A Week of Recipes

Happy Monday friends!  As you saw in my last post I have been on a serious reading kick.  One of the new books that I am reading is called The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn.  In one of the chapters of the book, it challenges its readers to avoid waste and to use up everything that is in the fridge.  Flinn examined her fridge and was shocked to see that waste that she had accumulated in a week, and so I decided to do the same.  I thought I had been doing a pretty good job, but I still found the remnants of some lettuce, half a container of sour cream, a little cream cheese, a bean burrito, a dish of rice and a few green beans.  All of these were past their expiration, and while I can take heart that my fridge is now clean, I had to ask myself, why did I just throw away money!  Beyond that, it was just simply wasteful.  

I recently read a statistic that American families throw away 14% of the groceries that they buy each week.  For example, if you spend $100 on groceries each week, $14 is thrown into the trash.  That is almost $60 a month!  It may not look like a lot either... it could show up as some bananas that are past their prime or 4 slices of bread that got stale before you ate them, but when you total it up, it is a lot.  

So I created a plan to start using up everything and to have nothing left in my fridge by the time Sunday rolls around.  I am certainly not an expert, but here is what I came up with for one week:

Monday:  Pecan Crusted Chicken with honey mustard sauce, Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli

• I bought a package of chicken that had three 1/2 breasts and three tenderloins.  Today I used 2 of the breasts and reserved the rest. 
• I had the pecans already.  Chop them up really well.  Coat the chicken in flour, dip in egg, then dip in pecans.  I usually cook it in olive oil until brown on both sides then stick it in a 350 oven until I'm finished with the vegetables.
• Make mashed potatoes as normal, but leftover cream cheese instead of butter.
• I just steam the broccoli- add salt and pepper... maybe some lemon juice if you have that hanging around.
• I bet you have have honey and mustard hanging around your house.... voila honey mustard.
• For this meal, I bought chicken ($9) and broccoli ($2) for a total of $11.

Tuesday: Summer Vegetable Tart

• Here is an example recipe: Ratatouille Tart
• I had pre-made pie dough, a squash, one ear of corn, a red onion and a basil plant.
• I bought a zucchini and fresh, local mozzarella cheese for a total of $6.
• Meal's total = $6, plus lunch for two.

Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs

• I bought spaghetti, but only used half. 
• I bought ground beef, sausage, an onion and bread.
• I made the sauce... I had all of the ingredients thanks to my mother in laws tomato plants!  See the recipe here.
• I had ten meatballs left over... so I am definitely having lunch tomorrow.
• This meal's total was $12.

Thursday: Lentil Soup with Cornbread

• I had the soup in the freezer = free!
• I bought a box of cornbread... which I will never do again. $3... whaa waa.
• Dinner for 2, plus 2 lunches = $3.

Friday: Poached Chicken with Green Beans and Cornbread Dressing

• Remember that initial chicken?  Now it's free!  I simply took some garlic and some fresh herbs and rubbed it all over the chicken.  (I have herb plants and had the garlic.)  I poured in the chicken broth and some lemon juice.  Let it cook for 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
• And that cornbread with yesterday's soup?... It's going to be cornbread dressing.
• I added cranberries (had those) and celery ($3) and chicken broth from the fridge.  Here's the recipe.
• I bought green beans ($1).
• Dinner for 2 = $3.   Celery becomes a snack... just separate what you need for the recipe and eat the rest in the afternoon with late half empty jar of peanut butter lurking in your cabinet or the close to expiration cream cheese. 

Saturday: Meatball Subs

• Remember those leftover meatballs?  I am using 4, so I still have 8.  Those are getting frozen, and I will see them in the future!
• I am using up that tasty mozzarella that I bought.
• I bought a loaf of Italian bread for $3.  (I'm only using half, so the other half is getting frozen as well.)
• Dinner for two = $3.

Sunday: The Fridge is Empty ... treat yourself to dinner and head to the grocery.  Time to start planning again.

Total Spent on Dinner Groceries this week: $38*

Total Wasted on Groceries: $0! Whoo hoo!

Please note that almost all meat, vegetables, cheese and pasta were either local or organic.  If that's not important to you, you could probably cut my total in half.

Okay, so there you have it.  I know that I have things that you may not have and that as you use up items that you'll have to replace them.  I also know that this list doesn't include things like breakfast foods and milk, but this is definitely a start, and I was pretty excited.

Feel free to use these ideas, and please share how you make the most of your leftovers!!

Chocolate Peppermint Double Doozies

Hello my friends; do I have a treat for you! The other day at school, a mom brought us some chocolate cupcakes with peppermint icing. Since then, I have been on a quest to find out how to make this addictive icing, and what do you know, I found it. I am not, however, the biggest cupcake fan, but I do love a good cookie. That's when I decided to find a chocolate cookie recipe.

Today, both of my searches were completed, and it was time to put my idea to the test. I created the most decadent double doozie imaginable. The normal double doozie can be found at the mall with a chocolate chip cookie and vanilla icing, but mine are double chocolate chunk cookies with a peppermint buttercream icing. Oh, they were delicious. They are extremely rich and perfect with a glass of milk.

Enough talk; here's how you make these delightful little sandwiches:

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter at room temperature

1/2 cup finely crushed peppermint candy (about 7 peppermint sticks)

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1 to 2 tablespoons peppermint schnapps or 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the peppermint candy, confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and 1 tablespoon peppermint schnapps. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend up to 1 tablespoon milk or peppermint schnapps if the frosting seems to stiff.

Chocolate Cookies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup white granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 t. salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. First sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt and then add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake for approximately 8 - 10 minutes or until the cookies are still soft in the center but are firm around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 24 - 3 inch round cookies.

Adobo Pulled Pork

All I can say about this recipe is mmmm. I have made this pulled pork twice now in two weeks, and both times it has been absolutely delicious. This is a perfect go to recipe, and would be wonderful for company for many reasons. You can serve it with lots of different side items, and you can cook it, and simply take it out of the oven when it is time to eat. The beauty of this is that you just throw everything in a pot, and then you leave it alone for 3 hours. This is my type of meal! Here is how you make it:

Ingredients:
Juice of one orange
Juice of two limes
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil2 Tablespoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons canned chipotle peppers, chopped
6 pound pork roast, leg or shoulder (mine was 2 1/2 lbs, and I kept everything else the same -- still tasted great and tender)
1 cup water

Directions:
Combine the first 10 ingredients in a heavy duty zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal bag and chill 24 hours, turning occasionally.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes at 400.
Place pork in an ovenproof dish, pour marinade over pork and add water. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.Reduce oven temperature to 300, cover, and cook for about 3 more hours.
Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. To serve, shred pork and mix with its juices.

So here are some menu options:

The first time I made this, I made cilantro lime rice and black beans. Add some queso fresco and voila.
For round two, baby squash and baked sweet potato wheels with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme.

Either way, you will not be disappointed.

I will post pictures of the dish soon -- as you know, my computer continues to act up. Until then, here is where you can find the dish at Disney World.
The Crystal Palace -- Magic Kingdom
Source

Good Bye Butter

Dear Cheese and Butter,

I have loved eating you Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, but it is time to part for a while. I enjoyed you in the green bean casserole, the potato gratin, the cakes, well, in everything, and because of that, it's time to eat healthy... at least today. So to my friends who also desire to purge their pantries of the butter laden leftovers, here are some tasty alternatives to fill your day.

First on the day's menu is Morning Glory Muffins.
These are tasty little tidbits if I must say so. I did modify this recipe just a touch. I took out the molasses (sometimes it can be bitter) and added just a smidge more brown sugar. I know that a smidge is a very technical cooking term, but run with it! I also took out the prunes (because they are disgusting!) and substituted them for dried cranberries. If you fancy the prunes, more power to you!

For lunch, enjoy Strawberry-Turkey-Brie Paninis.

I haven't actually tried this sandwich, but in theory, it sounds and looks good. Let me know what you think!

And finally for dinner, try the Lemon Veggies with Pasta.
This tasty and light dish is so colorful and quick to create that I think anyone could make it. In addition to the vegetables listed, I added 1 small red bell pepper, a small head of broccoli and one cup instead of 3/4 a cup of chicken broth. If you want a little extra protein, add strips of a chicken breast. I was happy with just the pasta though.

Here's to guilt free food... enjoy!