Never fear, ye of too many midterms, Cooking with Bwog is back again. Read on to see how culinary god Matt Powell teaches you how to keep yourself alive during this most unfortunate of times.

As the seasons change, it is panic that fills that reminds us that midterms are again upon us. During this period, there is little time for cooking, but the need for filling food is ever-present. The two recipes this week require little time commitment (about 30 minutes each), and they can use leftover ingredients—feel free to substitute as you see fit. Plus, each recipe makes enough for about 3-5 servings, which should last you several meals!

Pasta with Arugula and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghetti

1/3 lb. pancetta, thinly sliced

1/3 lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

½ C sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into strips

¼ C heavy cream

1 large handful of arugula

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Fresh basil

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta to the water and cook until al dente (about 10-12 minutes.)

2. Meanwhile, make your pasta sauce. Sauté pancetta and prosciutto together in a large skillet. Once the meats are lightly browned, remove with a slotted spoon to a plate, leaving behind the oils. Sauté onion and garlic in the skillet in the remaining oils until soft (about 5 minutes). Add meat and sun-dried tomatoes to the onion and garlic. Cook for an additional minute. Add in arugula and cook until wilted (about 2 minutes). Add in the cream and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Drain pasta and immediately toss with your sauce. Garnish with the parmesan and the basil.

Hodge-Podge Pizza:

Ingredients:

1 package of frozen pizza dough (Westside Market sells them in the frozen foods aisle)

Pesto

1 Granny Smith apple, sliced very thinly

½ lb. Pyrenees with Black Peppercorn Cheese

1 small handful of pine nuts

Pepper

Arugula

Directions:

1. Defrost pizza dough overnight in the fridge. (Or in a small bowl on the counter for 6 hours)

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a pizza stone (preferable) or a baking sheet in the oven for 25 minutes without anything on it.

3. Meanwhile, toss pizza dough or stretch until it is nice and thin. Once the 25 minutes are up, bring pizza stone or baking sheet out of the oven. Working quickly, place pizza dough on the hot surface. Cover with pesto, cheese, apple slices, and pine nuts respectively. Sprinkle with pepper and place in the oven again at 425 degrees. Bake pizza for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and the crust is a golden brown.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Garnish with fresh arugula.

Note: If you’re looking for a quick midterm break that’s sweet, a root beer float never hurt. We can’t be gourmet all of the time.