Tag Archives: dessert

college, Food, lifestyle, student life

My Favorite foods to cook in College

By Tiffany Mays

Edited by Natalie Grace Sipula

[3 minute read]

Over the years, cooking has been a form of catharsis for me. Between class and work, cooking is one of the easiest ways for me to take time out of my schedule for myself. Amongst the highs and the lows of everyday life, preparing food allows me to express myself in ways beyond words. It helps me remember who I am and put aside my worries and insecurities if just for a minute. Each food has a signature scent that I often associate with a moment in my life. Filling the room with aromatic smells of crispy, savory, spicy, or citrusy meals, it’s often hard to pick just one dish. In spite of the array of options available, I always seem to cook exactly what I want. These dishes not only smell delicious, but also help me reminisce on my past, think about the present, and look towards the future as well.

Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash

Food is like an art form, and as the artist I feel it is up to me to create something beautiful whenever I step into the kitchen. Without a doubt, cooking is an art that requires hours of practice, repetition, discipline, and patience. The intricacies of cooking go far beyond simply combining ingredients together, but knowing what flavors, textures, and aromas go together to form the perfect dish. To be an artist in the kitchen is harder than it looks, and trust me I’ve tried. After watching a few Food Network shows, it might seem easy, but chef’s spend years perfecting their craft. While I cannot say that I am there yet, I hope to be in the near future.

The joy of cooking is such an easy thing to incorporate into your life, but many don’t know what dishes they might like to cook. Here’s a few of my favorite dishes to cook in the kitchen for inspiration:

Photo by Max Delsid on Unsplash

Dinner

  • Jerk chicken, rice and peas, and fried plantains

Growing up in a West Indian household, my mom used to make this quite often for our family. Making it now really reminds me of home, and the comfort I felt at that time.

  • Chicken or shrimp empanadas and yellow rice

One of my favorite restaurants in New York City is a Cuban restaurant that served this exact dish at their establishment. While simple, this dish is always a staple in my diet, and easy to make from scratch. 

  • Chicken Parmesan

Inspired by some of the food I used to get in Little Italy, I like to make this dish once per week. One of my favorite pasta sauce’s to pair it with is Rao’s Marinera Sauce.

  • Chicken Lo Mein

Whether I use udon noodles or regular spaghetti noodles for this dish, it always tastes good. I prefer to use bok choy, broccoli, carrots, and green onions for my vegetables, but it’s really up to you what you would like to include.

Photo by Peter Pham on Unsplash

Appetizers

  • Fried Chicken Wings

After marinating the chicken overnight in a mixture of spices, you can’t go wrong with fried chicken wings. It’s a quick and easy meal that everyone loves to eat.

  • Shrimp Calamari

This dish is one of my favorite things to get when I go back home, and is super easy to make at home!

Photo by Aneta Voborilova on Unsplash

Dessert

  • Beignets

These French pastries pair really nicely with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee in the morning.

  • Coconut Cupcakes

Cupcakes are super easy to make from scratch, and by adding a little bit of vanilla and almond extract they taste even better! The coconut adds a fun new flavor that you don’t often see in cupcakes.

I hope this list gave you some ideas for dishes you would like to cook. If you want to start cooking regularly but are still having trouble planning out your meals, I recommend making a list of dishes you know you like and referencing this before you go to the grocery store so you will know what ingredients you need to get for the week!

Featured Image by Abbey Houston on Unsplash

Tiffany is a Master’s Student from New York City studying Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Her Bachelor’s degree is from USC in Human Biology on the Applied Physiology track with a Minor in Health Care Studies. She hopes to pursue a MD-PhD in the near future. She has conducted molecular biology, stem cell biology, and cancer biology research at UPC, HSC, and CHLA. On campus, she participated in many student organizations such as GlobeMed at USC and the Marching Band where she played flute. In her free time, she likes baking, exploring LA, trying new food, and hanging out with friends.

culture, Food, L.A. Life

Best Boba

By Erika Gomi

It’s a late night on campus and you’re working hard. But then it hits you. The craving for boba. Now, since you’re a USC student you have two major options for boba nearby: Boba Time and Cup o’ Joy. But which one should you choose to give your money to? Here is a helpful guide to cure your late night boba cravings.

Boba Time

If you’re on the West side of campus, Boba Time is the closest option to you. Right by the local Taco Bell, all you have to do is exit out of the gates by KAP. It’s orange themed décor welcomes you as you take a step inside. Boba time has a modern feel and extensive menu. They serve coffees, slushes, smoothies, milk foams, milk teas, etc. They even sell acai bowls and macarons for those late-night munchies. The acai bowls are around the same price as Nektar and Amazebowls, around $8. The boba however, is much cheaper. And guess what? Unlike most places, they don’t charge extra for boba! If you order just a milk tea or iced tea, it’s around $3.25. What a steal!

Cup o’ Joy

If you’re on the East side of campus, Cup o’ Joy is probably the closer option. Walk past Gateway and up the street past CVS. It’s a little bit of a trek, but if you love boba, you’ll power through. Cup o’ Joy has a menu very similar to Boba Time, however boba costs extra. The good thing about Cup o’ Joy is that it’s surrounded by other food options. Nearby you have, Subway, Ono’s, and Blaze, to name a few. If boba isn’t enough to satisfy your hunger, you can easily go to another restaurant. However, there’s really no need. Cup o’ Joy, in addition to its many choices in beverage, has food to. You can get a meal set consisting of rice and Chinese fried chicken or just a snack of takoyaki. But if you’re just in the mood for a drink, compared to Boba Time, Cup o’ Joy costs just a little more money, a little more than $4.

Which place is more worth it to visit? That’s really up to you and your taste. If you’re a boba connoisseur, then neither of these places will please you. But if you want something cheap and nearby, you have these two great options.

Photo by Jocelyn & Cathy on Instagram

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L.A. Life, Uncategorized

Must Try Places For Those With A Sweet Tooth

By Jasmine Zahedi

Last year at my club volleyball banquet, I received the “most likely to find a five-star ice cream place anywhere” award. A running joke with my coaches and teammates is that no matter where we travel to for our tournaments, whether it’s Louisville, Kentucky or Kansas City, Missouri, I’m in charge of Yelping and finding the best restaurants for dinner and dessert. I pride myself on this skill and am particularly confident in my ability to choose the best places to satisfy a person’s sweet tooth. My personal favorites in Los Angeles include:

Magpies Softserve

Silver Lake

Photo is author’s own

I first tried their soft serve with some of my teammates, who also have a sweet tooth, after our annual club volleyball holiday party. What impressed me the most was actually not the soft serve itself, but the chocolate honeycomb I chose as a topping. The honeycomb added a perfect “crunch” to already decadent soft serve. Fun fact: all their soft serve flavors and toppings are made in-house.

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