I don’t know if you’ve been watching the news or reading your emails or even briefly glancing at your phone, but we’re in a bit of a situation right now, and because of it, people have been pretty active at grocery stores. In fact, the night Governors Lamont, Cuomo and Murphy banded the tri-state area together and shut down all its non-essential businesses, people pretty much went feral at the local grocery stores. This happened nationally. So, missing certain Peirce meals, I wanted to see if I could recreate a full day in our dear dining hall in my own kitchen using whatever ingredients I could get at Stop & Shop after everyone lost their minds.

1. Breakfast: Omelet
   1. Everyone loves a Peirce omelet. This is the only Peirce breakfast that would have made sense for me to make, seeing as it’s such a fan favorite. And its title is well deserved! Unfortunately, there was no reason for me to have a giant vat of beaten eggs to ladle out like they do at Peirce. I was feeding one to four people, not 1,800. This means I had to estimate how many eggs are in one Peirce omelet. I’ve decided the answer is two eggs. I used three, because I didn’t take into account the size of the pan, which was bigger than the ones used in Peirce. My mistake. I imagine you already know how to make an omelet, but anyway, the recipe:
   2. Ingredients:
      • 2 eggs
      • Olive/vegetable oil (I used olive but I’m pretty sure they use vegetable at Peirce)
      • Whatever fillings you usually get at school– I used tomatoes, peppers, olives, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese.
        

        (ignore the fact that there are already tomatoes in the egg mixture– I forgot to put oil in the pan and had to pour the egg and tomatoes back into the bowl)

   1. Crack eggs into a bowl and beat until uniform
   2. Put oil in a small pan and place over medium heat
   3. Pour eggs into pan, then add ingredients
   4. Let sit while you go find where your friends are sitting in New Side
   5. Check underneath– once the bottom is lightly browned, fold in half and flip onto a fancy French plate your dad put out for you
   6. This produces a gigantic omelet. Remember, I used three eggs, and I’m not a professional chef.
2. Lunch: Grilled Ham and Cheese
   1. This is my favorite Peirce lunch. I think on the menu it’s called “Ham and Cheese Croissant,” though I have never once had it on a croissant. It’s always been on a thick, perfectly toasted slice of brioche or something. Again, grilled cheese, pretty simple, I’m not going to pretend I’m making anything gourmet here, but here you go:
   2. Ingredients:
      1. 2 slices of bread
      2. Cold cut ham
      3. Swiss cheese
      4. Dijon Mustard
      5. Butter
   3. Spread butter onto one side of each slice of bread and put one slice butter-side down on a pan at low heat
   4. Spread dijon mustard on the non-buttered side of the other slice of bread and set it aside
   5. Put as much ham and cheese as you want onto the bread in the pan and turn the heat up slightly. Add the other slice of bread butter-side up
   6. Wait until bread is toasted and flip the sandwich. Repeat
   7. Once both sides of bread are nicely toasted put sandwich on plate and slice in half
3. Dinner: Panko Egg
   1. Full disclosure: I’ve never had the panko egg. The line was always too long for me, but long lines do indicate popularity, so it was no surprise that several people asked me to cook this. Having cooked it myself now, I sincerely hope I got it wrong, because I didn’t like it at all. Here’s what I made, and maybe someone can correct me with its actual preparation because mine certainly wasn’t accurate:
   2. Ingredients:
      • 1 egg
      • 1 bag Boil-In-Bag rice
      • Italian Seasoned Panko (there was no actual panko to be found anywhere in Stop & Shop! Why there was a run on panko is beyond me, but if you’re in Connecticut and you bought all the panko I’d like to have a word with you.)
      • Salt & pepper
      • Olive oil
      • Vegetable oil
   3. Boil rice for 10-12 minutes and drain it
   4. Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick pan
   5. Fry rice until it sticks together, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Put rice in a bowl
   6. Heat olive oil in a pan 
   7. Add egg to pan
   8. Add panko to top of egg before it cooks completely to ensure it sticks
   9. Flip egg. Once it’s cooked to your liking, flip it onto rice bowl 

4. Dessert: Cowboy Cookies
   1. While this isn’t my favorite Peirce dessert, it is one I knew was feasible. Plus, my favorite is angel food cake, which was too simple for me to present as my own without seeming like I was just putting together box mix and baking it. So, for my cowboy cookies, I put box mix together and added extras:
   2. Ingredients:
      • Kruzteaz box mix chocolate chip cookies
      • Butterscotch chips
      • Shredded coconut
      • Oats
      • 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
      • 1 stick plus 1 1/2 tbsp Butter
   3. Preheat oven to 375˚
   4. Make the cookies as the box mix tells you
   5. Add the extra butter and other ingredients
   6. Form cookies and place on a non-stick tray
   7. Bake for 10 minutes