Ideas for Dinner - Pinching Pennies

I love to cook, but it can be expensive. Here are some of my favorite cheap go-tos for dinner:

Get a package of bacon & split it into 3 portions - use for any of the following:
- blts with oven roasted potatoes
- Pasta with bacon & parm cheese
- Mark Bittman's Pasta with Potatoes (a pasta & potato kind ofstew flavored with a bit of bacon & spiced with red pepper flakes)

green salad with poached eggs & hash browns

quiche or frittata

baked potatoes with broccoli, cheese & green onions

meatloaf or sloppy joes

chili

pasta with red sauce made from canned tomatoes, herbs & black olives

Lemon fettucine

Mark Bittman's Pasta with Charred Onions & Cilantro

The Urban Peasant's Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms (using button mushrooms), flavored with soy sauce

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Cheese Quesadillas with Green Salad

Pancakes with Fruit

Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Rice with spinach & feta

Egg-fried rice with peas & green onions

Potato soup (homemade) with garlic bread

Pumpkin soup (homemade) with a green salad

Tomato soup (homemade)

A Favorite Cookie Recipe

I make these every Christmas, but they are not just for the holidays. My mom always made these when I was growing up. They are a type of thumbprint cookie - super easy and delicious - tender, not crispy.

I use seedless raspberry jam because Chloe likes it best, but I also do them with apricot. You could of course use any jam or jelly you like.

German Tea Cakes

1 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add yolks, then flour. Form into small balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make a small hole in each cake and fill with jelly. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Beginning of the Holidays

Chloe is off all next week, and we will head down to Virginia to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The holidays must be officially here. In honor of them, I planted my annual amaryllis (red, of course), which kicks of the season for me.

Chloe and I also made our favorite chocolate chip cookies this morning - crisp edges and chewy centers. This is the recipe, which comes from Joyofbaking.com:

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
2/3 cup (140 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (210 grams) chocolate chunks (can use chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place one oven rack in the top third of the oven, and one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until well combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Form dough into balls, using 1/4 cup (55 grams) for each cookie. Place six balls of dough on each baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball of dough into a 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round. Bake the cookies for about 15-17 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when they are light golden brown in color and just set. They will still seem a little soft but they will firm up as they cool. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 18 large cookies.

Steak Chili with Fajita Seasoning

I made this recipe from October's Cuisine at Home last night. Last Saturday, I had the magazine open to this recipe. When I came in from grocery shopping that day, Philip was disappointed we weren't having this. So I made it yesterday, and it was really good.

Steak Chili with Fajita Seasoning

For the Fajita Seasoning:

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Chili:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 lbs flat iron steaks, trimmed, cubed, and seasoned with salt and pepper

1/4 cup tequila or 1 water

6 cups diced tomatoes, or 2 cans diced tomatoes (28 oz. each)

2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced (2 cups)

1 white onion, diced (2 cups)

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 1/2 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons flour

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons lime juice

Stir together the ingredients for the fajita seasoning and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown half of the meat in the oil. Brown the remaining meat in the remaining oil.

Deglaze pot with tequila or water, scraping up the flavor bits stuck to the pan. Transfer browned meat back to soup pot.

Add tomatoes, bell peppers, diced onion, minced garlic, and the fajita seasoning. Stir in beef stock and flour. Bring to a boil. Partially cover chili; simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour.

Stir in beans and lime juice just before serving. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, avocado, and jalapenos.

The day in pictures

School was out today, and we worked from home. In between working, here is what we did...

Summer in the snow

Sledding in the backyard

Building a snowman in the front yard

Spicy Asian Soup for dinner (yum)

From SELF, March 2001

Servings: Makes 4 servings

1 can (48 oz) nonfat chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp Asian chili sauce (or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut in 8 slices

3/4 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut in thin 3-inch-long strips

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (or white button mushrooms)

1 cup snap peas (or snow peas)

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned

1 tsp lime zest

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation: Combine broth, soy sauce, sugar, chili sauce, lime juice, and ginger and boil 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toss chicken with cornstarch until completely coated. Add chicken and shiitakes to broth and simmer 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in snap peas, red pepper, zest, and cilantro. Let soup stand 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

mmmmm.... breakfast

I made a batch of granola yesterday. Had some sprinkled in yogurt for breakfast this morning. Such an easy and delicious thing. (Thanks to Pat at finerkitchens for sharing the recipe). Yummy!

The Queen’s Oats

8 cups regular rolled oats

1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar, or a little less (makes a fairly sweet granola)

1-1/2 cups regular wheat germ

1/2 cup sesame, sunflower or other seeds

1/2 cup coconut or nuts, or both, as desired

1/2 cup unprocessed oat or wheat bran (optional, but healthy)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup honey or maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

raisins or chopped dried fruits (optional)

Preheat oven to 325º. In a large bowl add all dry ingredients except raisins or dried fruit, stir to blend. In a saucepan heat oil, honey or maple syrup and vanilla just until bubbling. Pour over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Divide mixture between two lightly greased 10x15-inch rimmed baking sheets, spreading evenly (OR in a big roasting pan -- easier to stir).

Bake about 20 minutes or until coconut is lightly browned. Remove from oven and stir several times as grains cool to prevent sticking. (If you like your granola in chunks, don’t stir while it cools.)

When cool, add raisins or other dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: about 16 cups

I used sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, a sprinkle of coconut, and dried cranberries. I also used honey instead of maple syrup and cut back the brown sugar a bit. Because I didn't have the bran, I omitted it.

Recipe for First Grade Fun

My first-grade daughter had a great group of friends in her class last year. This year, she only has one of the original group in her class, so we had a get-together for the old gang on Friday.

All five girls came home together on the bus. After a snack and lots of girl-talk, they played while I set up a few crafts for them. I had gotten some plain black hats at Michaels and some fabric paints. They had a great time painting them (although fair warning, I also got a painted chair in the bargain!) Here are three of the hats.

I had also gotten some Halloween themed wooden shapes and foam pumpkins. The girls painted these, and then I applied magnets on the back.

We had pizza and make-your-own sundaes and finished off the evening with sparklers and glow sticks.

My daughter's best friend spent the night, and we had our usual sleepover breakfast of chocolate pancakes.

Chocolate Pancakes (adapted from Recipezaar)

makes 10 pancakes

1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
mini-chocolate chips

In a small bowl, combine milk, egg and butter; whisk until blended.
In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt; mix well.
Add milk mixture; whisk just until dry ingredients are moistened.
(Batter will be slightly lumpy.)
Heat griddle over medium heat until hot. (Drops of water will sizzle, then evaporate.)
For each pancake, pour scant 1/4 cup batter into griddle.
Sprinkle pancakes with mini-chocolate chips.
Cook 1-2 minutes or until batter is set around edges.
Carefully turn over pancake; cook 1-2 minutes or until pancakes are cooked through.
Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar or (as my daughter prefers) with whipped cream!


Everyone had a great time, but I'm glad for a quiet Sunday now!