The Single Server

WRESTLING WITH DINNER

2010-07-22T18:33:00.002-05:00

Picture it. Chicago. 2010. Another day with temperatures in the 90's. A woman in her early 30's stands in the kitchen of her one bedroom apartment. The air conditioner is cranked. Though the thought of this month's electricity bill's arrival makes her contemplate a liquid dinner of vodka and club soda, she thinks better of it. She inventories the refrigerator. Artichokes. Roasted Red Peppers. Goat Cheese. All ingredients she had to buy a full can, jar, or package of in order to make previous recipes (which were not her own so she shouldn't publish them on her blog) She looks over to the stove. Poor oven, hasn't been turned on for weeks. But it's so damn hot. Turning on the oven would send the internal temperature of the apartment well over 100 degrees.

Does she succumb to another night of cereal? Veggie Burger? Microwave baked potato? Take out? Ha, not with $4 in her wallet and payday not for another week.

She really should cook something? Her 15 blog followers will soon forget her.

She recounts her meals of the day and decides it is in her best interest, not to mention the best interest of her wardrobe, if she can find something with veggies and lean protein.

And then, it hits her. Like a bat out of hell (partly because of inspiration, partly because 5 more minutes of contemplating dinner she would have eaten her cat) she selects her arsenal.

And 10 minutes later, she is eating a kick ass veggie scramble. I suggest eating with some yummy bread and a nice cup of iced coffee made with the “good” creamer.

GRECO ROMAN SCRAMBLE
Serves 1 Refrigerator Emptying Single

Ingredients:

1/3 cup frozen spinach
1 artichoke heart, chopped
2 Tbsp. of jarred roasted red pepper ( or 2 Tbsp. pimento, drained)
2 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk or water
¼ tsp dried oregano
pinch of salt and pepper
1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray. Over medium heat, add frozen spinach to the skillet and cook until defrosted. Add chopped artichoke and roasted red pepper. Saute until vegetables are heated through and little to no liquid remains. Beat eggs, milk or water, oregano, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat to low and add the beaten egg mixture to the vegetables. Cook over low until the eggs are set. Turn off the heat and add the crumbled goat cheese, fully incorporating into the eggs and vegetables.
Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

EXTRAS

Watching your cholesterol? Use ½ cup egg substitute.

Try Feta instead of goat cheese.

Try making this in the microwave. Defrost the spinach in a bowl and squeeze excess liquid. Spray the bowl with cooking spray. Add the vegetables and egg mixture and cook on high for 1 minutes. Stir. Cook on high in 30 second increments until eggs are to desired consistency. Stir in goat cheese and microwave another 30 seconds to melt.

REMAINS OF THE DAY

2010-06-15T14:46:00.003-05:00

I LOVE LEFTOVERS. If you ever go out to eat with me, you will find that 90% of the time, I will ask for a doggie bag so I can have the same dining experience all over again. And many times, I will enhance the leftovers to create a different meal. For instance, here is a quick tip I received from a Cheesecake Factory server….if you ever get a salad and have too much left over, don’t toss it out. Yes, even if you’ve put dressing on it. Though that salad is a touch wilted after a day, it makes a perfect filling for an omelet. Don’t knock it until you try it.

Another leftover tip…did you have a party or go out to eat and have leftover queso or spinach artichoke dip? Scramble up some eggs and put 2 Tbsp. of the leftover dip into the eggs. This works with any dip with a cheese base. It’s unreal how delicious this is.

The following is my newest leftover revamp. I recently took home a baked sweet potato from a dinner out with friends, expecting to make a sweet potato hash the next morning for breakfast. But when I got up, I was in the mood for something sweet for my morning meal. Rather than go for the usual French toast or pancakes, I challenged myself to use that vitamin rich side dish from the night before. Now, don’t feel you can’t do this recipe from scratch. Just poke a washed sweet potato with a fork or knife a few times, put it in a microwave safe dish, cover with plastic wrap or glass cover, and nuke that potato for 5 – 8 minutes until tender.
Behold, a sweet and healthy breakfast option.

OH SO SWEET BREAKFAST POTATO
Serves 1 Leftover Loving Single

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato, cooked until tender
¼ cup plain yogurt
½ Tbsp. brown sugar or maple syrup
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of ground ginger
1 – 2 Tbsp. raisins or dried cranberries
1 – 2 Tbsp. pecans, toasted in a dry skillet (optional)

Directions:
Microwave sweet potato until warmed through. In the meantime, combine yogurt, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and ginger in a small bowl. Slice the warmed sweet potato in half lengthwise and dollop with the yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with raisins or dried cranberries and toasted pecans

CUBICLE BRUNCH

2010-05-20T09:33:00.003-05:00

I don't eat breakfast at home. Because of my crazy hours, I prefer to catch that extra 20 minutes of sleep and bring both breakfast and lunch to the office. Most days, it's oatmeal or English muffins. Quick and portable. Sometimes I will make an omelet or pancakes the night before and heat it in the microwave. And sometimes, I like to do microwave eggs, scrambled with whatever is in the refrigerator. But this morning, I had a taste for French toast. And even though French toast doesn't take that long to make, I was rather late getting my act together this morning. I remembered reading a Hungry Girl newsletter about her various Egg Mug combinations mentioned in her new book. I haven't picked up a copy yet, so I made an educated guess at the process.

Um...this is good. Really good. I assembled everything at home and put it in a microwave safe dish, then nuked it in the office microwave. You can easily do this in a mug, like the Hungry Girl egg-mug recipes. I use an egg, regular bread, and real maple syrup but you can use light bread, liquid egg substitute and sugar free syrup if you are calorie conscious.

MICROWAVE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
Serves 1 Sunday Brunch on a Thursday Single

Ingredients:
1 egg,
Splash of milk
1/8th tsp. vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon
2 - 3 slices sandwich bread, cubed
2 Tbsp. raisins
Maple Syrup

Directions:
Coat a microwave safe dish with cooking spray.

Beat egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in the dish. Add bread and raisins and stir to coat.

Let sit at least 2 minutes to allow egg to soak into bread.

Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Stir. Microwave on high another minute. If egg is still not cooked, microwave in 10 second increments until egg is cooked through.

Remove from microwave and top with maple syrup.

SPRING IS HERE, I HEAR

2010-05-15T12:02:00.003-05:00

This morning, I awoke with about as much excitement as I do to tackle a Day After Thanksgiving Sale. This morning, at 7 am, the Chicago Green City Market opened outside in Lincoln Park!

I realize I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to food. There aren't many people who could spend 2 hours perusing the food selections in the newly re-vamped Target in Evanston, which now includes a produce and meat section!!!!! And I'm sure there are fewer people who will get up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning to get down to Lincoln Park to be first in line for organic eggs and bunches of scallions and asparagus. But we all have our quirks. Give me a stroll through aisles of fresh baked breads, homemade jams and jellies, hunks of homemade cheeses, and fruits and vegetables in every color to really get my blood going.

One of my big things in saving money has been buying only fresh produce that is in season. It's the basics of supply and demand. When fruits and vegetables are abundant, the price goes down. When they are out of season and stores have to import those items from other states or countries, the price goes up. On a personal note, I choose to go organic on the top 12 dirtiest foods. I also prefer organic eggs and pasture raised meat and poultry. Those are my personal choices and in no way am I suggesting any reader of this blog has to do the same. But I also know that in making those choices, I have to stretch those ingredients farther. It's how I want to spend my food dollar. And maybe it's the Robin Hood in me, but despite my love for places like Target or Trader Joe's, if it's a choice of giving my money to local farms over larger corporations, I'll side with the little guy every time.

Now here in the Midwest, we haven't really hit our peak fruit and vegetable season. Asparagus, lettuce, green onions, strawberries and rhubarb are what I saw the most of. So I didn't really purchase what I would in August. But it's a start!

Upon my return home, I proceeded to put together a yummy breakfast, with a mixture of farmer's market finds and stuff I already had here at the house. Coffee brewing, I made a fun little sweet yet savory frittata. Yes, I know the picture looks like an omelet. Unfortunately, it wasn't the most photogenic thing in the world due to an overzealous cook flipping it a minute too soon. So I folded it over itself purely for picture purposes. What a perfectly delicious start to a Spring Saturday morning.

APPLE, SCALLION & WHITE CHEDDAR FRITTATA
Serves 1 Break of Day Single

Ingredients:

1 tsp. butter
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 eggs,beaten with a splash of milk or water
¼ cup sharp white cheddar, shredded
1 tsp. Fresh thyme or ¼ tsp. Dried thyme (optional)
salt and pepper

Directions:

In a medium skillet, melt butter. Add apple to the melted butter and cook for 1 – 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the scallion and saute until apple softens, 3-5 additional minutes.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with a splash of milk or water. Add the cheddar cheese, thyme, salt and pepper to the eggs and combine.

Add egg mixture to the skillet with the apples and scallions. Cover with a lid or cookie sheet and allow eggs to set up, 2 – 3 minutes. Once the frittata has set, flip onto a plate and slide back into the skillet so it can brown on the other side, 1 – 2 minutes.

Remove frittata to plate and top with additional chopped scallions or thyme. Goes great with a whole wheat english muffin or whole wheat toast.

*Like a little meat with your breakfast? Dice up some ham or smoked turkey and add to the apple mixture.

THIS IS THE NIGHT...FOR LASAGNA

2010-05-05T14:42:00.003-05:00

Well, now that I've completed a Bucket List item, I can return my focus to you, dear eaters. Having trained for a half marathon, I've learned to fall back in love with carbs. I know, carbs have gotten a bad name over the past few years. But I have found that eaten in moderation (as with everything) they give me the fuel I need to not be so sluggish during the day. The key is, you can't go overboard.

I made the most beautiful Single Server lasagna this week. Unfortunately, I ate it before I realized I hadn't snapped a picture of it. So you will have to do without a visual.

This dish is big enough to divide in half. So make it and eat half for dinner and bring the other half for lunch. You can also freeze the remainder for a later date. I leave it up to you as to the fat levels in your lasagna. I made mine with whole grain lasagna noodles, low fat spaghetti sauce, sliced portobello mushrooms instead of ground meat, fat free cottage cheese, and part skim mozzarella. It was AMAZING!

By the way, I eat this with a single serving Caesar salad. Method follows this super simple lasagna recipe.

SPINACH AND CHEESE LASAGNA
Serves 1 for Dinner and/or lunch the next day.

Ingredients:
½ - ¾ cup spaghetti sauce
¼ cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped (or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder)
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
3 sheets “no-boil” lasagna noodles
½ cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed of excess liquid
Pinch of nutmeg
¼ - 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray.

Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for 2 – 3 minutes to soften, but not brown. Add spaghetti sauce and Italian seasoning and cook until warmed, 3 – 5 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, spinach and nutmeg. Mix together until spinach in thoroughly incorporated through the cottage cheese.

Spoon 3 Tbsp. tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Lay one lasagna sheet on top of sauce. Top with half of the cottage cheese mixture. Lay another lasagna sheet on top of cheese. Top with the remainder of the cottage cheese mixture. Lay the third lasagna sheet on top and pour the remainder of the sauce over the entire thing. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 – 45 minutes until lasagna noodles are tender. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

*Need more protein? Brown 2 – 4 oz. ground beef, turkey, pork or soy crumbles with the onion. Once browned, drain off excess fat. Return to skillet and add the spaghetti sauce. Cook over medium heat until heated through.

*Don’t be afraid to add vegetables. Diced zucchini, carrot, celery, eggplant and mushrooms can be sautéed with the onion and garlic.

*Can’t find no-boil lasagna noodles. By all means, boil regular lasagna noodles until al dente and proceed.

CAESAR SIDE SALAD
Serves 1 or 2, depending on your love for dressing

In a salad bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of garlic powder, and 1/2 Tbsp. water. Once combined, add 2 - 4 cups torn romaine lettuce and 1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese. Toss to coat the leaves with dressing.

*Add croutons, halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, or anchovies if desired.

THE LAST OF THE ASPARAGUS

2010-04-07T18:47:00.002-05:00

Having polished off a delicious ham and French yogurt cheese sandwich for this afternoon’s lunch, all that remained of Easter dinner was 16 stalks of steamed asparagus. Of course, I could eat it plain, as a side, maybe with some chicken and rice. But the chicken isn’t defrosted and I really wanted something quick.

I looked online today, basically doing a search with something to do with asparagus and one of my tried and true sites led me to this.

Hmmmm. I could possibly do this, sans mushrooms because I didn’t have it. I also wasn’t about to stop at the store for mushrooms or the various types of cheese. But I did have some good parmesan in the fridge. I embarked on this evening’s dinner, which is probably going to become a weekly staple, now that asparagus is in season. Paired with two whole wheat biscuits and a glass of white wine, this was a little slice of heaven.

For those who are weary about frittatas and omelets, I encourage you to try my little short cut method. A classic frittata is broiled the last 3 minutes of cooking. Frankly, I don’t want to take the time to fire up my broiler when my method is just as good. By the way, this was so tasty and easy, I made a second one to bring for lunch tomorrow.

FYI, my asparagus was already cooked. If you are using raw asparagus, either steam it quickly or add a few more minutes to the cooking time in the skillet.

SPRING ASPARAGUS, LEEK, AND PARMESAN STOVE TOP FRITTATA
Serves 1 Sunny Single

Ingredients:

Cooking spray or 1 tsp. olive oil
½ cup leeks, chopped
8 spears of asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk or water
1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. salt
Pinch of pepper

Directions:

Spray a medium non-stick skillet with cooking spray or heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and cook for two minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until tender.

Beat together the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into the skillet with the vegetables and swirl to make sure eggs go throughout the skillet.

Cover the skillet with a lid from another pot, cookie sheet or heat proof plate (I use the lid from my stock pot) Let the eggs cook on low for 3 – 5 minutes, or until eggs are set.

Uncover the skillet (careful if using something other than a pot lid, you may need to use oven mitts or a towel) Run a spatula around the edges of the frittata. If you can master getting the egg “patty” out in one piece, flip it over….like a pancake. I prefer to flip the egg “patty” onto a plate so that the bottom side is up, then slide the egg back into the skillet to brown on the other side, 2 – 3 minutes.

Remove to a serving plate and enjoy.

*No leeks on hand? Try this with green onion, shallots, or a regular diced onion. You may want to use less than ½ a cup.

SPRING CLEANING

2010-04-06T16:00:00.004-05:00

Oh my! Has it really been that long since my last post?

I wish I could tell you I’ve been busy in my kitchen, dreaming up new recipes. But the fact is, I’ve been doing a basic spring cleaning. For the past few weeks, I’ve been sticking with cleaning out what is in my pantry, refrigerator and freezer. And while I’ve been eating well, I also wouldn’t call my tuna fish sandwich with frozen mixed vegetables or my morning Kix (with and without banana) blogworthy.

The upside, I’ve spent less than $10 a week on food for the past few weeks. The downside, my blog posting and meal repertoire has been uneventful.

But, like exercise, if you get out the habit of doing something, you’ll let it fall by the wayside. This project is way too important to me to let that happen. So I’ve decided to try new things called “meal ideas.” They may not be worthy of a recipe. They may not even be my own creation. But it may be stuff you never would have thought of.

This first Meal Idea is based on the leftovers I acquired from Easter dinner. It’s an assembly only wrap that is delicious, using items that are in season now! Make it a meal (and sneak in some veggies) with a side of vegetables, soup or salad.

STEP INTO SPRING WRAP
Serves 1 Post Spring Holiday Single

Ingredients:
1 Fajita size tortilla (preferably whole wheat)
Mayo and/or mustard
2 leaves or ½ cup of your favorite lettuce (I like romaine)
6 -8 stalks of asparagus, cooked (preferably steamed)
1 – 2 oz. cooked, lean ham
Salt and pepper

Directions:
If tortilla is not at room temperature, pop it in the microwave for 10 – 20 seconds until it is pliable.

Spread mayo and/or mustard over the entire tortilla. Layer lettuce, asparagus and ham on top of your preferred sandwich spread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.

Roll tortilla lengthwise and enjoy now. If making to take for lunch, roll tortilla in plastic wrap to hold the shape.

That’s it. Feel free to:
Add cheese
Substitute turkey or chicken for the ham
Use ranch or blue cheese dressing instead of mayo
Make it completely veggie by omitting ham and adding additional veggies.

I WAS FAKING IT

2010-03-23T15:31:00.003-05:00

I have a secret obsession with attempting to make normally high fat, high calorie dishes into dishes that I could consume a little more regularly, without the need to purchase bigger pants. Perhaps it’s because I don’t like the idea of deprivation. But unfortunately for me, if I want something specific, it won’t leave my mind until I get it. Knowing this little character flaw, I challenge myself to have the know how of healthier alternatives in my back pocket. That way, I get to eat the foods I crave while preventing tears during the daily ritual of putting on clothes.

For some reason, I had a taste for Fettucine Alfredo last evening. Unfortunately, I had no fettucine in the house. But if I’m cooking for me, no one knows if I’m eating the right pasta with the right sauce. With simple substitutions and bulking the dish up with vegetables and lean protein, I had a guilt free dinner that tasted quite decadent.

CREAMY ROTINI WITH GRILLED CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI
Serves 1 Naughty But Nice Single

Ingredients:
¾ cup whole wheat rotini or other short cut pasta
¾ cup broccoli florets or chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen
½ Tbsp. butter
1 ½ Tbsp. flour
¾ cup milk, heated
1 clove garlic, minced or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
4 oz. grilled chicken breast

Directions:

Cook pasta in salted water, according to directions. The last 2 minutes of cooking, stir in the broccoli. Drain the pasta and broccoli and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and stir until golden, 2 minutes. Add the milk and garlic and simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. When the milk mixture has thickened, add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Once the cheese is incorporated, turn off the heat and add the pasta, broccoli and cooked chicken breast. Stir to combine. Remove to a serving bowl and add additional salt and pepper if desired.

EXTRAS
Amp up the vegetables by adding mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper, or sundried tomatoes.

You can use any type of milk you wish. 2% will give you a thicker consistency, closer to that of the traditional cream. Skim milk will work, but it will be a thinner sauce. I personally can live with that.

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

2010-03-19T18:01:00.001-05:00

Ever buy an ingredient for a recipe, use a portion of it, and then not know what to do with the rest? I always advocate purchasing food that has several purposes. But I also know that I like to try new things. Unfortunately, when I am in my “trying new things” phase, a few weeks later, I enter the “what is that smell” and eventually, “oh, I forgot about this” phase. And always guilt and anger for wasting food and money set in.

This year, I am bound and determined to make the most out of my money. And this week, I purchased food items that don’t make regular appearances in my meals. The bacon, went into the freezer. But what to do with the shredded cabbage? Immediately, I began brainstorming what I could possibly make with cabbage. I surfed the web and found recipes for cole slaw, braised cabbage, cabbage soup, corned beef and cabbage, stuffed and unstuffed cabbage and countless other dishes. As delightful as they all sounded, I really didn’t want to stop at the store for the ingredients I didn’t have.

I began to get overwhelmed and just made the decision to treat myself to Chinese takeout and deal with it tomorrow. I mean, I didn’t pay that much for the cabbage and if it didn’t last, it’s only about 75 cents down the train. And as I poured over the takeout menu, looking for something to eat, it hit me. EGG ROLLS. Egg rolls are made with cabbage. Know what else? Moo Shu is made with cabbage. As I inventoried my pantry and refrigerator, I realized I didn’t have anymore tortillas to make an official Moo Shu. But who cares? I also didn’t have to spend money on Chinese takeout. I could get immediate gratification for free. By the way, including the grating of the carrot and slicing of the celery, I was eating this dish in 5 minutes. If you can do stir fry, you can do….

INSIDE OUT EGG ROLL
Serves 1 Wok and Rollin’ Single

Ingredients:
2 tsp. canola oil
¼ cup onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, shredded
¼ tsp. ground ginger
2 cups or roughly ½ bag shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add shredded carrot and ginger. Cook another 1 minute.

Add the cabbage to the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook until cabbage begins to wilt, 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce toss to combine, cooking 1 minute.

Turn off the burner and drizzle 1 tsp. sesame oil over the vegetables. Remove to serving dish.

EXTRAS
Add any protein you wish in the form of cooked shrimp, cooked chicken, pork, or beef, tofu or even scrambled egg.

If you have bamboo shoots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, or green onions on hand, use those in addition or instead of any of the vegetables.

Have Oyster Sauce or Rice Vinegar? Use in place of the soy sauce.

Miss the crunch of the egg roll? Top the vegetables with fried noodles.

HASH IT OUT

2010-03-18T21:03:00.001-05:00

Now that St. Patty’s Day is over, I’d like to spend the rest of the week putting a new spin on classic dishes. When I was researching Irish fare, corned beef hash kept popping up as a favorite dish. Well, I didn’t purchase corned beef this week, but that isn’t any reason to not break down a potato and bust out some hash. I’m using cherry tomatoes since they seem to keep their taste when not officially in season. Taking a little help from the microwave, this dish can be in your mouth within 15 minutes.

BACON, LEEK, AND TOMATO (BLT) HASH
Serves 1 Modern Yet Classic Single

Ingredients:
1 medium potato
2 strips bacon
1 tsp. canola oil
1 ½ cup leeks, sliced
¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ tsp. salt, more to taste
1/8 tsp. pepper, more to taste
1/3 cup shredded Irish cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

Place potato in a microwave safe dish, pierce skin with knife 4 -5 times. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and heat for 3 - 5 minutes in the microwave. Potato should not resist when pierced with a knife. Once potato is cooked, dice into bite size pieces.

Cook bacon in a skillet or microwave until crisp and drain on a paper towel. Once cooled, chop into pieces.

Heat canola oil in medium skillet. Add potato and cook on medium for 3 minutes. Potato should start to get color. Add sliced leeks and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes, until leeks begin to wilt and get tender. Add the cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook another 3 – 5 minutes or until potatoes are browned. Add the chopped bacon and stir to combine.

Remove to serving dish and top with shredded cheddar and additional salt & pepper if desired.

EXTRAS

Want to lower the fat? Use Canadian or Turkey Bacon.

Add a fried or poached egg on top to amp up the protein.

TOP OF THE MORNING TO YOU

2010-03-17T08:54:00.003-05:00

You really didn’t think I would let this Irish themed week go by without an oatmeal recipe, did you? I didn’t think so. It happens to be one of my favorite things in the world and I enjoyed my research for the traditional preparation, thoroughly. Simple preparation is what I have found to be standard. Oats made with water, addition of milk or cream, butter, and brown sugar or honey. Me being me, I doctored it up further with fruit and nuts. There were conflicting accounts on whether buttermilk is traditionally used in place of milk or cream. I say if you have it on hand, which I did, try it.

I celebrated my birthday a few weeks back and one of my friends gave me a tin of steel cut oatmeal. The real deal. I felt today was the perfect day to bust open the tin and create something yummy. The recipe below uses quick oats, since I doubt the majority of us have different cuts of oats on hand. But I will say, if you have the time and can get your hands on the real stuff, do so. Steel cut oats look completely different from rolled oats, but the taste is practically the same. It takes about 30 minutes for the steel cut oats to cook, but you can soak them overnight to cut the cooking time to 10 minutes in the morning. Follow the quick prep instructions on the container. You’ll use ¼ cup of steel cut oats for each cup of water.

IRISH PORRIDGE WITH APPLES, WALNUTS AND HONEY
Serves 1 Irish Eyes Are Smiling Single

Ingredients:
1 cup water
½ apple, diced (eat the other half as a snack for a full serving of fruit)
½ cup quick oats
2 Tbsp. milk, cream or buttermilk
2 tsp. butter (optional)
1 – 2 Tbsp. honey, depending on desired sweetness
1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring water and all but 1 Tbsp. diced apple to a boil.

Lower heat to medium and add the oats. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes.

Turn heat off and stir in milk, cream or buttermilk and the butter.

Transfer to serving bowl and top with reserved apple and walnuts. Drizzle with honey.

EXTRAS
If you have the time, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 1 – 2 minutes to release the oils. They’ll smell fragrant when done. Don't burn them!

Store nuts in the freezer to keep them from going rancid.

If you really have the time, cook the oats and water accordingly but sauté the diced apple in butter and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar until golden. Top the oatmeal with the cooked apples. Omit the honey.

YOU SAY POTATO, I SAY POTATO SOUP

2010-03-16T17:43:00.003-05:00

You folks on a low carb, no carb diet are going to detest me this week. But I bought an entire 5 lb bag of potatoes this week for less than 3 dollars. So the key ingredient for me is indeed, the spud. And good thing too, since I’m focusing on things to make for St. Patrick’s Day this week.

I happened to also start rehearsals for a new show, so you are getting the additional bonus of things being quick. After I got home from rehearsal last evening, I whipped up this soup for today’s lunch. I realize most people don’t keep leeks on hand, but a) I encourage you to give them a try…it’s like a mild onion flavor and b) you are more than welcome to substitute green onions, aka, scallions.* You won’t use as many and then, well, you can just call it potato soup.

EASY POTATO LEEK SOUP
Serves 1 Starch Loving Single

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 stalk celery, diced
1 cup leeks, sliced (make sure the really dark green part is removed)
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp. pepper, plus more to taste
1/3 cup milk, heated
Chives or green onion for garnish (optional)

*If using green onions instead of leeks, I would only use 1 or 2 full scallions in the soup.

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the celery and the leeks and cook over medium heat until leeks begin to wilt.

Add the potato, vegetable or chicken broth, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Bring broth to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Cover pot and allow potatoes to cook for 15 minutes.

Once potatoes are fork tender, turn off the heat and follow one of the two following options.

A)If you have a blender and want to get a very smooth soup, transfer the potato mixture the blender, pour in the heated milk and pulse a few times until soup is pureed. You may want to cover the blender pitcher/lid with a kitchen towel to prevent mishaps. If you have a stick blender, feel free to just puree in the saucepan.

OR

B)Keeping the soup in the saucepan, use a potato masher to mash up the potatoes. It will be the consistency of very thin mashed potatoes. Stir in the heated milk. I would consider this the rustic version.

After achieving your desired level of puree, remove to a serving bowl, add additional salt and pepper if desired and top with sliced green onion or chives.

EXTRAS
Ok, I’ll say it. I had BLT’s earlier in the evening and instead of wasting the bacon grease, I used it in place of the butter. I would not condone this behavior all the time. But it was an AWESOME.

Want a richer soup and have cream or half and half for your morning coffee? Substitute that for the milk. Again, I wouldn’t condone this all the time.

Got some buttermilk on hand? Use ¼ cup of buttermilk and ¼ cup cream or regular milk in place of all milk.

Crumbled bacon or diced ham in this soup is AMAZING. But in my opinion, everything tastes better with bacon.

BONUS
If you want the definitive potato leek soup, check out Mr. Alton Brown’s. It’s a recipe for 6 and there is nothing low fat about it. But hang on to your hats.

MY OWN CULINARY POT OF GOLD

2010-03-15T16:01:00.004-05:00

I love learning about new cuisines. That’s part of the great thing about living in Chicago. There are so many neighborhoods with their own distinct “flavor” and so many opportunities to learn about foods from different cultures. Foods I never heard of let alone grew up on have become some of my favorite dishes.

With St. Patrick’s Day on Wednesday, I used my desire for culinary adventure to reach out to an old school friend who now lives in Ireland. Sure, there are plenty of Irish Pub style restaurants here in Chicago, where you can get corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, and fish and chips to go with your Harp or Guinness. And some go a little crazy with the Irish theme by combining them with other styles of food. Reuben egg rolls and Irish nachos come to mind. But I wanted to know what other stuff was out there. And since my tax refund doesn’t cover a plane ticket overseas, I was pleased when my friend sent me a list of culinary delights.

So for the next few days, I’ll be posting some great Irish dishes you probably never heard of, but I encourage you to try.

The dish below is probably going to become one of my go to dishes in the future. It’s super quick, very inexpensive, and combines two of my favorite things…hiding vegetables and BACON. For my vegetarian friends, you definitely can do this without bacon or any sort of meat. It’s still delicious. And at the bottom, I’ll include tips to make it a little less fattening, though not as authentic. By the way, if you REALLY want to do it up Irish style, go to the butcher and ask for Irish back bacon aka, rashers. The brand suggested to me was Tommy Moloney’s. But I made do with bacon from the regular grocery store.

COLCANNON (Mashed Potatoes with Cabbage)
Serves 1 Irish (or at least Irish on St. Patrick’s Day) Single

Ingredients:
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 slice of thick cut bacon or 2 slices of regular cut bacon
2 Tbsp. onion, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage*
2 Tbsp. milk, heated
1 Tbsp. butter (you may use less)
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup shredded Irish Cheddar Cheese (optional)

* Need a shortcut? Use shredded cabbage in the form of bagged coleslaw mix.

Directions:
Put the diced potatoes in a medium saucepan. Pour in enough water to cover the potatoes and add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and simmer potatoes until fork tender, 5 – 9 minutes. When potatoes are done, drain and put them back in the pot.

While potatoes are boiling, cook bacon in a skillet until crispy. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Drain off the bacon fat, keeping 1/2 Tbsp. of the grease. (If you have an aversion to cooking things with bacon grease, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel when cooled slightly, then melt 1/2 Tbsp. butter in the pan. If not using bacon, melt 1/2 Tbsp. butter in a skillet to saute the onion) Over medium heat, cook the diced onion in the bacon fat or butter for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook until onion and cabbage is tender and has browned slightly, 3 – 5 minutes.

Once potatoes are drained, mash potatoes with 2 Tbsp. milk (you may use less) until desired consistency. Add the onion and cabbage mixture to the potatoes and combine. If using, also add the cheddar cheese. Salt, pepper, and butter to taste.

Remove to a serving bowl and top with crumbled bacon and extra cheese if desired.

LIGHTEN IT UP
I understand some people may not want to indulge completely with this dish. This is also good with lean ham, Canadian bacon or turkey bacon in place of the traditional bacon. You won’t have the option to use bacon grease to sauté your onion and cabbage, but butter or even heart healthy canola oil is a good substitute.

The cheese is not necessary. This dish is delicious on it’s own so if you want to cut calories, feel free to omit the cheese.

This dish can also be made with kale instead of cabbage. Dark, leafy greens are in season now. If made with kale, the dish takes on a beautiful green color. Steam 2 cups of kale for 5 minutes before adding to the onion mixture. Sautee 3 – 5 minutes then add to the mashed potatoes.

ANYTIME QUESADILLA

2010-03-11T08:44:00.002-06:00

In an ideal world, we would all have time to sit down at a table and eat a home cooked meal every Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. We sip our cup of coffee and read the paper or do a crossword puzzle over scrambled eggs and toast. We savor our glass of wine with our pasta and decompress from the day while listening to music. Heck, we may even have dessert.

But our reality is we cram so much into our days that even eating a meal at a table is a luxury.

My guess…we aren’t going to change our schedules. We can’t always give up our obligations that take us from home to work to meetings to run errands to classes to 2nd job to home. And on those days, when a cup of coffee that doesn’t come out of a paper cup feels like a distant fantasy, I have a great breakfast idea. You can eat it in your car or on a walk to the next destination. You can even make it for lunch or dinner, I won't tell.

By the way, this filling also works on an English muffin!

APPLE AND CHEDDAR QUESADILLA
Serves 1 On-The-Go Single

Ingredients:
1 tortilla (fajita size, 7 – 9 inch)
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
½ apple, sliced thinly (eat the other half as your side for a full serving of fruit)
1 slice diced ham or Canadian bacon (optional)

Directions:
Heat a medium skillet over medium – low heat. Spray the pan if not using a non-stick skillet.

Lay the tortilla flat and put half of the cheddar cheese on half of the tortilla. Lay the sliced apple and ham or Canadian bacon over the cheese. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Fold the empty half of the tortilla over the filling. Cook until all cheese has melted, flipping once. Be careful not to burn the tortilla.

Let stand for 1 minute before slicing in half, if desired.

MAKE IT SNAPPY

2010-03-10T09:20:00.001-06:00

The number one complaint when talking to people as to why they resort to pre-packaged foods or a drive through is lack of time. I admit, I don’t think 30 minutes to prepare a meal is a lot, considering the health benefits that I gain by doing so. But I will also admit that if I had a choice to spend 30 minutes making dinner or 30 minutes chilling out before I head to the next thing on the schedule, I’ll pick the latter every time.

With that in mind, I’m challenging myself to come up with meals that are assembly only or take 15 minutes or less to prepare.

Last night’s dinner was one of my meatless meals. However, if you need the extra protein, I’ve made some suggestions below. It uses one of my favorite quickie ingredients, couscous. Most people mistake couscous to be a grain. In fact, it is a tiny-cut pasta. The best part is, you can prepare it in 10 minutes…or as long as it takes for the liquid to boil. Then load it with veggies, spices, and if you like, lean protein, and you’ve got a great meal in no time.

COUSCOUS WITH SAUTEED SPINACH AND MUSHROOMS
Serves 1 Snappy Single

Ingredients:
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth (water is fine as well)
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup dry couscous (white or whole wheat)
1 tsp. olive oil
¼ cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup baby spinach
Additional Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring broth, salt, and Italian seasoning to a boil. Add the couscous and stir. TURN OFF THE HEAT and cover the pot with a lid for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork.

While couscous is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 3 minutes, until onion softens. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes, until mushrooms are soft. Add the baby spinach, salt and pepper. Toss for 30 seconds until spinach has wilted.

Transfer vegetables to the cooked couscous and incorporate with a fork. Transfer to a bowl and enjoy.

*Want some added protein? Add some diced Italian sausage (traditional, chicken or turkey), diced chicken, or ground beef or turkey. Also delicious, some crumbled Feta cheese (though you may want to cut back on the salt you use in the recipe)

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF PANCAKES

2010-03-06T12:45:00.004-06:00

I fully believe in taking days that recharge your batteries. These are commonly referred to as “mental health days.” Since my personal odometer has clicked over one more year, I have taken it upon myself to take a mental health weekend. There has been amazing food, long walks, theatre, drinks with friends and today, I’m going to make a second attempt to make homemade bread. Not that the first attempt was a failure, just a beginning.

During these mental health vacations, I like to surround myself with really great food. That’s not to say fattening (though Thursday’s lunch of exotic truffles and couture hot chocolate is far from sensible eating) But taking care of one’s mind should also incorporate taking care of one’s body.

Like I have said before, when I cook for myself for the week, I sometimes make a batch of pancakes. Today, I wanted something beyond plain pancakes. So after research in cookbooks and online, I have tailored a few recipes to meet my dietary requirements. Low Fat, whole grains, a serving of fruit, and the best part is it utilizes two of my favorite Multi-tasking foods, oatmeal and plain yogurt.

I’ve included a full 6 pancake recipe at the bottom, in case you too want to make a batch and store them in the freezer. These are dense, so you may only want one pancake at a time, like me. However, for the sake of argument, a single serving will make 2 pancakes.

OATMEAL SPICE PANCAKES WITH MAPLE PEACH SAUCE
Serves 1 Be Good To Oneself Single

Ingredients:
¼ cup quick cooking oats
3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour**
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, divided
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 egg white or 2 Tbsp. egg substitute
3 Tbsp. plain yogurt*
3 Tbsp. milk*
2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 cup frozen sliced peaches or 1 fresh peach, peeled and sliced
½ Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. maple syrup

*If you happen to have buttermilk on hand, substitute 6 Tbsp. of buttermilk for the 3 Tbsp. of yogurt and 3 Tbsp. plain milk.
**No whole wheat flour? Just omit it and double the all-purpose flour.

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp. of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white or egg substitute with yogurt and milk. Add applesauce and oil and beat to combine.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Drop the pancake batter in skillet, making two pancakes. Batter will be thick, so use a knife to spread the batter out slightly. Cook until you see the edges begin to set. Due to the density of the batter, you may not see the usual bubble form on top of the pancakes, so watch the edges and don’t keep your heat too high. Flip pancakes and cook another minute until golden. Remove to plate.

While pancakes are cooking, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add the peaches and water. Cook until peaches are no longer frozen, around 2 minutes. Add the remaining ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon and maple syrup. Cook over medium low until peach sauce is slightly thickened and peaches are warmed through, another 2 minutes. Pour sauce over pancakes.

OATMEAL SPICE PANCAKES
Makes 6 Pancakes

Ingredients:
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. quick cooking oats
½ cup whole wheat flour**
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 egg or ¼ cup egg substitute
½ cup plain yogurt*
½ cup milk*
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil.

*If you have buttermilk, substitute 1 cup of buttermilk for the yogurt and plain milk.
**No whole wheat flour? Just omit it and double the all-purpose flour.

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg or egg substitute with yogurt and milk. Add applesauce and oil and beat to combine.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Drop the pancake batter by 1/3 cup increments in skillet. Batter will be thick, so use a knife to spread the batter out slightly. Cook until you see the edges begin to set, you may or may not see bubbles for on top of pancakes due to the density, so watch the edges and don’t keep your heat up too high. Flip pancakes and cook another minute until golden. Remove to plate.

SIMPLE COMFORT

2010-03-03T18:00:00.005-06:00

“Food is the most primitive form of comfort” – Sheilah Graham

The above quote was my Thought for the Day that shows up in my inbox each morning. How appropriate that my plan for dinner strikes such a specific chord in me.

There are a few dishes that I remember my mom’s mom used to make that brought me such joy. Don’t get me wrong, she was a good cook. But a few dishes just resonated with me and I loved that she knew they were my favorites. You could guess whenever I was sick or it was a special occasion, my mom would bring a giant Tupperware container of one of her specialties.

For me, my very favorite dish was Chicken and Rice. Delicious rice with this mysterious blend of spices and seasonings and shredded oven roasted chicken. If that ever showed up in the house, I would eat 2 bowls, at least. And, I would make very sure to play a pity card if anyone tried to take a portion.

When I got older, I asked my grandmother to show me how to make her Chicken and Rice. We made a date to cook together and I was so excited to learn her secrets. So imagine my horror when my grandmother took down 3 boxes of Rice a Roni Fried Rice mix and a roast chicken. She started preparing the rice according to the box directions, no additions, no substitutions. THIS was my grandmother’s tried and true recipe? THIS is what I had longed for so many times? All I had to do was ask my mother to bring home a mix? I was so upset…but only until the rice was done. And then we had a great laugh. I love telling that story. It shows how cooking for someone can bring such joy and comfort to them, no matter how simple it is to make.

I still crave Chicken and Rice, but over the years, I’ve tried to make my own recipe, not using a boxed mix. And while I won’t claim this tastes like the boxed kind, it is my own recipe.

FAVORITE CHICKEN AND RICE
Serves 1 Comfy and Cozy Single

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. butter
½ cup total of diced onion, celery, and carrot
¼ cup long grain white rice, uncooked
1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
¼ tsp. ground ginger
Salt and pepper
½ cup cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 – 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add the vegetables and garlic to the pan. Cook for 2 -3 minutes. Add the uncooked rice and slivered almonds. Stir to coat. Cook 5 minutes more, or until rice and almonds turn golden. Be careful not to burn.

Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, ground ginger, salt, pepper and chicken to the rice and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to low and allow the liquid to come to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook 15 – 20 minutes, or until rice has absorbed all of the liquid.

Once rice is cooked, remove from fluff with a fork and add the chopped parsley.

Remove to serving bowl and enjoy.

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN RECIPE: BASIC CHICKEN SOUP

2010-03-02T20:23:00.006-06:00

As much as I try to make everything from scratch, there are times where I will throw down extra change and pay for convenience. Boxed or canned broth. Canned Beans. And today’s favorite convenience ingredient…a rotisserie chicken.

The idea of using a precooked chicken isn’t new to convenience, quick, or budget cooking. But I’m using that chicken to make at least four completely different meals and now I have a naked chicken to make my own stock this weekend. I’ve already given you a recipe for Curry Chicken Salad. You also have that recipe for the Caramelized Onion Gravy which would go great on a breast portion of your rotisserie chicken. But tonight, I’m doing an old standby.

I’m making an attempt to bake my own bread so dinner tonight needed to be no fuss and as quick as possible. Before you buy that can of soup, why not try the following soup recipe that gives you more of the good stuff…vegetables, noodles and more chicken? And by the way, no one says this can’t be vegetarian. Omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead. It’s still yummy.

CHICKEN SOUP FOR ONE BOWL
Serves One Hurry Up and Eat Single

Ingredients:
1 tsp. canola oil
½ cup total of diced onion, celery, and carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and Black Pepper
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth*
1/3 – ½ cup uncooked egg noodles
½ cup cooked chicken ( I used the meat from the two legs)
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:
In a small – medium saucepan, heat oil. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook on medium for 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add Italian seasoning and cook another minute.

Add chicken broth to the vegetables and bring to a boil.

Once liquid begins to boil, add the egg noodles and chicken. Cook 7 – 9 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked through. Remove from heat and add the chopped parsley.

Ladle into a bowl and enjoy.

*If you are using regular chicken broth, do not add salt to the vegetables. You can add salt and pepper later to suit your taste.

LIGHTEN UP

2010-03-01T20:21:00.003-06:00

Five years ago, I finally gave a gift to myself by taking off 60 pounds. I battled my weight my entire life but I also couldn’t give up my love affair with food. In fact, when I forced myself to eat the carrot sticks and the rice cakes, I ended up quitting after a few weeks and went face down in pizza and cookies.

When I joined the international weight loss group that ultimately helped me take off the weight, I learned not only how to make healthier choices, but with that knowledge, I challenged myself to make my favorite high fat foods in a way that I could eat them.

I don’t pretend the slimmed down versions of these foods taste better than their high fat counterparts. I don’t pretend that you will mistake the lighter versions for their decadent brothers and sisters. Science proves that the human body adores fat and sugar. However, cooking this way allows me to get the taste I want without the consequences.

This is a send up to one of my favorite dishes, chicken fried steak. By the way, if you don’t want to go through the breading process, just grill or bake the steak and make the gravy to pour on when cooked. The gravy also goes well on chicken and biscuits.

COUNTRY “FRIED” STEAK WITH CARMELIZED ONION GRAVY
Serves 1 Slimmed Down Single

Ingredients for Steak:
4-5 oz. beef round steak (cube steak works well with this)
¼ cup flour
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. milk
1 egg
Dash of hot sauce
¾ cup corn flakes, crushed

Directions for Steak:

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, combine flour, black pepper, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and hot sauce. In a third dish, pour in the corn flakes.

Dredge the steak through the flour, coating both sides. Shake off excess, then dredge the steak through the egg mixture. Once coated, dredge the steak through the corn flakes, pressing into the steak to stick. Put steak on baking dish and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Ingredients for Gravy:
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup milk, heated for 1 minute in the microwave
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Gravy:

In a small – medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sautee onions in the heated oil for 15 – 20 minutes, until the onions take on a brown, caramel color (hence the term caramelized)

Add the flour to the onions and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the milk and stir until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until thick.

Add salt and pepper (and hot sauce if desired) to taste.

Once steak is out of the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove steak to plate and pour gravy over the meat.

BREAKFAST BAKE

2010-02-28T11:01:00.002-06:00

Every once in awhile, I am in the mood to cook. It usually happens on Sunday mornings when I want something a little more decadent than a bowl of oatmeal or a scrambled egg. This morning, I had a craving for sweet, perhaps since I gave up desserts of all varieties for Lent. So I went to my library of cookbooks and leafed through various pages of baked desserts, trying to find something to use things I had on hand.

I found a few recipes and combined them to make this morning’s breakfast. It does take some time, but it is pretty simple and so worth it. The final product is like a baked pancake infused with baked apples.

APPLE BREAKFAST BAKE
Serves 1 Sweet Craving Single

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
½ Tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
½ apple, thinly sliced
1 egg
¼ cup flour
¼ cup milk
1/8 tsp. salt
Maple syrup, if desired

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray or butter the bottom and sides of a 2 cup baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the apples and toss to coat completely. Line the bottom of the baking dish with the apples.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Add the flour, milk, and salt. Beat until just combined. Pour batter over the apples.

Bake in oven for 25 -30 minutes, until golden.

If desired, drizzle with maple syrup and serve immediately.

TRY IT, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT

2010-02-25T18:24:00.003-06:00

When I was in college, my friends and I used to frequent this little bagel café by school. I was gaga over their cinnamon sugar bagel with a smear of cream cheese. But they also had killer sandwiches.

I remember going in there with one of my friends (shout out to you Monica) and I listened to her order a chicken salad sandwich on a cinnamon raisin bagel. “Hold the phone,” I thought. That sounded wretched. Chicken salad on plain or wheat or even an Everything…okay. But on cinnamon raisin? Gross.

But then she asked me, “Haven’t you ever had grapes or raisins in your chicken salad?”

“Sure,” I answered.

“Then what’s the difference if it’s in the filling or on the bread?”

She got me. That day, I opened my eyes to adventurous eating, always willing to try flavor combinations that were outside my comfort zone.

I hear it all the time. People’s little food-isms.

I like to dip my French fries in my chocolate shake.

When no one is looking, I put my grapes in a glass, pour milk on top, and eat them with a spoon.

Sometimes, I take a spoonful of peanut butter and roll it around some chocolate chips.

Like fruit. Like bread. Just don’t like fruit in my bread.

My grandfather turned me on to peanut butter and ham sandwiches.

My all time favorite ice cream flavor...corn, with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.

I think people’s food-isms are fascinating. People are amazed to hear that I’ll eat a chocolate bacon candy bar ‘til the cows come home, but stick a piece of melon in my face and I’ll gag.

I preface today’s recipe with this story just to ask you to open your mind to many flavor combinations. I don’t find today’s little sandwich particularly crazy, but hey, some might at first glance. Think of it as just another culinary adventure.

And yes, this one is inspired and dedicated to my dear friend.

CURRY CHICKEN SALAD ON CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD
(or English muffin for our purposes)
Serves one sweet, yet spicy Single

Ingredients:
4-5 oz. cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded
1 rib celery, finely diced
2 Tbsp. raisins (optional)
1 Tbsp. walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 Tbsp. mayo
1 Tbsp. plain yogurt
¾ tsp. curry powder
¼ tsp. lemon juice (optional)
Pinch of ginger
Salt and pepper
1 Cinnamon Raisin English muffin, sliced and toasted if desired

Directions:
Shred or dice chicken breast in bite sized pieces and add to a bowl. Add celery, raisins, walnuts and parsley to the chicken.

In a separate bowl, whisk together mayo, yogurt, curry powder, lemon juice, ginger, salt and pepper.

Add mayo mix to the chicken mix. Stir to incorporate. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pile chicken salad on top of half the English muffin and put the other muffin half on top.

EXTRAS
If you want to quickly cook a raw chicken breast for this recipe, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Lower heat and add chicken breast. Simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and dice or shred. If the chicken is still too hot to handle, use two forks to shred chicken.

Want to avoid cooking altogether? Use 1 cup of canned and drained chicken breast.

For extra sweetness, add ¼ of an apple or pear, diced.

I won’t tell if you don’t use the cinnamon raisin English muffin. Wheat is pretty good too.

I’ve used this same recipe with canned tuna.

THE ENGLISH MUFFIN VARIATIONS: BREAKFAST PIZZA

2010-02-23T17:15:00.004-06:00

Outside of dessert, breakfast is my favorite type of food out there. I can’t tell you how many times pancakes, omelets, and various types of hash browned potatoes make it into my mouth well after noon. There’s something comforting about breakfast food for me. I remember as a child, my mom would make up a batch of crepes for dinner many nights. I always thought is was a super special treat. Later, I realized it was because money was tight and butter, flour and eggs were very affordable.

However, when I crave something very comforting, 9 times out of 10, it’s a form of breakfast.

Recently, I’ve embarked on a goal to see all movies on the AFI’s List of the Top 100 Films of All Time. Because my weekends are packed with running errands, I have found a new ritual of getting up early on the weekends, making a pot of coffee and a fun breakfast, and settling in to knock off one of those films. Currently, I have 32films left on my list and am hoping to complete my goal by the end of March.

The following treat combines my favorite meal, breakfast, and standard movie watching faire, pizza. It’s a play on those English muffin pizzas your parents may have made for you as a child.

By the way, you can make this in the oven or on the stove top or even in the microwave. Whatever your comfort level is in the kitchen.

SUPREME BREAKFAST PIZZA
Serves 1 Coffee-With-Your-Pizza Single

Ingredients:
1 English muffin, sliced
1 Tbsp. tomato sauce (marinara, spaghetti or pizza sauce is perfect in this instance)
1/3 cup total of onions, green peppers, mushrooms, diced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
8 slices pepperoni, 4 slices chopped, 4 slices halved and reserved
1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk
Salt & Pepper
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Place sliced English muffin on a sprayed baking sheet. Top each muffin half with ½ Tbsp. tomato sauce. Set aside.

Spray a medium skillet with non-stick spray, and over medium heat, cook diced vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Add Italian seasoning and cook another minute.
In a bowl, beat the egg with milk, salt and pepper. Reduce skillet to low heat and add egg and diced pepperoni. Scramble until set. Remove from heat.

Divide the scramble eggs among the muffin halves. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining pepperoni halves.

Bake in oven until cheese is melted, 5-8 minutes.

ASSEMBLY ONLY DIRECTIONS
Put the diced vegetables in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 1 – 2 minutes. Drain off excess water and add the beaten egg, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and diced pepperoni. Microwave for 1 – 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to “scramble” eggs with a fork.

Toast English muffin. Once toasted, remove to a microwave safe plate and top each muffin half with ½ Tbsp. tomato sauce.

Divide cooked eggs among the two muffin halves and top each with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni halves. Heat pizza halves in the microwave 30 -60 seconds, until cheese is melted.

EXTRAS:
Feel free to go meatless and change up the vegetables. It’s better to cook the vegetables slightly so the eggs aren’t soggy.

No fan of eggs. Try this with scrambled tofu!

Use whatever meat you have on hand. This is great with breakfast sausage, soy sausage, Canadian bacon, ham, bacon, and Italian sausage.
Mix up your cheeses. A sharp cheddar or a provolone is also delicious.

Lighten it up with ¼ cup egg substitute, light cheese, whole wheat or light English muffins and turkey pepperoni.

WHAT'S ON THE MENU? TUNA MELT

2010-02-22T19:17:00.003-06:00

Today is one of those days where I need to cram a lot of tasks into those hours between work and sleep. I really didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Sometimes, you just want to slap something together, eat and move on. But that’s no reason to have to always resort to frozen dinners or a can of soup.

Tonight’s dinner isn’t glamorous. But it’s something that I always order at a diner, so it makes me happy. And wouldn’t you know, with one minor adjustment, I had everything on hand to make it.

Maybe this isn’t a recipe that you avid cooks will hurry home to try. But let's call this a gentle reminder that it’s out there, waiting to be made again.

By the way, at the bottom, I’ll tell you Assembly Only instructions.

QUICKIE TUNA MELT
Serves 1 Diner-ing At Home Single

Ingredients:
1 English muffin, split
2 tsp. ketchup
1 can (5 oz) water packed tuna (big fan of chunk light or albacore)
1 medium stalk celery, finely diced
1 Tbsp. onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. plain yogurt
Salt and pepper
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set each half of the muffin on the sprayed surface. Spread 1 tsp. of ketchup on each half of the muffin, covering the majority of the surface.

In a bowl, mix together the tuna, celery, onion, mayonnaise, yogurt and salt and pepper.
Divide the tuna salad evenly and scoop on top of each English muffin half.

Top each half with shredded cheddar.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Assembly only directions:
Make the tuna salad as above.

Toast the English muffin in a toaster or toaster oven.

Spread ketchup on the heated English muffin halves and scoop tuna evenly on top of each half.

Top with shredded cheese and place the muffin halves on a microwave safe dish. Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds or until the cheese is melted.

EXTRAS
Yes, I know a tuna melt has a slice of tomato under the tuna salad. And by all means, use it if you have it. However, it is February in Chicago and I do not have a fresh tomato readily available. If you don’t want to use ketchup, feel free to use sun-dried tomatoes or even a few tablespoons of drained canned diced tomatoes.

There are tons of pre-made tuna salads out there. This is a good way to utilize them without always resorting to a tuna fish sandwich.

I like to switch up my tuna salad mix-ins. Try some chopped dill pickle, sweet pickle relish, finely diced green pepper, chopped scallion, chopped carrot or capers …as is plain old salt, pepper, and mayonnaise.

Likewise, switch up your cheese. Swiss, Monterey Jack, Colby, and Mozzarella are all delicious.

This doesn’t do so shabby heated up. If you bring your lunch, you can assemble this at home and heat it up in the microwave at work. If you don’t want to run the risk of the English muffin getting soggy, bring all of the components and quickly assemble, heat, and eat.

FLEXIBLE FOOD

2010-02-21T11:04:00.003-06:00

Versatile. Flexible. Adaptable.

These words were drilled to us in my college acting program. If one can be versatile, that is, if one can master as many talents and have as many tricks up their sleeve as possible, one can open themselves up to a wider realm of possibility. I find that this is the greatest lesson I learned at an institution of higher learning. Embracing that idea has led me to many wonderful experiences...and some not so wonderful experiences but valuable lessons.

I have found that to be true with cooking. Entering our supermarkets, we have so many choices bombarding us that we can’t help to go for the easy, gut reaction (pun intended) foods. But in turn, we’ve lost our creativity in the kitchen. And we’ve also lost thousands of dollars in wasted food because we buy more than we can chew. A major brand name storage bag is now using the statistic that a family of 4 throws out $500 in wasted food every year as marketing fodder to get you to buy their product. But if we take a little time, buy multi-purpose foods and exercise our creative muscles, I bet we can get a little closer to getting our money’s worth while still surprising our taste buds.

This week at the grocery store, English Muffins were on sale. I normally wouldn’t have bought them since I have 4 or 5 tortillas left from last week. However, because bread freezes well, and it was a great price, I decided to go ahead and get two varieties: Whole Wheat and Cinnamon Raisin Wheat. Half of each package went into a freezer bag and popped in the freezer. The others will be used throughout the week, beyond an alternative for toast or a bagel.

Thus begins the English Muffin Variations.

CHEESE STUFFED CINNAMON RAISIN FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients:
1 Cinnamon Raisin English muffin
1 oz. semi-soft goat cheese or 1 - 2 Tbsp. cream cheese
1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. strawberry jam

Directions:
With a fork, split the English muffin in half and poke several holes on the tops and bottoms of each half. Spread the goat cheese or cream cheese on each inner half of the muffin and put together to make a sandwich.

In a shallow bowl, combine the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Dip each side of the English muffin sandwich in the egg, lightly pressing down so egg mixture can be absorbed. Let sit in egg mixture at least 30 seconds each side.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add English muffin to the skillet and cook until first side is brown, 2 – 3 minutes. Careful not to have the heat too high or you will burn the outside and the inside will be undercooked. Flip and cook the other side 2 – 3 minutes, or until browned. Once cooked through, remove from skillet onto a serving plate. Let cool at least a minute.

While English muffin is cooling, put strawberry jam in a microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave for 30 seconds, until jam is syrupy.

Cut English muffin French toast in half and dunk into jam to enjoy.

EXTRAS
For extra convenience, put the jam inside the English muffin along with the cheese. You may need to use less of both jam and cheese to prevent it from oozing into the skillet while cooking.

Use any kind of English muffin you have on hand.

Feel free to add fruit to the inside as well. Try sliced bananas, strawberries, apples, peaches, pears or even 1 Tbsp raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, or dried cherries.

No jam? Warm honey or maple syrup works just as well to sweeten the deal.

MID-WEEK COMFORT FOOD: TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

2010-02-17T18:14:00.003-06:00

You were worried about me, weren’t you? No posts Monday or Tuesday. What in the world did I eat?

Relax! This week was one of those weeks where I had things to do that didn’t require me to eat at home for dinner. And since I’m not one to waste food, I defrosted meals I had kept frozen so I didn’t have a need to cook.

As you probably know, yesterday was the official celebration of Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. So of course, my sweetie and I celebrated as all good Americans should, we stuffed ourselves full of delicious food and wine and of course, dessert.

And today, you may be wondering why an amazing amount of people are wandering around with what looks like ink toner run amok. Well, it’s Ash Wednesday. And in honor of my friends who observe this first day of Lent, I have revisited a dish that appears in many households this time of year. No, not the Filet of Fish combo meal. TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE. And no, there isn’t a can of cream of mushroom soup to be found.

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE
Serves 1 Meat Abstaining Single

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup uncooked egg noodles
1/3 cup drained tuna
¼ cup celery, diced
½ cup button mushrooms, sliced (or ¼ cup canned mushrooms)
¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 ½ Tbsp. mayonnaise
½ tsp. Dijon mustard (optional)
½ tsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper
1 ½ Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Cook noodles according to package; drain and transfer to a medium bowl. Add tuna, celery, and mushrooms.

In a separate bowl, whisk sour cream or yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, salt and pepper; fold into noodle mixture. Transfer to a 2 cup baking dish. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake until top is golden and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.

EXTRAS:
Use whatever vegetables you want. Sometimes I use thawed frozen peas or mixed vegetables in place of the celery and mushrooms. Make it vegetarian by omitting the tuna and bumping up the quantities of vegetables.

Want a little more crunch in your topping? Combine 1 ½ Tbsp. of bread crumbs with ½ Tbsp. melted butter and sprinkle on top of casserole instead of cheese.

Have half of can of tuna left over? Whip up a quick tuna salad with some mayo, salt and pepper. Use chopped celery, onion, even green pepper or dill pickles if you have it.

SUNDAY BRUNCH FOR ONE

2010-02-14T11:28:00.002-06:00

I adore Sundays. There’s just something a touch spiritual for me about the day, sort of like hitting the reset button. I find that I accomplish so much on Sundays. And I tend to do the things that really recharge me. I work out. I watch movies. I read. And I cook.

When I first moved to Chicago in the late 90’s, my friends and I acclimated ourselves to the wonderful places to eat by going to Sunday brunch. It’s so much cheaper than dinner and if you go to brunch, you don’t really have to eat until later in the day. If we wanted to get together, we would have brunch at someone’s apartment, everyone bringing something to share. Again, we all had tight budgets, so being responsible for one thing and then feasting in a pot luck style was a way to eat well, for cheap.

These days, I like to take my time on Sunday morning. I went for a great walk around my neighborhood first thing this morning. The coffee pot is now brewing the good stuff, including an extra cup portioned out. I have some Rosemary Clooney playing through my computer and I’m making my own personal brunch.

This morning I have two savory dishes for you. Very basic. But it goes beyond that bowl of cereal or plate of frozen waffles to make your stomach happy. And it utilizes the microwave to speed up preparation.

The first recipe just makes me smile. If you are a musical theatre geek like me, you might recognize the name of the dish as lyrics from a song of the William Finn musical, IN TROUSERS. I choreographed a production of IN TROUSERS back in 2005, directed by one of my oldest friends. It’s also the production where I met my current sweetheart. So in the spirit of Valentine’s Day (without getting too disgusting)…

EGGIES OVER SPINACH OVER TOAST
Serves 1 for a Singular Sensational Brunch

Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups baby spinach
Salt & Pepper
Pinch of Nutmeg
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1 – 2 slices of Italian bread, toasted (or your favorite bread)

Directions:
Over medium heat, heat a medium skillet with oil. Saute garlic in the oil for 30 seconds, careful not to burn it. Drop in baby spinach and toss until slightly wilted, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

In a microwave safe shallow bowl, pour in 1/3 cup of water. Crack the eggs and without breaking the yolk, slide each egg into the dish with water. Use a toothpick or tines of a fork to poke the yolk of each egg. (You are puncturing the membrane of the yolk so it doesn’t explode in the microwave) Cover with plastic wrap and heat on high for 30 seconds – minute, depending on how well you want your yolks done.

Put toast, buttered if you like, on a plate. Pile cooked spinach on top, followed by the eggs.

*Don’t want soggy toast? Pile spinach on a plate and arrange toast around it instead of on top. Place eggs on top of spinach.

**Feel free to use the old fashioned way of making eggs in a skillet. I just feel it’s less effort to poach an egg in the microwave.

This next recipe is great for getting vegetables in early in the day. Feel free to top with an egg for some added protein.

PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST HASH
Serves one

Ingredients:
1 potato
1 tsp. oil
½ green pepper, large dice
½ medium onion, large dice
½ cup mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper
8 slices of pepperoni, halved (optional)
¼ cup spaghetti sauce, heated
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Prick potato several times with a fork. Put whole potato in a microwave safe bowl and cover with lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes.

Over medium high, heat oil in a medium skillet. Drop in green pepper, onion, mushroom and garlic. Saute until vegetables are soft, 5 minutes.

Once potato is done, remove from microwave and chop into medium pieces. Add potato to skillet and combine with oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook potato and vegetables until potatoes are slightly browned.

Stir in pepperoni and spaghetti sauce and cook until warmed through.

Sprinkle in cheese and let it melt slightly before serving.

CHOCOLATE: THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD

2010-02-13T10:41:00.003-06:00

I am constantly amazed by the things that my brain will recall. Memories that have been stored away for over 20 years will pop into my head without warning and I’m periodically brought back to that moment in time. I’m lucky that most of these are good and will produce a smile or a chuckle. Sometimes not so good memories will bring pangs of anger or jealousy, but I think I’ve read enough self help books to not let them affect the rest of my day.

For some reason, a side bar in my high school French textbook has become one of those memories and subsequently, one of my go to snacks when I want something sweet. Recently, I’ve been seeing variations of this treat that I’ve been making for over 15 years popping up in cookbooks and on cooking shows. Apparently, this secret indulgence seems to be making its way to the masses.

This really should’ve been last night’s post. However, it was movie night and I had my friend Derek over to catch up on 30 Rock episodes and watch a Myrna Loy/William Powell movie. After he left, I got caught up on an art film I found on cable (hey, you have your guilty pleasures, I have mine) so posting is done this morning.

I realize the people who visit this blog possess various skill levels in the kitchen. So I will give you 3 versions of this treat:

Assembly only (skill level matching making a cold cheese sandwich)
Minimum Effort (skill level of making a grilled cheese sandwich)
Advanced (which isn’t so advanced since the skill level is that of making French toast)

Friends, your newest chocolaty treat: PAIN AU CHOCOLAT translation…bread and chocolate

PAIN AU CHOCOLAT
Serves une

Ingredients:
½ a small French baguette or ¼ of a large baguette
1/3 to 1/2 a chocolate bar

Directions:
Slice the baguette in half lengthwise and tuck the chocolate inside the bread. Viola! It’s a sandwich.

*If you can find a pretzel roll in your grocery store, this is a great little snack to use that instead. A little salty, a little sweet.

GRILLED CHOCOLATE SANDWICH
Serves One

Ingredients:
Butter
2 slices of white bread (I prefer Italian or French)
1/3 to ½ a chocolate bar OR 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat skillet over medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Lay one bread slice in skillet, butter side down. Lay chocolate on top of bread, being careful to keep it away from the edges. Add the second bread slice, butter side up. Cook 2 -3 minutes, until chocolate begins to melt. Flip sandwich and cook until desired toastiness of bread is reached. Remove from skillet and allow sandwich to cool slightly before slicing in half or quarters.

STUFFED CHOCOLATE SANDWICHES
Serves 1 – 2

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
2 slices of white bread (Italian of French)
1/3 to ½ chocolate bar or 1/3 cup chocolate chips
2-3 strawberries, sliced (optional)
1 Tbsp. butter
Confectioner’s Sugar (optional)

Directions:
In a shallow dish, whisk together egg and milk.

Form a sandwich with the bread, chocolate, and strawberries (if using) Try not to allow chocolate to extend to the edge of bread.

Dip sandwich in egg mixture, coating both sides.

Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook sandwich 1 – 2 minutes per side, until golden.

Dust with powdered sugar and cut in half.

*If using chocolate chips, you may find it easier to dip one side of bread in the egg mixture and lay in heated skillet. Add the chocolate and fruit to the slice that is heating. Dip the second slice of bread in the egg mixture and top the sandwich, egg side up. Cook as instructed.

EXTRAS
Lighten the grilled versions up by using cooking spray instead of butter to toast the sandwiches. Many companies make light bread, so if watching calories, try using that. Use a darker chocolate. You can use less and get a bigger flavor impact

Feel free to add your choice of fruit. Strawberries, bananas, sliced apples, even dried apricots make great little additions. You can also spread each slice of bread with jam, jelly, peanut butter, or even a smear of cream cheese before adding the chocolate.

No bread on hand? I’ve done this same technique using a tortilla, making a quesadilla of sorts.

SOUP IS GOOD, AND COMFORTING, FOOD

2010-02-11T18:27:00.002-06:00

If you’ve been following this blog regularly, you have probably caught on that I’m not a fan of redundancy. It makes no sense to me why people buy items when they already have things in the house to make it themselves. OK, I get the argument of convenience. But many times, you have to take the time to go to the store and buy something then take the time to heat it up in order to eat it. All the while, you probably had everything in the house to make it from scratch. So really, was getting that specific item more convenient than cooking at home?

This isn’t a lecture. I just want to challenge anyone in the internet world who comes across this blog to look at the items you purchase a little more carefully. You may read the ingredient list and see you have everything already, minus the ingredients a fourth grader can’t pronounce and your grandparents have never heard of. I always say, if you can make it yourself, then do so and spend that money elsewhere.

During the winter months, I gravitate towards soup. Soups are an excellent way to get in servings of vegetables. I mean seriously, there are only so many carrot and celery sticks I can eat.

Before I began this little project, I polled many friends and acquaintances and asked them to tell me their staple food items. An overwhelming amount of people told me they purchased a fair amount of fresh vegetables. That same overwhelming amount also told me they never could eat them before they went bad. They had the best of intentions, but time got away from them. Hmmm.

My first suggestion is always to buy only what you need.

But my second suggestion is to be aware of the lifespan of your food. Food, real food, is supposed to go bad. So keep an eye on it. And when it’s been in there for awhile, why not make soup? Soup is a natural food to gravitate to on a budget. For years, people have stretched this dish to feed as many people as needed. Just add water…or in this case, broth. Don’t worry, no large stockpot required. A simple medium saucepan will do. You also can play loosy goosy with the ingredients. The idea is to use what’s on hand.

The following recipe is a variation of a soup my sister gave to me, just in mini version.

ITALIAN BEAN AND VEGETABLE SOUP (aka…cleaning out the refrigerator soup)
2- 3 servings, just like a can of soup!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 – 2 celery stalks, chopped
1 – 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
Half a medium onion, chopped
1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 – 2 cups vegetable broth
½ cup canned diced tomatoes with juice (or 1/3 cup of red pasta sauce)
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper
½ cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 2 cups baby spinach (or any other leafy green)
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Cook vegetables for around 3-5 minutes, until they start to soften. Add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes (or sauce) bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, and beans. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes so flavors can combine. Turn off heat and add baby spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted. Take out the bay leaf before ladling soup into a bowl. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top for garnish.

COMFORT FOOD FOR ONE: BAKED SPAGHETTI NIGHT

2010-02-10T17:38:00.003-06:00

If it’s one thing people living on their own know how to make, it’s a bowl of spaghetti. Nothing to it, right? You boil some water and throw pasta in for 9-11 minutes. You open a jar of red sauce and heat it up. Combine both and top with the contents of the little green canister. If you’re feeling really sassy, there may be ground beef or turkey involved or even frozen meatballs from the bag!

I’m not here to toy with people’s spaghetti sauce. It’s like messing with someone’s stuffing recipe at Thanksgiving. Some folks have to have a specific brand or recipe. I get that. But if you are open to giving it a try, I’d like to challenge you to make your own sauce. Not only is it cheaper and takes as much time as opening a jar and heating up the contents, but you can tailor it to your personal taste. If there is one argument I can make in defense of cooking for yourself, it’s that you can make it the way YOU like. If you can save a little money in the process, why wouldn’t you try it at least once? And hey, if you keep onions, canned tomatoes, olive oil, and various seasonings on hand anyway, why would you duplicate those ingredients by purchasing jarred sauce? Spend that $1.99 - $6.00 somewhere else.

What follows is a very basic recipe for red sauce. You can jazz it up anyway you want. But the base recipe is this.

EASY RED SAUCE
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:
1 ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil
½ medium onion, diced-roughly ½ cup
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1 – 2 Bay leaves (optional)
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, 5-10 minutes. Don’t let it burn or get too brown. If the heat is too high, lower the temp.

Once onions and garlic are soft, lower heat and add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves,salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*By the way, you can freeze tomato sauce. I usually take 1 cup out for my immediate use. The other 2 cups are divided among freezer bags, 1 cup per bag. Cool the sauce in the refrigerator overnight, then move to the freezer. You don’t want to put hot tomato sauce in the freezer. Disaster.

**You can also portion the sauce in half cup portions in muffin tins. Line a muffin tin with plastic wrap and fill each cup with ½ cup of sauce. Cover with another layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool. Then transfer to freezer. Once frozen, the cups can be removed from the tin and put into a freezer bag or container for use later on.

EXTRAS:
For a chunky tomato sauce, add a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes. Or mix it up using a 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 15 oz. can of crushed. Have sun-dried tomatoes on hand? Throw some of those in for added sweetness.

If you do have sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, use the oil from the tomato jar to cook the onions and garlic. Tasty.

Want a sweeter sauce? Try adding 1 – 2 tsp. of ground cinnamon to your sauce.

Want it spicy? Add 1 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. of crushed red pepper flakes.

Red wine is a lovely enhancement to red sauce. For a bit of richness, put a ½ cup of wine in while sauce is simmering. It brings out the tomato taste.

Have some veggies on hand? I’ve added chopped green peppers, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant to my sauce.

No desire to chop onions? Most vegetables are available in the frozen foods section. These are perfect opportunities to use those vegetables, and prevent yourself from crying.

Now that the basic sauce is out of the way, I’d like to introduce you to a dish I like called FULLY LOADED SPAGHETTI. This is based on a baked spaghetti dish I had long ago at a pizza joint in my hometown. You can make it as full fat or figure friendly, meat loving or vegi-rific as you want based on the ingredients you use. I always use whole grain pasta, low fat cheese, lean ground meat, and turkey pepperoni. Here’s my favorite combination.

FULLY LOADED SPAGHETTI
Serves 1 pasta loving single

Ingredients:
2 oz. spaghetti, broken in half and cooked according to directions
1 tsp. olive oil
¼ cup onions, diced
¼ cup green peppers, diced
¼ - ½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 oz. ground beef, turkey, or pork
½ Tbsp. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, a pinch each
½ cup red pasta sauce, more if you like a lot of sauce
2 oz. grilled chicken strips
7 slices of pepperoni, halved
2 Tbsp. black olives, sliced
¼ cup mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a medium baking dish (3 cup to be safe) with cooking spray.
Cook pasta as directed and drain.
Over medium – high heat, heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onions and peppers. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until slightly soft, another 3 – 5 minutes. If using raw ground beef, turkey or pork, crumble into skillet and add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is no longer pink.
Add the tomato sauce, chicken strips, pepperoni and olives to skillet and stir until warmed through.
Add the spaghetti to the skillet and toss to combine.
Transfer spaghetti mix to prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for 15 – 20 minutes until cheese is melted and browned.

COMFORT FOOD: SHEPHERD'S PIE

2010-02-09T19:07:00.004-06:00

Well, it’s snowing. Nice fluffy, treacherous on the highways kind of snow. It’s one of those days that you just want to get into your stretchy pants and giant, oversized sweatshirt that you’ve had well over 15 years. You know the one, with the frayed elastic around the cuffs. You might even be waltzing around your apartment with fluffy, red, Tweetie Bird socks with the slipper bottoms that your dad, bless his heart, gave you for Christmas two years ago. Embarrassing if anyone caught you in them? Sure. Only socks you own that keep your feet warm and toasty in a draughty apartment? HELL YEAH!

I’m speaking hypothetically of course.

So I come home and realize I must make myself dinner. I want something hearty. I want something tasty. I want something easy. I want SHEPHERD’S PIE.

So I quickly peruse my various cookbooks for recipes and there it is…the recipe in THE JOY OF COOKING. I put my stellar math skills to work, peruse my cupboards and freezer. Well, no more potatoes. But, and I’m sort of embarrassed to admit this, I do have an envelope of instant mashed potatoes. Not sure why that’s there, but the expiration date hasn’t passed. And though I could’ve used the ground turkey, I decided to use the ground beef that Peapod accidentally included in my order last month, which I’ve been keeping in my freezer. 40 minutes later, I’m eating a bowl of pure comfort.

For my Irish friends out there, I know what I’m about to explain is technically called COTTAGE PIE since it’s made with beef and not lamb, but I say use whatever you have on hand, call it what you want and eat it.

WINTER SHEPHERD’S (or) COTTAGE PIE
Serves one safe-in-one's-own-cottage single

Ingredients:
1 tsp. canola oil
¼ cup celery, chopped
¼ cup carrots, chopped
¼ cup onions, chopped
4 oz. ground beef, lamb, turkey, chicken, pork, or even soy crumbles while we’re at it
1 ½ tsp. flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable, chicken, or beef broth
Pinch of dried thyme
Pinch of dried rosemary
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup of mashed potatoes (acquired any way you deem necessary)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2 cup baking dish, soup bowl or ramekin with cooking spray.

In a medium skillet, heat oil and add celery, carrots, and onion. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but not brown, about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium and add ground beef (or lamb, etc.) Break up the meat with a spoon and cook until meat loses its pink color, 5-7 minutes. Spoon off excess fat if necessary.

To the meat and vegetables, add flour and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the broth, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Reduce to low and stir occasionally until thickened.

Transfer skillet mixture to the prepared dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top, making peaks with a fork, if you want to be fancy.

Bake until the potatoes are slightly browned, 25 – 30 minutes.

Let it cool slightly before serving.

Want an even easier version of this dish? Check out this recipe from my favorite magazine in the world, REAL SIMPLE.

The calculations for one are as follows:

¼ pound (4 oz.) ground beef
1 ½ Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup frozen peas and carrots
½ cup mashed potatoes

COMFORT FOOD FOR ONE: MEATLOAF MONDAY

2010-02-08T20:14:00.003-06:00

It’s February. Most of the Mid-Atlantic is under multiple FEET of snow. Here in Chicago, we are bracing for our own snowstorm starting tonight, into tomorrow, and not ending until Wednesday. I’m going through moisturizer and lip balm as if I had stock in those companies. And what I wanted more than anything tonight was comfort food.
This week’s challenge for myself is to do single servings of comfort food. I’m still working under the challenge to use only things in my refrigerator. But I’m hoping between this week’s shopping trip (totaling $16.63…WooHoo) and what I had around the house, I can come up with some meals that will feed your tummy and your soul.

Tonight….MEATLOAF MONDAY!

Think meatloaf for one can’t be done without a little help from our frozen meal friends. Au contraire, mes amies. Behold…meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots.

BBQ MEATLOAF
1 comfortable serving

Ingredients:
1 egg white or 1 Tbsp. liquid egg substitute
Splash of milk, no more than 1 tsp.
1 ½ Tbsp. quick oats
4 oz. lean ground turkey, ground chicken or ground beef
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. chopped bell pepper (any color)
3 Tbsp. BBQ sauce divided
¼ tsp. grill seasoning (or salt and pepper)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray small baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk egg white or egg substitute with milk. Stir in oats and let stand, allowing oats to soak up liquid, at least 2 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combined turkey, onion, bell pepper, oatmeal mixture, 1 Tbsp. barbecue sauce, and seasoning. Mix just until combined.

Transfer meat mixture to prepared baking dish and form into a loaf, no more than 2 inches high. Spoon the remaining 2 Tbsp. of barbecue sauce over the meatloaf.

Bake for 25 – 35 minutes or until done (if you have an instant read thermometer it should register 160 degrees when inserted into meat)

Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Put a sheet of aluminum foil over the dish to keep warm.

**If doubling for extras or for two, use 1 egg white, 1 Tbsp. milk, and 3 Tbsp. oats. You can double the rest of the ingredients and make two mini loaves or 1 big meatloaf. You may have to increase the cooking time to 40 minutes.

WAIT, don’t have Barbecue Sauce? Before you run out to the store, take a look around to see if you have things on hand to make your own. There are thousands of recipes for BBQ sauce on the web, but here’s a basic, no cook sauce.

IMPROVISED BBQ SAUCE
Makes about 1/3 cup

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (feel free to use any vinegar you have on hand)
2 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. chili powder

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in bowl until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate after use.

Can’t have meatloaf without mashed potatoes. This easy recipe uses one of my favorite multi-taskers, Plain Yogurt

TANGY SMASHED POTATOES

Ingredients:
1 medium Yukon or Russet Potato, chopped in medium pieces, peeled if you like
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt (or sour cream if you have it)
Salt, pepper, butter to taste

Directions:
Add chopped potatoes to a small saucepan and fill ¾ of the way up with cold water. Bring potatoes to a boil. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.

Drain potatoes and put back in the saucepan.

Add yogurt, salt, pepper, and butter. Mash with potato masher or fork until desired consistency.

Many people prefer peas with their meatloaf and mashed potatoes. However, if you want a real treat, try these carrots. It’s the way my mom got us to eat carrots as kids and I’ve made them this way ever since. Feel free to play around with spices. Not only have I used ginger, but cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, clove, and thyme.

ORANGE GLAZED CARROTS

Ingredients:
1/3 cup orange juice
½ Tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 – ¼ tsp. ginger (optional)
1 ½ cup raw baby carrots

Directions:
Combine orange juice, brown sugar, and ginger in a microwave safe dish.
Add carrots (and butter if desired) Stir to coat.
Cover with lid or plastic wrap and microwave 5-8 minutes, or until fork tender.

Until tomorrow friends. Stay warm. Stay safe.

DINNER, WITH MINIMUM EFFORT

2010-02-05T19:51:00.003-06:00

I don’t know what it is about Fridays that turn me into a lazy blob. Maybe it’s because I can finally stop what I’m doing and take a breather. Unless I have a show that night, in which case I’ve learned not to sit down. ‘Cause once I sit on my comfy couch, it’s all over.

Since the beginning of the New Year, my Fridays have been relaxing dinner and movie nights for my sweetie and me. But since both of us are actors, we are bound to end up in weekend performances sooner or later. And this weekend marks his first weekend of performances. So I am now what we lovingly refer to as a “theatre widow.”

But dinner and movie night will continue. I’m armed with one of my AFI Top 100 Films of All Time selection…BONNIE AND CLYDE. Sure, I could order a pizza or Chinese food. But I have everything on hand to make one of my minimum effort meals.

VEGETABLE FAJITA BOWL
Serves 1 tired single

Ingredients:
1 tsp. canola oil
1 small-medium onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, any color, sliced in strips
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ - 1 tsp. chili powder
1/8 – ¼ tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of lime juice (optional)
1 cup steamed rice (white or brown)
¼ cup salsa, divided
1 – 2 Tbsp. sour cream or plain yogurt
Chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Heat oil in a medium – large skillet

Once oil has had a chance to warm, drop in onion, bell pepper. Saute for about 2 minutes.

Add garlic and sliced mushrooms to the skillet. Saute vegetables for an additional 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are soft.

Add chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper and sauté 3- 5 more minutes until vegetables get some color on them. Remove from heat and squeeze lime juice over vegetables, if desired.

In a bowl, combine rice and 2 Tbsp. salsa. If rice isn’t warm, heat in microwave.

Pour vegetables over the rice and top with remaining 2 Tbsp. of salsa, sour cream or yogurt, and cilantro.

EXTRAS
Feel free to add any vegetables you want. I’ve made this with zucchini, corn, carrots. The idea is to use what’s on hand.

Likewise, if you have a Southwestern or Mexican seasoning blend, feel free to use that instead of the chili powder, cumin, etc. And remember, season to YOUR taste. If you like it spicy, add more chili powder or cumin. You can use hot sauce and even a diced jalapeno to get to your desired heat level.

Want protein? Try adding ½ cup of black beans or 3 oz. of cooked chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. You can find pre-packaged cooked meats in various flavors, including Southwestern.

No desire to chop vegetables? You can find peppers and onions and sometimes a combo of both in the frozen food aisle. Drop into the skillet and sauté as usual.

If you have it on hand, top with shredded cheddar, guacamole, even lettuce. Anything you find on one of those plates when you order fajitas in a restaurant.

Omit the rice and fill tortillas with the vegetable mixture for vegetable fajitas.

MIGHTY MULTI-TASKER: PLAIN YOGURT

2010-02-04T16:07:00.004-06:00

There are a few items I will always keep in the house. My adoration of oatmeal is pretty apparent. My pantry will always contain a can of pumpkin puree so I can get a quick veggie boost. Peanut butter, though strategically placed out of site, is always around. And always, ALWAYS, a 32 oz. container of plain, non-fat yogurt is in the refrigerator.

I have this thing for blank canvases. Maybe it’s because I’m a creative person and make a percentage of my income from my work in the theatre. But I just love the freedom certain foods lend themselves to. By themselves, they are nothing extraordinary. But paired with other ingredients, they become flavor packed meals.

Why plain yogurt? I think it goes back to my weight loss days. I had to get so many servings of fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats into my day. I’ve never been a fan of artificial sweeteners so the light, flavored yogurts, though low in calories, didn’t taste great to me. Plus, even if they are fruit flavored, they don’t have a serving of fruit in any of the containers. So for me, the biggest bang for my nutritional buck was to buy plain yogurt and add whatever ingredients I wanted, even creating flavors you can’t find on a supermarket shelf. Plain yogurt can also be used as a great alternative to sour cream, mayonnaise, and even cream cheese so I don’t always have to have those items on hand.

Here are a few of my favorite yogurt recipes. One breakfast that will give you a serving of dairy and a serving of vegetables. One dip for anything from tortilla chips to pretzels to veggies.

PUMPKIN MAPLE SPICE YOGURT

Ingredients:
1 cup plain yogurt (whole milk, low fat or non-fat will do)
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp. vanilla
¼ cup granola (optional)

Directions:
Combine yogurt, pumpkin, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla in a bowl. Top with granola and serve.

EXTRAS:
Make it a pumpkin yogurt parfait. Combine yogurt, ½ Tbsp. of maple syrup, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, remaining ½ Tbsp. maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. In a serving dish, spoon in half of the pumpkin mixture, followed by half of the yogurt mixture, followed by 2 Tbsp. of granola. Repeat each layer ending with the granola.

Got a crunchy granola bar? Chop that up and use instead of granola.

Substitute any crunchy cereal or chopped nuts (might I suggest pecans) for the granola layer.

Have some dried cranberries or raisins on hand. Feel free to toss in a few Tbsp.

In college, several classmates worked at the Mexican restaurant down the street. Whenever we’d go in, we would request a bowl of Garbage Dip along with our chips and salsa. Below is the super simple recipe. I use yogurt in place of the original sour cream, but if you have sour cream on hand, use it! Feel free to make it as fattening or figure friendly as you like. It’s a great version of a product currently on shelves for a fraction of the cost.

GARBAGE DIP
For 1 serving

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Plain Yogurt (or sour cream if you have it)
1 Tbsp. ranch dressing
1 Tbsp. salsa

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and serve with your favorite dippers.

For a crowd, I make 1 cup of dip at a time, using 1/3 cup of each ingredient.

Want one more way to use that yogurt? Try making yogurt cheese, a great substitute for cream cheese. All you need is yogurt, a coffee filter, a strainer, a bowl, and plastic wrap. Try it with 1 cup of yogurt to begin with.

DO YOU LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM?

2010-02-03T20:57:00.005-06:00

My nephew is obsessed with this classic Dr. Seuss book. Over the summer I sent him the DVD of this tale and his mom casually mentioned that I knew how to make Green Eggs and Ham. Every time we spoke, he would ask me when I was coming to teach him how to make Green Eggs and Ham. Every time, I would tell him we could do it over Christmas.

You can best believe he remembered our conversation from the summer. And sure enough, the first morning I was in town, I was reminded that I had a breakfast date at my sister’s house.

I find it fitting that the below dish was my entry for the recent reality show audition. Combining several dishes I had seen in cookbooks and on TV, inspired by my favorite blonde 4 year old.

This is perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It reheats well and it’s pretty economical. Feel free to take shortcuts like jarred pesto, egg substitute, or pre-shredded potatoes. If you need to make green eggs sans ham, might I suggest a little chopped sun-dried tomato for some color and zip. I suggest eating this with a salad with a lemon vinegarette.

GREEN EGGS AND HAM BREAKFAST CUP

Ingredients:

1 small-medium Yukon Gold or Russet potato, shredded, about 1/3 cup
¼ tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1 – 1 ½ tsp. pesto
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 oz. ham or Canadian bacon, chopped.
1 tsp. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a 2 cup baking dish or oven safe bowl with cooking spray.

In the prepared bowl, combine shredded potato, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate all ingredients. Press potato mixture down as tight as possible to form a “crust.”

Bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until potato is brown and crispy.

Once potato crust is out of the oven, lower the heat to 325 degrees.

As potato crust cools slightly, whisk egg, milk, pesto, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour egg mixture over potatoes. Add chopped ham to the egg mixture. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool at least 10 minutes to allow eggs to set. Eat right out of the bowl. Garnish with sun-dried tomatoes if you are fancy!

*You can make these in muffin tins or a pie plate and triple the recipe for a brunch. When ready to serve, run your knife around the edge of the baking dish to loosen the egg cups. The picture is this recipe done in a muffin tin.

ANYONE HAVE THE TIME?

2010-02-02T10:29:00.004-06:00

Over the weekend, I was filming my audition tape for that reality show that I thought had passed on me. I was contacted late last week to submit a home audition tape and spent my weekend locating a camera & cameraman, filming and then finding someone to burn a DVD for me. (Thanks B!) I’m pleased to say the stars aligned and I was able to complete this assignment by today’s deadline. Fly submission tape. Fly!

While chatting with my cameraman, aka, my friend Tripp, the subject came up as to how I find time to cook every night. He, like so many of us, comes home and is worn out from everything he had to do that day. The energy to cook just isn’t there.

I definitely can relate to this situation. In addition to a day job, I’m also an actor and choreographer. I could go from my civilian job directly to my theatre gigs without stopping at home. If I do stop at home in between, it’s for no more than an hour. Many times, my day starts at 6:30am and ends at 11pm. So trust me when I say I get busy and exhausted.

The solution that works for me is to take a pocket of time, usually on Sunday morning, to prepare for the week. The time you take on that one day will save you time, frustration, and money. It doesn’t have to be a long chunk of time. Usually an hour will do. That’s the time that I clean and chop vegetables for snacks or salads then stick them in containers to grab from all week. I portion out oatmeal or yogurt into individual containers for the breakfasts. Soups and salads are put into containers that can be grabbed out of the refrigerator. If I have the time, I’ll bake some chicken breasts or cook pasta that can be tossed with sauces or into soups. If I’m really in the mood, I’ll bake muffins or make a batch of pancakes to be kept in the refrigerator or freezer and warmed in the microwave for a quick breakfast.

Because I spent my weekend working on this audition, my hour of prep took place last night. I washed and chopped lettuce, peppers, celery and carrots which then went into containers for this week. The roasted pork loin from Saturday night was sliced to be used in sandwiches, stir fry, and on top of a salad. The remainder of the blue cheese and cheddar was made into one serving of mac and cheese for today’s lunch. A can of vegetable soup was divided between two containers for lunches later in the week. A batch of vinegarette was whipped up (which will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks) I assembled my smoothie ingredients for today’s breakfast in the blender container (milk, yogurt, frozen berries, honey) and stored that in the refrigerator to be blended this morning. Then I made myself a salad and a Cuban panini for dinner using some of the roast pork, the last of the ham and an Arnold’s sandwich roll. One hour total!

I don’t tell you this to show off. The point I’m trying to make is whatever your week looks like, plan for it, even for an hour. It’ll make the rest of the week a little less frustrating.

Oh, and here’s the recipe for the Blue Cheese and Cheddar Mac & Cheese, if you are so inclined.

BLUE CHEESE AND CHEDDAR MAC AND CHEESE
Makes one giant bowl or 2 figure friendly servings

Ingredients:
1 cup short cut pasta
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cup milk, warmed in the microwave for 1 minute
2 oz. blue cheese (1/2 cup)
2 oz. cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta according to directions. Over medium heat, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour and cook together until thoroughly combined. Slowly pour in heated milk. Whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in cheeses. Once cheese in thoroughly melted, whisk in Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Drain pasta and toss into cheese sauce. Pour into serving bowl and serve immediately…or let cool and refrigerate for lunch or dinner the next day!

YOU GOT MY PEANUT BUTTER IN MY OATMEAL

2010-02-01T10:59:00.008-06:00

If there is one food in the world I adore, it would be Peanut Butter. Since early childhood, I can remember sneaking spoonfuls out of the jar when no one was looking. If my mother caught me, she would give a stern warning that I would choke on peanut butter if I didn’t put it on something like bread or an apple. Always, I would face danger and consume mass amounts of “peanut butter pops” as I lovingly referred to them. To this day, I am known to keep two jars of this creamy goodness in the house. One to share, which my spoon will never touch, one for my personal consumption, where I’m allowed to double dip freely.

For me, peanut butter does border on an addiction. Hey, admitting it is the first step. Sure, it’s a good fat, a great source of protein, it’s relatively inexpensive. But as a wise man once said, “Too much of anything is still too much.” There are times that I will ban the stuff from the house. If I am keeping it in the home, it goes on the highest shelf where a step ladder is needed to get to it. If I buy the natural stuff that has to be kept refrigerated, the jar is strategically masked by a gallon of milk or a wall of vegetables.

So when I got that craving for peanut butter this weekend, I decided to be a responsible eater and not grab the large serving spoon and my jar. I went ahead and paired it with another one of my favorites, oatmeal.

I give you A Study in Oatmeal-The Peanut Butter Variations.

PEANUT BUTTER AND APPLE OATMEAL

Ingredients:
1 cup milk or water
½ cup quick oats
½ cup applesauce
½ Tbsp. peanut butter
¼ tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
In a saucepan, bring milk or water just to the point of boiling. Stir in oatmeal and cook for a minute. As oatmeal thickens, stir in applesauce, peanut butter and cinnamon. Cook until desired consistency and pour into bowl. Serve immediately.

Microwave Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl, combine milk or water and oats. Heat on high for 1 minute. Stir in applesauce, peanut butter and cinnamon. Heat on high for 1 – 1 ½ minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until desired consistency. Serve immediately.

*Want to try something completely different? Try a PEANUT BUTTER AND CARROT OATMEAL. Don’t look at me that way, you eat carrot sticks and PB, don’t you? Omit the applesauce. Substitute ½ cup of carrot juice and ½ cup of water for the full cup of milk or water. Stir is ¼ tsp. of ground ginger in place of the cinnamon. Heck, if you have shredded carrots, throw a Tbsp. or two in with the oatmeal to let them soften a bit. BTW, don't add sugar to this one since the carrot juice is enough for me. But feel free to use your sweetener of choice. Honey or maple syrup would be my go to.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY OATMEAL

Ingredients:
1 cup milk or water
½ cup quick oats
½ - 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
½ - 1 Tbsp. strawberry jam, jelly, or preserves (or whatever flavor you like)

Directions:
In a saucepan, bring milk or water just to the point of boiling. Stir in oatmeal and cook for a minute. As oatmeal thickens, stir in peanut butter. Cook until desired consistency and pour into bowl. Top with jelly and swirl to combine. Serve immediately.

Microwave Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl, combine milk or water and oats. Heat on high for 1 minute. Stir in peanut butter. Heat on high for 1 – 1 ½ minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until desired consistency. Top with jelly and swirl to combine. Serve immediately.

*No jelly? Try 1 Tbsp. of honey mixed in for a PEANUT BUTTER AND HONEY OATMEL.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP OATMEAL
(Want a healthy Reese’s Cup? It doesn’t exist. But this little dish is a great alternative)

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ cup quick oats
½ - 1 Tbsp. peanut butter

Directions:
In a saucepan, bring milk, cocoa powder, and sugar just to the point of boiling. Stir in oatmeal and cook for a minute. As oatmeal thickens, stir in peanut butter. Cook until desired consistency and pour into bowl. Serve immediately.

Microwave Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl, combine milk, cocoa, sugar and oats. Heat on high for 1 minute. Stir in peanut butter. Heat on high for 1 – 1 ½ minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until desired consistency. Serve immediately.

*Have a packet of hot chocolate mix? Substitute the hot chocolate mix for the cocoa powder and sugar. You can even make this one with water instead of milk. Perfect if you want to lower the sugar and use a No Sugar Added brand.

**Don’t want to use sugar or a sugar substitute? Want to sneak in a serving of fruit? Omit the Tbsp. of sugar and mash up half a banana. Stir in with the peanut butter for a Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Oatmeal.

MEATLESS MEAL-Pesto Potato Pancakes w/Lemon Egg Soup (Avgolemono)

2010-01-27T19:59:00.003-06:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I try to do a meatless meal a few times a week. Because I had turkey and ham in my refrigerator from my speedy recipe development session over the weekend, I wanted to use that first. Cooked meat only lasts a few days (3 or 4) in the refrigerator before it’s really not safe to consume. So I’ve had to neglect my vegetarian friends until now.

I bought a ton of basil this weekend and as the days progressed, I realized I wasn’t using it and a few leaves started to show signs of turning. Because I had all of the ingredients on hand, I went ahead and made homemade pesto last evening. I won’t go into my recipe, which is actually a conglomeration of Rachel Ray’s and Martha Stewart’s. But I will tell you even if you make your own or buy store bought, it freezes beautifully. My friend Tim taught me a trick of filling muffin tins (regular or mini) with pesto, then freezing it. Once frozen, pop them out and store the little “pesto pops” in a freezer bag. That way you don’t have to defrost the whole container if you want a little. It also helps to line the muffin tins with plastic wrap before you fill them for easy removal.

So in looking around my kitchen and pantry, I came up with this tasty little dish. Frankly, the potato pancakes are perfect for any meal of the day. For you carnivores, might I suggest some baked ham or Canadian bacon as an accompaniment for breakfast. Want to keep it meat free? Perhaps serve it with and egg or two. And I had to figure out what to do with that rogue egg yolk. You won’t find this Greek soup in a can. Plus it’s extremely easy and uses very few ingredients. Enjoy my veggie friends.

PESTO POTATO PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS

1 medium potato, peeled if you like
1 egg white
2 Tbsp. chopped onion or ¼ tsp. onion powder
1 ½ tsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
Pinch of pepper
2 tsp. basil pesto (homemade or store bought)
Cooking spray
1 Tbsp. Sour Cream or plain yogurt
½ Tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Grate the potato and squeeze out most of the liquid (blot with a paper towel if necessary). Place potatoes in a bowl. Add egg, onion or onion powder, flour, salt, pepper, and pesto; mix well. Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray, set over medium heat. Drop potato batter by ¼ cupfuls; press to flatten. Fry until golden brown on both sides, 4-6 minutes per side. Hit the hot pancakes with a little bit more salt once hot. Combine sour cream and chopped tomatoes. Dollop sour cream mixture onto potato pancakes. Serve immediately.

LEMON EGG SOUP - (Avgolemono)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of pepper
Lemon zest and parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk egg yolk, lemon juice and pepper until well blended, then slowly whisk in ¼ cup of the hot broth, 1 Tbsp. at a time. This is called tempering the eggs, meaning you bring them up to a similar temperature as your cooking liquid. You don’t want scrambled eggs! Lower heat; add egg mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring until heated through. (Don't boil! Eggs will curdle.)
Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Ladle into bowl and sprinkle each serving with a little Parmesan.

EXTRAS
• Substitute lemon pepper for the regular pepper in the soup for an added zip.
• If making soup alone, feel free to use an entire egg.
• Have a pasteurized liquid egg product on hand? Use 2 Tbsp. of liquid eggs for either the egg white or the egg yolk.
• Can’t or don’t want to shred potatoes? Feel free to use 1 cup of pre-shredded hash brown potatoes, located in the refrigerator section. I’m not so sure about the frozen ones, but feel free to try.
• Have some carrots or zucchini on hand? Shred those into your potatoes to increase your serving size. You may need to add additional pesto.
• Keep your potato pancakes warm by placing on an oven safe plate or baking sheet lined with foil. Put it into a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.

Have a can of chicken noodle or chicken rice soup on hand? Check out this shortcut recipe. If my math is correct, you should get 2-3 servings out of it.

WHAT'S FOR LUNCH, Y'ALL

2010-01-26T19:02:00.003-06:00

If I could meet one chef in the entire universe, it would be Paula Deen, aka, The Butter Whisperer as she’s sometimes referred to in my circle of friends. Maybe it’s because everything she makes seems like comfort food. Maybe it’s because she speaks in that Southern drawl that I spent 4 years and thousands of dollars getting rid of in a professional actors’ training program. Maybe it’s because I find her part chef, part performance artist. Maybe it’s because she fries butter and makes donut burgers. Or maybe, it’s because she has the classic story of overcoming adversity to fulfill her dream.

Whatever the case, I adore the woman. I once sat with my sisters in the 4th row of the Chicago Theatre at 10:30 in the morning watching her tell stories and cook roast pork tenderloin, broccoli and mashed turnips. I though I would leap out of my chair from the smells that came across the proscenium. I may have actually dropped a tear or two from being on sensory overload.

Last year, I tried to cook my way through her cookbook, THE LADY AND SONS, much like Julie Powell did with Julia Child’s MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING. Unfortunately, that idea was abandoned after gaining 10 pounds in a month and realizing if I didn’t stop, all the work I had done to take the 60 pounds off 2 years earlier would be in vain. But every once in awhile, I pull out Paula’s books and attempt to give her recipes a healthy makeover.

Since I had my leftover mac and cheese from last night for dinner, I took some time to make lunch for tomorrow. Again, using the ingredients I already had on hand. And for my friends who are not ready to conquer the stove, this one is an assembly only dish.

LEMON BASIL TURKEY SALAD
(a lighter alternative to Paula Deen’s Lemon Basil Chicken Salad)
1 Giant Serving or 2 smaller servings

INGREDIENTS
1 cup diced cooked turkey breast
1 rib minced celery
1 Tbsp. chopped basil leaves
2 Tbsp. nonfat plain yogurt, nonfat Greek yogurt or light sour cream
2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
½ tsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine turkey, celery, and basil. In a small bowl, combine yogurt or sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add to turkey mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill.

EXTRAS
•By all means, if you have chicken, use chicken. Got some slivered almonds, toss them in for some added crunch.
•Want more crunch and some extra veggies? Chop up an extra rib of celery.
•If you like it a little less creamy, reduce the yogurt or sour cream and mayo to 1 ½ Tbsp. each. Or add more turkey.
•Got some cooked shrimp? Substitute 1 cup of cooked, peeled and halved shrimp for the turkey.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

2010-01-25T18:31:00.005-06:00

Over the weekend, I had a unique opportunity to audition for a new reality show which features budding chefs who have never had culinary training. Since I had extremely short notice for this opportunity, I raced into panic mode and spent a whirlwind weekend at the grocery store and in my kitchen trying to come up with an amazing dish to wow the taste testers.

Alas, I didn’t make it past the first round. But I’m not too heartbroken about it. I enjoy watching reality shows, but the pressure for this challenge alone worked my nerves into a tizzy. I can only imagine what having timed challenges would do to me. So I think it’s for the best.

However, I now have an abundance of food in my refrigerator bought specifically for my recipe development for this challenge. This week’s food budget is spent and I’m not about to waste perfectly good ingredients. So for the next few days, I’m challenging myself to use up what I have on hand.

When I was preparing for my audition, I had no idea what to cook. What I ultimately came up with I will share later in the week…once I can eat it again and enjoy it. But I ran a poll to my family, friends and acquaintances and my sisters’ friends and acquaintances (Shout out to my kick ass sisters for doing mad texting and e-mailing on a Friday night) Several people came up with a sandwich from my home state of Kentucky that I haven’t had in years. THE HOT BROWN. This is an open-faced sandwich originally served at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY. It’s a layer of Texas toast, roast turkey breast, tomato slices, cheese sauce, and bacon strips. Dear Lord in heaven, I’m drooling just thinking about it. So I bought the ingredients to see if I could come up with something incorporating the basic ingredients. After some attempts, I abandoned those ingredients altogether, but now they are sitting in my refrigerator. So I looked around at what I had on hand and came up with this dish for this evening’s dinner.

KENTUCKY HOT BROWN MAC AND CHEESE
Makes 1 very generous serving, or 2 figure friendly servings
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 strips of bacon
1 cup short cut pasta (macaroni, rotini, penne, etc.)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¾ cup milk (heated in microwave for 1 minute)
4 ounces of shredded swiss cheese (roughly 1 cup)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of paprika
3 oz. cooked turkey, chopped (roughly 1 cup)
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
½ Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Microwave bacon on plate between two paper towels for 2 -3 minutes, or until crisp. Once cooled, crumble bacon into bits. Set aside.

2. Bring a small - medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions.

3. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly until golden, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and add the heated milk SLOWLY. Bring the mixture to a simmer and whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes.

4. Reduce the heat on the milk mixture to low and add the cheese, stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Congratulations, you have now made homemade cheese sauce. Add the Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika.

5. Drain the pasta in a colander and add to the cheese sauce. Stir in turkey, bacon bits, and diced tomato. Stir until turkey is heated through. Before serving, top with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

EXTRAS!!!
•Substitute Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby cheese for the Swiss. Use 2 Tbsp. of cooked bacon bits for a time saving short cut.

•No fresh tomato? Substitute ¼ cup of canned diced tomatoes, drained. Or 1 Tbsp. of chopped sun-dried tomato.

•Want to sneak in a vegetable? Try adding 1 -2 cups of raw spinach once turkey is heated through. Let it wilt slightly before removing from heat.

•Need a crunchy topping? Preheat your broiler during stovetop cooking. Transfer to oven safe bowl and top with 1 - 2 Tbsp. breadcrumbs. Broil until crumbs are golden and crisp, 1 – 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn it!

•Lighten it up. Use skim milk, whole grain pasta, low fat cheese and turkey bacon.

SAVING SINGLES

2010-01-21T20:03:00.002-06:00

Saving money. We all want to do it. Some of us are forced into it. Others are trying to achieve a goal. Whatever the reason, it’s a reality for most of us.

I saw a story a few months ago about a couple who lived on $30 a month. They existed on oatmeal made with water, Tang, powdered milk, and baked their own bread each week for peanut butter sandwiches. Yes they did it, but I’m not quite sure if that much sacrifice is in order. I’m lucky enough to have a steady income (knock on wood) And frankly, there’s that whole quality of life thing that I try to achieve. So every time I see a “Champagne Taste on Beer Budget” article, I’ll read it. And some of those tips are pretty great. Bringing my own coffee to work saves me $10 a week. Brown bagging breakfasts, lunches and snacks, there’s another $50 a week. But I’ve got a car, rent, loans, insurance premiums, utility bills and credit cards to pay, not to mention just living expenses in general. And one income to do it with. So the last thing I want to hear is to join a warehouse store to save money. Sure, the idea of saving $20 on my toilet paper bill is appealing, but to break even on the membership fee, I’d also have to purchase the 2 year supply of multi-vitamins, 500 blank CD’s, the 10 pound bag of chicken breasts, and mega bottles of vodka, rum, and tequila. And which of my 2 closets in my vintage 1 bedroom apartment should I give up to store all of those “values?” It’s just not practical for me, a single gal, to buy in bulk.

So I embarked on a plan to cut, no SLASH, my grocery bill by a third. Would you believe that I feed myself on roughly $20 a week? That’s it. Sure, it may be a little more if I’m entertaining friends or if I plan something special with the boyfriend. But for the most part, I spend $20 a week. It definitely takes discipline. And a little bit of planning. But you can eat well and nutritiously on $20 a week per person.

PLAN YOUR MEALS
Every Saturday, I take a few minutes and see what I have on hand. If things are nearing an expiration date, I make a note to use it up. If I have multiples of items, I’ll note to start using those things. I look at my calendar and note what days I won’t be needing to provide my own food (lunch meeting, date, drinks with friends) Likewise, I’ll note what days I may have to bring every meal with me. Then starting with what I have on hand, I create meal ideas and write them down, like I would on a planner.
Once full meals are completed, I look again at what I have on hand and think of what I can do with some of the items with just a few additions. Maybe I have a can of black beans and salsa. I may purchase tortillas and cheese to make black bean and cheese quesadillas. I may look up what is necessary to make a batch of black bean soup. I could throw it in the food processor and make black bean dip then pick up some vegetables to dip in it. The point I’m trying to make is start with what you have on hand, what you have already paid money for.
You may want to glance at your store’s circular to see what’s on sale that week. Many times I’ll decide what I’m making based on what I can pick up inexpensively.

MAKE A LIST
This is crucial. Making a list puts your plan in motion and keeps you focused. If I relied on whims or picking up whatever looks good that day, I will have spent triple my budget. Then if I don’t feel like eating it anymore, it either goes bad or sits on a shelf for months. This is impulse buying and it’s detrimental to your wallet.

BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED
A lot of people will recommend that you shop by unit price (the price per serving or piece) rather than the cost of the food item. Personally, I shop by unit price only on shelf stable or freezer items that I use regularly. Think peanut butter, canned goods, pasta, and rice. Unit pricing is a great way to shop, unless the unused portions get thrown out. Then it’s wasteful. Also, be sure to check expiration dates, especially on perishable food. I once thought I was getting an amazing deal on yogurt, until I got my 20 cups home and noticed they expired that day. I think I was able to eat 3 or 4 before I was afraid of what was growing in them. Again, money down the drain.

GO GENERIC
This is something I’ve done ever since I started buying my own groceries. Many store brands are exactly the same nutritionally and ingredient wise as national brands. Read the labels to make sure, but more often than not, they are similar. Also, grocery stores do a marketing trick when stocking the shelves. Usually, the most expensive items are eye level. Look up and look down to find the lower priced items. Even if you have a coupon for an item, make sure the math adds up to being less expensive than a store brand.

CHOOSE MULTI-TASKERS
This is my favorite tip that I just recently incorporated. A multi-tasker is a food item that can morph into any number of recipes. I’ll use bread as an example. Bread is most commonly used to hold the contents of a sandwich. It also makes toast, French toast, it can be ground into bread crumbs to bind meatloaf or as a topping on a casserole. It can be cut into chunks to make croutons. Now, say English muffins are on sale at the store. You can still use English muffins as a breakfast food. But they also can hold the contents of a sandwich. They can become mini pizzas. They can be the bun for a hamburger. They can be ground into breadcrumbs to be used in a meatloaf or on top of a casserole. They can be toasted in the oven to make croutons. You get my drift. Why buy a loaf of bread AND English muffins AND hamburger buns AND a canister of breadcrumbs AND a box of salad croutons when one item, in our case, a loaf of bread or a package of English muffins can do all of those things.

USE MEAT WISELY
Meat is expensive to produce and expensive to buy. I’m not suggesting people go vegetarian. That is a personal decision. But I will say I saw a drastic change in my grocery bill when I started using meat as an accent. Maybe it’s a pork stir fry instead of pork chops. Maybe it’s chicken fajitas instead of a giant chicken breast. There are days that are just meat free and I get my protein from fish, beans, cheese, nuts or soy.
If you are a carnivore, try to stock up on meat when there is a sale. How do you know? Check the weekly circular at the store. And don’t just shove the package of meat into the freezer. Invest in a box of freezer bags and wrap portions separately. If you buy a pound of ground beef or turkey, separate it into 4 equal portions and wrap in plastic wrap, then put in a freezer bag. Make sure and label it with the date you bought it. That way, if you want a hamburger or something else that calls for ground meat, you are defrosting only what you need. Do the same for chicken breasts, pork chops, steaks, etc. Trust me, it takes less time to defrost 4 oz of meat than 1 pound.

DO IT YOURSELF
If nothing else, remember this mantra. You pay for convenience. Sometimes it’s worth it. But many times, we are talking 5 minutes of your time saving you $2 or $3. When you buy vegetables that need processing, say lettuce, don’t just go for the bag of chopped lettuce. I can get a head of romaine for 99 cents and 3 heads for $1.99. The pre-washed salad mix sells in my grocery store for roughly $3.29 and you get less than one head of lettuce. What is the hassle in running it under water, patting it dry in a towel and cutting or tearing it yourself? Stick the remainder in a container with damp paper towel to extend the life of your vegetables. Then use the money you saved on some good cheese to go on the lettuce.
Think of other things you can do yourself with a little extra time. Maybe make a batch of pancakes and freeze them. They are much cheaper than frozen waffles. Perhaps spend 5 minutes separating ½ cup of quick oats into containers or plastic bags so you can grab them, much like instant oatmeal. Want flavors? Throw some brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins in the bag for your own cinnamon raisin flavor. Or bring a ½ cup of apple sauce with you and toss it in when the oatmeal is cooking (plus you get a serving of fruit while you are at it)

Its little things like planning and spending small chunks of time preparing that help you save big bucks. And maybe you can’t get your grocery bill down to $20 a week. But even saving $5 a week eventually can add up to $260 a year. And I can think of many ways having an extra $260 will make my life easier.

HIDE AND GO SEEK…YOUR FRUITS AND VEGGIES

2010-01-19T22:00:00.005-06:00

According to the U.S. guidelines, the average adult should get between 5 and 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

When I asked friends and acquaintances if they did this, the first response I would usually get is “define serving.”

Sorry, but that wilted lettuce leaf and slice of tomato you get on your burger doesn’t count.

Roughly, a serving of fruit is one piece (think apple, orange, pear, peach, etc) or 1 cup (think pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, melon, etc) Sure, there are some outliers (1/2 a banana is 1 serving of fruit as is 1 1/2 cups of strawberries) But for the most part, one piece or 1 cup equals a serving of fruit.

Roughly, a serving of vegetables is 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked. Again, there are some outliers. Most lettuces and leafy greens will suggest 2 cups raw. And there are some veggies that aren’t technically a vegetable. Beside the “tomato is a fruit” argument, one can also argue that peas are legumes, therefore a protein source, avocados are health fats and corn is a whole grain, therefore, file it under the starch category. But frankly, I’ve never heard of anyone fighting the battle of the bulge because they ate too many peas and corn (unless they were doused in creams or butters on a regular basis)

But back to my initial question.

Does the average single person, no longer under the watchful eye of their parents, get their daily allotment of fruits and vegetables?

I probably don’t have to tell you that most said no. In fact, the overwhelming response was they get between 2 and 4 servings.

Aside from the occasional “I wouldn’t eat a vegetable if you paid me,” many folks just didn’t know how they could get more in. And several said they bought fruits and veggies each week, but the items they bought went bad before they could use them.

WOW, talk about throwing money, not to mention beneficial nutrients, in the trash.

So what to do?

Make a List
That’s right! You make a list of all the fruits and vegetables that you know you like. Good intentions are great, but be honest with yourself. If you aren’t going to eat those baby carrots, don’t buy them. If you adore oranges, make it a point to seek them out. Once you have your list of tried and true favorites, try to incorporate a serving of fruits or vegetables or both into each meal. Of course, I’m not saying don’t try fruits and vegetables. But consider trying them at a party or at a restaurant or at a friend’s house. That way, if you don’t like it, you aren’t stuck with it.

Have a Game Plan
Make sure your buying habits reflect what you will honestly consume. In order to prevent wasting money, have an idea of what your meals are going to be like for the week. Then, make an effort to purchase only the amount you need. Don’t get sucked into the great deal on strawberries or the buy one get one free bags of lettuce if you aren’t planning on having strawberries or salad sometime in the next few days. Good intentions need actions to become effective.

Buy Seasonal
When produce is in season, it’s not only less expensive, it tastes better. If something tastes better, you’re more likely to want to eat it.

Dip It
I find that if I make food fun, I can enjoy even the things that I’m not crazy about or really have no opinion on. Think about a veggie tray at a party. People usually will eat the vegetables because they are masked with dip. So why wait for a party? If you don’t mind baby carrots or celery sticks dipped in ranch dressing or hummus, then by all means, buy it. If you are watching your weight, perhaps sour cream based dips need to be used sparingly. But many veggies are pretty tasty dipped in salsa, peanut butter, yogurt, guacamole, black bean dips…I could go on.

Think Frozen or Canned
Frozen fruits and vegetables are a beautiful thing. Not only to they last longer, but they are generally frozen as soon as they are picked. If you are dining on a frozen dinner, try adding a cup of frozen veggies to your meal. Generally there is not a full serving of vegetables in those dinners. Frozen fruit makes amazing smoothies. You can also put a cup of frozen fruit and a touch of water in a saucepan then heat it to make a sauce. Add sweetener of choice to taste, then spoon over pancakes, waffles, stir into oatmeal or even pour over ice cream.

The right canned vegetable can be a life saver. I actually love canned beets. And many low fat vegetable soups are a good source of vegetables (read the labels and make sure the ingredient list contains vegetables at the top of the list…cream of whatever doesn’t count) In the dead of winter, canned tomatoes are great bases for sauces, soup and chili. But my very favorite canned vegetable is canned pumpkin.
I add pumpkin to yogurt, oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancake batter, cake mix, even instant pudding. It’s a great way to disguise vegetables and add much needed fiber.

In keeping with our Multi-tasker of the week, I leave you with my very favorite oatmeal breakfast…EVER.

PUMPKIN PIE OATMEAL

½ cup quick oats
1 cup water or skim milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
½ tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of ginger
Pinch of clove
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. brown sugar or maple syrup

Combine oats, water or milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, clove, salt, and brown sugar or maple syrup into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave in 30 second increments until desired consistency, stirring each time.

For stove top, prepare oatmeal according to directions. Stir in pumpkin, spices and brown sugar or maple syrup until warm. Enjoy!

*Have pumpkin pie spice? Use ½ - ¾ tsp. of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, ginger and clove.

Also, I’ve been known to top the oatmeal with whipped cream or non-dairy dessert topping, just to make me think I’m eating pumpkin pie!

MULTI-TASKER MONDAY

2010-01-18T22:13:00.002-06:00

Multi-task - the performance of multiple tasks at one time

For our purposes, a multi-tasker is an item you incorporate into your pantry that will perform many functions.

When searching ideas on how to cut your spending, many people will list the following ideas:

Go generic
Buy in bulk
Clip coupons
Make a list
Shop the circular
Don’t shop with kids.
Don’t shop hungry

All of these are excellent ideas. But I’ll tell you, as a single person, I’ve found the thing that really cuts my spending, not to mention freeing up storage space, is to purchase items that serve many purposes.

Each Monday, I’m going to focus on some of my favorite multi-taskers. Items that serve more than one role and really give you more bang for your hard earned buck.

Today’s Multi-tasker is one of my favorite foods ever…OATMEAL
Virtually, a blank canvas, oatmeal can do so many things.

Let’s just look at oatmeal from a nutritional standpoint. Low in fat. High in fiber, so it’s that “stick to your ribs” kind of food. Helps lower cholesterol.

It can be used as a breakfast food, makes excellent cookies, could be used as a binder for meatloaf, is a hell of a topping for fruit crisps, and ground up in a blender or food processor, it makes a great addition to pancakes.

Plus, it’s CHEAP. My canister of generic brand quick oats clocks in at 6 cents a serving. (Don’t get me started on flavored instant oatmeal packets. Not only do they have less fiber, but they come in at 63 cents a serving. And, if you microwave it instead of adding boiling water, the cooking time is the same had you gotten the quick oats)

I encourage you to experiment with flavors and mix-ins. The basic recipe for breakfast oatmeal is 2 parts liquid to 1 part oats. And don’t feel you should limit yourself to water or milk as the liquid. Experiment with fruit juices and mix-ins (FYI, if you use fruit juice as your liquid, cut half with water)

Here is one of my favorite recipes.

SPICE CAKE OATMEAL

Ingredients:

1/3 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup tomato juice or vegetable juice
1/3 cup water
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of clove
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. raisins (optional)
1 Tbsp. pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed

Microwave Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 1 minute. Stir. Cook on high for another 60 – 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds until desired consistency.

Stove Top Directions:
Combine tomato juice, water, spices and salt into a saucepan. When liquid begins to boil, reduce heat to medium and add oatmeal, raisins, nuts, and brown sugar. Cook for about 1 minute or until thickened. Stir occasionally. Pour oatmeal into a bowl and top with additional brown sugar if desired.

SOMEONE TO COOK FOR

2010-01-17T16:02:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the first entry of a new project that I hope will change the way you, my single friend, will look at food.

Do you want to make your food budget stretch a little further?
Do you want to cut down on the amount of take out and frozen dinners you consume?
Do you want to cook but don’t have time or never really learned how?
Do you want to make healthier food choices?
Do you want to learn how to make delicious meals geared towards one or two portions?

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, then stick with me kid.

Why focus on the Singles?

Because, I am one of you.

My father was a cook in the Army and taught me and my sisters how to cook at a very early age. But I’ve noticed that more and more of the people I come in contact with, the more I find that really isn’t the norm. Many friends and coworkers my age don’t know the first thing about cooking for themselves. The idea of any preparation beyond “Just Add Water” is scary. For many of us, the staples of our childhood had to be 2 things: quick and inexpensive. We are a generation raised on frozen dinners, canned spaghetti, boxed meal helpers, and cans of soup, usually starting with “Cream of…” As we grew into adulthood, many of us still relied on those same items because we wanted familiarity.

Or maybe, like me, you know how to cook. But your grandmother’s meatloaf or dad’s chili recipe feeds 8. Maybe you don’t mind eating meatloaf 8 days straight, but I do. And sure, you can always take my mom’s advice and “stick it in the freezer for later.” But sooner or later, that freezer is filled to capacity with all of your leftovers and you really aren’t disciplined enough to defrost and eat them before they are freezer burned beyond recognition. So you throw them out, which is money down the drain, and decide next time to get the 4 for $10 deal on frozen dinners because it’s easier. What does it matter if it looks nothing like the picture and really doesn’t taste like what it’s supposed to be?

What’s a single guy or girl to do? If only someone had ideas on how to cook inexpensive yet tasty meals for one person!

Which brings me to The Single Server!

Full disclosure, I’m a pretty healthy eater. And I eat all of the major food groups (though you won’t find anything containing melon or cauliflower on this site…ick) Likewise, the Single Server is not set up to praise the benefits of organic, natural, local foods or rail against the evils of meat, dairy, high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. There are plenty of other places to do that. Instead, I offer ideas, tools and recipes that I have learned so you can be more in control of what you consume, teach you to cook the foods you love on a smaller scale, make better use of your time, and help you stretch your already tight budget.

Not single? Don’t worry, you are still welcome here. I have found that duos have the same issues. By duos, I’m talking roommates, married and unmarried couples who share a kitchen, single parents, or even parents who may have dietary restrictions they don’t share with their children. And many of the recipes can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled to feed a family…but you’ll have to do your own math.

Let’s get cooking!