Author Archives: Lauren Raab

What with all the normal college expenses ““ course readers, rent, $300 Han Solo action figures ““ it’s easy for money to run out unexpectedly. Then you have to trim costs by cutting unnecessary items ““ hair dye, liquor runs, textbooks ““ from your budget. But there are very few times when it’s OK to […]

When you come back to Los Angeles from break, you never know exactly how your apartment will look or what your roommates have been up to while you were gone. But knowing your roommate, you have a pretty good idea. That’s why you’re only a little bit surprised when your very first step through the […]

I am having a lasagna contest and you’re invited. If you e-mail me the best lasagna recipe on campus by the end of this month, I’ll make you a free dessert. You see, this week hasn’t been working out so well for me in the food department. I was craving lasagna, but didn’t know how […]

Every once in a while, you feel fatigued or cranky and you don’t know why. Then you realize something is amiss in your diet, and the world makes sense again. Sometimes you’re missing meat. Sometimes it’s fresh vegetables. Sometimes you’ve overdone it with the refined sugar. And sometimes the person with the problem isn’t you. […]

Pudding cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts. It contains only two ingredients ““ graham crackers and chocolate pudding. The alternating starchy and creamy layers soak into each other, making a striped, wiggly confection that’s cold and delicious. So when you’ve had an overwhelming week and you’re tired and hungry and then, in an […]

Simple foods are all very well and good, but when you want something special, you have to spring for higher quality ingredients. While grilled cheese sandwiches are nice, some sophisticated additions push them beyond the level of everyday fare. The following melted mozzarella concoction isn’t hard to make ““ the quality comes from its components. […]

Midterms drain a person, body and soul. While it would probably be smart to eat well and get enough sleep the night before an important test, look around. You’re in college. Going the healthy route is clearly not going to happen. The second-best thing to do, then, is to plan a sweet treat that will […]