The Eastern Burger

First week back, and already I can tell that this '53 Commons thing is going to spoil some of my recipes. So, sorry about that. I didn't really post as much as I wanted to last term, but I hope that this term will be different. To kick things off for 11S, I thought about doing a burger and decided that I also wanted to do something a little bit unusual. This is what I came up with…


You will need:

1 Hamburger

Lettuce

Tomato

Unflavored yogurt

Cucumbers

Onions

Onion rings

Cayenne pepper

Garlic powder

Cinnamon

Dark chili powder

Celery seed


This dish is a lot easier to prepare than it looks (the ingredients list is rather misleadingly long). You need to go to the grill at Foco (I refuse to call it '53 commons unless I am talking about it negatively) and get a hamburger with onions and a side of onion rings. Then, go to the salad bar and grab 5-6 cucumber slices. Finally, get yourself an unflavored yogurt. Once you have all of your ingredients you can prepare your burger. One of the things that makes the burger interesting in flavor is the spiced onion rings that go on it. To make them, simply sprinkle the above spices on the rings (only use a pinch of cinnamon, but don't be afraid of the others). Since a burger can be rather dry (especially one from '53 commons, note that I used the name negatively), I came up with a yogurt sauce to use in lieu of ketchup or mayo. Mix the onions into the yogurt. Then, cut the cucumbers into small pieces and put them in as well. Then, spread the mixture onto the bun and your burger is ready to go! As a great side, you have more spiced onion rings with your yogurt dipping sauce. Enjoy…

The Eastern Burger, courtesy of DDS and Sam, I am.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

I haven't done a vegetarian dish in a long time, so this one is for the veggies. This kind of dish doesn't really constitute a meal. This is the kind of thing that I might make to share with a bunch of my friends (though it is good enough to eat a whole plate by yourself, so be careful). You might also want to just take the ingredients back to your dorm and make some for the next time you're having a floor-wide Jersey Shore viewing (does that only happen on my floor?). This dip is probably the best way to get people to eat some vegetables because spinach and artichokes are absolutely delicious (especially with cheese in a creamy dip). So, let's get into it…


You will need:

Spinach

Artichokes

Shredded cheese

Mayonnaise

Cream cheese

Garlic powder

Parmesan cheese

Water


This is probably the most difficult to construct of any of my dishes, but don't let that discourage you (I promise it's worth the effort). To make the pita "chips" that are in the photo above, you must go to Homeplate (just put the pita slices in the toaster until they are brown and crispy), but to make the dip you just need to go to any of the dining halls and check out the salad bar to see if they have both spinach and artichokes (it took a few days before I got to the right dining hall at the right time).Let's start by clarifying how much of each ingredient you will need: one full small salad bowl full of artichokes, another full of spinach and another half full of shredded cheese (feel free to approximate by using one big bowl). You will also need 3 packets of mayonnaise, 5 packets of cream cheese, one to-go condiment container full of parmesan cheese, a few pinches of garlic powder, and a large to-go soup container 1/2 filled with water. The first thing you should do is put all of the spinach and artichokes in the to-go bowl of water and microwave it for a minute and thirty seconds, then drain the excess water over the garbage. Next, put all of the cream cheese on the bottom of one of the small to go containers (not a plastic one because you can't microwave those) and microwave it for a minute. Then, combine all of the ingredients (save for some cheese) in the same container and mix them thoroughly, top it with cheese (this isn't standard for spinach and artichoke dip, but I prefer it this way, feel free to leave it out), and then microwave it for thirty seconds, or until most of the cheese on top has melted. Then, sit down and share your…


Spinach & Artichoke Dip brought to you by DDS and Sam, I am.