Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Feed Four for Five Bucks
The cupboard wasn't exactly bare, but there were a couple of boxes of generic macaroni and cheese things hiding at the back. So I thought "Why not? Let's see what I can do with these." This particular recipe will feed four easily for about $5.00 I'll be posting it shortly.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A Meal for Four - Total Cost $7.79... Not Bad
I made something for dinner last night that I thought I'd only make under threat of torture. Hamburger Helper! But the thing is that it turned out not too bad, and Bug liked it. I have one suggestion though. They don't give you enough pasta in that crappy cardboard box to feed more than one person. I recommend that you put their pasta in some storage jar or other and keep it for adding to a salad or something. I ended up taking 2.5 cups of Rigatoni, cooking them as per package directions, and adding them to the Hamburger Helper sauce mixture once it had thickened. The other thing I did was add about 1.5 cups of chopped up broccoli florets and stems, along with the same amount of grape tomatoes (they were on sale). I added the vegetables right after I combined all the ingredients for the sauce mix and added it to the browned meat. So the vegetables cooked as the sauce was doing its thing. It didn't come across as a prepackaged dinner at all. Best of all? It cost me $7.79 to feed four. You do the math. That's pretty darn inexpensive.
Friday, December 25, 2009
The Promised Recipe
It has been like a thousand years since I promised to post the non-pasta recipe. Yes I feel guilty, but posting constantly is a major headache sometimes because I put off other things, like living, to work on this post that I'm really not sure anyone is reading. This is going to be my last post for a while. I think I'll go on a two week schedule. That way I can have a life, and have something to say and test out new recipes for anyone who is following this post.
Ok. Here goes.
If you have a kitchen scrub brush for your dishes, soap it up, and get the cold water running at a good clip. Scrub all of the vegetables, except the broccoli, and rinse all soapy remains off them. Put them aside in some sort of container. Keep that water flowing because now you're going to rinse the hell out of the broccoli. Put that with the rest of the vegetables once done.
Take a breather, and put 5 - 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet or frying pan. Swish it around on the bottom to coat the pan, and set it on low/medium heat to preheat while you slice the vegetables.
I hope you have a cutting board to slice and chop the vegetables on. If not, clean off a good portion of the kitchen counter as your work space. (Be careful if you're cutting on the counter top and you, like me, are renting the suite. The super is sure to notice the damage and ding you for it once you move out.)
Trim off, the ends of the carrot, and cut it into 3 little orange "logs". Discard the ends. Cut each carrot log lengthways in half, lay it on the flat cut end and slice or chop into 1/4" thick pieces, set aside. Do the same with the beets. Since the beets are nice and fat, slice into 1/4" sections lenghtways, and then cross cut those in 1/4" cuts. This will give you reddish french frie like things. Take those fries and chop into 1/4" to 1/2" pieces and set aside with the carrots. What you did with the beets, you'll do exactly the same with the potatoes, and set aside from the other vegetables. I think you pretty well know the drill with broccoli. Cut off smallish florets, and chop up the larger ones into managable bite sized pieces. Use the stem of the broccoli too, but discard the end as it tends to be yucky. Set the broccoli aside separately, as it cooks faster than the other root vegetables.
Throw all of the vegetables, except the broccoli and potatoes, in the pan, stir to coat with oil, and cover. Raise heat to medium.
Wipe off your workspace. Take 1/3 of a pack of bacon and slice cross wise into 1/4" strips. In a separate pan, or pot with lid, that has been coated with extra virgin olive oil, toss in the bacon and cover. Covering it keeps in the steam from the cooking process and makes it go faster. Stir the bacon now and again to ensure even cooking.... on medium heat.
Wipe off your workspace, and now it's time to make stir fry strips out of the pork. Make the meat look like it's sliced in a Chinese or Asian restaurant: that same width and length.
Check your vegetables. Poke them with a fork. Cool one off and have a bite. If it has a bit of a firmness to it and the colour is nice and bright they're almost done. Throw in the broccoli. Stir things around for a few minutes until the broccoli gets a nice bright green colour with a bit of sweat on it. All the veggies are done now, so set aside in a container and cover with something to conserve their heat.
If the bacon is curling up on itself keep the lid off the pan/pot and stir occasionally until it begins to get crispy. Remove from pan/pot and set aside/cover. Drain off the grease in the bacon pan/pot, and add another 5 or so tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, followed by the pork. This stuff cooks quickly so watch it. Cover for a few minutes, remove cover and stir, recover, and so on. It will be done when there's no pink showing on the outside or the inside if you slice a piece. Take it out of the pan/pot and put aside, not with the bacon.
Toss the potatoes into this pan, cover and raise the heat to medium/high. Keep covered to speed cooking time, but stir every now and again. The potatoes will be done when their skins start to come off or stick to the bottom of the pan. But you can always do the taste test thing as you did with the beets and carrots. Remove pan from heat.
Take two dinner plates: put a good portion of pork strips in the centre of the plate, veggies on one side, potatoes on the other. Crumble bacon on top of the potatoes, and dinner is served.
See I do know how to cook something other than pasta.
Ok. Here goes.
If you have a kitchen scrub brush for your dishes, soap it up, and get the cold water running at a good clip. Scrub all of the vegetables, except the broccoli, and rinse all soapy remains off them. Put them aside in some sort of container. Keep that water flowing because now you're going to rinse the hell out of the broccoli. Put that with the rest of the vegetables once done.
Take a breather, and put 5 - 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet or frying pan. Swish it around on the bottom to coat the pan, and set it on low/medium heat to preheat while you slice the vegetables.
I hope you have a cutting board to slice and chop the vegetables on. If not, clean off a good portion of the kitchen counter as your work space. (Be careful if you're cutting on the counter top and you, like me, are renting the suite. The super is sure to notice the damage and ding you for it once you move out.)
Trim off, the ends of the carrot, and cut it into 3 little orange "logs". Discard the ends. Cut each carrot log lengthways in half, lay it on the flat cut end and slice or chop into 1/4" thick pieces, set aside. Do the same with the beets. Since the beets are nice and fat, slice into 1/4" sections lenghtways, and then cross cut those in 1/4" cuts. This will give you reddish french frie like things. Take those fries and chop into 1/4" to 1/2" pieces and set aside with the carrots. What you did with the beets, you'll do exactly the same with the potatoes, and set aside from the other vegetables. I think you pretty well know the drill with broccoli. Cut off smallish florets, and chop up the larger ones into managable bite sized pieces. Use the stem of the broccoli too, but discard the end as it tends to be yucky. Set the broccoli aside separately, as it cooks faster than the other root vegetables.
Throw all of the vegetables, except the broccoli and potatoes, in the pan, stir to coat with oil, and cover. Raise heat to medium.
Wipe off your workspace. Take 1/3 of a pack of bacon and slice cross wise into 1/4" strips. In a separate pan, or pot with lid, that has been coated with extra virgin olive oil, toss in the bacon and cover. Covering it keeps in the steam from the cooking process and makes it go faster. Stir the bacon now and again to ensure even cooking.... on medium heat.
Wipe off your workspace, and now it's time to make stir fry strips out of the pork. Make the meat look like it's sliced in a Chinese or Asian restaurant: that same width and length.
Check your vegetables. Poke them with a fork. Cool one off and have a bite. If it has a bit of a firmness to it and the colour is nice and bright they're almost done. Throw in the broccoli. Stir things around for a few minutes until the broccoli gets a nice bright green colour with a bit of sweat on it. All the veggies are done now, so set aside in a container and cover with something to conserve their heat.
If the bacon is curling up on itself keep the lid off the pan/pot and stir occasionally until it begins to get crispy. Remove from pan/pot and set aside/cover. Drain off the grease in the bacon pan/pot, and add another 5 or so tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, followed by the pork. This stuff cooks quickly so watch it. Cover for a few minutes, remove cover and stir, recover, and so on. It will be done when there's no pink showing on the outside or the inside if you slice a piece. Take it out of the pan/pot and put aside, not with the bacon.
Toss the potatoes into this pan, cover and raise the heat to medium/high. Keep covered to speed cooking time, but stir every now and again. The potatoes will be done when their skins start to come off or stick to the bottom of the pan. But you can always do the taste test thing as you did with the beets and carrots. Remove pan from heat.
Take two dinner plates: put a good portion of pork strips in the centre of the plate, veggies on one side, potatoes on the other. Crumble bacon on top of the potatoes, and dinner is served.
See I do know how to cook something other than pasta.
Friday, December 18, 2009
I'm Sooo Sorry
I have to apologize to anyone who is following this blog. I was going to have a new recipe posted today, but life just got in the way. You know I'm a "starving writer type". I'm trying to get provincial and federal arts funding in the form of a grant so that I can complete the research for a collection of short stories I'm working on, as well as a novel-length manuscript. That process has taken over my life over the past couple of days. Everything about my submission (begging) has to be perfect. I've resorted to borrowing money to pay for editors to look at my work and suggest improvements. My partner has the day off tomorrow, so we get to do together stuff. I'll try for posting the recipe on Sunday.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
OMG We're NOT Having Pasta Tonight!
I discovered that Stratford is an even more happening little burg than I originally thought. It actually has a not-so-small store that sells only certified organic products. They even have red curry paste! Do you realize how hard it is to find that stuff? But curry is not the reason for this post. Rather it is to give you another shopping list for a recipe. What is different with this recipe is the fact that it doesn't use pasta at all. No offence to the Italian people, but sometimes even I have to give pasta a break.
The list is as follows, and should feed two people easily:
Produce
2 or 3 medium red potatoes (white or Yukon Gold will be fine as well).
2 large or 3 medium red beets.
1 eight-inch carrot (utility grade is just fine).
1 good fist-sized head of broccoli. (or you can substitute a couple of palm-fulls of green beans).
Meat
1 pack of bacon, divided into three equal portions (freeze two, and use one).
450 g or 1 lb, of strir fry pork strips.
Incidentals
About 10 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (seriously use olive oil, it tastes great, is good for you, and makes your kitchen guests think that you really do know what you're doing).
About a tea spoon of freshly ground pepper. Orinary pre-ground is fine, but if you can afford a pepper mill and whole black peppercorns then that's great.
Things to Think About
Do all of your slicing and chopping ahead of time and put the ingredients aside separately in small containers (whatever works) because most of them have different cooking time requirements, so you'll be adding each at a different point in time during the cooking process.
How Much Does This Meal Cost?
Without a word of a lie, and thanks to my strategic shopping method, this particular meal for two (using fresh vegetables) works out to about $4.25 for two people, or $2.12 per person. What can you get at a fast food joint for $4.25: two or three strips of overcooked mystery chicken. Hey, this is an easy decision to make. Stay tuned as I post the actual recipe/cooking directions in the next day or two.
The list is as follows, and should feed two people easily:
Produce
2 or 3 medium red potatoes (white or Yukon Gold will be fine as well).
2 large or 3 medium red beets.
1 eight-inch carrot (utility grade is just fine).
1 good fist-sized head of broccoli. (or you can substitute a couple of palm-fulls of green beans).
Meat
1 pack of bacon, divided into three equal portions (freeze two, and use one).
450 g or 1 lb, of strir fry pork strips.
Incidentals
About 10 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (seriously use olive oil, it tastes great, is good for you, and makes your kitchen guests think that you really do know what you're doing).
About a tea spoon of freshly ground pepper. Orinary pre-ground is fine, but if you can afford a pepper mill and whole black peppercorns then that's great.
Things to Think About
Do all of your slicing and chopping ahead of time and put the ingredients aside separately in small containers (whatever works) because most of them have different cooking time requirements, so you'll be adding each at a different point in time during the cooking process.
How Much Does This Meal Cost?
Without a word of a lie, and thanks to my strategic shopping method, this particular meal for two (using fresh vegetables) works out to about $4.25 for two people, or $2.12 per person. What can you get at a fast food joint for $4.25: two or three strips of overcooked mystery chicken. Hey, this is an easy decision to make. Stay tuned as I post the actual recipe/cooking directions in the next day or two.
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