When I was a kid - I often was teased. One of the oh so clever phrases was "You're Different [my real name]!" A boy who shall remain nameless would shout loud enough for many people to hear across the hallway in Junior High. At the time the teasing was hard to deal with, but even so my response then was always the same.... - "Umm yeah, I know!"
So snap back to yesterday, I went to a picnic for a birthday - there was lots of junk food. The crowd was mostly younger - a lot younger, so everyone brought chips and similar. The "meat" was hot dogs, and because of a mixture of hunger and willingness to be diplomatic I ate one. On the downside it was perhaps the worst tasting thing I have had in long time, On the up side I might be cured of hot dogs for life. It might of just been the way it was cooked. The awkward part was that everyone was raving about them, so I felt like I needed to keep my different opinion to myself.
The rest of the time was filled with other awkward moments. It seems I'm often great at facilitating that atmostphere. There was strawberries (so it wasn't all junk) and I said "Did you know those are filled with anti-oxidants?" A couple people looked at me strangely and no one said a word. Later on I commented on how beans are easy to make in a crockpot (slow-cooker). This was also met with a similar you are strange ness. I didn't tell anyone about my blog - so I am not sure if that would have helped or hindered me in my ability to create conversation.
I think these experiences make me realize how truly different I really am. I get deluded about this because I read about my interests frequently and always find myself talking to similar link-minded people, which is fun. It's not exactly on purpose, but I think it's just natural to want to hang out with people who are more like you. You generally have more to talk about. That being said I fancy myself someone who enjoys meeting people of all different walks of life. It's basically something I have to be good at, as I meet new students every semester. So it's odd for me when I find a big group of people that in general I don't have a connection point with.
Now I did meet some nice people, and I don't mean to offend anyone - I just think some people are different than me. And quite likely - I'm actually the different one. Luckily, no one is screaming that in my face anymore.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Day 44 - No linkety links
I know I said I would put up links, but ahh just go to www.thepioneerwoman.com and click on cooking. You will pretty much see what I was going to put up.
Otherwise in food - I've been the ultimate lazy. If it can be microwaved, then I'm eating it. However, I'm still following the "rules" so go figure.
Otherwise in food - I've been the ultimate lazy. If it can be microwaved, then I'm eating it. However, I'm still following the "rules" so go figure.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Day 43 - Food for One
Well I ate Taco Bell yesterday. Blah. But it sure was good. I had the Cheesarito, Chicken Burrito and 5-Layer-Burrito ($3.37). I was uber hungry, which probably explains why I splurged on all that, not to mention giving in to convenience - back to back activities and what not.
Huzbun is out of town this weekend on business. He is launching his company which I would tell you more about but have been instructed to keep my mouth shut for the time being.
I think it will kind of interesting food wise to have the "weekend to myself." This could mean many things:
1) I am looking forward to cooking up soybean mixtures, since I won't have to satisfy the meatatarian for a bit.
2) I also have a feeling I will eat generally less, as that is what happens when social convention does not require me to eat. Yes, truth be told, I am one of those annoying people who forgets to eat (or something like that). It all works out pretty well though as it seems I get plenty of reminders.
3) Also, I fear general laziness about preparing food. I tend to not want to cook for one. I am forsure making the soybeans tonight though to counter act this.
Ok Ciao!
Tomorrow, I'll have some links up!
Huzbun is out of town this weekend on business. He is launching his company which I would tell you more about but have been instructed to keep my mouth shut for the time being.
I think it will kind of interesting food wise to have the "weekend to myself." This could mean many things:
1) I am looking forward to cooking up soybean mixtures, since I won't have to satisfy the meatatarian for a bit.
2) I also have a feeling I will eat generally less, as that is what happens when social convention does not require me to eat. Yes, truth be told, I am one of those annoying people who forgets to eat (or something like that). It all works out pretty well though as it seems I get plenty of reminders.
3) Also, I fear general laziness about preparing food. I tend to not want to cook for one. I am forsure making the soybeans tonight though to counter act this.
Ok Ciao!
Tomorrow, I'll have some links up!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Day 42 - Deviled Eggs
Yesterday, I was not very hungry at all for dinner. So alreadying having had a "cheesarito" for lunch, and not wanting to repeat I decided to make something interesting - Deviled Eggs.
If you don't know how to make deviled eggs -the following is one of the best videos for learning how to make deviled eggs.
I must say that I have made deviled eggs for quite some time, and many of the "tricks" in the video were not new to me. However, I usually don't use a food processor. This time I made mine with a Magic Bullet
, and must admit the texture was smoother. Also, I would totally recommend any of the "You are doing it all wrong" videos at chow.com. This is how I have learned a ton about "good" cooking. Unfortunately "good" cooking doesn't always mean healthy.
.
The green speckles come from adding relish to my batch of eggs, and while I was not super-thrilled with the results, Huzbun like it a lot.
I had a few of these for dinner, and I'm having a few more now as a part of lunch.
If you don't know how to make deviled eggs -the following is one of the best videos for learning how to make deviled eggs.
I must say that I have made deviled eggs for quite some time, and many of the "tricks" in the video were not new to me. However, I usually don't use a food processor. This time I made mine with a Magic Bullet
, and must admit the texture was smoother. Also, I would totally recommend any of the "You are doing it all wrong" videos at chow.com. This is how I have learned a ton about "good" cooking. Unfortunately "good" cooking doesn't always mean healthy..
Freshly peeled eggs
Complete! - well almost, I added a little paprika on top later.
The green speckles come from adding relish to my batch of eggs, and while I was not super-thrilled with the results, Huzbun like it a lot.
I had a few of these for dinner, and I'm having a few more now as a part of lunch.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Day 41 - Why we eat out
Well , we ate out again. This is 8/12 for those of you keeping track, and for those of you smarties out there yes, that is over half, and yes we are under half-way there.
We had a Groupon. Have you heard of this? Basically, it means we purchased a $30 gift certificate for $15 for a local venue (one we love) , which means we had a pretty affordable meal out, by most accounts. However, it was certainly not 5 dollar day worthy.
Also I think I should mention that 90 days is 12.85 weeks. So in reality I would be completely justified in making the total allowed eating out times 13 (the once/week rule), which would make us only slightly more on track.
The other thing I was thinking about is "Why is this hard for us?" I mean we seriously had food thawed and ready to cook last night. So it was not even convience per say.
1) We don't need to do this. There are a lot of good reasons for us to do this, but we don't need to. We both have decent incomes, and while we both agree some food budget trimming is good, down to $5/day is more than is needed.
2) This is our date time. Huzbun and I fell in love over trying new foods and sampling wine- also this was how we spent most of our honeymoon (in Napa). We like to cook "together" too, but certainly our favorite date was and still is going out to eat. Food is inherently a social activity, and while you can split hair on what exactly that means and how it happens - it's still true. When you are married, you look for moments of specialness to carry you through stretches of dull and difficult. Before anyone concludes that "my marriage is especially dull or difficult", I should say that "Life has times of dull and difficult and when you have a partner you experience that together" and it's good to have positved memories when it is those challenging times occur.
3) Dining out has all the senses engaged
Taste - of course
Smell - the smell of the resturant, the smell of the wine
Touch - the feel of the chairs (or booth), the texture of the table
Hear - music in the background, perhaps other sounds
Sight - the decorations, the food (how it's displayed), and so on.
It makes sense that we have so many memory connections with eating out because they say the more senses you engage in an activity the better you remember it - which I think makes it desirable in a more than just "it's easy" way.
Okay - all that being said - I'm not quitting or anything!
This is just me figuring out my 5 dollar day fail in my (typical) introspective manner. We are still in this, and we haven't totally lost sight of the goal yet, so keep reading and we'll continue to have fun.
We had a Groupon. Have you heard of this? Basically, it means we purchased a $30 gift certificate for $15 for a local venue (one we love) , which means we had a pretty affordable meal out, by most accounts. However, it was certainly not 5 dollar day worthy.
Also I think I should mention that 90 days is 12.85 weeks. So in reality I would be completely justified in making the total allowed eating out times 13 (the once/week rule), which would make us only slightly more on track.
The other thing I was thinking about is "Why is this hard for us?" I mean we seriously had food thawed and ready to cook last night. So it was not even convience per say.
1) We don't need to do this. There are a lot of good reasons for us to do this, but we don't need to. We both have decent incomes, and while we both agree some food budget trimming is good, down to $5/day is more than is needed.
2) This is our date time. Huzbun and I fell in love over trying new foods and sampling wine- also this was how we spent most of our honeymoon (in Napa). We like to cook "together" too, but certainly our favorite date was and still is going out to eat. Food is inherently a social activity, and while you can split hair on what exactly that means and how it happens - it's still true. When you are married, you look for moments of specialness to carry you through stretches of dull and difficult. Before anyone concludes that "my marriage is especially dull or difficult", I should say that "Life has times of dull and difficult and when you have a partner you experience that together" and it's good to have positved memories when it is those challenging times occur.
3) Dining out has all the senses engaged
Taste - of course
Smell - the smell of the resturant, the smell of the wine
Touch - the feel of the chairs (or booth), the texture of the table
Hear - music in the background, perhaps other sounds
Sight - the decorations, the food (how it's displayed), and so on.
It makes sense that we have so many memory connections with eating out because they say the more senses you engage in an activity the better you remember it - which I think makes it desirable in a more than just "it's easy" way.
Okay - all that being said - I'm not quitting or anything!
This is just me figuring out my 5 dollar day fail in my (typical) introspective manner. We are still in this, and we haven't totally lost sight of the goal yet, so keep reading and we'll continue to have fun.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Day 40 - Birthday BBQ
Yesterday, marked the day that my Father-in-law's wife turned another year older, so we were invited to a BBQ. Living close to your extended family certainly has the benefit of free food. I should probably note here that we did bring brats and cole slaw.
Fil (father-in-law) was manning the grill, and Huzbun was helping - well at least vocally.
Here's the spread - some items include: Corn on the Cob, and Asian Noodle Salad (a specialty of Fil's wife - I'll call here MJ)
Little get togethers like this are a nice way to compensate for not eating out as much.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Day 39 - Baking Bread
In response to j's challenge at 365DollarYear, I've decided to make bread.
Before I got started I read a several daunting articles and procedures that made the art of breadmaking sound akin to alchemy in both level of difficulty and overall success. It's also important to note here, I don't own a bread machine, a kitchen aid mixer (or any stand mixer for that matter), or even a "super nice" bread pan
. The rules of the challenge dictated that we could not spend more than $5 on the project, so I couldn't purchase any of those items either. Additionally, the first two wouldn't be in the budget anyway and the last would still be considered a nicety.
Now it's not that I don't have a suitable amount of confidence in the kitchen, but I'm never too sure about baking. It's seems like there is a lot of precision, steps to follow and oh measuring (yucky measuring). "Cooking" always feels a lot more fluid - much more absent minded type friendly (too much pepper - who cares?).
Well I did find a few helpful posts, one by Trent @ The Simple Dollar. He says " In fact, bread is quite easy to make at home" Okay, well I guess I have to try. Also, if you follow the link, there is a great tutorial on how.
I basically followed every bit of the tutorial as exactly as possible. (I tell you - baking brings out the nerves). I will say I did knead the bread longer than necessary; I guess I was caught up in the moment. If you aren't aware already, I think kneading could be considered a great upper body workout.
Here's the photo proof
Lesson Learned:
Oh - and another good thing - It's cheap. My cost calculation on this came to - $0.54, it would be $0.97 if you did not use bulk yeast. Either way cheaper than the store, and with way fewer additives. Store bought bread never tasted sooooo good, even with my lack of skills - this bread was diving. We ate a couple pieces just after it came out of the oven - it was edible heaven.
Okay, all that being said - I seriously had a great time doing this. Even if it didn't save me money, I would probably still do it occasionally just for entertainment value alone. (I know - easily entertained)
Before I got started I read a several daunting articles and procedures that made the art of breadmaking sound akin to alchemy in both level of difficulty and overall success. It's also important to note here, I don't own a bread machine, a kitchen aid mixer (or any stand mixer for that matter), or even a "super nice" bread pan
. The rules of the challenge dictated that we could not spend more than $5 on the project, so I couldn't purchase any of those items either. Additionally, the first two wouldn't be in the budget anyway and the last would still be considered a nicety. Now it's not that I don't have a suitable amount of confidence in the kitchen, but I'm never too sure about baking. It's seems like there is a lot of precision, steps to follow and oh measuring (yucky measuring). "Cooking" always feels a lot more fluid - much more absent minded type friendly (too much pepper - who cares?).
Well I did find a few helpful posts, one by Trent @ The Simple Dollar. He says " In fact, bread is quite easy to make at home" Okay, well I guess I have to try. Also, if you follow the link, there is a great tutorial on how.
I basically followed every bit of the tutorial as exactly as possible. (I tell you - baking brings out the nerves). I will say I did knead the bread longer than necessary; I guess I was caught up in the moment. If you aren't aware already, I think kneading could be considered a great upper body workout.
Here's the photo proof
The dough is rising
Into the oven
Ta da!
Lesson Learned:
Bread making is NOT scary, and can be Fun!
Oh - and another good thing - It's cheap. My cost calculation on this came to - $0.54, it would be $0.97 if you did not use bulk yeast. Either way cheaper than the store, and with way fewer additives. Store bought bread never tasted sooooo good, even with my lack of skills - this bread was diving. We ate a couple pieces just after it came out of the oven - it was edible heaven.
Okay, all that being said - I seriously had a great time doing this. Even if it didn't save me money, I would probably still do it occasionally just for entertainment value alone. (I know - easily entertained)
Day 38 - over $300 down and 50 ish days to go.
First things first - I went to costco and spent $100. Actually - I spent $101.08 to be specific. It was actually a part of 2 trips, so not as heinous as it sounds. I also made a haul, so overall I'm not completely freaking out yet. Here's the goods (keep in mind everything is in large "costco" size):
Some of the bulk items - such as Sugar, Flour and Yeast seem a bit excessive. However, I want to try this bread making thing, and I am pretty sure I'll be using it up. Also, a bit back I read in The Tightwad Gazette
that you can save a lot by buying yeast in bulk. I am pretty sure that is correct too. As it was explained in the book, even though I might not use all the yeast, the per unit cost is sooo much less that it's still cheaper. For instance I paid approx. $1.50 for 3 (.25 ounce) packages. If I manage to make 1.75 ounces I will already have made my money back, and the rest is gravy.
Okay, so no doubt that is a lot of food - but this also means I am running low on "cash". Which in tern means it is time to take drastic measures! I am going to have to resort to something painful and cumbersome. What is it? Menu Planning. boo hiss.
I think Menu Planning sounds just plain awful, but it just might be the only way - to make it to the end, and I don't want to fail. I read some advice online about Menu Planning and it was mostly boring. By read some advice I mean I just jumped from blog to blog trying to find out where it got good. No surprise here, but it never really did.
Okay, so I lied, there is one good part, you are supposed to find recipes that work for you with the ingredients you have. I can see the "strategic" side of this so my first step in Menu Planning is to conjure 20 different dinner plans that I can make with just what is in my house. This is a little easier, because I have a lot in my house. Also a disclaimer: In many cases where I linked a recipe, it is just to give an idea of what I'm talking about - may not be exactly what I decide to do.
Okay onto the plans:
1-Beef Stew + Mashed Taters (could maybe do this twice)
2-Bratworst Stews
3-Brats - yep plain ol'
4-Salmon Pasta Stuff
5-Salmon Filet with Steamed Veggies (could maybe do this one thrice)
thanks future brother in law for free salmon!!!!
6-Soybeans,Rice,GreenBean Stirfry
7-Chicken Chili
8-Salmon Burgers
9-Breakfast for dinner (Waffles +Sausage)
10-Lasagna Soup - this time with Turkey
11- Sai Thai with Soybeans
12-Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
not sure this one is a "meal"
13-Swedish Meat Balls (made with Turkey)
14-Enchiladas
15-This Chicken Recipe
16-Chedder Brats
...um, yes, I went to school in Wisconsin. Why would you ask that?
17-Breakfast Burritos (Black Beans, Eggs, Restaurant Style Salsa, Cheese)
18-Jerk Chicken
19-Ramen Noodle Stir-fry Meal
20-Spaghetti
Most of the meals listed here lend themselves well towards leftovers really well, except for the grill food. I think between some of our "quick foods", sandwich supplies, and of course leftovers we will be good on lunches. Also, we have bananas, FiberOne
bars and eggs to cover most breakfasts. Regardless, these 20 meals should last us more than 20 days because it's unlikely we will need to cook everyday (leftovers - so forth). Also, I have a couple more ideas that use stuff I have on hand, but may require a few purchased items. Such as Sushi (sans fish), and I have been meaning to try some tofu. It's been a while since I have had any.
Oh - and I talked to my mom about this already (and she had some good thoughts), but anyone have thoughts on what to do with "Ground Ham"... or "Brussel Sprouts". A previous roommate left these to us, and I am not sure what to do with them. I am also not sure I will like Brussel Sprouts. Can anyone reassure me?
| Active Yeast 2 lbs | $3.69 | |||
| Quaker | $6.99 | |||
| Kalamata olives (1.7 lbs) | $6.79 | |||
| Eagle Mills Flour 20 lbs | $5.99 | |||
| Sugar 10 lbs | $4.75 | |||
| Fiber One Bars | $7.05 | |||
| Salmon Burgers (12) | $9.24 | |||
| Green Beans | $6.39 | |||
| Vegetables | $5.99 | |||
| Organic Lemon Juice (1 liter) | $3.89 | |||
| Colby Jack 2lbs | $4.59 | |||
| Soy Milk (case) | $11.49 | |||
| Watermelon | $2.99 | |||
| Bananas (.44/lb) | $1.32 | |||
| Blackberries (18 oz) | $3.49 | |||
| Tomato Sauce (case) | $5.99 | |||
| Diced Organic Tomatoes (case) | $7.99 | |||
| 3 dozen eggs | $2.45 |
Some of the bulk items - such as Sugar, Flour and Yeast seem a bit excessive. However, I want to try this bread making thing, and I am pretty sure I'll be using it up. Also, a bit back I read in The Tightwad Gazette
that you can save a lot by buying yeast in bulk. I am pretty sure that is correct too. As it was explained in the book, even though I might not use all the yeast, the per unit cost is sooo much less that it's still cheaper. For instance I paid approx. $1.50 for 3 (.25 ounce) packages. If I manage to make 1.75 ounces I will already have made my money back, and the rest is gravy. Okay, so no doubt that is a lot of food - but this also means I am running low on "cash". Which in tern means it is time to take drastic measures! I am going to have to resort to something painful and cumbersome. What is it? Menu Planning. boo hiss.
I think Menu Planning sounds just plain awful, but it just might be the only way - to make it to the end, and I don't want to fail. I read some advice online about Menu Planning and it was mostly boring. By read some advice I mean I just jumped from blog to blog trying to find out where it got good. No surprise here, but it never really did.
Okay, so I lied, there is one good part, you are supposed to find recipes that work for you with the ingredients you have. I can see the "strategic" side of this so my first step in Menu Planning is to conjure 20 different dinner plans that I can make with just what is in my house. This is a little easier, because I have a lot in my house. Also a disclaimer: In many cases where I linked a recipe, it is just to give an idea of what I'm talking about - may not be exactly what I decide to do.
Okay onto the plans:
1-Beef Stew + Mashed Taters (could maybe do this twice)
2-Bratworst Stews
3-Brats - yep plain ol'
4-Salmon Pasta Stuff
5-Salmon Filet with Steamed Veggies (could maybe do this one thrice)
thanks future brother in law for free salmon!!!!
6-Soybeans,Rice,GreenBean Stirfry
7-Chicken Chili
8-Salmon Burgers
9-Breakfast for dinner (Waffles +Sausage)
10-Lasagna Soup - this time with Turkey
11- Sai Thai with Soybeans
12-Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
not sure this one is a "meal"
13-Swedish Meat Balls (made with Turkey)
14-Enchiladas
15-This Chicken Recipe
16-Chedder Brats
...um, yes, I went to school in Wisconsin. Why would you ask that?
17-Breakfast Burritos (Black Beans, Eggs, Restaurant Style Salsa, Cheese)
18-Jerk Chicken
19-Ramen Noodle Stir-fry Meal
20-Spaghetti
Most of the meals listed here lend themselves well towards leftovers really well, except for the grill food. I think between some of our "quick foods", sandwich supplies, and of course leftovers we will be good on lunches. Also, we have bananas, FiberOne
bars and eggs to cover most breakfasts. Regardless, these 20 meals should last us more than 20 days because it's unlikely we will need to cook everyday (leftovers - so forth). Also, I have a couple more ideas that use stuff I have on hand, but may require a few purchased items. Such as Sushi (sans fish), and I have been meaning to try some tofu. It's been a while since I have had any.Oh - and I talked to my mom about this already (and she had some good thoughts), but anyone have thoughts on what to do with "Ground Ham"... or "Brussel Sprouts". A previous roommate left these to us, and I am not sure what to do with them. I am also not sure I will like Brussel Sprouts. Can anyone reassure me?
Friday, May 21, 2010
Day 37 - The quintessential weekly link post # 2
Hi - food today was leftovers and easy stuff. I made breakfast tacos this morning.
.jpg)
Mixed up parsley, eggs, rotel, and black beans (not shown)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Oh and everything is better with cheese.
Ok now for the links:
Restaurant Style Salsa - this is a pretty delicious looking recipe made with ingredients that are cheap and easy to obtain.
Free Rice - Ever wish you could benefit the world while procrastinating your tasks. Now you can. I have known about this for a while, but now they have geography and foreign language questions which was new to me. Turns out the world gets more free rice when I get answer questions about German vocabulary, rather than advanced English vocabulary - mmm...
We've figured it out! Homemade tortillas round two..- This tortilla recipe looks pretty easy, so I'm going to try that out. I do eat tortilla like every other day, so probably a good thing to start making.
Day 96- Challenge!-j. has created a challenge, and I do love challenges. Make something that you usually buy prepared - and make it more from scratch (full details on the blog-follow the link). I am going to be trying my hand at bread making. Yes, there will be a post.
Ok - so I need some sort of unique send off on this blog... thoughts?
.jpg)
Mixed up parsley, eggs, rotel, and black beans (not shown)
.jpg)
Fryin' er up!
.jpg)
Ok now for the links:
Restaurant Style Salsa - this is a pretty delicious looking recipe made with ingredients that are cheap and easy to obtain.
Free Rice - Ever wish you could benefit the world while procrastinating your tasks. Now you can. I have known about this for a while, but now they have geography and foreign language questions which was new to me. Turns out the world gets more free rice when I get answer questions about German vocabulary, rather than advanced English vocabulary - mmm...
We've figured it out! Homemade tortillas round two..- This tortilla recipe looks pretty easy, so I'm going to try that out. I do eat tortilla like every other day, so probably a good thing to start making.
Day 96- Challenge!-j. has created a challenge, and I do love challenges. Make something that you usually buy prepared - and make it more from scratch (full details on the blog-follow the link). I am going to be trying my hand at bread making. Yes, there will be a post.
Ok - so I need some sort of unique send off on this blog... thoughts?
Day 36 - Lasanga Soup
So I've been talking about making Lasanga Soup since Day 2, with the recipe I found on the Deals to Meals blog.
One of the hang-ups was an unforeseen disaster that destroyed my pre-made chicken broth. I recovered, and a new batch was made. This time I froze it in Muffin Tins so that I could use it incrementally. In retrospect, something like silicone ice cube trays would of worked better, but it all turned out.
Here is the finished product.
Finally, per my usual form, I didn't exactly follow the recipe perfectly. While I think this tendency is result of my generally relaxed approach in life, I also like to think it is a result of my "creativity" in cooking. This is also a great frugal technique, many ingredients are costly and last minute trips to the store to purchase extras can be expensive too.
Here's what went down:
First, browning the Italian sausage with onions.
Once complete (or while in process) add in all the seasonings. Meat is a seasoning absorber, so it's good to get these in at this stage. Then add all the liquidy and tomatoey elements.
Here's the chicken broth, it melted super quickly. It was already really small by the time I could take the photo.
Once it's boiling you will want to add the noodles (uncooked).
One of the hang-ups was an unforeseen disaster that destroyed my pre-made chicken broth. I recovered, and a new batch was made. This time I froze it in Muffin Tins so that I could use it incrementally. In retrospect, something like silicone ice cube trays would of worked better, but it all turned out.
Here is the finished product.
Finally, per my usual form, I didn't exactly follow the recipe perfectly. While I think this tendency is result of my generally relaxed approach in life, I also like to think it is a result of my "creativity" in cooking. This is also a great frugal technique, many ingredients are costly and last minute trips to the store to purchase extras can be expensive too.
Here's what went down:
Lasagna Soup | What I did |
| 1 ½ t. olive oil | some olive oil |
| 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage or ground beef | 1/2 lb Italian Sausage and leftover cooked sausage |
| 1 ½ onions, finely chopped | 1/2 onions |
| 3 t. garlic, minced | at least if not more than this |
| 1 ½ t. oregano | Yes, of course I didn't measure it though |
| 1/2 t. pepper | skipped |
| Pinch of salt | used onion salt, since we were low on onions elsewhere |
| ¼ t. red pepper flakes | a dash or two of Mrs. Dash |
| 1 small can tomato paste | Half-Jar of leftover Pasta Sauce |
| 3 cans diced tomatoes | 1 can whole tomatoes - which I then "diced" |
| 2-3 cans chicken broth | 6 -8 frozen pieces of chicken broth |
| 2 bay leaves | nope! - none around |
| 12 oz. corkscrew or shell pasta | I used "wheat" rotini and macaroni (half of each) |
| 3 t. basil | lots of basil |
| 6 oz. ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese blended until smooth) | blended cottage cheese, we used what was left |
| 6 T. parmesan cheese | we are out, so we skipped this too |
| 1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese | indeed! |
First, browning the Italian sausage with onions.
Once complete (or while in process) add in all the seasonings. Meat is a seasoning absorber, so it's good to get these in at this stage. Then add all the liquidy and tomatoey elements.
Here's the chicken broth, it melted super quickly. It was already really small by the time I could take the photo.
Once it's boiling you will want to add the noodles (uncooked).
Wheat rotini and elbow macaroni
While the noodles are cooking up, make the cheese portion. The wierdest part of this is blending the cottage cheese. I used a magic bullet. You literally just scoop it in and go.
. You literally just scoop it in and go. 
I thought this was very strange, but tasted fine.
Mixed it with some mozzarella. I sprinkled it with Basil, so it didn't look (too) ugly.
Soup done?
Yes. Noodles should be soft.
More like a goulash really. Maybe if I had followed the recipe... hmmm. Nah...
Scoop the soup on top of the cheese, and voila!
Cheesy, Tomatoey goodness.
Yum.
We ate this with a bottle of Zinfandel from Hendry Vineyard in Napa, CA, which we purchased on our honeymoon.
Zinfandels are a great with tomatoey and many Italian dishes. This particular one isn't exactly Five Dollar Day worthy. However, Huzbun and I have found many wines (Zins included) at our local liqueur store that are quite good and less than $5. According to Huzbun -drinks don't count anyway.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Day 35 - "Lazy about Food" - How Come?
Huzbun has been going through the Twilight series (ahem - try not to let your opinions on that override what I am about to say here) books and movies simultaneously. As one would suspect there is a myriad of differences between what happens in the book and what happens in the movie. One seemingly minor difference is that in the book the characters tend to eat at home more, the story takes place in the grocery store and at the kitchen table. However, the movie version the same portion of the story takes place at a restaurant while dining out. In my opinion, this seemingly slight environment difference says something about our culture at large. It seems we view life that happens "when we are out" as somehow more exciting. That got me thinking about whether or not that is true. I think there is certainly a higher level of direct entertainment. However is if that is always a good thing or truly enjoyable is debatable. Somethings, while not as directly amusing are more valuable because they take time or patience to enjoy. Savoring a home cooked meal can be a more enjoyable experience, but it takes time and energy to appreciate.
It appears there is some sort of overarching societal demand for the "effortless" meal.
Let's not shred our cabbage (or lettuce), let's buy it in a bag
Let's not make our dough, let's buy it in a can
Let's not bother with this cooking, let's buy food already made.
In essence there are so many ways to be lazy about food. It seems "Food Processing" is not something done in our kitchens but in factories and restaurants. But really - Is this okay? I mean I am always finding ways to increase productivity in other areas of my life such as "checking e-mail" and "keeping a budget". If I can get a somewhat similar result with less effort well than I'll take it. But should this same attitude apply to our food.
I have to say here I fall into many of short-cut food patterns at times (part of why I'm doing this). There are many examples beyond the ones mentioned earlier where the extra "work" is not particularly hard or time consuming. However many people still skip it. Does anyone have their own idea of why this is?
FYI - Tonight we are using up a freebie out to eat night to take a friend out to dinner. We are armed with coupons - but even so it does not fit with the $5/day so we are now at 6/12 dinner. Again that is a little a head of schedule... but I guess I'm still thinking optimistically about the future of this. Currently averaging $5.74/day
It appears there is some sort of overarching societal demand for the "effortless" meal.
Let's not shred our cabbage (or lettuce), let's buy it in a bag
Let's not make our dough, let's buy it in a can
Let's not bother with this cooking, let's buy food already made.
In essence there are so many ways to be lazy about food. It seems "Food Processing" is not something done in our kitchens but in factories and restaurants. But really - Is this okay? I mean I am always finding ways to increase productivity in other areas of my life such as "checking e-mail" and "keeping a budget". If I can get a somewhat similar result with less effort well than I'll take it. But should this same attitude apply to our food.
I have to say here I fall into many of short-cut food patterns at times (part of why I'm doing this). There are many examples beyond the ones mentioned earlier where the extra "work" is not particularly hard or time consuming. However many people still skip it. Does anyone have their own idea of why this is?
FYI - Tonight we are using up a freebie out to eat night to take a friend out to dinner. We are armed with coupons - but even so it does not fit with the $5/day so we are now at 6/12 dinner. Again that is a little a head of schedule... but I guess I'm still thinking optimistically about the future of this. Currently averaging $5.74/day
Day 34 - Leftover day
Brace Yourself.
This post is short.
Huzbun and I finished off various leftovers, and ate some "evolved" cheesaritos. Off-handedly - I notice we eat less on leftover days. I guess we don't feel the same pressure to chow down "fresh" food.
Now it's done.
This post is short.
Huzbun and I finished off various leftovers, and ate some "evolved" cheesaritos. Off-handedly - I notice we eat less on leftover days. I guess we don't feel the same pressure to chow down "fresh" food.
Now it's done.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Day 33 - Pizza again, but this time with homemade crust
So last time I posted about Pizza, I also put a link to the blog on reddit. The people on reddit are a little more brazen than those that comment on my blog and I got this one comment that sort of stung:
Well, mcinvale, our pizza was fine, but I did some research and I decided I need not be intimidated by homemade crust. I found it's actually rather basic. My mom actually gave me her recipe (and encouraging words) which we basically followed (but I adjusted for package size yeast I had around).
Here it is:
3 cups flour
1pkg yeast (.25 ounce)
1 teaspoon salt 2 olive oil
1 tbs sugar
1 cup warm water 110 F
(warm water from the tap is about right)
Combine the warm water and yeast in a dish, and let fizz for a bit.
Then combine this with all the dry ingredients mix around with a dough hook if you have one... or a knife like I did. Eventually use your hand to much it around really well. Finally add the oil. 2tbs is enough, but you can add a little more.
Let it sit for about 1 hour or 2 until it gets puffy.
Start spreading it out with your finger onto a baking stone (or pan) that has a thin layer of olive oil on it.
1 pkg yeast (.25 ounce) $0.45 (guesstimating a lot here... would probably be cheaper if bought in bulk)
1 teaspoon salt $0.01 (actually slightly less, but who counts less than a penny)
Olive oil $0.14
Water $0.01 (again probably less)
Sugar $0.02 (again actually less closer to 1 and half cents)
Total $0.97
Well - it did cost a lot less (whoo hoo), but how did it taste?
It was much better tasting too. I think I could of eaten just the dough.
premade crust? nasty
-mcinvale
Well, mcinvale, our pizza was fine, but I did some research and I decided I need not be intimidated by homemade crust. I found it's actually rather basic. My mom actually gave me her recipe (and encouraging words) which we basically followed (but I adjusted for package size yeast I had around).
Here it is:
3 cups flour
1pkg yeast (.25 ounce)
1 teaspoon salt 2 olive oil
1 tbs sugar
1 cup warm water 110 F
(warm water from the tap is about right)
Combine the warm water and yeast in a dish, and let fizz for a bit.
Then combine this with all the dry ingredients mix around with a dough hook if you have one... or a knife like I did. Eventually use your hand to much it around really well. Finally add the oil. 2tbs is enough, but you can add a little more.
Let it sit for about 1 hour or 2 until it gets puffy.
Start spreading it out with your finger onto a baking stone (or pan) that has a thin layer of olive oil on it.
That looks good
Then coat with garlic and olive oil
Toast in the oven for about 5 mins @ 375 F
I thought it looked pretty good! take that Mcinvale!
Okay now all add the other good stuff
Sauce - (notice we are using pasta sauce instead of pizza sauce - it was good, but a little watery)
Toppings - I like mine under the cheese
(Huzbun likes them on top - and I'm pretty sure there's a sexual innuendo in that - but I won't go there )
Oh and look - a finished product!
10 - 15 mins @ 375 F
Did homemade crust make a difference?
Cost of Pillsbury Dough $2.85
Cost of Homemade Dough
3 cups flour $0.341 pkg yeast (.25 ounce) $0.45 (guesstimating a lot here... would probably be cheaper if bought in bulk)
1 teaspoon salt $0.01 (actually slightly less, but who counts less than a penny)
Olive oil $0.14
Water $0.01 (again probably less)
Sugar $0.02 (again actually less closer to 1 and half cents)
Total $0.97
Well - it did cost a lot less (whoo hoo), but how did it taste?
It was much better tasting too. I think I could of eaten just the dough.
Day 32 - Meat Cookies
So we had some healthy Green Leaf Lettuce and Roma Tomatoes on hand, so we decided to ruin them by smothering them in mayo and ketchup and sandwiching them between two buns with a large meat cookie. (Ummm... don't look up "meat cookie" on urban dictionary - it only means hamburger to us - no other possible definition applies)
Well I guess it still looks pretty good.
And tastes good.
If you would like to know more about this recipe - look here -it's a repeat.
And tastes good.
If you would like to know more about this recipe - look here -it's a repeat.
Day 31 - Free and Fun
As you can probably tell I had a great/busy weekend, as I have not posted in a few days. I'm not saying that blogging isn't something I enjoy, but a few other things have taken priority. Such as doing my job and celebrating my only sister's graduation. Saturday was loads of fun and involved a lot of free food, which we compensated for by spending money on more food.
We had to leave early in the morning, which is an unimpressive time of day for both me and my husband (especially on weekends). I had received some coupons for subway, and I mentioned before I really like their breakfast melts. I got another free breakfast melt (with coupon), and Huzbun got $0.50 off his 6" flat bread melt. Total it was about: $2.67 (sorry to guess here, but I lost the receipt)
Ok, onto the free food picture rama:
We had to leave early in the morning, which is an unimpressive time of day for both me and my husband (especially on weekends). I had received some coupons for subway, and I mentioned before I really like their breakfast melts. I got another free breakfast melt (with coupon), and Huzbun got $0.50 off his 6" flat bread melt. Total it was about: $2.67 (sorry to guess here, but I lost the receipt)
Ok, onto the free food picture rama:
Reception Goodies
... and then we went to the dining room
Salad Selections
Main Dishes
Breads
And then for dinner... my sister and her soon-to-be husband made us steak!
We tried to give them some money... but couldn't. They also made us homemade lemonade and mohitos!
Later that day we were driving around town and picked up some free jamocha shakes at Arby's. I guess my sister and her soon-to-be husband won some sort of sweepstakes. We also stopped by the local grocery store and picked up candy (sour patch kids = $1.97) .
Well lots of free food, but also more spending so this day we basically break even.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Day 30 - The quintessential weekly link post.
Today, when I came home from work I was in no mood to cook, and I had not done anything previously to prepare. I almost mentioned this sentiment to my husband, but all I said was "I'm hungry" and he starterd busily whipping up some dinner, unrequested. Perfect! We stayed on plan and I didn't have to cook - yippee. What he made was pretty simple - a ramen noodle, leftover chicken and vegetable combo - that tasted great, but the photo is not worth sharing.
So onto the links:
I shouldn't have eaten that - totally know this feeling, well sort of, I tend not to regret too much. (@thisisindexed)
Ziploc Omelets - I originally heard about these while at the salon getting my nails done (of all places) - good to get some specific instructions. FYI - had a great coupon for the nails (@jennafermentedgrapes)
A Tasty Recipe Granny's Chocolate Cobbler - Yum, Yum, Yum (@thepioneerwoman)
In Praise of The Breakfast Burrito - This is an excellent tutorial on how to make Breakfast Burritos - with plenty of room for experimentation -delish! Also includes information on pricing. (@cheaphealthygood)
My sister's graduation is this weekend. Looking forward to some good (and free) food! I'll tell you all about it.
Ok - have a great weekend people!
So onto the links:
I shouldn't have eaten that - totally know this feeling, well sort of, I tend not to regret too much. (@thisisindexed)
Ziploc Omelets - I originally heard about these while at the salon getting my nails done (of all places) - good to get some specific instructions. FYI - had a great coupon for the nails (@jennafermentedgrapes)
A Tasty Recipe Granny's Chocolate Cobbler - Yum, Yum, Yum (@thepioneerwoman)
In Praise of The Breakfast Burrito - This is an excellent tutorial on how to make Breakfast Burritos - with plenty of room for experimentation -delish! Also includes information on pricing. (@cheaphealthygood)
My sister's graduation is this weekend. Looking forward to some good (and free) food! I'll tell you all about it.
Ok - have a great weekend people!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Day 29 - Evolution of the "the Cheesarito"
One of my favorite childhood foods was cheesaritos from taco bell - Does anyone else remember those? They aren't officially on the Taco Bell menu anymore, but you can still order them at certain stores. I've had good luck in MN, but not so much in other states. Like many things, Cheesaritos even have their own facebook group.
If you are not familiar with this delectable item it is "A tortilla filled with lots of cheese and scallions and rolled...like a Meximelt without the meat" (via 80s food). It also includes taco sauce. Obviously, this is about the easiest thing in the world to make, so as we grew older we made these at home. Our version went - salsa, chedder cheese on a tortilla, then microwave for 30 seconds. What's interesting (or disturbing) about this is that I probably ate these nearly every day for an "after school snack" from 6th to 12th grade. The "cheesaritos" went through many mutations - add black olives, different salsas, add chicken, add refried beans, different cheeses. Various other things.
I tell this story because all though I didn't think of this at the time let's face it - having easy to prepare foods that you don't get sick of (and who gets sick of cheesy - tomatoey goodness? err-not me) is a pretty good key to staying away from spending too much on "fast food" or other expensive pre=prepared options.
So I still like "cheesaritos" A LOT, but let's just say they have evolved!
Rotel, Chicken, Rosarita Refried Beans and of course Cheese (colby jack) - melt in microwave for approx 1min
Sliced some tomatos
After microwaving, add the tomatoes, black olives, and lettuce (iceberg)
So while this was uber easy, I was wondering if it was actually very cheap. So being that I teach math, and we actually go through a section on unit cost - I have no excuse but to figure this out.
Ingredients
Cheese 1 oz - $0.15
Refried Beans 2oz $0.08 (.04/oz)
Tortilla (1) $0.11
Tomatoes $0.12
Rotel 2 oz $.12 (.06/oz)
Chicken - leftover
Olives $0.07
Lettuce $0.03
Total: $0.56
So with the cost of the chicken the it would be a little more, otherwise - these are rather cheap. I am actually kind of surprised at how cheap - Does anyone see an error in my math? ( would not be the first time... hrm) I did a lot of "guesstimating" on the volume... so I would love your opinion on this too.
If you are not familiar with this delectable item it is "A tortilla filled with lots of cheese and scallions and rolled...like a Meximelt without the meat" (via 80s food). It also includes taco sauce. Obviously, this is about the easiest thing in the world to make, so as we grew older we made these at home. Our version went - salsa, chedder cheese on a tortilla, then microwave for 30 seconds. What's interesting (or disturbing) about this is that I probably ate these nearly every day for an "after school snack" from 6th to 12th grade. The "cheesaritos" went through many mutations - add black olives, different salsas, add chicken, add refried beans, different cheeses. Various other things.
I tell this story because all though I didn't think of this at the time let's face it - having easy to prepare foods that you don't get sick of (and who gets sick of cheesy - tomatoey goodness? err-not me) is a pretty good key to staying away from spending too much on "fast food" or other expensive pre=prepared options.
So I still like "cheesaritos" A LOT, but let's just say they have evolved!
Sliced some tomatos
So while this was uber easy, I was wondering if it was actually very cheap. So being that I teach math, and we actually go through a section on unit cost - I have no excuse but to figure this out.
Ingredients
Cheese 1 oz - $0.15
Refried Beans 2oz $0.08 (.04/oz)
Tortilla (1) $0.11
Tomatoes $0.12
Rotel 2 oz $.12 (.06/oz)
Chicken - leftover
Olives $0.07
Lettuce $0.03
Total: $0.56
So with the cost of the chicken the it would be a little more, otherwise - these are rather cheap. I am actually kind of surprised at how cheap - Does anyone see an error in my math? ( would not be the first time... hrm) I did a lot of "guesstimating" on the volume... so I would love your opinion on this too.
Day 28 - Mayonaisse Delight!
Day 28 was not too exciting. I polished off some leftovers at work, but apparently not enough leftovers because I came home and ate three "wrap things" with the leftover chicken. We ran out of salsa, so I used
Rotel instead: 
It tasted about the same anyway (or at least good), but I'm not sure I would want to dip chips in it.
Anyways, hubby made up some egg salad and it looked phenomenal, though I generally don't care for egg salad. I haven't been daring enough to actually try it yet though. However here is a photo:
Eggs Salad is on the left - with fresh chives and LOTS of pepper... and of course Mayo. There was a top to the sandwich too, but I wanted the picture without.
The hubby called this plate "Mayonnaise Delight" (or something like that) - I thought that was soo funny, that I made it the title of the blog.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Day 27 - Arby's
So after some tempting from the husband and my unimpressive attempt to resist - We went to Arby's for dinner.
We had these coupons:
I thought we could be able to come in under $5.00 - unfortunately "small" does not mean item on the value menu. There is a "small" item and there is a "value" item... and they are different. Especially different because the "small" one costs $0.59 more than the dollar "value" item. So after realizing that I would not be able to meet the five dollar mark... We threw out all hope and ended up spending $9.36 -muh! I didn't want to count it toward our eating out total, because it seemed like a waste to use it on Arby's. However counting it to our dollar total is going to set us back... perhaps this will just become a more interesting challenge towards the end, more similar to what j. is doing.
At any rate this is what we got.
And of course the sauce:
Arby's sauce makes me regret this a little less. (yum yum) It's so fun to try them all.
Since starting on this strange little escapade where I basically have to avoid fast food; I have noticed that it makes me fuller that it did ordinarily (ie before five dollar days). I have been ordering similar amount to before but becoming stuffed before I finish my meal. I am sure there could be a thousand reasons for this, but I couldn't help but think that when I am away from some bad foods that I don't need as much of them to fill me up. Any thoughts?
In other news - the mound leftover chicken functioned well in a wrap today and there is still plenty of that mound left so we are in good shape there.
We had these coupons:
(They say free sandwich with purchase of small fries and small pop)
I thought we could be able to come in under $5.00 - unfortunately "small" does not mean item on the value menu. There is a "small" item and there is a "value" item... and they are different. Especially different because the "small" one costs $0.59 more than the dollar "value" item. So after realizing that I would not be able to meet the five dollar mark... We threw out all hope and ended up spending $9.36 -muh! I didn't want to count it toward our eating out total, because it seemed like a waste to use it on Arby's. However counting it to our dollar total is going to set us back... perhaps this will just become a more interesting challenge towards the end, more similar to what j. is doing.
At any rate this is what we got.
And of course the sauce:
Arby's sauce makes me regret this a little less. (yum yum) It's so fun to try them all.
Since starting on this strange little escapade where I basically have to avoid fast food; I have noticed that it makes me fuller that it did ordinarily (ie before five dollar days). I have been ordering similar amount to before but becoming stuffed before I finish my meal. I am sure there could be a thousand reasons for this, but I couldn't help but think that when I am away from some bad foods that I don't need as much of them to fill me up. Any thoughts?
In other news - the mound leftover chicken functioned well in a wrap today and there is still plenty of that mound left so we are in good shape there.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Day 26 - Chicken in a Crock Pot
I found this recipe, on Allrecipes.com. I basically modified it A LOT since we don't have all the appropriate spices and then cooked it in the crock-pot instead of the oven (for convenience purposes). It turned out extraordinarily tasty, but perhaps a bit more mushy than preferred. I didn't mind that though melted in your mouth like butter... probably because it was full of it!
Not at all sure what is in this, but I do know it tastes good.
No measurements here, but I did get hubby to tell me some of the ingredients
-Mayo
-Apple Cider Vinegar
-LOTS OF Pepper (all kinds)
-chili powder
-basil
-oregano
-garlic - finely diced
-milk
and other stuff is what he tells me (how bout that for specific?)
Well, basically this is a pretty good description of what we eat on a regular basis - random concoctions. It's terribly fun.
I also asked hubby to use up some more of the cabbage and make his incredible coleslaw.
Not at all sure what is in this, but I do know it tastes good.
No measurements here, but I did get hubby to tell me some of the ingredients
-Mayo
-Apple Cider Vinegar
-LOTS OF Pepper (all kinds)
-chili powder
-basil
-oregano
-garlic - finely diced
-milk
and other stuff is what he tells me (how bout that for specific?)
Well, basically this is a pretty good description of what we eat on a regular basis - random concoctions. It's terribly fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
