Moving Day!

We've officially and permanently moved to our new home at WWW.CookingtoSave.com ! I will no longer be posting here....please come and find us in our new space.  I think the new blog looks great and it will have some great new features for my readers.  See you at Cooking to Save!

Update!

Sorry for the delay... the new website is about to launch. Today is the day!  Thanks for being patient, I think it will be worth the wait!  I've got a great tart recipe to share with you as soon as we are "live"!  In the meantime, I am off on my "foodie field trip" today.... stay tuned....

Today is the day... I think!

Yesterday was an extremely bad day!  First, my hard drive died... and I made the mistake of not having everything backed up.  If you haven't backed up your computer lately, go do it right now!  I lost some major pieces of work as well as some photos that hadn't made it onto my external hard drive. Ugh!  Last night, as I was trying to reproduce some of these items, my son came down to inform me that "Cooking to Save" was down. Ugh again!  The good news is that my new website is about to launch.  We'll be working on final touches today.  In the meantime, Cooking to Save has been temporarily forwarded to my old blog while we get the new one prepared.  Look for it later today or tomorrow morning!  I wanted to share though, this little piece of  sunshine that greeted me this morning when I stepped out with my dog.  One beautiful peony has bloomed in my garden!  Such a gorgeous site to open the door and find! It's a sign: today will be a good day!  I hope yours is too.

Note: for those of you wondering, we didn't fall off the wagon last night in the chaos of technical difficulties.( I really wanted to! )  It was a dinner of "good enough" though:  some soup I had in the freezer and made some chicken and cheese quesadillas.

Technical Difficulties!

If you are looking for my blog over on www.cookingtosave.com, it hasn't run away!  We are having technical difficulties, but should be back up soon, hopefully better then ever!

Chicken Stir Fry Salad

Inspirations for dinners come at the strangest times. This past Sunday we were driving back from Boston and Will was starving. We stopped at a little pizza shop to see if we could get him something to eat. While we were waiting for his tuna sub to come out, I watched the cook tossing some chicken on the grill and then placing it on top of a salad. Nothing fancy, but it looked delicious. I often grill chicken for salad but this gave me the idea to stir fry some chicken instead. Last night I did just that. Really simple, I just cooked it in a little olive oil with some salt and pepper. Then, I put it on top of a big green salad and made a balsamic vinaigrette. So good! The warm chicken with the cool greens were a great combination. It was a really nice change from the usual grilled chicken. My vinaigrette was extra good- I had some fabulous balsamic vinegar a friend had brought me from Italy. I've included the recipe here. I don't love a real oily dressing so this one has a little less oil then a classic dressing. I also add a little honey and mustard to give it some extra flavor. To finish off the meal, I bought some Cosi bread. Do you have Cosi near you? If so, go in and buy what they call a loaf of bread. Really inexpensive and you get 6 large pieces of their flatbread. I had plenty to feed the family and actually froze 2 pieces; they'll make a great lunch one day!


Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Whisk vinegar, mustard, honey and salt and pepper. In a very slow stream, pour olive oil into mixture, whisking continually. Whisk well until all ingredients are combined. Pour over salad or refrigerate.

A Healthy Snack to Start the Week

As a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher, I occasionally receive products to try and review. Last week I received a big box of Bran Cereals from Kelloggs. I am not a huge "bran fan" but I know that fiber is the new buzzword of good health and diets. These All - Bran "twigs" have a slightly sweet, slightly nutty flavor. I decided to use them as a base for some delicious trail mix. The mix was so simple but really tasty and tossed into a baggie, it makes a perfect travel treat. With 10 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein in a 1/2 cup serving, these twigs give you plenty of energy and fortitude to get through the afternoon. I actually gave my kids a bag on the way to soccer last week and they never complained. To make theirs more enticing, I threw in a few m & m's ! Chocolate chips would also be great. Anyway you mix it up though, you can at least feel virtuous about your healthy snack!!

Trail Mix

1/2 cup Kelloggs All Bran
1/4 cup sliced, unsalted almonds
1/4 dried cranberries or raisins
(optional: tblsp of m & m's, chocolate chips, or other treat)

Store in sealed container or ziploc baggie. Great for travel and way more tasty then an energy bar!

Exciting News!

There's lots going on at Cooking to Save! By the end of the week, look for the launch of my new website. Still at the same email address, just a new house! As much as I like what I have, I've found that I've already outgrown the space and would like a simpler way for you all to reach my recipes and content. I'm very excited and hope you will all give me feedback on the new site once it is up.

There's more big news here as well. I found out last week that my blog won "First Runner Up" in the Local Blogger Category of Hartford Magazine's Best of 2010! That's their fancy way of saying that I came in 2nd. :) Colin McEnroe, who writes a column for The Hartford Courant and also has his own radio show, won, so I think I am in good company! So, if you happen to live in Northern Connecticut, check it out in the Hartford Magazine!

I've been recovering this weekend from the dinner for the girls as well as driving back and forth to Boston but I've got plenty of new ideas for the week. I also will be posting my first product review for Foodbuzz later on today along with a great, easy and healthy snack ! And..... we've made it to the 4 month mark in Cooking to Save! Some reflections coming this week, as well. Finally, I am going on a "field trip" on Friday! Stay tuned for a busy week!

How To Feed a Crowd of Teenagers

Menu

Fruit Bowl
Pizza
Caesar Salad
Death by Chocolate
Lemonade and Water




Last night we had the girl's soccer team Mart coaches for dinner after practice. 15 hungry girls and 3 coaches. A lot of mouths to feed. We host team dinners somewhat frequently, and I think I have them down to a science. I've tried many different meals, but this one works the best. First, when they come I like to have a big bowl of fruit out. Last night, two parents sent fruit arrangements from Edible Arrangements. They were very fun and some of the fruit was dipped in chocolate. If you ever order a fruit arrangement, get lots of chocolate dipped fruit; they disappeared in about 2 minutes! I also had pitchers of water and lemonade out as well so everyone could help themselves. I knew everyone would be starving so dinner came right out. I know I am cooking to save, but with that many mouths to feed, takeout Pizza is the only way to go. Of course, we always have plain but I like to have something fun as well. Last night, it was mashed potato pizza: mashed potatoes, corn, bacon, scallions and cheese. They were the first pizzas to go:


With the pizza, I always serve a huge caesar salad. You cannot go wrong with a caesar! Even kids that hate salad somehow love this one. I went through 3 large bowls of salad last night. If you don't want to make your own dressing, Marie's is my favorite.


I've learned to keep dessert simple. Boys or girls, if you feed them enough dinner, they are not total gluttons at dessert! In the past I've done brownies and cookies or ice cream. Last night one of the moms sent over Death by Chocolate. Amazing. The dish was so heavy, I could barely pick it up! Everyone loved it and it fed a large crowd with leftovers. One giant dish of chocolate goodness! This is a recipe to keep on file for when you have a large crowd to feed. It's easy to make and it looks phenomenal. Just bringing it out had everyone oohing and aahing. A perfect ending to the night!

Death by Chocolate (feeds a large crowd)

Chocolate Cake Mix(prepared according to directions)
1/3 cup Kahlua(2/3 cup for adults!)
4 packages of instant chocolate pudding (or 2 large)
2 containers of Cool Whip
4 Skor Bars or Heath Bars

Make cake in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake, according to directions. When done, remove from oven and punch holes in it with fork. Pour Kahlua over cake. Set aside. Make pudding according to directions. Break candy bars still in wrapping with a mallet or rolling pin. Layer in glass dish or trifle bowl as follows:
1/2 cake, 1/2 pudding, 1/2 cool whip, 1/2 candy pieces, 1/2 cake, 1/2 pudding, 1/2 cool whip, 1/2 skor pieces.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Delicious Banana Raisin Muffins!

Yesterday was a cold and very windy day in New England. It felt a lot more like late February then late April. Dinner was an easy one: Turkey Tacos with homemade Salsa. I haven't made the salsa since I last posted about it in the winter and it was even better as the tomatoes have sweetened up! Since I was running around the house with a coat on, the heat cranked up and still freezing, I decided we needed something homey to eat. The kids are not big eaters in the morning and I am always trying to get them to eat a little something; lunch is a long time away. I had 3 big overripe bananas on the counter so I came to view that as a sign that I should make banana bread. I am always tinkering with my recipe and trying new ones when I make banana bread. I am the girl with buyer's remorse; I know there's a better banana bread around the corner. Today I think I have the best. I loved the bread and the kids did too. I actually turned them into muffins and this morning everyone was happily munching on one as they walked out the door. This is not a very dense muffin, rather it is light and buttery. I added sour cream and golden raisins to the batter so they have a certain sweetness(but not overly so). The muffins came out of the oven as we were finishing dinner and Will decided that they would be a perfect dessert as well. Of course, he had to put butter on his as he informed us that anything warm was crying out for butter. Delicious! I actually like the muffins better cool, I thought the butter and banana flavor in them really came out stronger when they were cool. This morning, though, Will was heating his up so he could add his butter! There are worse things, I am sure....

Banana Raisin Muffins (makes 18)

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed(or 4 small)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs at room temp, beaten slightly
3/4 stick butter melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour muffins cups or use liners.
Melt butter and set aside. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. In separate medium bowl, mash bananas, then add sour cream, eggs ,butter and vanilla. Lightly fold into dry ingredients. When mixture is almost combined, add raisins and fold just until mixed. Divide into muffin cups. Place in middle rack of oven for 18-22 minutes. Muffins will be lightly browned and toothpick inserted will come out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and the transfer to rack.

Why I have to stay out of grocery stores...

I really have to stay out of grocery stores. I always wish I was one of those organized people that could plan all their meals for the week, do one big shop and be done with it. One of my problems is that I am in the store almost everyday. If I am able to skip a day, I view it as a huge accomplishment. I just can't seem to plan more then one day in advance. Yesterday, I really outdid myself though. Two stores in one day. The second time I didn't even need anything. I was just browsing...killing time while Will was at a soccer practice. I had done a pretty good shop earlier, but decided to wander into Trader Joes as it was right down the street. I really want to love that store, I know so many people do. Me, I can never figure out what to buy besides a few things.(They do have a great big bag of Haricot Verts for a great price!) So, I decided that I would just wander around and do some browsing. Nothing I needed, so I was safe. Or so I thought. Unfortunately, some things cried out to me:



Anyone looking in my cart would have thought I was strange, indeed. Chocolate Chip Dunkers(snacks for the ...um..the kids), Cinnamon Grahams(I liked the package and Mart loves them), Blueberries(on sale!), Raspberries(looked good), Chicken Fingers(sometimes the kids just need a chicken finger fix and the woman next to me in line was raving about them). So, I walked out with a full bag. Nothing horrible, but it did strike me that once again, I spent money that I really didn't need to. My new goal is to only shop 3 times a week(and no double dipping). Especially with spring coming and farmer's markets opening soon, I think this is very doable. I'd like to get to twice a week but that seems too wild and crazy at this point. Baby steps are needed. I am anxious to see what the bottom line looks like each week, I really do think I can save a substantial amount if I stay out of the stores. Judging from my trip around TJ's, I could be rich! I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I need all the help I can get!

Semi-Homemade

Do you ever watch that show on Food Network, Semi-Homemade? I am not a fan, everything seems a little too processed for me. I do like Giada, though. Her food always looks good and is she not the most beautiful woman? Yes, I am a little offtrack; the purpose of this post is not to discuss my likes and dislikes on the Food Network. Rather, tonight was my foray into what I will call Semi-Homemade. I made my Chicken Caesar Salad with Brioche Croutons(see cookbook for recipes). So delicious and everyone can eat it whenever they walk in the house. The homemade part of dinner. My boys would say though, they need something else with it. This is where the semi comes in. Sometimes, I just do some french bread with it. Ok, but a little boring. Other times, if I am out and about I will stop at Panera and get some Asiago Bread or at Cosi and get some flatbread. A little more exciting. Tonight, I blew the doors off. I stopped at a local pizza place and picked up their garlic bread. This isn't a typical loaf of bread, instead it is pizza dough, with garlic and cheese. Yummy! Now, before you tell me I am supposed to be cooking in... let me tell you that the bill was $7.00. In my mind, it was well worth it! I wouldn't do this all the time, but once in a while was a fun treat. I even have enough left for the kids to take salads for lunch tomorrow with a piece of garlic bread. My kind of Semi-Homemade!! Now, when will Food Network be calling me? :)

Monday Madness

Mad is the only way to describe Monday's in my house. In addition to it being the start of the week, it is also a day where I have kids running in every direction, straight through until 7pm. If you're equally stressed on Mondays for whatever reason, check back each Monday night. Dinner will always be short, sweet and easy! This is a night that calls out for delivery pizza. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, I've sworn off the delivery man. So Mondays need to be well planned and well executed. I am thinking I need to move into casseroles, but right now I am fixated on the grill. It's spring and the grill and I have only had a few interludes since last fall. I want to spend all my time with the grill. My love affair will wane as the summer goes on, but right now I am loving the aroma, flavors and easy cleanup. So, tonight I decided to make the sausage and peppers I thought of last week. Since Brittany and I don't like the sausage, I decided I would just substitute plain grilled chicken cutlets for ours. I purposely didn't use green peppers as I wanted the flavor of the caramelized onions and sweet peppers to offset the spicy sausage I used. The sweetness from the peppers and onions added enough flavor that I didn't need to add anything to the cutlets, either. The key to this meal is sauteing the peppers and onions ahead of time. I made mine in the afternoon and reheated them when I got back. You could also make them the night before and just microwave them or throw them back in a saute pan for a few minutes. So, all I had to do when I arrived home was pop the sausages and chicken on the grill, heat up the peppers and onion and toast the buns. Simple. Delicious. My grill never lets me down!



Sausage and Peppers (serves 4-6)

6 Sweet or Hot Pork Sausages
6 Brioche Long Rolls
1 Orange Bell Pepper
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Sweet Onions(large)
2 tblsp olive oil
spicy brown mustard

In large saute pan, heat olive oil. Slice onions and peppers and add to pan. Saute for 10 -15 minutes on medium low, stirring frequently. Cook until onions are soft and caramelizing and peppers are soft and browning. In the meantime, grill sausages(and chicken cutlets if using) on grill. Toast buns, split sausages down the middle and fill with onions and peppers. Add mustard to taste. Dinner is served!

Sunday Brunch

The Dutch Baby from the previous post inspired me! Last night the grownups were out and I had made the kids Tostados. If you haven't tried these, please do! Everyone is always thrilled when I make them and last night was no exception. Tonight my younger kids have a church function so I knew if I didn't do a family breakfast, the weekend would pass without us all eating together. In the past, we would have gone out to brunch somewhere but I decided I would tackle this one and save the big bucks! The kids suggested Eggs Benedict; their favorite. Well, let me tell you, I have never even successfully poached an egg, let alone a whole family's worth. I am happy to report that it was easier then expected. The Benedicts were great; we even made a variation on one Brittany likes from a local restaurant, the Farmer's Benedict. I also put together a simple Tropical Fruit Salad of pineapple, mango and kiwi. So delicious and just what we needed on a rainy day! I have decided that I will buy an egg poacher. I made the eggs first, then dunked them in ice water and then quickly submerged them in simmering water right before we ate. It just took so long to poach 10 eggs individually. For one or two people, this would be a really quick breakfast. I also made blender hollandaise. Although purists may not be happy, it was delicious and easy. And easy on a Sunday morning is what we are looking for. What a great way to start the day!

To poach my eggs, I used the method the Smitten Kitchen suggested, which you can find here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/how-to-poach-an-egg-smitten-kitchen-style/. I liked this method the best. Don't use too big of a pan, I used a medium saucepan and that was perfect. When I tried to poach in a bigger dutch oven, the eggs broke apart too much.

Eggs Benedict(serves 5)

10 poached eggs(make in poacher or do ahead, submerge quickly in ice water and set aside. Then pop them into simmering water for a minute right before you serve)
5 english muffins, halved and lightly toasted
10 slice canadian bacon, warmed
Hollandaise (see below for recipe)

Place canadian bacon on top of english muffin, then place 1 poached egg on each half. Add hollandaise on top to your liking! Yum!

Farmer's Benedict

shredded or cubed potatoes
2 slices lean bacon or turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 poached eggs
hollandaise sauce

Saute shredded or cubed potatoes in a small amount of oil until browning and crispy. Place on plate, add bacon, eggs and hollandaise. A great twist on a classic!



Blender Hollandaise Sauce

3 egg yolks
Juice from 1/2 lemon
pinch of freshly grated pepper
pinch of salt
1 stick of butter

Melt butter in saucepan until melted and frothy. In blender, place 3 egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper. With blender running on low, blend until mixed. Keep blender running and add very slowly, in a steady stream, hot butter. Sauce will emulsify as you add the stream of butter. It will end up as a creamy, dreamy sauce! Serve immediately!! So good on eggs, also great on vegetables, especially asparagus and broccoli.

Dutch Baby!

Are you in need of an idea for breakfast this weekend? Having a brunch? I've got you covered! Last week, if you remember, my friend Sheila told me about making an iceberg wedge salad and I immediately found some inspiration for dinner. Well, she also mentioned a Dutch Baby. I'd never heard of such a thing. Have you? I was intrigued and even more so after she sent me over the recipe. A cross between a pancake and popover was how she described it. So, this morning for breakfast I made a Dutch Baby. And let me tell you, I will be making many more! It was delicious; easy enough to put together for a family breakfast and special enough to serve to friends. The very slight hint of cinnamon and nutmeg is fantastic! The lemon sugar is a must...it adds so much flavor. I actually made the Dutch Baby 2 ways: in individual ramekins and also in a cast iron pan that you cut into wedges to serve. They were both great! The individual ones would be great if you had a few people for breakfast and you wanted presentation. Try these this weekend....you'll be asking the same thing as me,"How did I not know about Dutch Babies?" Thank you, Sheila!!!

Dutch Baby (serves 4-6) ) adapted from Epicurious

1/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest
3 large eggs at room temp. for 30 mins
2/3 cup whole milk at room temp.
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
2 tblsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Place 10in cast iron skillet(or 6 ramekins)in oven and preheat oven to 450.
Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl and set aside.
Beat eggs with mixer on high until pale yellow and frothy. Then beat in milk, flour. vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Beat until smooth, approximately 1 minute. Batter will be smooth. Remove dishes or pan from oven and put in pieces of butter. Swirl to coat. Immediately pour in batter and place in oven. Bake 15-20 minutes until puffy and brown. (Less time in ramekins)
Remove from oven and sift lemon sugar onto Dutch Baby. Serve immediately! (See finished products below)

Amazing Toffee Bars

Tonight was an easy dinner... simple tomato sauce, salad and bread(for the carbaholics in my family). Will mentioned that he would like Toffee Bars. Now, I don't think he has ever had a Toffee Bar! He saw it in a magazine somewhere and decided that it looked good. This got me thinking about some really delicious Toffee Bars I have had from a recipe in The Silver Palate Cookbook. The only issue was the walnuts; the bars are covered with them. No one in my house likes them. And unfortunately, the younger kids are not nut fans of any kind. I needed something else to put on top of these bars. Coconut, too...white. M and M's .... too typical. Marshmallows...too sweet. But then, the perfect idea came to me..... toffee pieces! I'm a genius, aren't I? :) The bars are delicious. They are so easy to make(isn't everything I do?) and look like you spent a lot of time on them. These would be great to bring to a party or a pot luck. Buttery goodness is how my oldest described them! Does anyone not like buttery goodness?!!!



Toffee Bars (adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook)

2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3 Skor bars, frozen and broken into pieces(use rolling pin)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 12 baking pan. Cream butter and sugar together in large bowl. Add egg yolk and beat again. Whisk flour and gently add to mixture. Stir in vanilla. Spread mixture into pan and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with chocolate chips. Return to oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from oven and spread melted chocolate. Let cool for 10 minutes and then sprinkle Skor Bar pieces on top. Cool completely before cutting. (This is an important part... don't cut before cool or the bars will crumble. Don't ask how I know this!)

The Ultimate Cobb Salad

Tonight's dinner is done! We are having the absolutely, best Cobb Salad! Every time we have it, there is not a morsel left. No matter how big it is, it just disappears. It's a great dinner as it is very hearty even though it is a salad. The boys in my house especially love it. I can't take credit for this salad either, my son, Will made the whole thing. The only help he got from me was that I grilled the filets. The filets really make this salad special. I hate salad with tough meat! Who wants to be sawing at the meat while trying to eat a nice salad? I know you are thinking, filet mignon on a salad? Not cheap! But actually, it is not that expensive the way I buy the filets. I like them very thin so they cook up quick and are easy to slice into the salad. I ask the butcher to slice them for salad about 3/4 of an inch thick. For my family of 5, about a pound works for us. That is actually more then enough meat, with all the other protein sources on the salad. You could easily substitute chicken, shrimp, salmon or another steak and this salad would be great. Wanting perfection though? Stick with the filet mignon!!

Cobb Salad (serves 4- 6)

1 large head of Romaine Lettuce- chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
8 slices bacon
1 1/2 cups croutons (homemade if possible)
2 avacados- chopped
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese - grated
2 tomatoes- chopped
1 pound Filet Mignon, sliced thin

On large platter or salad bowl place chopped lettuce. In lines, assemble ingredients. Pour dressing over and toss to serve.

Dressing:

1/4 Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
3/4 cup oil
salt and pepper

whisk vinegar and mustard into bowl. Pour oil slowly in while whisking vigorously. Season with salt and pepper.

Just in time for spring! Asparagus Risotto

Last night I decided we needed to welcome spring with a little risotto. I love risotto but never want to make it because of the stirring, stirring, stirring. I am not a patient person. But then I saw a recipe in The New Best Recipe Cookbook that didn't involve total concentration(it's the concentration part that I struggle with). So, last night became Risotto night. I also made some grilled chicken to go with it and it was the perfect meal. I loved the asparagus in the risotto as well, it added a little extra texture; next time I might add some snow peas as well. The picture doesn't really do it justice; we had a guest over and I didn't want to look like too much of a weirdo trying to photograph it! If you intimidated by making risotto, this is the one to make!



Asparagus Risotto (adapted from The New Best Recipe's)

3 1/2 low sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
4 tblsp unsalted butter
2 shallots, diced fine
1 tsp salt
2 cups Arborio Rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 lb Asparagus-end removed and sliced on the bias in 1/2in lengths

Bring broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Then reduce to the lowest heat to keep warm. In another large saucepan, melt butter and add shallot. Cook for 5-6 minutes until shallot is translucent. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the edges of the grains are transparent, about 4--5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of the warm broth and 1 tsp salt. Stir infrequently(every few minutes) until broth is absorbed into rice(approximately 10-12 mins). Add 1/2 cup of broth and cook for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth until rice is cooked through(should still be a little firm in the middle). You may not need all the broth. When rice is cooked, stir in parm cheese and serve immediately.

It's all about the croutons!

Last night I was still smarting from my expensive fast food. Don't get me wrong, it really was a good burger, I've just decided that for easy meals like that, I'd rather eat at home. But of course last night was not a night we were "at home". We were at soccer games all afternoon but came home in time to do a quick run to the store and pick up something to grill. Don't you just love it when the weather is warm enough to grill out on a regular basis? Quick cooking takes on a whole new meaning. And no clean up!!! That's my kind of cooking. So, we picked up some chicken cutlets and sausage to grill. We are a divided family regarding sausage: the boys adore it and the girls hate it. I don't know why, I keep telling them its genetic. The boys loved the sausage(sweet if you are wondering) so much that I think I will make sausage and peppers one night. It doesn't get any easier then sausage - you plop it on the grill, cook the heck out of it and then plop it on a plate. Then you look like a star for serving something a little different!


I made a Caesar Salad tonight as well(left off the chicken as we had that on the grill). Once again, I made my croutons. They were so good, I was slapping hands as they were eating them all before we sat down to dinner. I am sad to say it is all about the croutons. If you make them with brioche, they are like no other. The butteriness(is this is a word?!!! ) from the bread, combined with the olive oil and salt and pepper make for an exquisite cube of fabulousness. I think they take any salad from good to great. These would be worth making and keeping on hand, if you can hide them from your family(or yourself)! If you haven't made these, you must. There is no comparison to store bought croutons!!! (if you are looking for the recipe, see Chicken Caesar Salad in Cookbook above).

I've lost that lovin' feeling.......

What has happened to me? Last night we went out to dinner. It has been a while since we've been out and we just had the twins home. No one wanted to get dressed up(it was cold and rainy here) so we decided to try a newer, casual restaurant, The Counter. I believe it is a chain, perhaps you've been to one. It is, for lack of better description, a burger joint. Very casual(although they do have a bar) but just a couple of steps up from fast food. The really great part is that they are committed to buying fresh, locally sourced meat and vegetables. Great idea and I loved that you basically made your own burger, picking exactly what you wanted on it. Here's what I didn't like: the bill. We had a nice dinner but uneventful. The bill, for the four of us(including 2 glasses of wine) was $76 plus tip.(Doesn't my $32 steak dinner from last week look like a bargain?) As we walked out I remarked that although it was good, there wasn't anything we ate that I couldn't have done as well or better at home. (Even the onion straws! Remember them from my earlier posts?!) It struck me that prior to Cooking to Save we ate like this at least 2 or 3 nights a week!! No wonder money was running out of my checking account. I just don't get the joy in eating out much anymore. :( To be honest, it's kind of a bummer. I think I have become a spoilsport. Who would believe that this could happen in a few short months? I think it comes down to liking money and liking more of it in my bank account! I haven't sworn off eating out again of course. I've decided that if we eat out with the kids it has to be a restaurant where I can't (ok, don't want to) replicate the food; hibachi would be a good example. I still really enjoy going out with friends sometimes; that becomes less about the meal and more about enjoying time out. So we'll continue to do that. But for the rest of it, we're home. Spring is here and we'll be cooking out a lot. We still have New Years as a goal and I am finding myself reenergized to continue saving. It is definitely feeling more like a life choice then a sacrifice. Tonight, my choice is to light the coals ......(well, actually I am hoping that Mart is going to do that!)

Homemade Waffles are the Best!

Last night Will had a friend sleepover. Thankfully, they went to bed at a reasonable time and we all got some sleep. This morning they woke up starving after a night of playing video games and watching movies(these activities burn a lot of calories, you know!) Actually both are really active 14 year olds so their appetite is huge right now. I decided I would be a good mom(or pretend) and make some waffles and bacon for them. Do you ever make homemade waffles? Once you do, you never want to eat a frozen waffle or one from a mix again. It's all about the egg whites in wafffles. I fold the beaten egg whites into the batter at the very end, leaving little "puffs" of whites in the batter. The waffles come out light and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. So, so, yummy! When the kids were young, I would make a batch on the weekend and freeze the leftovers individually between waxed paper for the weekdays. Whenever someone wanted a waffle for breakfast I would just take one out of the freezer and pop it in the toaster. Unfortunately now, there are no leftovers! Brittany had one waffle and the boys ate the other 4 or 5!( I am not sure exactly how many, they were eating faster then I could make them). They were a great way to start the day! These are also special enough that they make a good, quick dinner. And, if you are feeling really naughty, they would be perfect with some ice cream on top and a little chocolate sauce(see my previous post for chocolate sauce recipe).

Waffles

2 3/4 cup flour
1 tblsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup skim milk(or any other milk)
1/2 cup canola oil

Preheat waffle maker.
Whisk together dry ingredients in large bowl. Separate eggs with yolks going into small bowl and whites into larger bowl. Whisk egg yolks, milk and oil and pour into dry ingredients and combine. With mixer on high, beat egg whites until frothy and light. Carefully fold whites into mixture, leaving peaks in batter. Do not over mix. Batter should look like this:


Following waffle maker directions, pour appropriate amount into it and cook until done. Waffles should be medium brown and crispy!