By Matt Kyle | Staff Writer
Many Baylor students rely on Dining Services for their meals. Students who live on campus typically can’t make a meal in their dorm rooms, and having dining halls on campus means they can quickly walk over and grab some food without having to leave campus.
Students also said they like the variety of food available at Baylor’s dining halls. At most dining halls, students have a wide selection of breakfast, lunch or dinner foods to choose from, and they can even get vegetarian or allergen-free options. With this variety, many dishes from Baylor’s dining halls have become beloved by students.
But what happens when the dining halls are closed? What can you do when you don’t have a meal plan and miss the delicious food that turned your freshman 15 into a freshman 35? Have no fear, because many of your favorite dining hall dishes can be easily and cheaply recreated in the comfort of your own home. Follow these six recipes to bring the Baylor dining experience into your very own kitchen and learn a thing or two about cooking in the process.
Penland Omelet
To make an omelet, you will need:
- 3 eggs (H-E-B price: $1.38 for a dozen)
- Whole milk (H-E-B price: $1.38 for a half-gallon)
- Chorizo sausage (H-E-B price: $3.98 for a pack of four)
- Bacon (H-E-B price: $3.99 for a pack)
- Onions (H-E-B price: $0.68 for one onion)
- Chili peppers (H-E-B price: $0.12 for two peppers)
- Shredded cheese (H-E-B price: $5.14 for 16 ounces)
- Butter, salt, pepper
Total Cost: $16.67
Directions:
In a pan on medium heat, fry the bacon and chorizo until the bacon is crispy and the chorizo is cooked through. Without draining the bacon fat, remove the meats from the pan and add butter, diced onions and peppers. Chop up the chorizo and add it back to the pan. Saute until onions are caramelized; then remove from pan. In a bowl, whisk three eggs together and add a dash of whole milk. Season with salt and pepper and pour into the pan. Let the eggs cook; then on one side, put the bacon, sausage, onions and peppers, and on the other side, sprinkle a generous helping of shredded cheese. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the egg is solid. Fold one side of the omelet over the other and cook each side for about a minute.
The taste test: Chicago junior Paul Bello said the spiciness of the chorizo and peppers was “immaculate” and enhanced the flavor of the dish.
“I like the ingredients that were added,” Bello said. “It gives it a nice flavor, a nice kick to it. The spices were immaculate and definitely brought out more of the flavor of it. The eggs were slightly overdone, but not to a point where it made it bad, just to add a little bit more of a crispy taste to it. Spiciness was my favorite part about the omelet.”
Memorial Flying Saucer
To make a flying saucer, you will need:
- Extra large burrito tortilla (H-E-B price: $2.20 for a ten pack)
- Chicken breast (H-E-B price: $10.26 for five breasts)
- Tomatoes (H-E-B price: $0.76 for two tomatoes)
- Onions (H-E-B price: $0.68 for one onion)
- Lettuce (H-E-B price: $2.78 for a bag of romaine)
- Minute rice (H-E-B price: $2.04 for a pack)
- Shredded cheese (H-E-B price: $5.14 for 16 ounces)
- Queso (H-E-B price: $2.74 for a 15-ounce jar)
- Salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder
Total Cost: $26.60
Directions:
In a bowl, create a spice mixture of salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper and onion powder. Roll chicken breast in spice mixture until evenly coated. Grill in a pan on medium heat and cover with a lid until the chicken is fully cooked. While the chicken is cooking, cook your diced onions and tomatoes in a pan with butter on medium heat until the onions are caramelized and the tomatoes are cooked. In the microwave, heat up a pack of minute rice and a bowl of queso. Prepare your tortilla with rice, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, cheese and queso. Roll into a burrito and grill in a pan with butter. Press down on the burrito and grill each side until brown.
The taste test: Bello said the homemade flying saucer would “put Memorial out of business.” Katy junior Will Stutz said the chicken was seasoned better than any Memorial flying saucer he had ever had.
“Now the Memorial one is good, but the chicken has a lot more flavor here,” Stutz said. “I think the queso here really took the show.”
Memorial Stir Fry
To make stir fry, you will need:
- Stir fry rice noodles (H-E-B price: $2.98 for a box)
- Chicken breast (H-E-B price: $10.26 for five breasts)
- Onions (H-E-B price: $0.68 for one onion)
- Carrots (H-E-B price: $1.98 for a bag of carrot sticks)
- Bell peppers (H-E-B price: $3.79 for three peppers)
- Minced garlic (H-E-B price: $2.86 for eight ounces)
- Honey (H-E-B price: $3.03 for an 8-ounce bottle)
- Soy sauce (H-E-B price: $1.58 for a bottle)
- Vinegar (H-E-B price: $0.75 for a bottle)
- Oyster sauce (H-E-B price: $2.57 for a bottle)
- Red chili sauce (H-E-B price: $3.96 for a bottle)
- Salt, pepper
Total Cost: $34.44
Directions:
Cut the chicken breast into small pieces. In a small container, marinate the chicken pieces for at least 30 minutes in a combination of garlic, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. After the chicken is done marinating, grill in a pan with oil on medium heat until chicken is browned. Remove chicken from the pan and add a pinch of garlic and a touch more oil, diced onions, carrots and bell peppers. Cook for about three minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, boil rice noodles in a pan on high heat for three minutes. After the noodles are ready, add the chicken to the vegetables and cook for one minute. Then add the noodles and stir them well with the other ingredients; cook them on high heat for two minutes. While cooking, pour soy sauce, oyster sauce and red chili sauce in the pan and mix until everything is well-coated in sauce.
The taste test: Abilene senior Danielle Rozeboom said the stir fry from the dining halls is amazing, but the replication of it was “far superior.”
“Even though it was a replication of the dining hall version, it was a far superior replication,” Rozeboom said. “Especially with the ingredients used, it was amazing. The amount of time also — [the cook] spent time making sure it tasted good with the seasoning used, versus [the dining hall] just throws in what they put in.”
Brooks Chicken Nuggets
To make chicken nuggets, you will need:
- Chicken breast (H-E-B price: $10.26 for five breasts)
- Flour (H-E-B price: $5.03 for five pounds)
- Vegetable oil (H-E-B price: $7.98 for a jug)
- Egg (H-E-B price: $1.38 for a dozen)
- Buttermilk (H-E-B price: $0.98 for a pint)
- Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder
Total Cost: $25.63
Directions:
Cut chicken breast into small chunks. Create a spice mixture of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and chili powder and evenly coat the nuggets. Grab two large Ziploc bags. In one bag, pour a cup of flour and add in the same spices from the mixture. Seal bag and shake to mix. In the other bag, crack one egg and pour in a little buttermilk. Blend the egg and milk (Tip: for spicy nuggets, pour a hot sauce of your choice in the milk and egg mixture and add more cayenne pepper, paprika and chili powder to the flour mixture). Take the seasoned nuggets and put them into the flour mixture. Shake the bag well to coat. Next, put the nuggets into the egg and milk mixture. Shake well to coat. Let marinate for ten minutes. After ten minutes, roll the nuggets again in the flour mixture. Fry in a pan with oil on medium heat for about seven to eight minutes; remove when the nuggets are golden brown. Serve with sauce of choice.
The taste test: Stutz said the nuggets were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
“That is a very good-quality chicken nugget because it’s not dry,” Stutz said. “It’s got a very good sort of kick to it with the spice as well. They paired well with ranch.”
Memorial Southwest Chicken Salad
To make a southwest chicken salad, you will need:
- Chicken breast (H-E-B price: $10.26 for five breasts)
- Romaine lettuce (H-E-B price: $2.78 for a bag of romaine)
- Red onions (H-E-B price: $0.46 for one onion)
- Bell peppers (H-E-B price: $3.79 for three peppers)
- Corn (H-E-B price: $1.18 for a can)
- Mexican shredded cheese (H-E-B price: $5.14 for 16 ounces)
- Ranch (H-E-B price: $2.50 for a bottle)
- Salt, pepper, ground cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika
Total Cost: $26.11
Directions:
Create a spice mixture of salt, pepper, ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and paprika. Roll chicken breast in mixture until evenly coated. Cook in a pan on medium heat until done. While chicken is cooking, heat up corn in the microwave. In a large bowl, add lettuce, diced onions and peppers, corn and shredded cheese. Cover bowl and toss the salad. Dice the chicken breast, add to the bowl and toss again. Create dressing by combining ranch, chili powder and ground cumin. Pour dressing over salad, toss again and put in the fridge for 20 minutes.
The taste test: Rozeboom said the salad didn’t quite hold up to the Memorial version, but it was still good. She said the chicken was seasoned well and paired well with the dressing.
Memorial Cookies
To make chocolate chip cookies, you will need:
- Brown and white sugar (H-E-B price: $2.77 for each 2-pound bag)
- Flour (H-E-B price: $5.03 for five pounds)
- Butter (H-E-B price: $3.07 for four sticks)
- Two eggs (H-E-B price: $1.38 for a dozen)
- Baking soda (H-E-B price: $2.29 for 64 ounces)
- Mini chocolate chips (H-E-B price: $2.55 for a bag)
- Salt
Total Cost: $17.09
Directions:
Heat up two sticks of butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Add to a bowl with one cup of white sugar and one cup of brown sugar. Mix until smooth. One at a time, beat two eggs into the bowl. Then add one teaspoon of baking soda. One at a time, mix in three cups of flour. Once combined, add chocolate chips. Mix until cookie dough is blended. Put the dough in a container and put it in the fridge for about an hour. Once the dough is firm, make small dough balls and put on a cookie sheet. Cook in the oven at 350 F for about nine minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for two minutes. While cooling, sprinkle a pinch of salt over the cookies.
The taste test: Stutz said the cookies were gooey in the center and crispy on the outside, which he said was right in the “sweet spot” of cookie goodness. He also said the cookies were better than current Memorial cookies — although the cookies of Ms. Mei, the cookie maestro who recently retired from Baylor Dining Services, still reign superior.
“They were really good,” Stutz said. “They had a very gooey center and a very crispy outside, which I like because I like cookies on both sides of the spectrum. As of late, [Memorial’s cookies] have been lacking, so I think these are superior. But I would have to give it to Ms. Mei. These cookies were good, but they weren’t ‘Ms. Mei good.’”
