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!