All right. You’re back from break – and if you’re like many, your break included eating some of the best food you’ve had in a long time. The transition between eating Mom’s gluttonous goodies at every meal and returning to a strict diet of ramen noodles and pizza is no easy task.

It’s enough to knock anybody into a prolonged state of depression. What are your options? Many dorm-dwellers have dining services to quell their hunger, but what about those cold rainy days when you’re too weary to walk all the way to the UDCC?

Your friends at the pulse desk decided to find some cheap, simple recipes that can be made using only a microwave and a few minutes of your time. With the help of top culinary Web sites, we’ve acquired and tested some useful recipes for college students on a budget and we’ve even gone out on a limb and invented a few of our own.

We started out as two dudes about as culinary-incompetent as they come, not knowing the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon. If we can make these recipes, then there’s no doubt you can too.

A great way to start your day is to eat a decent breakfast. We’ve all heard it hundreds of times, but it’s something that few people ever take the time to do. With only a microwave, a bowl and some common ingredients, you can have cheesy scrambled eggs with these simple instructions.

Microwave Scrambled Eggs

Time to make: Under 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

8 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Preparation:

Place butter in large microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high power until butter melts, about 60-90 seconds. Mix eggs, milk, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in another large bowl and beat well. Pour into hot butter. Microwave on high until eggs are set but still slightly moist, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from microwave and cover; let stand on solid surface until eggs become firm, about 2-3 minutes. Return to microwave for 30 second intervals if eggs aren’t done to your liking.

– Source: About.com

Apples are a fairly common, affordable, healthy food. Unknown to many, a microwave, some granola and a little sugar can turn an ordinary apple into an extraordinary delight. This would be a great dish to make for breakfast or for just a healthy snack.

Quick Baked Apples

Time to make: About 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 medium to large apples/cooked, cored and sliced

1 tsp. cinnamon sugar, optional

1 cup granola

Preparation:

Arrange apples in dish or bowl. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, or until apples are soft. Remove and top with cinnamon sugar and granola if desired.

– Source: Mealsforyou.com

For those days when you have an uncontrollable yearning for fudge and you don’t want to fork over precious dollars to regain your sanity, we’ve found just the recipe for you. With cheap ingredients and a microwave you can have creamy, delicious fudge in a matter of minutes. It’s as easy as one, two and, well, two.

Two Minute Fudge

Time to make: 2 minutes plus cooling

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preparation:

Place all ingredients except nuts in a bowl; do not mix. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Beat with electric mixer (or fork) until smooth. Fold in nuts. Pour mixture into buttered 8×8 dish. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes until set. If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a mini fridge handy, try promising a neighbor a chunk of fudge in exchange for some fridge space.

– Source: Fabulousfoods.com

When you’re really trying to impress somebody, or when you want to make a cheap birthday present for a friend, this is one recipe that looks more complicated than it is. Although more intricate than the other recipes, it’s also the most rewarding to eat.

Peanut Butter Fluff Cups

Time to make: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

12 mini or regular-sized muffin papers

16 ounces milk chocolate candy of your choice

Marshmallow fluff

Creamy peanut butter

Finely chopped peanuts

Chopped coconut

Preparation:

Melt half the bag of candy by microwaving for one minute. Place 2-3 teaspoons of chocolate into the muffin papers. Refrigerate until set. Add one teaspoon of smooth peanut butter and one teaspoon of marshmallow fluff. Melt the rest of the candy by microwaving for one minute, and top each candy with enough chocolate to cover them. Garnish with choice of two teaspoons of peanuts or coconut.

– Source: About.com

Let’s face it, ramen is a staple in the college diet. It’s dirt cheap, its flavor is bearable and it gives you enough sustenance to live another day. The only problem is it gets really old, really fast. When you want a meal that satisfies your gut, why not turn to a tried and true favorite? You probably didn’t know that spaghetti could be made with a microwave. Well, neither did we, but we tried it, and it worked like a charm.

Microwave Spaghetti

Time to make: About 20 minutes

Ingredients:

28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

2 cups water

1 tsp. dried basil

8 oz. spaghetti pasta, broken into pieces

1/2 Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Add spaghetti sauce, water, basil and uncooked spaghetti to 3-quart microwave safe casserole. Mix gently to combine. Cover with lid and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir well. Cover casserole again and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes longer. Stir well. Sprinkle with cheese, cover again and microwave on high for 7-8 minutes longer until spaghetti is tender. Let stand 4 minutes before serving.

– Source: About.com

There are those among us who aren’t fortunate enough to have a microwave. It’s understandable, they are pricey contraptions. The hearts of the pulse editors go out especially to those who fall into this category. That’s why we’ve invented two recipes that are so easy to make, they leave you with no excuse but to try them. Or to laugh at us.

Radiator Burrito

Time to make: Depending on the radiator, 30 seconds to 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 burrito, preferably from a dirty gas station

Preparation:

Open the burrito. Place burrito on a hot radiator and let cook. Flip burrito with tongs or sock and let cook until it smells done. Eat.

Iron-made toast

Time to make: 15-30 seconds

Ingredients:

Loaf of bread

toppings of choice.

Preparation:

Set iron to “high.” Iron one side of a slice of bread until toasted. Flip bread. Repeat. Add peanut butter and/or jelly if desired.