What's in your fridge?

This time next week, students on campus are going to be packing up for a relaxing weekend filled with homemade Thanksgiving food, hilarious family arguments, and the overwhelming desire to loosen our belts after that second slice of pumpkin pie. Some of us may be lucky enough to already be stuck in terrible traffic on the bridge.

But what about all that food you have left in your refrigerator? Many would agree that leaving something to rot in the fridge over Thanksgiving break doesn't make for a pleasant welcome back Sunday night. Luckily, we've found a solution that doesn't involve bagging up your leftovers into the trash.

www.myfridgefood.com is the ultimate recipe generator that finds a delicious recipe for you posted by students like you (if you're in the "college corner" section) including only the ingredients in your fridge. Goodbye wastefulness, hello delicious meal. The Web site allows you to check off various beverages, condiments, dairy products, snacks and more and quickly whips up a recipe. The site offers easy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert, and lists the nutritional values for each dish.

Various dishes we've managed to generate using ingredients we discovered in our friends' fridges include warm baked apples, cheeseburger pies (don't knock it till you try it!), tuna quesadillas and tons of desserts made up of Jello, Oreos, M&Ms, marshmallows and any other sweet treat you can possibly add to a graham cracker.

So before you skiddadle home to give thanks around the dinner table this holiday season, take a peek into yours and your friends' fridges to find a great recipe - it's already there. Keep craving!

Blueberry- Mascarpone Crepes

There are thousands of awesome recipes on food network's website foodtv.com, but this may be the best one on there. It definitely takes some time and effort, but it's an impressive breakfast that is well worth the time. Perfect to make for your family or significant other on break. 

Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, 2003. 

Ingredients: 

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grate orange zest

1 taspoon Grand Marnier liqueur ( Did without this and it still tasted awesome) 

Pinch of salt

12 crepes

blueberry sauce

1 pint blueberries

confectioners sugar

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/blueberry-mascarpone-crepes-recipe/index.html

check out the link for instructions and directions on how to make the 3 components: The crepes, the filling and the blueberry sauce. Keep Craving!

Restaurant Pick: Maharaja

We've always been huge fans of Indian food- and Maharaja, located on Capitol Trail just 10 minutes from campus, has only increased this liking. A floor mate suggested this restaurant to us and we've been hooked ever since. For some reason, people usually have an aversion to indian food. They've heard that its too spicy and are afraid to try it. Realistically, most dishes can be ordered "mild." A few weeks ago, we tried this out with friends and although five of them had never had indian food before- all of them said they would gladly return. While literally everything we've tried at this restaurant has been awesome, here are a few things to try depending on how adventurous you are, that the restaurant does better than the rest.

First Timers:

Samosas- They're are an awesome appetizer and a classic Indian dish- they're crispy fried patties stuffed with vegetables like potatoes and peas and spices.

Chicken Tika Masala- Another classic dish, that when ordered mild, isn't a culinary stretch for anyone to make. The chicken, served in a creamy tomato sauce is delicious, especially here.

Vegetable Briyani- Basmati rice cooked with seasonal vegetables and Indian spices served with yogurt sauce. Its a delicious side dish- and great for vegetarians.

Pros:

Spicy Shrimp Pakoras- shrimp marinated with chick peas, flour and spices. First- timers will probably like this one too.

Lamb Korma- There are a ton of lamb dishes that are excellent here, this is just one of the good ones. Korma is an amazing cream sauce, and again, this place does it really well.

Palak Paneer- A creamy spinach dish best eaten when Naan, or fresh baked white flour bread, is dipped in it. I especially like this with Garlic Naan, I can't explain it but the flavor combination is amazing.

For Dessert, everyone can enjoy Gulab Jamun, Golden fried cheese rolls soaked in honey. They sound a little exotic but they taste a lot like donuts, and who doesn't like those? Maharaja offers a variety of dishes for people with a variety of tastes. These are just some of the great dishes here. Sunday night is buffet night where you can take a taste of everything and we highly suggest trying things this way. Overall, Maharaja is a great restaurant and probably the best we've tasted. So take a drive down, and keep craving!

Best Brunch

There's nothing better than waking up after a long night and eating a filling and delicious brunch or breakfast. Since last night was Halloween, this seems incredibly pertinent right now. Main Street offers many cheap and tasty brunch options that are not to be missed. Here are the best of the best.

1) Home Grown has a Sunday brunch which mixes up traditional menu items and a few new flavors. The Brioche French Toast is made with cinnamon egg batter and pecan butter and it's a cool twist on a traditional breakfast item. For $8.50, it's a bit more expensive than the default bagel option but it is also very filling and can be saved as leftovers.

2) Few know this, but Santa Fe Mexican Grill actually has a breakfast menu packed full of filling and exotic dishes. Their breakfast Quesadilla is a huge meal- corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, your choice of meat, eggs and onions for only $6.49. But if you feel like going for a more traditional Mexican breakfast option, their Huevos Rancheros (fried eggs covered in salsa and served with rice and tortillas) is also a crowd pleaser for only $5.99. Both meals give you bang for your buck and are the perfect hangover cure.

3) Deer Park also has a Sunday Brunch menu that features over 20 new options. If you're feeling like something savory, go for the Frittata, an Italian omelette with broccoli, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese for $ 9.95. If you can't decide what you want, Deer Park offers the biggest and best option called BB # 1. This comes with three eggs, two pieces of french toast or two pancakes, home fries, bacon, sausage and ham for $9.50. This meal offers everything and most likely will provide breakfast the next day as well (depending on your appetite).

4) And of course, when in doubt- Newark Deli and Bagel always offers a satisfying meal for cheap prices and with great finds like their amazing chicken salad and their blueberry cream cheese spread, its an easy way to find a breakfast or brunch that everyone will love for both price and taste.

These options can help make the morning after a little better for everyone. So try them out and keep craving!