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.

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.