Last night I made yet another pasta dish made in the garlic-and-oil sauce, but added broccoli for a healthy kick. Tonight to stretch the leftovers of that same pasta dish I made a frittata. A frittata is an easy egg dish that you can put practically anything in it.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In an oven proof skillet melt a tablespoon of butter. Whisk enough eggs together to submerge the leftover pasta. Add pasta and egg to the oven proof skillet, top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until brown. Serve with a spinach salad. This is a great meal for none other than the "penyless" cook.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Not your boring ole' beans and rice....
Leftovers were filling our fridge, so that's been filling our plates the last few nights. Tonight though it was back to the kitchen. I've had some requests for more beans and rice recipes so that's what I cooked for tonight's dinner.
Beans and rice is one of the most inexpensive meals you can make. When you work with a tight budget for groceries like we do this is my go to meal, but just beans and rice can get kind of boring if you have it every night. So here's yet another way you can make this money saving meal.
It's so simple, sautee in Extra Virgin Olive Oil garlic, two onion, and two green peppers until soft and carmelized. Cook two cans of beans in Extra Virgin Olive Oi with Oregano, Cumin, and black pepper. Mash the bean as they cook down; this makes the beans thick and meaty. Cook 2 cups of rice according to directions. Top rice with beans and vegetables, and my version of Mexican alfredo cheese sauce*. Serve with chips and salsa and you have the perfect change up to a typical beans and rice dinner. It's heavy on flavor, but light on the pocket book!
*See older story below for exact recipe.
Beans and rice is one of the most inexpensive meals you can make. When you work with a tight budget for groceries like we do this is my go to meal, but just beans and rice can get kind of boring if you have it every night. So here's yet another way you can make this money saving meal.
It's so simple, sautee in Extra Virgin Olive Oil garlic, two onion, and two green peppers until soft and carmelized. Cook two cans of beans in Extra Virgin Olive Oi with Oregano, Cumin, and black pepper. Mash the bean as they cook down; this makes the beans thick and meaty. Cook 2 cups of rice according to directions. Top rice with beans and vegetables, and my version of Mexican alfredo cheese sauce*. Serve with chips and salsa and you have the perfect change up to a typical beans and rice dinner. It's heavy on flavor, but light on the pocket book!
*See older story below for exact recipe.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Dig Deep
At the end of some months I have to get creative in menu planning. Depending on what our lives looked like that month or how well I planned. This month is one o those months where I am going to have to be very creative and dig deep into our pantry. That's what I did tonight with what I call Southwest Pantry Soup.
Start with a large pot on medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Next, add a 1/2 tablespoon of chopped garlic, 2 medium chopped carrots, 1 small onion and let sautee for about 10 minutes or until tender. Next add 32 ounces of chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes with juice, 2 cans of black beans drained, a can of corn drained, a couple dashes of hot sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Top with sour cream and you have a soup that is great for any season and any budget, oh yeah and tasty.
Try searching your own cabinets and fridge to make your own pantry soup. When you think you don't have anything to cook you probably have a fabulous creation just waiting to be discovered.
Start with a large pot on medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Next, add a 1/2 tablespoon of chopped garlic, 2 medium chopped carrots, 1 small onion and let sautee for about 10 minutes or until tender. Next add 32 ounces of chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes with juice, 2 cans of black beans drained, a can of corn drained, a couple dashes of hot sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Top with sour cream and you have a soup that is great for any season and any budget, oh yeah and tasty.
Try searching your own cabinets and fridge to make your own pantry soup. When you think you don't have anything to cook you probably have a fabulous creation just waiting to be discovered.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Scary little fish
Since I'm obsessed with pasta I made it again. Don't be scared when I share with you the special ingredient that makes this particular sauce stand out above any other pasta I've had....anchovies! Thanks to Rachael, Rachael Ray that is, I made another sauce that I can't take credit for, but I can share with you. This is one of her favorites and it has quickly become mine.
I know anchovies, you're thinking ewwww gross! You're thinking the smell makes me want to gag and there's no way I'm making this, but I promise if you tough it out and give it a chance you will come out of that kitchen an anchovy lover. When you cook these tiny fish they take on a completely different flavor; almost like a nut.
So to begin boil a pound of spaghetti in salted water till al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat with four big splashes of Extra-virgin olive oil. Lower the heat and add six anchovies to the hot oil, eventually the anchovies will melt right into the oil. Add six cloves of chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir the sauce occasionally to let garlic cook a minute. When pasta is cooked, add a cup of the pasta water to the sauce. Let simmer for another minute or so and add a couple handfuls of chopped parsley. Drain pasta and toss in sauce. Stir until sauce is absorbed and add more black pepper. I topped it with Parmesan, but it's not necessary.
For those of you skeptics my two-year-old son asked for seconds! Seconds! For pasta with anchovy garlic-and-oil sauce! I on the other hand had thirds.
I know anchovies, you're thinking ewwww gross! You're thinking the smell makes me want to gag and there's no way I'm making this, but I promise if you tough it out and give it a chance you will come out of that kitchen an anchovy lover. When you cook these tiny fish they take on a completely different flavor; almost like a nut.
So to begin boil a pound of spaghetti in salted water till al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat with four big splashes of Extra-virgin olive oil. Lower the heat and add six anchovies to the hot oil, eventually the anchovies will melt right into the oil. Add six cloves of chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir the sauce occasionally to let garlic cook a minute. When pasta is cooked, add a cup of the pasta water to the sauce. Let simmer for another minute or so and add a couple handfuls of chopped parsley. Drain pasta and toss in sauce. Stir until sauce is absorbed and add more black pepper. I topped it with Parmesan, but it's not necessary.
For those of you skeptics my two-year-old son asked for seconds! Seconds! For pasta with anchovy garlic-and-oil sauce! I on the other hand had thirds.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Addicted
I am a pastaholic! It's something I just crave and have to have sometimes. So thanks to some recent recipes from the magazine Everyday WITH RACHAEL RAY I discovered so many different ways to serve up pasta. Some of my favorite sauces that I have tried lately are surprisingly the simplest, which usually interprets to inexpensive as well. This is definitely cooking 101 the "pennyless" way.
One way you have got to fix pasta is tossed in an oil-garlic sauce. Boil salted water with pasta till just at al denta*. While pasta is cooking in a small skillet combine 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic and a pinch of salt over medium-high heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle the sauce is ready. I actually didn't have in parsley, but I did have spinach that I chopped finely (any fresh herb would be great). I tossed the sauce and whole wheat spaghetti together; topped it with Parmesan, and then out of my two-year-old's mouth I heard "MMMMMMMM!". Not kidding, he practically licked his bowl!
I cannot tell you enough how inexpensive, easy, healthy and delicious this meal is. The key to making any pasta dish is making sure to cook your pasta properly and making a simple sauce. In Italy they tend to say they like pasta with their sauce, not sauce with their pasta. A rule to live by when cooking pasta. Ciao!
*See: Tips to Eat or Cook By
One way you have got to fix pasta is tossed in an oil-garlic sauce. Boil salted water with pasta till just at al denta*. While pasta is cooking in a small skillet combine 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic and a pinch of salt over medium-high heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle the sauce is ready. I actually didn't have in parsley, but I did have spinach that I chopped finely (any fresh herb would be great). I tossed the sauce and whole wheat spaghetti together; topped it with Parmesan, and then out of my two-year-old's mouth I heard "MMMMMMMM!". Not kidding, he practically licked his bowl!
I cannot tell you enough how inexpensive, easy, healthy and delicious this meal is. The key to making any pasta dish is making sure to cook your pasta properly and making a simple sauce. In Italy they tend to say they like pasta with their sauce, not sauce with their pasta. A rule to live by when cooking pasta. Ciao!
*See: Tips to Eat or Cook By
Friday, September 18, 2009
Corny
Potluck tonight at our dear friends' Amanda and Stuart's home. Good food and even better company. Tonight I brought a dish to the party I thought would be a great way to end summer, a Corn Cobb Salad. I got the idea from Rachael Ray and anyone can make this take on a Cobb Salad. It's 3 cans of corn or corn on the cob boiled, red peppers, sliced avocado, chopped bacon, bleu cheese, salt, pepper, and a vinaigrette dressing. Let it chill for several hours. I let it chill for close to two hours and it was not long enough, it needs to sit at least three hours in the refridgerator; it would be best overnight. I also suggest going light on the bleu cheese or use a milder cheese in it's place. Any cheese would work. I love bleu cheese so I put quite a lot in it, but it was just a little overpowering. People seemed to enjoy this dish despite the experimental miscalculations. It was a perfect match for my taste buds, but next I may try using feta cheese just to change it up a bit! Try it out your next potluck! By the way, why is it called a potluck?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Just Add Shrimp
I always plan my monthly menu by the sales at all the grocery stores. This month there was a sale on frozen shrimp at Meijer so tonight I used that shrimp in a Shrimp Casserole. I got this recipe from my friend Amanda and she got it from her mother-in-law. It is an easy recipe, and a great way to get almost all the food groups.It may sound like an odd mix of ingredients, but they all work really well together and make a great dish that can last you a couple of nights.
You simply layer 2 cups of cooked rice, a bag of frozen shrimp, a small bunch of asparagus (any green vegetable would be good; we had green peppers tonight) a mixture of one can cream of mushroom soup with 2 tablespoons of chopped pimentos and black pepper, and then top it with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake on 400 degrees for 30 minutes. It comes out bubbling and oh so tasty! It's great for kids too!
You simply layer 2 cups of cooked rice, a bag of frozen shrimp, a small bunch of asparagus (any green vegetable would be good; we had green peppers tonight) a mixture of one can cream of mushroom soup with 2 tablespoons of chopped pimentos and black pepper, and then top it with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake on 400 degrees for 30 minutes. It comes out bubbling and oh so tasty! It's great for kids too!
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