Making the best of what's on hand.
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.
My sister rocks. She sent me a great two part gift: the most excellent pizza cookbook Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza, accompanied by my very own pizza stone, pizza cutter, and wood paddle set. I got it into my head to have a pizza making party last weekend, but then had too much work! So I had a mountain of pizza toppings, but no people to eat it and no dough to use them with.
The weather has been absolutely wonderful lately and I was pretty excited to get out into the community garden this weekend and even this morning. This morning we had a pleasant surprise–carrots! Check out these little stubby guys:
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about how much I love salad. I’ve been making them at home lately and dressing made all the difference. While talking to my friend Aimee about the post, I realized that wasn’t entirely true. This made all the difference. My biggest complaint about […]
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.
Grains are one of the best ways to add interest to your cooking and save money all in one fell swoop. Here are my three favorites and how I use them.
Last week while eating a tasty greek salad at Panera, I thought, “I should enjoy tasty salads more often.” Then I wondered, “Why don’t my salads taste this tasty?” Dressing! That’s the difference. Seriously, it’s that easy to take a salad from “meh” to “delicious!” Dressing is pretty expensive though. What’s […]
{spaghetti with ground turkey and pureed zucchini} Jason is pretty picky about his veggies–not too chunky, not too soft, not too uncooked. Bah. What a pain. When I make spaghetti, I love to fill it with veggies so it’s a nice hearty meal. But if I do, then he won’t […]
My favorite way to reinvent leftovers is to literally wrap it up. We always have flour tortillas on hand for this very reason. Add to the torilla a little hummus or dijon mustard or dash of olive oil + some mixed greens or chopped spinach + your favorite cheese (feta, […]
My dad and I love this dish. We are the only ones, ha. It definitely is only for those who love sauerkraut. If you are counted among those who do, you will love this dish! For me it’s the ultimate comfort food, and because Jason doesn’t care for it, I […]
House cleaning is a hassle. Period. And no book will ever change that. Period. That being said, reading No Hassle Housecleaning by Christina Spence left me feeling like cleaning could be less of a hassle than it currently is. I’ve been working with the fly lady system of housecleaning for awhile […]
Bread, especially the high quality whole grain breads, can get pretty pricey. I love toast, sandwiches, toast sandwiches and bread with butter or jam or oil… I like bread–a good, tasty bread. Being that my budget is pinched, I’ve turned to making my own. I shared my favorite basic white […]
No one is forcing you to take a lunch. No government agency is going to fine you–as a self employed person–if your only employee (you) doesn’t take their lunch break. There are so many days where I forget to eat until I am past the point of no return. Or […]
More than any other cookbook, I’ve been grabbing for my Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook. It is full of delicious recipes that never disappoint. So far in the last two weeks of cooking we have tried Biscuits a la Focaccia, Sweet Potato Black Bean Hash, Drunken Beans, and Spicy Broccoli […]
There are so many reasons that meal plans are a great idea. The two I look to the most are that it helps to save money (if you are prepared to eat out less) and it helps to keep you on track with healthy eating (if you tend to eat […]
Last Friday night Jason and I broke away from the studio and office long enough to take a cooking class hosted by the local Indian Student Association. It was wonderful! We started with a short intro of the history of food stuff in India and then trooped off into the […]
Brown bagging it can save you a ton of money + help you eat better. It’s a two for one deal you just can’t beat with pre-packaged or eating out meals. Since brown bagging it as a kid there have been many great break-throughs in the lunch box department. I […]
I love potato soup. I think it’s actually one of my favorite soups. When I was in Canterbury, England back in 2002, we went to this castle with a gift shop/restaurant thing. They served, I kid you not, the BEST potato leek soup. Ever since then I’ve been trying to […]
I’ve been trying my best to stay the heck away from bad food. I did pretty well not stuffing my face with one hundred cookies over Christmas, but now I’m facing New Years! How do I indulge and celebrate when I’m trying to keep my alcohol at a minimum and […]
Well, I have to admit, I fell out of my Thrift Kitchen. Not only was I eating junk food and fast food on a regular basis, but I also have not been cooking as much as usual. When I did eat at home, it was crap. Chicken or the egg. […]
