The simple beauty of bechamel......

Not quite sure what to call this concoction.......maybe something of a ravioli as they are stuffed little pieces of heaven in a creamy white cheddar bechamel sauce, but I used pre-made won-ton wraps that I bought at the store.....and they were fried in a pan....no worries, not deep fried, more of a sauteed in olive oil....similar to browning an onion....at any rate they had the perfect crunch factor that was accented beautifully by the velvety smooth bechamel......ahhhh bechamel how I love to love you....

.....where do we begin.....I have to admit that is a labor intensive activity, but trust me totally worth it....and you end up making 10 servings, for me and the better half that is 5 meals......cost benefit analysis tells me it is totally worth it, but with our busy schedule probably not something that will make it into active rotation.....

The Sauce....this is where I began, for me there is nothing better than a rich and creamy white sauce, but after flipping through Julia Child's The Way To Cook, I discovered the proper term for this delightfully delectable sauce: bechamel......it even sounds smooth, which it is....if of course you strain it......before adding the cheese and after everything else is done.....I have to admit that I would have never of thought of such a thing if it wasn't for my recent obsession with Master Chef!

.....first start by melting 4 TBSP of butter in a large frying pan, while that is happening add 3 cups of milk to a saucepan and warm slowly, I did this on about 3 with the lid on....for a little something special I sprinkled a pinch of cardamom to the milk (shhhhhh don't tell it's one of my secrets)......once the butter is melted you are ready to start making the magic.....I took a cup full of warm milk and added 1 TBSP of flour to it, then I beat it with a mini-whisk until it was smooth and chunk free......I don't know about you but I have never had luck with adding flour to a sauce and not ending up with curds of flour....but this time was different.....once well blended I added the flour milk to the butter and then switched over to the large whisk and went crazy, I repeated this process two more time to end up adding 3 TBSP of flour all together......when you feel the moment is right add in some freshly ground pepper & sea salt.....then continue to add in the rest of the milk whisking your heart away.....just to be on the safe side I strained the sauce and low and behold there were a few chunks lingering behind.....not sure why, but thanks to the strainer no one is the wiser.....except for all you fine folks out there in never-never land.....oh yeah did I mention I now have 7 followers! yeah me!!!

......the sauce then sits.......

...time for the filling: I started by mincing a white onion and some brown mushrooms (about 8), the smaller the pieces the better off you will be.....although I am not an expert by any means I feel confident in this because it for sure increases the surface area......increase the surface area equals increasing the taste, right?  well for me it does anyway, and if you have had the pleasure of reading previous posts you will know that I of course sauteed the mushrooms and onions in extra virgin olive oil and my fav 3 seasonings: garlic powder, seasoned salt, and red pepper flakes.....I started with the onions as they take longer and with such small pieces the mushrooms will cook down rather quickly.....I should have mentioned this earlier, but prior to frying up the veggies I took a boneless sirloin pork chop and browned it in the pan, yes boneless sirloin, and get this it was only $1.07.....this is how I got this recipe on the dollar menu, meat is not as easy as you think......OK, back to the recipe already......well as I mentioned it is better to cook the meat first, then it has a chance to rest, and you can use the same pan to cook the mushrooms and onions....this will pick up some of the flavor left behind from the pork......to season the sirloin I used Pete's Pork Seasoning....a special mixture of a friend of mines from Minnesota, when I run out I will be calling for more......

.....after the veggies and meat are ready I start warming up the sauce and adding in the shredded white cheddar cheese, thank you Petaluma Creamery.....always eat local if you can, it tastes so darn good and it so darn cheap!

......then its time to get going.....I sliced the pork thin with the grain, then in half from there so as to end up with bite size pieces, take one and place on a won-ton wrap and a small spoon of mushroom & onion mixture.....I took a whole egg and beat it to seal the wrap.....the packaging suggested just the egg white, but you know me I rarely follow directions.....TIP: beat the egg with a fork in a creme brulee dish, it was amazing......

.....with a brush make a square around the filling and fold the wrap in half, into a triangle.....then if you have one, take a crinkle cutter and trim off the edges....I then folded in the two ends in the center (securing with egg) and place on a tray....repeat until you run out of wraps....I made 50.....with 5 for a serving and less than $10 total this puppy made it to the dollar menu.....now, some of you might be thinking 5 for a serving?!?....yes, that is right 5....please do not compare to what you get a restaurant, lets face it servings at a restaurant are often two or three times what they are supposed to be.....an added bonus of this dollar menu of mine is portion control, as a society we have lost touch with how much we are to consume.....we are a society of bigger, faster, and lets face it when it comes to food not always better......I would pair this dish with a spinach salad.....or maybe another green salad that you like.....so much better than a dollar serving of french fries on the side....a little crusty bread might be nice as well.....trust me you will want something to soak up the rest of the bechamel in the bowl.....

~Enjoy!

How many fruits have you eaten today?

....the most terrific part of all this is that the recipe I am about to share with you I somehow stumbled upon.....one might say that it just came to me.....to add it on to the dollar menu that is, this recipe was made in America, unlike me.....honestly not too sure where I got the idea for it, I am sure it was from watching endless hours of TV every time I visit my parents....not sure why, maybe its the dozens of channels they have, more likely the leather recliner.....one day I shall have one of those, the kind that have a build in ottoman and reclines all the way back....

...oh yeah about all this fruit business....I have to admit that living in California I have been spoiled with all the fresh fruits and veggies, and nuts, and of course wine!......I was just working on packing my lunch for tomorrow and decided to go with some of the strawberries and cantaloupe....then I whipped up a little dollop of dressing......so here she be...

Fresh Fruit Salad Dressing:
- fat free sour cream......half of a container.....not the super huge one, or the mini-one.....the one that's just right...
- honey....usually about 2 TBSP....did I mention this was a double recipe
- cinnamon....so good.....do not over indulge though....remember you can always add more....
- cardamon.....this is the secret....just use a little...



 As always, 

        Enjoy!

First Baking Post!

Yes, that's right!  I have finally gotten to add baking to the dollar menu!  I definitively baked in bulk.....there were two lemon loaves...an experiment for sure....I have never ever made lemon loaf before....but I certainly have eaten it....and loved it!....I was also up past midnight baking the most versatile recipe I have for chewy oatmeal cookies....I'm not sure what is better, the fact that they are cholesterol free or that fact that they are unbelievably tasty......for the cafe mocha blend I like to add 1 heaping teaspoon of coffee grounds...and 1/2 of a bag of swirl chocolate chips....it is the perfect combination.....for the second double batch of cookies I added dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.....this combination I have done many times...the cafe mocha was a recent revelation.....

....since I baked in bulk a serving of these baked goods would equal 1 slice of lemon loaf....that is if you slice the lemon loaf in 10.....really a fairly thick slice.....and 2 cookies.....one of each or two of a kind...all for under a dollar!....the best part is is that you can take all of these and freeze them.....or take them in to work and share with your co-workers.....to spice things up a bit I also added 2 jars of chai tea mix for the bake sale....it is simply sublime and no credit shall go to me as I got this recipe from a great friend of mine Michelle.....she also gave me the greatest gift ever...Cheerio....my 3 year old female cinnamon cockatiel......enough of this....on to the recipes!


Basic Chewy Oatmeal Cookies:
  recipe yields 36-44 cookies

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cups brown sugar
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup corn oil
4 egg whites (beaten)
4 Tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla extract

    In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, molasses, salt, cinnamon, and sugar....mix together well.....be sure to get all the lumps out of the brown sugar.......then add in the oats.....mix together.....take oil, egg whites, water, and vanilla and whisk together in a small bowl....then add moist mixture to the dry mixture....mix together well then add treats: I made 2 suggestions above which are rather tasty....I have also crushed up almonds to the white chocolate cranberry.....and if you are looking to be really traditional you could go for raisins....to tell you the truth the husband loves the plain oatmeal the best......bake at 350 degrees for 11-14 minutes....under-cooking them slightly will increase the chewiness factor.....

....I know that this also includes the lemon loaf....however seeing as though that recipe is a great grandmother Bole's recipe.....I am not ready to give it up yet.....

      ....enjoy!

Coconut Curry Sirloin Pork Chops....

...let's first start by noting the fact that is has been WAY to long since I have done this....and let me tell you this really was a challenge...for one I have never cooked a pork chop before....yes, it is true....trust me I have my excuses...for one, my mother somehow sled into a phase where she lost her passion for cooking....and many many over cooked pork chops where had for dinner....thank god she made the best sweet BBQ sauce to go with it.....and rice of course, that stuff was great but the chops were dryer than a syrah and as a result it basically permanently turned me off from pork chops....thus tonight being the first pork chop I have cooked....

....it was a great cut: boneless sirloin....I of course let it sit marinating with Pete's seasoning.....ask me about this....then started blanching the cauliflower while getting some extra virgin olive oil heating in the big skillet for the sauteed onions, zucchini squash, bean sprouts, and cherry tomatoes cut in half....leaving about 3 minutes between adding each one...does that even make sense?.....and to think I am a teacher, yet sometimes lack the ability to explain something properly....lol....so I start by adding the sliced onions in the hot oil....make sure that the pan is hot....then season with of course....my classic combination of seasoned salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes....after slight browning it is time to add the squash, then after tossing a few times add in the bean sprouts and cherry tomatoes......sprinkle in a little curry powder....its time.....

....meanwhile on another smaller skillet heat up some....yes you guessed it extra virgin olive oil....make sure it is cold single press.....makes all the difference in the world......then add the pork chop, probably only 3-4 minutes per side, you want to slightly under-cook the chop because the cut is so thin, and it will continue to cook when it is added to the veggies.....let the meat rest....

....take that darn pan that you just perfectly browned the chop in and add in half a can of coconut milk.....of course low fat....I mean did you even have to ask....hello healthy.....thoroughly cover the milk with curry and whisk you little heart away...the best thing to use this is a mini-wisk....I have one that the handle is an egg....thanks to a certain someone we shall refer to as Bacvar.....always and forever....

.....once the curry coconut milk is frothy and fully mixed add to the sauteed veggies....slice the chop....it has been sitting just enough time for all of the juices to constitute in the cut......mix around in the veggies with creamy coconut curry sauce and.....

...serve over a bed of basmati rice.....enjoy!

Bruschetta Bread....

....this was quite simply the best we have made it....and not to mention one of the closest calls to make the Dollar Menu....but alas here we are....me back on the deck blabbering in the evening sun awaiting the corn bread muffins to accompany the chili con carne & chili con cashews that I shall be serving my guests......yes, they were both Dollar Menu items as well!  woohoo frugalness!!!

.....the bruschetta bread is really somewhat of a fun meal to make with that special someone as it really is a two man job....or at least it is in this house....the other half is in charge of making it taste so darn great....which is why really all the credit goes to him, but alas this is Donna Reed's Dollar Menu....so here I am!

....toppings chopped and mixed well in a bowl: 2 yellow tomatoes, 8 brown mushrooms (the smaller the pieces the better), 2 red tomatoes (I am partial to "off the vine" varietal), 5 fresh basil leaves (thank you Marin Farmers Market for the biggest bunches ever for only 2 bucks!), 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 onion (we used white, but we discussed the option of using purple next time for even more color!), 1/5 brick of mozzarella (the brick was a little bigger than the palm of my hand....threw out the wrapper so at this point in time, no idea what size it actually was), 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (cold press of course), 1 tsp Italian seasoning, and last but not least 2 tsp seasoned salt......mix and be merry.....

....the bread:  finally perfected.....I started with a seeded sourdough loaf that was purchased at....you guessed it the Marin Farmers Market from Panorama.....they make THE BEST bread....in my opinion....and sliced it up......in the past I have just put the topping right on the bread, then I watched Julie and Julia (I will continue to refer to this movie often....so just deal with it!) and noticed that the bread was fried in a frying pan....oh my crunch time.....but this has never quite worked for me as I saw it in the movies.....imagine that....and I ended up adding so much oil that it might have as well been deep fried.....and it was never evenly browned....I blame the stove....so I decided to brush extra virgin olive oil on each side of each piece of bread, then place under the broiler for about 14 minutes, of course turning over half way.....it was a miracle and the bread was perfect....,...then I spooned on the delicious topping and placed back under the broiler just until the cheese melted....it was simply sublime and served with a simple salad.....romaine lettuce, ranch dressing, and a sprinkle of grated parm......

....this dinner was quick, delicious, and most importantly less than a dollar a serving....but let me tell you those last few pennies sure felt the pinch.....

bye for now...

Just Baking.....Not Calculating....

.....as promised shortly I shall start working on the bruschetta bread.....truth be told...it is really the husband who makes the topping for that one oh so great......I simply do the bread, not bake...but cut and make nice and crunchy.......instead of frying it in the pan as was done in Julie and Julia and gave me the great idea, this evening I will attempt to cruchify the bread by simply brushing the seeded sourdough bread with olive oil and then placing it under the broiler.....we'll see how that one pans out.....meanwhile....

....I have 2 balls of pie crust dough chilling in the refrigerator....for numerous reasons of course, first and for most anybody who's anybody knows that you should always work with chilled pastry....increases the flakiness factor....and I plan to use it for a peach pie that shall sit in the freezer until one fine September when my brother visits and it is baked for him as his favorite pie is my Nanny's peach pie.....granted I can not hold a candle stick to her pie....I am using her mother's recipe....and I did get the white ribbon at last years Gravenstein Apple Fair Pie Baking Contest....which brings us to my final reason for the crust.....this weekend is the contest and I plan to enter again....yes it will be Gravenstein apples again, and yes it will be a lattice top again, but this year I discovered the great-grandmothers recipe.....if I had to some up the changes from the previous pie recipe......one word would do it.....lard......when it comes to pastry there is no other comparison......

...so this peach pie will be good practice for the apple one I will be making tomorrow....oh yeah, with the peaches there is no DollarMenu calculations needed....unless you were to cut the pie into about 18 pieces....and lets face it that would just be wrong......

....and what else is a girl to do while waiting for the pie crust to properly cool?.....why bake chewy coffee chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.....did you even have to ask....hoping to be a nice surprise for my guests as I have yet to serve any dessert while they have been staying at Casa de Reed......first cookie sheet is less than 2 minutes away from coming out and the smell out here on the deck is somewhat intoxicating.....

.....lets talk cookie talk: the recipe is for low-fat, low-cholesterol oatmeal cookies....which as an added bonus are not low-taste, and are super-chewy....ahhhhhh...the chemistry of cooking...how I appreciate thee....the recipe calls for raisins and interestingly enough that is what I have added the least to these cookies....today it is mocha java coffee and swirl chocolate chips...previous times I have added white chocolate chips and dried cranberries....also another personal favorite....of course just by themselves ain't to shabby either...

....I know this is not DollarMenu however I continue to be obsessed with food and dangnabit this darn blog thing allows me share my ideas, passions, and seemingly insignificant thoughts about cooking....so here we are, I guess everyone needs to splurge sometimes and break the "rules".....

Vegetarian Enchiliadas.....

...at a sinfully delicious price of $6.66 this one makes 8 servings....of course this one took a few more calculations than normal as I also made some with shrimp....in the past I have made them with chicken as well...the best was using the left-overs from a roasted chicken....ahhh Sunday night dinner....a classic in my mind....as as a child I have fond memories of having roasted chicken on Sunday nights with my Grandmother, of course as we watched a hockey game....for all those canucks out there Hockey Night in Canada used to be on Sundays....now its double headers on Saturdays...man I miss CBC....enough of that....here we go:

....clean, and cut up one onion, 2 green peppers (they were on sale for 53 cents a pound...HOLY BUCKETS!), and one red pepper...I of course added my staple seasonings of: seasoned salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes....while all that is happening I took a can of refried beans added a few jalapenos (apparently too many for everyone else ;)....) and topped with shredded cheese....place on low and cover with aluminum foil....all you are really doing is looking for the cheese to melt and the beans to be hot, or warm depending on your preference....the side dish of refried beans is not included in the $6.66 price tag of the meal to feed 8 however I am going to assume that with 2 cans you can get the job done as I purchase cans when they are on sale for a buck a pop!.....

....take the pepper and onion mix and wrap up in the whole wheat wraps and place in a baking dish....break out that can opener again and top with enchilada sauce....it is the most amazing thing to me how dog gone great it tastes....and its from a freakin' can.....then of course, top with more shredded cheese and place in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.....the cheese will be nice and bubbly and if you are lucky slightly browned on the highest peaks....serve with a side of beans and call it a night!.....

.....Being the 1950s housewife that I am, I was also somehow inspired to serve this meal with some homemade guacamole and chips...the salsa alas was from a jar....in case you are interested....


Guacamole: 1 ripe avocado, 1 heaping spoon of fat free sour cream, garlic powder and salt to taste....I love guacamole so much that sometimes I eat that alone as a meal....judge me as you will.....I love me some guac....

Pita Chips: take pita and spray one side with pam, sprinkle on seasoned salt and garlic powder, repeat on other side and bake in oven for 10 minutes (or so) then cut up into 8ths....so simple, so easy, so tasty....and if they are whole wheat....so tasty....

...hmmmmmm tomorrow night: will bruschetta make the cut?

The High Cost of Whole Wheat....

.....just got back from my favorite neighborhood local grocery store after picking up a few last minute items for tonight's DollarMenu challenge....enchiladas....OK, so some will be shrimp and I don't need a calculator to tell you that they will for sure be over the $1.00 a serving, but me thinks that the vegetarian ones will for sure make it....

....so I have spent the past several weeks in Canada....my home and native land....which left the whole DollarMenu thing abandoned and low and behold, I still have no followers (other than my husband....which by the way doesn't count as I had to ask him to follow me!), or comments from anyone other than myself.....wth...although I have been pleasantly surprised by the verbal conversations I have about this whole "blog thing" with people, no one seems to be participating....and admittedly at first I was disappointed, especially after watching Julie and Julia WAY TOO many times.....but then I thought about it and remembered why in the heck I am doing this damn thing....and it sure as shit ain't for others to comment on what I am doing....it is for me....so I shall continue to write, and blabber about these silly little food thoughts that continue to prance in my cranium......

...oh yeah, the whole whole wheat thing...well at United Market I was pricing out wraps for the enchiladas and of course could not help but notice the fact that the whole wheat 10 pack is 70 cents more than "the other kind".....you know white, enriched, bleached to shit and lacking all natural naturalness....of course I went straight for the whole wheat as lets face it, they taste SO MUCH better....I know not everyone thinks this way, but food is the fuel for our body so why not stock up on the best that is available, even if it does cost you 7 cents per serving more.....to me it's worth it...

....beige Williams-Sonoma apron is on, hands are washed, and supplies are ready!

....not quite dollar menu......

....but it's quarter to ten and I just poured my fourth cocktail and here we are...I do not want to say bored....because that is the wrong to say right in the middle of such a busy summer.....I am completely enthralled with the AcDec curriculum this year....I know that it is going to be close when it comes to finalizing the team to compete....but no need to worry about for it is not about the destination, but the journey that drives me....

....oh right, on to the food.....green pepppers, they happen to be on sale for I think 1.28 a pound, the days of red peppers for $1.28 is over my friend....I guess this means we have hit the 1/2 point of summer....which also means the return of the persimmon....quite simply the best fruit in the world....ok, back to the peppers....I boiled 1 cup of orzo with 2 cups of water, and let simmer until water was gone, then I added some skim milk and a few small cubes of Italian fontina cheese....it is simply sublime.....meanwhile broccoli (in teeny tiny pieces) was "steamed" in the microwave for 1 minute, and 1 purple onion (minced) and some brown mushrooms are sauteed with extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and red pepper flakes....


....then the onion/mushroom, broccoli and cheesy orzo are all mixed together and place in a green pepper, then topped with some shredded cheese.....patiently waiting....

~enjoy!

...Veggie Lasagna.....doubled?!?

...well here we are I am waiting for the significant other to come home and 2 lasagnas....yes TWO are sitting in my freezer.....I am still somewhat amazed how I managed to "rearrange" everything and get it all in there....in my dreams I own a home with a deep freeze so things like this and "stocking-up" on stuff is a little more realistic....

....so I started to saute the onions and brown mushrooms and on a whim decided that the yellow squash should be in included in this layer of the lasagna....while boiling all of the noodles (only 3 at a time) I mixed together 3 leaves of dried basil and added it to the fat free ricotta.....you may remember earlier this summer when I could not contain my enthusiasm for how CHEAP and GOOD the farmers market basil is.....

....I finally found a great way to "handle" the eggplant....thank you parchment paper....I lined the baking sheet with it, then sprayed it with pam and sprinkled some Italian seasoning on it....laid out the sliced eggplant, then proceeded to do the same to get some great searing on it...so more pam and Italian seasoning it was.....under the broiler for just over 10 minutes did the trick....yeah, no more adding tons and tons of olive oil to take care of the eggplant in the frying pan......although tasty, I concur that deep-frying not only is a mess but that it is not quite the healthiest route.....


1.) Spray pans with pam.
2.) Line with whole wheat noodles
3.) Spread on thin layer of voodka sauce (I am partial to Safeway brand!)
4.) Layer with mushroom, onion, squash blend (1/2 per pan)
5.) More noodles!
6.) Now comes the eggplant...
7.) Crumble on herbed ricotta cheese (1/2 per pan)
8.) More noodles!
9.) thin layer of sauce and top with shredded mozarella


Now I remember that you need to bake it in the oven covered for most of the time and then the last few minutes uncovered to get the top of the cheese golden brown....will add more when cooking for company.....


....I guess in retrospect that 2 pans of lasagna makes great sense as one could serve one for dinner the day of preparation and then save one in the freezer for a day when all you want to do is talk....then eat.....but seeing as though I am not that kind of gurl, I decided to simultaneously make green peppers stuffed with a fontina orzo with mushrooms and broccoli....perhaps not dollar menu worthy...but hopefully delicious.....


.....2 pans of lasagna = 16 servings for just over $15.00......close I know.....but still room left over....maybe a piece of garlic toast or a simple salad might do the trick if you had to get it up to a dollar a serving.... ~enjoy!

Why Mike's homemeade pizza may never make it to the blog.....

....where do I begin.....if you have been reading, which let's face it I think I am the only one who has been......I was in possession of a pizza stone....from what I know, the absolutely best way to cook a pizza at home, unless of course you have a wood burning oven where you can just slide the pie in without putting it on anything, but let's face it....I rent....therefore, no special pizza oven for me....one day I shall upgrade to a convection oven....then I'll take on the pizza stone again....perhaps.....until that time, it's all airbake for me baby!

....the pizza was simple and starting to be dollar menu worthy....or as the BK'ers would say "value menu"......give me a break, who cares if your food is cheap, its crap! Oprah would agree, a few days ago her show was devoted to diabetes and how so many Americans are affected by this disease simply because of the food choices they make everyday....what is sad are those that have diabetes due to their genes....I could go on and on because of one special little guy I know...but wait this is Donna Reed's Dollar Menu....not Donna Reed's Rants and Raves....or is it.....

......homemade crust.....thank you Michael Joshua, Safeway brand 4 cheese spaghetti sauce.....didn't even use the entire jar.....hmmmm, pasta for Mike's lunch.....sauteed brown mushrooms and purple onions (some people like them raw on pizza, but I can't resist the opportunity to caramelize an onion).....meaty half had turkey pepperoni and veggie half had black olives....of course I also could not resist jalapenos....apparently I added too much....see picture above.....

....today's Oprah is going to the Texas state fair.....I wonder if diabetes will still be on her mind as she munches on something deep fried....maybe cookie dough or a twinkie......I have NEVER understood this....


....well, not too sure what might happen in the kitchen tonight for dinner....I do know that one of these days I will be making a veggie lasagna and I of course have been saving my receipts so that I can calculate its dollar menu worthyness.......I have only made it twice before....the first time was for in-laws that were coming to stay with us and well, my father-in-law is a vegetarian, so off in search of something simple was I.....it actually turned out pretty darn good....plus when you have company over and all you have to do to prepare dinner is pull something out of the freezer and pre-heat the oven, it's priceless....unless of course you are cooking something that you didn't make from scratch....for shame.....it happens every night in millions of homes.....the fine art of cooking is quickly being lost....even though my name is now Donna Reed....for quite some time I have been known as a 1950's housewife....and proud of it...lol....it's time to take our meals back to the table and away from the drive-thru.

Chili Con Cashews

....what a productive morning.....4 loads of laundry and 2 batches of chili.....maybe its the constant connections and too much Facebook, but I can easily see how this blog may be too much Donna Reed and not enough Dollar Menu....or maybe its reading Julie & Julia at the gym on the stairmaster that is causing all of this side-tracking....at any rate....here she blows...

Chili Con Cashews

2 cups cashews
1 onion
3 stalks celery
1 can corn
2 cans Bush's baked beans (vegetarian of course!)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 cups H2O

Saute onions, celery, and corn with: season salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and chili powder. Add water, (it lifts all that great seasoning off the bottom of the pan....I am sure there is some sort of culinary term for it), beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and more seasonings to taste. Let simmer about an hour or so.

This recipe cashes in at a cool $11.00 total which equates to about 65 cents a serving....yeah baby, that means you still have room for sides, rice, toast, corn bread muffin, tortilla chips....or whatever it is you serve with chili....enjoy!

Chili Con Carne

....the Con Carne part means with meat.....and in order to satisfy a slim waist line I have chosen to use ground turkey instead of ground beef.....I have been substituting in the turkey in a variety of recipes for quite some time now....I wish I could take the credit for the clever idea.....a fellow co-worker tuned me into the idea when mentioning that his wife does it all the time....ahhh, the great people @ Cygnus.....sad sad story, for another time perhaps....

....in order to appease the gods...or at least the gods of I have company coming the day after I return from my own vacation, I have decided to get ready now! This means chili cooking oh so early in the morn.....I have also recently found out that one of my guests is a vegetarian.....of course, I was made aware of this after suggesting such ideas as: roast chicken, BBQ pork, shrimp sushi, and turkey burgers....hmmm...wonder how much I have disgusted her already....

....many, many, moons ago I went through a "I'm eating less meat" phase....needless to say it was short-lived....thank heaves for ribs bringing me back to sanity....although I do have to admit that I have found some superb recipes sans meat.....one of my favs is a chili with cashews.....yet another amazing idea from yet another amazing Cygnusian.......


Chili Con Carne......
1 pkg ground turkey
1 onion
3 stalks celery
1 can corn
2 cans Bush's baked beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 cups H2O

Brown turkey in separate pan, season with: seasoned salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and chili powder. Set aside. In a big pot (one with 2 handles) saute onion, celery, and corn. Add in beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, H2O, and turkey. Add more seasoning and let simmer for 1 hour or so.


This entire recipe is made for about $12.00 and even though it is still simmering on the stove now, I know that it makes more than 12 serving....thus, we have another Donna Reed's Dollar Menu item.....of course I would suggest serving it anyway you like: over rice, with toast, corn bread, or some tortilla chips and sour cream....or whatever you fancy...the point is to enjoy something healthy and tasty for under $1.00!

101 ways with chicken....

....OK, so the BBQ chicken pizza was somewhat of a bust.....our friendly neighbourhood chef decided to let me borrow his pizza stone....yeah, my mom has one and it works wonders.....if of course you know how to use it.....I have somewhat perfected the timing and temperature on the airbake.....clearly this does not work with the stone...one word....crunchy.....everything, even the gooey fresh mozzarella was toast.....but I digress....and plan to use remaining left over chicken breasts for chicken quesadillas for dinner tonight.....calculations shall ensure and I hope to have this one added to the dollar menu......

....on a side note, seeing as though I love talking about food so much I shall share last nights dinner.....for starters we had a something I call a simple salad....romaine, chopped tomatoes, and a few slices of onion....tossed gently in some garlic caesar dressing.....then we had spaghetti that was cooked in a brown mushroom chessie white sauce with BBQ shrimp....interesting combination indeed.....

10 days of vacation......

...of course, no one has missed me as this whole blog thing is somewhere in a nebular stage.....and I have no fans, but never fear for Donna Reed is here! After 10 days away I am back and ready to continue with the whole dollar menu thing.....I have to admit that I thought about it a lot as we were paying restaurant bill after restaurant bill on vacation....but then again, I didn't have to have all those margaritas!....or did I?.....The pesto is for sure going to have to be a do over, after learning just how potent freshly smashed garlic can be, I did end up adding more basil and got it to a phase that was pleasing to the palate....of course, this was the morning before we were leaving so not enough time for calculations and such....I did however manage to can the stuff....I believe that with one more round of pesto I will be set for a year....mmmmm pesto......it goes great with so many pastas, and of course in a chicken sandwich with a slice of beefsteak tomato....ramble, ramble, ramble, I go....tonight's challenge will be a homemade BBQ chicken pizza.....I cooked up 5 chicken breasts last night....bone-in of course, to lock in all those sweet juices.....keep your fingers crossed that BBQ chicken pizza will make Donna Reed's Dollar Menu.....

Lesson Learned....

....when adding garlic to any recipe it is pertinent to comprehend the differences between garlic and roasted garlic......it was somewhere on an island in Canada where I developed the love for roasted garlic......garlic bread, caesar salad dressing, sauteed green beans, and heart-attack mashed potatoes were a few of the regulars that roasted garlic would be added to.....even though it has gotten lost somewhere in between teaching, coaching, and grad school, I have recently found a regeneration in the use of roasted garlic in my cooking.....then one day I attempted to use fresh garlic in the dollar menu pesto.....it appears as though 7 cloves of garlic was WAY too much....at it's current state, with an entire bunch of basil and some of the partly dried bunch.....it burns...I have learned how much fresh garlic is too much garlic....however with the high quality ingredients that I have already added, it can be fixed....this will force me to attend the Marin County Farmer's Market yet another Sunday in a row....I love when I have excuses to go to a farmers market, they are oh so inspirational for peeps whom like to cook, much like myself....at any rate, this "experiment" has brought me to a "base" state where more freshly picked basil will be added....and never fear I still have more pine nuts....already roasted.....

....food for thought....

....well after nailing the RRP soup I had the comment that 1 more bouillon cub would not hurt anything....ok, I can accept that and it would still leave it at less than a dollar a serving....I had a thought.....perhaps I need to add more and part of the goal is to make it exactly $1.00 then it would be a true "dollar menu".....I will need to come up with some clever frugal sides....in fashion this would be the accessories...similar to what merchandising does for sales....so excited for pesto making.....bought some seriously strategically shredded parmesan cheese, and what is better than the smell of pine nuts toasting in the oven?...I have to admit that I have sampled some.....what can I say it's all about quality control....questioning the potential for this one to make the dollar menu as the pine nuts are $32.00 a pound....yes that's right....thirty-two dollars for a pound of nuts*....


*insert joke here

Thank you Marin County Farmers Market....

....today I picked up some the the best smelling basil.....bunches (huge) are only $2.00 that is enough basil to make 4 "servings" of pesto....a "serving" in this case is the amount you need to cover 1 box of pasta....bow-tie works nicely as there are lots of crevices for the pesto to get stuck in....gnocchi works nicely as well.....at the local market you can get 4 servings of gnocchi for a dollar something....I will check out for sure....one of the added bonuses is the fact that this dollar menu meal I am working on will take 5 minutes to prepare....from start to serve....I also splurged on some fresh lavender.....I heart cali.....

Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe....

...well I did it! I have to admit that I was a little worried when I was at the grocery store and came upon red peppers for $1.28 a pound instead of the 88 cents a pound I was promised....ah well.....even with that against me I was still able to make the soup for $0.69 a serving.....the recipe I am about to share makes 17 servings....not too shabby considering that I busted out the canning supplies and jarred the soup by serving size....perfect for lunches!....Now, I know that I could go to a certain fast food restaurant and get more food on their dollar menu....but we need to look at the quality of what we are putting into our bodies....cheap is not always better.....I want frugal....classy, but cheap.....I am proud to say that I still have $.31 left for a side...for me it would be saltines....but alas I have not calculated their unit cost....but I am guessing that 31 cents worth would be a decent amount....future research will lead me to an answer....2 pieces of toast would work nicely as well....hmmmm now to calculate butter....


The Recipe:
- 13 roasted red peppers....................................$8.70
- 2 white onions............................................$0.92
- 1 tsp salt................................................$0.01
- 3 TBSP olive oil..........................................$0.33
- 4 cups of water...........................................FREE SPACE
- 2 bouillon cubes (chicken)*...............................$0.24
- 1 tsp salt................................................$0.01
- 1 tsp pepper..............................................$0.04
- 1 can of tomatoes.........................................$1.00
- 6 cloves of roasted garlic................................$0.13
- 1/2 tsp anise.............................................$0.27

Total: $11.65

17 servings = $0.69 per serving

*could easily substitute veggie....do they even make veggie bouillon cubes?


.oh yeah...I guess I should explain what in the heck to do with all those ingredients....first you need to roast the red peppers....takes 30 minutes....wash, cut, and spray with pam first....400 degree oven.....let cool, then peel the skin off....saute the onions in olive oil and 1 tsp of salt....when browned add water and cubes....allow it to begin boiling...then reduce heat and add red peppers & tomatoes, roasted garlic, s & p, and finally anise.....puree with hand blender and enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

...this recipe was given to me by my brother....then I lost it.....and since then have made it about 3 or 4 times and for some reason I continue to lose the recipe....I think it might have something to do with all the moving....at any rate, I plan to take the plunge and make it sans recipe.....goals: 1. delicious 2. dollar a serving....