Recipe 1: Garlic Potato "Hash"

Here is my first attempt at cooking in the dorm! Now, I learned a lot from this first attempt. And I will be honest and say this was a pretty bad failure.

The first thing that fell apart was that my original recipe. Originally I had planned to make a spaghetti sauce out of the potatoes and other items I had. Unfortunately, I overlooked one key item that I needed: a can-opener. Now, I was told the desk had one, however when I went down to cook it was no where to be found. Since I don't know that many people and am painfully shy I didn't ask to borrow one from anyone.

So, my tomato paste, tomato sauce, and pasta will have to be used another day. I still plan on making spaghetti real soon. The pasta-carbs are calling for me.

Afterwards, I made the mistake on over-seasoning. No matter how much you love a flavor, you need to consider what that flavor might be bring to the food. For me, you can't have enough garlic. However, you can have enough garlic salt. I made the dish way too salty to enjoy for very long.

What probably could've saved me from this terrible salty fate was if I had just approached someone to help me. I have a small jar of pre-cut garlic that would've added the garlic taste without the overwhelming amount of sodium. I couldn't open it myself but was far too shy to go up and ask someone for help.

It too will have to be used another day.

And finally, the last mistake I made: always make sure what you are cooking with is properly secured. I didn't use all of my chopped up onion in this recipe and placed it up. Sadly, when walking back to my room, a good portion of it dumped out onto the hallway floor.

Horrible and embarrassing. Ugh.

So in short, be aware of these few things:

1) Make 100% sure the dorm has the utensils that you need
2) Don't over-season
3) Be willing to approach people
4) Always have your food properly secured

But besides that, I think this is a recipe would be really tasty if made right. So I plan on giving it another shot in the future.

The following recipe is based on what I should've done. And unfortunately, neither the taste rating or leftover rating will be available this time due to my mistakes.

Price: (to be announced)

Ease to Make: If prepared for it, not hard at all. Just some minor preparation and mostly just letting the food sizzle in a pan.

Taste: Unable to determine

Time: Overall - about 40 minutes (20ish for prep and 20ish for cooking)

Leftovers: Unable to determine

Now don't be turned off by this. As said before, it was due to not being prepared that I fell short on a lot of things. The prep-time may also be determined based on each individual. I am not the best with cutting onions and I want them very fine so it took me a while to cut. Also, I recommend heating the potato in a microwave for about 7 to 10 minutes before hand so that it is cooked, you're just browning it and letting is absorb the flavor. And that is basically all it took for prep-time.

What you will need:

Utensils

1 Pan/Skillet

1 Big Spoon

1 Small Spoon

1 peeler or 1 knife

1 Cutting Board

1 Cutting Knife

2 to 3 small bowls (depending on your vegetables)

Kitchen Area

1 Stove top

Ingredients

1/2 White Onion: Unless you go to a Farmer's Market or a more top-notch grocery store (like Central Market or Market Street) you will typically have to purchase a larger size onion. Luckily, they don't get bad real fast. So you now have it for another recipe!

1 Potato: A pretty decent size Idaho one. However, if you prefer another flavor it should work just as well. Luckily, you can purchase potatoes individually.

Pam

Butter: Just a very small amount for the pan. This does add some creamy flavor and helps keep the vegetables from sticking, but don't get an unhealthy amount.

Garlic: At many grocery stores they have pre-chopped garlic in small jars. A great way to get that garlic flavor without getting it fresh and getting your hands smelly.

Garlic Salt: This is my seasoning of choice. I love garlic so many recipes I do will have garlic in it. However, you might want to substitute this for another spice of your choice.

Salt & Pepper: Market Pantry offers two nice size salt and pepper shakers (together) for under a dollar.

Spinach: This was my choice this time. It was the only one I really had in stock. However, you could put in any or many that you like. Now with spinach, be aware it shrinks a lot as it cooks. You will want to have at least a big handful for the recipe.

You can also add almost any meat into something like this recipe as well. The great thing about this "hash" is it is a great carrier for most any vegetable and meat product.

Prepping

You can start the cooking process in your dorm room if you don't want to take up too much space down in the kitchen area. If you have vegetables that need cutting (potatoes, onions, etc.) then you can do it up in your room.

1) Wash the vegetables you're using.

2) Wrap the potato in a damp wash-cloth or paper towel and put it in the microwave for 7 to 10 minutes.

3) While it is cooking, cut the onion in half. Make sure the wrap the other half-up and refrigerated until you need it again.

*Be careful as you cut!

4) Chop the onion to your preferred consistency (finely vs. thick)

5) Take one of your small bowls and fill it up with the onions.

6) Take the potato, peel it, then cut it up to bite-size pieces. (the potato was so well cooked, the skin came off without a need of a peeler)

Cooking

1) Spray the pan with Pam and put a little bit of butter in it. Let the pan get hot (use the water-drop test to see if it is hot enough)

2) Add the chopped onions and half a table-spoon of chopped garlic and let them saute (the time might vary depending on how hot the pan is and how well the stove works) for about 6 to 7 minutes.

* Remember to stir every so often so that the onions do no burn!

3) Add some of the salt and pepper (season to personal taste)

4) Add the potato bites in and stir in with the onions

5) Add in the rest of the seasoning (season to personal taste)

6) Once the potato is starting to brown and crisp up add in the Spinach (spinach takes only about a minute or two to cook so make sure it's last)

*Remember to stir every so often!

7) Take back up and enjoy!

Now, the great thing about this "hash" is that most everything can be replaced by something else. Potato too starchy for you? Put in squash or cauliflower as a replacement. The only things you should keep are the onions, pepper, and salt.

Recommended Add-ons:

Deli sliced turkey or ground turkey (if you choose ground, you will have to cook that with your onions and will add to the cook time)

Chicken breast (you can get a lot of bagged, pre-cooked chicken breast. But it will also add a few minutes to your cook time)

Bell peppers (will add to prep and cook time)

Carrots (will add to prep and cook time)

BTW: In the near future, I will be getting a camera so I can document the results.

So, while not the most successful of cooking adventures, I at least took the step to get out and make an attempt. It is very hard to cook in an unfamiliar place surrounded by unfamiliar people. It might take a while to get comfortable. So give yourself enough time and don't put too much pressure on yourself. If going out like this is hard for you, make sure you start off with something easy and simple to build yourself up.

Don't let a rough start get you down. Just step back and take a break for a bit before giving it another try. All of this is just a learning experience and will take a some time to get comfortable. Just as long as you keep going and don't give up on this, you will do great!