I love love love to can. If I loved cleaning as much as I love canning, my house would sparkle. It would look like all of those pictures on Pinterest where everything is neat and organized with cute little labels. So far, the only thing in the house with cute little labels is all of m canning projects. My new favorite canning project is this chow-chow. It's ...
how-to
Classic Caesar Salad
Classic Caesar Salad isn't hard to make, in fact it can be a simple and inexpensive salad to accompany dinner. Top it with grilled chicken or salmon and it makes an excellent dinner! I've been a little obsessed with classic Caesar salads lately. Maybe it's because it so hard to find a really good one. Or maybe it corresponds with my other new obsession, anchovy paste. It ...
Gardening on the Cheap: Let’s get growing!
Here it is, the end of February, and the time to start seriously getting ready to garden is upon us. At least in the South. You folks up North may have another couple weeks. This year is going to be a challenging and, hopefully, exciting year in the garden. The biggest reason for that is that instead of just two cute 4x8 raised beds... I'll also be starting a much bigger ( ...
Separating the Curds from the Whey – Cheese making
I try not to be pretentious on this blog. I do my best to keep things simple and familiar enough that the average person who likes to cook will find something that they can make just about any day of the week without having to earn a degree in the culinary arts to do so. I also realize that most of you probably live either in the city or suburbia. Most of you don't have ...
Makin’ Bacon (Part 2)
As you may recall, my hubby Blaine has joined the blogging team. Here is the thrilling conclusion to the journey into making our own bacon. So you've spent the better part of a week staring into your refrigerator and obsessing over what you have done wrong to ruin your hard won pork belly. You have flipped it every other day just like you were supposed to, but you think there ...
Freezer Bread Rolls
Okay, so I have been making just about every loaf of bread my family eats for many months now. Oh sure, on occasion I will buy a loaf here and there but mostly, I am the bread maker. Why would I subject myself to this crazy primitive process of making loaf after loaf of bread? I have 2 very good reasons: 1 - It's cheaper. A loaf costs me less than $.25 2 - It tastes so much ...
Makin’ Bacon Part 1
I wanted to let you all know that I am bringing in new talent to Eatin' on the Cheap. He and I are really close. We've known each other for nearly 9 years. He comes with almost 20 years of restaurant experience and a love of taking the culinary long way around. He smokes his own barbeque, rolls his own sushi, and is beginning his journey in curing and smoking his own meat. ...
Chicken Stock and Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken stock is one of those basic kitchen practices that everyone should know. It's probably THE kitchen practice to know. It is liquid gold. It's a thing of beauty. It's full of flavor and it's delicious. It's also dang near free if you make it yourself. With Thanksgiving coming up, you are going to need a lot of chicken stock. I bet the average American spends $10 - $15 ...
What to feed a Picky Eater
If there is one phrase I hear all the time, it has to be "I would love to cook that, but my kids are such picky eaters". And I have to tell you that "picky eaters" are kind of my hot button issue. I often hold my tongue about my opinions on picky eaters, but I feel today is a good day to let them loose. So, if you are a parent of a picky eater, I apologize if this makes you ...
Make your own cheese!
First, I would like to thank all of you for your condolences and comforting in the loss of my beloved tomatoes. I am doing my best to move on from such a tragedy. I have been trying lots of new things, many of which take several days to make. I bought my first ever fresh figs at the farmer's market and made some spectacular Spiced Fig Preserves. I also have been ...
Watermelon Strawberry Granita AND a Cocktail
As Summer reaches it's highest peak, Mother Nature offers man a slight reprieve in the form of watermelon. Is there anything better than cold watermelon on a hot summer day? Watermelon is really hitting it's stride right now. They are everywhere and it's hard for me to resist. I bought this fantastic Sugar Baby Watermelon at the farmer's market the other day. It's the best ...
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 ...
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 ...