By now, we’ve all realized that, at Brown, experimenting to find one’s true self is not only practiced, but also widely encouraged. From experiencing other academic fields to making new friends to trying new activities (and, um, extra-curricular activities), experimentation has long been central to the Brown dogma. So, why stop there? Now it’s time to get freaky in the kitchen!

I’m going to let you in a little secret: playing with recipes and doing what I call “throwing a whole bunch of stuff together and seeing if it tastes good” is one of the most rewarding and therapeutic activities you can do. That, and it is the ultimate time-waster — just sayin’. I’d always been under the impression that while cooking rewards experimentation, baking punishes it. However, after being inspired by some of my favorite food bloggers out there, I decided to go out on a limb and try and create new recipes (for both “real” food and sweets) just for the sake of experimentation. I was met with some major successes and even more epic fails, but hey, it beats that 200 pages of reading I was supposed to do for section today (#SeniorSpring)! [Read more →]

I’m not going to lie: cooking at home in a real kitchen with ample supplies, tools and an oven whose temperature gauge is spot on was incredible. Not that I don’t love my amazing apartment and roommates here on College Hill, but having a car to drive to the nearest Los Angeles farmers’ market and then bake your own bread is an undeniable pleasure that my current situation does not allow for. As a result, I took full advantage of cooking everything I possibly could from scratch while at home over winter break; from cornbread to salsa to key lime pie to lamb roast and beyond. But, now that I do not have such luxuries as a food processor and several pans of the same size in my possession (goodbye, triple layer Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Cake — you were the best thing to ever happen to me…), I have made it my mission to simplify some of the favorites I made while I was being spoiled by 80 degree Southern California weather.

While taking advantage of my kitchen at home, one of my absolute favorite dishes to make was Shrimp and Cotija Enchiladas with Chile Verde. Never having made salsa from scratch before, I decided to take the long route and do the entire dish as the recipe says, though whenever I reuse the recipe here at school, I’m sure I’ll use bottled chile verde due to my lack of food processor. I had made simple enchiladas before, a sort of Mexican-style lasagna with tortillas instead of pasta, red enchilada sauce instead of tomato sauce, and cheddar or jack cheese instead of ricotta and mozzarella. This style is a go-to favorite of mine, and I HIGHLY recommend it when cooking for a crowd (the Big Game, anyone?) because you can make a couple different enchilada lasagnas based on people’s meat versus non-meat preferences. That being said, if you want to class things up a bit, these shrimp enchiladas were light and flavorful, and could be made into a quick-prep meal should you decide to buy the bottled green stuff. [Read more →]

Get it before it's gone!

Last night, masses of hungry students at the SciLi were fed at Pizza Nite, courtesy Campus Life and the University Library.

Tonight, the awesomeness repeats itself at the Rock at 9 pm. I was chatting with one of the librarians, and he mentioned that they order 90 pizzas for the SciLi’s Pizza Nite and 80 pizzas for the Rock’s. Last night, the pizza was almost all gone in a little over five minutes.

While everyone was waiting for the pizza, they were greeted with a surprise: a cappella caroling. Check out photos from last night after the jump. [Read more →]

Made to order: a fresh Belgian waffle with cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, and whipped cream.

Everyone knows about the Blue Room’s Shanghai and Kabob & Curry specials, but many — including dedicated morning patrons — seem to be unaware of the breakfast specials that greet students starting off their (hopefully) productive days.

Every time I come to indulge, other students curiously look at what I have and ask about it, reacting with a mixture of surprise and excitement — kind of like their reactions to discovering Jo’s serves stuffed french toast and grilled cheese when I’ve gone to get those.

"Parfait" — it's the French word for "perfect."

So here’s a quick and dirty summary: [Read more →]

Yesterday was political; today is just straight up gastronomical.

Option #1: Go swipe some produce from the Ratty and celebrate National Banana Bread Day.

Or if you aren’t feeling crafty, eat it straight up — participate in National Grapefruit Month.

Alternatively, if you want to get out of the dining halls, head over to IHOP for National (Free) Pancake Day.

Though the Providence IHOP is open 24 hours (defying the logic behind Store “24″ and 2 a.m. bar closings), stop by between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. for a free stack of pancakes (in exchange for a donation to a local children’s hospital).

And for those of you still at home, don’t neglect the ones who love you most. It’s International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day.

and head over to soldiers’ arch, because Girl Scout cookies are back! Being sold out of a wagon, apparently. Get on it, Brunonia.