Tuesday, November 30, 2010

A Spanish Staple

When I studied abroad in Spain, one of the staples in my pantry was the little muffins known as "magdalenas." Similar to French madeleines, magdalenas are sweet little light muffin bites, eaten often with cafe con leche for breakfast or as a snack after siesta. I found this recipe for them on this French blog, and used the translator on the side to make them for

MAGDALENAS 



THE GOODS 

2 3/4 cups flour ($1.99)
1 1/4 cup sugar ($1.99)
1 cup vegetable oil ($3.29)
1 teaspoon baking powder ($1.39)
1/2 cup whipping cream ($2.79)
Zest of 1 lemon ($0.20)
4 eggs ($0.12 per egg, $0.48)
Pam/vegetable oil spray
Optional: about 1 tablespoon of orange juice

The Grand Total: $12.13

THE WAY

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a bowl or using your food processor (I used my blender), whisk the eggs and sugar until they turn whitish. Add the lemon zest or flavor chosen (I also added a little bit of orange juice), cream and oil. Mix well.

Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder. Mix until dough is smooth.

Spray your muffin tins with Pam. Pour batter into trays or muffin tins (fill to 3 / 4 molds).

Bake for 15 minutes watching the crust does not brown too much. 

Monday, November 22, 2010

Young Corn and Celery Soup

Oftentimes my dinner is the product of my raking through the refrigerator to figure out what I have on hand. Yesterday, I came up with carrots and celery (left over from my lentil soup). On a rainy day in San Francisco, my brain processed this information and began to plead for soup.

Since I just made a couple different soups last week, I wanted to make something that was totally different: bonjour Tartine Gourmand! I can always depend on the Tartine Gourmand, a beautiful blog by a French woman who takes pictures of her getaways, along with whimsical pictures of the food she makes to take along. I found this lovely soup, and cheapified it but still made something cozy, creamy, and delicious.

YOUNG CORN AND CELERY SOUP



THE GOODS

3/4 bag of frozen corn ($1.29)
1 1/2 cups whole milk ($1.49)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion or shallot, diced ($0.40)
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated finely ($1)
2 young carrots, peeled and diced ($1.29)
2 celery branches, diced ($1)
Salt and pepper
3/4 to 1 cup cold water
Optional:
Fresh parsley
Dash of paprika
About 5 to 6 cherry tomatoes, diced
Chiffonade of fresh basil
I left out (but I'm sure it would be good if you included): 1 small celeriac with greens attached, peeled and diced (about 3 oz once cleaned), 3 thyme twigs, 1 bay leaf

The Grand Total: $6.47 for about 2-3 servings, or $3.23 per serving

THE WAY

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a thick-bottomed pot and when hot, add the onion and thyme. Let cook, without browning, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.

Add the celery branch, carrot, celeriac with its greens, and the bay leaf. Let cook for 5 minutes. Add the corn kernels — reserve about 2/3 cup that you boil for 1 minute in salted water — and 1.5 cups water, and the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are fork-tender.

Remove the thyme and bay leaf, then puree the soup in the blender or food processor. Check the texture of the soup and if too thick, add more water. Season to taste. Serve warm in bowls with the diced tomatoes, the extra corn kernels, fresh parsley and basil. Finish with a dash of paprika.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Give Thanks for Shortbread and Cranberries

As Thanksgiving rolls around, I've been racking my brain, my books, and my Google--well, I guess it's not really my Google, is it?--for some brilliance and deliciousness. There are plenty of great recipes circulating around, but I wanted something that was easy, cheap, and didn't require me buying many things that I don't already have. Enter cranberry shortbread.

I found this simple, cheap, and yummy-looking recipe--which is originally from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours--on "Singleton in the Kitchen" and decided to give it a go. Literally the only thing I had to buy this grocery run was a bag of cranberries, which only ran me up $1.99. ...And it's healthy, right? I mean, there is fruit in it!

I really made only a few modifications to Singleton's recipe. I did not have an orange, so I used a lime instead, which I think added a nice complementary zing to the cranberries. I used about 1 cup (rather than 3/4 cup) of sugar, since she said people commented that hers was too tart. And I added cinnamon to the shortbread recipe, because I figured, "Hey, it's Thanksgiving. Why not?"

I hope you enjoy this around your Thanksgiving table as much as I have on my typical work potluck table.


CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD TARTLET

THE GOODS

For the Jam Filling:
1 large navel orange - I subbed 1 lime ($0.20)
about 1/4 cup of orange juice ($1.50)
1 12-ounce bag cranberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed) ($1.99)
About 1 cup sugar ($1.99)

For the Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ($1.99)
1 teaspoon baking powder ($1.39)
Pinch of salt
1 stick plus 5 tablespoons (13 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature ($1)
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar  (see sugar above)
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk ($1.49 for a dozen, $0.12 for 1)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ($4.79 for a large bottle - could be free if you have it)
Optional: cinnamon (I added this; wasn't in the original recipe)

The Grand Total: $15.09 - but since most of this should be stuff you already have, it will probably be way less! All I had to buy are the cranberries.

THE WAY

To Make the Jam Filling:
Grate the zest of an orange into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice off the peel, removing the white, cottony pith that sticks to the fruit, and slice between the membranes to release the orange segments. Cut the segments into 1/4-inch wide pieces and toss these into the pan. Working over a measuring cup, squeeze the juice from the membranes -- if you have 1/4 cup, great; if not, add enough additional orange juice (or water) to make 1/4 cup -- and pour it into the pan. 

Put the cranberries in the pan, stir in 3/4 cup of sugar, set the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the cranberries pop and your spoon leaves tracks, about 5 minutes. Scrape the jam into a bowl and taste it -- if it's too tart, add more sugar to taste. Cool to room temperature. (The filling can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)


 
To Make the Cake: 

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 








Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl (or a fork, if you're as low maintenance as I am), beat the butter on medium speed until soft and smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar and continue to beat until it dissolves into the butter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the egg and egg yolk and, beating until they too are absorbed. Beat in the vanilla.







Add the flour mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated; since this is a delicate dough, one that should not be over beaten, you might want to finish mixing in the flour by hand using a sturdy spatula. You'll have a thick dough, one that is quite malleable. 

Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and gather it together in a ball, then divide in half and pat each half into a disk. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate them for 15 to 30 minutes. (At this point, the dough can be refrigerated overnight; set it out at room temperature for about 20 minutes before proceeding.)





Getting Ready to Bake:
While the dough is chilling, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan (preferably nonstick) and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. 

Work with one piece of dough at a time. For the bottom layer, either roll out the dough to size between two pieces of plastic wrap -- it's an easy enough dough to roll -- and lay it in the pan, or put the dough in the pan and press it lightly and evenly across the bottom with your fingertips. Spread the cranberry filling over the dough.





Unwrap the second piece of dough, but leave it on the plastic. Press and/or roll it until it is just the diameter of the pan. Carefully lift the dough and invert it on the filling, lift off the plastic and use your fingers to even it as necessary so that it covers the filling. Brush the top of the cake very lightly with water and sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.




Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake is lightly golden and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool for about 20 minutes, then run a blunt knife around the cake, remove the sides of the pan and let cool to room temperature.


Friday, November 19, 2010

Squash Me Softly

In my Chinatown wanderings, I stumbled upon a large, green, pumpkin-looking item. I lifted one that was pre-cut (in half), schlepped it to the register and asked how much it cost. "$2.15." And...sold...to the lady in black (that's me!).

So there I was, sitting at my kitchen table, staring at a large, green, pumpkin-looking thing that was staring back at me. I knew I hadn't met my match, but I didn't know yet what to do with this bad boy. And hence the googling began. I knew it had to be some sort of squash, so I started with that little tidbit and eventually narrowed it down to Kabocha squash. I targeted some recipes about how to use it, and decided I would go with soup because--per usual--I wanted something warm, cozy, and creamy. I guess I've finally figured out the pattern emerging in my food consumption.

I basically followed this recipe on La Fuji Mama to a tee and was very happy with the final product. It lasted me about 4 meals, which was great penny pinching and made me one very happy lady in black.


ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH SOUP

THE GOODS

1/2 kabocha squash ($2.15)
1/2 can coconut milk (full can costs $1.09)
1 cup of chicken stock - or 1 tsp of chicken buillon and some water ($1?)
1/2 yellow onion (full onion costs $0.40)
A little olive oil or butter
Salt and pepper (and some cayenne/red pepper flakes if you like spice)

The Grand Total: $4.64 for at least 4 servings, that's $1.16 per serving

THE WAY

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut your Kabocha squash in half, if it isn't precut. Be very careful - the skin is thick and hard to cut through (don't cut yourself!). Take out all the guts and seeds.








 Put a little olive oil or butter on the flesh of the squash, prick it, then place it face down on a baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes to an hour, or until it's soft.






While it's baking, caramelize some onions in some olive oil in a sautee pan (don't know how to caramelize onions? click here!). You can also roast the squash seeds to use as a garnish.

When the squash is done cooking, scoop out the good stuff and toss the skin. Then, throw it in a food processor with half a can of coconut milk, 1 cup of chicken stock, and the caramelized onions.


Serve hot garnished with spicy roasted squash seeds.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Cooking the Books

In late August, there was a huge book fair near my apartment. Given my budgetary constraints, I skipped the first 6 days of the book fair and went only to the final day -- the day that all the leftover books (there must have been hundreds of thousands; I'm not exaggerating) were $1. Naturally, I went wild, but my most important purchase is a giant Drake's International Recipe Cookbook. It's just great. It organizes the recipes by type of food (e.g. appetizers, soups, fish, poultry) and within those categories, by region or type of cuisine. It even features recipes as obtuse as devils on horseback, and .... In fact, I even found my favorite tapas dish that I discovered when I studied abroad in Spain. That's how I know it's legit.

Anyways, I'm slowly working my way through my new treasure, because I know very little about food from Scandinavia, for example. And I know I have a lot to learn.

So there's your backstory. It resulted in me picking out this Mediterranean lentil soup to try my hand at Middle Eastern cuisine. My book features three types of lentil soups--from England, Ireland, and the Middle East. I love lentil soup, but my favorite is the one I had at this small Lebanese restaurant near my mom's house, so I figured it was worth a try.

I was very happy with the result, especially the day after (when the flavors seemed to meld together more). However, I left off the bay leaves, because I didn't want to buy them. Next time, I'd invest in some for added flavor. I'd also use more salt, and a chicken buillon to flavor the water. 

Also, I might consider taking some of the tips from this recipe--which I found later--like adding balsamic vinegar and canned tomatoes.

MEDITERRANEAN LENTIL SOUP


THE GOODS

1 lb lentils ($1.99)
2 onions, I recommend yellow although I used 1 red, 1 yellow ($0.80)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed ($1)
1 stalk of celery ($0.50)
1 carrot, grated ($0.50)
4 teaspoons chicken buillon - although I'd use more next time ($3.29)
2 lemons ($0.80) - the recipe called for vinegar, which I subbed the lemons for. If you're trying to make a more traditional recipe, or you have vinegar but no lemons lying around, use .... of vinegar)
Olive oil, salt, and pepper
2 bay leaves (I didn't use them due to cost, but I recommend it)

The Grand Total: $8.88 for 8 servings, or $1.11 per serving


THE WAY

Rinse and strain your lentils. Crush your garlic, chop your celery and onions, and grate your carrot. Pour about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. Turn the heat to medium, and add the garlic, celery and onions. Let them sautee for about 7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent but not burnt.

Bring 10 cups of water to a boil (I used an electric water heater). Mix in the chicken buillon. Add the lentils, the carrot, and water/stock to the saucepan. Add salt, bay leaves and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down. Allow the pot to simmer for 45-50 minutes, or until the lentils are soft but not mushy. Before serving, squeeze about 1/4 of a lemon into each bowl.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

A Snack Worth Napping For

What to do on a day off work.... what to do.... what to do.... It's times like these that you don't have homemade bread dough in your fridge for nothing. So I put it to work and made these babies from scratch. What to do next? Well, nap. Obviously.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND GRUYERE PANINIS ON ROSEMARY FRENCH BREAD

THE GOODS

Your premade boule dough, see recipe here, or a french bread purchased elsewhere
Gruyere cheese ($3.43)
Red onion ($0.40)
Balsamic vinegar and olive oil


The Grand Total: $3.83 for as many paninis as that block of cheese will make ya (or your stomach can handle)

THE WAY

Use the recipe for boule dough here, mixing rosemary into the ingredients before you add flour. After the dough is made (warning: read the recipe first, you should make the bread in significant advance of expected hunger).

Slice your red onions thinly and caramelize them by sauteeing them on medium low heat over 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil for 5-10 minutes, stirring once, until they start to brown. Then, add about 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and stir them up again. Let them cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Heat up your George Forman or grill pan, if you have them. If not, a sautee pan works fine. Slice up some gruyere cheese and your French bread. Assemble little paninis with the caramelized onions, and gruyere. Then grill, using a little bit of butter on your sautee pan if you're not using a grill.

Bon appetit!

Monday, November 15, 2010

2 Little Pumpkins Sitting on My Sill

If you're anything like me, your stomach is grumbling as you eye the Halloween pumpkins sitting unsuspectingly on your window sill. "How can I get you on my plate?" you're wondering deviously.

Wonder no more. Here are some step by step instructions about how to roast your pumpkin to make your very own pumpkin puree that you can use for any variety of delicacies: pumpkin oatmeal cookies, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin gratin, etc. And since nothing goes to waste in this girl's kitchen, you'll also learn how to roast those delicious pumpkin seeds for a great afternoon (or any time) snack.

HOW TO TAME YOUR PUMPKIN



THE GOODS

Pumpkin(s) (for small ones, $1 a piece)
Butter
Salt and Pepper

The Grand Total: $1-4

THE WAY

This article from Suite101.com gives an easy to follow how-to about different ways to make pumpkin puree - baked, boiled, or microwaved.

I followed their directions for baking:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin in half and clean out the seeds and stringy guts. Brush a little melted butter on the cut edges of the pumpkin.







Place the sides cut side down on an oven safe dish (I used a glass casserole dish). Cook for around an hour or until the pumpkin is soft.








Cool.













Scoop the insides out of the skin. Cut into pieces and food process until it's a smooth puree.








While your pumpkin is cooking, get ready to roast those seeds. Separate the guts from the seeds, and lay the seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered with tinfoil. Season them with salt and pepper. I made two batches: one with Chinese 5 spice mix on them for a little gingery twist, and the other with hot peri peri pepper spice on them for a little kick. Let the seeds dry out for a few hours. Then, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and roast the seeds for about 40 minutes.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Savory Mediterranean Wrap

So far, everything I've made with this French boule dough recipe (French bread, naan, and cinnamon rolls) has been phenomenal. But having all 6 pounds of unmade bread dough sitting patiently in my refrigerator makes me a bit anxious to start using it. Hence, my perusal for a great recipe for something filling and savory to wrap up in flatbread (read: naan). Well, I found it. Introducing sabich, a delicious and fresh Mediterranean wrap that won't break your budget. According to this recipe, Sabich is a popular sabbath food for Iraqi Jews. When they emigrated to Israel and set up a community in Ramat Gan, the sandwich came with them. And now it has arrived in my kitchen and, let me tell ya, it's around to stay.

I apologize that there is no picture of the final product. Consider it a testament to how quickly I ate this bad boy once it was made.


MINT ROASTED EGGPLANT SABICH WRAP
*The main inspiration for this dish is this recipe from Herbivoracious.com. In my typical style, I modified it to make it fit my quaint little budget.


THE GOODS

Eggplant ($1.39)
Cucumber ($1)
Red onion ($0.40)
Tomato ($0.30)
1 egg ($0.20)
1/2 a lemon ($0.20)
Garlic cloves or powder
Salt and pepper
Mint (optional. I used some from my Mom's garden, but it shouldn't cost you more than $1-2)
Boule dough (see recipe here, costs about $0.34 per serving)

The Grand Total: $3.49


THE WAY

First, premake your boule dough following this recipe. This will take about 3 hours to prepare, so make sure that if you haven't already done it you do it plenty of time in advance.

I combined several recipes to make the sabich happen. First, I used this recipe from whiteonricecouple.com to roast the eggplant, since that takes the longest. Alternatively, you can fry your eggplant by dicing it up and placing it in a sautee pan with some hot oil for about 10 minutes. This would be delicious and quick, but I decided to go the healthy route. Here is how you roast them:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the eggplant thinly and lay it on a large sheet pan (or other oven safe pan - I used a casserole dish. Chop up about 2-3 cloves of garlic and sprinkle it throughout the pan. Sprinkle with whole mint leaves, salt and pepper, and drizzle with about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Use your hands to mix it all up and distribute the oil and spices as evenly as possible.

Roast until eggplants are a light golden brown and soft (can be anywhere from 30 min – 1 hr depending on your eggplants and their thickness.) You do not need to flip them during roasting.

While your eggplants are roasting, hard boil an egg. In case you don't know how to make a perfect hard boiled egg,  this website gives you step-by-step instructions.

In the meantime, make your naan (step-by-step instructions here) by using some of your premade boule dough, stretching it out to a flat pancake, and sauteeing it for 3 minutes on each side on a hot pan with butter or oil (as always, butter is better). While you're naan is sauteeing, chop up a tomato, 1/2 a red onion, and some cucumber.

When everything is cooked and ready to go, slice up your egg, place all the veggies on your hot naan, season with salt, pepper, and some lemon juice.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Spicy Weeknight Delight

I've never made enchiladas before, but I was in an adventurous mood last night. So I picked up some low-carb tortillas from Trader Joe's (surprisingly good) and filled them with all the delicious items that A Couple Cooks recommend in their recipe "Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Green Chile Enchiladas," with a couple modifications for cheapness's sake. I was very content when out of the oven emerged 6 steaming, spicy, filling homemade enchiladas, desperately begging for my consumption, for a mere $2.70 per serving (2 enchiladas). What can I say but, "The price is right?"

ENCHILADAS A LA CHEAP
FILLED WITH SWEET POTATO, BLACK BEAN AND GREEN CHILI 


THE GOODS

1 large sweet potato ($0.30)
1 15 oz. can black beans ($0.75)
1 cup diced green chilies, canned ($0.89)
1-2 cups of salsa ($1.99)
1 medium red onion ($0.40)
1 tablespoon chili powder (not sure, had this on hand)
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded ($2.49)
5 flour tortillas ($1.29)
Salt and pepper

Note: I did not use cumin (although the recipe called for 1/4 tablespoon), sour cream, or fresh cilantro. I also substituted Colby jack cheese with cheddar cheese, and salsa verde with regular chipotle salsa.

The Grand Total: $8.11 for at least 3 servings (if 1 serving is 2 enchiladas), $2.70 per serving

THE WAY

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel and dice the sweet potato. Place in a pot and cover with water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, around 12 to 15 minutes.

In the meantime, finely chop the red onion. Drain and rinse the black beans. (If using cilantro to garnish, you could chop it at this time as well.) In a large bowl, combine the cooked sweet potato, black beans, red onion, diced green chilies, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (and 1/4 tablespoon cumin, if you're using it). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then mix to combine.


Then, assemble the enchiladas. First, warm the tortillas for a minute in the microwave. Spread 1/2 cup of salsa at the bottom of a baking dish. Then fill each tortilla with a scoop of the filling, and a handful of cheese. Roll them up and place them seam-side down in the baking dish. When all enchiladas are in the dish, top with the remaining 1/2 cup of salsa and the remaining cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted.


Note: As a time saver, you could cook the sweet potato beforehand, and even prepare the entire filling in advance.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Cinnamon Rolls for All

I promised more recipes using the boule dough from the Mother Earth News recipe. So far, so good: I've used it to make a French boule (round, baguette-like loaf), naan, and now... cinnamon rolls. I've never made cinnamon rolls before, and I had no idea they would be this easy to make. On a rainy afternoon when my roommates and I decided to watch 3 movies in a row, they made the perfect coffee table decoration, until 5 minutes later when they made a great, warm stomach coating. How multi-purpose, right?! Whatever you want them for, I highly recommend them.

STICKY CARAMEL CINNAMON ROLLS



THE GOODS

1 1/2 pounds pre-mixed boule dough

Topping
6 tablespoons unsalted butter ($1.49 or less for 2 sticks)
1/2 teaspoon salt (you should have this on stock)
1/2 cup brown sugar ($1.99)
Optional (which I didn't use): 30 pecan halves

Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (see above)
1/4 cup cinnamon
Pinch of ground black pepper
Optional (which I didn't use): 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

The Grand Total: $3.48 plus the cost of the boule dough (see recipe in previous post)

THE WAY

Cream together the butter, salt and brown sugar. Spread evenly in a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter the pecan halves over the mixture and set aside.

Dust the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a cantaloupe-sized piece. Dust the piece with flour and shape it into a ball following the method in Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thick rectangle. Add only enough flour to prevent it from sticking.

Cream together the butter, sugar and spices for the filling. Spread evenly over the dough and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Roll the dough into a log. If it’s too soft to cut, chill for 20 minutes.
With a serrated knife, cut the log into 8 pieces and arrange over the pecans, with the “swirled” edge facing up. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise 1 hour (or 40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

5 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and set in center. While still hot, run a knife around the pan to release the rolls, and invert immediately onto a serving dish.
 

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

After School Special

One of my favorite meals is tomato soup with grilled cheese. Nothing takes me back to elementary school like the creaminess of the soup contrasted with the sharp melty cheese and toasty bread.... It makes my insides smile.

The best I've ever had is the one at Doughboys' Bakery in Los Angeles. I decided I wanted to try to achieve the happy sensation that they sell me in my very own kitchen. Although I wasn't going to get that fatty or fancy (I think they use cabbage and cream to sweeten it up), I figured tomato soup would be an easy, cheap dish to make for myself that would remind me of home. So I tested out a new recipe using only 6 ingredients that are staples in my kitchen: tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, onion, red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese. The results were great for a soup with no cream, and even better the next day for a warm lunch, which is a major bonus in my book.


DELICIOUS (BUT HEALTHY) TOMATO BASIL SOUP



THE GOODS

1 can of diced tomatoes ($0.79)
1/2 of a yellow onion ($0.40)
Handful of basil, about 8 leaves ($1)
2 teaspoons of chicken or vegetable buillon ($3.49 for a huge container)
1 cup-ish of parmesan cheese ($1.99)
About 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
About 2 tablespoons of olive oil

The Grand Total: $7.47 for about 3 servings, or about $2.55 per serving

THE WAY

Chop up the onion. Place the olive oil in a medium to large pot over medium heat. Sautee the onions for 5-10 minutes, until they become translucent but not brown. Now, add the canned tomatoes and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Tear up the basil and stir it in. Add the chicken stock (which you make by adding the 2 cups of hot water with 2 teaspoons of chicken buillon).




Cook for 10-20 minutes, then puree in a blender.












Pour the blended soup back in the pot, adding the parmesan cheese, stirring, and cooking for 10 more minutes or so. Top with parmesan cheese and serve with toast.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Not Your Average Bite of Cake

It was office potluck time again, and I wanted to bring something fun and nibbly that involved chocolate (and didn't break the bank). My final decision left my coworkers, my Halloween visitors, and my roommates begging for more. Introducing.... the Halloween funfetti cake truffle: enrobed in chocolate, encrusted in candy corn, and bejeweled with sprinkles. 

And with a little creativity, they can be morphed to suit all of your holiday needs. Think: dried cranberry toppings with orange-colored cake inside for Thanksgiving, crushed candy cane topping with white chocolate coating and red velvet cake for Christmas, blue-dyed cake with white chocolate coating and silver sprinkles for Hannukah... you name it!

Readers, please comment with any ideas you have about different toppings or combinations! Let me know if you try any of them and how they turn out.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CAKE TRUFFLES (w/ candy corn)
To give credit where credit is due, I was inspired by this recipe from the Velveteen Baker.


THE GOODS

Canned frosting or do-it-yourself ($1.79)
Funfetti cake mix ($1.79)
Canola oil ($3.29)
3 eggs ($0.80)
Semi-sweet chocolate chips, or whatever your fancy ($1.99)
Candy corn, or your topping of choice ($1)

The Grand Total: $10.66 for about 4 dozen cake truffles, or about $0.22 per truffle

THE WAY

Make the funfetti cake following the directions on the box. Or, use your own favorite cake recipe if you have more time, energy, and creativity juices. When the cake is done, let it cool for about 10 minutes. 
Now, for the fun part. Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Mix in 2 cups of frosting so that the mixture becomes dough-y.







Form the mixture into small balls by rolling them in your hands. I made mine about 2 inches in diameter. Place them on wax or parchment paper on a cookie sheet and stick them in the freezer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. You want them to be solid but not completely frozen. (Mine are an ugly, brainy color because I mixed white funfetti cake with orange frosting.)


Chop up your candy corn or other candy topping. Then, melt your bag of chocolate chips in a saucepan over low low low heat, stirring constantly. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of canola/vegetable oil to make it melt smoother. One or two at a time, take your cake balls out of the freezer and, using a spoon (or a dipping fork - for candy makers with a slightly bigger budget), drop the ball into the melted chocolate and scoop it out and onto the wax/parchment paper. Let it dry for about a minute, then press the candy corn pieces on top. Repeat until all the truffles are made and beautiful. Then refrigerate until you're ready to serve them.