Tired of J Street and missing Momma’s home cooking? Follow these dorm-friendly recipes for a homemade dinner to impress your roommates and friends. No oven? No problem. These recipes are microwaveable. Not only will you be making gourmet food in your room, but you will be reducing energy consumption by two-thirds by not using a conventional oven. All of these ingredients can be purchased at Trader Joe’s, Safeway or, better yet, Foggy Bottom’s farmers’ market held Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Bon appétit!

Cooking tips:
– 1 coffee mug is about 1 1/2 cups
– 1 soup spoon is about 1 tablespoon
– A microwave-safe container should be ceramic, heavy-duty plastic or glass. Do not use metal.

Pasta with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil

Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 2
– 3 cups pasta, preferably a smaller grain like macaroni or bow ties
– 5 cups water
– 3 tbsp. olive oil
– 1 container of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
– 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, grated mozzarella or parmesan
– Fresh basil (optional)
– Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine pasta, 1 tbsp. olive oil and water in microwave-safe bowl. Place bowl on a plate, in case the water boils over while cooking in the microwave. Cook pasta for 10 to 11 minutes. (If you double the recipe, double the cooking time.)

2. Microwaves vary from room to room. If you find your pasta isn’t cooked all the way through after 11 minutes, put it back in for another minute or more. If there is no water left in the pasta bowl and the pasta is not cooked, add another 1/2 cup of water to the bowl.

3. While pasta is cooking, cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Put aside.

4. Take ball of mozzarella and slice it into rounds. Place rounds flatly down and cut rounds into eighths, creating cubes. Put aside.

5. When pasta is finished, let stand until bowl is cool enough to handle. Take your spoon and hold it against the bowl as you allow excess water to drain out, making sure your pasta doesn’t fall out.

6. Combine tomatoes and mozzarella in pasta bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsp. olive oil over the pasta. Add salt and pepper. Cut basil leaves with scissors over pasta. Toss and serve.

Ice cream with peach sauce

Cook time: 5-7 minutes
– 1 pint ice cream
– 3 tbsp. water
– 3 peaches
– 2 tbsp. sugar
– Lemon juice (optional)

1. Slice peaches off their stone and cut slices into thirds. Place in microwaveable bowl or mug.

2. Combine sugar, lemon juice and water. Microwave for 5-7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.

3. Serve over your favorite type of ice cream!