Chip Cravings

One of the biggest problems when you're pinching pennies is cravings. Everybody knows how this goes- you're sitting in bed, or in the garden, and suddenly nothing sounds better to you than a big greasy burger. Or a giant Peanut Butter Cup. But if you rush out every time a craving hits, you would end up with a smaller bank account and a much larger waist line. Scientists who have actually put man hours into researching this, believe that cravings only last about 30 minutes. I don't know how accurate that is, but I do believe you can succumb to cravings without losing out on money and health.

Dave's cravings are almost always for Potato chips. Here in Canada they have a flavour of chips called 'All Dressed' and they are truly disgusting. Kind of like Salt and Vinegar, but a lot worse. They also have a 'ketchup' flavour. And I thought Americans were bad! But I knew David would be coming home with those cravings today, so I thought I would make some chips to curb his cravings....which is only fair, because he often makes me brownies and stuff to curb MY chocolate cravings! I decided to make two varieties, some apple chips and some potato chips. We don't have a fryer, so we do everything that would be fried in the oven.

Potato Chips

3 potatoes, sliced thinly
1/4 c. butter
salt, pepper

Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush with the butter.  Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and bake in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I used butter, like was suggested in most recipes, but I think oil might be better. Next time I will try it that way.  Don't skin these. You can't taste the skins, but the vitamins are definitely there. It would be such a waste. You can also throw together some different spices if it's a particular flavour you're looking for. For Barbecue chips, you could toss some paprika, sugar, chili powder, and garlic powder together for a fairly convincing flavour. In fact, if you had one of those ranch seasoning packets, you could use that for some fun flavour. The only problem being, it's probably mostly salt. But experiment! Try lemon pepper, you never know!!

Apple Chips

1 or 2 apples
2 tbsp. all spice

Slice your apples thinly, and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Top them with a little bit of all spice and put them in a 200 degree oven for 90 minutes. That's it! Couldn't be simpler, right? I saw some recipes that called for sugar, but there's no way I was going to add sugar to these apples! They are already so sweet! But if you're using Granny Smith's, it may not be the worst idea. If you want a softer  chip, almost chewy, leave them in there for only about an hour or so. But for that distinct crisp, make sure they get the full 90 minutes. From the 2 ingredient recipe, I'm sure you've garnered that these are exceptionally healthy! If you've got kids, it would be a great go-to recipe for their snacks. But I think I would eat them all before they got to the kids!



I should mention I use my mandolin for both of  these recipes. It's okay if you don't have one, a knife works well, but a mandolin is a lot easier and prettier. Even slices means even cooking, so a mandolin helps give you a much finer end product. We got ours at Wal Mart, so there shouldn't be any trouble finding one. I love mine solely for making Scalloped potatoes and apple pie. Saves me from chopping off my fingers.

I found these to be a rousing success, and I think Dave did too. There's something really nice about knowing exactly what is in your food. Remember that having a craving doesn't have to be the end of the world. I like our home made pizza much better than delivery. Dave's brownies are 20 times better than anything you'd get at the store. And hopefully these chips will be one less craving that drives you crazy. Enjoy!

Futurama Friday Flapjacks (Apple Spice...no eggs!)

I'm cold this morning. And while that might be a lovely thought for my family down in Arkansas, who are enduring another 100 degree day, all it does for me is remind me that winter is coming. Canadian winter. And for those of you who are scoffing, and thinking 'I love snow!' well, you haven't SEEN winter, and the horrors that come with it. The ice, the dirt, the diseases. This ties in nicely with the Futurama episode this week. The main character (who is from 2000, and was frozen until the year 3000) unwittingly unleashes the common cold on New New York after it had disappeared 500 years before. The story is told as Fry remembers his worst cold as a kid, after he fell through the ice. It has a bit of an emotional ending, but it was a beautiful, funny story.

One good thing about winter...you can't get to it without going through Fall! And oh, do I love Fall. Or 'Autumn' as these crazy British-Canadians insist on calling it. I can smell fall coming. The crispness of the leaves. And apples. Apples! When Dave and I went to Wal Mart yesterday, the Galas were less than a dollar a pound, so we picked up about 4 pounds. So you may be seeing several apple recipes in the future. Starting with today's pancakes, Apple Spice. Recipe!

1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. All spice
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 apple, chopped finely
1/2 cup quick oats (optional)



Combine the flour, salt, bp, and all spice in a medium bowl. Stir in the oil, apple sauce, and milk. Stir in your apple and oats, and dish out onto a hot griddle like always. I use a LOT of all spice. All spice is just cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You can use less if you're not a big fan, but I love the kick it gives. Also, you can sub in an egg for the apple sauce, or water for the milk and come out with a pretty similar final result.

We absolutely loved these- I don't know if you noticed, but there was NO added sugar. The apples were sweet enough that they just were not needed. So the healthy pancakes are back! There's got to be a full serving of fruit between the apple and the apple sauce. If you used whole wheat flour, then these are almost TOO healthy. They brown up beautifully on the griddle, too. I hope you enjoy! We sure did. Now go watch Futurama!

Bacon and Cheddar Stuffed Sliders and Fries

Not that I believe such things, but sometimes it seems that my husband and I are not descended from ape at all. Instead we seem to be more akin to the humblest of all God's creatures- the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Tearing meat from the bone as our eyes dart from side to side, prepared to defend our latest kill. Yes, my husband and I are carnivores. It's true, we masquerade as omnivores, enjoying our salads and bananas like good ape descendants. And even if necessity calls for it, we feign herbivores and ritualistically eat our beans and nuts, even though in our hearts, we know that they are not really protein. But the dangers of doing this are clear. One can only hide their true nature for so long, and then.... the cravings hit.

Yes, nothing says meat like home made burgers. But if you are a true carnivore- the kind who pulls barbecued pork steaks out of the fridge and eats them like an apple- then you'll find that eating a burger isn't enough. And thus, the bacon stuffed burger is born. I can't pretend it was my idea, but I have full faith it was born out of a similarly depraved mind. However, I should point out that you can stuff a burger with just about anything. I know Rachael Ray likes to stuff hers with mushrooms. Recipe!

1 lb. Ground beef

hot sauce
liquid smoke
soy sauce
1 small onion, chopped
salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika
cheddar cheese
3 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
barbecue sauce


Mix the Ground beef with all except the cheese, bbq sauce, and bacon to taste. I like to use about a tablespoon each of the liquid, and about a tsp each of the spices. But obviously the main point of the liquid is to make the beef stick together. I hate when people use an egg for this purpose, it just seems unnecessary, but I can't eat eggs, so it's my own problem. The best way to do this next part is to shape a burger like you normally would (or slider size like we did) and then make a deep well in the patty. Fill it with (just a little pinch) of cheese and bacon, and top it with a second patty. Pinch the sides together to seal, and throw it on a very hot grill. Let it cook for several minutes, and when you flip, top with about a quarter size of bbq sauce. You can probably tell when they're done, because the cheese in the middle likes to sneak out.

Now, I made home made slider buns in muffin tins to serve these on, but I don't feel right giving the recipe since it's not mine to give. But they're just as easy to buy, but if you're pinching pennies like me, you can always email me and I'll send you the recipe. But everyone knows, the best was to serve hamburgers are with fries. We don't fry them, but these oven fries are about the easiest, tastiest thing in the world to make. Take several potatoes, and wash them. Don't bother taking of the skin, not only is that where all the nutrients are, but you can't even taste them in fry form. Cut them in fry shape (or not, it doesn't really matter) and toss them in EVOO, just to coat. Then put on your chosen spices. I like a fairly large amount of salt, and a little fresh cracked pepper. For garlic fries, just use a lot of garlic powder. Or, you can make some spicy fries with cayenne, paprika, and chili flakes. Bake in a 400 degree oven for an hour.

Anyway, I hope if the meat cravings hit you'll think about finding some solace in these burgers. David had 6 if you're wondering if they're any good. These are surprisingly fast to make, and budget friendly. Hope you enjoy!

Futurama Friday Flapjacks (peanut butter and jelly!... no eggs)

Happy Friday, everyone! Now, for a moment of brutal honesty. Remember last week, when I made banana pancakes and said they were good for you? I think they were...these, however, are decidedly not. But let's be honest, I think from time to time, we need something a little less 'healthy' and a little more, 'huh, I think I can hear my arteries clogging.'  What matters, in the end, is if you can convince yourself that the bad stuff may just be good for you. For example today's pancakes are peanut butter and jelly. Well, there's protein in peanut butter, right? And strawberries are definitely a fruit, and they're in the jam! Yay!

So today's Futurama was all about nostalgia. We learn how two of the main characters met, and a secret agreement that has kept them close for decades. I didn't intend to do this, but if we're going to talk nostalgia, what better than peanut butter and jelly takes us back to our childhood? These hit that same spot, and are nothing if not served with a big, cold glass of milk.

1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup milk
Jam of choice



Mix together your dry ingredients, and then stir in the rest except the jam. Pretty simple, huh? Just have a really hot skillet, and butter if you're not using non stick. I should warn you, because of the peanut butter, these things brown up very well. VERY well. In fact, I freaked out a little when I first flipped them, because I thought I had burned them. But they tasted delicious, and it was just the colour. To make your little tower like we did, simply spread a little bit of jam on a pancake, and top it with another. Repeat! I had Dave's finger holding our tower in place, but a skewer works very well too. Also, you could just make little short stacks, but where's the fun in that?

We served ours with a little bacon to set off the sweetness, but that's by no means a requirement. Also I discovered (though it should have been obvious) with a steady hand you can make your pancakes into shapes. I made a little heart for David. Or, you know, tried to.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your friday flapjacks! We sure did!

Smoky Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

In all honesty, this is not a cheap food. It does fall under the 'cooking with nothing' category, because, most everyone will have milk, cheese, and pasta in their house. But David got paid (finally!) this week, and we needed our splurge... our comfort food. And nothing says comfort food like old fashioned mac and cheese from scratch. And nothing pleases my David more than Bacon.

 

In the effort of full disclosure, I should mention that this recipe is adapted from the one in the old Southern Living cookbook. I hope everyone has a cookbook like this. Mine is...well, not mine. It's my mother's and represents a lot of my childhood. I know there are pages that are stuck together from me spilling heaven knows what on them, and nothing says 'home' like the page that has the recipe for Macaroni and cheese. Don't get me wrong, I love the blue box too (as evidence, for Christmas one year, I got a 12 pack). But for the real deal, look no further.

3 Tbs. Butter
3 Tbs. Flour
2 cups warm milk
2 cups smoked cheese (or mix... I had none, so used Medium Ched.)
16 oz. macaroni, cooked
3 tsp. Liquid smoke
smoked paprika
fresh ground pepper
salt
Parmesan cheese
5 (or so) pieces of cooked, crumbled bacon

In a big sauce pan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour using a big whisk to make a roux. Cook the roux on medium heat for a few minutes. At this point, I like to add in the liquid smoke. To warm up the milk, throw it in the microwave for about 90 seconds. (By the way, I use soy and think it's delicious.) Add the milk, a little at first, until the roux dissolves. Stir constantly until thickened. Slowly add the cheese, until the sauce forms. At this point, stir in your spices. Meanwhile, cook your pasta (with lots of salt in the water- it adds great flavour.) and when it's al dente, stir it in to the sauce. Then stir in your crumbled bacon. Pour the whole kit and caboodle into a greased 9x13, and top with the parm. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, and then, we like to turn on the broiler for a few minutes to make the top crunchy.

Sometimes comfort food does just the thing to lift your spirits. It helps that this is quick and delicious too. Also, it was gone in 20 minutes. Enjoy!

The Joys of Pesto

I previously mentioned that I got a giant bunch of cilantro at Wal Mart for 97 cents. When I have a fresh green herb on my hands, the first thing I think of is, of course, pesto. It is an extremely easy, flexible, versatile recipe that always tastes delicious.

Some notes about pesto, though. A lot of people think pesto is a solely Basil thing. And it's true the classic version is Pesto alla Genovese, and contains basil, garlic, EVOO, pine nuts, and parmaggiano reggiano. But the sky is the limit when you have fresh herbs. Pretty much you need the components of an oil, a nut, garlic, a cheese, and an herb. Some combinations might be mint, goat cheese, evoo, and almonds. Or sage, sunflower seeds, Parmesan, and sunflower oil. Or even rosemary, walnuts, evoo, and mozzarella. The consistency of pesto tends to vary greatly depending on taste. We like to use our mortar and pestle to grind it, which makes it very chunky.However, it's very common to throw everything into a food processor and run it until it's more like a sauce than a paste. Anyway, we went with cilantro this week!

1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped very very finely
about 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
about 1/4 cup of Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, chopped
a few pepper corns
a tsp. or so of salt
about 2 Tbs of EVOO



We used a mortar and pestle to grind ours, as mentioned. First we put the peppercorns in the bottom, and crushed them. Then we added  the garlic and the pine nuts and crushed them. After that, slowly add in the cilantro as you can, using the olive oil as a lubricant, if you will. stir in the cheese and the salt, and you should have a very pretty pesto. You may have to do this in batches, if you have a small m&p like we do. If you're using a food processor, I'm pretty sure you just toss it all on in there- just make sure you have enough oil to get it to spin well. We then threw it all in a washed out jar for storage- I wouldn't keep it for more than a week, though. However, I have heard of people freezing it in ice cube trays, and thawing as needed.

So I know your may be wondering why that was the least exact recipe ever, but it's because pesto needs to fit your tastes. Some people will find that uncooked garlic is far too strong for their tastes, so they may use a touch of garlic powder instead. The same for the pepper corns. I will say that pine nuts tend to run a little pricey, but we were lucky to have some stashed away in the freezer when they were on sale, but if you can't snag them, use almonds or walnuts.

Now, where do we put our pesto? The answer is pretty simple. Anywhere you want! Just with our little sampling of pesto, we made 3 different dishes, which is only the beginning. Some ideas!
Pesto Pizza :spread some pesto on your pizza dough in place of sauce, top and bake as normal. We like to grill ours- it's best to keep toppings light, though, to let the pesto shine. Pesto Pasta, just top your favourite pasta. It goes delicious over fish and vegetables (asparagus is my favourite). It makes a delicious garlic bread, spread it on a french loaf, top with a little extra cheese, and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. Mint pesto is delicious on lamb chops. It goes delicious on a baked potato. For lunch one day, I threw a few spoons of pesto into day-old rice and sauteed it with an egg and some veggies for a nice fried rice. The sky really is the limit.

Anyway, I hope at the very least, I've given you a couple of ideas! Pesto isn't always cheap, but you can stretch it to infinity. Enjoy!

Futurama Friday Flapjacks (banana!... no eggs)

Every Friday morning Dave and I watch the new episode of Futurama over a fresh batch of pancakes. This morning was 'Fry am the egg man' and Banana Pancakes. The episode was pretty decent, the main character (Fry) adopts an egg before it can be eaten, and it hatches into a large dangerous monster. They take it back to it's home planet in attempt to set it free, but it turns out the natives are none too happy to see this previously extinct creature return. It's a really cute episode, with a fair amount of intrigue. I really enjoyed it! Still....
Today's Pancakes were Banana! They were really delicious.

1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 mashed banana
3 tsp. honey
1/2 cup milk or water (or until desired consistency)
2 tsp. Banana or vanilla extract
1 tsp. each, nutmeg and cinnamon
1/3 cup oats, chocolate chip, nuts, or raisins
 


 Mix together the dry ingredients, and then stir in the wet. I like my banana chunky, what good is a banana pancake if you can't taste the banana? I always add oats so that I can pretend they're healthy. Which, if you use whole wheat flour, they pretty much are. I love pecans in my banana pancakes, but nuts are expensive, so no pecans. But they were still really delicious.





Heat up a pan or a griddle (it has to be heated up before anything touches it, or else it will stick like mad) and scoop out about a 1.4 cup on to the hot pan or griddle. If you're not using non-stick, you may want to use some butter or cooking spray to help it not stick (that seems obvious, doesn't it?)  Leave the pancakes until there are bubbles, and the sides start to brown, and then flip and let cook for another couple of minutes. Since bananas are what they are, these have to cook slightly longer than most, and are still pretty gooey. Should make about a dozen, depending on size.


I think they were a hit with David, and that's what counts. It's really nice to have just a silly tradition like this. It's easy to do now, but eventually it may be hard to get enough time in a day to enjoy this together. So we're taking advantage of the time we have. It's really great fun, and pancakes don't take all that long to make, and Futurama is only twenty minutes long. Every Friday I'll have a new flavour of pancakes and a short review of the new Futurama. Enjoy!

Rice and Bean Tacos

Traditionally, when I ask my husband what he's thinking about the answer is 'tacos.' That may just be his go-to to shut me up, but odds are it's fairly accurate. Tacos are about one of the best things on the planet, and incredible versatile. The classic  beef and cheese is a favourite, but tends to run a little pricey. Cheese here is ridiculously expensive, so we try and cut it out where we can (which breaks my little heart.) Same with ground beef, oddly enough. But we still need our protein. So tonight it's bean and rice burritos!

These burritos are so price happy I don't know what to say. Leftover rice, a can of beans, and seasonings to your taste and what you have. If you make the tortillas from scratch (like we do) then it's seriously pennies. Here we go!

1 can of beans (kidney, black, or even red if you want to go for a creole taste)
1-2 cups of leftover rice
seasonings (I'm going with a little liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and cayenne)
1/4 cup (ish) pizza sauce (which is all I have- spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, or tomatoes work great)
cilantro (if you have it- we got a giant bunch for less than a dollar at Wal Mart)
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 onion, chopped
tortillas
accoutrements, as you please.

Put a big ole pan on high and a little bit of EVOO in the bottom. Toss in the garlic and onion until slightly transluscent. A quick tip- if you like some spice, throw in chili flakes into the oil first- they really open up with their flavour. Stir in the tomato, beans and rice until hot and the rice is slightly browned. Mix in the seasonings.  If you are throwing in fresh herbs, don't throw them in until the end, it messes up the flavour. Wrap 'em up in a tortilla, and you're good to go! You can also try barbecue sauce instead of tomatoes for a different flavour. There it is. Cheap, quick, and tasty. Enjoy!

Stay tuned to see what else I do with cilantro!

Apple Spice Bread (No eggs!!)

My nana's best recipe is Apple Cake. Everyone absolutely loves this cake beyond all reason- no one more so than my mother. So much so, that every time we go visit my Nana, it's understood that there will be an apple cake chilling in the refrigerator. So when I got married, and my mother was coming up to visit for the first time, I thought it would be a fun surprise to have this cake ready, so I emailed my Nana for the recipe. As if. The recipe required soaking, food processing, and waiting, waiting, waiting. There was no way I had the time or energy to tackle that. But every now and again, the cravings hit. And today was one of those days.

Again, using an apple to make something delicious and cheap. I doubled the recipe and used half for Muffins and half for a loaf. I also split the butter so I was doing half butter and half oil, to make it a little healthier. If you don't have applesauce 2 or 3 eggs with a little bit of milk would work fine in it's place. If you used whole wheat flour and brown sugar, these muffins are pretty darn healthy. I came up with this recipe on my own, so feel free to tweak to your desire!

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla (or so!)
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 apple, chopped finely
cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg
raisins, walnuts, and/or oats

Cut butter into sugar until creamy. Add vanilla.
stir together flour, baking powder and spices, and add to wet ingredients.
*for spices, use to taste...start with maybe 1 tsp. of each, or whatever you have, and go from there*
Stir in applesauce until dough forms.
Stir in apple.
Stir in Raisins, walnut, or oats to taste.

I baked the loaf in the oven for 1 hour, and the muffins for 20-25 minutes at 350. I topped my loaf and muffins with a little bit of extra all spice on the top, just for some added kick. These would be excellent with some crumb topping. (a few tablespoons of butter, flour and sugar mixed together with some spices and maybe oats.)

These are excellent! I don't think they match my Nana's cake (nothing ever will) but if you're wanting that spicy apple goodness on the cheap, quick, easy, and most importantly delicious, then this is a great choice. I am freezing the muffins, they last so much longer, and are a great quick breakfast. 30-45 seconds in the microwave, and you're good to go. I hope you enjoy! I am. :)

Coconut Lime Biscotti (no eggs!)

At it's best example of frugality, limes were a quarter at the market, and I had some leftover coconut from my husband's birthday cake a couple of weeks ago. We bought some eggs at the market yesterday, so I whipped out my biscotti recipe. After I'd put it in the oven I realized that I had forgotten to add the eggs! I had noticed that the dough had been a little dry, but I just added some water to compensate. Still, they came out delicious!


2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup coconut
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 tsp. Coconut extract
1/4 cup water/milk (or 3 eggs)

Cut together butter and sugar (or melt butter and stir in sugar) and stir in coconut extract.
(Add eggs at this point if you like)
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir in to wet ingredients.
Stir in lime juice and zest, as well as coconut.
If you didn't use eggs, stir in water until desired consistency (a slightly sticky ball)
Form 2 logs on greased foil or silpat sheet.

Mine weren't that pretty, but now I know it's because there were no eggs!
Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
Let them cool slightly, and then cut diagonally with serrated knife.
Bake at 300 for another 10 minutes.

Then Enjoy! You can top these with some white chocolate, but I like the flavor unadulterated. I like to use foil because not only is it easy to clean up, but because you can lift the foil off of the baking sheet for the logs to cool faster and to cut them without worrying about accidentally cutting your baking sheet.

These were so delicious. I always try and conserve eggs, because they go fast around here and the less we use the more money we save. This is a good accidental discovery. No egg biscotti. Hurrah!