It's 25 below

Do you know where your blankies are? I do! Unfortunately they are not wrapped around me. I have been running errands all day and I am cold to my core.
This is the kind of weather that gets me in trouble. It's so cold and we are stuck inside (mostly) that I always think "hmmmm it's the perfect day to ____________" And it never turns out well. The last 'perfect day' was the great taffy incident and I really don't don't want to repeat that. My kids will probably cry if I bring up taffy again. Anyway it's so cold I have to think of something to do. And I must stay out of the kitchen.
Wish me luck!

Curried barley-side dish delish

I was shopping today and I looked at this little packet of side dish express. It was for 3 servings of flavored rice and"2 FULL SERVINGS OF VEGETABLES" for only a $1.29. That's insane! I never buy that stuff but just notice it as I grab my side dish staples: barley, beans and brown rice that reside in the same aisle. I used to be addicted to the cheap and easy crap like that but whoa after reading the ingredients lists and effectively doubling my family 6 years ago I can no longer justify it. I don't like additives I can't pronounce let alone verify it's actually a food. With a 15 year old boy in the house I would have to buy 3 of those just feed everyone. In my quest to stick to real food and stay within a reasonable budget I am constantly looking for side dishes that fit that order. Some easy favorites are rosemary potato wedges, Greek bulgur salad and this treasure I have been working on, curried barley.
Curried barely originally came from a fabulous recipe find on the Weight Watchers Core board called Smothered Chicken from Heather. Thanks for sharing! It involves chicken thighs, barely and assorted spices. The first time I made it everyone loved it but my kids complained that the chicken was slimy. The next time they would hardly eat it. They ate the barely but not the chicken. Our kids really do eat just about everything so when they start making serious noise, above and beyond the usual 'ewww yuck' I listen. I decided to remove the chicken and try it as a side dish to fake n bake pork chops. I changed the spices a few times and settled on curry powder. Yeah sure I can afford to buy those packets of crappy rice and VEGETABLES but why bother when recipes like this are so dang good and easy.

Curried Barley

2 1/2 cups water
1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 cups pearled barley rinsed
6 mushrooms sliced
1 green pepper chopped
1/ 2 onion chopped

Bring the water to a boil
add the tomatoes, salt and curry powder
return to a boil then add the barley and remaining ingredients
reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 40-45 minutes

It was divine!

Last nights dinner was great. It was a new recipe for Moroccan Spiced Chicken (see below) and I am reporting back to say we all loved it. My #3 boy ate 3 bowls and my husband is taking the leftovers in a bento for lunch. I served it over brown basmati rice and added an extra 1/2 teaspoon of salt at the end. The cilantro was a perfect touch and I think a dollop of plain yohgurt would have been great too.
Now on to worry about tonight's dinner...

Moroccan Spiced Chicken

This is what's for dinner tonight and it's going to be divine. I love having a plan and implementing it. This dish seems perfect for days when the temperature never gets warmer than 10 below zero. I'm not sure where it originated but it was passed to me, if you came up with it KUDOS!

Moroccan Spiced Chicken-

* 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch strips
* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 red onion, chopped
* 1 medium-sized zucchini, shredded
* 1/3 cup drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes
* 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
* 1 can (15 1/2 ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
* 3 tablespoons golden raisins
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
* 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 1 cup uncooked couscous or bulgur
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish


Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Place the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat
Add the chicken, onion, zucchini and tomatoes
Cook, stirring, until the chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients except the couscous and cilantro
Bring to a boil over high heat
Stir in the couscous or bulgur cover, and remove from the heat
Let stand for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed
Fluff the with a fork and serve sprinkled with cilantro.



This is one of those recipes where I never quite have all the ingredients but I still want to make it. There is no way in hell I am going to drag 2 kids to the store for a couple ingredients in this weather and we'll just make do. I have dried cilantro from last summer that will have to do and if I can't find saffron in the spice cupboard well we'll try it without it. Oh and I only have regular raisins so I'll throw those in instead of golden. If I waited until I actually had every ingredient for every recipe my family would starve. This is cooking in real life apparently.

Ratatouille, the stew, not the movie

I've never been fond of eggplant, it always seems like so much work. The cutting it early and soaking it part annoyed me and I don't usually have it together enough to get started early. Then I found Ratatouille, the stew, not the movie. It uses peeled eggplant that doesn't need to be soaked to get rid of the bitterness.
Peeled eggplant gives the Ratatouille a nice body and substance. It quickly became a favorite of mine and even my kids like it. It's definitely inexpensive in the summer and even in the winter it's still affordable. I like to serve it over pan fried polenta. Along side a grilled chicken breast is nice too, if you're a meat eater. I found this recipe in my all time favorite cookbook James Beard's "American Cookery" and have adapted it to suit vegetable availability and time constraints. This recipe feeds 4 at least once and is actually better the next day, so expect delicious leftovers.


Ratatouille

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 green peppers seeded and stemmed, chopped
1 eggplant peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
2 zucchinis peels on and sliced
1 yellow summer squash peel on and sliced--if available (you can sub in another zucchini here)
2 15 ounce cans of stewed tomatoes, fire roasted are good if you can find them
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp of sage
pinch of rosemary
salt to taste

over medium heat saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil
when transparent add the peppers,eggplant, zucchinis and squash if using
cover and cook slowly until the vegetables are fork tender approximately 15 minutes
add the tomatoes and herbs cover again and cook for 10 minutes
taste and add salt as needed serve over in a bowl or over polenta

Easy-Bake cakes -- cheapster edition

So I finally found an Easy-Bake oven for my son that's not pink. Seriously did it really take them 20 years to make an Easy-Bake oven that was any other color than pink? I've wanted one for boy #1 but at almost 16 I thought he was a little old, so I bought it for boy #2. Today he made his first cake with a little help from me. He was so proud of himself and we really had fun.
The mixes are really expensive and with minimal digging I found the equation for breaking down a store bought cake mix to make mini cakes. I'm sharing it with the hope that if you have an easy bake oven you just can't afford to buy mixes for, you will pull it out, dust it off and have a little mid-winter fun with your kids, cheapster style.
EasyBake Cheapster Editon (TM)...hahaha only kidding

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons cake mix, any flavor
* 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk

Directions

1.spray pan with non stick cooking spray

2.mix cake mix and milk until smooth pour into pan

3 bake in preheated Easy-Bake Oven about 14 minutes

Potluck Pleaser

I was telling a friend about my blog and she said "Laura, you have GOT to include the Margarita Pie!"
It's not healthy.
It's not particularly budget friendly.
It IS delicious.
1 out of 3 ain't bad. And if doubled and put in a 9X13 it's perfect for a potluck. Here goes! Enjoy Janice!

Margarita Pie original recipe from Allrecipes.com

1 1/4 cups crushed pretzels (a food processor works great-try not to have any big chunks, the smaller the better)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
3limes,zested and juiced
1/4 cup orange juice
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine crushed pretzels, melted butter, and sugar. Press mixture into an greased pie pan.In a large bowl, mix together lime juice, lime zest, orange juice, and sweetened condensed milk. Fold in whipped topping gently but thoroughly. Scrape filling into pretzel crust. Chill pie for at least 25 to 30 minutes.


This will keep well for a day in refrigerator if covered tightly. Let it set out about 20 minutes before attempting to serve.

Taffy is not my friend

So as the beans were simmering away I decided the "perfect thing to do on a cold day" was to make TAFFY. I was wrong, very wrong. It is sticky and burny stuff. We threw the whole mess out. As I was cleaning up I discovered that the candy thermometer was in fact damaged goods. So maybe, just maybe, this failure only means I need a new candy thermometer. Hmmm. I guess the question is do I really want to try sticky and burny again? And will the kids be so good natured about the awful mess that made them stick to the counter a second time?

Tonight? Black beans and rice

Given his choice on his birthday my 5 year old picked beans and rice for his special day dinner. I didn't argue because it is a family favorite and my wallet loves it too. It's so easy to make, it freezes nicely for quick meals later on and make wonderful lunches the next day too.

Beans and Rice

1 lb dried black beans or red beans
1 lb smoked turkey kielbasa chopped in to bite size pieces
cajun spices to taste
salt to taste
red wine vinegar

6 cups (or so) hot cooked rice-white or brown(leftovers work great here so use what's easy)

cook beans according to package directions
in the last 2 hours of cooking add the kielbasa and some cajun spices
this is a test in the less is better because you can always add more later
continue cooking until beans are soft but not mushy
now is the time to add some salt and more spices if you need it
serve over the rice and serve with more salt, cajun spices and red wine vinegar

serve with-corn bread, biscuits or french bread
-fresh crudites

Friday make in not take out

We don't have Chinese take out here only pizza. I have tortured my family with years of very bad stir fries and semi-homemade Chinese food before finally figuring out a couple decent recipes. These are a few must haves I keep on hand and with these I can whip up just about anything my family wants : fresh ginger, fresh garlic, soy sauce and cornstarch. Of course there are tons of ingredients that I'm not listing but those are the basics that my recipes use and my family loves. As it get closer to Chinese New Year I will share my recipe for steamed dumplings but for now enjoy my version of make in not take out.

Mama Tso and Tso's chicken

1 1/2 c chicken broth, reduced-sodium
4 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger **more to taste
1 tbsp white wine vinegar(rice or red wine vinegar are fine)
2 medium scallions, chopped(optional)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or 1 dried chili pepper, minced (optional)
1 1/2 lbs uncooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces
2 c cooked brown basmati rice, kept hot

In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar; set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, ginger, garlic and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes.

Add reserved sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken and sauce and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.

*************************************************************************************
Dry Fried Green Beans

24 oz of frozen green beans-thawed
2 tbsp olive oil divided
1 tbsp minced ginger
3 tbsp sliced garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce regular or reduced salt

in a heavy skillet heat oil over med high heat add thawed green beans
cook for 10 minutes stirring once in while-the mission here is to cook them
to point that they are crisp but have some browning on them
when you hit that point remove them to a bowl
add the next tbsp of oil to the pan when it is hot add the ginger and garlic cook for 30 seconds
add the soy sauce and turn to coat the garlic ginger mix
add the beans back to the pan turn to coat and serve piping hot
stand back these will cause a stampede

Fake n Bake pork chops

Some days I know exactly what to make for dinner and other days I hem and haw until it's too late to make grandiose plans and I have to fly by the seat of my pants. This recipe came up one evening as I was flying by the seat of my pants. My kids totally devoured these.

Fake n Bake Pork Chops

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cracker crumbs or cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic granules
3 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons italian spices or any combination you like or have on hand


Combine dry ingredients and shake together in a jar. When ready to use, moisten pork chops with water and place in bag with enough mix to coat. Shake until well coated.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Then if desired run them under the broiler for 5 minutes to brown and crisp them.


This is a very flexible recipe use your favorite spices and leave out any you don't care for. I do like the paprika for a bit of color and the italian spices lend themselves quit nicely to just about any meal. This does make more than you will need so save the extra in a jar in the fridge to use when you have hemmed and hawed the day away.

This blog entry originally appeared in my other blog eating dirt soup but I like the recipe so much I decided to re-use it here.

The dreaded question...what's for dinner?

Depending on your answer, this question, can make or break your day. I shoot for having dinner figured out the night before so 4 o'clock never sneaks up on me.
I decided to start blogging recipes we are all happy to eat, that don't cost a lot to make and that are healthy (mostly). Usually I settle for 2 out of three but sometimes the cosmic 'trifecta' happens where all three goals are met and then? Nirvana.
Some of these recipes are healthy and delicious.
Some are cheap and healthy.
And some you better get your serving and get out of the way.
Some are...well you get the idea. I hope you enjoy cooking real food for your family.

Corn Chowder

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 of a green pepper chopped

4 medium potatoes peeled and chopped
8 cups chicken broth homemade or store bought
2 cups water
16 ounce bag of frozen corn
1 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

combine first 4 ingredients in a heavy dutch oven over medium high heat
and saute until the onion is translucent
add the potatoes and broth stirring to scrape any browned bits into the soup
cook until the potatoes are soft and mash-able
lightly mash the potatoes leaving some bigger pieces
add the corn and water heat until the corn is no longer frozen
reduce heat and add the milk stirring to keep it from boiling
at this point the soup is done but you should add salt and pepper to taste


This is actually one of the trifecta recipes healthy, cheap and good. Plus it makes great leftovers. Enjoy!