Monday, February 16, 2026

College Cooking: Easy Sausage Gravy

1/2 lb. ground breakfast sausage 
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
salt & pepper to taste

1) Cook sausage in skillet until no longer pink. DO NOT DRAIN FAT!

2) Sprinkle 2 TBSP of flour over top of the cooked pork and stir until pork is coated in flour (this takes about 30 seconds).

3) Add milk to the pork and stir consistently. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat until the gravy thickens and has big bubbles. 

4) Serve over biscuits (or rice, toast, english muffin)

College Cooking: Pizza

Pepe's frozen pizza dough
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup sauce
1 TBSP olive oil
1-2 cups of Mozzarella cheese (or DF cheese if your name is Ella Steele)

1) Transfer Pepe's pizza dough from freezer to fridge the night before you're going to use it so it can thaw.

2) Preheat oven to 425°.

3) Saute peppers and onions in 1 TBSP of olive oil in frying pan over medium heat. Stir every minute or so to prevent burning. Set aside to let cool before adding to the pizza.

4) Roll out pizza dough, then transfer to pizza pan. Continue to gently press pizza dough to stretch it out to your desired thickness and width. 

5) Pour sauce onto pizza dough and spread to the edges with the rounded side of a spoon, then add peppers and onions on top of the sauce.

6) Sprinkle cheese all over the pizza.

7) Bake for 10-13 minutes until cooked to your satisfaction.

College Cooking: Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef
1 can Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce
Hamburger-type rolls

1) Cook ground beef in a skillet/frying pan until fully cooked (no pink). Use the meat chopper/smasher tool to crush up the beef as it cooks.

2) Open can of Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce and add it to the ground beef. Cook on medium heat, consistently stirring, for 3-5 minutes. 

3) Let sloppy joes meat cook slightly before serving.

College Cooking: Salsa Chicken

1 chicken breast
15 oz. can black beans, drained
15 oz. jar salsa
15 oz. can corn

1) Spray the inside of the crock (bowl) of the slow cooker. 

2) Open can of beans, then drain them in a colander and rinse them. Add beans to the slow cooker.

3) Open can of corn and drain. Add to the slow cooker.

4) Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, then add to slow cooker.

5) Spread salsa over the top of the other ingredients.

6) Cook on low for 4 hours, shred chicken with 2 forks and add back into the slow cooker. Change temperature to "warm" until you're ready to eat.


College Cooking: Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic
15.5 oz. can small red beans
1-2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP brown sugar

1) Put all ingredients in slow cooker. Break raw ground beef into smaller pieces when adding them to the slow cooker. 

2) Cook on low for 6 hours. Crush ground beef into smaller chunks as needed.



Sunday, February 15, 2026

Easy Quiche

 original recipe here

  • 1 single pie crust unbaked
  • 6 large eggs
  • ¾ cup milk or cream
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup cubed cooked ham
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Unroll pie crust and press into a 9" pie plate, crimping the top edges if desired.


In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

Sprinkle ham, 1 cup of cheese, and green onions into the pie crust and pour the egg mixture over top. 

Sprinkle remaining ½ cup cheese on top of egg mixture.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the center is completely set. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tzatziki Sauce

 original recipe here

½ cup finely grated cucumber
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
½ TBSP olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
¼ tsp sea salt
1 TBSP chopped fresh dill

  • Place the cucumber on a towel and gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and dill. Chill until ready to use.

Easy Naan Bread

 original recipe here

  • ½ cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup plain yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2½-3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic

1) Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl; let sit for five minutes or till bubbly. Add olive oil, yogurt, egg, salt, and flour. Stir till smooth.

2) Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead a few times on a floured counter until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl.

3) Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

4) Preheat a skillet to medium heat. Cut dough into eight pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece into a 6-inch circle. 

5) Add a little oil or non-stick spray to the skillet. Cook each circle for 2-3 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on the bottom.

6) Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

7) Brush the top (the bubbly side) of each naan with melted butter. 

Sunday, February 1, 2026

Chocolate Cake w/ Nutella Buttercream Frosting

 original recipes found here and here

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp 
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

1) Preheat oven to 350ยบ F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray and lightly flouring.

2) Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Whisk through to combine or until combined well.

3) Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.

4) Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.

5) Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minute before removing from the pan, then cool completely on a cooling rack.

6) After completely cooked, frost cake with Nutella Buttercream Frosting


Nutella Buttercream Frosting:
1.5 cups salted butter, room temperature
4 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Nutella 
1 TBSP vanilla extract
3 TBSP buttermilk
1/4 tsp salt

1) Mix softened butter and powdered sugar until combined. Mix in Nutella, then the vanilla, buttermilk and salt. Frost cake!