OK, in my ripe old age as a senior, I know how bland Colby dining hall food can be. Sometimes that chicken sandwich looks delectable, resting on a hearty wheat bun and garnished with crispy lettuce and fresh-cut tomatoes, but then you bite into the driest piece of meat you’ve ever tasted. This incident, or something like it, is probably what inspired me to seek tastiness in hot sauce during the spring of my freshman year, and it changed my world.

Once I began experimenting with Frank’s RedHot—a hot sauce far superior to the well-known Tabasco sauce that our parents grew up with—I found myself adding it to the most unusual foods and producing surprisingly delicious results. Now, three years after my Frank’s devotion began, I’ve managed to stockpile a bunch of makeshift recipes that include this key additive. Next time you’re feeling less-than-satisfied in the dining halls or hungry for a post-Friday-night snack in your room, try these combos:

1. Some people might think Frank’s is too intense for a 9 a.m. Dana run before sprinting off to class, but that’s a rookie mistake. Pop a bagel in the toaster, slather on some cream cheese and drizzle a fair amount of hot sauce over the top. Since you’re already near the omelet station, add some salsa to your plate for casual side dipping.

2. Maybe it’s because the temperature drops below zero for the majority of the school year, but I’ve really learned to love soup since coming to Maine. The dining halls offer a lot of variety, but the “weirdest” soups (and thereby the best) can be found in Foss. Next time you’re in the mood for soup, scope out what other foods you could add to it. Locro potato soup is one of my favorites, if only for its versatility. Scrape up a spoonful of sticky brown rice, add a generous amount of Frank’s and pour the soup on top. Then stir in some black pepper and shredded cheddar until your spoon is covered in strings of melting cheese.

3. This next concoction is pretty strange: you’ll either love it or hate it. The problem is that cottage cheese is hit or miss with people. As long as I don’t stop to consider the pasteurization process, I can enjoy it. Although cottage cheese is typically paired with sweet fruits like peaches or apples, try making it savory. Dish some cottage cheese over romaine lettuce, and add a fair amount of hot sauce. Stir it together and dust with cracked black pepper.

4. Most people know the old egg and hot sauce trick, but this recipe takes that combo to a whole new level. Snag a few hardboiled eggs in the morning or even from the Foss salad bar during the lunchtime rush. After peeling the shells, cut the eggs down the middle and scoop the yolks into a separate bowl. Add a little Dijon mustard and as much Frank’s as desired to the yolks. Stir up the ingredients and spoon it back into the egg whites. I’ve heard cottage cheese is also a good additive, but I’m just holding out for Foss to get some paprika.

5. Frank’s is a must-have dorm room item, too—just as essential as toothpaste or shampoo for every college student. One of my stranger hot sauce endeavors involved a bag of buttered popcorn during a girls’ movie night. Halfway through the bag, I realized I wasn’t feeling it at all. On a whim, I sprinkled a few drops of Frank’s into the bag and shook it up. This resulted in a few slightly soggy pieces, but it wasn’t enough to stop the four of us from inhaling the rest of the bag and popping another.

6. My favorite hot sauce discovery, however, has to be its pairing with a college student’s staple: Easy Mac. I can eat it at any time of day or night. Even the dining halls don’t serve macaroni that often—they know that’s all we eat in our rooms. So, today, and then again tomorrow, when you’re heating up that plastic bowl of soon-to-be cheesy goodness, break out some pesto. But real pesto, with pine nuts, like the good old days in the dining halls. Go buy a container of Buitoni’s at Hannaford’s and keep it in your mini-fridge for easy mac emergencies. Stir in a hearty spoonful (or two) of pesto, and finish with your classic Frank’s. Pure bliss.