In the past few months, I’ve had several friends ask if I could teach them to cook. Some of them want to start eating less processed foods but don’t know how, while others just want to know how to make an impressive meal or dish for their family and friends. We are all students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, so we have the extra challenge of trying to cook in tiny kitchens in student apartments.
In November, I decided that I wanted to teach “Cooking for College Students.” I was lucky enough to have my proposal to teach the class chosen for the December round of Foodbuzz’s 24, 24, 24 program. Thanks, Foodbuzz!
Tonight, December 19, I taught 8 friends to make 8 dishes.
The friends:
Amanda
Kelley
Kim & Sarah
Becky & Jacob
Benedetta
And Dan, who took all of the pictures, and therefore isn’t in any of them. Sorry, love.
Dan also learned why food pictures are better without the flash tonight. A little food photography lesson in addition to cooking classes!
The Food
Dish #1: Kale Chips, pictured before and after.
These are super easy to make, but so delicious. Not to mention the fact that they are much healthier than normal potato chips!
I don’t think any of my guests, except Dan, knew what kale was when they arrived tonight. The ‘chips’ ended up being a big hit, though. Benedetta kept asking, “Is there more kale?”
How To Make Kale Chips: Preheat oven to 400. Wash kale and pat dry. Tear into ‘chip-sized’ pieces, and toss with olive oil and sea salt. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and bake for 13 minutes. They should be nice and crispy when you take them out. Serve and enjoy!
And when I say ‘add olive oil,’ I don’t mean the whole bottle! 
Dish #2: Evil Snickers Pie with Chocolate Crust, via the Bluephies’ cookbook.
This pie is both rich and tangy. And look at those beautiful pieces of Snickers sprinkled on top.
My only issue with this recipe is how hard the crust gets. Don’t get me wrong, I like my crusts crunchy, but this can be hard to cut (or bite!) through. This happened the first time I made this pie a few months back, but I assumed I had done something wrong. Now that is has come out tough twice now, I think I just need to tweak the recipe a bit. Maybe the cooking time is slightly too long?
Regardless, the pie is still delicious and a winner in my book!
Don’t worry, she didn’t actually drink the vanilla!
The remainder of the dishes were chosen by my ‘students,’ so that they could learn to make what they wanted to cook!
Dish #3: Pesto Mac & Cheese, via Big Girls, Little Kitchen
This one was a big hit. Incredibly creamy. Which makes sense, considering it contains cream and four kinds of cheese. And one of my favorite foods, pesto! I can’t wait until I have a food processor so I can make my own pesto.
Luckily, Kim wanted to take home some of the mac & cheese leftovers. Otherwise, there is no way we would finish all of this before we head out of town for winter break. We still have some left though, so you can guess what I’m having with dinner tomorrow!
Dish #4: Samosas, via Big Girls, Little Kitchen
Unfortunately, the dough came out dry and crumbly. We tried adding some extra oil and water to hold it together, but we just couldn’t get it to stick. The filling was still good, though!
Dish #5: Skinny Shrimp Scampi, via The Most Decadent Diet Ever by Devin Alexander.
I’m not usually one for ‘diet’ books, but I love this one because it offers healthier options of classic meals using ‘real’ ingredients. This scampi is light and fresh. I don’t eat much seafood, but I did sample a few shrimp. Hey, I had to make sure it was good!
Dish #6: Red Pepper Risotto, via The Pioneer Woman
I love me some risotto. It feels so decadent and rich, when in reality it is relatively healthy for you. Rice, vegetable broth, veggies, and a little white wine? You can’t really go wrong with that combination. And just a little bit of cheese added at the end goes a long way!
Dish #7: Sweet Potato Fries
These were also in high demand tonight. To make them, simply slice sweet potatoes and toss with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and cinnamon, and bake at 400F for about 20 minutes. Yum!
Dish #8: Cookie Dough Truffles, via How Sweet Eats
This dough seems to be missing something….
Right, the wet ingredient. That would be helpful to add.
This is why we did the cooking class! Forgetting key ingredients does not make for delicious dishes.
Nom.
As you can see, we were in tight quarters, cooking 8 dishes in our little kitchen.
We made it work, though! Small kitchens, you know, are a frequent challenge for college students.
I realize that most of these dishes aren’t exactly ‘healthy,’ but you know what? I don’t think it matters. The risotto, mac & cheese, scampi, and samosas could be eaten alongside a salad or other veggie-based dish, and the kale chips and sweet potato fries make for pretty good sides or snacks.
All in all, it was a very successful night! Everyone had a lot of fun, and left with a little more cooking knowledge and skills than they had before.
Thanks to everyone who came, and to Foodbuzz for sponsoring “Cooking for College Students!”
And don’t forget, if you want to win the Bluephies’ cookbook and learn to make Evil Snickers Pie, among other great dishes….
Leave a comment on this post about the most creative twist on a classic dish you can think of. Win an extra entry by Tweeting about it (@savvyeat), and leaving a second comment on the giveaway post. I’ll pick a winner on Sunday, December 20!
Comments left on today’s post will not count towards the giveaway, so make sure you head over to the giveaway post!
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a really great blog, I’m enjoying the run up to Christmas with a bit more time on my hands to browse the net and your site is one I intend to visit again soon. In the olden days we would chill out with a read of the daily paper, now I really think people should take an hour out of their day to read some random blog posts and expand their knowledge on new and fascinating subjects. Keep up your writing.
Aw your night looks so fun!
I really like those kale chips and will definitely try it so you not only taught your peers, you taught an old cook too! P.S. Buy a Magic Bullet…it’s a small appliance, not as expensive and it’s a great vehicle for making pesto.
You know, someone else suggested that at the party last night, too. I’ll have to look into one!
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Wow… I’m amazing! That’s all i have to say. And that “put the Olive Oil in the bowl thing” I still think is hilarious.
It looks like you had an incredible time! Everything looks so yummy!
Looks like so much fun!
Everything looks delicious, but my favs are the pesto mac & cheese, and the snicker pie! I want to try those!
What a fun night! Yay for 24, 24, 24! I did it too!
Pesto mac and cheese sounds to die for!
I’ve made sweet potato chips, but not kale…yet! Looks easy and delicious!
That pesto mac looks killllller!!
What a great idea! I love it!
Julia – what a great idea – it’s like Jamie’s Food Revolution in miniature! Looks like so much fun for your friends too. Bravo!
I’ve never heard of Jamie’s Food Revolution! What is it?
This is a great post!! I’m definitely going to stumble it!!
What a great idea for 24-24-24! I’m sure your friends were happy to learn how to make all that yummy stuff.
Looks like a lot of fun!
What an awesome experience and recap. Congrats on being selected by Foodbuzz, and for showing your friends their way around the kitchen!
Too too too many good things here, specially that risotto. And the snickers pie. And the samosas! Everyone could profit for a little cooking lesson.
Yummy!
Amazing you made all of that in such a tiny kitchen!
Mmmm that risotto and those truffles (drooling)
Excellent idea! Too bad about the samosa dough.
This is such a clever idea! I’m glad to see a fellow college student who’s so into cooking. Keep up the great work!
What a fun party! The pesto pasta looks AMAZING!
Love this post
Love proper cooking done by college kids. I always was able to do it!
I wish that I had cooked in college! Instead I ate endless amounts of prepackaged crap and frozen dinners. You are one smart gal!
This recipe looks cool. Does not seem like lot of work, and the end product that is Samosa looks tempting. For me Samosa’s is one of the best Indian food.