Easy no-bake recipes

We aren't all lucky enough to have a personal kitchen, but that doesn't mean we can't make food from the convenience of a dorm. Variations of just about anything can be prepared within the confines of campus housing, regardless of how fancy you're willing to go to pull it off. Here are a few easy, no-bake recipes and some tips for making your own college cuisine. - Hilary Tuttle, Special to WSN

Banana cream pie

Ingredients: 1 pre-made pie crust (or see recipe below) 1 box Jello Instant Pudding in Vanilla or Banana Cream 2 cups cold milk 2-3 bananas, sliced as desired Whipped topping of choice, as desired

Directions: 1. Uncover/unwrap pie crust and set aside. 2. Prepare Jell-O pudding, emptying box contents into a mixing bowl, adding the milk and whisking for two to three minutes. 3. Let pudding sit and thicken for at least three minutes. While doing so, slice bananas and either prepare to add the slices to the pudding or arrange them on bottom of crust as desired. 4. Once pudding has thickened sufficiently, pour layer of pudding (about half) into crust. Add another layer of bananas, and follow with another layer of the remaining pudding, if it was not mixed into the pudding. 5. Spread whipped topping upon top layer of pudding as desired. Let refrigerate until firms in shell. Tip: This pie can be made into just about any cream pie you like - just select a differently flavored pudding and skip or substitute for the fruit.

Peanut butter pie w/chocolate cookie crust

Ingredients: Pre-made chocolate crust 1 cup peanut butter 1 1/2 cup Cool Whip

Directions: 1. Mix peanut butter with about half of the Cool Whip until smooth and fully incorporated. 2. Carefully mix in the remaining Cool Whip, trying to preserve volume. 3. Pour peanut butter mixture into crust. Top with whipped topping and/or chocolate chips or crushed cookies as desired.

Note: Can also be made with 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 cup milk and 1/2 cup less Cool Whip. Just combine all ingredients and pour into crust as directed above.

Short cut tiramisu

Ingredients: 16-20 pre-packaged Ladyfingers (long, thin cookies) 8 oz. mascarpone cheese 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon (approx.) instant coffee 1/2 cup water 12 oz. (regular container size) Cool Whip or heavy cream (4 oz. or 1/2 cup to start if whipping personally), whipped until forms stiff peaks

Directions: 1. Combine 1/2 cup water with approx. 1 tablespoon of the instant coffee grounds and stir until grounds are fully dissolved in the water. 2. In a mixing bowl, combine whipped cream/Cool Whip with the mascarpone and sugar (1 1/2 tablespoons), gently stirring until smooth and combined. 3. On a plate (with definite sides) or in a dish, pour the coffee mixture until it covers the entire surface and is perhaps 1/4 inches deep. Place ladyfingers in dish to absorb coffee for 1-2 minutes. 4. In a glass dish (think casserole, etc.) or on a plate, begin by laying down a layer of the coffee-soaked ladyfingers. Cover this base layer with a layer of the mascarpone mixture. 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as desired (typically 2-3 times), ending with a layer of the mascarpone. Dust the surface lightly with cocoa powder or with chocolate shavings. 6. Refrigerate until more solidified in dish.