scrimpySnack of the Week: Blonde Bites

Good Sunday afternoon! Here in Boston, it's rainy and dreary, and Dylan is teething and so miserable. I have a new follower, Ariel, so that's has really made my day. I just love to see people are reading. So, welcome Ariel, and thanks for following me as I try to enjoy life in the city on the cheap!

This week's scrimpySnack is Blondie Bites. It's actually surprisingly difficult to think of new and unique things to bake each week, but I'm looking forward to getting a bit more adventurous. This week's snack is not adventurous. I didn't have any chocolate, but I had everything I needed to make blondies (and I'm sure you do, too). I just finally realized that "blondies" are a play on "brownies". Like, blonde vs. brown hair I guess? Anyways, I should probably go ahead and file this post away in the "i am an idiot" folder.

I hope you enjoy these bites, we sure did/are still. They kind of taste like sugar cookies.

the centers fall to form the cutest little dimple on top!

Bangin' Blondie Bites

makes:
2 dozen mini-bites
1 dozen normal muffin-tin size
1 9 x 9 pan

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour (you could use half whole-wheat, half AP...$.37)
2 1/2 t. baking powder (as usual, double check you're not using baking soda...$.10)
1/2 t. salt (<$.01)
3/4 c. butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks...$1.05)
1 c. white sugar ($.31)
2/3 c. brown sugar ($.40)
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract ($.24)
2 eggs (organic - $.70)

Total is $3.18...not bad, my friends!

1. Prepare muffin tin or pan with butter or muffin cups. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt.
   
3. Cream butter (if you haven't thought far enough in advance, and your butter isn't softened, cut it into very thin slices) and sugars.
   
4. Add eggs to the butter mixture one by one, making sure one is incorporated before adding the next.
   
5. Add vanilla to the egg + butter + sugar mixture.
6. Gently stir flour mix into wet ingredients until combined.
7. Spread in pan, or put into tins. For pan, bake 25 minutes, for bites, bake 15-20 until golden and crisped on top.

scrimpyTips:

- For a chocolaty kick, add a cup or two of chocolate chips...or caramel chips...or peanut butter chips.

- I made mini-bites and a few normal muffin tin size, and they were too cute. These would be great to bring to a home as a hostess gift or dessert!

- How about this...make regular muffin sized bites, and top with tiny little scoops of vanilla (or any) ice cream and a shaving of chocolate on top. Easy, scrimpy, elegant, and cute! (Haagen Dazs is on sale 2/$6 at CVS this week!)

Meatball Madness!

You all, everybody!

CAUTION: What you are about to read has nothing to do with meatballs. If you are looking for the meatball information, scroll down and ignore all this:

Hey there, everybody! When I went to type "hey there", I got the lyrics to the Drive Shaft hit single "You all, everybody" in my head, and figured I would share them with you. This goes out to all my LOST fans. Actually, I'm tripping out right now, because I'm not even a LOST fan (it's not new tonight, if you were wondering).

Q: Why do you know so much about LOST if you aren't a fan?
A: I watch the show because once you watch it once, you are obligated under contract to watch every.single.other episode. I could not care less about what happens on that stupid island and the stupid people involved with aforementioned island. Hmmm...but I do have a favorite character...Sun. I think. I also like Jack. I also like when I miss an episode, because then I don't have to watch it. If I know it's on and I'm home, then there's no escaping it...but if I'm home, then I can't ignore the pull of the show. And Mike. He makes me watch it.

Q: Why aren't you a LOST fan?
A: Oh, I don't know. I guess because nothing ever happens and I feel like I'll never understand the whole deal, so what's even the point? Also, I don't find the characters or storylines compelling. I'm actually a little interested in the Kate/Aaron plotline, but that's about it.

Ok, now for Meatball Madness!

Taylor's Turkey Meatballs

makes about 12 depending on how big you make them

serves 6 along with pasta and sauce for dinner

1.3 lb. package ground turkey ($5.58 natural @ Shaw's this week $4.29/lb or Shadybrook farms @ S & S $2.99/1.3 lb package)

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped ($.04)

2 eggs (organic - $.60)

1 c. panko breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs (I used panko and they were just perfect - $1.30)

2 pieces white sandwich bread (torn apart into little pieces - $.25)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1/2 t. black pepper ($.03)

1 t. dried parsley ($.06)

1/2 t. oregano ($.03)

1/2 t . basil ($.03)

1/2 c. grated Romano cheese ($.73)

3/4 c. raisins (optional and organic - $.65)

2 T. olive oil ($.24)

Total (with expensive all-natural Shaw's turkey): $9.88

Total (with less expensive S & S turkey): $7.29

Total for a pot of sauce with 1 1/2 lb. pasta: $5.55

Added to the sauce recipe with pasta, this would feed about 8 people easily for a total of: $12.84 - $15.43 (depending on which turkey you used)...$1.61 - $1.93 per serving!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 (isn't it weird how most things get cooked at this temperature???)
2. Tear up the sandwich bread into little pieces.
3. Chop the onion finely.
4. Combine basil, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, cheese, and raisins in a bowl.
5. To the spice bowl, add turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, and bread pieces (this mixture is more wet than ones I had made previously, but that's okay).
6. I made mine a little bit bigger than golf balls but a little smaller than tennis balls. Closer to golf balls than tennis balls. Okay I think I've exceeded my quota for using the word "balls" today.
7. Take the olive oil and drizzle around a round pie dish, or similar sized item.
8. Place each ball in the dish and roll in olive oil, repeat for all of them. Arrange them in the dish so that they're all touching.
9. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes, or until they are cooked through.
10. I then added them to my pot of sauce for the rest of the sauce's cooking time.
11. If you're not making sauce just be sure they're completely cooked, and then enjoy!

scrimpyTips:

- These can be made with any ground meat.

- You can play around with the spices or even add a clove of chopped garlic/garlic powder into the mix.

- I like to let them cook in my tomato sauce while the sauce cooks down.

- These would be great to freeze (cooked, preferably) along with some tomato sauce for a quick weeknight meal of either pasta and meatballs or meatball sandwiches (I was going to say "heroes", but then realized that the regional term for "sandwich" debate is quite polarizing..."sub", "hero", "grinder", "WHATEVER".)

Spring Spinach Salad

Ok, everyone, here it goes, the Spring Spinach Salad Recipe. This is pretty much a pantry recipe, (for me at least). These are ingredients I always keep on hand. Well, except for the greens...

Spring Spinach Salad

serves 8 as a first course

this isn't the cheapest salad to make, and is great for special ocassions.

We eat it on Easter and birthdays.

11 oz. fresh spinach, baby spinach, or baby greens (organic - $5.99)

1 c. walnut halves ($1.25)

3/4 c. raisins (organic - $.65)

1 c. vegetable oil ($.87)

3 T. balsamic vinegar ($.25)

1/4 c. sugar ($.08)

1 t. worcestshire sauce ($.06)

1/3 c. ketchup (organic - $.19)

1 clove garlic, minced ($.02)

1/4 t. salt (<$.01)

Juice of 1 orange ($.30 - Haymarket)

1 small red onion, thinly sliced ($.07 - optional...it's really good, but it makes your mouth taste like onions all day. It's good, but personally, I don't think it's worth it)

Total (with onion) is $9.74. That's $1.22/serving. Trust me, you'd pay $8 a plate for this salad in a restuarant. At least.

The total for just the dressing is $1.78.

1. Combine vinegar, sugar, worcestshire, ketchup, garlic, salt, and orange juice.
2. Whisk in 1 c. oil
3. To plate salad: put down a handful of greens, a sprinkle of walnuts, a sprinkle of raisins, a few thin onion slices (if you choose to use them). Then top with dressing. You could also just put everything in a bowl and toss it with the dressing. It looks way better to plate it, though!

I hope you all enjoy this salad as much as my family does. It makes me want it just typing this recipe. Maybe i'll make it for my mother-in-law this weekend!

scrimpyTips:

- You could use canola oil or olive oil (the olive oil taste will show through, however, and it's better to just have the unflavored oil). But, if all you have is olive, it will still be good.

- This dressing would be a great glaze for grilled or baked chicken.

- Goat or feta cheese would be a nice addition to this salad.

Mia's Birthday Dinner

the beautiful birthday girl and me

Hey and good morning, everyone! I'm back, but still on a broken computer (I should have mine back tomorrow)...

I wanted to fill you guys in on what I did for Mia's birthday dinner, since it came out really nice and was quite a good time. I also wanted to share pictures with you, but, of course, I forgot my camera in NY and now my Mom has to mail it to me (thanks Mom!).

Here's the menu:

Pinot Grigio
Italian Bread
Spring Spinach Salad
Penne with Meatballs and Sauce
Very Vanilla Vegan Cupcakes
Fragolino (a strawberry champagne - well, Prosecco, actually - that Mia LOVES)

Mia's very into eating healthy, so I made sure to ask her what she would like to eat on her birthday. She chose meatballs and sauce, so that's what I made. I will share my meatball recipe with you, the only problem is I didn't measure any of the stuff out, so it's just my estimate of what you'd need. That being said, they were freaking delicious and pretty much some of the best meatballs I've ever had. Since turkey is on sale this week around the city (S&S and Shaw's for sure...probably WFs, too) I'm going to share how I made them.

I'm also going to share the Spring Spinach Salad recipe, which is my Mom's, and is probably one of the best salads you'll ever have in your life. Listen to me, so humble. "My meatballs are the best, my salad is the best". Jesus Christ..."Shut up", right? Nah...they're both the best. Trust me.

For dessert, we had Very Vanilla Vegan Cupcakes with a not Vegan buttercream icing (which was surprisingly good, also) sprinkled with purple sugar crystals. I made the actual cake egg and dairy free so that Mia's allergic son, Max, could eat one. To make the Icing vegan, you could find an all vegetable margarine...or you could probably find a recipe for one made with vegetable shortening and margarine. I'm going to explore this more fully so that Max can have an amazing birthday cake. I will keep you posted on my journey.

For decorations, we hung the "Happy Birthday" banner and got balloons. We tied 1 to each chair at the same height, and then tied 5 to Mia's chair. They were pink, lavender, and dark purple, and they matched the cupcakes. We used the china and the crystal and the linen. Mia had a pink napkin, and we all had green. She loved it, we loved it. Yay!

It was a great night. I'll post pics once I get my camera! For now, I'm going to post the recipes. Enjoy :).

scrimpySnack of the Week: Very Vanilla Vegan Cupcakes

Hey all! This week's scrimpy snack is vegan cupcakes with a not vegan frosting. It's adapted from an allrecipes.com recipe. If I made these for Mike for lunch, I would send them with him unfrosted, or I would frost them lightly on top and put them in a glass storage container.

I'm going to post the pictures later, I'm just running around like a maniac getting my sister's surprise birthday dinner together.

Very Vanilla Vegan Cupcakes

makes 12

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ($.05)
1 1/2 cups soy milk ($.56)
2 cups all-purpose flour ($.30)
1 cup white sugar ($.31)
2 t. baking powder ($.08)
1/2 t. baking soda ($.01)
1/2 t. salt ($.01)
1/2 c.vegetable oil ($.44)
1 1/2 t. vanilla (.24)

Total is $1.99/dozen!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 12 paper baking cups.
   
2. Measure the apple cider vinegar into a 2 cup measuring cup. Fill with soy milk to make 1 1/2 cups. Let stand until curdled, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy milk mixture, vegetable oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
   
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter. Frost with desired frosting.

This is a nice recipe to make if you don't have any eggs, or don't feel like using any eggs. You could also use regular, almond, or rice milk. I would make these any day, even if I wasn't cooking for my allergic nephew. They're amazing. Mine were done in 20 minutes.

I used basic easy buttercream (I don't know why it becomes double spaced from here on):

Buttercream Frosting

makes enough for 12 cupcakes frosted VERY generously

2 sticks of butter (unsalted, or one salted + one unsalted) ($1.40)

2 c. powdered sugar ($1.00)

2 t. vanilla ($.16)

Total: $2.56...That makes the dozen cupcakes $4.55 (and you'll probably have leftover frosting!)

1. Soften butter to room temperature. If it's still too cold when you need to make the frosting, put the microwave on 30% and cook it 10 seconds at a time until it's soft all the way through.


2. Beat butter and sugar, then add vanilla.
   
3. If the consistency is too stiff, add milk by the Tablespoon full.


4. Color with food coloring if you'd like. I sprinkled decorating sugar on them, too. So pretty!


5. Enjoy :D.

Watch out for pictures later! Sorry for any typos, I'm blogging at warp speed, PEOPLE!

xo

Taylor

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

In honor of the CVS sale on almonds here's the recipe for cinnamon roasted almonds. I make this recipe for my dad all the time. He loves it, and it makes my apartment smell like Downtown Crossing (um...yeah, well sometimes it actually smells good down there when you catch a whiff of the cinnamon nuts!).

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
makes about 3 1/2 cups

• 1 egg white ($.29 - organic)
  
• 1 t cold water ($.00)
  
• 1 t vanilla ($.17)
  
• 2 1/2 c whole almonds (plain, not salted!) ($3.56)
  
• 3/4 c white sugar ($.23)
  
• 1/2 t salt (<$.01)
• 1 t ground cinnamon ($.06)

Total: $4.32...this makes enough for 2 gift sized jars ($2.16 each)

1. Preheat the oven to 250.
2. With a mixer, mix up egg white until it's a bit foamy and then add 1 t. of water and 1 t. vanilla. Split this mixture in half (I know, there's like, nothing there...but split it in half anyways, please!)
3. Combine sugar, salt, and cinnamon and split that in half, too.
4. Toss nuts in one half of the egg mixture.
5. Toss nuts in one half of the sugar mixture.
6. Arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone liner (nothing sticks to this baby) in one single layer, spreading nuts out so they all have some room around them. If they're too close together, they won't get nice and crunchy!
   
7. Bake for one hour, mixing them around half way through.
8. Take them out after an hour and let them cool (if you don't let them cool they will cook the egg whites during their second coating).
9. Coat them in reserved egg white wash.
10. Coat them in reserved sugar mix.
11. Bake again for one hour, mixing half way through, being careful not to burn them (you will smell it, so just keep an eye out for them, and taste them halfway through - they're amazing).

scrimpyTips:

-One pound of almonds is 3 1/2 cups (approximately)
-This is just as good (if not better) when made with unsalted cashews, which are also on sale at CVS (this recipe is flexible, you can just sub. a canister for the 2 1/2 cups and decrease the sugar to 1/2 c.).
-When I make these with nuts that already come in a little canister, I rip off the label (it's silver underneath the CVS brand label) and tie around a ribbon. This makes them perfect for gift giving. You could also cut a piece of used brown shopping bag and glue it around for a cool look.
-You should wrap these up as soon as you make them if you plan to give them for a gift. You will eat them all (personal experience).
-These make great holiday gifts and party snacks.
-You could use a mix of brown and white sugar for this recipe.
-If you want more coating, just decrease the amount of nuts you use.
-They stay good for weeks (at least 2...most likely longer)

Putting the Creme in those Puffs!

So, I've shared with you how to make the actual puff. Now, I need to fill you in on how to fill them in...ha!

Vanilla Pastry Creme (Creme Patisserie)

makes about 2 cups (I just feel like this book overestimates the yield...I don't think I got 2 cups from this...)

1/3 c. sugar ($.10)
2 T. all purpose flour ($.02)
2 T. cornstarch ($.13)
4 large egg yolks ($1.16 - organic)
1 1/3 c. milk ($.48 - organic)
3/4 t. vanilla extract ($.13)

1. Pour milk in a small saucepan and bring milk to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, beat sugar, flour, cornstarch, and egg yolks on high speed until thick and pale yellow (about 2 minutes). It's crazy, it seems like it's all dry ingredients, and then it's a pale yellow cream.
3. Gradually pour about 1/3 of the milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking to combine. Scrape egg mixture with milk back into saucepan with the rest of the milk. Whisk constantly and scrape the bottom and corners to prevent scorching.
   
4. Keep whisking until the custard is thickened (only a few minutes - happens way faster than you expect) and beginning to bubble. Then continue to cook and whisk for 45 to 60 seconds. Using a clean spatula (without raw egg yolks on it) scrape custard into a bowl.
5. Stir in vanilla extract.
6. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap (to prevent a skin from forming) and allow it to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate before using.

Total: $2.02 (and that's with organic milk and eggs...not bad!)

To fill creme puffs with the creme (I like spelling it "creme" better than "cream"...it's like, dainty and sounds more sophisticated and fancy):

Fill a pastry bag with creme and pipe in to puffs. If you don't have a pastry bag, put the creme in a ziploc bag and snip the tip off (be careful not to make the whole too big) and pipe it in to puff through the steam hole you created.

I like to top the puffs with confectioner's sugar...ha, like I make these everyday. What I should say is the one time I made them, I put confectioners sugar in a strainer and tapped it over the puffs. It created a beautiful, snowy effect, and a delicious mouth feel!

scrimpyTips:

- This keeps in the fridge for 2 days.
- Make sure you whisk well, because the eggs can cook and leave it lumpy and gross.
- This is the first time I had ever made it and it came out perfect, so it's easier than it seems.
- Even though it's more expensive than the plain whipped cream (recipe follows), it's so much better and is really what you're supposed to fill the creme puffs with. **The whipped cream actually turns out to be more expensive if you don't have a use for the rest of the heavy cream, because then you've spent $3 and only used $1.50 worth. Therefore, it's not really cheaper if you're not using up the rest of the cream.**
- Another option is to fill with ice cream, and since it was on sale for $3.50 at CVS, that was an option, but the pastry creme really turned out cheaper!


You can go for plain vanilla whipped cream. This is as easy as it gets, but if you're using this I would advise cutting the puffs in half and spooning the cream in and placing the top on. This cream isn't "stabilized" it can weep or deflate...and you don't want that. Here's the recipe:

Sweetened Whipped Cream
(also from The Joy of Cooking...can you tell I'm scared I'll get in trouble from using recipes from someone's book?)

makes 2 - 2 1/2 cups

1 c. cold heavy cream ($1.50)
2 T. confectioners sugar...or to taste (anywhere from 1T-4T) ($.10)
1/2 t. vanilla ($.09)


Total: $1.69

In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, at med-high to high speed beat the cream until thickened. Add sugar and vanilla and beat to desired consistency. It gets too thick quickly. Ideally you stop when it's the consistency of cool whip. If you beat it until it's very stiff, it gets reallllly rich. So if that's what you're going for, keep on beating, but if you want a soft dollop, don't overdo it.

scrimpyTip:
- You can use this the same way you'd use whipped cream, and it's cheaper than most store bought varieties.


All said and done, the creme puffs cost $4.06. This makes from 15-30 puffs, so that's an average of $.23/puff. I want to go to the bakery and see what they cost each there. But I bet it's at least $1.25 each.

Valentine Truffles

These confections are named after the savory black truffle mushroom found in the forests or France. They are not meant to be perfectly round in shape, but organic looking and earthy. We cover them in cocoa powder to represent the dirt found on truffles in the woods. How cute! I can remember my mom making these around Christmastime and I loved them -- still do!

The great news is is that these are easy easy easy (did I say easy?) to make. Here you go:

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Makes about 80 pieces (so the recipe states...I think I just make mine a bit bigger because I've never gotten more than 40 out of it)

-12 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate ($1.99)
-1 1/4 c. heavy cream ($1.50)
-1/4 c. organic cocoa powder ($1.24 - TJs)

1. Prepare! I like to cover a 9 x 12 stoneware baking dish with plastic wrap to cut down on the mess. So, do that. Prepare a dish to pour the chocolate in to so that you aren't scrambling to do it later.

2. Chop chocolate into tiny pieces and put in a medium mixing bowl.

3. Heat the cream until just under a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. This is called "scalding" milk.

4. Pour the hot cream all at once over the chocolate and stir gently until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly blended. Pour it in to your prepared dish and let it cool to room temperature.

5. Refrigerate the dish of chocolate (now a "ganache") for 3 to 4 hours until the ganache is thick and stiff. Also put the platter you plan to place your rolled truffles on in the fridge, too, so that it's cold when you put them on there.

6. Cut a grid into the dish of ganache, forming squares the size of half an ice cube from an ice cube tray. That's the best way I can explain how big they should be. I guess the squares should be anywhere from 1/2"-3/4".

7. Take each piece and roll between your hands until they are round and place on the chilled dish.

8. Cover them in plastic wrap and refrigerate again for 2 hours.

9. After 2 hours, roll them in your hands again, and coat them in cocoa powder, cocoa powder/cinnamon mix, cinnamon, confectioners sugar, finely chopped nuts, or coconut.

10. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Bring the truffles to room temperature about a half hour before serving.

Total Cost: $4.73 (with the cost of 2 oz. of organic cocoa powder - this is the least expensive way to make them other than using confectioners sugar which is nice, also). This makes a lot of truffles and is a great idea for gifts around the holidays or any other time of year when it's not sweltering outside.

scrimpyTruffleTips:

- If you prefer semi-sweet chocolate, you can use a bag of chocolate chips, just pulse them in the food processor beforehand, because the chips are a *little* bit too big for the recipe. They won't melt all the way in the hot cream. I figured that out the hard way the last time I made these.

- These make a great hostess gift. For Mike's Christmas party, I took a small platter and arranges 6 rows of truffles alternating nut covered and cocoa covered. They looked beautiful and were so inexpensive. It was like, $1.25 worth of truffles, but they are so delicious and impressive.

- If you make these with bittersweet chocolate, beware that they are REALLY chocolately, so they may not quite be for everyone. I love them, and actually prefer the bittersweet, but I also drink black coffee and like stuff like that. So, if you're serving them to people whose tastes you're not quite familiar with, I'd play it safe and go for the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

- Trader Joe's has great prices on chocolate. They sell something called "pound plus" which
actually turns out to be more expensive ounce for ounce than chocolate chips, but I believe it's better quality chocolate. It's worth buying when you need something less sweet than semi-sweet (bittersweet). It's $3.99 for 18 ounces I believe. I'll double check and update that.

- If you can find mini muffin cups those are perfect to put these in for a professional presentation.

- These make great gifts and are much more delicious and inexpensive than commercial truffles.

Antipasto Platter

OK so this platter wasn't exactly scrimpy, but it was WAY cheaper than going out, and just as delicious. I finally decided to make this because it's one of those things...you're not supposed to fill up on the antipasto, because you have dinner coming, but it's always so good. So, I figured, why not just make that the dinner? Also, I figured a lighter dinner would leave more room for delicious chocolate treats!

So, here's what I included on my platter:

Proscuitto $3.70
Artichoke Hearts $1.99
Fresh Basil ($1.99), Mozzerella ($2.99), and Tomato Salad ($2.49)
Figs ($2.99)
Grapes ($2.00 - Haymarket)
Manchego Cheese ($4.75)
Kalamata Olives ($2.99)
Manzanilla Olives ($2.99 - already had them at home)
Roasted Red Peppers ($1 - Haymarket, 2 peppers, roasted them myself)
Salami ($2.99)

Total: $32.87

Now, that's more than I would have liked to spend, but I didn't use all the ingredients on just the platter. I used up the leftovers to stretch out the ingredients for recipes I will share with you throughout the week! When all was said and done, this made:

5 dinners
8 lunches
2 snacks

This platter is great for any type of entertaining, and would serve about 4-6 people (depending on what else you had) if served as an appetizer tray with fresh bread. It takes a little while to arrange it, but I use Ina Garten's platter design principles (taken from her book The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook). These are for a cheese and dessert platters, but apply to the antipasto platter (and all others) as well:

1. Have a platter that is large enough to hold everything (I got a beautiful acacia wood platter from Crate and Barrel that works perfectly and cost $14.95!)
2. Choose a simple fruit, like a bunch of grapes, placed slightly off center to anchor the design and give height.
3. To finish, add breads, crackers, and green leaves (in this case I used fresh basil)
4. The simpler the design, the better the platter looks. Group each color together to create visual focal points. Red grapes/strawberries draw your eye to the center.
5. Follow good Japanese principles:

• Earth: a solid element which grounds the design
• Sky: something taller, which curves upwards
• Water: something spilling forward

These are the ideas I kept in mind when arranging my platter. It's not the easiest thing in the world to do, and I was really nervous that it would look messy or just stupid. I followed Ina's ideas, though, and I think the result was great!

Showing appreciation to a great friend...PART 2

DISCLAIMER: I know these posts are pretty girly, but guys can do this stuff, too. Do you know how impressed a girl would be if you had a nice little table set up for her??? Or how happy your wife would be to see a beautiful Valentine's or Mother's Day table???!!!

Last week's "Thank you" brunch looked beautiful, tasted great, and was, more importantly, easy and inexpensive. I would like to show you how setting a beautiful and festive table is easy, even on a budget!

scrimpyPlace settings (These are by no means classic place settings, I just use what I have and what looks good to me!):

• I purchased 4 cotton napkins at IKEA. This is my favorite way to spice up a table setting! This site is great for learning how to fold napkins. For this particular brunch, I used the "bird of paradise", but I also really love the "diamond fold". It's a great touch for a few reasons. One being that people have no clue how you folded them, and it makes it seem like you went through a lot of trouble and/or are extremely talented. Another reason being that it's rare nowadays to eat a meal using a cloth napkin, and I think it makes the meal seem more special.
• I like to use white plates (the only plates I have...we don't have much room for all sorts of plates). I place a small plate on top of the meal plate, they are so cute and cost $1.25 each at Crate and Barrel (I used to have beautiful art-deco looking plates ($1.25/each) at TJMaxx...but I moved home for a while, and they disappeared into the black hole that is my parents' home). This plate can be used for any little biscuits, cookies, or fruit you have set out. You can then clear it and serve the meal on the plate below.
• If serving a "buffet" like brunch, with several appetizers and "pickies" then you could easily fill the whole table with food, and stack some small plates and folded cloth napkins for everyone to grab as they go.
• Since I was just serving eggs, I put one dinner fork on the right side of each plate, and a tall water glass on the left hand side of the plate. It's not shown in the picture, (because I didn't really serve those smoothies, I just put them in the brunch menu for all of you, because it's a nice touch...we happened to have enough to eat!) but if you plan to serve smoothies, I would place a small juice glass to diagonally in front of the water glass. If you are serving a dessert course, you would place a small spoon horizontally at the top of the plate.
• I served banana bread muffins at the end of the meal as a type of dessert, on a little coffee-bean platter I bought on sale at Starbuck's for, like, $5.
• There's great serving pieces at TJMaxx in downtown crossing. You can get some nice plates there that are great to have in your cabinet. You never know when you're going to need to put something on a nice platter, and when you have one, it's so fun to just break it out and use it! Other ideas for inexpensive serving pieces include Target (even though that store reallllly isn't that inexpensive), Filene's on Boylston (I believe they have home goods), and Crate and Barrel (their white porcelain is well priced, and their items stand up to use very well). It's great to get funky, seasonal, or classic pieces and mix and match them. You can dress up an cheap meal very easily with sweet serving pieces.
• At TJMaxx, around Thanksgiving time, I purchased 2 bowls that look like little heads of lettuce. They're white porcelain, and they were $2.99/each. I like to keep extra cloth napkins on hand to line these bowls, which I usually fill with biscuits or rolls. You can find beautiful bowls (these are Mikasa) for a very good price and mix and match them for a beautiful table setting!
• I also got a tall china creamer that I used for Thanksgiving gravy, so I filled that with milk for the coffee.
• I purchased a glass carafe at Crate and Barrel on sale for $2.95. I had it filled with fake flowers in the baby's room (sounds tacky but really wasn't...trust me), but I have had it in the cabinet for a while, with the idea it would be a vase. But, I filled it with ice water and it was a really beautiful touch on the table. It would be really festive to fill it with water and throw some lemon slices, raspberries, mint leaves, or cucumbers in it! It was elegant to be able to fill the glasses with cold water from the carafe, not just stick them in the sink under the Brita (you know!?).
• A cheery centerpiece is deceptively easy to create, even in a small space. We have a tall, clear glass vase (that I got gratis when I had Dylan! Thanks Megan!) that I fill with seasonal things. In winter, it's pinecones and Christmas bulbs. In the late winter, I like to do oranges, lemons, or fake flowers for cheer. In the spring, I think I would do some pretty fruit again, or maybe some tree branches (?). In the fall I fill it with apples, and for a really cool touch, I fill it with water (looks sooo cool, but if you keep it with water in it for longer than a day I'd plan to throw the fruit out...this is actually a great thing to do using dirt cheap Haymarket fruit...it's there in the pic, but I don't know how well you can see it).
  

• This picture (above) is from Thanksgiving. I actually stuck white tapers in leftover Pelligrino bottles, and spray painted bruised pears (that I had to throw out anyway) white and tied a little name tag to them. This is a really cheap, great touch, and you can use any fruit you'd like! Just go down to haymarket and buy 4 pears for $1.00, and spray paint them (which will cost you, like, $4...but you will have the spray paint for future use).
• I also got my hands on 7 votives ($.50 each) from Crate and Barrel during their post-holiday sale. They are clear with gold stars on them, and I planned to use them in my gold and pink Valentine's table...but I got to use them even sooner than I thought, for my brunch! Daytime candlelight is novel and unexpected!
  

So, the point is, be on the look out for sales on versatile serving pieces that you love. I really get a kick out of being able to open up the cabinet, and pull out a few nice things (that are so nice, and were so cheap) that I get to use over and over again. You can get ridiculous deals on really nice things. If you're at TJMaxx though, make sure you quadruple check for any chips or cracks! I hate getting home and realize something is chipped. These deals help you create a beautiful and festive table time and time again, for a very small cost. A little creativity and forethought goes a long way. Your guests are sure to notice that you put in the extra effort, but will probably think you went through much more trouble and expense than you did!

What are your favorite frugal centerpiece ideas? Any ideas on what else I can put in my vase???

Cheap and Quick Biscuits

- 2 c. Jiffy Baking Mix ($.68)
- 2/3 c. organic milk ($.24)

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Combine ingredients to form a soft dough.
3. Roll dough to 1/3" and cut with your choice of cookie cutter.
4. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 10-12 minutes.

scrimpyTips:

-These are really simple to make and are a great addition to brunch or breakfast. You can cut them with festive cutters (I used little hearts), and serve alongside jam, jelly, butter, cream cheese, and other cheeses. You could make a basket of them and serve a few different spreads, too.
-I used Jiffy mix, but it is very easy and inexpensive to make these from scratch, or Bisquick, as well.

Sunshine Orange Bowl

- 2 Navel Oranges ($.50 - Haymarket)

1. Take oranges and wash them (lest you eat any unwashed-bathroom hands from well-meaning produce packers).
2. Cut each orange in half and then each half into thirds
3. Arrange in a circular, sunshine-like pattern
4. Repeat with second orange

scrimpyTip:

- Let oranges come to room temperature before eating. If you eat them too cold, they will not come off the peel easily and leave you with sticky orange juice hands. Which, if you're like me (read: nuts), will likely ruin the rest of your day.
-This is a great, inexpensive addition to any breakfast or lunch table, and an easy afternoon snack for kids.

Showing appreciation to a great friend...PART 1

Things have been quite tight in my household, because my boyfriend sells mutual funds (which are basically stocks) and is paying off a steep credit card bill. Unfortunately, nobody wants to buy stocks right now (even though they should). So that means we are pretty NOT rich right now. Anyways, I needed a haircut so badly. So badly, in fact, that the last time I was home (for Christmas), my dad actually cut my hair in the kitchen. Needless to say, we don't have any money for me to get a nice haircut, so my friend Melissa offered to take me to get a hair cut. This was one of the kindest things a friend has ever done for me! It was so nice to know that you have a friend who is so generous, and wants the best for you. It was honestly one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

Since I had Dylan in July, I really haven't had too much time or energy to really put into my appearance, and I feel like crap. The hair cut did just the trick (although I still feel gross in so many other ways...hey Melissa, feel like taking me for a manicure, liposuction, and a laser facial?), and made me feel MUCH better. Who knew a hair cut could leave you feeling so refreshed? The point is, she was so sweet to think of me, and it made me feel very special so I cooked her a thank you brunch. Oh, wait! This is the best part. After she took me for the best haircut I've ever gotten, she:

• invited me over to her apartment for dinner
• got me drunk
• cooked me dinner
• got me a little more drunk
• gave me $20 for a cab home
• (oh and she babysat for free until pretty late on December 11th without even accepting cab money from me)

So, since she wouldn't accept that I was taking the T, I told her I was making her brunch with the $20. So I did. And I'd like to share it with all of you!

It doesn't have to cost a ton of money to throw a tasteful and festive little affair. Here is the menu for 3:

Orange wedges (2 navel oranges from Haymarket - $.50)
Buttermilk biscuits ($.92) with Strawberry jam ($.25)
Organic scrambled eggs ($2.43)
Organic-banana bread muffins ($2.23 - that's $.19/each)
Organic Coffee (Organic 365 Pacific Rim Blend from WF) ($.99)
Organic milk for coffee ($.37)
Sugar for coffee ($.08 - 4 T.)
Ice water ($.OO)
100% Organic Bananaberry Blasts (soy smoothies) ($2.20)

Grand Total for Brunch for 3 = $9.97
(That's $3.32 per person...with leftover muffins and biscuits for favors!)