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Thank you so much... I have a bread maker, but it just feels like cheating to me.. But on the other hand, I don't have the hand and shoulder strength to kneed dough to the proper consistancy any more... I'm so trying this tomorrow... |
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You can find some AMAZING deals on bread machines, used, because people are often given them as giffts or buy them and then just never get around to using them. I managed to get Sparx's a couple years ago for like $50 and it was a nice one that makes horizontal loaves... Although... ultimately I could have gotten a totally different one because Sparx never bakes it in the machine. What She does that really seems to make it fun is she uses the machine for the mixing and kneading, and then unplugs the machine and lets it rise a bit, then pulls it out and shapes it into whatever (baguettes, buns, rolls, loaves, rounds), and if she wants it to have a really crusty outside she sprays the crap out of the dough with a bunch of water (she always mists it lightly while it rises to keep it moist but for a crusty/chewy crust, get it pretty darn damp) and then bakes it. She's finally perfected focaccia which is pretty easy and once you get the hang of it is one of the easiest ones.... We now buy 10kg (20lb?) bags of flour for like $7, and that plus sugar (or honey), yeast, a bit of salt, bit of oil, some powdered milk for white breads - gives them a nice texture) and we figured that our cost per loaf is something ridiculous like $.58-$.60 and omg is it yummy. Once the bread has cooled, we put it into a plain white kitchen garbage bag to keep it from getting dry/hard too quickly - and it freezes well too (but we have a tiny freezer). LOL |
I made pureed cauliflower as a side tonight - it was on a cooking program last week and I was intrigued. Well, we weren't huge cauli fans before that, but we are now! It was a hit!
I was a bit frightened by the amount of butter the recipe called for - I didn't use quite as much as it says below, and it was still really really yummy. Ingredients ½ head cauliflower, cut into florets 1 cup milk 125g (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes Place cauliflower in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Place the cauliflower and milk in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 minutes until cauliflower is very soft. Remove from the heat, then add 1 teaspoon salt and the butter and stir until well combined. Blend in a small blender or food processor until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing down on the solids with a plastic pastry scraper. |
Here's what I do when I make bread (I make it by hand, not machine):
When I make regular bread and it has just come out of the oven, I brush down the whole loaf with olive oil (herbed with rosemary) and then when it's not so warm, I wrap it in cheesescloth to help it remain soft. For those of you who want to reduce dependency on plastic, I have found that cheesecloth works great for various purposes! |
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So I made the bread today..
Umm.. Yummy.. Yummy.. I made one batch extra wet.. (1/2 cupish more water) and it turned out lovely.. I was shooting for a ciabatta like bread that didn't have to mix for ten years... The white? well, I found out that it only likes one rising after it's been formed... So, I will be handling it much more carefully next time.. ( I only have one baking stone and thought to try a cast iron skillet.. nope.. not great results, so the other loaf that I had proofing in another skillet I tranfered to the baking stone and it deflated... pooh..) The ciabatta was wonderful with soup.. lovely.. yum... |
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I am glad it turned out well! I just love this method! Even for just one person (me), it works out well, because I can bake two loaves at a time and freeze one if I want to, or bake a larger loaf and freeze half of it! Once you are organized, it is a breeze, and you can experiment with the master recipe, I add whole grains etc... Elle* |
I used this recipe with orange instead of lemon. Given how mild the flavour of my first go with the lemon was, I ramped up the zest and the juice and added some cornflour. The orange I had was a bit bitter so I also added a couple of drops of maple syrup. It turned out really good!
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Not frugal, but the best darn sauce
Iron Chef Sesame/garlic.. Michele is making short ribs (was going to be Kobe, but...) and oh my gads... Sweet, savory with just a hint of heat.. Totaly to live for... |
Saw some black currants at the green market this week, and got 3 pounds for $10. With it I made two and a half liters of Crème de Cassis (using a bottle of red wine in the process, and three cups of vodka donated by a friend who had it in her freezer for months - she does not drink, and it was left over by a guest -).
As the recipe called for filtering the juice, I was left with a loft of soft black currant wine mush, and decided to make jam with it. Adding equal parts of sugar, and a cup of black cherries bought at the same time but languishing in my fridge (I ate some raw and got an allergic reaction, so left them alone after that, but could not bring myself to compost them), I just canned five cups of delicious black currant/cherry jam! The residual wine in it gives it a flavour to die for! So I have very expensive French Cassis liqueur and out of this world jam, at a very very good price! By the way, the Cassis recipe called for discarding the mush! Elle*. pretty pleased, and going to get more red currants and black currants while they are in season! |
I got more currants and some cherries, and will do another batch of crème de cassis and cassis/cherry jam, which is incredible! I also got yesterday at the green market huge bouquets of basil and cilantro for $2 a piece, and just finished making pesto: I used a mixture of nuts I already had (almonds, cashews and pistachios), olive oil, garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper, with Parmiggiano for the basil pesto, and habañero pepper for the cilantro. I need to get freezer labels, because otherwise I will have some surprises! I love the summer, when I can preserve my own stuff! Cheaper, satisfying to make, and oh! so much tastier!
Elle*, who needs to bake some banana somethings, because I had to defrost some I had thrown into the freezer to make room for the pesto! |
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Has anyone had any luck making fat free pesto? :wine:
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The cilantro one I just made up on the spot because I could not resist the beautiful cilantro...It might not last as long, but in any case, it will all be long gone after two or three months! Elle* |
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It might not be a traditional pesto, but you can freeze basil chopped very fine in your cuisinart with a little water, just enough to wet it, and add the nuts and cheese. Freeze in ice cube trays, then you can store in freezer bags. Elle* |
And now about those frozen bananas! I always buy more than I can eat and since I am frugal, I throw them in the freezer before it's too late! But I am not a fan of banana bread, so usually they stay there until I get annoyed and put them in the compost!
So! I went to MarthaStewart.com (Love her), and of course, bingo! Banana/yogurt/blueberry popsicles! Very easy, I had all the ingredients in the house: one and a half cup Greek yogurt and a cup blueberries, juice of one lemon, three tablespoons sugar, and of course, 1lb bananas. Blend it all in your trusted cuisinart, and voilà! I had bought on sale at Williams-Sonoma a popsicle maker (four years ago!) which I have never used, and so, presto! I licked the spoon it was so good! Merci, Martha! Once again, you came to the rescue! Elle* P.S. I would strain yogurt a little if it were not Greek yogurt, because it makes the popsicles creamier and more sinful! |
We found a blender on sale for $19, Greek yogurt on sale for $3, and cherries on sale for $2 a pound.
Smoooooothie time!!!!! :cheesy: Ice cubes Greek yogurt (honey flavored) fresh Bing cherries a little sugar I didn't measure anything so this is just a guesstimate, but I think it was about six ounces of yogurt, a tablespoon of sugar, and somewhere between a quarter to a half a cup of cherry halves (after I pitted them). I used three ice cubes and that was one or two too many but I didn't care! It works out to about $2 a smoothie, with lots of cherries leftover. |
Fresh pea soup - Potage Saint-Germain
Made this today, loved it, so I thought I'd share - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fresh-Pea-Soup/Detail.aspx
Oh, but I used frozen peas - it was still wonderful. I am in love with simplicity :) Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter 2 medium shallots, finely chopped 2 cups water 3 cups fresh shelled green peas salt and pepper to taste 3 tablespoons whipping cream (optional) Directions Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook the shallots until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in the water and peas, season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender, 12 to 18 minutes. Puree the peas in a blender or food processor in batches. Strain back into the saucepan, stir in the cream if using, and reheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. |
Oops, probably ought to mention that I added some stock powder to the soup... and some rosemary that I had on hand.
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Maybe a little off the topic, but I love grilling in the summer. When it's warm out, it's almost a must to get out of the stuffy kitchen and throw something on the fire outside. I delight in finding new things I like to grill, so here's what came out of this weekend....
* Corn on the cob - cooked - then cut off the cob * Sliced long-ways and grilled zucchini - then cut into smaller pieces * A dash of Montreal Steak seasoning * Mix it all together and toss it in the fridge * Toss in fresh - chopped up tomato just before eating it It was simple, and my taste buds are smiling. :) |
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Went to help some friends upstate with their garage sale on Saturday, and got a load of stuff very very cheap from them, including two full boxes of Mason jars with lids, and a vintage glass canning funnel, also quite a few stoneware molds for shortbread, cookie cutters, and 14 cookbooks in mint shape! Plus three huge boxes of yarn!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!
But the canning jars are so great since I have been the canning banshee! We are joining them again next Saturday with our own stuff to sell, to empty our storage a little! This will be fun! I love to go to garage sales, and I love to hold them! Elle* |
Not so frugal for us, because Maple syrup is almost $10 for a 500 ml bottle here in Australia. I wonder if it's cheaper for those of you who are closer to Canada? Anyway, I used maple flavoured syrup which was much cheaper, and still oh-so-good.
Maple butter Cream about half a cup of butter. I used real butter (salted) because I just think nothing compares with the taste of real butter. Slowly add maple syrup while creaming. I also added a couple of tablespoons of caster sugar (you could also use icing sugar, just as long as it's some kind of fine sugar. I added this just to add some "body" to it) Stop when it tastes amazing. I think for me this was about 3/4 of a cup of maple syrup. I've looked up recipes and some use more maple syrup than butter, some use less - so I think in the end it's just a matter of personal taste. Use as a spread on toast, or it would be absolutely awesome on freshly baked bread. Just need to take it out of the fridge for awhile beforehand because it's pretty hard, just like butter, when chilled. I'm enjoying finding new things to make to serve to Kris on his morning toast. |
WOW!! Elle, that's amazing! Congrats!
Urs, thanks for the maple butter recipe! I dunno about Canada, but in the US maple syrup is cheaper when you're closer to the east coast, because the sugaring states are in the northeast. I just paid $8 US for 8 oz--236 ml. Prices in Kansas are shockingly high and I suspect I could get it waaaay cheaper online. *scurries off to amazon* Ohhh yeah, online is way cheaper. 32 oz ORGANIC grade B syrup--the very best for baking is grade B; grade A isn't as strong--is about $20 US. :glasses: Oh, and you can subscribe! That drops the price and makes the shipping free. Wow, am I tempted! It would fit with Gryph's desire to eat more Native American foods, yanno? More maple, less sugar... ~heaven, I'm in heaven~ lol.... [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Coombs-Family-Farms-Organic-32-Ounce/dp/B00271OPVU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1279510141&sr=8-1"]Coombs Family Farms 100% Pure Organic Maple Syrup Grade B, 32-Ounce Jug: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food[/ame] |
Ooh, I'm surprised that it's still so expensive for you guys, Cath - even more expensive than it is for us!
I just love maple syrup, the flavour is gorgeous. I use it a lot in cooking, particularly as a substitute for honey because I don't care for honey too much. I found a recipe for maple candy in my travels, but I don't have a candy thermometer, and maybe it's safer for our waistlines if I just don't go there anyway. Already flirting with disaster with the maple butter - lol... Maybe I'll look online and see if there are cheaper options here in Australia too - I'm pretty sure Amazon wouldn't ship their maple syrup here. |
Hi brayanaustin, welcome to the Planet and to the frugal gourmet thread!
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Aren't we being frugal these days? By the way I am looking for heirloom recipes for unusual pickles, chutneys and relishes! Any contributions? I have several dozens jars and I mean to fill them with summer delights to put some sun into my winter meals! I would like to find a great recipe for pear relish (used to have a fabulous one, still in storage with my stuff in California)...Summer is the perfect time to be frugal don't you think??
Elle* |
Day before yesterday I baked two big roasting chickens....we had them for dinner with mashed potatoes and corn.
That night, I made the leftover breast meat into chicken salad (that's about 4 or 5 sandwiches or late night snacks for Scoote)...and the rest of the carcasses went into the soup pot to turn into stock. Late night....separate the meat from the stock. Both into the fridge. Today (cuz I was busy yesterday), I'm making a huge dutch oven full of my son's favorite cream of chicken and rice soup. We'll have it with biscuits tonight. So...two chickens (big ones, I admit)....we'll get dinner for 4, all that chicken salad for Scoote, and probably 10 or 12 good bowls of soup. Not bad for $12 (they were on sale) :) |
Oh, that's lovely Jo!
Suash has finally come down to 99 cents a pound, so I have two in the fridge... but I can't cut them open! Sheesh! I guess Gryph and I will have to enjoy them when he has a day off and can cut them in half. Next Tuesday is supposed to be cold and rainy. They'll be really nice then! |
my garden went sort of crazy with the viney types of veggies this year... so i made lots of pickles...
i just made simple fridge or freezer pickles... a little vinegar a little sugar and whatever else you may want for flavor... i used some celery seed. variety peppercorns. sweet onion rings. and jalepeno... tossed some cilantro in some to see what would happen... it was pretty good... of course... a lot of garlic too... anyway.. not only did i pickle cukes... i also had lots of summer squash and zucchini so i made pickles with them too... i have to say... i really enjoyed them... hell... i am still enjoying them... it doesnt take long for them to set and they have been holding up really well still.. maybe had 5bucks total in about 3 gallons of pickles... |
Hey kids!
I made this tonight, because the blog post I got it from (link below) kinda raved about it, and because we have to watch it until pay day, and because I had all of the ingredients at home already, and because it was quick and easy. To be honest, I read it and was a bit iffy. I thought it might be a bit boring. It's not really the kind of dinner I usually put together. But it was really good and I'm going to get the ingredients to keep in the pantry for the next day when I'm too tired to really think about dinner or have to be frugal. I'd say it fed the three of us for under $5.00. P.S. I don't think I added quite as much water as the recipe said though. I just thought it might end up a bit soupy if I did. Cavatappi with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Cannellini Beans. http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2007/0...nner_im_a.html |
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