If you’re looking for a couple of easy and delicious snacks or appetizers, look no further than these recipes from Freshmen in the Kitchen. Although the title of the cookbook suggests otherwise, a kitchen is not even really necessary with these recipes. For dorm-dwellers like me, this is especially important. Impossible to serve homemade hors d'oeuvres if you live in a dorm, you say? Read on.

First, the smoked salmon dip. This recipe has three ingredients, so it is vital to buy the highest quality ingredients possible. Although the recipe doesn’t specify which kind of salmon to use, I much prefer the flavor and texture of hot smoked salmon to cold (hot smoked is cooked thoroughly and has a smoky flavor, while cold smoked is perhaps more widely used, sometimes referred to as “Lox”…perhaps a comparison to elaborate further on in another blog post). Luckily, Ann Arbor residents have a fabulous smoked fish source right in their own backyard: Durham’s Tracklements and Smokery in Kerrytown. It is located on E. Kingsley, just a little ways down from Zingerman’s. They offer hot and cold smoked salmon. I recommend trying a sample of both if you’re not sure which you prefer, because the dip will only be as delicious as your salmon.

The other two ingredients are cream cheese and fresh dill. The amount of cream cheese really depends on how many people you are serving or how hungry you are, although the recipe calls for 8 ounces (a whole block of cream cheese). I think the hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cream cheese to reach room temperature. It really is the quickest dish ever, but make sure the cream cheese is soft and mixable before you dump the chopped up salmon and dill into it. I cut the recipe in half, but there’s no need to precisely measure out the dill and salmon. I love the flavor of dill, so I used several sprigs. The amount of salmon you add is also a personal preference, so keep doing taste tests as you mix it in. I served the dip with Triscuits, but any non-flavored cracker that will hold up to the cream cheese works well.

The next recipe I tried was an equally dorm-friendly dish, only requiring a microwave, although it does take a bit more effort. Microwaved potato skins might sound kind of iffy, but the cooking process is pretty effortless and simple. What’s not to love about cheesy potatoes with bacon?

By following the recipe and cutting up each potato into four or five slices and then cooking them in a microwave-safe dish filled with water, the potatoes cook surprisingly uniformly. I used one large Idaho Baking Potato and it took approximately 10 minutes for the slices to soften enough so I could cut out the insides. I also decided to scrub my potatoes before microwaving, which the recipe did not call for.

Once your potatoes are cooked and scooped out, the rest of the recipe is a cinch. Obviously potato skins are not true potato skins without lots of cheese and bacon. Sour cream, garlic power, and/or sliced green onion are great optional ingredients.