Do we really need to make everything from scratch?

 

When I am home I really try to keep foods interesting. Last night I made a caprese chicken sandwiches with homemade potato chips. I’m sorry I have no pictures of this one and we were both hungry and just dug right in. I took a page out of Giada’s Holiday Handbook for my dinner. After watching a number of episodes what I took away is that I did not need to hand make everything myself. First we are in a crazy time period and where I live it looks like we’ll be going into another lock down in a couple weeks. So it’s become even more important to keep provisions on hand that don’t expire easily or that you can use for a few meals. We went shopping yesterday just to have at least two weeks worth of food on hand just in case. This includes meals we don’t have to cook if we lose power for days which has happened in the Northeast. Secondly Giada is absolutely right. Why do we feel we need to hand make everything ourselves?

Admittedly my boyfriend and I were very lucky during the first lock down. We were both still working and were able to pay our bills. Plus the area where we lived did not get hit as hard the first time around. So at the beginning of quarantine when I was only working halftime I was able to make great meals for our home. I could research recipes. Shop for ingredients, prep, and clean all while he was working. Once I went back full time I tried to keep it up, but I was so tired returning from a day of work that I slacked on dinner and I noticed our meals were getting less tasty and more bare boned.

Lately when he sits down he looks at my meals suspiciously as if trying to gauge whether I made them (or poisoned them?). His first question was where did you get the recipe for this. I can’t blame him. For a while my cooking was lazy and awful, but he kept eating it gratefully never saying a word. I could always see the disappointment on his face though. Cheating (as he calls it sometimes) is a gift to us both. It’s a means for me to provide a great meal when I know I’ll have just worked an 11 day and a means for him to actually come home to something he’ll enjoy.

Cheating also gives you one more advantage in these times. Less meal prep means more time to spend with your loved ones or taking care of your own health and needs. My cheat last night was buying pesto and already made ciabatta bread at Target. I still breaded the chicken myself, though I hadn’t intended to. Luckily I was able to defrost and cook them just in time. Let me tell you guys it was an amazing meal. I was able to slice some really thin potatoes to make some super yummy chips and I broiled the sandwiches to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

My next cheat will be a remake of a meal I made last week. This one I have a picture of. Bisquick beer battered shrimp and a remake of Buffalo Wild Wings buffalo sauce tater tots. He loves shrimp and was so excited that I took the time to make it for him because I hate shrimp. Plus the tater tots were something we enjoyed a lot while dating and was super easy to recreate as all it took was store bought tater tots, cheddar cheese, green onions, bacon, and some buffalo wing sauce. To everyone who reads this please stay safe and take care of your loved ones. It may be a rough holiday this year, but we’ll get through it with lots of tater tots and cheese.

Thanksgiving 2020

 

Thanksgiving 2020 was not anything like we’d imagined. His family is stuck on different parts of the globe and since we both work with the public daily each of us is a potential carrier for the virus that’s making its rounds across the US, which meant seeing my aging relatives was out. So with just the two of us we really didn’t need a large turkey this year, but the question became how to make sure we had a note worthy meal for two?

Enter Hulu and Bobby Flay. When we moved in together we had decided to give up cable and I can’t tell you how much I have missed food network. When I turned on Hulu and saw “Bobby Flay’s Thanksgiving” two days before the big event it was a sign. It said watch and see how to still have a memorable thanksgiving. This holiday is all about the food right? As they said in the show if people are leaving and complimenting your decor you are in trouble.

Now you all know I’m frugal (cause who can afford or wants to spend a ton right now?) but I watched this episode in its entirety and here are the variations and tips that gave us a great mini thanksgiving dinner.

First variation was I bought turkey parts. This year I bought two thighs and three turkey legs. I also purchased two containers of chicken broth, two fresh onions, a bag of carrots, a bag of celery, a bag of steam fresh green beans, three large potatoes, and chives. Along with those purchases I also bought Pepperidge Farm stuffing, a container of turkey gravy, and a box of Krusteaz gluten free cornbread.

Two nights before thanksgiving I made the cornbread mix. After cooling I wrapped it in plastic wrap and left it to stale. On the second night I made an herb butter courtesy of Katie Lee and remembered to take the turkey out of the freezer at 10 PM!

The next morning was the big day. I sliced up the vegetable to put in the bottom of the pan and warmed my broth just like Bobby. First thing that went wrong was that the pan I purchased was not large enough to fit my roaster insert. No problem I used the vegetables to hold the turkey.

Second problem, my turkey was still frozen, well, I wiped it down, melted my herb butter to baste it, and stuck it in the oven any way. 450 for 15 minutes and then 350 for and hour and 5 minutes. They were perfect. The skin was crispy, the turkey was juicy, and herbs made the dish. Gotta thank Bobby.

While all that was happening I took 15 minutes to chop up a few more vegetables and heat more broth to make Katie Lee’s cornbread stuffing with herb butter. She made it look so easy and guys, it was just as easy as she made it look. It’s not pictured here but at the end it was crumbly and beautifully browned. I have missed stuffing so much since going gluten free I can’t thank Katie enough for the idea. My whole dinner this year was the stuffing.

The next dish I wanted to bring to life from the show was Bobby Flay’s mashed potatoes. This is another dish that was really tasty and just as easy as he made it look. I cooked my potatoes, mashed them, put in a little milk, butter, pepper, and chives and backed away like I was on chopped and they had called time.

This whole process took about three hours and that included doing dishes as I went. Despite that an hour and a half of that time was me sitting down and watching the parade with my boyfriend while things heated in the oven sipping on Sangria. I didn’t do everything the way they did, but it was definitely perfect. I listed how I made it below, but you can of course always find the originals on food network. This was me working with what I had in my home to try to make some memorable food.

Herb Butter-

1 ½ teaspoons of powdered sage

½ teaspoons of pepper

1 stem of fresh rosemary leaves torn from stem

1 stick of softened salted butter

1 teaspoon of thyme

The stuffing I basically followed her instructions from the show.

Saute onions and celery in herb butter. About 1/3 of what we made

Cut corn bread into cubes

1/3 cup of Milk

Two soup ladles of chicken broth

1 egg

A shake more salt and pepper.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl away from heat and put into a baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Once it cools take a fork and fluff it like regular stuffing. (Okay looking at her recipe, I did not follow it correctly, but it still came out amazing.)

Chive Mashed Potatoes

Three Large Potatoes Peeled and Boiled

¼ cup of milk

2 table spoons of butter

1 Chive stem chopped

Pepper to taste

Learning these tips and these three great recipes is an awesome start of what I hope will someday be my famous turkey dinner. They allow for a lot of prep before the big day. Hopefully that means when I’m a mom someday I’ll still be able to make the turkey and watch the parade. It was truly a memorable day and I will be thinking about it until next year when I once again become inspired. I hope you and your families also had an inspirational jump into the holidays. Stay Safe! Happy Holidays.

Easiest Foccacia Bread

 

     I love making Foccacia bread. It is so incredibly easy and tasty. While I love loading it with vegetables and cheeses (think pizza but better), it's a bread that you can really make your own. 

     Foccacia can be as simple as herbs and olive oil or as complicated as the photo above. If that looks as yummy to you as it does to me find the instructions down below.

Focaccia for Two (or more)

1 cup all purpose flour 

½ packet of rapid rise yeast

2 ½ tablespoons of warm water (110 degrees)

4 pinches of sugar

3 teaspoons of olive oil

Toppings

½ Red onion (chopped)

Basil

Cherry tomatos

Garlic powder to taste (or 2 garlic cloves)

3 table spoons of mozzerella grated (or to taste)

Italian seasoning

Pinch of salt

     Combine the yeast and two and a half tablespoons of water with four pinches of sugar. Allow it to sit somewhere warm for about 10 minutes.

     Preheat your oven to 450 for an electric oven. Between 400 – 425 for a gas oven.

    The yeast will eat the sugar. You may see a small bubbles forming as the yeast activates. The next step is to combine the sugar, water, and yeast mixture with the flour. Slowly add in water until it begins to form sticky dough. Once you have a nice ball of sticky dough transfer it to a greased bowl and allow it to sit somewhere warm for thirty minutes. (I left it on my oven as I preheated it.)

     Over the next half an hour you will see your dough double in size.

     Take two teaspoons of olive oil and grease your pan. When your half an hour is done take your dough ball and stretch it across your pan. Now it is time for the toppings. You can add whatever your like. Place the above on for a great focaccia bread.

     Garlic powder (optional, I actually prefer to use 2 garlic cloves or more. I am a firm believer you measure the amount of garlic with your heart.), Italian seasoning, onions, grated cheese and a pinch of salt.

  

     Cook for 15-20 minutes in an electric stove. Since I was working with a gas oven my focaccia was baked in 10. Remember to watch your oven to not over cook the bread. All ovens are a little different, but when it's done it will look browned and crisp.

     Once it comes out of the oven place it on a cooling rack and drizzle lightly with the remaining teaspoons of olive oil. Once cool to the touch serve and enjoy. Thanks for reading and happy baking!

Tuscan Salmon, Yum!

 

Quarantine hit in March. Even for those of us who were lucky enough to keep our jobs it wasn’t an easy things. Although my job was protected I lost my second job which helped me a great deal monetarily. As for my first job I found myself work less than I previously had. Another personal change that happened at the same time is I made the leap to move in with my boyfriend right before lock down. We have different tastes and different diets. A lot of adjusting came with quarantine for both of us.

Without me this guy would eat nothing but meat. If I tried to feed him vegetables he would tell me, “You’re feeding me my food’s food,” while I over the past few years almost never ate meat and stuck to a lot of vegetables and gluten free pastas. Meat for the most part never came packaged for one and eating pork chops for a week even for 7.00 dollars never sounded appealing.

For today’s recipe and one he and I both agree is amazing, Tuscan Salmon. It’s super fast and easy. So perfect for a mid week night. The best part about this recipe is that the ingredients can be used for a variety of things. While they may be an initial investment all of them will last for months if its only for one or two people. Plus it’s delicious.

Honestly I cook this in my 12 in deep skillet by Farberware. The first step is to place enough butter to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. While that’s heating up season the salmon front and back with salt and pepper. When you go to fry the salmon make sure you start skin down so it gets nice and crisp.

Once our salmon is cooked remove it from the pan and set it aside. Usually around this point the water for the pasta is starting to boil. Add another table spoon of butter to the skillet and throw in frozen vegetables (these have been a staple during the pandemic, plus we almost never eat the amount we’d buy fresh or frozen in one sitting.). Peppers and onions are a must I usually place in enough to just coat the bottom of the pan. Give it a stir and then leave it alone for a few minutes.

While that’s heating throw your pasta into the pot. Once the vegetables are soft and the onion becomes fragrant add in two teaspoons of sun dried tomatoes. Stir and just let them cook for a minute. You’ll notice the wonderful fragrance of tomatoes in the kitchen. At that point it’s time to add the cream and the spices. This part of the recipe can be adjusted. The recipe below gives a slightly thicker sauce and it for two people. However, the great thing about this recipe is that it’s adjustable and forgiving. Feeding more people? Add more vegetables, cream, and Parmesan. Want a thicker sauce? You’ll have the ability to watch and adjust as it heats. The one trick to making a great and smooth cream sauce is to stir it as it heats. This will keep the sauce from separating. Plus in order to melt cheese correctly the cream should not boil. Also fresh spinach makes a great addition. To add it once the sauce is made throw it in and stir. It will cook down quickly and be ready to serve. Happy Cooking! We will all get through this together, deliciously.

Cream Sauce

1 cup of Light/ Heavy Cream (Heavy cream will help lend to a thicker sauce, but both will work for this recipe. I have also substituted half and half as well which works just fine.)

2 Tablespoons of butter

1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic

½ teaspoon of cayenne

1 teaspoon of Herbs de Provence (or Italian Seasoning)

Not raw, Totally Affordable Mac and Cheese

     Sustainable living, not so sustainable blog. I find myself doing a lot of the same things over and over because there's only so far a 30 dollar grocery budget can go. I tend to make large meals that last me a week at a time. Last week I had meatballs for DAYSSS. I could not look at another meatball after three days of them. This happens a lot. I'll be making a chicken fricassee with some chicken thighs tomorrow and it will have to last until my next day off. Ultimately I only cook once maybe twice a week.
     I'm sure that will change though as will my grocery budget. My fiance and I are looking for our first apartment and he's a big guy. He can eat through a three day meal in one. To be fair it takes a lot of energy to move around a muscular 6' something body. Last night, however, I splurged. When I splurge it's usually for a really good cheese for my favorite dish. Macaroni and Cheese is my all time favorite meal.
     This is just an extension of an old favorite.

8 ounces of gluten free pasta (or gluten pasta if you can have it)
Slightly less than half a block of Syrah Toscana
Four Slices of Cheddar Cheese
Some powder Parmesan
A table spoon of olive oil or butter (I usually use olive oil, but I invested in a stick of Kerry Gold Irish butter and it makes a world of difference)
1/4 Cup of milk (adjust as needed depending on the amount of cheese actually in the dish)
1 teaspoon of garlic
1/4 teaspoon of pepper

     The last two ingredients are really to taste. I know I use more garlic than most people would like to consume in any given meal. If I was a vampire I'd be a terrible one. Although it sounds like a costly, fancy macaroni and cheese the amount of food I get from the ingredients makes it more than sustainable. I will make mac and cheese at night to have a few left overs. I had half the left overs this morning with some eggs and will have the other half as a snack before I go into work at night. I still have enough of the ingredients to make this dish two more times. Which means I can get approximately 9 meals out of that one dish. Adding up the cost of ingredients and dividing it by how many meals I get from them I wind up with a grand total of $2.00 per meal. I think $2.00 a meal (rounding up it actually came to a bit less) is pretty sustainable when I want to be fancy.
     Have fun with some fancy mac and cheese and don't forget to jump over to my new genealogy blog. Here I posted some awesome research about things you find in your kitchen that can help save your life. Holistic medicine can be a powerful thing and I guarantee you have these three things in your kitchen.

White Mocha Sauce, So what now?

Sustainable living is about a lot more than food. It’s about whatever you can do for yourself that will allow you to hang onto more of the measly wage more of us are taking home these days. Most of my posts have been about cooking because the rising cost of prepared food is horrifying, but its about more than just homemade cooking. It’s about the question, “what can I do for myself vs. what do I need to call someone for?” Or maybe the question is what can I avoid calling someone for? I can’t just sit an relax. I need to work. Part time pays the bills, but doesn’t fill my need.

            I somehow found myself reading every article on forbes. How to find what you want to do, 20 things 20-something year olds don’t know, 9 dangerous things they taught you in school, were a few of the headlines. I am at a point where I’m wondering what’s next? I’m sure a lot of you are there too. I can make my own white mocha sauce, bread, egg noodles, cheese, and wine (soon), but is that enough? Tell me what you think. Currently I’m making some potholders for my first knitting project. The white mocha sauce recipe is listed below. What else can I do to be totally self-sufficient?

White Mocha Sauce           

1 cup light cream

4 ounces of white chocolate

A splash of vanilla extract

It came out well using what I had on hand, but I feel like it needed a thickener. Perhaps next time I will add lite corn syrup to get a more syrup like texture.

Easy Homemade Egg Noodles

            Dinner with my boyfriend’s father was a smash hit. I left that night with a dozen farm fresh eggs at my disposal and an excess of strawberry jam. I am still trying to decide what to do with the jam, but using the eggs is easy. Egg noodles are a main staple in my diet since they are inexpensive. I have been looking at an egg noodle recipe for a while. As cost effective as they are it is even more cost effective to make your own and fun.

            It was so simple. I mixed the salt and the flour together and formed a whole in the middle of my “bowl”. I mix most of my recipes in reusable Glad containers. Once it became sticky dough it was time to take it out and knead in more flour with my hands until it stopped sticking to me. This took about four more tablespoons of flour. I did not chill the mixture as the recipe calls for. I rolled it out onto my cutting board and cut it. Make sure to roll it very thin. If necessary cut it and thin the noodles out further with your fingers. The thin noodles were completely dry in an hour and a half. Once dry they are ready for storage/cooking.

            I chose to cook mine and share with my friends. My next batch will be stored just for me. The recipe says they can be stored up to a month and I will be taking advantage of that, though I’ll be shocked if they last a week. Keep trying these recipes. They're easy with minimum ingredients. Once you spend a week eating your own food you will not be able to eat processed food again. 

Egg Noodles

1 cup and about 4 tablespoons of flour

 ½ teaspoon of salt

 2 eggs