Thrifty Kitchen

Spidey Boys

2011-10-09T22:37:00.001-07:00

Hopefully the boys will don these spiderman costumes on Halloween. 20 days to prime time - fingers crossed that all comes together (literally). Glow in the dark paint and zippers are next on the list, not in that order.

Buffalo Gals

2011-02-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

Chicken Drumsticks with Asian BBQ Sauce

2010-05-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

I am shocked at how cheap drumsticks are. At Trader Joe's 5 'Natural' chicken drumsticks will run you about $3. Granted, this recipe calls for 16 drumsticks (I use 3 packages which is ~ 15 sticks), so the price climbs to ~$10, but we stretch it over many meals (say 4 large adult portions and 3 kid portions). In our home we eat a lot of meat - admittedly one of the reasons our food budget is larger than our peers - so if I can find good recipes that use cheaper cuts, all the better.

This recipe is from Food & Wine (from who knows when) and since securing it in my recipe book I have made it 5 or so times, and enjoyed each meal. It is however, not fast. I give myself an hour from start to finish.

This makes me realize that I need a whole suite of recipes that use cheap cuts of meat and take 30-40 minutes to make. I joke (though it is all too true) that cooking with kids around makes your kitchen feel like an alligator pit, with hungry critters nipping at your ankles. In sum: not relaxing. So the faster a meal the better.

One thing this recipe uses that I do love and does make things quick: my Immersion Blender. Love it. I use it in this recipe to whip together the ingredients for the sauce and save dishes versus using the big blender. Delici0-s0.

Chicken Drumsticks with Asian Barbecue Sauce
I did not have hoisin sauce the last time I made it, and had to substitute plum sauce making it sweeter than normal. Also - I totally consider the seasame seeds optional. I found cheap sesame seeds in bulk at our local natural food store.

Servings: 4 adult, 3 kid
Cost: $12-15
Time: 20 minutes active, 1 hour total

2 T vegetable oil
1 (+) tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
15 chicken drumsticks (~ 3 lbs)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup sweet Asian chili sauce or hot pepper jelly
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
2 T minced fresh ginger
2 (+) large garlic cloves
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 - 1 cup toasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl mix the oil and 5-spice powder. Add the chicken, season with Salt and Pepper and toss to coat. Line a baking sheet with foil, and arrange the chicken in two rows. Roast for 35 minutes, turning twice. (If things get busy - as in the alligators start biting - it still turns out great if you forget to rotate the chicken.)

In a bowl or cup combine ingredients for sauce: hoisin, chili sauce, rice vinegar, broth/stock, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Puree with immersion blender until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, bring to boil and simmer for ~ 5 minutes.

Once chicken is cooked transfer to clean bowl and power sauce over to coat.

Turn oven to broil. Place the chicken back on the tray and return to oven to broil for another 10 minutes, turning once. Brush with extra sauce. Remove from oven.

Place sesame seeds in a bowl. Using tongs, immerse one end of the cooked chicken in the bowl of sesame seeds and transfer to a serving platter. Enjoy.

Mother's Day Camping

2010-05-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

Definitely not the traditional approach to maximizing the Mother's Day free-to-relax- card, but a wonderful way to get outside the day-to-day routine. This last weekend found us in Henry Coe State Park gobbling up Smores, savoring Banana Muffins, and ... well ... wearing all of our clothes to stay warm.

And just a moment to say how awesome it is to camp. I love it. It was SO wonderful to see the boys running, jumping, and peering down 'creature holes. Note: just peering - I did my best to enforce a no hands or feet down holes rule. And THRIFTY. We split a campsite with another family for a grand total of $32/family or $16/night. That is good old fashion cheap fun.

We did however totally splurge on the Mother's Day Breakfast - which was very sweet and the first time we had eaten biscuits cooked on a griddle (imagine a really thick pancake with butter and jelly instead of syrup).

So, sigh. Perhaps not the way you picture 'relaxing', but rejuvinating and memorable all the same.

Smores

Not that you need a recipe, but just for inspiration, consider ....

graham crackers
chocolate
golden roasted marshmellows
cookies
peanut butter

Place the graham cracker and chocolate on a BBQ grate near the campfire or wrap in foil to get the chocolate nice and gooey while you roast your marshmellow. Once you've roasted, smoosh together your ingredients, and enjoy. Probably will need a wet wipe to clean up ... especially those little hands.

Greywater

2009-04-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

I am having so much fun researching a paper on residential greywater recycling. This is an article (and video) about a woman, also a reporter for the LA Times, who created a plumbing system to capture the water from her washing machine to irrigate her front yard ... for $312 and two days of work. I should add ... it sounds like she spent MANY more days planning, researching and procuring!

My mind is full of ideas for our own house ... wonderful.

Other sites for inspiration:
Greywater Guerillas
Oasis Design

Baby Poncho Project

2009-03-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Spring Break ... what a bizarre and wonderful concept, and a great chance to give creative me some time to play.

Project One was making a long overdue "baby poncho" for my niece. Way back when I cut out a picture of an adorable baby poncho (cost $56), which looked easy enough to make with the help of my ol'trusty sewing machine. And wa'la ... with some $3 red fleece from the bargain bin at Joanne's, some $1 blue ribbon and some striped cotton fabric tucked away in my fabric container ... a $4 red fleece pancho was born.

If anyone is interested in pattern details, I would be happy to share more info!

On another note, I have been cooking up a storm but between kids and school I haven't found time to post to TK. Alas, hopefully this will change soon. Who knows? Until then ~ Welcome Spring!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Or should I say, Happy Obama-ween?

We had a LOT of fun carving ours with premade Obama stencils, from Yes We Carve.

Vote. Vote Early. and Vote Often.... as my grandpa used to say.

The Professor’s Apple Pie

2008-08-31T00:55:00.000-07:00

An apple for the teacher? Sure. But how about an apple pie? I can just picture the look on my environmental biological-chemical processes (wait, what’s the name of the class? Ah, oh well) professor’s face when a nice, golden hot apple pie is waiting for him before class next week.

In the last three weeks I have been having a little “pie off” of my own. I kid you not – I have made a total of eight pies – 7 apple pies and 1 peach pie. I have dealt with apples and dough in varying states of freshness, coldness and sweetness and think I have found my winning combination, once again originating from my mom’s recipe box and the family apple tree.

Never have I felt so strongly the correlation between apple harvesting and the start of school, as this week found me dusting off my mechanical pencil and graphing calculator to return to school. All in all it is a very happy thing, though I imagine in a few short days away from the boys I will miss them terribly … or maybe not, as I am feeling totally fantastic about where they will be spending their days. The other thing I will miss of course is the “extra” time I had to dedicate to saving money in the kitchen. Now, like most folks, I will have less time and less money. So, I guess as a last hurrah of sorts I set a personal mission to put all my thrifty muscle into enjoying and preserving as many “free” apples as possible.

The apples mostly found themselves eaten, pureed into applesauce (Lane’s first food) and into apple pies for immediate consumption and for the freezer (!!). My inner homesteader is beaming with the knowledge that our freezer has three beautiful apple pies just waiting for February (or some other winter month in need of a good occasion) when I can savor the “labor” of my last weeks of summer.

When you make the pie dough there will, of course, be extra, which is wonderful rolled out, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and baked at 450 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. Let it cool as long as people can wait, then huddle around, break into pieces and enjoy. I like to think this is one of the kitchen treats my kids will love the most.

And don’t forget the vanilla ice cream. Can you imagine the professor’s expression if some yummy ice cream found its way onto his desk as well? Priceless.

Grandma Margaret’s Pie Crust

This recipe comes from my dad’s mom, a fantastic Nebraskan cook. I tried two different piecrust recipes and this one won out due to its ease to make, workability and flavor. It doesn’t have the typical crazy flakiness of a shortening crust … but you get the comfort of having a healthier crust and I preferred the sturdier crust to the other which I found tender but kinda tasteless. I like to mix the dry ingredients and cut in the butter in a food processor, then transfer to a bowl to add the wet ingredients and bring together with my hands into two discs (one for top and one for bottom). The recipe below is reproduced in its beautiful straightforward simplicity. I always forget about the ice water until right before the recipe – so do that first!

Servings: 1 pie, 8-12 slices (depending on the slicer)
Cost: ~ $2/pie (if the apples are free!)
Time: 1+ hour prep, 1+ hour cook

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter

1 egg, beaten
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Ice water, if necessary

(Make ice water.) Sift flour and salt together. Cut in butter. Toss in egg and vinegar lightly with fork. Start to gently work dough with hands to form discs, add ice water if necessary to bring dough together.

Apple Filling

This recipe comes from the 2007 Santa Cruz County Fair Best of Show award winner. So yeah, it seemed like a good place to start. While you are peeling and prepping the apples keep them in a bowl of cool salty water to prevent them from browning (another tip from Grandma).

8+ cups apples peeled, cored and sliced (approximately 12 small/med apples or 8 large)

1 ½ cups raw sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbs butter
3 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs milk
white sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a pie plate with half the crust rolled thin. Spread half of apples atop bottom crust. Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon and sprinkle half of dry mixture over apples. Place remaining apples in crust and sprinkle remaining dry mixture on top. Dot with butter and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Cover with top crust and pinch to seal. Brush top lightly with milk and dust with sugar. Place pie in oven with foil or baking sheet below to catch drippings. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then lower heat to 350 and bake an additional 45-50 minutes. Cool (just a bit) and enjoy.

Notes on freezing:
This is my first time freezing pies, so I will have to report back in February about the results. Based on my web research I; froze pies unbaked; and froze the pies in pie plates lined with parchment paper (which will help me remove the pies from the plates for storage). The common recommendation was to use tapioca as a thickener, but I didn’t have tapioca, so instead stuck with the winning recipe that uses flour as a thickener, though this could make the pies “runny”. We shall see.

Camp Cookin’

2008-08-13T23:06:00.000-07:00

Where o’ where have I been? Sadly, not keeping up with the Thrifty Kitchen!

During the last several weeks I learned many things about myself; one of which is that I cannot take care of two kids full time and adequately chronicle my cooking adventures.

I did however dream of an alternative technological future. Numerous times in the previous weeks I composed a post or recipe in my head only to be separated by distance and free time from my computer (and glasses – doh! I am going blind). What I needed was a telepathic link to my computer, a way to download my brainwaves, if you will. What do you think? Is it the future? Bluetooth turned brainwave?

But back to wondering, where have I been? We actually have been doing a bit of adventuring this summer, starting off with a couple nights camping at New Brighton State Beach in Santa Cruz. The highlights included Cole playing a seemingly endless game with our tent stakes, Lane bundled like an Eskimo, and creating a sand dude named “knock” who we gleefully knocked over shortly after he was created.

Before heading out I did some quick web searching for camp cooking suggestions. Reading a post from Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks about camp cooking led me to the Food & Wine website and a number of camp recipes, most of which we made. My favorite was a recipe for Corn Cake with Dried Cranberries. We thoroughly enjoyed two full recipes one morning for breakfast. I did make some modifications, below. It was kinda like a fuss-less pancake, and it tasted better too. Win-win for camping I would say.

Camping is a thrifty vacation option though a night’s stay costs at least $25, and reservations are insanely hard to get. I have to admit, I like to indulge a little on the food end while camping … I mean you surely aren’t indulging in many of the “typical” vacation accoutrements. This trip I packed in a cast-iron skillet, which we cooked every meal on. My inner river guide recoils at the amount of “stuff” you can bring car camping, but a good skillet is surely worth the space. Now the air mattress, I am still working on that one…

Corn Cake with Dried Cranberries ~ Modified

One cake will probably feed two people breakfast. Cole, Jon and I ate a double batch, though we are notoriously “big eaters”. This recipe has an increased amount of milk and doubles the amount of dried fruit compared to the F&W version. I also made a substitution of butter for oil which helped with the flavor ~ though of course don’t bother if it is too fussy to melt the butter on the camp stove! I also pre-packed all the dried ingredients in a ziplock bag before heading out … this way there wasn’t much measuring to do and we were only moments away from breakfast. Lets see what else ~ F&W recommends serving with butter and maple syrup. Hot with butter sans syrup was good with us. And yes, everything does taste better camping.

Servings: 2 modest appetites
Cost: ~$4
Time: 10 min prep, 12 min cooking, 22 min total

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ stone ground cornmeal
3 Tbls (packed) light brown sugar
Pinch salt
4 Tbls coarsely chopped dried cranberries (or try apricots)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 Tbls butter or vegetable oil
soft butter and (warm) maple syrup for serving

Whisk together dry ingredients and fruit before heading out and place into a ziplock bag. On morning of use, in a small bowl mix egg, milk and 1 tablespoon melted butter (or vegetable oil). Combine with dry ingredients, careful not to overmix.

In your favorite camp skillet, melt ½ tablespoon butter. Scrape batter into the skillet, spreading evenly. Cook over medium heat until, like a pancake, surface looks dry and bubbles have formed on the surface, about 5 minutes. Boldly flip with a spatula. Add remaining ½ tablespoon butter to pan, and cook another 5 minutes until cooked through and top springs back when pressed.

But really, is there such a thing as a “brainwave”?

Molasses Crinkles – What to save in case of fire?

2008-06-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

With the summer heat most of us are not thinking of firing up the oven to make cookies, but the recent heat has gotten our family thinking about what is most precious to us. Cookies? You bet – along with all the memories of happiness they have inspired in the past and the possibility of their enjoyment into the future.

This sounds so philosophical, so let me back up. While down in Santa Cruz this last weekend - for my brother’s graduation from Junior High (Yeah Unkl Ty!) and father’s day - we were talking and reading about nearby fires in Bonny Doon . My mom heard a story of a man who stayed to protect his home after his family evacuated. In evaluating his options and preparing his strategy to protect the family homestead, he took the thoughtful measure of throwing the family silver into the swimming pool. This story absolutely captured our imaginations … and ignited numerous theories and speculation as to what our own strategy would be. What would we want to save?

After some thoughtful reflection, my mom confidently identified the item we should grab from the house in case of emergency. Her recipe box. It is just so perfect … So simple and packed full of more memories than any photo album or single treasure, and the best part is that if everything else burns, you still have the comfort of home and new memories to make with old favorites.

The one catch … not all of her favorite recipes are in the recipe box. Which is where I come in. One purpose of the Thrifty Kitchen (and one of my motivations for creating it) is as an online trove for all my favorite recipes. My own little recipe book was getting so full I was inspired to create an online cookbook of sorts. Now in case of fire our family favorites are safe … just in case the water proof box and swimming pool aren’t available at a moment’s notice.

This recipe for Molases Crinkles comes from my mom’s first childhood cookbook. The cookbook is wonderful, dogeared and loved by all of us. We tried to convince her it should be grabbed along with the recipe box, but alas this opened the door for confusion, so we kept it simple. These cookies are possibly my favorite ever - though I hesitate to commit – wonderful anytime of year, but especially around the holidays. So we have a while to wait. But just in case of fire, the recipe is safe here with us.

Molasses Crinkles

My mom has tried numerous variations on the original recipe to improve its healthiness. The winning combination is replacing the shortening with half butter and half Earth Balance (a butter substitute common at health food stores) and the flour with half wheat and half white. I have a little aversion to Earth Balance, and prefer the prior “healthy” version with some butter and some shortening (gasp!). This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so I love freezing half the dough in a log shape and defrosting it when a cooking craving strikes.

Servings: ~36 cookies
Cost: $4.50-$5 total, ~$0.12/cookie (MUCH cheaper than at the coffee shop!)
Time: 2 hours, 40 mins active

Adapted from Mom’s copy of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls

1 cup butter
½ cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup molasses
2 cups wheat flour
2 ½ cups white flour
4 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
½ cup white sugar

Cream the shortening, butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and molasses and mix to incorporate. In a separate bowl whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in one cup increments, mixing completely after each addition. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts, and dip tops into a bowl filled with white sugar. Place dough balls onto greased baking sheet, three inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, just until set but not hard. Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely (or enjoy warm of course).

How to Hard-Boil an Egg

2008-06-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

It has taken me 29 years to learn how to hard boil an egg – but today, alas, I boiled four beautiful hard boiled eggs. Victory. I think my days of cracked, mangled and protruding boiled eggs are over.

I remember looking through my mom’s recipes many moons ago and stumbling across a recipe card for ‘How to Boil Water’ … As the story goes the recipe, now a family secret to be sure, was given to my mom as a bridal shower gift. A must have for every new bride (or groom… or college student?). This basic recipe for hard boiled eggs, I propose, should accompany the matrimonial recipe bouquet. I wish I had been spared the years of miserable looking hard boiled eggs!

Jon and I were struck with sticker shock the other day when we purchased two dozen antibiotic/hormone free/organic/cage free eggs at 4.29/dozen (~$0.36/egg). Alas, it still makes for a thrifty snack when compared to packaged granola bars (~$1/bar). Happily for me, it did rekindle our conversation about a backyard chicken coop … someday.

Hey Bryn … now that I know how to hard-boil eggs can you teach me how to devil them?

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Good for so many things, like sliced in a salad or a sandwich. Also a thrifty snack at home (peeled over the sink and sprinkled with salt) or at the park.

Servings: Up to you
Cost: ~$.36/egg for eggs from “happy” hens
Time: 25-30 mins

Eggs
Water

Place eggs in the bottom of a saucepan. Fill with water to approximately one centimeter above eggs. Cover and bring to boil on stovetop. When water begins boiling turn off heat. Leave eggs covered on stovetop for an additional 15-20 minutes (varies depending on the size of the egg). Run eggs under cold water until eggs and water are cool. Crack, peel and enjoy.

My First Rhubarb Pie

2008-05-31T05:26:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb is beautiful. I had no idea. It was a joy to wash the long maroon and green striped stalks, pat them dry and cut the stalks lengthwise in preparation for these pies.

I think the seasons are moving by faster than I can keep up. Each month I am trying to experiment with a new ingredient (beet greens) or a spin on an old ingredient that is in season (asparagus). When I updated the last 'What's in Season' I knew rhubarb was this months' bird (so to speak). Jon and Cole found some rhubarb at the local farmers market for $3.99/lb, and with two pounds of rhubarb I made two yummy rhubarb pies. (I later spied rhubarb on sale at our local natural grocery for $2.99/lb and our local big retail grocery doesn't carry rhubarb even in season)

Finding the time to cook these days usually means spending the afternoon nap time in the kitchen instead of catching some zzzzzs. So depending on how exhausted I am, and how badly I want to cook something up, you will know where to find me. On Saturday the call of the kitchen won out and the pies were created. I did have a little mishap with my favorite pie dough recipe ... some overeager measuring of the shortening led to a very tender (and difficult to work with) pie crust. But alas, the pies, served warm with vanilla ice cream, were met with great applause and worth every lost zzzzz.

Rhubarb Pie

This recipe originated from Nancy's copy of the Complete American-Jewish Cookbook . When I told Jon I wanted to make a rhubarb pie, he immediately responded, "Oh, Nancy makes a wonderful rhubarb pie". It's so rewarding to chronicle these family favorites.

Servings: 8 good sized slices
Cost: $4/pie (based on $2.99/lb and pie dough from scratch)
Time: 1 hour total, 15 minutes active (this time does not include the pie dough)

2 eggs
3 cups rhubarb, diced
1 cup sugar
3 Tbls flour
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
1/2 recipe plain pastry dough
1 Tbls butter or margarine

Preheat the oven to 425. Beat eggs with fork. Combine rhubarb, sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon. Add egg and mix well until all the rhubarb is equally coated. Place the rhubarb in a pastry lined pie plate. Cover the top with remaining rolled out pie dough. Dot the pastry with butter and place pie in oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Nancy's Sweet Salad Dressing

2008-05-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

I love my in-laws.

How rarely those words must be uttered, I know ...which makes me even more grateful. This last week they have been visiting, and I kid you not, it is the most relaxed I have been in months. Granted, I have taken a back seat in the kitchen ... and I mean I am sitting so far in the back of the bus I can't see the driver type of back seat. What is for breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow? I have no idea ~ but I know there is a plan and it will be delicious. I am on vacation in my own home. Unbelievable.

My one worry - how can I ever repay the kindness? A gift? Maybe. Flowers? This seams silly, as I would be the long term beneficiary as they don't travel well... The one thing I know I can do is pay their generosity forward. I hope to have the same opportunity to care for others. They have shown me how to do it with style, grace, ease and enjoyment. And, it gets better. I get to learn the "secrets" of the family's favorite eats, such as for Nancy's Sweet Salad Dressing.

One cost cutting measure we have employed is making our own salad dressing. Rarely (okay never) do I have time to make a salad specific dressing, so I am starting to make dressings ahead of time in saved salad dressing bottles. Not only is it economical, but it also feels good to pour my own dressing out of a nice glass bottle. This salad dressing is wonderfully sweet due to the addition of some maple syrup (the REAL stuff) and simple. We had it recently on an arugala, pecan and pear salad ... mmm, delicious.

Nancy's Sweet Salad Dressing

This dressing is best with the highest quality olive oil you can afford ... uh, which for us is the cheapest! All these ingredients can be varied to taste and what you have on hand, but here are the basics.

1 1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried or fresh herbs such as dill and/or thyme
1-2 Tbl maple syrup
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a salad dressing container with lid and shake vigorously. Taste dressing and adjust seasonings accordingly. We have kept this dressing at room temperature for two weeks and continued to use and enjoy it. Hope you will too...

Steel Cut Oats

2008-05-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

I am back … or almost all back. But where, I ask myself, have I been?

Our little clan has been reeling with illness the last three weeks. Okay not to whine, but maybe just a little … two weeks of horrible cold/virus left me with the farewell gifts of a sinus infection/ruptured ear drum. After finally knocking the infection we got THE MOST contagious 24-hour stomache flu ever (thank you day care:). So there I was two mornings ago, having not eaten for over 24-hours and all I could think about was how wonderful a bowl of good’ol steel cut oats sounded.

One of our favorite breakfast meals is steel cut oats – a bulk oat that takes longer to cook than rolled oats but boasts a creamier texture. When I was working and/or in school I would make a big batch of steel cut oats on Sunday night and we would reheat bowls in the microwave for a simple, fast and nutritious weekday breakfast. Another plus for the steel cut oat: it goes great with lots of additions (chocolate chips! – I am such a junkie). Despite this awesome convenience, they really are best the day-of, though you need to give yourself at least 45 minutes from starting the water to sitting down to eat.

I have had some good conversations with folks lately about ideas for how to be thrifty in the kitchen - a universal theme is cooking more with bulk grains. This is definitely an area of my cooking repertoire I am eager to expand upon and hope there will be many future posts sharing recipes and stories from the bulk grain arena. Please, let me know if you have any ideas or favorites to share!

Steel Cut Oats

Servings: 5
Cost: ~$1 (CHEAP!)
Time: 5 minutes active, 45 minutes total

6 cups water
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups steel-cut oats

Boil the water in a medium size soup or sauce pan. Add the salt and oats. Lower the heat and allow the oats to barely simmer … bubbling like the La Brea Tar Pits ... for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the oats are desired consistency.

The Compost Chronicles – Part I

2008-04-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

I am by no means a compost expert… In fact, without Unkl K’s initiative I am sure we still would not have a composting system. I was totally hung-up on this idea that we needed a well constructed, wooden, three-tiered compost system. Well, we simplified – and the moral of the story is that you too can easily compost your kitchen scraps and transform them into “black gold”.

We took a clue from my mom, the owner of an inspiring garden and a thriving and simple compost system. Her compost, and now ours, starts with a bottomless garbage can set approximately four inches into the ground. Enter Unkl K: within 15 minutes he sawed off the bottom of a plastic garbage can and buried it in the ground. Thank the stars for people who “just do stuff”!

So now we are collecting our green waste in a container under the sink and have been happily composting for the last 10-weeks. We asked my mom to take a look at our “system” and she touted its benefits: no need to “turn” the layers AND it is rodent proof. What (dumb) luck – two things we most definitely wanted and most awesomely ended up with.

We haven’t yet harvested our compost, which probably won't be for another three months or so ... the simplicity of this approach means it takes longer for everything to decompose. We also have not added additional bins to our system, which we plan to do when our first bin fills up. So stay tuned for more posts on this topic – including tips from Unkl K’s doggy-doo composting system – which totally works! As Cole would say with hands clapping: “Yay Unkl K!”

Composting Notes and Tips

Servings: 32 gallons
Cost: ~ $15 for the garbage can
Time: 15-20 mins to create a bottomless bin and dig a hole

· Alternate layers of wet and dry waste
· Examples of wet waste include veggie scraps from the kitchen, pulled garden weeds, egg shells and coffee grounds.
· Examples of dry waste include dead leaves, dried grass, straw, sawdust and newspaper.
· The moisture of the compost should be like a “damp sponge” – if it seems to dry add more wet waste, if it seems to wet add more dry waste.
· The compost should not smell. If you smell it (without sticking your nose down into it), it is likely too wet, so add more dry waste.
· Use newspaper torn into strips as “dry waste” to absorb excess moisture.
· DO NOT put meat, oils (no salad scraps with dressing!) or dairy products into the compost
· We have been light on dry waste, so we started a pile of pulled weeds and grass adjacent to the compost. Once dried we add them as dry waste.

Easy Oven Asparagus

2008-04-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Wow. Life with two kids is quite a wild ride - so as you can imagine the EASY part if this recipe is music to my ears.

I tried this recipe for “Cast-Iron Roasted Asparagus” printed in a recent food section of the SF Chronicle, and loved it. Granted, we used some high quality asparagus from our CSA box – I was delighted with the ease of this recipe, which took only 12 minutes to prepare, and it was delicious in its simplicity – highlighting a healthy vegetable just coming into season.

So without saying more… because, lets face it… Little Lane is about to wake up and Jon is following Cole up the street – he walked out the front door (wearing only a T-shirt) on this hot evening, pushing his baby doll in the stroller, saying “Bye Daddy, I am going to the store. To get milk”. Independent little guy.

We devoured this asparagus before I could get a picture of the finished product.

Easy Oven Asparagus
(as printed in the Wed April 2, 2008 SF Chronicle)

Servings: 4 as a small side dish, 2 with leftovers
Cost: Varies, but cheaper and cheaper as they come into season
Time: 12 mins, 2 mins active

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, drizzle asparagus generously with olive oil and season with salt. Toss to coat evenly. Lay asparagus flat in a large cast-iron skillet (a sheet pan will also work), and cook in oven until tender and slightly and crackly, about 8 minutes. (E: Could be up to 10 mins) Serve immediately alongside grilled meat or roasted fish, or chop roughly and add to salad of spring greens with hard-boiled egg and balsamic vinaigrette.

White Bread

2008-04-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

I almost titled this post, “The Best (White) Bread (I) Have (Ever) Made (Yet)”: a small attempt to acknowledge the many wonderful and untested bread recipes in existence and my own bread making naiveté. A little background …My oldest friend (not in years lived, but in years counted as my friend) stopped by a couple of weeks ago for a baby viewing and mentioned some “time-off” she has coming up. In thinking about what to do with her time, she thought she might make bread. This is one of the little things that holds us together as friends…it is comforting to know there is someone else out there who thinks about their time and their bread as I do. If I have the time, I love to make bread. Simple. Rewarding. Delicious. And thrifty too.

Now why white bread? I will admit I never buy the stuff, and in the grocery store naturally gravitate towards the darkest grainiest loaves on the shelf. I have been making various bread recipes over the last couple of months and so far haven’t found my “favorite” wheat loaf recipe, but will keep you up to date on this, as I think I am close… So this recipe is based on a Potato Bread recipe in The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown. I adapted the recipe for a stand mixer and recommend checking on the loaf after only 45 minutes of baking, rather than 1 hour, as it might be done sooner. The recipe uses 1 ½ to 2 cups mashed potatoes, which of course you can use from a previous meals leftovers (It is a family rule to NEVER run out of mashed potatoes at dinner!)

Cut a thick slice of this bread while it is still warm, slather it with butter and enjoy … I savor this moment as the purest reward for my bread making patience.

A - I hope you get the time to try this out.

Potato Bread

I buy the yeast and dry milk in bulk from the natural grocery, which saves a little money. I also keep all the rising in the original mixing bowl ... which saves a dish.

Servings: 2 Loaves
Cost: ~$2.50
Time:~ 4 ½ hours, 45 active

2 cups warm water
1 ½ Tbls or 2 packages dry yeast
¼ honey
1 cup dry milk
3 cups unbleached white flour
4 tsp. salt
¼ cup oil
1 ½ - 2 cups cooked mashed potato
3 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup or more unbleached white flour for kneading

In the large bowl of a stand mixer whisk together water and yeast until yeast is dissolved. (note about “warm water”: I try to get the water so it feels just hot to the inside of my wrist) Add the honey and dry milk, and stir to combine. Stir in the flour and beat well with a spoon (100 strokes). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. Using the paddle attachment of the stand mixer, fold in salt, oil and potatoes. Add 3 cups flour. Once the flour is incorporated, switch to the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes (alternatively, incorporate ingredients with a spoon and knead by hand for 10 minutes). Add additional flour as needed so that dough forms a ball around the dough hook and is not sticking to the bowl. Remove bowl from the mixer. You can transfer the dough to an oiled bowl to rise or cover the dough in the stand mixer bowl and let rise for 50-60 minutes until doubled in size. Once the dough is doubled in size, punch it down by kneading it for 1 minute within the bowl, cover and allow the dough to rise for 40-50 minutes until doubled in size. Once the dough is doubled in size, punch it down by kneading it for 1 minute within the bowl and separate into two equal sized balls. Shape each ball into a loaf and place into loaf pan. Let rise for 20-25 minutes, or until top of dough is above the rim of the loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pans on middle shelf of the oven and bake until golden brown on top and “hollow” sounding when tapped, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove bread from pans and place on wire rack to cool.

Granola-mama

2008-03-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

How did granola get such a hippy rap anyway? Where better to turn to for answers than the information super highway? Ask, and you shall receive… the food and name were “revived” in the 1960’s with a “major appearance” at the 1969 Woodstock Festival (Wikipedia). How can you escape a hippy connection with that kind of debut?

Regardless, granola is SO good, and homemade granola is a category unto itself. I love it. My mom left on Saturday after staying for a couple of days to help with the new baby. My single request before she left? Was it clean laundry? Time for a nap? Naa, it was a batch of homemade granola , of course. When it is around (it is hard to keep around at our house) I find excuses to eat it all the time. Snack with yogurt or desert with chocolate chips mixed in. Actually, lately I have been adding chocolate chips to lots of things … mmm.

This granola version is a combination of two recipes, one from my mom and the other from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking. I like the technique from my mom’s recipe, the addition of coconut oil and orange zest in Heidi’s recipe (l write as if I know her…) and can’t be pinned down on what nuts or fruits to include because it usually depends on what remnants are floating around in the cupboard. I hope you enjoy this thrifty delight as it is a cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative to buying supermarket cereal.

Granola-Mama

Let the granola cool completely on the trays before transferring to an air tight container. This ensures it stays nice and crunchy. The classic combination for this recipe (if you aren’t scavenging the cupboard) is almonds and dried cranberries.

Servings: ~12 cups
Cost: $2-$3 (varies depending on what fruits and nuts you use)
Time: 40 mins, 20 active

6 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
3 tsp cinnamon
2 cups nuts (e.g. almonds, pistachios, walnuts)
1 cup Shredded coconut
2 Tbs. lemon or orange zest
1 cup honey
½ cup coconut oil
3 tsp vanilla
2 cups dried fruit (e.g. cranberries, raisins, currants, figs, apricots, bananas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine oats, cinnamon, nuts, coconut and zest. In a saucepan over medium low heat stir coconut oil and honey to combine. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture and stir until oats are well coated. Spread oats evenly onto three lightly oiled baking trays. Place trays into preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove trays from oven, stir and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until oats are golden brown. Let oats cool to room temperature, and then combine granola with dried fruit. Store in air tight container for up to one month.

Two Little Feet

2008-03-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

Laying on my tummy

Where you used to be

Counting

Two little feet

ten toes

Hi (not so little) Lane.

It's nice to meet you.

(8 lbs 12 oz ... wowzers ... must have been the chocolate cake?)

A note on hostpital food: If the nurses advise you against eating the food ... throw thriftiness to the wind .... it's best to listen.

The Whole Beet

2008-03-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

The first of our four CSA trial boxes has arrived. Though I am not sure how much of a “trial” it will be; after the first night’s dinner Jon declared it “wonderful” and “totally worth it”. On Friday night after picking up our box I made a quick stir fry (with onions, carrots and the stir fry greens from our box) accompanied by a recipe for baked broccoli with lemon and butter made according to a recipe in the CSA newsletter. Scrumptious. Since then we have also enjoyed Carrot Leek Soup, and a little Thrifty Kitchen Challenge emerged to create a recipe using all edible parts of a bunch of beets nestled in our box.

I found recipes in three different cookbooks for how to cook beets and greens, and spread them out in the kitchen to create, what I think I will call, a Warm Beet and Green Salad. The beet greens were the most intimidating; would they be bitter or need a long cook time to become tender? Nope. The greens had a subtle nutty flavor and were tender after only five minutes of light sauté. I loved every bite. My beet experiences are limited, but there is no doubt the high quality of these beets played heavily in the success of my experiment. Thanks Full Belly Farm for a great first week.

Warm Beet and Green Salad

One recipe I referenced suggested trimming the beet tops by leaving 1-inch of stem at the top instead of cutting down to the beet bulb, as a means of keeping the nutrients inside the beet during cooking. I really liked this, and the next time around would leave more of the “root end” as well. Another recipe bonus: the tactile sensation of removing the skins off of warm beets. Gotta try it.

Servings: 4, as a side dish
Cost: $3 (~The box price ($17) divided by the number of items (6) included)
Time: 40 minutes, 15 active

4 2-inch diameter beets with greens attached
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Pinch nutmeg

Perheat oven to 375 degrees. Set out a bowl of cold water with a couple ice cubes. Detach beet from greens 1-inch above the top of the beet. Scrub the beet clean and place in a baking dish. Fill the baking dish with ¼-inch of water, cover tightly with foil and place on middle rack of warm oven. Cook for approximately 25 minutes. Test for tenderness by piercing with a paring knife. Do not overcook. Remove from oven and keep covered for 5 minutes to finish cooking.

Meanwhile, wash, rinse and dry greens and remove stems. Cut into rough 1-inch pieces. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 T butter with 1 T olive oil. Add greens and toss to coat with butter and oil. Add lemon juice, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Once the beets are cooked, remove them from the pan and submerge into the ice water bath. Use your fingers to remove the beet skins. Transfer beets to a cutting board and cut into wedges or cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss with red wine vinegar and remaining 1 T olive oil. Place in serving dish and spoon greens over. Dust with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

Three Dinner Chicken: Part III

2008-03-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

This chicken broth can best be described as “scrappy”. And I mean that in the best sense of the word, like:

“Wow, did you see the play that shortstop just made? (S)he sure is scrappy.”

This is the broth that nothing is getting by. You are looking in your refrigerator, wondering what to make for dinner, and chances are you have ingredients to make broth (in this case chicken) which is a versatile ingredient for many a meal.

So where do you start? For me, it is with a leftover chicken from Part I and Part II of a roast chicken, and hopefully, though not necessarily, some onions, carrots, celery and other assorted herbs. I also just read a Miserly Moms tip about saving carrot peels and assorted onion and celery leftovers to make vegetable stock … I am going to give it a try and will let you know how it goes.

I used the broth from this round of three dinner chicken to try out a Citrus Risotto recipe from the Zuni Café Cookbook. I am a risotto novice and this well written recipe was very approachable. The risotto was tasty but didn’t make the cut… as in: It wasn’t quite good enough to go ‘in the book’, that being my little recipe collection where our favorites are stored. So for now, here are the broth basics.

Thrifty Kitchen Chicken Broth

I keep all the leftovers from the previous nights’ chicken, but discard the congealed juices and fats that accumulate around the chicken. These may be tasty, but my instinct tells me they add more fat than flavor. Or is the fat the flavor? Mmm?

Servings: ~10 cups broth
Cost: $3.50
Time: 10 mins active, 1-1.5 hours total

Chicken carcass, bones skin and any remaining meat
1 onion, quartered
3 carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 stalks celery, chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 sprigs fresh herbs (optional)
Water
Salt to taste

In a medium large pot place chicken, onion, carrots, celery and any herbs. Cover with water so no parts of the chicken are above the surface. If you find yourself adding more water to cover a leg or a wing of the chicken, chances are this piece can be removed and nestled in with the other ingredients. Without stirring the ingredients, bring the broth to a boil over medium high heat. Use a spoon to remove any foam that accumulates on the surface of the broth. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Check occasionally to remove any additional foam and to taste broth for saltiness. Depending on how the chicken was cooked you may not need to add any salt. Strain the broth through a colander into another pot or container to cool. Remove onion, carrot, celery, herbs and chicken pieces.

For the risotto, I let the broth stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using in the recipe, and scraped away a “cap” or layer of fat that was developing on the surface of the broth before incorporating it into the recipe. The remaining broth may congeal when stored in the refrigerator, but I don’t let this slow me down… it is great to use in soup and/or other crockpot recipes.

Three Dinner Chicken: Part II

2008-03-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing I can’t resist at (one of) our favorite Taqueria(s) in Santa Cruz, it is the crispy tacos and the salty crunchy experience that accompanies each bite. These homemade tacos are just as good, in their own unique way, thanks to Jon’s awesome taco shell making skills. We had a lot of fun (okay maybe I had a little bit more fun) documenting his technique to share here. The chicken filling is also unique with a bit of spicy sweet added by currants (or raisins) and cinnamon.

We make crispy chicken tacos one or two nights after roasting a whole chicken (Part I), and it makes for a relatively easy and thrifty night of cooking. Cooking with another person is, well, very personal. This is one of the meals that Jon and I share the cooking responsibility. Though, since having Cole we aren’t so much cooking together, but more tag-team cooking. My piece is done, and … you’re it. Regardless, until you get the hang of it, it’s probably best to keep distractions to an absolute minimum when crisping taco shells; they do best with undivided attention.
Crispy Chicken Tacos

Give yourself some time (at least 15 minutes) to remove the meat from the previous nights’ roast chicken. It isn’t something you can easily rush. If you are going to be making chicken noodle soup on night three, you will want to reserve some meat, but if you are using it for chicken broth on night three then remove as much meat as you can for the tacos and leftovers.

Servings: 2 (the second night)
Cost: $5, $2.50/person (Assuming chicken used over three nights)
Time: 45 mins active

1 tsp olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
¼ tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
½ cup chicken broth or water
½ currants or raisins

¼ cup to ½ cup Vegetable Oil
8 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Taco condiments of choice. Such as:
1 tomato diced
4 leaves red lettuce, cut or torn into bite size pieces
Salsa
Sour cream
Olives

And on the side or in the taco options:
Black beans
Spanish Rice

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook stirring occasionally until translucent and beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add chicken, stirring occasionally for 2 to 5 more minutes. Chicken may start to brown and stick to bottom of pan. At this point add the chicken broth or water (depending on what you have on hand) and the currants or raisins to the chicken onion mixture. Use a spoon to scrape any browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through. Taste chicken and add additional seasonings to taste. Remove from heat and cover.

Jon’s Specialty: The taco shells

Line a baking sheet, plate or part of your counter with paper towels. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. In a skillet add enough vegetable oil so that the tortillas can be submerged (about ¼ to ½ inch deep). Heat oil over medium high heat for several minutes, until hot but NOT smoking. If it starts to smoke, remove the oil from the heat and wait 5 minutes before proceeding. You can tell when the oil is ready by dipping the edge of a tortilla in - if the oil starts to bubble gently, you're ready. Using tongs (make sure they're metal!!), add a tortilla to the skillet. Use the tip of the tongs to submerge the tortilla, bringing oil onto the tortilla top. If your oil is really hot, your tortilla itself may develop bubbles - you can pop these with your tongs and turn the heat down on your oil just a bit. Cook until the bottom of tortilla just begins to brown, then flip the tortilla. Ideally, the tortilla will now be stiff enough that you can bend it and it will hold its shape but not break. Using the tongs, and bracing one half of the tortilla against the bottom of the skillet, carefully fold the tortilla in half, though not so far that the two sides are touching. You want enough space between the two sides that you can put your filling in, sort of a "U" or "V" shape. Your tortilla will not completely submerge now (one side will stick out). Alternate putting each side in the oil until the tortilla is nicely browned. Transfer taco shell to paper towels, and cook remaining tortillas in a similar fashion. When you get the hang of it, you can add the next tortilla after you make the fold on one.

Add cheese to taco shells as they cool. Once taco shells are complete and filled with cheese, transfer to a baking tray and place in oven to melt the cheese and keep warm.

Finish prep on taco condiments, arrange and serve with taco shells and chicken.

Three Dinner Chicken: Part I

2008-02-27T05:25:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe I am posting a picture of uncooked chickens. The lyrics to the Talking Heads’ Song, Once in a Lifetime are playing in my head ….

‘You may ask yourself,
well,
how did I get here?’

… good song.

But to the point: let’s talk about how thrifty it is to cook a whole chicken. Quite simply, the leftover possibilities are endless. Over the last couple of years I developed a three night routine where I roast a whole chicken on the first night, followed by crispy chicken tacos the second night and homemade chicken noodle soup on the third night. There is something so satisfying about thoroughly using and enjoying every component of the chicken. I thought I would mix up this routine a little for the next couple posts and experiment with two new recipes I have been eyeing for a while, but lacked the time to make.

For me there are three degrees of difficulty for roasting a chicken. The simplest of all is to pick up a grocery store rotisserie chicken; a ready to eat meal for two, with leftovers for the next two nights. The second degree is a simple and satisfying roast chicken recipe like one I inherited from my mom and dad. (They cooked it so often when we were growing up I think my sister needed a three year hiatus from the dish.) An example of the third degree of difficulty would be the meal I cooked last night, roast chicken the Zuni Café way (with bread salad). I have to admit it was really good; the skin was crisp and salty and the meat tender. It was a little complicated to prepare, especially when you are tired after a long day.

Below are two roast chicken recipes, one from my parents and the second a simplified version for Zuni Roast Chicken adapted from the Zuni Café Cookbook (Rodgers, 2002). I have to admit that each consecutive night as I prepare these meals I think about my single great grandmother feeding five kids through the depression era. This series makes me optimistic that I have a fraction of her “waste not, want not” mentality.

Note: To pull off the three consecutive night dinner plan, you probably want to count on one 3-4 pound chicken feeding 2 people for three nights.

Mom and Dad’s Roast Chicken

An instant read thermometer is a great kitchen tool, and in my humble opinion, totally worth the investment especially when cooking chicken. I usually surround this chicken with olive oil coated russet potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes to accompany the chicken. If you go this route it may increase your cooking time, so good to have that instant read thermometer on hand.

Servings: 2 (the first night)
Cost: $4 (Cost divided by three nights for a free range, antibiotic free, happy chicken)
Time: 20 mins active and 45 mins – 1 hour baking, total approx 1 hour and 15-30 mins

One chicken (3-4 pounds)
4 cloves garlic
Herbs such as thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage, 4 ½-inch sprigs if fresh or approximately 1 tsp dried
1 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove giblets and lump of fat from inside the chicken. Rinse and pat dry. Split one garlic clove length wise and rub interior of clove on the body of the chicken. Place second garlic clove inside chicken cavity and remaining two cloves at the base of the chicken. Cover chicken with (chopped fresh or dried) herbs, olive oil and salt and pepper. Place chicken breast side up in a baking dish barely larger than the chicken, and place in the center of the oven for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, or until instant read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the bird registers 165 degrees. This time will vary depending on the size of the chicken and if other food is also cooking in the oven. Remove chicken from oven, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the meal. Carve, serve and savor.

Zuni Roast Chicken
Adapted from the Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers

The Zuni recipe includes a bread salad, something I had never experienced before last night, and REALLY enjoyed.

Servings: 2 (the first night)
Cost: $3.50 (Cost divided by three nights for a free range, antibiotic free, happy chicken)
Time: 40 mins active, 45 mins – 1 hour baking, total approx 1 hour and 30-45 mins plus 1-3 days for seasoning

One chicken (3-4 pounds)
4 ½-inch sprigs fresh herbs such as thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage
Salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

One to three days prior to serving prepare the chicken by removing the lump of fat inside the chicken, rinsing and patting very dry. Use your finger to lift up the skin along the two breasts and thighs, making a total of four pockets. Insert a fresh herb sprig into each pocket. Season the chicken liberally with salt (Zuni suggests ¾ tsp sea salt per pound of chicken) and pepper. Cover loosely and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Choose a flameproof baking dish or well seasoned skillet for roasting the bird. Place dish on stovetop and preheat over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry (IMPORTANT to keep skin from sticking) and set breast side up in the hot pan. It should sizzle.

Place chicken in center of oven and listen and watch for it to start sizzling in about 20 minutes. If it doesn’t raise the temperature progressively until it does. If the skin starts to char, turn the temperature down 25 degrees. After 30 minutes, flip the chicken over and return to the oven. Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size (e.g. 10 minutes for 3 pound chicken). Flip back over to re-crisp the breast skin, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45 minutes to an hour. Turn off and remove the chicken from the oven, tent loosely with foil and leave to rest while you finish preparing your meal (5-10 mins). Set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve on warm platter.

Princliple IV and the Spring Tease

2008-02-25T05:51:00.000-08:00

We have been joking/playing around about the Thrifty Kitchen principles. Loosely, they embody what we have been doing around here … trying to eat, live and be well while staying within budget. And I am happy to report that the first two months of Thrifty Kitchen living were mostly a success. Principle number four, however, was somewhat less than a success and sadly the most neglected principle to date. Can you eat seasonal, local and organic food on a budget? I honestly want to believe that you can. I really want to believe. Really, really want to believe. But my gut is telling me that compromises must be made.

So how? How is my little kitchen going to satisfy this fantastic ideal?

First off, I realize that I need to keep track of what is in season in this disconnected world of well traveled produce. The following is an excerpt from a Special ‘Green’ Section of the San Francisco Chronicle (April 2007) with a month by month summary of seasonal foods. The blossoms outside our house signal we are safely within the:

First Hint of Spring (February or March)
Root vegetables, braised meats, sauerkraut, winter greens, dried beans, citrus fruits, corned beef, cabbage, asparagus, and kiwi.

Good to know. So, even if I can’t afford to go organic I can at least menu plan and buy my produce according to what is in season. Now, how about the organic and local bit of principle four?

Farmer’s Market shopping is decidedly off-budget, no matter how glorious and wonderful the experience. The same Chronicle article propelled me to look into other options, specifically a weekly delivery of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) produce. I visited Local Harvest and easily navigated my way to two farms with weekly produce box drop offs nearby, one only a mile away from our house. After looking at the price ($17/box), we decided to sign up for a four-week trial.

I have fantastic visions of collecting our produce … Looking it over. Feeling it in our hands. Washing it. And planning meals based on seasonal, local and organic ingredients. Mmmm. So watch out principle four, you may be less of an ideal than I first guessed.

Egg Strata?

2008-02-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

What the heck is a Strata anyway? Funny you should ask. Strata is the plural form of stratum, which is a horizontal layer of material, especially one of several parallel layers arranged one on top of another (www.thefreedictionary.com/stratum). This recipe is for an Egg Strata, or more precisely parallel horizontal layers of English muffins, Canadian bacon, tomato and/or spinach. The layers are sprinkled with cheese, soaked in egg and baked to a golden doneness.

This may sound crazy, but I have made this twice since having it at M&J’s house for brunch last month, and it is a great make ahead, good for a group dish. The first creation was for brunch with our neighbors and the second a baby shower for my sister. Both times it was so nice to not be in the kitchen at the last minute, nor have any prep dishes to clean up when guests leave.

The original recipe (found online and provided by M&J) is based on horizontal layers of Canadian bacon and English muffins. The vegetarian version with tomatoes and spinach was a great complement and much better than just omitting the bacon! Just a heads up: some people (my dad for example) may be surprised by the consistency of the dish because the English muffins disappear upon cooking.

Thanks M&J for this great dish!

Egg Strata

I made this dish in a circular Le Crueset skillet and cast iron skillet. Both times I had more egg mixture then I could pore over, but I think this depends on the dish you use, so don’t be surprised if you have leftovers.

Servings: approx 16
Cost: $20, $17 veggie version ($1.25/person, $1.06/person veggie)
Time: 1 hour active, 5-11 hours total

8 English muffins, split, toasted and cut in half
1 pound sliced Canadian bacon, halved or 3 small tomatoes cut lengthwise, seeded and cut into half slices and ½ bunch spinach leaves, cleaned and dried
10 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2/3 cup parmesean cheese
16 large eggs
6 cups milk
3 T Dijon mustard
½ tsp hot sauce
½ tsp each salt and pepper

Butter a shallow baking dish (oval, square or circular). In dish, alternately arrange bacon and English muffins cut side down (or for vegetarian version alternately arrange tomato, spinach and English muffin). Sprinkle with both cheeses, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper and hot sauce until combined. Pour mixture over arranged muffins; cover with plastic wrap or lid and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet or place foil on rack below dish in oven. Remove plastic wrap and/or lid and bake until puffed and set in center; approximately 1 ½ hours. To test for doneness poke with a paring knife in center, if firm and knife comes out clean strata is done. Tent loosely with foil if Strata becomes too brown before being done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Oh MY Chocolate Cake

2008-02-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

Wow. A not too sweet pure chocolate delight.

It may be a little late to make this for your Valentine ... but perhaps you need ideas for how to seriously satiate a chocolate craving? Or are looking for inspiration for a late night bonanza crowd pleaser? Or maybe wandering what to bring to a potluck with six pregnant ladies? This, friends is the answer. It is CRAZY, and well, very little of it is thrifty, though it does pack a punch. In its finished form it weighs a LOT, so perhaps in sum the per slice cost is low. For a special occasion it is so tempting to push the budget just a little bit, and let’s face it, for chocolate I find the ability to talk myself into just about anything.

This recipe came to us via a party a friend hosted last month. It is great for feeding a crowd (packs a punch) and she sent us home with slices which we savored with glasses of cold milk. ‘Serve with Cold Milk’ should probably be added to the recipe; the cake is a ‘Got Milk’ commercial in the works. So pour yourself a cold one and enjoy with a sweetheart, a friend or a pregnant lady.

Chocolate Stout Cake

The directions for this cake say dutch process cocoa is necessary. However, I found that my non-“dutch process” cocoa powder never reached a smooth consistency, but I ploughed ahead and was still very pleased with the results. Another useful hint: if the frosting gets too hard for spreading, microwave with a close eye until spreadable consistency.

Servings: 1 HUGE triple layer chocolate cake (approx. 24 slices)
Cost: $14.95/cake, $0.62/slice
Time: 1.25 hours active, 4 hours total

Cake

2 cups stout (such as Guinness)

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

4 cups all purpose flour

4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 large eggs

1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing

2 cups whipping cream

1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped (2 2/3 cups)

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For icing:

Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

Homemade Playdough

2008-02-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

Who said it couldn’t be as good as the store-bought stuff? Because this stuff is good. It feels soft and moist in your hands, like supple plastic you can mold into any shape your imagination suggests. And fun not only for the under-four year old set … this recent batch of playdough had me thinking about a party with 20 or 30-somethings sitting around a table happily chatting with hands busy creating lizards, lions, lassos and lollipops. Or whatever. So I might not be the most raucous partier, but this sounds like a fun and potentially therapeutic party experience.

I found this recipe for ‘Traditional Playdough’ online and did not modify the ratios, but have added more detail to the instructions. My favorite part of the recipe: The kneading of hot/warm playdough makes for a dreamy hand relaxation experience.

Who knows, maybe someday my son will wonder why other kid’s playdough isn’t as cool as his homemade variety?

Traditional Playdough … for ALL ages

The first, second … sixth, well I think no matter how many times you make this recipe the transition of this combination of ingredients from a soupy to solid state will remain a magical mystery. We bought the McCormick brand of food coloring and used the color ratios on the box for white icing – which worked great.

Servings: ~ 2 cups of playdough (1 color)
Cost: $0.67
Time: 15 minutes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vegetable oil
¼ cup salt
Food Coloring

In your (not best) saucepan mix all ingredients except food coloring using a spoon, spatula or whisk. The more you incorporate all the lumps at this stage the fewer white chunks you will have in your final playdough (a homemade product give away). Add food coloring according to package directions or your artistic inspiration. Mix until color is evenly incorporated. Place pan over medium heat and stir continuously with spoon or heat resistant spatula, scraping dough from bottom of pan as it transitions to a solid state. As it cooks, solid chunks from the bottom of the pan will loosen and incorporate into the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat when the entire mass becomes solid. Remove the dough from the pan and knead the dough until smooth. Place in a plastic bag or air tight container. My first batch is over one month old and still going strong.

Play.

Banana Day

2008-01-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

I am in the midst of some serious freezer organization, attempting to stock meals in the freezer for when the new baby comes. My primary objective is to occupy as much of the freezer as possible with homemade dinners, ready to defrost, reheat and enjoy. In my first survey of the freezer, I found it brimming with frozen meats, forgotten store bought conveniences, and uh… frozen bananas. Do you do this? Whenever bananas are “on their way out” I stash them in the freezer until they reach a critical mass for banana muffins or banana bread. So there I was with a bowl full of black skinned defrosted bananas. Converting these into a more valuable freezer commodity seemed like the low hanging fruit on my freezer project.

The first step was measuring the amount of mashed bananas from my freezer stash. My recipe of choice is banana chocolate chip muffins, adapted from a Joy of Cooking recipe. I actually had enough to make muffins and try a banana sandwich bread recipe from the Tasajara Bread book… the day and my kitchen took on a delicious and unmistakable banana fragrance.

To foil or not to foil? In addition to saving money by not tossing old or half eaten bananas I also wanted to see if I could eek out any additional savings by avoiding a muffin tin liner. Muffins with and without the liner both turned out a beautiful golden brown, though overall the buttering and flouring of the muffin tin, in addition to the gentle extraction after baking, made the unlined muffins a bit more fussy. So, hey if you have the liners on hand go ahead and use them but if you are looking to avoid another item on your grocery list they are easy enough to do without.

Below is the adapted banana muffin recipe, which we eat around here as a dessert and yummy breakfast treat. I will have to post again about the banana sandwich bread which was also tasty and made wonderful French toast later in the week.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

If your bananas are coming from the freezer take them out the day or night before and place the bananas (with peel still on) in a bowl to avoid a watery mess on your counters. If possible, have ingredients at room temperature before you start. Also, feel free to vary the amount of all-purpose flour with whole wheat for a more wholesome and hearty muffin.

Servings: 20+ muffins
Cost: $4.28 ($0.19 per muffin)
Time: 15-20 minutes assembly, 20-22 minutes baking, total 35-45 minutes

2 2/3 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder

6 2/3 T unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (about 4) mashed very ripe bananas

1+ cup chocolate chips (up to your discretion)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour muffin tin or place liners in tin. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar on high speed until lightened in color and texture, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the flour mixture until the consistency of brown sugar. Gradually beat in the eggs and fold in the mashed bananas and chocolate chips until just combined. Use a spoon or small measuring cup to fill approximately ¼ cup batter into each muffin. Bake for 20-22 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan for 2-5 minutes, before removing to a wire rack. Muffins freeze well in foil, saran wrap, zip lock combination for 6-8 weeks. Just in time for baby.

8-2-1 Lemonade

2008-01-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life gives you lemons. Cliché as it may sound; some recent lemon gifts inspired me to make lemonade. The recipe (a simple ratio really) of water/lemon juice/sugar also arrived from friends, as a housewarming present during the summer. It was such a pleasure to receive a beautiful glass bottle, corked, with fresh cold lemonade inside… mmm. Immediately on receiving their gift I brewed some tea for teamonade (aka Arnold Palmer?), a favorite of mine, another option for enjoying this simple and fast recipe.

Transforming lemons to lemonade also seems appropriate for the first post on this site as a metaphor for life in my kitchen and home. We are in the midst of an experiment: attempting to live our life fully without allowing our budget to control our happiness. Sounds grand, but really, can it be done? First off, can we live within our budget? Then can we eat organic food? Local food? shop at the farmer’s market? – all the things we hold as ideals - but sound, well, out of budget.

So the lemonade. I saved the cute blue cork and bottle from the housewarming gift, and found additional corks at Bed Bath and Beyond for $2.95, and with a 20% coupon (which NEVER expire, so always good to keep a stash around) they were too good to pass up. Also of note here is the benefit of storing juice in a glass container versus plastic, for health reasons, and the simple satisfaction and beauty of pouring juice from a cold glass bottle. Fantastic.

8-2-1 Lemonade

Servings: 10+ cups
Cost: $0.24 ($0.03 per cup) (Lemons gratis)
Time: 20 minutes (includes time to make lemon juice from hand juicer)

It really doesn’t get much simpler than this – many lemonade recipes start with sugar syrup, but I had no problem with the white refined sugar dissolving in the lemon water mixture. Also when you are figuring out quantities .... I found that one medium small ripe lemon yields approximately 1/8 cup juice.

8 cups water
2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup white refined sugar

Stir in a juice container until well mixed and sugar well incorporated. Enjoy.