tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153Sun, 11 May 2008 23:46:39 +0000http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/index.htmnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)Blogger535125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-6857225020858115266Sun, 11 May 2008 23:32:00 +00002008-05-11T16:46:39.552-07:00This is from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Complete Meat Cookbook. I use less less and pepper than they call for. It seems plenty salty due to the soy sauce. Sometimes I use fresh ginger and sometimes ground. Mostly I use fresh garlic but if I'm in a rush I sometimes use the granulated. I often leave out the onion, or add some onion powder. 3 Tbs olive oil 2 Tbs Dijon mustard 1/4 cup http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/05/bourbon-marinade-for-beef.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-1629873578538996088Fri, 09 May 2008 15:02:00 +00002008-05-09T08:03:12.247-07:002 tsp oil 1/2 an onion, diced 1 pound ground beef 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbs ketchup 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce 1 cup frozen peas, partially thawed 1 tsp beef bouillon 1/2 cup hot water 1 Tbs cornstarch 1/2 cup sour cream 3-4 cups mashed potatoes 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese I'm not giving a recipe for the mashed potatoes because I never really measure. I do LOVE my potato ricer though andhttp://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/05/shepherds-pie-recipe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-8718622675686258299Sun, 04 May 2008 04:42:00 +00002008-05-03T21:45:23.633-07:00The Food Stamp Nutrition Connection has a recipe database which tells you the AVERAGE cost per serving of a whole lot of recipes. You can search for ingredients or browse by category. The costs are based on a national average, adjusted for inflation (but perhaps a bit behind right now). It doesn't show you what it costs you in your area so your actual costs may be more or less but it's a nice http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/05/cheap-recipes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-3994100832345961229Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:23:00 +00002008-04-21T20:28:35.033-07:00I mentioned before that I grew red cabbage in my winter garden this year. Tonight I cooked one up, using Simply Recipes' version of sweet and sour red cabbage. Very very good! I probably had less than her 12 cups red cabbage. My red cabbages are smallish. But it came out delicious and made a great side dish. The rest of the menu was kielbasawhite beansfried apples Yum, yum, yum. Perfect http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/04/recipe-for-sweet-and-sour-red-cabbage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-6658810663319276709Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:55:00 +00002008-04-14T20:03:20.090-07:00We often make burritos as a way of repurposing leftover meat and/or beans. And they're good. But I saw this recipe for Barbecued Chicken and Black Bean Burritos in Cheap. Fast. Good! and thought they'd be a nice change from our usual burritos. I had cooked black beans in the freezer so thawed them enough to scoop out the cup I needed and put the rest back in the freezer for later. I used the http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/04/barbecued-chicken-and-black-bean.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-5598734496506061412Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:43:00 +00002008-04-14T19:54:38.321-07:00A few days I roasted two chickens. We had part of one for one dinner, then a day later I pulled all the meat off the two carcasses, and made LOTS of chicken broth with them. I cubed the meat and then divided in half. I roughly followed an idea from Cheap. Fast. Good!. Their idea of batch cooking follows my mindset. I don't really do freezer cooking in the sense of cooking whole dishes for the http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/04/chicken-for-later.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-7108722107571120120Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:47:00 +00002008-04-10T15:51:48.658-07:00Wow. Somehow it slipped past me but this blog has been going for 5 years now! Back when I started it in 2003, there were probably a few hundred food blogs online. Now there are tens (hundreds?) of thousands, I'm sure. The format and style has certainly evolved over time. In the beginning, I rarely posted exact recipes. Now that's my normal post. I rarely remember to take photographs or rememberhttp://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/04/happy-5th-birthday-to-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-2273037662840855518Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:58:00 +00002008-04-07T13:23:11.219-07:00I'd about given up on Cooking Light recipes but they may have won me back with this one. Both my girls loved it and it went together quickly and easily. I used frozen bay scallops rather than the larger sea scallops and just cooked them a bit less. I think it would be better with the larger scallops but the cost was nearly double. Notes: I used apple juice rather than cider and didn't have a http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/04/spinach-salad-with-scallops-bacon-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-4485273645475908649Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:32:00 +00002008-04-04T18:34:06.250-07:00Side Dishes This $7 e-book has over 50 side dish recipes from the blog and web site that will quickly become your favorites, including breads, beans, potatoes, and a variety of vegetables. I've gathered up my favorites so you can have your own side dish cookbook to spark your imagination at dinnertime. http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/04/just-released-ebook-of-side-dishes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-2287835708422746985Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:03:00 +00002008-03-31T20:18:08.497-07:00I was making this fantastic Cuban Pork Roast for dinner tonight and wanted some Cuban Black Beans to go with it. I Googled and saw the pattern: some sugar some vinegar some alcohol (wine or rum) some sauteed onion, green pepper, and garlic added after an hour of cooking the beans in water dried herbs including oregano and a bay leaf for sure, cumin possibly hot sauce either at the table or in http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/03/cuban-black-beans-and-rice-of-course.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-3938754681166096998Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:18:00 +00002008-03-31T08:34:00.029-07:00 I grew red cabbage in the garden this winter. It's quite pretty but then I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with it! I picked the first one yesterday and turned to Vegetables Every Day: The Definitive Guide to Buying and Cooking Today's Produce With over 350 Recipes, a great source of vegetable recipes that another food blogger recommended. (Sorry, I can't remember who to thank for the http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/03/braised-red-cabbage-and-onions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-4591556014169177563Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:11:00 +00002008-03-30T09:17:34.567-07:00This was a combination of two recipes that were side by side in a community cookbook I picked up somewhere. I've been playing more with lemon pepper these days somehow and really like how it perks up a dish. My lemon tree is finally delivering fresh lemons again and I enjoyed its bounty in every course yesterday, finishing the meal with some great lemon bread. 2 Tbs butter 2 Tbs olive oil 6 http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/03/lemon-pepper-chicken-and-artichokes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-451110498638256513Sun, 30 Mar 2008 01:17:00 +00002008-03-29T18:25:39.538-07:00I will use the powdered buttermilk when I haven't planned ahead and it works fine...but it's not as good as real buttermilk. I bought some real buttermilk last week and hadn't gotten around to using it in anything. This morning, freshly returned from a nice Spring break at Disneyland, I decided buttermilk pancakes were in order for breakfast. This comes from one of my perennial favorites authors,http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/03/buttermilk-pancakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-1305054871295624831Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:22:00 +00002008-03-29T15:30:13.141-07:00Kumquats are an interesting fruit. They look like a small oval orange, about as big as the first joint of your thumb. Unlike an orange, it's the peel that's sweet while the inside flesh is a bit sour. If you like candied orange peels, you'd probably love these. They have a bit of pucker power but are sweet at the same time. My parents have a kumquat tree and brought a small bag down with them http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/03/kumquats.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-8371634765400688498Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:14:00 +00002008-03-07T17:16:29.988-08:00I received a review copy of 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes at a time when I was a bit overwhelmed with other happenings, so it's taken me a while to post this. I made their Chocolately Raspberry Streusel Bars, except I used blackberry jam since that's what I had in the frig. The girls declared them a winner and they really were very easy to mix up. The book is nicely divided into Bar Cookies, http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/02/101-easy-peasy-cookie-recipes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-3489925157913203239Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:36:00 +00002008-02-16T16:55:09.311-08:00I stumbled upon Mark Bittman's blog the other day. He's one of my favorite cookbook authors so I instantly subscribed, of course! I have mentioned before that I rarely watch cooking shows so almost passed over his videos. I'm glad I read the comments on his post about short ribs though, as they enticed me to watch the video. And that's what I ended up cooking for dinner that night, minus the http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/02/braised-beef-short-ribs-aka-streak-o.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-4171446785169319323Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:14:00 +00002008-02-14T15:02:32.471-08:00The folks over at SealSaver sent me a set of their SealSaver vacuum canister sets to review. I like this idea! Instead of having to pull out a machine to vacuum seal stuff, the lids of these canisters have a built-in bellows that you move up and down to vacuum seal your food! No electricity used and no noise. The containers can go in the refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher. The tops should nothttp://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/02/product-review-sealsaver-vacuum-sealer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-236515724377561932Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:00:00 +00002008-02-13T21:09:35.162-08:00My sister gets credit for this one, although the basis came from a cookbook I recommended to her a few years ago. I suppose you could use other white fish, including cod or haddock, but I've been buying the flash frozen packages of Talapia at Costco and that's what I used. This fed 3 of us for dinner plus 2 lunches so far. I think there's one more serving in the frig. 8 slices bacon 1 onion, http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/02/talapia-chowder.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-4842596091991892123Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:12:00 +00002008-02-05T20:26:06.659-08:00Tonight's recipe is from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. I served this with a non-recipe dish, vegetarian hot dogs sliced and heated up with vegetarian baked beans, topped with cheese. Sort of a bean and bean and dog meal I guess... ;) I should probably come up with some cutesy name for it. Bean Squared Dogs? Okay, I'll just stick to cooking. Someone else can name the menus. Oh, and dessert was http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/02/green-beans-with-sesame-seeds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-717188698357968389Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:19:00 +00002008-02-03T20:35:26.590-08:00It's easy to throw stuff away when it's gone stale but it's amazing how much food the average household in America throws away every year. Would you believe over 450 pounds? That's about 14 percent of the food brought IN to the house. And doesn't count the food that goes down the garbage disposal or into the compost pile. Wow. I just posted a recipe for bread pudding that's a good way to use http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/02/some-ideas-for-using-leftover-bread-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-3815738045494450483Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:09:00 +00002008-02-03T20:18:15.192-08:00This would be best with slightly stale substantial bread I think, but it came out great with some not stale whole grain white bread too. If you like rice pudding, you'll probably like this. It's the same basic custard cooked with bread instead of rice. Some folks remove the crusts on the bread for stuff like that. I take it as an opportunity to turn the ends of the bread, which are often not http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/02/bread-pudding.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-8173901044149549999Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:47:00 +00002008-02-01T18:23:51.627-08:00Running into a month where money's totally tight and you need to do something drastic to avoid spending money? Here are some quick tips. Make an inventory of what you have on hand Look in your pantry. Look in your refrigerator. Look in your freezer. Make a list of every meal you can make based solely on what you've already got in your house. How many meals can you come up with? Will you have http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/02/heres-quick-way-to-save-money-on-your.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-2233737005809796519Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:33:00 +00002008-01-31T22:01:44.530-08:00I think I could write a whole series on how to make use of Costco/Big Box stuff without getting tired of it. I bought a big bag of spinach at Costco the other day. First I made our favorite San Francisco's Little Joe's Special. Tonight I made this soup from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups. It's a bland soup but good somehow, if that makes sense. I actually added 1 cup or so of cooked rice to ithttp://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/01/spinach-cream-soup.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-378794065352816130Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:32:00 +00002008-03-31T08:37:06.697-07:00 We all like bean sprouts. My girls are happy to just eat them raw. I like something done to them. Previously, I've done this bean sprout and garlic stir-fry, which I love, which is also from Simple Chinese Cooking. I thought perhaps the girls would enjoy this more raw salad. I liked it, but they'd still rather just eat them raw! 1 pound bean sprouts 2 Tbs soy sauce 1 tsp sugar 1/2 cup sliced http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/01/bean-sprout-salad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5232153.post-7663237758566112414Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:17:00 +00002008-03-31T08:41:29.400-07:00 On of my nephews is vegetarian, has been for years. I'm hoping he'll come join us for dinner one evening (nudge nudge Taylor!), plus the girls are interested in eating more "consciously", so I bought a new cookbook. This is basically from Better Than Peanut Butter & Jelly: Quick Vegetarian Meals Your Kids Will Love! Revised Edition. We're not vegetarian (hence the last post on pulled pork!) buthttp://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2008/01/vegetarian-sweet-sour-tofu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)