It's not just the little kids heading back to school next month, but college students as well. And after a summer spent chowing on mom's home cooking, many will find their school cafeteria's offerings to be somewhat lacking - not to mention unavailable for the late-night munchies. And when Ramen noodles and mac and cheese lose their appeal, what is a hungry college student to do?

Parent Dish reader Alyssa pointed us to Chow.com, a great resource for dorm-cooking recipes and gadgets that will help spice up a college student's menu. How about cooking up some microwave crème brûlée? Or perhaps some spicy cinnamon sugar popcorn? The recipes include dishes that can be prepared in microwave ovens, George Foreman grills, slow cookers and more.

But beware, many colleges have banned cooking devices other than microwaves due to the fire hazards involved. But there are plenty of ideas for dishes to make in a microwave oven using common dorm-room staples, such as leftover Chinese takeout rice.

Find out what appliances are allowed in your kid's dorm and click here for a slide show of gadgets and a list of recipes that will make being away from home a lot more tasty.