• 1 cup basmati or other long grain white rice
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 Tbs lemon zest
• 2 Tbs butter
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Rinse the rice once or twice, then put in the bowl withe chicken broth and stir gently.  Add the garlic clove on top. (You’ll remove it before eating.)  Turn your rice cooker on or cook your rice on the stove.  When the rice is done, stir in the lemon zest, butter, and parsley, and let steam another 10 minutes.

Roast Beef Panini with Avocado and Sprouts

Tonight I was on my own and opted for a Panini on sliced sourdough with some roast beef from the deli, sliced avocado, sliced red onion, alfalfa sprouts and Boursin cheese.  It was good, but just a touch bland.  I remembered the sweet jalapeno jelly I had from the farmers’ market from Bolani’s and dipped the second half of the sandwich into that. Oh my. That’s what it needed–a little kick in the pants!  Everything else was just smooth and sweet, although with a touch of earthiness from the sprouts which was welcome.

One of my others favorites had apple slices and cheddar cheese with the roast beef. I like the idea of some fruit in there and could also see doing some pear slices and blue cheese with roast beef.

I think a grilled sandwich also packs well for lunches and can be eaten at room temperature. My eldest used to love it if I made extra grilled cheese sandwiches and then packed one in her school lunch the next day. (Hint: They freeze well too and are thawed by lunchtime!)

What’s your favorite Panini (or non-grilled sandwich) combination?

Meatball Sandwich with Roasted Asapargus

My youngest requested meatball sandwiches for dinner. I had some meatballs in the freezer. I like to make them up on a weekend and then flash freeze the extras so I can pull out a few when needed for quick dinners like this or to throw in some soup (see this meatball soup or this meatball, pasta and spinach soup).  Jarred spaghetti sauce was on sale a few weeks ago and I love having a few jars of that in the pantry.

• cooked meatballs heated in sauce
• sliced mozzarella cheese
• french rolls
• butter
• garlic, minced
• grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat your broiler. Heat the meatballs in the sauce while you prepare the bread. It’s not necessary but I really like the extra flavor of spreading some garlic butter on the bread before broiling it to crisp it up. Just mash some minced garlic into a bit of softened butter and spread on the inside of the rolls.  Toast the bread under the broiler until lightly browned.

Load one side of  the roll with meatballs and sauce, then top with grated Parmesan and a slice or two of Mozzarella. Slide the sandwiches back under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

I packed this same thing for my daughter’s lunch today, at her request. I toasted the bread and packed it with a few slices of mozzarella, then packed the meatballs and sauce in a separate container. She has access to a microwave and can heat the meatballs up before making her sandwich.

Tuna Melts

Bad picture but good tuna melts! A good friend sent me some English Muffins from Wolferman’s for Christmas. We started working together, whoa, something like 23 years ago I think and got along great.  Then  I quit work for a while to stay home with my kids and we drifted apart but still stayed in modest touch. Then she had her kids and quit work, but around that time  I was divorced and a single mom so the opportunities to get together were slim, although we still managed at least a yearly something I think. Just the past year or so, we’ve reconnected on a more regular basis for lunch and it’s been great.

And what a treat these muffins are! Big thick hearty fresh muffins.  We’ve been enjoying them from breakfast and I froze some for later. Tonight my youngest asked for tuna melts for dinner and I thought to use up the last of the “original” flavored muffins.

For 4 large English muffins, mix together:

• 12 ounces canned tuna, packed in water, drained
• enough mayonnaise to moisten
• capers if you like (my kids don’t, so I just add a few capers to mine

Toast the English muffins while you preheat your broiler and mix up the tuna.

Line a small baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup and put the toasted muffin halves on it, then divide the tuna among the muffins and spread out. (I had some leftover so you could easily do 6 halves. We only ate 1 each of these, along with some broccoli and cheese sauce.)

Top the adult portions with capers. Top each muffin half with a good slice of Cheddar cheese. If you added capers to any, add a caper or two to the top of the cheese so you can tell which have capers in them after they’re cooked!

Slide under the broiler for a few minutes, until the tuna is warmed and the cheese is melted.

We’ve got one leftover which one child has claimed for lunch tomorrow.

Beans and Greens

I first got this recipe from the newspaper quite a few years ago. I’ve since lightened it a bit by using fewer breadcrumbs and less cheese. I also typically halve it so it serves 3-4 as a side dish, so feel free to double to serve 4-6. It goes great with many things. I’ve served it with hamburgers, roast chicken, barbecued pork tenderloin or chops, etc.  The spinach is there but very mild, so it’s a nice way to get a few more greens into a meal.

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 15-oz can white beans
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups raw spinach, blanched, squeezed dry and chopped (or use a 10-oz package of frozen spinach if you’re doubling)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (or cheddar or Gruyere)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 425.

Grease a small gratin dish with a small bit of olive oil. The dish should be smaller than 9×9.  I think I used about a 5×7″. A 9×9 works if you double the recipe.

In small bowl, put the can of beans (undrained, include the liquid), 1.5 tsp olive oil, vinegar and salt. Mash together with a bpotato ean masher or mix with a mixer to mush up some of the beans.

Add the chopped, squeezed dry spinach and the red pepper flakes and stir together.

Put the beans in the gratin dish. Sprinkle with the cheese and breadcrumbs and drizzle another small spoonful of olive oil over the top. Bake 20 minutes or so.

If you’re new to trying to save money in the kitchen and need to learn how to shop wisely, take advantage of sales, plan menus and the like, you’ll love the front section of this book. I skimmed through that part because that’s pretty much what I’ve been writing about on CheapCooking.com for over 5 years.  Not that there aren’t some fabulous ideas–there are!  It’s just that I bought the book for the recipes.

The recipe collection is a great one, that will expand your culinary horizons in delightful ways. The migas recipe is one of my favorites so far.  And I know I’m going to be exploring a lot of recipes in this book!  Definitely a worthwhile purchase and a book that will more than earn its keep in my kitchen for many years, I’m sure.

There are a spate of new cookbooks from bloggers these days, but this one belongs near the top for any curious cook. Whether you’re after money-saving ideas, and who isn’t these days, or just want to expand your repertoire in the kitchen, this book fits the bill.

Ham Panini with Roasted Red Peppers and Cheddar Cheese

First up was a Panini sandwich with some thinly sliced ham, roasted red peppers, mustard, and cheddar cheese. I think that was all but this was a few days ago. Unlike most of my posts, I didn’t note the recipe but DID take a picture! I was just rooting through the frig to see what would taste good.

I just used sweet French bread rolls, not a ciabatta loaf as usually called for in Paninis. And I made these in my very simple George Foreman Grill, Black.

When the sandwich is done. unplug the grill and then put a wet paper towel or washable cloth on it and close the lid. The steam will clean that grill in no time!

Ham Panini with Basil and Jack Cheese

Next up was the same ham, but this time with a honey mustard, some balsamic vinegar on one side, some jack cheese and some fresh basil from the garden. I was going to put some sweet pickled peppers on it but I couldn’t find them in the pantry  so opted for the last of the roasted red peppers again. Different with the basil and jack cheese, more mild and sweet somehow.

Both made a great simple meal with a simple tossed salad. I usually think of sandwiches as lunchtime affairs but don’t really want to cook at lunch, so these were a nice treat.

White Bean and Ham Soup

This is from The Supper Book: 10th Anniversary Edition by Marion Cunningham. Kind of funny–you can buy a hardcover of this on Amazon (used) for $3 (plus shipping) but the paperback version, that I have is $8 (still a deal!). This is so simple, but so delicious. Certainly frugal, let’s see $1 for the beans, two onions for 50 cents maybe. The ham is the expensive part and that’s only because I actually did buy a small piece of ham just to make this. Normally I would have cooked a ham and used a ham bone but that’s hard to do with just the two of us! So I used about $2.50 of ham. Her recipe says 4 servings but I know we’ll get at least 6, likely 8. I’ll likely serve with a small sandwich, like a tuna melt.  So $1 / serving or less.  You’d pay more for a can of ham and bean soup and it wouldn’t be half as good and you’d get two small servings.

• 1 pound white navy beans or Great Norther beans
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cups or so of chopped ham or smoked pork butt or a leftover ham bone with some meat on it
• water to cover
• salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans, either overnight or by the quick soak method: cover with water, bring to a boil, cover, turn the stove off, and let the beans sit in the hot water for an hour or so. Then drain and use.

Put the beans, onion and ham in a large stockpot. Cover with water by 1 1/2″ . Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover partially and simmer 2 hours or so, until the beans are tender. Watch the water level and add a bit more if needed. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

This is ham and bean soup at its simplest and it’s delicious. If you want more in it, you could think about adding some carrots and celery (I would saute first in a bit of oil with the chopped onion then add the other ingredients.)  You could also use chicken broth if you wanted. But I think you will be surprised at how delicious this is in its most simple form.

• 1 Tbs oil
• 1 Tbs minced onion
• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 pinch saffron

Put the rice cooker on cook and heat a Tbs of oil, then add 1 Tbs of minced onion and cook a few minutes until softened. Stir in the rice and cook a few minutes, then add the broth and saffron, Stir then put the lid on and reset to start the rice cooking process if needed.

For my rice cooker, it automatically turns itself to warm. 20 minutes later I can stir and keep on warm for a while or serve.

First, I had some leftover Sort of Mexican Chicken Soup.  I added a large spoonful of this avocado pico del gallo and some crushed tortilla chips. Mmm!

I also used the last of the cooked chicken to make a chicken salad sandwich.  I am totally guessing at the measurements just to give any new cooks a starting place. You must taste and adjust!

• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1-2 Tbs sweet pickle relish
• 2-3 Tbs mayonnaise
• 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
• a dash of sweet curry powder
• a dash of salt

I toasted up some sliced sourdough for the sandwich part. Had I wanted a salad without the bread I might have added some diced apples and/or diced grapes.  I kept the curry powder very light. I just wanted a hint of it.  Really quite nice!\

Oh, and I don’t mean to imply this only made one sandwich!  There is more chicken salad for tomorrow!