Best Cookies EVER

what you need …

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. Beat butter, sugars, and eggs for 5 minutes. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time.
2. Mix in chips and craisins.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). These freeze very well. Enjoy!!

Easy Recipes: Breakfast Burritos

Due to all of the early mornings I’ve been experiencing lately while working on my finals, I’ve decided to finally post a recipe for a breakfast food. Breakfast burritos, for me, are the ultimate breakfast food. You get your protein from the eggs and meat, a good mix of vitamins from the veggies and salsa, all wrapped in nice tasty tortilla – the perfect alternative to your usual pancakes, waffles, or other overly sugary breakfast treats. All that fine nutrition works perfectly as a morning energy boost to feed your brain before your final exams, or as an excellent hang-over food for the morning after you’ve finished your finals. Plus, they’re super easy to make!

What you’ll need:

Large flour tortillas

1 red or white potato (no russet)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 green bell pepper

1/8 white or red onion

1 thin-sliced steak

Olive Oil

Shredded cheddar cheese

Salsa

What you do:

Eggs: Scramble them! Combine your two eggs with your 1/4 cup of milk, mix up, and fry in a frying pan until all of the mixture of solid.

Vegetables: Cut your potato, onion, and bell pepper into 1/2 inch chunks.  Keep them separate for the time being. Mix 1 teaspoon of olive oil into each of the veggies, coating them lightly. On a hot skillet or frying pan, place the potato chunks and begin to fry. After about five minutes, when the potatoes are starting to brown, add in the rest of the vegetables, and fry for about five more minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the potatoes are squishable with a fork.

Steak: Clean off the frying pan you used for the vegetables (don’t wash it, just get all the veggies off of it). Slice your steak into 1/2 inch slices, and place on the hot frying pan or skillet. Cook until the inside of the steak is brown (with thin-sliced steak, this only takes a couple of minutes)

Finishing it all up: On a tortilla, place a layer of eggs, a layer of steak, and a layer of veggies. If you like, add some shredded cheese and salsa for extra flavor (I like to use a lot of salsa). Wrap it up and enjoy.

Cocktail Of the Week

Step 1: You will need…
7⁄8 fl oz dark rum 7⁄8 fl oz Cointreau 7⁄8 fl oz single cream 120 strawberry ice cubes 1 25ml/50ml shot measure 1 shaker 1 strainer (if the shaker doesn’t include one) 1 cocktail glass 1 knife 1 chopping board	Serves: 1 Preparation Time: 5 minutes

1. Step 2: Prepare your cocktail.

   Begin by filling the shaker half full with ice cubes. Then add the dark rum, Cointreau and cream.

2. Ensure that the lid is firmly secured and shake well.

3. Step 3: Present your cocktail

   Make a small slit in the bottom of the strawberry and place it on the side of the glass.

4. Attach a strainer to the top of the shaker and carefully pour the cocktail into the glass. Enjoy this basic but sophisticated cocktail on a lingering summer’s evening.

Eating Organic In Morgantown

Eating Organic food seems to be a growing trend akin to its sister “going green” movement.  I’ve had a few friends trying to convince me for a while and I finally caved.  Especially after watching the documentary “Food Inc.” But I’m going to break it down for you and tell you about your options for eating organically in Morgantown.

You could try buying locally grown organic food at the Farmer’s Market on Spruce St. on Saturday mornings, but you have to get up real early to check out those fresh fruits and vegetables. I’m nearly positive it closes at noon. So good luck my fellow students! Also, you could try the Mountain People’s Co-Op down on Beechurst right down beside the Hillel House and Vocelli’s Pizza. They’ve got some pretty great stuff there! But I figure most of you will be buying it at the grocery store in its own section. The Sabraton Kroger, my grocery store of choice because of its proximity to my humble abode, offers a pretty decent selection on the amount of frozen foods and some pretty good canned/dried goods too!

Now I figure I’ll give you a list of pros and cons to see how it measures up to “regular food” to help your decision.

PROS:

• First and foremost, the food is absolutely delicious. I’m telling you, you’ve never had a frozen burrito this good before, I’m seriously shocked every time I break one out. The mac and cheese is great, and so are the veggies.
• I’ve noticed that the food I’ve been eating is more filling that usual. I find myself wanting more of the food for the taste, but knowing that I’ll wayyyy tooo stuffed if I make some more.
• Also, I’ve been eating a lot of vegetarian food because it was on sale and holy carp is it good. I never thought I’d like fake chicken.
• Many of the foods last a lot longer, though they don’t have nearly as many preservatives. For instance, organic milk not only tastes better (maybe it’s in my head) but lasts nearly 3 times as long as regular gallons of milk.
• You’re supporting farmers (possibly even local) who don’t use harmful pesticides and take care of their animals.

CONS:

• Organic food is incredibly expensive. As a college student, it’s tough to decide if its worth making the jump if you only come out of the grocery with half of the food.

To be honest, that’s my only real problem with it. I’ve been eating organic food as much as possible for the last few months and I haven’t started to regret it yet. I also really don’t think I’ll ever go back to regular milk again. But I’m serious about those burritos,  get a burrito or chile relleno in the organic frozen food section and you’ll see what I mean.

Easy Recipes: Shrimp Pasta Salad

I have to start this post off by saying I’m no great lover of seafood. I had a bad experience with fish while camping with my overly-creative aunt who found a way to combine the rainbow trout we’d caught the night before with wonder bread, eggs, and my uncle’s home-made “ass-kickin” salsa. As was tradition with my uncle, the kids had to eat first. After making me and my sister choke down an entire plate of what could only be described as fish slop, he sat down, took a bite, and immediately threw out whatever was left of that breakfast. This story has gone down in my family’s history as the only time my uncle has ever apologized for making one of the kids eat something disgusting, and has put me off fish for life. So if you take anything away from these posts I’m writing, please remember to never add fish, or wonder bread, to scrambled eggs. You won’t like the results, and no amount of tongue-searing salsa will cover up the taste of it.

My distaste for eating out fishy friends, however, should not prevent you from enjoying it. On my last easy recipe post, one commenter requested a recipe for a seafood pasta dish, and since seafood is a major meat used in italian food and pasta dishes, it only makes sense to have an easy recipe up here for you seafood-lovers. So here it is: Simple Shrimp Pasta Salad! And don’t worry, I got help from a friend on how to cook the shrimp – I’m not just making stuff up!

Healthy Grilling Tips

By, Cambria Stubelt

It’s that time of year when long, warm days stretch ahead into endless hours of outdoor cooking opportunities. However, if you are watching your waistline, these opportunities can swiftly turn into chances to wreck your diet. Therefore, here are some sure fire ways to indulge in grilled food without packing on any unwanted poundage.

Hotdogs and Hamburgers

These are the basic staples of the grilled food world, but at the same time they can be extremely unhealthy. If you can’t bear the idea of passing up on them altogether, try substituting them with healthier yet similar versions. Instead of beef frankfurters, purchase a dog that is low-fat, low-sodium, and nitrate free. Turkey dogs fit all of these requirements and taste good too. Instead of using just any ground beef for your hamburgers, purchase extra lean beef. Another desirable substitution is turkey or buffalo meat, both of which are lower in calories and fat content.

As far as burger toppings go, aim for dark green, leafy lettuce, fresh tomatoes, or sliced avocado. If you want to have a cheeseburger, use reduced fat cheese or a small amount of a really strong cheese. Another sub in the direction of healthy eating is swapping white buns for whole wheat.

Lean Meats

Marinated chicken breast or fish options (lean fish, shrimp, scallops) are perfect for low-fat, healthy grilling.  If you refuse to give up steaks, simply opt for lean cuts of beef. Filet mignon, flank cuts, and top loin are all leaner cuts of beef. In addition, try to cut out all visible pieces of fat before cooking.

Vegetables

Grilled vegetables are delicious. Grilling them is a tasty way to get in your recommended daily allowance of vegetables while still eating healthy. Mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, and onions all withstand grilling well, but you can use whatever veggies that you enjoy eating. Brush a small amount (2 tbs) of vegetable oil to the surfaces of your veggies and grill away!

Cocktail of the Week

Do you love tequila, but need a new twist from your regular Margaretta? Try this new tequila cocktail recipe… Ive already sampled and must say… I give it Two delightful thumbs up!!

Ingredients

• 10 ounces white tequila
• 12 ounces fresh pineapple juice
• 12 ounces lemon-lime soda
• Crushed ice
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Directions

Combine tequila, pineapple juice, soda, pineapple and mint in a pitcher. Serve over crushed ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Money Saving Recipe

I don’t know about you, but on a rainy dreary day…what i really want to feast on is a nice warm bowl of soup. So here is a super cheap and easy recipe to try:

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Makes 6 Servings Estimated Cost per Serving: $1.95
WHAT YOU NEED:

4 Corn Tortillas (6”) cut in strips
2 1/2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 1/2 cup Red or Green Salsa of choice
2 1/2 cans Low Sodium Chicken Broth (10.75 oz)
2 cups cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cubed
1 cup Yellow Corn, canned or frozen, drained
1 cup Black Beans, canned, drained
1 medium Red Pepper, diced, sautéed
1 large Zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut in fours, sautéed
Sour Cream , fat-free or reduced fat (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

1. Cook Tortilla strips in hot Canola Oil until crisp. Set aside and drain on paper
towel.
2. Combine Salsa and Chicken Broth in a large sauce-pan and bring to a boil over
medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium; add Chicken Breast, Yellow Corn, Black Beans, Red
Pepper (sautéed), and Zucchini (sautéed); heat all the way through.
4. Serve in bowls; top with Tortilla strips and a dollop of  sour cream (optional)

Featured Restaurant: Munchies

By: Austin Sanders

Do you often get hungry late at night and wonder what in the hell you should eat? If so than I think I might have found a solution to your problem. The answer: Munchies.

Location: Munchies authentic flame grilled food is a burger joint located on 432 Spruce St next to Clip Joint and the BB&T on the corner of High St. and Spruce St.

Number: 304-292-4444

Menu

The place is a small diner like setting that smells like a 50′s burgers and fries joint. They have a pretty cool atmosphere inside filled with Reggae music and posters of Stoner movies like Half Baked, Dazed and Confused and How High. It is best to pick the food up and eat at your home/hotel/whatever you call home for that period of time, but if you want to you can eat there. They also deliver late night if you are too lazy or too (blank), I will let you use your imagination, to pick the food up yourself.

Now that you know what is about let’s talk about the food and the pricing.

Pricing: It is a little too expensive, but you normally get a fair sized amount of food for your buck and the food always hits the spot so you know it is quality.

Best food to order:

1) FYAH BURGER-6.50 SPICY DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER, JALAPENOS, PEPPER JACK CHEESE, RANCH

2) RASTA BURGER-4.50 CHEESEBURGER WITH PEPPER JACK CHEESE, JERK SEASONING, CARRIBBEAN SAUCE, LETTUCE AND TOMATO

3)PINEAPPLE EXPRESS-5.75 FLAME GRILLED CHICKEN, PROVOLONE CHEESE, BACON, MARINARA AND PINEAPPLE

Best Munchies to order:

1) PEPPER JACK CHEESE BALLS SM-3.50 LG-6.75

2) FRIED PICKLES SM-3.50 LG-6.75

3)PEPPERONI PIZZA BALLS SM-4.00 LG-7.50

DESSERT: DEEP FRIED OREOS ( This was something I thought sounded good in theory, and than I tasted it…..guess what? Better than I could have ever imagined.  A must try if you’re ordering Munchies.

So the next time you are hungry late at night give Munchies a try. You will enjoy an authentic American taste and your hunger will subside and than I see a Corona/lime and relaxation in the near future!

Enjoy!

Morgantown Farmers’ Market

By Cambria Stubelt

If you are looking to eat healthier, but are disappointed in the quality of produce from local grocery stores, then a farmers’ market may be just what you’re looking for.

In the months of May through October, more than 30 vendors meet every Saturday morning to offer Morgantown food shoppers a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, breads, eggs, and meats.

Since the market opens at 8am and closes at noon, shoppers do have to trade in their ability to sleep in on a Saturday. This could be a potential deal breaker for some students, but I can personally vouch that doing so is worthwhile. The quality and variety of fresh food that is offered at cheap, student friendly prices is definitely worth those few hours of sleep.

Another plus is that by purchasing food at the market you know that you are helping out local family farms, as every product sold there is grown or made within a 50 mile radius.

To draw more locals in, the market often has local musicians perform. They also allow non-profit organizations set up stalls as long as the coordinator okays them in advance.

Visit their website for loads of more information, including a chart of what’s in season, recipes, and contact info.

The farmers’ market is located on the corner of Spruce and Fayette Streets in Morgantown, West Virginia…

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