Tag: dhall hack

When Hungry, Mix-it Up

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by Hayoung Chang ‘18

Last Saturday, I decided I had had enough of HUDS food. Don’t get me wrong; HUDS is great. Especially if you employ some of our dhall hacks. But after a rough week of midterms and papers, I wanted to treat myself. My friend and I decided on Mix-It, an Asian fusion restaurant on Mass Ave near the Quad/Law School.

Mix it 1

We arrived at noon, right when it opened. Although usually crowded during weeknights, we were able to enjoy a spacious and lengthy meal that Saturday afternoon. Craving some sushi, we each ordered a special roll – The Kiss of Fire roll and the namesake, The Mix It roll. One caveat, however, is that the special rolls were not accompanied by the staple miso soup and salad like the regular rolls were. When the sushi came out, we were disappointed by the portions. Initially, we thought they had only brought out one roll, when it was actually both rolls. The Kiss of Fire was also extremely spicy due to slabs of jalapeno. You might be thinking that I just have no spice tolerance. But just trust me on this one, I do.

Mix it 2

Still hungry after the meager rolls, we decided to split the yaki soba with shrimp. Service was pretty quick, however, as the noodles were brought out promptly. Although not the most photogenic dish, the noodles were decent. The shrimp was tangy, and the noodles chewy.  The sauce was a bit too greasy for me, though.

Mix it 3

Overall, the lunch was satisfactory. If I had to recommend the place to fellow Quadlings, I would recommend dinner. Although more expensive, the atmosphere and food portions might be worth it.

Mix-it Restaurant

Location: 1678 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138

Reservation: Seatme or Call (617) 547-0212

Overall Rating: 3/5

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 3.5/5

I’ll Have a Grande Vanilla Latte… With Three Scoops of Oatmeal

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by Audrey Thorne ’19

There are a lot of reasons I wanted to try the new Oatmeal-Coffee craze – it solves the problem of not drinking coffee on an empty stomach, it might add flavour to otherwise dreary oatmeal, it is cheap, easy, and quick to make – but the number one reason why I wanted to try oatmeal-coffee is how absolutely strange it sounds. I am not an adventurous eater, but I am a curious one. I wonder what drew people to try replacing the water in oatmeal with coffee, and what led them to keep doing it. Here are the three D-Hall coffee substitutions of oatmeal.

1. Ingredients:

Seattle’s Best Coffee Signature Blend No 4 Decaf Medium-Dark Rich and Quaker Oats

Flavor:

Bitter from the first time the spoon touched my palate, decaffeinated Oatmeal – Coffee is definitely for people who enjoy the taste of coffee. Not my cup of tea (or coffee) but definitely the perfect oatmeal for a coffee lover.

Personal rating: B-

2. Ingredients:

Seattle’s Best Coffee Signature Blend No 4 Medium-Dark Rich and Quaker Oats

Flavor:

When swallowed quickly, it tastes like normal oatmeal. The longer it sits in my mouth, the more bitter it is. Still, every time I finish a spoonful I want another bite. I do not understand what the draw is, but I cannot stop eating it. I definitely had both more oatmeal and coffee together than I would have of either on their own.

Personal rating: B +

3. Ingredients:

Seattle’s Best Coffee Vanilla and Quaker Oats

Flavor:

Sweet with only slight undertones of coffee flavoring. Vanilla Oatmeal-Coffee tastes almost identical to lightly sweetened oatmeal.

Personal rating:

A+

Chicken & Rice Guys, D-hall Style

Published on by mchiang123Leave a comment
by Michelle Chiang ’19
The Chicken & Rice Guys food truck is a familiar sight in the Science Center plaza. Nonetheless, I had always somewhat ignored the block of sunny yellow. Compared to Vietnamese sandwiches and gourmet grilled cheese, who would want to spend money on boring chicken and rice?
My opinion changed the moment I actually tasted that “boring” chicken and rice. The chicken was tender, flavorful, and warm; the rice, lettuce, and sauces blended perfectly into a crisp, smooth mouthful of deliciousness. It got me wondering if I could recreate the taste in the d-hall. Who wouldn’t want to eat Chicken & Rice Guys all the time?
After doing a bit of research, I’ve concluded that perfectly recreating the dish is impossible without considerable amounts of time, effort, and spices (to prove my point, here’s a recipe for a similar halal food truck in New York City). However, it IS possible to create an approximation that isn’t too shabby. Best of all, you won’t need to buy anything on your own, and you can substitute ingredients and alter proportions to make it as healthy or indulgent as you want.

Ingredients:

grilled chicken
lettuce (and any other vegetables you want)
rice (I used brown rice for my meal, but feel free to use any other kind of rice!)

White Sauce:

1 /2 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice (Yes, they have this in the d-hall.)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoons vinegar (Yes, they also have non-balsamic vinegar in the d-hall. HUDS is just full of surprises, isn’t it?)
2 tablespoons ranch or blue cheese dressing
salt and pepper to taste
(Helpful tip: 1/2 cup is about half of a d-hall soup bowl. You can use the d-hall spoons for teaspoons and tablespoons.)
Enjoy!
IMAG1213

Fried Rice

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by Michelle Chiang ’19

We’ve all been there – you walk into the dining hall, and nothing really piques your appetite. You could settle for a salad, but that’s hardly satisfying. You could splurge and eat out, but you don’t want to spend money. What to do?

Fortunately, there’s a third option that’s ALWAYS available: make your own meal. More specifically, make your own fried rice.
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Fried rice is unbelievably easy to make. At home, my family often makes it with whatever ingredients are at hand: rice (of course), steamed vegetables, egg, leftover meat. Here’s my dhall version of fried rice.
(Feel free to add, remove, or change any part or the recipe! Everything is entirely up to you and your tastes.)

Ingredients:IMAG1067

brown rice
over-easy egg (from the grill)
vegetables (whatever’s in the dhall that day)
sesame oil
soy sauce

Recipe:

1.Dump everything in a bowl.
2. Mix.
3. Eat and be happy.
Enjoy!

Cheesy Sweet Potato Fries

Published on by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

by Dana Ferrante ’17

It’s Wednesday at 12:10pm. You’re in the servery. Well, it’s not just you, but about 30 other people who decided to eat at 12:10 just like you did. (How inconsiderate of them! #butactually.) First the trays run out, then the forks, and finally, your patience is gone.

Then, from the end of the line, you see a mouthwatering mountain of sweet potato fries…Heaven. It’s finally your turn in line, and everything is right with the world.

This d-hall hack is for the days when you want sweet potato fries, and sweet potato fries only. This fry/nacho hybrid is quite simple, low-commitment, and only involves 2 seconds of your precious, between-class time.

 

 

IMG_0948

You’ll need…

  • A nice big plate of sweet potato fries
  • Cheese: feta from the salad bar, cheddar from the chili station, American/Swiss cheese from the sandwich
  • Scallions from the chili station
  • If you like it hot… Try some chill powder, hot pepper flakes, anything you can find.

How it’s done:

  1. Get some sweet potato fries. Pile on any cheese you’d like, some scallions, and anything you can think of that tastes good with cheese and potatoes.
  2. Throw it in the microwave. 45 seconds will do it.
  3. YUM!

Dipping Sauce Ideas:

  • Sour cream mixed with dill (you know, those spices you always think about using but never do?)
  • Sriracha
  • Your classic fries and ketchup
  • Who knows, maybe even mustard

 

Peanut Butter Cookies

Published on by mchiang123Leave a comment

by Michelle Chiang ’19

I’ve always loved peanut butter – so much so, in fact, that for my 11th birthday I asked for peanut butter as a present. I also really like cookies. Put the two together, and you achieve perfection: peanut butter cookies are heavenly. Unfortunately, they’re also nowhere to be found in the dining halls. To date, I only remember HUDS serving peanut butter cookies twice, and they were a far cry from the melt-in-your-mouth masterpieces found at places like Insomnia Cookies. It’s culinary discrimination. Chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin get their fair representation, but when that peanut-butter-cookie craving strikes, where can a desperate student turn?

They say that desperation is the mother of invention, and this article is about to prove that saying true.
IMAG1017
Plain, boring ranger cookies
I think inspiration struck one night in Dunster dining hall. Brain break featured a tray of Ranger cookies, a sugary offering to the bleary-eyed students running on three hours of sleep. While Ranger cookies do have strong points, such as their satisfying crunch and slight hint of coconut, they obviously lack peanut butter. I picked up a cookie. My gaze landed on the ever-present container of peanut butter at brain breaks. I smeared a plump dollop of peanut butter onto the cookie, hesitantly took a bite, and…
Sweet, sweet success.
The creamy peanut butter provides perfect contrast to the crunch of the Ranger cookie. It also makes overbaked and dry cookies seem softer, more soothing on the tongue. Both organic peanut butter and normal peanut butter work; since the cookie contains more sugar than is probably necessary, the organic peanut butter will also taste sweet.
 In short, it’s a win for everyone.
IMAG1019
Divinely transformed Ranger cookies.

VOTE HERE: 2nd Annual Dining Hall Hack Competition

Published on by The Crimson CraveLeave a comment

Below are our best submissions to the second annual dining hall hack competition.  Until Friday, November 20th, vote here for your favorite entry! The winner will get to pick a recipe off the blog to be made and delivered to their dorm after Thanksgiving break.

 

Chicken, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Burrito (by Nolan Hellickson):

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
2 fried over easy eggs
2 slices of swiss cheese
blue cheese dressing
oregano
pepper
veggie of choice (onions and mushrooms)
tortilla

Instructions
1. Order a chicken breast and 2 fried over easy eggs from the grill with swiss cheese
2. Slice the chicken into small pieces, put in the wrap with the eggs and cheese
3. Add veggies and drizzle with blue cheese dressing
4. Add oregano and pepper
5. Wrap the burrito and place in the sandwich press
6. Enjoy a perfect burrito

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl (by Amanda Heffernan):

IMG_0926
Ingredients:
1 grilled chicken breast
edamame
sliced carrots
honey
soy sauce
sesame oil
sriracha
rice
Directions:
Order some grilled chicken, dice it up, and add it to a bowl of rice with edamame and sliced carrots from the salad bar.
For sauce, mix three parts soy sauce, one part honey, one part sesame oil, and one part sriracha. Stir well with a fork and combine with the chicken, rice, and veggies.
Blueberry Waffle (by Katelyn McEvoy):
IMG_1804
Ingredients:
waffle batter
blueberries
whipped cream

Directions:

Get a plastic cup 2/3 full of batter and add one big spoonful of blueberries (without much liquid), then mix it up well with a spoon. Spray the waffle iron and pour in the batter, starting in the center and then making sure it spreads to the edges. Cook for about 15 seconds longer than called for, then top with whip cream and enjoy