in the Two peas & their pod website.
Ingredients needed:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/4 sliced red onion
- 4 slices of sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons of soft butter
- 4 tablespoons of fig butter or jam
- 5 ounces of brie cheese
- 1 large granny smith apple
- 1/2 cup of baby arugula
In a small skillet, heat olive oil inside and add onion slices until caramelized for about five minutes while stirring occasionally. When done, set aside. Butter the outside of each slice of bread, then on the inside spread jam or fig butter on. Layer the arugula, caramelized onions, brie and apple slices before topping it with the other slice of bread. Then, heat a large skillet or griddle pan over medium-high heat. Place the sandwiches, butter side down on the skillet for two to three minutes, and heat each side until brown and the cheese melts. Then serve and cut in half if desired!
Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto
Shrimp and asparagus risotto, recommended by Miss Caferty, is an easy spring dish that is creamy, rich, and flavorful. This recipe, by Iowa girls eats., takes 30 to 40 minutes, and all you need to know how to do is stir!
Ingredients needed:
- Chicken stock
- Butter
- Shallot and garlic
- Arborio rice
- Dry white wine (if you don’t have this, you can use a touch more chicken stock to replace it)
- Asparagus
- Jumbo shrimp
- Parmesan cheese
To start, bring chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan and when done put a lid over it to keep it hot. Then, in a large or extra large skillet next to the chicken stock, saute minced shallot and garlic in butter until the garlic is fragrant and the shallots are tender. Add arborio rice into the mix and stir for one minute. After the minute is done, pour a big amount of dry white wine into the rice and stir until all of it is almost absorbed, which will happen very quickly. Then, add the chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time, constantly and gently stirring until it is nearly absorbed before adding the next ladlefuls. When there are roughly about four ladlefuls of the chicken stock left, add chopped asparagus and continue stirring. When there are two ladlefuls left, add the peeled jumbo shrimp into the mix and keep stirring. Once the shrimp and asparagus are cooked through, the rice is tender and the chicken stock is all added inside its finish! Turn off the heat, season it with salt and pepper, and add a large amount of shredded parmesan cheese. Then taste and enjoy a wonderful taste of flavors!
