Eat at the Stern caf often? Tired of the same food, week after week? Want to spice things up a bit, but notsure how? Trust me, I get it. Being an out-of-towner, I almost always eat at the caf. I soon got tired of the repetitive menu, and, being a big foodie, I decided to experiment with my options. Here are some of my favorite caf recipe hacks—I hope these hacks will help enhance your dining experience at the Stern caf! Bon Appetite!
1) Bring 16 Handles to Stern by jazzing up your ice cream:
-Buy yourself a single-serving tub of Ben and Jerry’s, and a bottle of coke/soda of your choice to make your own ice cream float.
- Or try dumping it into your hot (or cold) coffee for a sweet treat.
- Or, buy toppings from the yogurt bar (like strawberries, granola and chocolate chips) to top off your ice-cream.
- You can even try adding a sliced banana and a small square container of Cinnamon Toast Crunch to your ice-cream, for an awesome ice-cream Sundae, any day of the week.
2) Make yourself a pizza bagel: slice a bagel in half, top with tomato sauce (when the caf serves pasta), cheese, and vegetables of your choice from the salad bar, then pop it into the microwave, and enjoy!
3) Make a tuna melt using sliced bread, sliced cheese, and a can of tuna from the caf (by the checkout)—you can dress up your tuna however you like, using the complimentary salt, pepper, mayo, and/or hot sauce provided in the 245 caf. You can even try using some of the salad dressings to flavor your tuna, like the Caesar dressing, Italian dressing, or pesto sauce.
4) Make your own mashed potatoes—buy a regular potato or sweet potato, and a packet of butter, and some cheese from the salad bar, if you’d like. Mash, and add salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce (from the 245 caf) to taste.
5) Try adding toppings from the yogurt bar to your salad. My personal favourite is adding craisins, almonds and mango to lettuce, corn, shredded carrots and red peppers, topped with Italian dressing. I also like adding strawberries to lettuce, feta, and teriyaki tofu, topped with a balsamic vinaigrette.
6) Make a sandwich with peanut butter, a sliced banana (if you want), and chocolate chips from the yogurt bar—wrap it up, and pop it in the panini press, and you have yourself an Elvis-inspired sandwich.
7) Making your side dish your main meal because you’re low on caf money? That doesn’t mean it has to be boring! Here are some options:
- Try dressing up your broccoli by melting cheese on top (feta/mozzarella/cheddar)
- Or making it your salad base—fill up a container of broccoli, and then get a salad bowl and add a few toppings for your salad. Here are some of the many combinations you can try:
- Add corn, craisins, and plain tuna to your broccoli salad base, and top with pesto and lemon juice.
- Or feta and strawberries (from the yogurt bar), topped off with a balsamic vinaigrette
- Or tofu, red peppers and onions, topped with extra sauce from the tofu
- Or try feta, olives, sundried tomatoes, and red onions, topped with either balsamic or pesto dressing
-If you’re not feeling the salad bar line, you can always make your own spicy mayo, using the dispensers of mayonnaise and hot sauce on the side of the 245 caf. Spicy mayo would go great with the broccoli, cauliflower, or green bean side dishes.
-Or try pouring a cup of hot soup over your side of broccoli/beans/mixed vegetables.
-If they’re serving quinoa, rice or plain pasta instead of broccoli, even better—it’s like a blank canvas, waiting for you to make your mark. The possibilities are endless.
8) Cinnamon rolls for breakfast? Take it up a level by pouring a bit of chocolate sauce on top (under the coffee station) and heating it up in the microwave. Or, slice the cinnamon roll in half, spread with a mixture of cream cheese, (optional: peanut butter), and brown sugar/maple syrup, and heat it up in the microwave.
9) Make your own baked apples by slicing an apple in half (or quarters, depending on the size), sprinkling some sugar on top, and cooking in the microwave on high till soft.
10) Tired of plain old water, but want to stay hydrated? You can take it up a level: fill ¼ – 1/3 of a cup with frozen fruit of your choice from the yogurt bar (I like a combination of mango, strawberries, and blueberries). Once you pay for it (since you don’t want to pay for water from the machine, since it’s already free), add a bit of hot water (optional: lemon juice from the salad bar and Splenda/sugar packets to taste) and use a straw to muddle it a little. Then top with cold water, a bit of ice, stir, and you have fruity water! Enjoy!
The Ultimate Guide to Stern Caf Hacks: Recipe Edition
1) Bring 16 Handles to Stern by jazzing up your ice cream:
-Buy yourself a single-serving tub of Ben and Jerry’s, and a bottle of coke/soda of your choice to make your own ice cream float.
- Or try dumping it into your hot (or cold) coffee for a sweet treat.
- Or, buy toppings from the yogurt bar (like strawberries, granola and chocolate chips) to top off your ice-cream.
- You can even try adding a sliced banana and a small square container of Cinnamon Toast Crunch to your ice-cream, for an awesome ice-cream Sundae, any day of the week.
2) Make yourself a pizza bagel: slice a bagel in half, top with tomato sauce (when the caf serves pasta), cheese, and vegetables of your choice from the salad bar, then pop it into the microwave, and enjoy!
3) Make a tuna melt using sliced bread, sliced cheese, and a can of tuna from the caf (by the checkout)—you can dress up your tuna however you like, using the complimentary salt, pepper, mayo, and/or hot sauce provided in the 245 caf. You can even try using some of the salad dressings to flavor your tuna, like the Caesar dressing, Italian dressing, or pesto sauce.
4) Make your own mashed potatoes—buy a regular potato or sweet potato, and a packet of butter, and some cheese from the salad bar, if you’d like. Mash, and add salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce (from the 245 caf) to taste.
5) Try adding toppings from the yogurt bar to your salad. My personal favourite is adding craisins, almonds and mango to lettuce, corn, shredded carrots and red peppers, topped with Italian dressing. I also like adding strawberries to lettuce, feta, and teriyaki tofu, topped with a balsamic vinaigrette.
6) Make a sandwich with peanut butter, a sliced banana (if you want), and chocolate chips from the yogurt bar—wrap it up, and pop it in the panini press, and you have yourself an Elvis-inspired sandwich.
7) Making your side dish your main meal because you’re low on caf money? That doesn’t mean it has to be boring! Here are some options:
- Try dressing up your broccoli by melting cheese on top (feta/mozzarella/cheddar)
- Or making it your salad base—fill up a container of broccoli, and then get a salad bowl and add a few toppings for your salad. Here are some of the many combinations you can try:
- Add corn, craisins, and plain tuna to your broccoli salad base, and top with pesto and lemon juice.
- Or feta and strawberries (from the yogurt bar), topped off with a balsamic vinaigrette
- Or tofu, red peppers and onions, topped with extra sauce from the tofu
- Or try feta, olives, sundried tomatoes, and red onions, topped with either balsamic or pesto dressing
-If you’re not feeling the salad bar line, you can always make your own spicy mayo, using the dispensers of mayonnaise and hot sauce on the side of the 245 caf. Spicy mayo would go great with the broccoli, cauliflower, or green bean side dishes.
-Or try pouring a cup of hot soup over your side of broccoli/beans/mixed vegetables.
-If they’re serving quinoa, rice or plain pasta instead of broccoli, even better—it’s like a blank canvas, waiting for you to make your mark. The possibilities are endless.
8) Cinnamon rolls for breakfast? Take it up a level by pouring a bit of chocolate sauce on top (under the coffee station) and heating it up in the microwave. Or, slice the cinnamon roll in half, spread with a mixture of cream cheese, (optional: peanut butter), and brown sugar/maple syrup, and heat it up in the microwave.
9) Make your own baked apples by slicing an apple in half (or quarters, depending on the size), sprinkling some sugar on top, and cooking in the microwave on high till soft.
10) Tired of plain old water, but want to stay hydrated? You can take it up a level: fill ¼ – 1/3 of a cup with frozen fruit of your choice from the yogurt bar (I like a combination of mango, strawberries, and blueberries). Once you pay for it (since you don’t want to pay for water from the machine, since it’s already free), add a bit of hot water (optional: lemon juice from the salad bar and Splenda/sugar packets to taste) and use a straw to muddle it a little. Then top with cold water, a bit of ice, stir, and you have fruity water! Enjoy!