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For many of our collegebound kids, back to school means living on their own for the first time. The realization that their apartment doesn't include a cook or a kitchen consultant (aka Mom) can be more than a little shocking.

I used to get panic phone caUs regularly with questions like "How long does it take to boil water?," "How do I preheat my oven?," "What do I do to my pan that's burned black?" and "How many chickens do I need to feed eight for Shabbat?"

A great gift to send off with your coUegiate is a kitchen survival kit, containing a couple of good-quality nonstick skillets and saucepans, some heavy-duty foil roasting pans, an immersion blender (for soups and smoothies), a copy of Cooking for Dummies and a refrigerator sign that says "When in Doubt, Throw It Out."

Most importantly, include some very simple one-dish meal recipes like those below. Their cooking skills wUl develop with trial and error, and some tasty, weU-balanced meals will replace the prerequisite pizzas, burgers and frozen burritos.

ONE-PAN ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES

(MEAT)

1 chicken (4 lbs.)

4 Tbsps. olive oil

3 large potatoes (about 2 lbs.), peeled, quartered lengthwise, then halved crosswise

4 large carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise, halved crosswise

6 celery stalks, cut into 3 inch pieces

1½ tsps. dried oregano

¾ tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425°.

Rinse the chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the center of a large roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the potatoes, carrots and celery with remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl to coat. Crumble oregano in small bowl; mix in the garlic powder. Sprinkle all but J4 teaspoon oregano mixture over vegetables; toss to coat.

Arrange vegetables around chicken in roasting pan.

Sprinkle chicken with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of oregano mixture.

Roast chicken and vegetables until cooked through and golden, brushing chicken once with any pan juices and turning vegetables over once with spatula, about 1 hour.

Arrange the chicken and vegetables on platter. Scrape any pan juices into bowl and serve alongside the bird.

Serves 4. Recipe can be doubled.

PASTA WITH TUNA AND TOMATOES

(PAREVE)

6 oz. pasta (about 2½ cups)

2 Tbsps. olive oil

1 can (14.5-oz.) chopped tomatoes

½ cup pitted black olives, quartered

½ cup slivered fresh basil

1 can (6 oz.] solid white tuna packed in water, undrained

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, olives and basil and bring sauce to simmer.

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Drain pasta thoroughly. Mix the pasta and tuna with its water into the sauce. Toss to heat pasta through, breaking up the tima into large pieces with fork, about 3 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 2. Recipe can be doubled.

LENTIL SOUP

(MEAT OR PAREVE)

1½ Tbsps. olive oil

1½ cups diced hot dogs (2 portobello mushroom caps, diced, are a good vegetarian alternative)

2 tsps. dried oregano

3 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the hot dogs or mushrooms (if using), and the oregano, and stir until meat begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

Add 3 cups broth and lentils, and bring to boil.

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Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with juices; simmer uncovered 2 minutes.

Add more broth by ¼ cupfuls to thin soup, if desired.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 3. Recipe can be doubled.

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Author affiliation:

Louise Fiszer is a California cooking teacher and food writer E-mail her at: louflszer@aol.com.