BoomerGirl Diary

It's not likely that your college-bound child is going to starve to death shortly after arriving on campus, whatever your fears may be.

Still, it wouldn't hurt the kid to know a little bit more about cooking than how to heat up a Pop-Tart.

At your neighborhood bookstore, or on Amazon.com, you'll find a selection of cookbooks aimed at college students. We checked out a bunch of them and chose a few we really like:

• "Where's Mom Now That I Need Her? Surviving Away From Home," by Kent P. Frandsen (Aspen West, $24.95).

This old ring-binder favorite has been updated during almost 25 years of printings, and it's as useful as ever. With a tone that — like Mom's — is alternately no-nonsense and affectionate, this is a comprehensive guide to "surviving away from home."

A chapter on "Conquering the Grocery Store" includes a thorough treatise on food safety; a nutrition primer offers down-to-earth advice. Besides the chapter on cooking and housecleaning basics, you'll find chapters on laundry and clothing repair, basic first aid and when to see a doctor. And, of course, Mom's favorite recipes, as well as space to write your own mom's favorites and advice.

• "College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Your Friends," by Megan Carle and Jill Carle (Ten Speed Press, $19.95).

The back cover of this attractively illustrated cookbook notes: "After watching so many of our friends stumble around in the kitchen, we decided that we needed to write a book specifically geared for college students. In other words, people with very little equipment, very little cooking experience and very little money."

This is the book for a student who's ready to start making mac-and-cheese from scratch, but there are still starter recipes — tuna noodle casserole, barbecue chicken pita pizza — in the "Survival Cooking" chapter.

• "Munchies," by Kevin Telles Roberts (Storey, $12.95).

This clever and thoroughly entertaining cookbook is aimed at students of the guy variety, but female collegians should warm to it as well. This is one cookbook that is likely to see actual use by your student. Who could resist a book with a recipe for baked chicken crusted with crushed Goldfish crackers?

• Other cookbooks that should come in handy at college: "The College Cookbook," by Geri Harrington (Storey, $12.95); "The Everything College Cookbook," by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson (Adams Media, $14.95); "The Healthy College Cookbook," by Alexandra Nimetz, Jason Stanley and Emeline Starr; "101 Things To Do With Ramen Noodles," by Toni Patrick; and "101 Things To Do With a Tortilla," by Stephanie Ashcraft and Donna Kelly (Gibbs Smith, $9.95).

Tuscan salad

Serves 4

2 eggs

15-ounce can cannellini beans

½ pound thick-sliced ham

2 tomatoes

2 green onions

1 head romaine lettuce

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small saucepan, cover eggs with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand until water cools; then peel the eggs and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices.

2. While eggs cool, drain beans; place in a large bowl.

3. Cut ham into ¼-inch cubes and place in the bowl.

4. Cut tomatoes in half; remove stems and seeds. Cut the halves into 1-inch wedges and place in the bowl.

5. Trim ends off onions; cut the white parts and about 1 inch of the green parts into thin slices; add to bowl.

6. Tear romaine into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl.

7. To make dressing, peel and finely chop garlic and place it in a small bowl with the vinegar. Slowly add oil, mixing briskly with a whisk or fork. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Pour vinaigrette over salad; toss and garnish with egg.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 356 calories, 20 grams fat, 26 grams carbohydrates, 21 grams protein, 138 milligrams cholesterol, 1,026 milligrams sodium, 8 grams dietary fiber, 48 percent of calories from fat.

• "College Cooking," by Megan Carle and Jill Carle (Ten Speed Press, $19.95)