Advice to Seniors for College
Go to orientation . Get a catalog. READ it. Think about what subjects you are best at in school. Try to decide what you might like to be even if you have no clue right now. Declare a major—do not ever listen to anyone who says otherwise. Registration for college courses has a student hierarchy: graduating seniors, honors students by descending grade level and academic/athletic scholars, at the bottom of the list are UNDECLARED STUDENTS! If you go undeclared, you may not be able to get the classes needed in order to graduate. Do not listen to a college guidance counselor who tells you otherwise. Colleges make money off students who take their dear sweet time graduating. You can change your major later; what you choose as a freshman is not set in stone, but for heaven’s sake, choose something! There is a test at Facts.org that you can take which will tell you what your natural bent is. Take it and think about future jobs. Also search online for the kinds of jobs in a given area. If you don’t want to live in a big city, don’t get a degree in a subject that would require you to live in a big city. Don’t major in a field that has no work in the area where you want to live. Take your parents to orientation for you may get to see the dorms then; have your mom or dad or both of them take along a tape measure; measure the length of the mattress; take pictures of the dorm rooms for by then you may already know the dorm to which you have been assigned. Measure the area under the bed (all beds at that particular college are most likely the same size), in the closet and calculate how many rectangular plastic boxes with lids you can fit under the bed. That is where you will store most of your things. Especially food. When you finally move into the dorm, have your father take a hammer, an electric drill and extension cord, pliers, a measuring tape, a ruler, screws, plastic anchors, and some putty to repair any mistakes in the drywall or plaster. A small tool kit is very handy on moving day. Take a younger brother or sister to help carry in things; the more people, the fewer loads you have to make. Fill your car, and your parents’ car with your things, but remember that you may have to move home alone at the end of the year, so don’t take so much you can’t move it all back home in your own vehicle.
For health reasons:
Dorm life is not what it used to be. Take not only a mattress pad, but also a vinyl mattress cover into which the mattress zips. This vinyl mattress cover establishes a barrier between you and whatever the previously used mattress may contain such as dust mites and bodily fluids! Once it is zipped onto the mattress, periodically check to make sure it stays intact. If the cover rips, get a new one! These are available even for an extra long twin mattress. Bed, Bath and Beyond usually has them in the fall; you may also find them at a Target or a Linens Etc., so get
one before you leave home! University promotions for dorm linens are overpriced, so ignore those mailings. Putting a mattress pad on top of the vinyl mattress cover will reduce heat and noise of sleeping on a vinyl barrier. Take a comforter and also a light blanket and a throw for naps. Dark colors are nice for they stay clean longer. Take your favorite pillow to school with you because you are making some huge living arrangement changes; breaking in a new pillow takes time you may not have, and you are already getting used to sleeping in a new place with the noises that go along with a dorm. Having your own pillow makes a dorm feel a little bit more like home; buy a dust mite barrier for the pillow, too, and zip your pillow into it. Consider a reading pillow with arms and a higher back for when you may not be well enough to go to the library and need to read sitting up in bed. A small lap desk is handy too. Take a light weight vacuum and bags that fit it. Use it weekly. It will force you to tidy up the room and you will stay more organized. Organization and time management are keys to success in college. So is staying well. Germs have a harder time growing in a clean environment. Sharing a bathroom with other students means you have to deal with people who may not be as aware of cleanliness as you are. They may leave hair in the sink, or even forget to flush the toilet! Lysol spray for public restrooms helps to reduce the risk of stomach viruses. Flushing a toilet emits spores into the air, so make sure the toilet is clean before you sit on it. Use the spray! If you have a bathroom of your own bear in mind that you still need to practice sanitary habits. For example, do not leave a tooth brush within 3 feet of a toilet; again, be aware that flushing a toilet increases the contaminated area around the toilet; keep a toothbrush away from the toilet to prevent the spread of spores. Wear shower shoes or flip flops in the shower to keep down athlete’s foot if you are using a common shower. Sadly enough there are actually people who urinate in the shower. I know, that is so disgusting, but your mom did not rear these folks. Take two small laundry hampers and detergent and bleach. Don’t take too much of your “stuff”—closets in dorms are miniscule. You may not even have a door to the closet. You will buy things while you are there anyway and there are tee shirt giveaways, too. You can pick up things when you go back home for a visit if you find you need more clothes. Believe it or not, a Halloween costume always comes in handy. Take some cooking utensils; see the cooking section for a list. Take extra underwear in case you don’t have time to launder for a while; jeans, shorts, tee shirts and long sleeve knit tops, socks, sneakers and sandals like flip flops. Layer clothes for
sometimes classrooms are very cool during summers when it is boiling hot while walking across campus. An umbrella and an all weather coat or light weight waterproof jacket is good. Take one outfit or suit and dress shoes (girls a black dress, black dress pumps, and a black clutch bag is always classy) for special occasions; the “little black dress” really is a must. You will not wear much formal wear. Talk to older students there; they can tell you what you will need most. College students usually do not use their high school formal wear in college anyway. If you need something, get it when you run home for a holiday or ask parents to bring it up. They look for reasons to visit anyway. Formal wear tends to occupy large spaces in a closet so don’t bring your prom dresses. You can always ship an outfit by FEDEX or UPS. Eat healthy: If school food such as French fries and burgers is not your idea of dining; limit yourself to healthy restaurants but remember restaurants can become very expensive. Coupons to those make good Christmas and birthday gifts from family and friends. Avoid fast food! Freshmen 15 can turn into Freshman 50 and heart disease later in life if you are not careful. Salads are easy to make, so included in this pamphlet you will find several salad recipes that contain protein but require absolutely no cooking—just about 15 minutes prep time. These are healthy meals. Restrict yourself to restaurants on weekends and look for specials for students. Often a side salad and an appetizer is enough for a meal and runs under $10-12.00. Applebee’s has a Weight Watchers menu for people trying to cut down on the calories. A bag of greens and a tomato easily make a good salad; add some lean meat and you have a meal. Food can be quick and nutritious.
Keeping the peace: Proactive Roommates are the best kind to share space with in a dorm. For many students this is their first time to share a living space with another person. Many American families have a bedroom for each child. Living in a tight space with another person is good practice for adulthood where we all have to get along with people we may not particularly like. Unfortunately, roommates and best friends are not always a good combination. It is better to live next door to your best friend than to live in the same dorm room with your best friend. Roommates inevitably get on each other’s nerves. These kinds of situations can cause rifts between best friends.
Establish ground rules with roommates early in the relationship; sit down and list yours and their pet peeves. Talk them over and don’t be shy. For example, explain what it means to “be considerate” to you specifically. Define your expectations for being considerate. For you it might mean, whoever has the early class needs to GET UP when the alarm goes off and not ignore it ringing until it awaken everyone else in the room too; lay out clothes the night before and dress in the bathroom (don’t turn on the light); organize belongings and pack them up in advance; in other words, leave quietly for that early class so as not to disturb others. People who turn the light on in their roommate’s face, cook breakfast in the microwave, hum and talk on the cell phone ignoring their roommate’s feelings are just plain RUDE. By the same token, people who put off assignments and try to do them the night before they are due typing until 3 A.M. are also RUDE! Keep in mind that your actions affect others with whom you live. Your roommate may need to allot study times during which no one talks, plays music, or watches TV—6 to 9:00 P.M. etc. Remember that not everyone learns the same way; some people can study in chaos with headphones on while others may not be able to tune out noise when they think. Perhaps you and your roomie may need to establish whatever time everyone in the room NEEDS TO BE ASLEEP for the good of the order. Do you loan clothes and/or personal items like a hairbrush or lip gloss? Get that straight from the start. If you don’t, make it clear but be nice about it. Immediately establish ground rules about visitors; especially those of the opposite sex. This helps avoid what may be embarrassing situations or ugly confrontations later. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend show up in the hallway when a roommate comes out of the shower can be very un-nerving! Be considerate. Send them home! Try to be a neat roommate; when you take off clothing—hang it up or put it in the laundry hamper. Then there will never be a mess. Remember unless you get at least 8 hours of sleep per night, you will not be able to stay healthy. Exams bring on stress anyway, and the last thing you need is to be sick with flu or a cold during exam week. Rest is required by the human body’s immune system in order to fend off diseases. 15 minutes of sunshine per day and tomato juice (V-8 has loads of vitamins) ward off illness. Multivitamins taken half in the morning and half in the evening help the body stay strong. However, nothing, not even an antibiotic, beats rest to keep you healthy. Laundry:
It is never too soon to start---so right now begin saving quarters for washing machines. It is not cheap to do laundry on college campuses costing as much as $2+ per load some places. Buy at least two small laundry hampers that fit into each other. Do not buy huge ones; more people injure their backs lifting over-loaded laundry hampers than any other way! Square ones fit better under the bed. BEND YOUR KNEES when you lift laundry hampers; they are heavy and stress the back! Take down one load at a time to the car or to the laundry. Take something you need to read and stay with your clothes or they may find a new owner… Sort laundry first. I do not care what anyone else says. Just sort the clothes! Wash whites with other whites or you will find your towels are pink. Wash reds together. Wash blues together. Wash greens together, etc. After you have washed thing multiple times and nothing fades, you may be able to wash different colors together. It is equally important to keep in mind that you should not wash a bra or something delicate like a light weight knit tip with jeans that have zippers. Zip the pants, button the buttons, and wash like weights together. Jeans go with shorts and pants. Knit tops can go with other knit clothing. That way they don’t get damaged. Washing about every week or two will allow time for colored clothes to add up to a full load. Once your clothes have been laundered several times, and you know nothing fades anymore—then you can wash a red or green top with blue jeans. Just be careful with new clothes especially if made in China or in India. They fade the worst! Want to keep something from fading? Wash in salted water to preserve a dye in something you love and want to keep pretty a long time. Like your favorite black tee shirt. Salt water sets dye. Wash it first and add the salt in a sink in the dorm bath but not in a washing machine for salt damages them. Once the dye is set, there will be less fading. Wash it a few times with like colors before putting it in with lighter pieces. HOW TO DO A LOAD OF LAUNDRY: Select a water level and temperature. Add water to the machine; add detergent, then put in your clothes. Do not pour detergent directly onto colored clothing and not expect it to FADE! Do the chemistry… Wash whites such as towels and sheets in HOT water. Take at least two sets of sheets; you may be so busy during exam week or the weeks preceding exams that you do not have time to do laundry. Buy white sheets only. Bleach them following directions on the bottle. This will
help to prevent acne and keep down colds and flu! Wash them once a week with your white towels in hot water bleaching all of them. Or you can expect to be sick. Besides being a yucky person. Hang towels to dry out after a shower or bath before putting them into the laundry! Wet towels generate mold spores due to the germs on them. These will get onto clothes if you put them into the same laundry hamper. The result will be mildew--impossible to remove. Please remember: White towels and white sheets can be bleached. Bleach is your friend. It kills germs that cause very socially inappropriate diseases like “trich”. Re-using towels and other bath linens causes these illnesses. Make sure you have a second rinse when you use bleach. Store brand bleach is just as good as name brand. Follow directions and measure. For colored clothing, use Clorox II bleach for colors; you can pour it directly onto cotton and it will remove a stain without removing the color. Chocolate, blood, tomato stains should immediately be wet with cold water before they set into fibers of the fabric and washed in cold water so as not to set the stains. ERA liquid detergent removes protein based stains such as blood. You can pour it directly on whites and let it sit before laundering. Keep a tiny bottle of it around for just such stains. Inexpensive detergents are just as good as expensive brands. XTRA is $2.50+ a gallon at Walmart or Target and it works fine. Dawn Dishwashing detergent also gets out grease spots as well as Shout. Bleach pens are nice for whites. Pine Sol also emulsifies grease spots but use it only on white or colorfast fabrics. It is always advisable to follow manufacturing directions for laundering. Knits do not last long is they are dried on high heat. They are better washed on delicate cycle and dried flat; if cotton knits shrink lengthwise, stretch them while they are still wet or hang to dry for lengthening.
Study Tips: Avoid setting yourself up for failure: don’t rush a sorority or fraternity during your first semester; during the freshman year, most students who do not succeed have overloaded themselves with extra-curricular activities. Remember that you are there for a degree; that means work comes first. Every year that you delay graduation is another year of LOST INCOME! Go to all classes and get the syllabus for each class. Buy a desk calendar. Read each syllabus and fill in the desk calendar with test dates, paper due dates, and scheduled quizzes, what chapters you have to have read and by when. Tear the pages off the calendar. Tape or sticky-tack it to the walls above your desk. You will have the entire semester SCOPE of work in front of you. You know what you have to do and by when. You can plan ahead and not be surprised by when something is due. It helps to keep you focused on the goal at hand. Make your personal motto “Work comes first.” Remember, when you keep up with assignments, you are less likely to fail. Treat school like a job; employees work 8 to 5 P.M. If you have class at 10, get up and go to the library from 8 until the 10 o’clock class. If you have one class, then spend the day working on other classes. You can then watch TV at night, or go to a movie to de-stress. If you work 8 to 5 during the week, you will soon find that you may have your weekends free and you will not need to cram during exam week. You can review for you already know the material. This requires some serious self- discipline for you may have considerable peer pressure to do otherwise. Common sense safety tips: Join AAA; if you are taking an older family car or a used car, it may at some time need to be towed. AAA is inexpensive compared to the charge for a single towing. Learn how to change a flat tire; learn how to check your oil, and keep track of mileage with regard to required maintenance. Read the owner’s manual of your car so that you know when service is needed. A small notebook in the glove box in which you can record the last date and mileage of an oil change really helps you keep track of needed service. Tell your parents ahead of time so they can reserve a maintenance time for you with their mechanic. Turn off radio and air conditioning before turning off the ignition. That will save on repairs later. Oil changes between warranty-required services by a dealership are advisable. In Florida heat breaks down the viscosity of, so regular oil changes are necessary to prolong the life of car parts. Buy a tire gauge and learn how to check the air pressure in your tires. Find a reliable car service near school; have your parents advise you where to take your vehicle before a problem occurs.
We made an agreement with a dealership we trusted to service our daughters car; they knew to call us when she needed help; AAA towed the car to them, and they took our credit card over the phone since we had dealt with them for years. It gave us peace of mind. Don’t take a car as a freshman; many campuses do not allow freshmen to have cars anyway; remember parking tickets for violations are a huge money-maker for campuses. Security officers have no mercy either. Ignorance of the rules is no excuse, and they do NOT care how much you cry or that you have no money or how cute you are either. READ and Re-read the parking restrictions—especially at USF---they have specific lots in which you can park and they may not be near your dorm! Do not try to drive to class if you live on campus. Get up and get out in time to walk to class. Parking spaces on college campuses are at a premium due to commuter students. Take a car cover if you have a nice finish on your car. It protects the car from paint oxidation by sun’s rays. Remember that if you are the driver, anything that happens to a passenger in your car is your legal responsibility even if the accident is not your fault. All passengers in your car should wear a seat belt. Period. NO excuses. When you have other passengers, avoid talking on the cell phone, fiddling with the CD player, or wearing sunglasses while driving at night. Believe me, that practice is really dangerous no matter how cool it may looks. NEVER EVER drive under the influence. Do not ride with anyone else who is driving under the influence. The life you save by using common sense may be your own. Self Preservation: Learn to say no when people want you to take study time to drive them someplace. All campuses have busses, and often there are city busses running near college campuses. Restrict weekends to errand running. Keep an ongoing list of what you need. It can usually wait. If you have a friend or an acquaintance who drinks too much, do not accept responsibility for that person’s health. Often alcoholism begins in college. If you are “drunk dialed” by a friend for a ride home, ask questions and get details. Get an exact location with landmarks and/or an address. If he/she has been bar hopping and is now passed out enroute to the dorm or is unable to stand without assistance or walk by him/herself or is sweating profusely or vomiting black, a call for an ambulance should be made from the phone of the student who is drunk; CALL AN AMBULANCE. Do not think twice about it. Anyone who drinks that much alcohol has a far bigger problem than a ride to the dorm! The person is undergoing alcohol poisoning and may DIE! Get professional help. The least of his/her worries is that parents or the school may find out. You will not be able to live with the guilt if you do not do the right thing. You are not a doctor.
Go with friends to the location and use the drunk person’s cell phone to call an ambulance. Do not go alone. FEMALE STUDENTS ARE NOT SAFE IN THE COMPANY OF INEBRIATED MALE STUDENTS. You are not their parents and they are not your responsibility. Personal safety: Female students should be vigilant while in common hall showers in dorms; for personal protection it may be advisable to accompany another female to hall showers. Even “all female dorms” may find that some residents ignore residency rules and allow male overnight guests. Unknowingly taking a shower next to a strange man is not cool! Dorm etiquette: If you allow a male guest to stay in your room overnight, he needs to go home to use the bathroom! Put him out the door yourself in the morning for the safety of the other female residents—you owe the other young ladies that much! Do not walk alone at night on campus; walk back from class with a classmate or a friend. Avoid dark secluded areas when you are alone. Be aware of your surroundings. Walk purposefully; look at the face of people walking toward you; look serious or intimidating. Victims are usually those who are caught off guard and appear vulnerable to attackers. Take a can of pepper spray or mace if allowed on your campus. Car keys make a good weapon; place them in your palm with the key point out between your fingers. Hold them firmly. Consider taking along a small flash light in your bag; some cell phones come with them. Check for strangers around your car at night before getting in; drive with your car doors locked. This prevents car jacking! If you live in an apartment; leave a light on when you go out if you will return after dark. Consider leaving on the TV or radio when you are gone for it sounds like someone is at home. Keep draperies and/or blinds closed when you are out. Be aware of your surroundings when entering or leaving parking garages or parking lots. Use dead bolt locks on doors and lock windows. If your windows are sash windows, go to a local hardware and buy the additional side locks. Sash windows can be unlocked if screens are removed. All it takes is a credit card to unlock one! Side locks are put in from the inside and screw down keeping windows shut even if the sash lock is opened. They are inexpensive and easy to install. It is worth the investment. Cooking: Buy a small notebook and personalize it; write or type into it your favorite family recipes! Get your mother or grandmother to show you how to make family’s favorite recipes; take that experience and knowledge to school with you. Later it may be very comforting to make a meal
you miss. My girls bought several Rachel Ray cookbooks, but they also had a paperback copy of the Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook which is our family cookbook. Most dorms that do not have suites, will have a common cooking area with a sink and a range. If so, take these cooking utensils to college:
pots & pans (one of each) a mixing bowl wooden spoon cutting board French chef knife paring knife bread knife heat resistant spatula egg turner spaghetti server wok or fajita pan blender
can opener (not electric) measuring cups measuring spoons oven mitt hot pad dishcloth dish towel dishwashing detergent paper towels, paper or plastic plates plastic cups flatware potato peeler
These few aforementioned cooking utensils will all fit into a flat plastic box and can be stored under a bed. Trust me, one day you will be so glad you have these. Remember it is very impolite to leave the common kitchen dirty. Breakfast Ideas: Milk in the dorm room: Parmalat a brand of UHT milk in individual wax coated serving-size boxes with straws are relatively inexpensive and available at several shops. You can buy them in three packs for about $1.69+ at Walmart or for $1.99+ at Target; they are about $2.49+ at Publix, and they do not have to be stored in the refrigerator until opened. Once they are opened, consume them or put them into the small dorm room refrigerator. Chill them in advance of consumption and they taste like regular milk. Granola bars or a banana do not have to be cooked.
Peanut butter on toast or bread is a great appetite mainstay. It keeps blood sugar levels even and you do not feel even hungrier than when you first awoke only two hours after eating! Add banana slices and you can run a marathon! (Make sure your roomie does not have an air-borne or other peanut allergy.) Inexpensive brand Malt O Meal Scooters contains heart healthy oats; SCOOTERS are a knock off of Honey Nut Cheerios and come in a re-sealable bag. A huge bag is about $2.50+ at Walmart. Avoid heavy sweets at breakfast; these cause a sugar high and then an insulin drop which makes you feel very tired. Wraps are easy to make using either flour or corn tortillas, soft tacos, or pita bread. Scrambled eggs, a slice of ham, and a slice of cheese rolled into soft flat bread makes a nice breakfast. Breakfast wraps can be prepared in advance, wrapped in foil, and kept in the fridge overnight to be reheated in the morning for a hot breakfast on a day that may be very long and with little time for lunch or dinner. Do not keep cooked egg for more than one day. Bananas—portable and rich in potassium which we lose when we perspire—you can eat it on the way to class! Oatmeal and/or grits instant packets for microwave are not bad for a cold morning. Keep fruits in your room: apples, pears, plums, and peaches can be stored in an open bowl at room temperature. Just don’t buy too many items, for fruits only last a few days. Avoid buying plastic bags of fruit; sometimes they contain fruit flies or worse (roaches!). Pesky little critters. Buy two apples, 3 bananas, 2 peaches. That will last about a week. Use Lite Salt which is potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride. It will keep you from feeling tired. The following recipes are family favorites of my two daughters and their college friends for whom they’ve cooked. Chinese Tuna Salad—Can make in one large bowl or in individual serving bowls One can of tuna—open and drain liquid off using lid (1/2 can per person) One can of sliced water chestnuts—open and drain off liquid One can of green beans (unsalted)—open and drain off liquid One head or bag of lettuce—whatever kind you like (WASH IT!) Two or Three Stalks of Celery washed, pull off strings, cut into bite-size pieces
Add all the ingredients listed thus far and toss in a bowl. In a measuring cup add the following to make the salad dressing: Mayonnaise—1/2 cup (4-6 take out size packets) Soy Sauce—1-2 Tablespoons (2 packets) Lemon or Lime Juice to thin and add zest Stir the three ingredients making a tan sauce; add more lemon/lime juice or soy sauce to taste. Pour the sauce over the salad and stir; top off with Chinese Rice Noodles (thin ones). When people watch this made the first time, they make rather insulting comments, but once they taste it, they will request you make it again. It really is tasty and good for you for it contains foods from three of the four basic food groups: vegetables, meat, and bread groups. Drink a glass of milk and you are good to go with all four food groups! If you have at least one such healthy meal per day, it is enough to keep you healthy 1905 Salad from the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida ½ head of Iceberg or (Healthier) Romaine Lettuce—it is more expensive but buy the pre-washed bags 2 ripe red Tomatoes washed and cut in eighths 2 Celery Stalks washed, stringed, sliced into bite size pieces ½ cup of Sweet Ham cut in bite size strips (julienned) (You can substitute turkey or shrimp) ½ cup Swiss Cheese in bite size strips 2 teaspoons grated Romano cheese Toss together ALL INGREDIENTS ABOVE EXCEPT ROMANO CHEESE. Salad Dressing: 1/8 cup white wine vinegar ½ cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Mix garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Beat until smooth with a wire wisk or fork. Add olive oil, gradually beating to form an emulsion (thickening). Stir in vinegar and lemon juice. Add dressing to salad and toss well. Sprinkle on Romano cheese and toss again. Serves four generously! Spaghetti Sauce—Galluzzo Family Recipe: 1 box Pomi Strained Tomatoes ($1.69 available at Publix supermarkets in canned vegetable) I medium size onion peeled, sliced, and chopped roughly (onion will sweeten as sauce cooks, so the more onion used, the sweeter the sauce) Fresh Basil—6-8 leaves chop and add with tomatoes 1-4 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled, chopped finely (garlic is a personal taste) Do all prep work described above before turning on the burner! Olive oil—2 Tablespoons or about enough to moisten the bottom of the pan in an area about the size of the palm of your hand Nutmeg ¼ teaspoon—reduces sourness and bitterness of tomatoes In a heavy bottom boiler or sauce pan, put about 1/3 cup olive oil, heat up on medium setting (not on highest setting for it burns rapidly and will smoke if it is too hot) and add these ingredients in this order: Add chopped onion and cook until it is translucent; once it is clear then and only then Add minced garlic and stir about 1 minute while it cooks—do not burn garlic for it gets bitter! If you can smell it, it is probably cooked. It only takes 30 seconds or so. Always cook the onions first for garlic takes considerably less time to cook; if you add it to the oil first or at same time as the onion it and will burn! Add Fresh Basil—6-8 leaves chopped; add strained tomatoes; rinse out the box(es) with a little water and add to sauce; add nutmeg and salt to taste Sauce gets HOT fast, as soon as it begins to bubble slightly--Reduce heat to simmer Stir occasionally and simmer 20 minutes. It will have oil floating on the top of the tomatoes if it is done. Turn off the heat now. Cover and allow to rest—spices reach full maximum flavor after resting. I make the sauce earlier in the day and leave on the stove with a lid on it until dinner time. Reheat when ready to serve.
Pasta directions are on the package. FOLLOW THEM! Manufacturers know to the minute how long it takes to make it. Boil water, salt, add 1 tsp. Wesson oil and then add pasta. Oil keeps starchy pasta from sticking together and not cooking. Use a pasta fork to lift pasta out of water. Put in a bowl and dress with a drizzle of olive oil tossing with a dinner fork. Then add sauce and top with Romano or Parmagiano cheese.
Galric Bread Buy a loaf of Italian or French or Cuban bread; they are crustier. Slice the loaf long ways (hot-dog style) into two long halves. Drizzle on olive oil and smear on generously 4-6 cloves of peeled and crushed or minced garlic. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it smells good; remove the foil, open out the halves and allow it to cook slightly golden brown a bit on the top. Garlic burns quickly under a broiler. Garlic is sensitive and dries out and burns easily. It is very oily hence the condensed flavor. Spaghetti Aglio Add olive oil and crushed minced garlic in a sauce pan; cook until aromatic. Toss over pasta instead of a red sauce for a quick side dish. Tomato Salad Cut up tomatoes into chunks; add salt to taste; drizzle on olive oil; add several leaves of chopped basil. Does not requires vinegar or lemon/lime juice. Tomato juice is enough. Grate over parmagiano cheese. Serve over toasted thinly sliced bread for bruschetta. Chicken Noodle Soup—Good for colds small pack of boneless, skinless thighs; take out of pack and wash off, pat dry Put into a pot of water, the pot should be at least ½ full of water for it will evaporate Chop up and add one stalk of celery, chop up and add 2 carrots, chop up and add one onion. Boil on medium heat until chicken is fork tender. Boil water in another pot with salt; when it boils, add spaghetti. Break up spaghetti into 4 pieces before adding. Serve pasta in a soup plate. Ladle chicken soup over it. Keep the two separate or the pasta will become soggy. Good for colds and flu.
Garlic and Lemon Chicken Use chicken thighs—boneless and skinless 4-6 lemons cut in half, squeeze out juice, remove seeds, and scrape out meat inside lemon (that is the best part when it’s cooked) 1 whole clove of garlic, smash with a French chef knife, peel, crush (or use a garlic crusher) and mince Olive Oil One flat cookie sheet with sides or lasagna or pizza pan with sides (holds in juices) Remove chicken thighs and rinse and dry with a paper towel Rub thighs with garlic and a tiny bit of coarse salt Arrange in pan. Top with lemon juice and scrape out insides of lemons and put that in. Cover with aluminum foil
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until chicken appears to be done but still juicy Remove cover and allow to brown. Watch the garlic so it doesn’t burn. One thigh per person; two if the person has a hearty appetite. This is a nice accompaniment to salad or pasta.
Homemade Mack and Cheese Kraft sliced cheese or Velveeta Elbow Macaroni—cook enough according to package directions 1/2 Milk per person Heat milk while macaroni cooks; add slices of cheese or Velveeta to milk as it simmers Remove macaroni from water and add sauce. Grate on some Parmesan or Romano for added flavor.
Spaghetti Carbonara Cook spaghetti, linguine, or capellini (angel hair) about ¼ package per person While it is cooking, crack open and stir two raw eggs into a cup. Grate fresh romano or parmesan cheese or open a package of grated cheese Open a package of cubed ham (can be found in pork section of refrigerator case at Publix) or use bacon that is cooked. Don’t use bacon bits. Drain water from pot using a colander or the pot lit when pasta is cooked (not mushy—slightly firm is called aldente). Into the pot with the cooked pasta, stir in raw eggs which heat from pasta will cook; it will stick to the pasta and look like scrambled eggs. To reduce clean up time add soapy water immediately after you serve spaghetti onto plates or in pasta bowls. Add grated cheese and stir again. Serve a spinach salad or some other green—steamed broccoli in the microwave,
Hawiian Burger Rachel Ray’s recipe 1 lb. package of Ground Turkey ½ tsp. Fresh ginger ground ½ cup Hoisin Sauce—Hold for basting of burgers, do not add to mix! Garlic 2 cloves minced 2 Green Onions chopped 1 can sliced pineapple 1 package of hamburger buns
Mix above ingredients EXCEPT hoisin sauce and make patty for each person; do not make them too thick or they take longer to cook; cook on a grill or in a sauce pan for 5 min. on each side basting with hoisin sauce after being turned. Hoisin sauce tends to burn for it is thick so cook the burger side and after flipping it, then add the hoisin to the cooked side. Add to grill slices of pineapples and heat. Place cooked burgers on a plate and let them stand for 5 minutes. Place burgers on a bun and then top with a slice of pineapple. Can use ground pork but ground beef is not so great in this.
Stir Fry: Chinese woks are a great investment, for you can cook many vegetables at one time. They require some oil—Wesson oil or Canola oil or peanut oil. Not olive oil. Baby Corn in a can, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, snow peas (fresh) and brocollini or rapini are great if they are stir fried. You can buy those at Publix too. Use thinly sliced chicken breast strips or steak strips for stir fry dishes. Add garlic, ginger, or other Asian spices to the meat for flavor. Heat a tiny bit of oil in the bottom of the wok; add the thicker ingredients first: cook the meat with the spices you like and then remove it to a plate. Then cook denser vegetables: sliced carrots, celery, and then work your way up to thinner veggies. Once the thicker veggies are fork tender, remove them to a plate, add the thinner leafier veggies like bok choy or su choy, cabbages stalks take a bit longer, mushrooms, or leafy greens that you like. If you want a gravy, add a can of broth (chicken is good) and stir a spoonful of corn starch into COLD water (1/2 cup) and add to the broth. This may need other ingredients to create the flavor you like. Stir fry is very healthy and prepares huge amounts of food if you are entertaining friends. Cook rice 1 part rice to 2 parts water. Add all ingredients at one time. Bring to a boil and turn down heat. Allow it to cook for about 12 minutes until the water is gone. Rice should be light and fluffy so DO NOT STIR rice. Electric rice cookers are about $25. Follow directions on the box when using. They make the best rice. Fresh ginger keeps a long time in a cool dry place, or you can peel it, cut it into thin slices and put it in a container in a freezer taking out what you need as you need it. Soy sauce and sesame oil are great ingredients but use them sparingly. Soy sauce is very salty, so if you use it, don’t salt food. Grocery store sushi is not too expensive and is vastly improved by adding splashes of Rice Vinegar; sometimes rice vinegar is good in salad dressings too. You can add it to some vegetable oil and some fresh ginger and blend them and they are wonderful over fresh spinach, red onion slices, walnuts and canned mandarin oranges; top off with slices of a meat such as chicken or ham and you have a meal!
Easy salad dressings: Can be stored in mayonnaise or other jars with a lid. Olive oil Red wine vinegar Garlic clove Dollop of French mustard Blend. Olive Oil
White wine vinegar Garlic clove Fresh basil is a migraine preventative. Pancakes: U.S. Army recipe One cup flour One cup milk One egg
Fresh Basil Blend
One tablespoon baking powder One teaspoon sugar
Pre-heat oven o 180 degrees Fahrenheit; put a pan in it; you will lay cooked pancakes over into the hot pan to keep them warm until they are all done. Mix the above dry ingredients of the recipe together and then slowly add the milk gently stirring batter; keep batter liquid thin; don’t let it get thick. Add milk if needed to thin batter. Thick pancake mix makes a thick pancake that will BURN before it cooks. Heat a skillet or frying pan with a little oil or use a Teflon coated griddle. Use a soup ladle to spoon out one pancake portion at a time onto the hot surface. Separate pancakes and allow room for mix to spread out on pan before adding in another ladle of batter. (Twice amount of room is required usually.) Same batter works well for waffles! Use an egg turner to flip pancakes once the dough bubbles on the raw side. Pancake should be golden brown when turned over to cook on the other side. Pancakes cook quickly so pay constant attention. Heat maple syrup in a microwave oven by removing the metal cap and heating it right in the glass bottle for 15 second intervals. Do not overheat it or it will bubble out of the bottle. Use an oven mitt to remove it from the microwave or you may get burned. Maple syrup is expensive so use it sparingly but it is worth the price flavor-wise. Peel and slice very thinly Granny Smith apples or use small fresh blueberries to add fruit to the pancakes. When slicing the apples, cut them in half. Take out the seed core. Then lay them open side down on a cutting board. Slice down onto the board to avoid cutting your hand. Never slice an apple in an open hand! Spice Advice HOW TO SAVE MONEY: Look in the Spanish (or Mexican) Section at the Grocer for 50 cent cellophane packets of BADIA brand spices such as basil and oregano commonly used. Keep all of the opened plastic bags in a
larger zip lock bag or a plastic container with a sealable top. Spices are very expensive, so don’t hesitate to buy them in this section. You will save tons of money over glass or plastic bottles of spices by brands like McCormick and Spice Islands and other companies. Cooking can be a nice outing if you food shop with friends. Go to ethnic food stores for they often have deals on items that are costly in a regular food store. It is a fun shop, too. We learn about other cultures as well. Farmers markets have great deals on veggies and fruits too. Street markets are a great time to get to know a new social interest. Lots of time to interact. Students who cook in the common kitchen area of the dorm can pool resources with roommates, friends, etc. and share/buy to prepare home cooked meals. It is a communal time so you can eat and talk with your friends. Share the work too. Friends who come for meals should help clean up as well as help pay for the food consumed. If they don’t, don’t invite them back for they are inconsiderate guests! I hope these tips are helpful to you as you go away to school. Often in the rush to make a living and give our children what they need to be healthy and well educated, we do not have time as parents to help them also learn self-sufficiency. My own daughters were often the only students on their floors who knew how to cook and how to do laundry. It is their advice that I am following in offering this information to you. University life is a wonderful chance to gain personal freedom and learn to be responsible for yourself. Don’t forget why you are in school and save the fun times for when they fit into your study regime. You may not be able to attend every sporting event, or go to every party, or stay up late every night playing video games. Besides, there is always a party somewhere; just because you can’t go to THIS one doesn’t mean there won’t be another one when you do have time. You can stay up late on a Friday night when you don’t have class the next day, but don’t stay up until all hours every night just because you can. Remember this: you own the video game, so you can play it any time. So go to bed—your body needs rest or you will find yourself in the hospital with mono. Study first and party when exams are over! Balance is the key to academic success in college. So, keep those gpa’s high and hold onto that Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, for once you lose it, you cannot get it back. There is no better reason to celebrate than success! I have spent many hours compiling these hints, so I sincerely hope that these tips have helped you; my best advice to you is to remember WHO YOU ARE. Just because everyone else has lost his/her mind, doesn’t mean you have to submit to destructive impulses. If you hold firm to your family and faith values, you will have less to worry about in life. Besides when you graduate, it will be highly unlikely that you even remain friends with the people you meet in college. Maybe two people will remain in touch with you after college graduation, so
ultimately the only person that you should care what he/she thinks of you is YOU. Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true.” Remember that and you will go far in life. Good luck and God bless. Mrs. G. elainegalluzzo@aolcom