Italy in your apartment

There is a certain aisle in the grocery store I have come to know well. It's the one with boxed dinners like macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and ramen noodles. A few weeks ago I was searching for a meal to try for my blog, and found this one- Pasta Roni. I'm sure many of you are familiar with it's sister brand; Rice-a- Roni. This brand is known for having easy, family friendly, and affordable selections. These adaptations come with a few pasta choices to choose from, but butter and herb italiano caught my eye.

After opening the package I found similar contents to a mac and cheese dinner. It contains a package of dried seasonings, as well as uncooked pasta. The instructions were to boil water, milk, butter, and seasonings then add the pasta. Next you cook the pasta for around eight minutes and that's it! Definitely a do-able thing for 20 year old to do!

The seasonings you added from the packet were prevalent when tasting the food, and added a lot to the dish. It was enough for two people. Although, I would suggest adding a salad or a protein to it if you are feeling a little more hungry than we were.

My only criticism of this dish was that once completed, the sauce was a little runny. The package had warned me about this and said it would thicken upon standing. I felt like this process took a little longer than necessary, so I dumped out some of the sauce and it worked fine. When I re-heated it a few hours later, the sauce was the perfect thickness.

I felt like this dish is an affordable and easy to follow recipe for college students. It's available in all grocery stores, and the brand offers more flavors and well as rice versions to suit your taste buds. I will most likely buy it again for a night in the apartment, and recommend to my fellow students for a great dinner costing less than five dollars.

Food for the carnivore in you

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As some of you may or may not know, the town of Edmond was founded because there were many train tracks running though it and thus, people wanted to live close to transportation.  This week I tried the restaurant called Oklahoma Station BBQ. I attended this restaurant as part of my social service club's fall banquet, but was in for some great BBQ!

This was my first introduction to Oklahoma BBQ, however I am sure it will not be my last. My experience at this restaurant was fantastic, to put it lightly. 

Because this event was considered a catered we only had a choice of three meats; pork tenderloin, chopped beef and sliced beef.  My date and I chose pork tenderloin. The meat tasted smoked and had wonderful flavor, and resembled turkey in taste. 

At Oklahoma Station, there are many choices for side items (almost too many!). Overall, there were about 10 to chose from on the buffet. Out of all of them I chose fried okra, macaroni and cheese, and coleslaw. All of the sides were great tasting, home style items that tasted like family recipes. For more menu options available, please click here. 

The cost I felt was reasonable. For our meals at the banquet which included; a drink, as many sides as we wanted, a piece of Texas toast and a choice of meat, was around $10. While I was there I looked at their menu and things like beef sandwiches were around five dollars. They also offer desserts, take home menu options, as well as a few "healthy choice" selections.

My experience at Oklahoma Station was wonderful and filled with great southern BBQ! I would definitely eat there again and tell my friends about it! For any information regarding locations, catering or franchising click here. 

Italian favorites made by Oklahoman's

Othello's Italian Restaurant of Edmond, OK is a family owned restaurant offering casual and affordable dining. The atmosphere while dining is relaxed, and incorporates traditional Italian decor.

What drew me to this restaurant initially was it's reputation. Around campus and to locals, Othello's is described to have great Italian food and reasonable prices. One thing I have learned in my days as a college student is that if it is approved by that demographic, then you should probably give it a try.

There are many great coupons and special offers given by the restaurant, some listed on their website. Of all of them listed, the best deal I found was 1/2 price pizza on Sunday evenings! To a college student, this means you can get 2 large pizzas, split it with about 6 people and go away only spending about $5! What a great deal! Many of my friends on the Oklahoma Christian campus have made it a tradition of going most Sunday evenings, and taking advantage of their best offer.

Their pizza has a homemade quality about it. It tastes like something your grandma would make that has been passed down for generations in your family. They use many herbs, and offer a great variety of toppings to be added if you would like them.

Another way they set themselves apart from your typical restaurant is the homemade bread given before each meal. It is not your typical bread stick, but a loaf which also tastes like a family favorite.

There are many other Italian favorites, as well as local-inspired meals offered at Othello's, but those I have yet to try. If they taste as wonderful as their pizza did, I'm sure I will be back there to give it a try someday. This restaurant is greatly loved by those whom have tried it, and will continue to be a staple of Edmond restaurant favorites. Recently, their brand has expanded to include a location in downtown Oklahoma City, as well as their first location in Norman.

For more information regarding their menu, coupons and hours of operation, please click here.

Cold weather comfort food

The time of year is approaching when we crave certain foods. Chili, soup and other seasonal favorites pop back in our minds after a year of hibernation. During this time I crave nothing more than a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese. This week, I have decided to write about a soup I have recently re-discovered; Creamy Potato by Bear Creek.

I originally tried this soup a little over a year ago after having my wisdom teeth removed, and remembered it again once the weather started to get cooler (it works great for both occasions, though).

This soup comes dried in a small bag, and claimed to make a half-gallon of soup! The instructions were very simple; boil 8 cups of water, whisk in the mix and let simmer for 15 minutes. So easy I bet a child in middle school could do it, as well as any stove-weary college students!

Another thing college students will be attracted to is the price. To make this half-gallon of soup only costs around 3.50 (less than a trip to the cafeteria).

The taste and portion of the soup well worth the price I paid. I had 5 people at my apartment when I made it and we still had a bowl left over for the next day. However, if you wanted to make it on a Sunday you could probably eat it for lunch the rest of the work week. The taste of the soup is very creamy, with some onions and parsley for flavor which would appeal to a variety of taste palates.

Bear Creek, the makers of this soup, have around ten other kinds of soup including chili, chicken noodle soup and clam chowder. These soups can be found in your local grocery stores soup aisle, along with the canned stuff. To find more information about Bear Creek, or to read about their other products, please click here.

Overall, the soup was delicious, and I would absolutely try it again, as well as other flavors offered by Bear Creek. The easiness of this recipe would be ideal for a holiday party, or if you are craving comfort food on a small budget.