Budget Tip:
When buying wine for cooking, get the cheapest chardonnay or pinot grigio you can find. Aim for $5/bottle. Then when you have some left over you won't feel bad about putting a little ginger ale or a clear soda in it for a spritzer. This recipe calls for Gruyere cheese and it's not cheap but it's the only thing in this recipe you'll really have to splurge on . 1 1/2 cups is about 1/2 a pound.
I know it seems like there is alot going on in this recipe but I promise once you've done it once, it's super easy and so rewarding. Choose this recipe when you are on an off-day from your diet because it's definitely NOT lowfat. You could also add other veggies like freshly roasted red or green peppers.
Suggested Ingredients
8oz of sliced portabello - i like em chunky, but slice them up however you like them
2 minced garlic cloves
1 TBSP olive oil
5 TBSP butter
1/2 cup dry white wine (you can substitute chicken broth)
1/2 of a rotisserie chicken
3 1/2 cups of whole milk - if you want to decrease the fat content, use fat-free but it won't be as creamy good
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp thyme leaves or any Italian seasoning
3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese - don't worry about going fancy you can easily use the shaker cheese
no boil noodles
1 1/2 cps grated Gruyere cheese
Suggested Cooking Method
You can either pull apart the chicken or cut it up into small cubes.
Put the milk into a small pot and let it heat up while you cook the next part. It should just be a bare simmer.
Cook mushrooms, garlic, a bit of salt and pepper in the olive oil + one TBSP of the butter. Saute until the mushrooms are a bit soft. Add the wine and simmer briskly - about 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer this mixture, soupy bits and all to a largeish bowl. Add the chicken.
Melt the other 4TBSP of butter in a 4qt saucepan over med-low heat. Add the flour and cook to make a roux, stirring constantly. Add the milk in a slow and steady stream while whisking. Add the thyme or Italian seasoning, a bit of salt and pepper. Simmer while whisking constantly until its a bit on the thick side. This should take 5 or 6 minutes and you can tell if it's done by dipping a spoon in the mixture and seeing if it sticks to the spoon. Remove from heat and reserve 1 cup of the sauce.
Stir the Parmesan cheese into the sauce that is still remaining in he pan. Stir in the mushroom filling as well.
When doing the next part just make sure you reserve some Gruyere cheese to place onto of the lasagna. With an 8x8 pan I've found that I can only get two layers so in general, split the mushroom filling in half.
Pour 1/2 of the reserved plain sauce into an 8x8 square pan, making sure it covers the bottom of the dish. Add 3 lasagna noodles overlapping each other. Put some of the mushroom filling on top and then sprinkle with Gruyere cheese. Cover with 3 more lasagna noodles, more mushroom filling and more Gruyere cheese. Cover with 3 more lasagna noodles and then cover with the remaining plain white sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
Cover with foil, tenting it a bit so the cheese doesn't stick to the top. Place the pan on a baking pan covered in aluminum foil so you don't get drippings on your over. Bake 30 minutes at 425. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 min or until the cheese is mostly brown. Let stand for 10 minutes. You MUST do this to be sure it thickens up all the way so resist that urge to cut into it!
This is an incredibly rich lasagna so I usually serve it with a side of leafy greens and a light balsamic vinaigrette.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Budget Tip:
10lb bag of Krusteaz Pancake Mix @ Costco: $10 and it lasts all year long!
I will admit it, I'm in love with pancakes. They are so inexpensive and easy to make for the whole family. And on top of that you can do so much with pancake mix and pancakes!
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes: Recipe
Suggested Ingredients
Pancake mix (feel free to make your own batter as well)
Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded with a grater
cinnamon
light whipped topping
Suggested Method of Cooking
Mix the batter as directed, add in the shredded apple and cinnamon to taste. Cook as you normally would any other pancake. Top with a little light whipped topping.
10lb bag of Krusteaz Pancake Mix @ Costco: $10 and it lasts all year long!
I will admit it, I'm in love with pancakes. They are so inexpensive and easy to make for the whole family. And on top of that you can do so much with pancake mix and pancakes!
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes: Recipe
Suggested Ingredients
Pancake mix (feel free to make your own batter as well)
Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded with a grater
cinnamon
light whipped topping
Suggested Method of Cooking
Mix the batter as directed, add in the shredded apple and cinnamon to taste. Cook as you normally would any other pancake. Top with a little light whipped topping.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Kahlua, Mascarpone & Strawberries - OH MY!
This is a progression of two breakfast and brunch recipes. They both have a few things that you may not find in your pantry and fridge however the investment is quite worth the result in the end!
Budget Tip:
It's one of my suggestions to buy fresh fruit when it's buy one get one or on sale and freeze it if possible. One of those items that you can freeze is strawberries. Now, the problem with freezing strawberries is they tend to mush after you freeze them so you can't really put them in a recipe that expects them to be firm. The good news is you can use these strawberries in all kinds of recipes where its OK for them to be a bit mushy such as shakes, strawberry sauces or in something like the recipe that eventually follows: Strawberry and Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast. The key to freezing strawberries? Freeze them whole with the stems in tact. Shake them every now and then to keep them from sticking together. The key to thawing? Depends on what you are doing with them. If you need to cut them up, put them in the fridge until they are just thawed enough to get the knife through hem. Otherwise, you can just let them thaw on the counter or for quite along time in the fridge.
On to the recipes.
Normally, I would re post a recipe that isn't originally mine with my take on the recipe, however in this case, this recipe is PERFECT the way it is so here is the link:
Tiramisu Pancakes: Recipe
http://ivoryhut.com/2010/03/tiramisu-pancakes/
The only personal notes here is that I do usually have to add about 2 TBSP of flour to the pancake batter and I would suggest unless you have a big family to 1/2 the pancake batter recipe.
There are two reasons I'm posting this recipe. One is that it's absolutely FANTASTIC and always a hit. Two is that you only use 1/2 the mascarpone and there is usually a bit of the creme mixture left over which can be used in the next recipe.
Strawberry & Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast: Recipe
OK, so I got this original recipe from another blogger: http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/
You can go to the blog to get an awesome array of recipes!
I made some adjustments however and found that this is a bit more to my taste than the original and wanted to share it because it not only can use some of those frozen strawberries, but it uses the rest of the leftover mascarpone AND you can top it with the creme from the Tiramisu Pancakes recipe! All of a sudden the 4 bucks you spent on the mascarpone cheese is looking a bit more affordable isn't it?
Suggested Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries, freshly frozen, mostly thawed, sliced
1/2 cup or so mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup light fat-free vanilla yogurt
2 TBS sugar
1/2 cup milk
generous sprinkle of cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (i use fat free but I'm sure whole milk wouldn't be awful)
1 egg
bread (you can use french bread but to keep it on the light side I used regular bread such as either wheat or healthy white)
2 cups strawberries, freshly frozen, completely thawed, but sliced for the sauce
Suggested Method of Cooking:
First, I will start by suggesting, if you can preplan the best thing to do is to let 2 cups of strawberries - and really it can be any amount because you are just going to use it for the topping - thaw completely and then store it in the fridge for a day or so. This coaxes all the juices to run out of the strawberries and get naturally sweet. Put these in a small pan and simmer them on the stove while you make the rest.
Mix the mascarpone, yogurt and sugar together and let stand for 10 minutes. The mixture will be a little lumpy but that's OK. Mix in the other 2 cups of strawberries gently. Taste it. It's good right!?!
Combine egg, milk and cinnamon in a flat bowl for dipping in the bread. Now, you can go two ways here. If you don't mind your bread being a little soggy, then put some of the strawberry mixture on the bread pieces and make a sandwich with another piece. Dip it in the milk mixture and fry it up in a skillet with a bit of butter or non-stick spray. If you'd rather your bread be a little more firm, which is the way I like it, dip both sides of 2 pieces of bread and fry them up in the pan first. THEN, when they are done, put the filling in between the slices and put it back in the skillet for a minute or so just to warm it all up a bit.
For serving, simply cut the french toast on a diagonal and pull the two sides apart a bit. Top with the strawberries that have been simmering and then for the coupe de gras: add a generous dollop of the tiramisu creme!
I promise, after you have both of these recipes, you will not mind the investment into a bottle of kahlua or mascarpone cheese.
Budget Tip:
It's one of my suggestions to buy fresh fruit when it's buy one get one or on sale and freeze it if possible. One of those items that you can freeze is strawberries. Now, the problem with freezing strawberries is they tend to mush after you freeze them so you can't really put them in a recipe that expects them to be firm. The good news is you can use these strawberries in all kinds of recipes where its OK for them to be a bit mushy such as shakes, strawberry sauces or in something like the recipe that eventually follows: Strawberry and Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast. The key to freezing strawberries? Freeze them whole with the stems in tact. Shake them every now and then to keep them from sticking together. The key to thawing? Depends on what you are doing with them. If you need to cut them up, put them in the fridge until they are just thawed enough to get the knife through hem. Otherwise, you can just let them thaw on the counter or for quite along time in the fridge.
On to the recipes.
Normally, I would re post a recipe that isn't originally mine with my take on the recipe, however in this case, this recipe is PERFECT the way it is so here is the link:
Tiramisu Pancakes: Recipe
http://ivoryhut.com/2010/03/tiramisu-pancakes/
The only personal notes here is that I do usually have to add about 2 TBSP of flour to the pancake batter and I would suggest unless you have a big family to 1/2 the pancake batter recipe.
There are two reasons I'm posting this recipe. One is that it's absolutely FANTASTIC and always a hit. Two is that you only use 1/2 the mascarpone and there is usually a bit of the creme mixture left over which can be used in the next recipe.
Strawberry & Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast: Recipe
OK, so I got this original recipe from another blogger: http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/
You can go to the blog to get an awesome array of recipes!
I made some adjustments however and found that this is a bit more to my taste than the original and wanted to share it because it not only can use some of those frozen strawberries, but it uses the rest of the leftover mascarpone AND you can top it with the creme from the Tiramisu Pancakes recipe! All of a sudden the 4 bucks you spent on the mascarpone cheese is looking a bit more affordable isn't it?
Suggested Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries, freshly frozen, mostly thawed, sliced
1/2 cup or so mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup light fat-free vanilla yogurt
2 TBS sugar
1/2 cup milk
generous sprinkle of cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (i use fat free but I'm sure whole milk wouldn't be awful)
1 egg
bread (you can use french bread but to keep it on the light side I used regular bread such as either wheat or healthy white)
2 cups strawberries, freshly frozen, completely thawed, but sliced for the sauce
Suggested Method of Cooking:
First, I will start by suggesting, if you can preplan the best thing to do is to let 2 cups of strawberries - and really it can be any amount because you are just going to use it for the topping - thaw completely and then store it in the fridge for a day or so. This coaxes all the juices to run out of the strawberries and get naturally sweet. Put these in a small pan and simmer them on the stove while you make the rest.
Mix the mascarpone, yogurt and sugar together and let stand for 10 minutes. The mixture will be a little lumpy but that's OK. Mix in the other 2 cups of strawberries gently. Taste it. It's good right!?!
Combine egg, milk and cinnamon in a flat bowl for dipping in the bread. Now, you can go two ways here. If you don't mind your bread being a little soggy, then put some of the strawberry mixture on the bread pieces and make a sandwich with another piece. Dip it in the milk mixture and fry it up in a skillet with a bit of butter or non-stick spray. If you'd rather your bread be a little more firm, which is the way I like it, dip both sides of 2 pieces of bread and fry them up in the pan first. THEN, when they are done, put the filling in between the slices and put it back in the skillet for a minute or so just to warm it all up a bit.
For serving, simply cut the french toast on a diagonal and pull the two sides apart a bit. Top with the strawberries that have been simmering and then for the coupe de gras: add a generous dollop of the tiramisu creme!
I promise, after you have both of these recipes, you will not mind the investment into a bottle of kahlua or mascarpone cheese.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Rotisserie Chicken: 3 Ways
Buget Tip for Rotisserie Chicken:
Rotisserie chicken is one of the least expensive food items which can really go a long way. I often pick mine up at Costco for $4.99 but supermarkets also carry them for $6.50 or $7.00, still making it quite affordable, especially when you see what I do with it!
(Blue Cheese) Chicken Salad: Recipe
Suggested Ingredients
2 rotisserie chicken breasts
1 or so cups of red seedless grapes, sliced in half
fat free mayo
1 granny smith apple, diced
2 celery heart ribs, diced
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
crumbled blue cheese to taste
Suggested Method of Cooking
There actually isn't any cooking in this recipe which I love!
Remove any skin from the rotisserie chicken, remove the chicken from the bone. Do NOT throw away the bones! Those will be used later. Dice the chicken up into small cubes. Add the grapes, apple and celery and lightly mix together. Add the mayo and mix until you feel the consistency is just right. I like mine to be just a bit on the creamy side but not too much mayo. Squeeze 1/2 of a lemon over the mixture and stir again. To finish it off add a bit of blue cheese to taste. Depending on how potent the blue cheese is will determine how much you use. If you don't like blue cheese Gorgonzola is good, or if that is still a bit too much try something milder like shredded mozzarella or cheddar.
Breasts? Done.. next up, wings, legs and thighs!
Pesto Rotisserie Chicken with Bowties: Recipe
The most expensive ingredient in this recipe are the pine nuts. Luckily, one package can make 4 rounds of pesto which you can freeze. If you can manage it, have your own basil plant or buy from a farmers market or do what I do and collect basil from friends who grow it since I have no good sun in my yard. Another thing to note here is if you can grow African Blue Basil, do so. It makes a huge shrub when it's happy, provides alot more basil and is more potent than normal basil. More basil for your buck!
Suggested Ingredients:
Rotisserie Chicken from thighs, wings and drumsticks
package of bowties (or any pasta really, recommend whole wheat pasta)
1/4 cup of pine nuts
2 cups of fresh basil
2/3 cups of olive oil (extra virgin)
1 -2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Suggested Method of Cooking
Boil the pasta according to package directions. Pull off the skin and bones from the chicken pieces. Chop the chicken up into smaller pieces. You can pull the chicken as well, but I like to chop it up. Save the bones!
Pesto
Toast the pine nuts in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through. Use a food processor to chop up the basil, pine nuts and garlic. While running the processor, slowly add in the olive oil. After all the oil is added, add in the Parmesan cheese then pulse a few times to mix everything together.
Once the pasta is done toss the drained pasta with the chicken. To serve, simply put a bit of pesto over the chicken and pasta and toss gently. Be careful because the pesto is a bit on the strong side, of course, depending on how much basil and garlic you use!
Rotisserie Chicken Broth: Recipe
Now, the bones we saved from the previous two recipes can be used.
Suggested Ingredients
Chicken bones from a rotisserie chicken
1 onion, chopped
3 celery heart ribs, chopped
smashed garlic (or roasted garlic if you have some extra time on your hands)
fresh rosemary
lemon zest peel
Suggested Cooking Method
This one is easy. Throw the bones in a pot with chopped onion, celery a bit of salt, pepper, smashed garlic and fresh rosemary and cover generously with water. If you are feeling frisky add in some lemon zest peel. To get lemon zest peel, use a peeler to get just the top of the yellow part of the peel (no white part because it's bitter!) Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for a long time - at least an hour and keep tasting to determine when it's done. When it's done strain out the goodies and the bones. I like to freeze mine and use it as needed. At the very least place this in the fridge to cool down. Once it's cool, the fat will all rise to the top and can be scraped off and thrown away. Now you have fairly low fat, low sodium chicken stock for use!
Now, you've used the entire rotisserie chicken! I've used the chicken salad on whole wheat English muffins, croissants and served with crackers as an appetizer. It's really yummy and makes quite a bit so it goes a long way. Most of the recipes can be made with ingredients already in your kitchen and for less than $10.00.
Rotisserie chicken is one of the least expensive food items which can really go a long way. I often pick mine up at Costco for $4.99 but supermarkets also carry them for $6.50 or $7.00, still making it quite affordable, especially when you see what I do with it!
(Blue Cheese) Chicken Salad: Recipe
Suggested Ingredients
2 rotisserie chicken breasts
1 or so cups of red seedless grapes, sliced in half
fat free mayo
1 granny smith apple, diced
2 celery heart ribs, diced
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
crumbled blue cheese to taste
Suggested Method of Cooking
There actually isn't any cooking in this recipe which I love!
Remove any skin from the rotisserie chicken, remove the chicken from the bone. Do NOT throw away the bones! Those will be used later. Dice the chicken up into small cubes. Add the grapes, apple and celery and lightly mix together. Add the mayo and mix until you feel the consistency is just right. I like mine to be just a bit on the creamy side but not too much mayo. Squeeze 1/2 of a lemon over the mixture and stir again. To finish it off add a bit of blue cheese to taste. Depending on how potent the blue cheese is will determine how much you use. If you don't like blue cheese Gorgonzola is good, or if that is still a bit too much try something milder like shredded mozzarella or cheddar.
Breasts? Done.. next up, wings, legs and thighs!
Pesto Rotisserie Chicken with Bowties: Recipe
The most expensive ingredient in this recipe are the pine nuts. Luckily, one package can make 4 rounds of pesto which you can freeze. If you can manage it, have your own basil plant or buy from a farmers market or do what I do and collect basil from friends who grow it since I have no good sun in my yard. Another thing to note here is if you can grow African Blue Basil, do so. It makes a huge shrub when it's happy, provides alot more basil and is more potent than normal basil. More basil for your buck!
Suggested Ingredients:
Rotisserie Chicken from thighs, wings and drumsticks
package of bowties (or any pasta really, recommend whole wheat pasta)
1/4 cup of pine nuts
2 cups of fresh basil
2/3 cups of olive oil (extra virgin)
1 -2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Suggested Method of Cooking
Boil the pasta according to package directions. Pull off the skin and bones from the chicken pieces. Chop the chicken up into smaller pieces. You can pull the chicken as well, but I like to chop it up. Save the bones!
Pesto
Toast the pine nuts in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through. Use a food processor to chop up the basil, pine nuts and garlic. While running the processor, slowly add in the olive oil. After all the oil is added, add in the Parmesan cheese then pulse a few times to mix everything together.
Once the pasta is done toss the drained pasta with the chicken. To serve, simply put a bit of pesto over the chicken and pasta and toss gently. Be careful because the pesto is a bit on the strong side, of course, depending on how much basil and garlic you use!
Rotisserie Chicken Broth: Recipe
Now, the bones we saved from the previous two recipes can be used.
Suggested Ingredients
Chicken bones from a rotisserie chicken
1 onion, chopped
3 celery heart ribs, chopped
smashed garlic (or roasted garlic if you have some extra time on your hands)
fresh rosemary
lemon zest peel
Suggested Cooking Method
This one is easy. Throw the bones in a pot with chopped onion, celery a bit of salt, pepper, smashed garlic and fresh rosemary and cover generously with water. If you are feeling frisky add in some lemon zest peel. To get lemon zest peel, use a peeler to get just the top of the yellow part of the peel (no white part because it's bitter!) Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for a long time - at least an hour and keep tasting to determine when it's done. When it's done strain out the goodies and the bones. I like to freeze mine and use it as needed. At the very least place this in the fridge to cool down. Once it's cool, the fat will all rise to the top and can be scraped off and thrown away. Now you have fairly low fat, low sodium chicken stock for use!
Now, you've used the entire rotisserie chicken! I've used the chicken salad on whole wheat English muffins, croissants and served with crackers as an appetizer. It's really yummy and makes quite a bit so it goes a long way. Most of the recipes can be made with ingredients already in your kitchen and for less than $10.00.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Cheap Tomatoes for Sauces
Unemployment Tip for Tomatoes
Either grow them yourself or find someone who is growing them - they probably have an overabundance of them during the summer months. Don't know any farmers? Buy from a farmers market or go to a "pick-it-yourself" farm - http://www.pickyourown.org/
Here in Tallahassee we have several farmers markets including:
Downtown Farmers Market: http://www.downtownmarket.com/ (Sat 8:00AM - 2:00PM)
Tallahassee Farmers Market: 1415 Timberlane Road @ Market Square (T,TH, Sat 8:00AM -5:00)
Grower's Market: 229 Lake Ella Drive (Wed 3:ooPM - dusk)
Italian Stewed Tomatoes: Recipe
Suggested Ingredients
Ripened Tomatoes which can include any garden variety such as Roma, cherry and beefsteak
olive oil
1/2 red or videlia onion
3 ribs of celery
1/4 cup of fresh basil
1 -2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
Chicken or vegetable broth
sea salt to taste
Suggested Method of Cooking
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Take as many tomatoes as you would like to stew and make an X across the bottom of each tomato, just piercing the skin. While you wait for the water to boil, chop up onion and celery. Put a bit of olive oil into a skillet. I love to use cast iron for these sort of recipes. Toss the onions and celery into the skillet with the olive oil and saute.
Meanwhile, your water is now boiling so drop the tomatoes into the water for no more than 30 - 45 seconds. Remove, peel and chop each tomato. If you are also cooking smaller tomatoes like cherry, leave them whole. Don't forget to continue to stir the onions and celery! Once the tomatoes are chopped, add them to the skillet along with enough broth to cover the veggies. Add the basil, garlic and let simmer over a medium-low heat. Cook for a bit, tasting every once in a while. Add some salt if you want, or not. I like to cook this on low for at least 1/2 hour or more. At the very least cook until you begin to taste the flavor of basil and garlic in the sauce.
Once it is done let it cool slightly, then divide into freezer bags in 14.5 oz portions. This is the normal portion that is in cans and most recipes will call for. Now freeze and when you need stewed, diced or whole tomatoes, just pull 'em out and defrost them! They are perfect for sauces, soups, casseroles, etc. They keep for around 8 months, depending on how freezer tight your method of freezing.
Either grow them yourself or find someone who is growing them - they probably have an overabundance of them during the summer months. Don't know any farmers? Buy from a farmers market or go to a "pick-it-yourself" farm - http://www.pickyourown.org/
Here in Tallahassee we have several farmers markets including:
Downtown Farmers Market: http://www.downtownmarket.com/ (Sat 8:00AM - 2:00PM)
Tallahassee Farmers Market: 1415 Timberlane Road @ Market Square (T,TH, Sat 8:00AM -5:00)
Grower's Market: 229 Lake Ella Drive (Wed 3:ooPM - dusk)
Italian Stewed Tomatoes: Recipe
Suggested Ingredients
Ripened Tomatoes which can include any garden variety such as Roma, cherry and beefsteak
olive oil
1/2 red or videlia onion
3 ribs of celery
1/4 cup of fresh basil
1 -2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
Chicken or vegetable broth
sea salt to taste
Suggested Method of Cooking
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Take as many tomatoes as you would like to stew and make an X across the bottom of each tomato, just piercing the skin. While you wait for the water to boil, chop up onion and celery. Put a bit of olive oil into a skillet. I love to use cast iron for these sort of recipes. Toss the onions and celery into the skillet with the olive oil and saute.
Meanwhile, your water is now boiling so drop the tomatoes into the water for no more than 30 - 45 seconds. Remove, peel and chop each tomato. If you are also cooking smaller tomatoes like cherry, leave them whole. Don't forget to continue to stir the onions and celery! Once the tomatoes are chopped, add them to the skillet along with enough broth to cover the veggies. Add the basil, garlic and let simmer over a medium-low heat. Cook for a bit, tasting every once in a while. Add some salt if you want, or not. I like to cook this on low for at least 1/2 hour or more. At the very least cook until you begin to taste the flavor of basil and garlic in the sauce.
Once it is done let it cool slightly, then divide into freezer bags in 14.5 oz portions. This is the normal portion that is in cans and most recipes will call for. Now freeze and when you need stewed, diced or whole tomatoes, just pull 'em out and defrost them! They are perfect for sauces, soups, casseroles, etc. They keep for around 8 months, depending on how freezer tight your method of freezing.
An Introduction to The Faboulous Life of :Cooking Unemployed
The story is short really. Prior to becoming statistically unemployed, I spent most of my time working, thinking about working, travelling while working, working while vacationing, cramming in happy hours with co-workers while working, oh and did I mention, working?
When I found myself with quite a bit of more free-time on my hands I realized fairly quickly that I really didn't have any hobbies - that didn't include, you guessed it, working. Even worse, now that I had the time to have a hobby, I found that I didn't have the income to subsidize a hobby. Oh the vicious cycle!!
But it seems that a hobby has found me out of necessity. I mean, everyone has to eat, right? And not having the income I used to have, meaning close to none, eating out simply is not a choice any longer. Oh the shame!!
I decided that even if I have to cook at home, I would not, could not limit myself to Ramen noodles and lettuce sandwiches. This is my journey to explore new foods, new experiences and as close to gourmet cooking as you can get on a nickel and dime budget of the unemployed.
When I found myself with quite a bit of more free-time on my hands I realized fairly quickly that I really didn't have any hobbies - that didn't include, you guessed it, working. Even worse, now that I had the time to have a hobby, I found that I didn't have the income to subsidize a hobby. Oh the vicious cycle!!
But it seems that a hobby has found me out of necessity. I mean, everyone has to eat, right? And not having the income I used to have, meaning close to none, eating out simply is not a choice any longer. Oh the shame!!
I decided that even if I have to cook at home, I would not, could not limit myself to Ramen noodles and lettuce sandwiches. This is my journey to explore new foods, new experiences and as close to gourmet cooking as you can get on a nickel and dime budget of the unemployed.
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