College Cuisine: Zuppa Toscana 101

With winter just around the corner, nothing can beat a tasty hot soup for dinner. Unfortunately for the average college student, these hot home-cooked meals come only once in a blue moon, due to a lack of time, culinary skill, or money. Well there’s one Italian soup that’s easily made, whether it’s in a crockpot or on a stove, isn’t horribly expensive, and doesn’t take all that much time. Zuppa Toscana is made with nothing more than Italian sausage, potatoes, onions, kale, bacon bits, whipping cream, and your average chicken broth, and if you’ve got a slow cooker, all it takes is throwing most everything in for three or four hours that you’ll then have as free time. It’s a great winter soup that’ll warm you straight to your bones and keep you coming back for more.

Things you need to make Zuppe

Before you do anything, you may need to take a trip to the grocery store to make Zuppa Toscana. In the produce section, you will need a red or white onion, depending on personal preference, some fresh garlic, three Russet potatoes, and kale. In the meat department, of your grocery store you will need bacon and Italian sausage, mild or spicy depending on your taste. In the soup aisle, you will need two cans of chicken broth. Then finally in the dairy department, you will need shredded parmesan cheese and 8oz of whipping cream. You will also need a crock pot, a frying pan, a cutting board, a pancake flipper, and a few knives.

Let’s make some Zuppa

Journal #1: A New Trek

So, I read the article "Zachary Quinto getting in Spock shape for 'Star Trek' sequel" by Rebecca Keegan, and to be honest, there wasn't much new here for me. I already knew that Quinto had come out thanks to word going around on Tumblr moments after the news was released, and I already knew about the new Trek movie coming out next year. I had also realized that Abrams' approach to Star Trek was far more action-oriented than Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS), but I suppose I hadn't really thought about it before.

In TOS, episodes centered more around speculative science fiction, or puzzles that had to be solved with the mind, rather than physically. If there was any physical fighting, it was usually Captain James T. Kirk instead of Mr. Spock, anyway. The episode where Spock had probably the most physical action in the whole series was "Amok Time" from season two, where he becomes increasingly violent due to the seven year mating cycle of Vulcans. But that's beside the point. J. J. Abrams' reboot takes an entirely different approach when it comes to telling the story of Star Trek.

In the first few minutes of the movie, the screen is filled with explosions and chaos as Kirk's father pilots the ship into the belly of a Romulan war ship in a suicide mission to stop the Romulans from destroying any other fleets. Even Spock gets a shot at extra action in the reboot as he runs through falling debris to save the last of his race from the implosion of their home planet. However, it is revealed in the movie that this is a separate timeline from that of TOS, justifying any inaccuracies from its predecessor, such as the added action and a slightly more emotional Spock.

It'll be interesting to see what Abrams does next, as sci fi today is so drastically different from what it was when TOS was on the air. We no longer have the opportunity to speculate what science will bring us in the future, because if we haven't already thought it up, it's probably already in the works in some laboratory, ready to become the next best thing since sliced bread.

Back to the actual article, I think Keegan could have added a bit more background on Quinto's career as an actor. If I remember correctly, he had a few roles before he showed up as Sylar in Heroes, and I think she should have gone a bit more in depth on what Quinto's new movie "Margin Call" will be about, as I don't ever remember hearing about it and would certainly like to know more. And there isn't really much to agree or disagree with here, as the article is composed of mostly fact or quotes from Quinto.

Well, there you have it. The new Trek as seen from the eyes of a new Trek who wishes she had seen the original first.

Protips: "How-to" Essay

1.       How to clean the 72-pin connector on a Nintendo Entertainment System

People who grew up on the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) know how much a hassle it can be when it ages and gets the blinking red light of death. Put in your favorite game cartridge and it teases you with two to three seconds of the opening loading sequence before restarting. This usually happens because dust gets into the 72-pin connecter inside the actual NES causing a faulty connection between the game cartridge and the motherboard. To clean the connecter, you just need to take apart the chassis using a regular screwdriver, removing the metal spring components that hold a game cartridge while playing, and gently removing the motherboard itself. Using a bit of force, the 72-pin connector can be removed from the motherboard and then cleaned. Cleaning can be done with a regular pink pencil eraser and some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab. Sometimes you can also take a moment to bend the pins back so as to better connect the game. Put everything back together and start up your now functional NES.

2.       How to meditate

Many people say they would like to meditate on a regular basis but they just don’t know how or what to do. It’s really quite easy, especially with some practice. Make yourself comfortable lying in bed or sitting on a chair in a dark, quiet room with your eyes closed. Take three deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling trough your mouth, thinking of releasing all tension as you do so. Slowly begin to tense and then release your muscles, starting down at your feet and working your way up to your head. As you clench and hold the tensed muscle, think of tension in your life, and when you release the muscle, think of letting it go. You are free to do this as many times as you want but doing it twice is preferable. After that is the more difficult part that takes some practice. To clear your mind, just focus on your breathing without controlling it. Be aware of air first filling, and then leaving your lungs as if on its own free will. At this point you can listen to some calming music or a tape to help you meditate. My personal preference is chakra opening binaural beats that can be found on youtube. You can meditate at any time and can even use it to help you fall asleep at night.

3.       How to study like a pro

Most students these days have horrible study habits. They either cram the night before, or just don’t know how to study. Good study skills are imperative to receiving a good education. The first thing that needs to be realized is that the human mind works in images and isolated events. If you’re trying to remember a list of terms, think of some imagery that will help you remember, or create a unique, isolated event that you will think of when that term is brought up. The human mind can also only take in so much information at a time, so take hourly breaks while studying to relax your mind and let the new information sink in, otherwise it would just be like filling a glass of water until it poured over. And if you feel tired, take a nap. It’s during sleep that the brain takes information from the day and locks it away for long term memory.