I honestly have no idea why I decided to try poaching an egg. I also can’t remember where I learned how to do it. It’s totally different than how my mom showed me–which involved spooning boiling water and lots of fussing. Was it Julia Child? Maybe Martha Stewart?

In the last 2 years of living in Ames, I just gave it a shot. Now I have eggs and yogurt or eggs and oatmeal or eggs and greens or eggs and sausage (featured in today’s post) every morning.

Two things recently happened that lead to me giving yogurt making another try. First, my dear Yankee friend Unplugged yogurt making with this great post on the process–no fancy equipment here. Second, I bought a dehydrator to make our own camping food. It came with instructions for making yogurt and a few dishes specifically for yogurt. How could I not try again? What happened the first time? Well, too hot, then too cold and that pretty much tells the story.

Have you been to Pancheros or Qdoba? Have you tried their naked burritos? They are delicious! After going and spending $6 to get rice, beans, and what looked like what I usually have hanging out in my fridge from dinner the night before, I opted to stop “treating” myself to lunch there, and packing it for lunch instead.

Here’s how I generally make mine. You can vary it a lot. Mostly it depend what I have on hand – what came from the garden, the farmer’s market, what I made for dinner the night before. On nights we go out for wings, the next day I toss the leftovers in. Today’s version is a vegetarian naked burrito.

Thrift Kitchen Each Thursday I post about ways to be thrifty in the kitchen. To me, it isn’t just about being cheap, it’s about living creatively! Finally have some food for eating from the garden. I’m scarfing it all down as quickly as I can. I’ve stored the potatoes in the basement though. Cucumber Onion [...]

Meat is expensive stuff. The difference in my grocery bill from when I was a strict vegetarian to now is huge. But I have to admit, I do love meat. And part of that love is my lack of interest in eating crappy meat. I don’t eat a steak that often, but when I do, I want it to taste AMAZING!

I have to admit a shameful secret. I used to drink frappachinos. You know the ones in the bottle at the gas station. Talk about a sugar rush. It’s not the healthiest thing in the world and not to mention the expensive. YIKES! They are around $3 each here in Ames.

I started to wonder if I could get away with replacing the meat with some Textured Vegetable Protein and if it would pass the Jason test. (I’ve been trying to cut back on meat.) Taking a cue from the Sneaky Chef, I didn’t bother to tell him there was no meat in it until he had devoured the first piece.

Strawberries are just starting to come into season around Iowa. You can get a huge gallon container for just $4. Usually that’s the cost of a pint. Unfortunately, a gallon is way too much for Jason and I to eat. I’ve been trying to come up with enough ideas to use them up before they go bad, things that can freeze and are healthy. Sure I could whip them all into strawberry tarts, but how many of those should I be eating?

Last week I got my act together and made a meal plan. I checked out the April issue of Everyday Foods and found this tasty little recipe for Mediterranean Chicken. Only problem is that when I bought the chicken for the recipe, I was headed to work. So I stashed it in the freezer at the office and forgot to take it home. Well, crap. Jason was at the gym and in possession of the car.

We’ve been having curried chicken quite a lot and I just wasn’t feeling that with the green peppers. Hmm… hmmmmmmmm. I started with soy sauce and started adding spices. It was absolutely delicious! Jason gave it 2 thumbs up.