Beyond HotPot Mac & Cheese

Review copies of interesting books that are off-topic for the magazine, but still fun to look at, are sometimes sent to the office.
"The Healthy College Cookbook" (Storey Publishing, 2009; 304 pp.; $14.95) falls into this category because it is aimed at students, who aren't our readers. But that didn't stop me from flipping through the pages. It might also be good for helping dining hall directors to keep the competition in mind when making up the weekly menu, or make a good addition to a care package.
The book offers "quick, cheap, and easy recipes by college students for college students" ranging from a boiled egg to chicken with artichokes. (Although, really, beef stew in 40 minutes? I don't think so. Sure it might be cooked, but stew has to simmer for hours to be good.) The types of tips you would expect to find in a beginner cookbook about shopping and cooking definitions are also included.
The press release says this is an update of a book originally published in 1998 which was created by three Williams College (Mass) students. This heritage is apparent in the Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe, which the explanation says is good, even though it came from rival Amherst.
At the risk of sounding bitter, when I went to college in the early 90s, we were only allowed to have hotpots in our dorm rooms (although there are recipes included for that situation), so many of these recipes would have been out of reach.
However, considering all the wonderful amenities I learned about when helping review the Dorms of Distinction entries, today's college students are well positioned to use this book when they don't feel like going to the cafeteria.