There comes a time in every person’s life where a decision has to be made — to cook or not to cook, that is the question that has left many ex-dormers confused.

Many students went from the comforts of home, to the ease of the dinning commons, only to be left in the dark when it comes time to prepare food on their own.

Too old for dorms, too poor for my own place, three friends and I moved into a new apartment and we are living it up.

We share many things: bathrooms, lots of laughs and an understanding that Top Ramen noodles are acceptable for any meal of the day. We eat them by themselves, as a side to leftovers and even dry from the package for a crunchy snack.

Recently, I found a roommate munching on dry Top Ramen for breakfast, and jokingly, I asked her if she would like milk to make Top Ramen cereal. Her eyes lit up as she asked, “You think that would work?”

I knew at this point that the madness had gone too far. I knew in my heart something needed to be done.

I made a decision — that evening I would cook (cue dramatic music).

I turned to www.allrecipes.com for help. It has thousands of recipes categorized by type of dish, main ingredient and method of cooking.

I decided upon spinach stuffed chicken, a dish that promised to look pretty and hopefully not cause me much headache.

As I organized my ingredients, I began to panic and did what any rational woman would do, I called my mom.

With her help, I began mixing the ingredients for my stuffing, seasoning the chicken and preparing a baking dish.

Then came my first mistake.

Although my chicken breast came from the non-freezer part of the store, when I went to stuff it, it was frozen inside. Not sure what to do, I put it in the microwave and hoped for the best.

After stuffing and wrapping bacon around the chicken breast, I put it in the oven, turned it to the required temperature and waited 35 minutes.

As I removed my chicken, there was no “BAM!” like Emeril yells as he pulls a beautiful dish from the oven.

The bacon wasn’t done, the chicken looked over done and my nerves were burnt. I cleverly solved the problem by taking the bacon wraps off, microwaving them until crispy, breaking them up and putting the crumbs on top of the chicken. Just like an Iron Chef, I solved the problem.

I proudly served my dish with a large green salad, and canned vegetables and my roommates and I dug in.

No one mentioned the meat turning out a little dry or the bacon strips that were now bacon bits. Sure I suffered a few setbacks, but the trusty microwave had helped out and my dish was surprisingly edible.

In the spirit of Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart, I offer what I’ve learned from my venture into the unknown world of cooking.

First, it’s important to begin with meat that’s thawed and ready to cook.

Second, when a recipe tells you to “preheat” the oven, turn the oven on and let it get hot before you put your dish in.

Lastly, the most important lesson, cooking takes time. If you plan ahead and don’t rush, your adventures in cooking are sure to turn out tasty … or at least edible.

You too can recreate my tasty masterpiece and, who knows, maybe you can create it the right way.

The following recipe is courtesy of www.allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach leaves,

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 pinch ground black pepper

8 slices of bacon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place spinach in a large glass bowl, and heat in the microwave for three minutes, stirring every minute or so, or until wilted. Stir in sour cream, cheese and garlic.

Lay chicken breasts on a clean surface, and spoon some of the spinach mixture onto each one. Roll up chicken to enclose the spinach and then wrap each breast with two slices of bacon. Secure with toothpicks and arrange in shallow baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, then increase heat to 500 degrees, or use the oven’s broiler to cook for an additional five to 10 minutes to brown the bacon.

Enjoy!