I promised to post some ideas of recipes for easy cooking, using a rice cooker, which can be made in a college dormitory room. I can assure you however, that I did not try these in my dorm room as that was more decades ago than I am willing to admit.

All of the recipes listed here are for vegetarian cooking.

Insert the steaming rack into the pot of the rice cooker (this is included with most rice cookers). Pour water into the rice cooker, but make sure it does not rise above the level of the steaming rack. Add vegetable pieces. Press "cook."

Cooking times vary between types of vegetables and the way the vegetables are cut. A good rule of thumb is to periodically monitor the vegetables so you can stop the cooking at the desired crispness.

It may be necessary to add additional water to the rice cooker if the original water evaporates before the vegetables have finished cooking. The rice cooker will automatically go to "warm" mode when there is no more water in the bottom of the pan.

You will need just two ingredients: rice and a package of pre-made Indian cuisine.

Using the recommended ratios on your rice cooker's directions, cook the amount of rice you desire.

hen the rice is finished, pour the contents of the Indian cuisine package on top of the rice. Replace the lid on the rice cooker and let it sit on in "warm" mode for a few minutes until the Indian cuisine has warmed. Enjoy!

Pre-made Indian cuisines can be found in the ethnic food section of almost any supermarket, natural food store, or gourmet cooking shop. Each package contains 2-3 servings and costs about $2.50. Tasty Bite company, for example, makes entrees such as Spinach Dal, Madras Lentils, and Punjab Eggplant.

• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. mayonnaise or salad dressing
• salt
• Pepper
• 2 slices of bread or a small stack of crackers
• Optional:
• Dijon mustard
• 1/8 c. chopped celery
• 1/8 c. chopped onion
• Several leaves of lettuce

Place the eggs in the bottom of the rice cooker. Add enough cold water to cover the eggs completely. Turn rice cooker to "cook" mode.

When the water starts to boil, cook the eggs for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pan of the rice cooker and drain the hot water.

To prevent the yolks of the eggs from turning grey, run the hardboiled eggs under cold water.

Peel the eggs, and then cut them into chunks with the side of the fork. Mush the chunks, and then mix in the mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the optional ingredients, if you desire. For a sandwich, spread the egg salad on bread and add lettuce. For a snack, heap the egg salad on baked crackers.

If you do not have potholders to protect your hands while draining the hot water from the hard boiled eggs, you can use any towel, folded several times, so that it is as thick as a potholder. If you don't have mixing dishes or bowls, just mush and mix your egg salad right in the bowl of your rice cooker.

Most of the ingredients for this recipe you can be obtained right from your cafeteria. Packets of mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and Dijon can be founding the condiment area. Next time you visit the salad bar, set aside small portions of celery, onion, and lettuce. There is no need to buy a big quantity of cooking ingredients that you do not have the space to keep.

Healthy cooking suggestion: If you have a refrigerator, you can make more hardboiled eggs initially in your rice cooker. Save them for a good, quick, protein-rich snack later.