I'm heading out for a nice long Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day weekend also happens to be our wedding anniversary. Our 6th as a matter of fact. We always try to spend some quality time together for our anniversaries. It's funny how the meaning of "quality time" changes as you progress into a relationship. For example, when we first got together, quality time was all ...
Make Ahead
No Knead Artisan Bread
Back during the 2008 recession, I slashed our grocery budget down to bare bones. At the time I was running on about a $70 per week budget that fed four of us (granted the kids at that time didn't eat much) and diapers. That meant I had to get real comfortable making my own bread. For a good period of time, I became somewhat obsessed with breadmaking and this no-knead artisan ...
Homemade Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing
Now, I know I have told you about my dislike of salads, so I hope you are not shocked by a large wedge of iceberg on my plate. I really don't like salads as a meal. Side salads are fine. Nothing but a salad is not fine. Anyway, I have found that one of the downfalls of making a salad at home is that good salad dressing is hard to come by. You want to keep it relatively low ...
Roasted Red Pepper Pseudo Hummus
Ok, I've got a little secret to tell you. We had our gas cut off the other day. We woke up to nothing. No heat, no hot water and no gas stove. It seems that my gas payment literally got lost in the mail. Oh sure it was a little late anyway, but really I sent the check for the whole thing like 2 weeks ago and they never got it, so Georgia Natural cut us off. The worst part was ...
Fried Chicken Legs
Food has become a thing of fashion. Certain types of food fall in and out of style. Foie Gras is out, grass-fed beef is in. Canned peas are out, fresh organic edamame is in. But if there is one dish that is never out of fashion, never out of style, it has to be Fried Chicken. Just the mere mention of the name puts your salivary glands into overdrive. You can imagine the ...
How to make a Bread Bowl
Everyone loves bread bowls. They really are the perfect vessel for soups and dips. Not to mention it can really cut down on your dinner dishes. I have had several of you guys out there ask about the bread bowls so here you go. By the way, I love requests, so keep 'em coming! I have used bread bowls a couple times here on this blog for White Chicken Chili and Shrimp ...
The Money is in the Mixes – Part II
I have been astonished by the amount of interest in the "Money in the Mixes" post. There have been lots and lots of you out there who have found those mixes very helpful in your daily dinner dash. Thank you! So, I thought I would follow up with 3 more mixes that I find handy to have around. I don't have the prices for this batch since I already had everything I needed on ...
Foodbuzz 24,24,24: Great Depression Cooking for the Recession Cook
I won't lie. Times are tough for us. We stress and worry over every penny that leaves our door. One illness or bad run of luck could ruin us. I don't think it's an uncommon thing these days. I think that during the current recession that there are a lot of people who have trouble making ends meet every month. But it also seems that whenever times get really tough, we tend to ...
The Money is in the Mixes – Homemade Mixes
When I go shopping, I shop mostly for items that are versatile and can be used in a variety of different recipes for a variety of different dishes ( except for the training pants I still buy, which are only good for one thing). I also try to spend as little as possible while still being reasonably healthy. But like most people in the world I am also busy ( or lazy on occasion) ...
Last Minute Gift – Chunky Chocolate Cookie Mix
Here it is...crunch time. The day after tomorrow is Christmas and the excitement in the air is nearly palpable. The tree is trimmed, the turkey is thawed, the gifts are... CRAP! GIFTS! I forgot to get a gift for my neighbor/cousin/UPS guy/hairdresser/random person at my door! I need something quick, something that doesn't require a trip to a store. Food! I am NOT baking ...
Beef Braised in Red Wine
I know what you are thinking. "Why in the world is she braising anything in August? It's hot outside!" Normally I would agree with you, but the last few days have been unseasonably cool. Mid 70's all week! Weather like that just gets me thinking about autumn which is probably my favorite season. And where there is autumn there is pot roast! And I LOVE pot roast. But I don't ...
Orange and Ginger Chicken Wings
Today is my kind of morning. It is currently just after 8 o'clock and everyone, even the kids, is still asleep. The only sound is the gurgling of the coffee pot and the sound of me pecking on the keyboard. Ahh....peace and quiet. It's a commodity in my life. So hard to come by in fact that some days it never actually happens. Somedays the kids wake up grumpy and don't actually ...
It’s all Greek to Me – Chicken Souvlaki
For some reason, there are several foods that I only really enjoy when made into something. For example; I'm not a big tomato eater, but I love tomato sauce; I hate cabbage, but I could eat sauerkraut everyday; I think raw cucumbers are unappetizing, but I could eat enough tzatziki sauce to make me Greek. I'm weird, what can I say. So, anyway, if there is any culture that is ...
Kebaaaaaabs
For some reason, whenever I talk about kebabs I always seem to say it with a Jersey accent. I don't know why. It just sounds nice...kebaaabs.Anyway, summer is the perfect time for kebabs. They are the perfect grill food. A great way to feed many or just a few. They can be marinated and assembled earlier in the day and then thrown on the grill for dinner. I like chicken kebabs ...
Mmmmm…Donuts
Sometimes, inspiration hits me late at night. Actually, most of my good ideas hit me at night sometime after the kids have finally gone to sleep and I have relaxed a little. Anyway, last night I was thinking about the big wad of refrigerator dough I had in the kitchen and what exactly I should do with it. And then it hit me, DONUTS! And they would be healthy ( sort of) because ...