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!)

Freezermeal Friday! $5 Organic Red Beans and Broccoli

Good evening, all! This week's Freezermeal Friday is Red Beans with Broccoli. My mom would make this all the time for us when I was younger. It packs quite the nutritional punch, with high fiber beans, broccoli, and whole wheat pasta along with tonssss of anti-oxidants! Nice.

Red Beans with Broccoli

serves 6

5 c. organic red beans (I made mine from dried, if using cans you'd need about 3 - $2.79)
4 c. organic broccoli (on sale $1.99/lb at Whole Foods this week - $1.00 - about 4 c. of florets)
1/2 medium onion, chopped ($.04)
3 cloves chopped garlic ($.06)
2 T. olive oil ($.24)
2 t. dried basil ($.06)
1/2 t. black peper ($.03)
1 T. salt ($.01)
1/2 lb. organic whole wheat penne (Trader Joe's - $.65)

Total: $4.88 or $.81/serving. Not bad, people!

1. Saute garlic, onion, olive oil, basil, and pepper over low heat until onion is translucent.
2. Add beans and sauteed onions, garlic, etc. to a large saucepot and fill with about 10 c. of water (you need enough in there to cook the pasta). It should cover beans by about 3 inches, it depends on the pot you're using!
3. Add salt to the water with the beans, cover, and bring to a boil.
4. When boiling, add the pasta, and cook until just tender.
5. Add broccoli and cook for 5 more minutes.
6. Remove from heat, pour into freezer container, allow to cool to room temperature and freeze.
7. When you're ready to eat it, rinse it with hot water to free it from container, and defrost in a large saucepot over low heat.

scrimpyTips:

- This would be great with white beans, too.

- You could use frozen broccoli, easily, or replace the broccoli with spinach.

- This would be good with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

- You could replace the whole wheat penne with any macaroni you like.

- If yours turns out too watery due to too much water used to cook the pasta, you can take out a cup or two and puree it, then return it to the pot to thicken the dish.

Freezermeal Friday!

Hey all! I've been a bit absent from the blogosphere because I've been away in New York and I now have my mother-in-law, Debbie, visiting. Needless to say, I've had my hands full. This Freezermeal Friday recipe is for Vegetarian Lasagna!

Vegetarian Lasagna

serves 4 pigs, 6 normal people

1/2 T. butter ($.05)

1/2 batch tomato sauce (about 5 cups w/ organic tomatoes - $2.03)

1/2 lb. lasagna noodles ($.99)

1 1/2 lb. ricotta cheese ($2.62 on sale at S & S, $4.19 regularly around the city)

1 lb. mozzarella cheese ($4.79 - TJs - about 5 cups shredded)

1/4 c. Romano cheese, shredded ($.37)

Total: $10.85, DAMN! That's expensive! Cheese is so expensive, so it's best bought on sale...That's $1.81/serving. Not bad, but still...pretty pricey for one of my meals...I'm sad.

1. Butter dish (I use a deep square 10 x 10 dish).
2. Ladle enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Layer noodles, sauce (about 1 c.), ricotta cheese, and mozzarella (about 1 cup). You should have 4 - 5 layers. Be sure to reserve a cup of cheese for the top!
3. When you've built the last layer, top with lasagna noodles, sauce, and the final cup of cheese.
4. Sprinkle top with 1/4 c. Romano cheese.
5. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes (approximately) until it's bubbly, then remove foil and continue to bake until it's golden brown.
6. Cut into portions, bag it up, cool it to room temperature, and freeze it until you're ready to eat it. When you're ready to eat it, reheat in the oven on 350 until hot.

scrimpyTips:

- This welcomes the addition of ground beef or turkey, cooked mushrooms, or sauteed squash and spinach (a combo of all 3 is my favorite!

That's all for today. I went to Whole Foods yesterday, but didn't see anything too good on sale. I did, however, get a corned beef and a head of cabbage for a slow cooker St. Patrick's Meal that I'll share with you this week in honor of the holiday. It's delicious. And look out for this week's scrimpySnack of the week: Coffee Cake (Probably...if not, something equally good!). Oh, and this Monday I'm going to continue teaching you guys how to stock your pantry, so keep your heads up for that!

Have a great Friday night, and weekend!

(30...well, 35) Minute Meal Thursday!

Hey all! Cooking while Dylan is awake is always a challenge, so I usually wait until he goes down at 6 to prepare dinner for Mike and me. However, with the time change and the summer coming up, we've been trying to keep him up later, so that we can enjoy him more. This means I'm stuck cooking dinner while he's awake (unless I've prepared it throughout the day, which I sometimes d0). There are tons of meals you can throw together in 30 minutes on a weeknight that are both satisfying and healthy. The following recipe for lentils and rice is a great example of that!

Mike and I eat dinner around 7 or 8 because it's enjoyable to sit and relax once the baby's down. With the baby staying up later, quick meals are great because I can put them together in almost no time at all, and still be eating at a reasonable hour. A little aside: Mike and I started eating later when we started putting Dylan down at 6, but it's turned out to be a great little change to our routing. Eating dinner later causes us to be too full to snack all night, saving us calories and money! Nice.

I found this recipe online, but I think lentils take a little longer to cook than 30 minutes...I guess we'll see...I'll tell you the result after the recipe, because I'm writing this while it cooks. How do I know it will be good? No clue, but I'm sure it will be. Hopefully.

Lentils and Rice

makes 8 servings

1 lb. lentils (organic - $2.39 - WFs)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1 1/2 c. dry brown rice (organic - $1.20 - WFs)

1 medium onion ($.07)

4 medium carrots, finely chopped, about 2 c. ($.64 - organic)

2 cloves garlic ($.04)

1 1/2 T. olive oil ($.36)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1 dash black pepper ($.01)

1/4 t. red pepper flakes ($.02)

1 t. dried basil ($.06)

1 T. red wine vinegar ($.06)

1 t. salt for brown rice water ($.01)

Total is $4.88. That's mostly organic and serves 8 people. Lentils are also amazing for you. That's $.61/serving, which is so cheap for an organic meal.

1. You're going to need 2 pots of boiling water. One medium-large one that can accomodate 1 pound of lentils. The other pot can be smaller, it's for the rice.
2. Fill one pot with 10 c. water and the other with 3 c. water 1 t. salt, set both on high.
3. When the water boils, add the lentils to the big pot, and the rice to the small pot.
4. Turn lentils to medium heat and rice to a low heat.
5. Simmer the lentils until tender (about 35 minutes) and the rice until cooked (about 30 minutes).

To make the vegetables:

1. Chop onion, and finely chop carrots and garlic.
2. Add 1 1/2 T. olive oil to pan over medium heat.
3. Let oil heat, and then throw the carrots, garlic, onion, basil, 1 t. salt, dash black pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried basil.
4. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Leave a top on if possible, as this keeps the moisture in the vegetables.
5. When lentils and rice are done combine them with the vegetables and add about another 1 t. of salt, or to taste.
6. Serve and enjoy!

This is a great recipe. It's delicious as a vegan or vegetarian main dish or a side dish to meat or fish. We ate it as a main dish with a small spinach salad. Taste before serving and add more salt if necessary.

scrimpyTips:

- This is great for a cold lunch salad.

- This can be made with barley and short pasta.

- Mushrooms would be really great in this. I may buy some and add them in tomorrow.

- This is a good make ahead, just prepare the rice and add premade lentil-vegetable mix.

Sorry this is a 35 minute meal. It's worth the extra time, though! Let me know what you think :).

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.

scrimpySnack of the Week!

UPDATE: I was kind of tripping out. I wrote this recipe excluding the crumb topping, but I just ate another one, and they're pretty damn good with the topping. I'm updating the recipe and the prices to include the crumb topping - but I reduced the butter because there was too much.

Good Sunday Morning, everyone! I'm here to share the scrimpySnack of the Week. I like to write these recipes on Sundays, because that's the day when I bake Mike's lunch snacks for the entire week. If I make a dozen, I'll usually freeze half, and have the second half ready for me when I don't have a chance to bake something, or we're starving and have no other decent snacks in the house.

This week's snack is Whole Wheat-ish Organic Blueberry Muffins. The recipe makes 8 muffins, and I don't see why you couldn't double it. This recipe is a compliment to Thursday's post about using frozen fruit and vegetables.

Whole Wheat-ish Organic Blueberry Muffins

makes 8

3/4 c. whole wheat flour ($.08 - stop and shop!)
3/4 c. white all purpose flour ($.11 - WF...a bit more expensive)
2/3 c. sugar ($.20)
2 t. baking powder ($.08 - please triple check this and don't use baking soda on accident!)
1/2 t. salt (<$.01) (excuse the formatting from here...I'm stuck with a messed up keyboard - trust me it's worse for me than it is for you)

1/3 c. canola oil or other vegetable oil ($.26)

1/2 c. milk or yogurt (organic - $.19)

1 egg (organic - $.29)

1 cup frozen blueberries (organic - TJs - $1.08)

1 T. flour ($.01, to toss blueberries in so that they don't sink in the batter)

2 T. sugar + 1 t. cinnamon + 1 T finely diced butter + 1 T. flour = crumb topping ($.20)

Total is $2.51/8 crumb topped muffins...$.31 each

1. Preheat oven to 400 and prepare muffin tins by greasing them or putting in muffin cups.


2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.


3. In a measuring cup, measure oil and add the egg. Then fill with yogurt or milk to make 1 cup. You should need about 1/2 c. That's how much I needed.


4. Add the oil mixture to the dry ingredients and stir slowly until JUST combined. If you over stir muffin batter, you will make your muffins tough. So, stir them as few times as absolutely necessary.


5. Toss the blueberries with the flour. This is done so that they don't sink. This batter is so thick that they won't sink, anyways...but I also do it to keep the blue color from bleeding too much (even though it still will a bit). Toss anything that you plan to put in a muffin in flour first so they don't sink.


6. Fold in the blueberries carefully and spoon the batter into cups.


7. Sprinkle with crumb topping, or just plain sanding sugar, or nothing, if you'd prefer.
   
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Mine took 25. The picture is of my muffins, with the too buttery topping. They are a little dull looking because of my camera and the wheat flour which makes them a bit brownish.

Anyways, these are awesome and delicious. Like, SO delicious.

scrimpyTips:

- You can use all white flour, I just used half and half to up the healthy quotient. You could also add 1/4 c. of ground flax.

- You could use a mixture of brown and white sugars.

- These can be frozen.

- You can use milk, soy milk, buttermilk, or yogurt. I used yogurt and they're really moist!

- These would obviously be even better with fresh blueberries. Those would be a hell of a lot more expensive though! Props to Trader Joe's for coming through with the 12 oz. bag of frozen organic blueberries for $2.69.

Ten Minute Meal Thursday...ok, like 15 (but that doesn't count the time it takes to boil the water...this is active prep time)

UPDATE: I've added pictures, and changed a couple of things...the cheese was a tiny bit more expensive than I had thought, so I updated the price, and the meal took a little over 10 minutes. That doesn't count the 5 minutes the water takes to boil, though. I'd prep the garlic and tomatoes while the water boils.

Here's the first Ten Minute Meal Thursday Recipe. I'm trying to incorporate a sale item from the area, which would be the organic cherry tomatoes over at Shaw's. Stay tuned next week for another Ten Minute Meal using the $2.99/lb pork sausage at Whole Foods!

Tomato Basil Toss
serves 4

- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes ($2.99 organic on sale @ Shaw's starting 2/27)
- 2 T olive oil ($.24)
- 2 cloves garlic ($.04)
- 1 t. dried basil ($.06)
- 1/2 t. salt (<$.01)

- 1 dash black pepper (<$.01)

- 1 lb. whole wheat or plain spaghetti or linguine (organic whole wheat @ Trader Joe's $1.29)

-1/2 c. grated fresh Romano cheese (I really don't know exactly what this costs, since I haven't bought it in so long, but I'm pretty sure that at TJs it's around $9.00/lb which would make a half cup (which weighs 1.3 oz) cost $.73)

Total: $5.37 for a mostly organic dinner for 4! Not bad.

1. Put on pot of boiling water and salt it well (with, like, more salt than you'd think, about 2 T./pound of pasta).
2. Slice garlic cloves into thin slices and cut tomatoes in half.
3. In a large (preferably nonstick) skillet, heat garlic, oil, basil, salt, and pepper all together at the same time on medium low (if you add garlic to a hot pan it will burn on the outside and stay raw on the inside). You could sprinkle in some red pepper flakes here if you're looking for spice (1/4 t.)
4. Your water should be boiling now, so put in the whole package of pasta.
5. Once garlic is just barely golden, add the tomatoes. Cook for about 3 minutes over medium high heat, or until they start to soften a bit.
6. Ladle out 2 or 3 ladlefulls of pasta water into the skillet and allow that to simmer together on medium until the pasta is done.





7. When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet (turn off heat), tossing to coat with tomatoes and oil and such. You can add the cheese during this final toss, or add it to each bowl after it's served.

scrimpyTips:

- If you garden in the summer (I'm doing containers on the fire escape!), this is a great go-to meal. It'd be even better with fresh basil from the garden :).
- Reserve some of the pasta water, and if the pasta looks a bit dry try adding another ladlefull of pasta water.
- Taste this before taking it out of the pan, the recipe may under-do the salt. I figure everyone has different taste and you can always add a bit more in the end (however, it's always important to try to season your food to your taste while it's cooking, because salting something while it's cooking brings out and enhances the natural flavors of ingredients, whereas adding salt at the end mostly tastes salty).
- This is delicious leftover and cold, perfect for a microwave free lunch
- You can slice the garlic and tomatoes beforehand and store them separately so they're ready to go when you are
- This is easily made vegan with the omission of the cheese

- Add the cheese in very last, if you add it in while the skillet is hot it gets stringy

The next Thursday meal is going to be a 20 minute meal. I'm going to include the time it takes to make the pasta...10 minute meal is actually a little misleading...

All Hail the first Freezermeal Friday!

my camera isn't too good with food pics (neither am I)


Welcome to Freezermeal Friday! I'm so excited you're here and I hope to help you prepare a healthy, organic meal that you and your family can enjoy in a pinch. This serves 4 hungry adults over brown rice ($.81).

Black Bean Confetti Chili

1 28 oz. can organic tomatoes ($1.67)
1/3 bag dried organic black beans (about 2 1/2 c. prepared) ($.66)
2 cloves garlic ( $.04 - Haymarket 5 heads garlic/$.75)
1/2 medium onion ($.07 - Haymarket bag of 13 onions/$1)
1 T. olive oil ($.24)
1 T. salt (<$.01) 1 dash black pepper ($.06)

1 t. dried basil ($.06)

1 t parsley ($.06)

1 1/2 t. cumin ($.28)

1T. chili powder ($.06)

1/4 t. cayenne pepper ($.06)

1 c. frozen organic corn ($.99)

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic and add it with the oil, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley to a pot on low heat. Half of this medium onion chopped is about 3/4 c. Keep the top of the pot on to keep the moisture in, if you don't the moisture will evaporate and your onions and garlic will burn. Here is a picture of what I consider a medium onion:

Here is another picture portraying what I consider to be the easiest way to peel an onion:

I cut off the ends, slice the outermost layer, and then peel it off, along with the skin! (God, looking at these pictures makes me realize how badly I need a manicure. Good thing my mom is taking me out for one when I visit her in NY next week - thanks Mom, love you!).

2. Cook the onions and spices and garlic and oil until the onions are translucent.

3. Add can of tomatoes and stir together. Add cumin, chili powder, and cayenne (which can be omitted or increased for personal preference).

4. Simmer the tomatoes and spices for 10 minutes and then add the beans. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes on low, or until the consistency is to your liking.

5. This makes about 4 servings for dinner for adults. To freeze, portion out in your bag(s) of choice, and bring them to room temperature by either leaving them out (maybe on the windowsill with an open window) or putting them in a cold water bath (make sure those bags are sealed well, or you'll be damn sorry).

6. Oh, I should've mentioned this before, but if I go back and add it the whole recipe will be ruined because I'm on my fiance's computer that is a little messed up --- LABEL THE BAGS WITH SHARPIE - include date the food was cooked, how many portions are in it, and what it is.

7. Lie the bags flat (so they take up less room and are easier to manage in the freezer) and allow them to freeze. Lying them flat also allows them to freeze quicker, reducing the chance that the food in the middle will grow bacteria before it's frozen.

There's your first scrimpy Freezermeal! I hope you enjoy it. Here's some tips to make it even better:

• You can add a pound of any type of ground beef to this. Just brown it in a pan and add it to the tomatoes with the beans. It will then serve 8 I think...right? (if you do this let me know how many hungry adults it serves)
  
• I love to add sour cream and hot sauce on top of mine.


• It's good on over orzo pasta, too.


• You could add chunks of grilled chicken to it, too.


• To reheat, just soak bag in hot water and dump the frozen brick into the pot and warm over low until hot. I don't have a microwave but I'm sure micorwave defrosting it wouldn't be too difficult. You could also leave the bag in the fridge in the morning and it would probably be soft by the time you got home.


• Excuse the picture, but we ate it last night and I forgot to take the picture. There's rice all mixed in and it just doesn't look as pretty without the dollop of sour cream (and garnish of chives). My bad, OK people? I have a baby...so that's my excuse, I'm busy! PLEASE excuse the formatting problems, too. Again - I don't have my computer and this one's keyboard is broken!

TOTAL: $5.07/4 servings which is $1.27/serving. Not bad. If you're not into organic this would be, like, half the price...but go organic, it's better for you!

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)

scrimpySnack of the Week

Happy Tuesday Morning, everyone!

I'm sick, so I'm sorry if I sound a little bit stuffed up. Just ask me to repeat anything you can't understand (oh my god HA HA HA!).

Every Sunday I try to make a delicious snack to go in Mike's lunches. Sometimes it's banana bread muffins and sometimes it's cookies, and then other times when I'm lazy he just gets 2 pieces of fruit. This Sunday, I came across a recipe that's great for two reasons.

Reasons this cookie recipe is great:

1. It's delicious
2. It uses vegetable oil instead of butter which is convenient if you:

1. Don't have any butter (on the off chance you have MOLASSES but not butter...)
   
2. Have a dairy allergy or something else like that

Molasses Crackle Cookies
(Oh, and another cool thing about these is that they actually crackle on top and look really pretty...next time I will try rolling them in confectioner's sugar...on that note, is it "confectioner's sugar", "confectionary sugar", or "confection sugar"? From now on I should say C. Sugar. OK solved.)
Makes 32 cookies (enough for 2 days...they're pretty good)

2/3 c. vegetable oil ($.58)
1 c. sugar ($.31)
1 egg ($.29 - organic)
1/4 c. molasses($.42 - organic - TJs)
2 c. flour ($.30)
2 t. baking soda (not powder...quadruple check this PUH-LEASE) ($.02)
1 t. cinnamon ($.06 - CVS)
1 t. ground ginger ($.06 - CVS)
1/2 t. ground cloves ($.06)
1/3 c. sugar ($.10)

Total: $2.20 (that's $.07/cookie (Seven Sent Cookies, like Heaven Sent, just Seven Cent!) The molasses makes them a little more expensive than some other cookies...)

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Combine oil and sugar then add egg and molasses.
3. In a separate bowl sift together (or just whisk together if you are LAZY - like me sometimes) flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet.
5. Roll into nice sized balls (ha)...about 1 1/3"-1 1/2" and then roll those balls in sugar (HA).
6. Place them with about 3 inches in between each other on the cookie sheet (they are going to flatten out and spread...hopefully...)
7. Bake for 10 minutes, or until they're crackled on top.
   
8. Let them sit on the baking sheet to get hardened a bit, and them remove them to a plate to cool.
   
9. Store them in an air-tight (preferably glass with a plastic top) container. I stored them like this and they have stayed really soft and chewy. Trust me, I just had 4. They're still good to go.

scrimpyTips:

- I found that when my oven got a bit too hot, around 360ish, they crackled better, so I don't know...you may want to put your oven a TAD bit higher than 350. My first batch came out the least crackled, and the subsequent batches came out better...
- If you don't have ginger or cloves, you could easily omit them. Granted, they wouldn't be AS good, but they'd still be good, just a little different.
- If you only have one good cookie sheet, put the dough in the fridge in between batches.
- These would be great with soft vanilla ice cream in between them.
- These make great Christmas cookies

Whole Foods Product of the Week

I think that I will start posting a few of my favorite Whole Foods deals. I used to be totally against Whole Foods. I thought it was such a waste of money to shop there, and thought that everything there was ridiculously over priced. However, with a little investigation, I've found that there are several (countless - really) products that are an incredible value.


Whole Foods has a great website that highlights their services. My favorite feature is that you can call up at 617-723-0004 and ask for Serena Hsu and schedule your own tour of the store. They also have pre scheduled trips through the store to highlight certain values. I'm sure they go through the baking aisle and show you how cheap the flour is.


Anyways, the store is full of overpriced goods, but is also full of healthy values. (And if you can afford the nice expensive stuff - you can be sure it's preservative free).


My pick of the week is the organic 5 lb. carrot bag for (drumroll please) $3.99. Uses for these bad boys include:

- making fresh carrot sticks. This is a place where you can avoid a processing step and do it yourself, thus saving money. In the beginning of the week, I cut up an entire container of sticks. To save even more time, you could put them in individual containers or baggies (you're better off reusing a glass container to avoid throwing away all the plastic bags) and just grab and go throughout the week. I use them in Mike's lunches and we snack on them before dinner. They're so healthy and they really fill you up and curb your appetite before dinner.

- making baby food. Dylan goes crazy and loves him some carrots. I take aforementioned sticks and chop them up, but them in my steamer pot and steam until softened. I then pop them in the magic bullet (you can use the food processor or even the blender - but have fun cleaning the blender...I hate cleaning the blender) and voila! Baby food, fresh and organic. Just a note about making your own carrots...there is some concern over making your own carrots for baby food dur to nitrate content. To avoid this and make your own carrots safely, don't worry, just don't add the steaming liquid to make the puree, add fresh water...and use organic carrots, of course. I think all baby food should be made with organic food because babies' little bodies are much more sensitive to all the pesticides.

- roasted as a side dish or vegetarian main dish. Just drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (and dried parsley, or oregano, or garlic powder) and roast in the oven at 350 until golden on top. These can be made into a vegetarian main dish by adding brown rice or quinoa and a salad.

- it's always great to have carrots around to make a soup. You just add celery and onion, and you have your own little base for a soup (more on that this week).

- they're just great to snack, snack, snack on! When reheating leftover soup, I sometimes throw some fresh carrots in so that they are nice and crisp in the soup (when you reheat soup, the original carrots can be pretty soft).


These carrots are one of the most affordable organic options at Whole Foods, and one of the most versatile vegetables I use. I buy a bag a week and enjoy every single carrot. Go buy a bag and let me know how you use them up!

(By the way, Mike just told me I was going "blog wild"...that's a good one).

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.

How to make tomato sauce

Hey! Making red sauce is a great way to keep dinner costs down. I buy my organic tomatoes at Whole Foods. Their diced organic 365 brand are $1.79/can. I paid $1.67/can when I got the Muir Glen ones on sale 3/$5.00, but I'll use the $1.79 price since that's what you, the reader, can pay all the time, regardless of the sale. It's really easy to make a tasty red marinara style sauce. The sauce is so versatile. I make it, eat it over pasta once, make a lasagna or baked ziti with a little bit more of it, and then have pasta once again, or make meatball subs! You can also freeze it if you have extra, and always have an emergency dinner on hand with a little pasta, or half the recipe! My recipe makes a nice sized pot of sauce. Enough for 8 meals of spaghetti. Add in some meatballs and you've got yourself a good time (my family is from Italy, and they put raisins in the meatballs...this is delicious, try it!).

So, I am going step by step here so you can see what I really do. To test it out, I'm going to have Mike try to make it based on the blog. I will update you on how that goes!

First I cut up an onion. Here I used red, but I really prefer yellow. This was just what I had. It happened to be a cup. Most baseball sized onions will produce a cup. I chopped it like so:


I then add these to the pot along with:
2T sugar
2T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t dried basil
1 t dried parsley
1 dash black pepper

Like so:


I then pop the top on these bad boys and let them cook until they begin to become translucent. The top helps keep the moisture in. Once they become see through, you can take the top off and continue to cook everything. The liquid will evaporate, and the onions will soften and brown a bit, and that's what you want!

By the end of this step, your sauce will look like this:


At this point, you add two 28 oz. cans of tomatoes and then fill the cans up with water and add that. For a total of 2 cans of tomatoes and 2 tomato cans of water. That's confusing. But it's not. Your pot will look like this (but a little fuller because this is only with one can of water added):


(You may say, "my pot looks nothing like this". And I will tell you that we are talking about two very different types of pot, my friend).

At this point, you crank the heat up to high and put a top on it to get it up to a boil nice and quickly. Once it's boiling, take the top off, lower the heat, and allow it to simmer and reduce to the thickness you'd like. You simmer it longer for a thicker sauce, shorter for a thinner sauce.

At the end, if it is too "tomatoey", I like to add a tablespoon of butter, which isn't traditional and kind of a cheat, but whatever. Oh, yeah, and P.S. this has no garlic in it. I never liked making it with garlic, and my 94-year-old Grandma from Italy was watching me make it...I told her that I didn't put garlic in it, and she exclaimed she didn't in hers, either! Wow!

This whole process takes about 2 hours I'd say.

So the ingredient list is:
2 cans tomatoes, organic ($3.58)
1 c. onions ($.07 - Haymarket)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil (doesn't have to be extra virgin...$.24)
2 T. sugar ($.04)
1 t. salt ($.01)
1 t. dried parsley ($.01)
1 t. dried basil ($.01)
1 dash black pepper (<$.01) 1 T butter, optional a couple shakes of red pepper flakes (for spicy heat - to be added to onions and oil in the beginning of cooking - optional) Grand Total: $4.06 (with the butter), $6.04 with 2 pounds of spaghetti ($.99 at both TJs and WF). That would serve about 4 hungry people twice (or 8 hungry people once). That means that it's actually $.76/serving. Wow! I will come back to share my Italian bread recipe with you, too!

scrimpySauceTips:
- You can half this recipe to make enough sauce for 1 box of pasta.
- You can use this sauce for so many things: Chicken parmesan, Eggplant parmesan, Baked ziti, Lasagna, Stuffed shells, Calzones, etc...
- This makes a great freezer meal. Just freeze half for a quick weeknight dinner,
- You could use this for pizza, I'd just add an extra T, of sugar, and reduce it until it's thicker.
- I like this sauce thin and smooth. To get it thin and smooth, I use an immersion stick Braun hand mixer. You can also put it in a blender. Just be sure it's cooled off because the heat could blow the top off.
- If you like it thick and chunky, use diced tomatoes and just serve it as is. And if you only have whole tomatoes, just crush them in your hand before you add them to the pot.
- You can use any type of canned tomato: seasoned, crushed, pureed, whole, you name it!
- I have heard that all soups and sauces are better if given some time to rest. So usually, I'll make this at 3 pm, let it sit on the stove off the heat once it's done cooking, and then heat it up while I cook the pasta around 7 for dinner.
- It's good with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan or Romano. I use Romano because it's so much cheaper and serves the same purpose. Again, when I have money, it'll be Parmesan. And it'll be the expensive Parmesan.

Bananaberry Blasts

This is a great smoothie recipe that uses 3 ingredients. It's full of anti-oxidants from the soy milk and blueberries, comes together in a flash, and looks very cool, too (it's Blueish-Purpleish).

- 3/4 c. TJs organic frozen wild blueberries ($1.35)
- 2 organic bananas - Haymarket ($.22)
- 1 1/2 c. organic soy milk ($.63)
- 1 1/2 c. water

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2. Serve with a straw

scrimpyTips:

- If you have a magic bullet, you can just do this in 3 batches. Add 1/4 c. blueberries, about 1/2 a banana, 1/2 c. soy milk, and 1/2 c. water and blend. The magic bullet is great for smoothies.

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!)

Breakfast for Dinner!!!

Ahhh, so those beans were quite delicious, if I may say so myself. The only caveat being it’s one of those dinners that’s so good, but retains so much heat that inevitably you’re stuck there at the table blowing off every bite and chewing all quickly. But that’s okay, it’s worth it! My recommendation is to eat off the sides and top! My boyfriend Mike likes to go the other route with it and mix it up so that the very hottest parts from the bottom get to the top and then he has an even hotter bite. To each their own (use my method – I can assure you you’ll be trying to eat these before they cool off). We would have these for dinner tonight, also, but I have some leftover pancake batter from Sunday that we are going to use for breakfast for dinner!

Breakfast for dinner is a great concept. I find that usually breakfast foods are less expensive than a full dinner, and it’s a fun thing to do once in a while. To make it even more delicious, you can add some fruit to the pancakes. My favorite is to spoon the batter on the pan and add 3 banana slices on top. The texture of the banana works really well with the pancake – and they’re so much less expensive than blueberries. I can’t wait until my son, Dylan (6 months) is old enough to get a kick out of it like most kids will. They’ll think you’re so cool! Oh, for a little festive addition, let the kids wear their pajamas at the table (and you do it too!). Ok, very fun.

There’s only 2 adults here, so I generally make enough pancake batter for 4 and then save some. Many don’t know this, but pancake batter stays very well in the fridge for a few days and actually makes it a little fluffier. If you don’t have time to make ahead, just let it sit for about 30 minutes before cooking – you’ll see what I mean…it gets all airy. Pancakes can be a great last minute dinner if you have the batter already prepared. Another quick-fix option for pancakes would be to make a large batch of the dry ingredients (make it organic for only pennies more with 365 Everyday Value WF flour) and then add the wet (milk and egg) at the last minute – basically you’re making your own Bisquick. Can I use that word without a “®” or “™”…or for that matter a “☼” (called: miscellaneous dingbats) or a “§”? What in the world would anyone ever need these symbols for? Taking this one step further: Did anyone else realize Bisquick is a combo of “Biscuits” and “Quick”…as in, quick biscuits? I just did…a few days ago. Pretty cool, right? (Probably not).

The point is, we have leftover pancake batter, and I will be making that for dinner. I also really like eating leftover pancakes at room temperature with a little soft butter on them. They’re a surprisingly good snack. I once sent them to work for lunch with a side of maple syrup for Mike, and he was surprised by how good they were. So if you don’t have enough batter left over for a whole meal, just cook up the extra and save them (in an airtight container). You could serve them to the kids (or yourself) for snacks with:

-Butter

-Peanut Butter and/or Jelly or bananas

-Cream Cheese and Strawberries with a little sprinkled powdered sugar

-A scoop of ice cream

scrimpyTips for pancakes:

-Make extra batter for another meal

-Cook extra pancakes and freeze for a quick weekday breakfast/dinner/lunch

-Let batter sit for at least 30 minutes before cooking it. This can be done overnight, just be sure to leave on the counter for 30 minutes to take the chill off

-Make pancakes even thriftier by making your own mix

-Bananas are great, healthy, CHEAP additions to pancakes (since with their thick peels, it’s not urgent you buy them organic) as are a few chocolate chips and apples.

-Serve leftovers creatively at room temperature (Belgian pancakes, anyone???)

Making sense of Haymarket

Repeat after me:

"Haymarket is not a farmer's market". Oooh you don't know how hard it makes me laugh when I hear tourists walking through the North End saying to each other, "Oh, I hear there's a great Farmer's Market here on the weekend". First of all, it's not in any way a farmer's market. Second of all, it's not on the weekend. Well, some of it is. It's on Friday and Saturday. That's another thing I love. Watching people on a Sunday say, "Oh, I thought there was a farmer's market here". Or even better...my fiance on a Sunday, "Hmmm that's weird, I don't know what happened to Haymarket" (After 3 years of living in the neighborhood, he had failed to notice it's only open Friday and Saturday...mmmhmmmm....)

If you're coming from the Green or Orange line, get off at the Haymarket stop. If you're coming from the blue line, you can get off at the Aquarium stop and walk along the perimeter of Faneuil hall, or switch to the green at Government Center. If you're taking the red line, just switch to the green at Park Street.

Haymarket is a market of vendors (not farmers, it won't even take you a minute to realize that. This is not a place for virgin ears) that *SOMEHOW* either get really good discounts on produce or steal it or just sell it for less of a profit than the grocery stores. I have no clue where they get their wares, all I know is that the people who run those booths are shady characters who are impervious to cold and heat. It's best to do a pros and cons list here, I think. Let's see if this works:

Pros:
-Cheap
-Accessible by public transportation
-Cheap
-Good selection of fruit and vegetables
-Cheap
-Selection of ethinc foods

• There's a halal market that puts out cheeses and olives...usually grosses me out, but if that's your type of thing, you'd probably like it....they have great pitas/breads/bagels. Plus cute little kids taking your money
• You can find yucca, plaintains, big pieces of squashes, pineapples, fresh ginger, tomatillos, jalepenos, pomagranates and many other foods that Americans don't usually purchase.
  

-Cheap

Cons:
-Is extremely crowded
-Vendors are rude and pushy
-Customers are rude and pushy (I once saw a woman pushing a baby stroller, so I gave her a break for walking so slow and being oblivious to everything around her only to pass her and see that there was NO BABY in the stroller, just VEGGIES! That really got me mad, who does that?)
-You can't touch or pick out your produce. They put the good stuff out and give you whatever they want from a box behind the thing. I generally buy things here that can take a good beating
-Usually a few pieces of whatever you bought are just no good, but it still winds up being a value because it was so damn cheap

What to make of these pros and cons...? I like Haymarket, I think it serves an important purpose. I do not purchase dirty dozen veggies and fruits here, because I am concerned about the pesticide content. I come here to get everything else.

scrimpyTip:

-Oranges, lemons, limes, bananas, grapefruit, pineapples, onions, garlic, carrots, and melons are generally a good bet here. If you're not concerned about pesticides, it's also a great place to purchase potatoes, zucchini, pears, apples, mushrooms, lettuce, parsley, basil, blueberries, strawberries, and grapes.

-If you don't live close, I would stongly recommend making a monthly trip for onions, garlic, bananas and oranges. They stay fresh all month (freeze unused bananas) and really are a terrific value.

- Don't bring your children. It is a war zone. It's too crowded. The language is horrible. You won't be able to maneuver a stroller. People will not yield to you even if you are carrying a baby in a sling. You must be extremely agile and you cannot succeed if caring for your little peanuts.

- Go as early in the day as humanly possible

-Good night, and good luck.