Cheap, Easy DIY for College Students

These are so good, you’ll never believe they came from a microwave! For all those people stuck in dorms with no stoves.

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It’s really simple! All you do is buy a strand of beaded ribbon (it can be found in the craft section of Wal-Mart or in Hobby Lobby) that matches your decor and hot glue it to the bottom and top ridges of the lampshade. The lampshade below went through this process, and now it looks great! We only glued the ribbon to the bottom half, though, because doing the top also would have been a little too much. If you have a large lamp, like the one below, you’ll need to buy two strands of beaded ribbon (two packages).

I wrote down this recipe for baked chicken with spinach stuffing when I was watching Oprah. Apparently the woman who concocted this recipe was awarded $1 million in prize money at a cooking competition. I’ve made it before, and althought I would necessarily say it’s worth a million bucks, it’s still good and it’s fun to say you’ve made the million-dollar recipe.

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Brought to you by Shandi’s grandma. When we cook Indian tacos I make it a point not to eat the entire day beforehand because they are just too yummy. We usually synch up Indian taco night with Nip/Tuck night on Tuesdays because it makes for the best evening ever. This recipe is separated into two different sections, one for the toppings and one for the fry bread.

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Here’s some easy ways to make your house look like a home.

• Light well. Install several lights in a room. Having only one hanging fixture creates dark corners.
• Plan seating. Have enough for four people, with extra pieces in reserve for company. High-backed sofas are comfiest.
• Keep cozy. Curtains instead of panels can block drafts and make rooms feel more enveloped.
• Be flexible. Opt for versitale items like a low bench when there’s a crowd.
• Preserve space. A coffee table should be two thirds the length of the facing sofa; if it is too long, it will obstruct traffic.
• Maximize rugs. They delineate a seating area and should extend beneath furniture to tie pieces together.
• Pick low arms. Low arms on a chair or a sofa create uniterrupted views and help a room feel less cramped.

These tips were taken from the June 2006 issue of Glamour magazine and are excerpts from the book The Comfortable Home by Jane Burdon.

This has a really simple flavor, is cheap and easy to make, and pretty much defies all physics. (I don’t really know anything about physics, but how does the cream cheese not melt? How?!)

Ingredients:

• 1 4-oz. can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh dillweed or 1/2 tsp. dried whole dillweed
• 1 8-oz. package cream cheese
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

Directions:

Unroll dough on a lightly floured surface. Press seams together to form a 12×14 inch rectangle. Sprinkle and gently press minced dillweed onto top of cream cheese. Place cream cheese, dillweed side down, in center of dough. Bring sides of dough snugly around cheese, pinching to seal. Place seam-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Serve warm with crackers.

These are so good and easy to make. Like ugly cake, these aren’t very attractive, either, but the smell of them alone makes you want to devour the whole batch. I call them our white trash hourdervs. They’re great plain or dipped in sour cream or ranch.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of sausage
• 1 cup Bisquick
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Directons:

Let sausage and cheese warm to room temperature. Combine all ingredients and mix with hands. Shape into 1 1/2-inch wide balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Great reheated!

The classic ugly cake from my mom. Don’t worry, it tastes better than it looks.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 box confectioner’s sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1 8-oz container cream cheese
• 1 1/2 chopped pecans

Directions:

Combine cake mix, 1/2 stick butter, 2 eggs and pecans together by hand. Spread in 9 x 13 greased and floured pan. Mix the remaining 2 eggs, butter, cream cheese, and sugar together. Spread over cake mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Next time you recieve roses (from your parents, significant other…whatever) a great idea is to dry them upside down and use them as decoration. Shandi and I have them hung up in a few places around the house, and we also use them as end table decorations. Here’s an easy way to do it: Tear off all extra leaves (all the ones that are on the stems and about half of the ones that are mixed in with the buds) and secure the stems with a rubber band. Hang upside down on a nail, using the rubber band as a hanging device. Once they are dry, you can leave them where you hung them originally or move them wherever you want. Remember to be careful! Obviously, they’re very fragile.

From Shandi’s mom!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 package vanilla instant pudding (small box)
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/3 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, sugars and pudding mix in bowl. Beat until smooth. Beat in eggs. Add flour mixture, then stir in oatmeal and raisins. Drop by rounded spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about five dozen cookies.