I’m excited to say that this will be my last blog post from home! I’m moving in this Friday and resuming my on-campus college experience after a nearly 3 month winter break. One of the best parts about being home is having a kitchen, and I’ve taken advantage of it during the past few months to learn how to cook more meals. Before this break my cooking skills were subpar at best, but staying at home has helped me sharpen my skills in the kitchen. I have added a few more dishes to my repertoire that are a fairly healthy and cheaper alternative to eating out, and honestly, they’re really fun to cook, too. I only have enough words to describe a couple, so I’ll just give you my favorites.

The first dish is a breakfast bowl, or as I call it, a Beckfast Bowl. Although it’s a simple recipe, it’s a delicious and filling meal to energize me for the day. I start by pan frying pre-sliced potatoes (sorry, hand-slicing takes way too long). While they are cooking, I scramble 3 eggs in a separate pan and put a few slices of bacon or sausage in the microwave. Once the eggs and potatoes are done cooking, I combine them into one pan and shred colby jack cheese on top. Once the cheese is mixed in and melted, I crumble the microwave bacon and add it to the pan, along with salt and pepper. It only takes 15 minutes, tastes amazing, and the clean-up is fast, so it’s a perfect way to start the morning! Unfortunately, however, Packer Hall does not have a kitchen, so I’ll sadly have to take a break from this breakfast tradition while I’m on campus. If you do have access to a kitchen, though, it’s definitely something worth trying, especially if you have more ideas for ingredients.

For lunch, I’ve started making wraps using our sliced lunch meat. The process is really easy; in fact, it’s quick enough to do during my 15 minute break before English class. To start, I heat up a couple slices of ham and/or turkey on a pan for about 20 seconds. Then, I set them aside and heat up a tortilla on the pan. Once it’s warm, I add 2 slices of cheese and the ham/turkey, and spread some salsa on top. After that, I take two spatulas and use them to fold in 3 sides of the wrap (otherwise all of the juices spill out of the back). As the finishing touch, I press the bottom and top of the folded wrap on to the pan for about 20 seconds each. In about 5 minutes, the wrap is ready to eat, so it’s a quick and easy lunch for between classes.

(Unfortunately, I never took a picture of one and now we’re out of lunch meats, so a similar picture online will have to suffice).

I’m still a work-in-progress, but cheffing in the kitchen is definitely a hobby I’m going to stick with whenever I’m at home or when I have a kitchen next semester. I know I’ll miss it for the next few months while I’m at Packer Hall.

These first few blog posts for this semester are going to be tricky. When I’m on campus, it’s easy to find new experiences and perspectives to write about as I integrate into the college life during my freshman year. At home, however, everything is familiar and mundane, so my topic ideas are a little bit more limited. Until I go back next Friday, I’ll simply have to be a little creative about aspects of my freshman year at home that make it memorable and exciting. Compared to the constant social hub of Penn State, taking classes at home in an empty house while my parents are at work can get lonely and boring sometimes. Although my homework and other activities keep my busy, I’m thankful to have my dog, Willow, to keep me company throughout the day, so I’m going to dedicate this blog post to talking about her. Plus, I just love talking about her.

Willow is a 2-year-old, 145 pound Great Dane, so in terms of dogs, she’s about as close as you can get to a human roommate. Trust me when I say the pictures don’t do it justice…she is massive. When we brought her home a couple years ago, she was just a cute little 10 pound puppy. Within a year, she had already grown to the size she is today. People always wonder what it’s like having a dog that’s the size of a small horse walking around your house, and honestly, it’s awesome, especially when she’s as calm-tempered and chill as she is. To me, it honestly feels like having a roommate to hang out with while going about my day, so it makes the days seem less monotonous.

Most mornings, I wake up to her laying on the ground outside of my bedroom door, taking up nearly the entire hallway. Then, she follows me downstairs to see what I’m making for breakfast. If I’m cooking eggs, she always makes sure I know that she wants some by staring right at the frying pan, which is easily at eye-level for her. While I’m doing my work or taking classes for most of the day, she either lies down next to me or sleeps on the couch, aside from occasionally walking over to me and hitting me with her paw to show me she wants to be pet or go outside to run around. Besides that, she does her own thing. Simply stated, her day pretty much consists begging for my food, playing outside, sleeping, and walking from one sleeping spot to another: a chill schedule for a chill dog. 

During the week when I have classes, I love having an easy-going dog like Willow because she barely adds any stress to my schedule. In fact, she makes the weeks at home alone so much better by keeping me company and improving the long, repetitive college schedule. It may not be as fun as being on Penn State’s campus, but she sure makes home a lot more enjoyable.