Posts filed under 'food & recipes'
I’ve always had a hard time keeping myself entertained during summer break, so I thought it might be kind of fun to do a series of posts about how you can use the break to prepare for next year. So watch for these “Summer Wise” posts over the coming weeks, and let me know if you have any ideas!
Top Ramen, Be Gone.
So, clearly, today I wanted to give you a few suggestions about cooking. If you’re going to be lucky enough to have an apartment for school, you’ll have a real kitchen to work in, but even if you won’t I’d recommend getting a jump on your cooking skills. (After all, you’ll have an oven and stove someday so you may as well prepare now.)
Learn the Basics
While you’re home, take the opportunity to practice in the kitchen. If your mom or dad cooks, ask if you can help (you’ll learn more by doing than by watching!). Even just sitting and chatting with the family cook during meal prep can help–I learned a lot of my cooking skills by quietly observing my mom as she prepared dinner. (Sorry, Mom, should have stepped up to help with that…)
If nobody cooks at your place, this is your chance to fill that mold. There are tons of websites that offer how-tos. I am a huge fan of Cooking Light Magazine (nobody paid me to say that, promise!), and they have an AWESOME collection of Cooking 101 videos and articles, teaching you everything from grilling techniques to how to make a marinade.
Try it Out
Once you’ve learned some basics, grab a recipe and try it out.
Cooking Light is also my go-to source for recipes. While you can buy their magazines and cookbooks, they have a huge online recipe collection you can browse for free. Their food is healthy, fresh, and mostly pretty easy to make. They even have a section devoted to meals you can make in 20 minutes–they range from basic chicken dinners to Mediterranean dishes. (On a side note, the only cookbook I use is one of theirs–I like it because it has more than just casseroles in it!)
Feed the Fam
Practiced? Good. Now give yourself a real test–and butter your parents up for that new laptop, maybe?–by making dinner for your family. If you want to really force yourself to learn how to cook, make it a weekly commitment.
Here’s to a little less Easy Mac in your everyday life!
photo from Cooking Light
May 30th, 2009
With spring beginning to shine down on us and lovely new fruits and veggies popping up at the local farmer’s markets, I am thinking more and more about making good food with fresh ingredients. I found an amazing recipe for a margherita pizza (no, it doesn’t involve alcohol) and have adapted it to be more new-chef friendly. Give it a try! It’s easy and YUMMY!
Pizza Dough
You can always by a pre-made or ready-to-cook dough at the store, but those are pricey and honestly, never taste as good as home made. This dough, adapted from a Martha recipe , is easy and yummy.
- 1 1/2 c warm water
- 2 packets active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 c olive or canola oil (olive oil is expensive so canola can substitute!)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups flour (leveled off)
1. Pour the warm water into a bowl, and pour the yeast on top of it (you don’t need to stir). Let it sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast should “activate” meaning it will bubble slightly, and begin to smell very… well… yeast-y. 
2. Whisk in sugar, oil, and salt.
3. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour 1 cup at a time until a sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm place for an hour. Dough should “rise” meaning it will about double in size.
4. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface (a countertop is fine). Flour your hands and knead dough for about 15 seconds. Split dough in half. This is enough dough to make two large pizzas!
Margherita Pizza (adapted from a Cooking Light recipe )
- Fresh pizza dough or 1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
- Cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 5 tomatoes, thinly sliced (Roma or on-the-vine tomatoes work great)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray, and spread and pat dough into a 13 x 11-inch rectangle. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.
3. Remove crust from oven, and brush with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Arrange tomato slices on crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; sprinkle evenly with cheese.
4. Bake at 450° for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until cheese melts and crust is golden.
5. Sprinkle pizza evenly with sliced basil, salt, and pepper.
6. Whisk together 1/2 teaspoon oil and vinegar. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the pizza.
Voila! You’re done! Enjoy!
Have a recipe to share? Feel free to leave it in the comments!
Photo: Cooking Light Magazine
April 21st, 2009
I think it’s safe to say that a lot of what we eat in college is based on one of two things: ease of preparation, and cost. That probably explains why I subsisted mainly on Easy Mac and cereal my freshman year (though I did survive, I do not advocate this diet!!!).
Lucky for us the centuries-old tradition of Farmers Markets make healthy, yummy foods available just the way we like it: cheap.
Why Is Fresher Cheaper?!
As you may already know, a farmer’s market is a place where local growers and farmers gather to sell their fresh, delicious crops. There is no middle-man (like the grocery store, the shippers that get the produce to that store, etc.), which means you are only paying the farmer for growing the food, not all the other people who are involved in selling grocery store food (they pack, transport, unpack, display, etc.).
While you will have to buy whatever is in season (no imported watermelon in February) you will get fresher produce right from the source, and it will be much more delicious and affordable than what you find at a super market.
Shopping Tips
So, now that you’re excited about shopping there, here are some tips about how to get the best out of a farmer’s market:
- Know Where to Go. Don’t know how to find a farmer’s market? Some schools have them once a week right on campus, but if your school doesn’t offer one, you can still search the local community. Check with health food stores, your local co-op, the library, or the community section on craigslist.org!
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- Bring Cash. Most farmers markets are cash-only, so leave your credit and debit cards at home.
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- Ask for Samples. Farmer’s markets are full of new and different foods, so if you see something you might want to try, ask for a sample before you shell out your hard-earned cash.
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- Befriend Vendors. If you plan on becoming a regular, be sure to get to know the farmers and sellers you buy from most. Friendly faces are more likely to get the top selection!
Feel free to share your thoughts & tips in the comments!
photo by woodsy
April 14th, 2009
I like to throw a party as much as the next girl, but living on a teeny tiny budget doesn’t exactly make that easy. With my student loans in repayment and my husband applying for med school, we’ve got to be pretty creative to have anyone over (much less feed them). That’s why Waffle Night, our semi-weekly Sunday night soiree, is so perfect.
The 10 Dollar Party
Waffles may be the perfect party food-everyone seems to like them, and they feed a lot of people for not a lot of money. Basically you buy a ½ gallon carton of buttermilk, a bag of flour, and some vegetable oil, and you’re good to go. The other ingredients you’ll probably have on hand if you cook at all. Best of all, we’ve fed up to 20 people with just waffles-that’s 50 cents per person!
Making it Affordable
The waffles themselves may be reasonable, but the accessories and toppings can rack up your bill-so do what we do, and get your guests to bring stuff. Here are a few things you may need to assign/borrow:
- Waffle iron
- Syrups (our favorites are maple, chocolate, and strawberry)
- Toppings (jam, candy, honey, peanut butter, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc.)
- Paper cups, plates, and napkins + plastic utensils (if you don’t want to do dishes)
- Drinks (milk, orange/apple/grape juice, water, etc.)
The Waffle Recipe
So, our actual buttermilk waffle recipe is one of those top-secret family deals, but this waffle recipe looks pretty darn good. You can also mix it up and try having:
If you want to spend a little more, you could have everyone over for custom omelets or personal pizzas.
Do you have any cheap party ideas to share with the class?
photo: Waffles 4 by woodsy
October 13th, 2008
By now you’ve probably had more than your fair share of slushy chicken fettuccini alfredo from the cafeteria-what would you give to have a Double-Double® or those awesome-looking chicken enchiladas you saw on Food Network? Would you maybe consider… cooking for yourself?
If you’ve got a craving for some real home-cooked (or restaurant style) food at home, you’ll love these websites:
TopSecretRecipes.com
Every once in a while my sweetie and I get these amazing fried zucchini starters at a local restaurant. We’ve tried to make them at home, but somehow they never come out quite right. That’s why Top Recipe Secrets is a blast-this guy spends serious time figuring out how to get the exact almost-perfect taste of restaurant recipes. Not all of them are free, but some of the awesome freebie recipes include:
FoodNetwork.com
Here’s my ridiculous confession: I watch Food Network while I work out. I can’t help it-I just love to see what amazing things these chefs show me in 30 minutes! One of the best parts about watching Food Network is that you don’t have to sit there and copy down recipes-you can find recipes from most of the shows right on their website. Here are a few that caught my eye today:
CookingLight.com
I’m a picky eater, so eating healthy isn’t always an easy thing for me. But we stumbled across this magazine called “Cooking Light” at the grocery store a couple months ago and started flipping through it-amazingly they have healthy meals that look delicious!
They also have a great series called “Cooking Class” that teaches you cooking basics. Here are a couple of my faves of their “classes” & recipes:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks
I stumbled across this blog through a lot of clicking around on other blogs one day. This woman writes a super funny city-girl-on-a-ranch regular blog, but her cooking blog is pretty mouthwatering, too! Not healthy, usually, but they sure look yummy:
photo: Pizza by rrss
October 6th, 2008
No matter how much you love Ramen noodles, I’m willing to bet that you don’t want to eat them every day of your life-or even every day for the next few years.
But food is expensive (and so is college!) so lots of students end up living on Ramen, cold pizza, and chips they found in the common room-not the healthiest diet. Here are some alternatives to the noodles-and-oatmeal diet…
Food Stamps
Did you know that you might be eligible for the U.S. government’s Food Stamp Program? I read an article about students using food banks in USA Today-apparently it’s becoming a trend. If you qualify, you could get funds from the state to help you pay your food bills. Money is distributed on a card that works kind of like an ATM, and is accepted by most grocery stores.
See eligibility requirements here, or use their pre-screening eligibility tool. Then find out how to apply in your state-if you have questions, you can call your state’s Toll Free Food Stamp Information Hotline.
“Big Box” or 99¢ Shopping
One popular way to save on food at UCSD was to take a group to our local Costco, a bulk-buying store (like Sam’s Club, Smart & Final, etc.). They sell everything from bulk bags of frozen chicken breasts to 18-count boxes of eggs, as well as fresh fruits and veggies, juices, and even huge boxes of oatmeal.
To keep costs down, simply go with a group who wants to split a majority of foods. Split the cost accordingly and then divvy up your shares of food. For frozen items, get a zipper locking plastic bag and split up the big bag and throw the little ones in the freezer (label them if you’re sharing with a roomie).
As to the 99¢ shopping, did you know that lots of dollar stores sell food? You might think that’s kind of shady, but just be sure to check expiration dates. One of my friends finds name brand chocolate soy milk there, often for only $1 each. (Plus the 99¢ Chef can teach you how to make yummy dishes with this stuff!)
Free Samples
This isn’t a reliable shopping method, but it can be pretty fun. Search the websites of products you use a lot-from foods to shampoos-for free samples offers.
Try About.com’s Freebies page for a regularly updated list of free samples.
A couple sites I know of that usually offer no-cost goodies are Wal*Mart’s freebie page, and Dove’s free samples page.
Couponing & Rewards Clubs
The other day I saw a girl at the grocery store with a huge pile of coupons. I’ve been trying to use them more lately, but I know I could actually save a lot more if I’d put a little time into it. If you’re a beginner at coupons, like me, you can start by finding them:
- In the Sunday newspaper
- In circulars (ads) that come in your mailbox
- On the websites of products (not just foods) you use a lot (lots of them have rewards clubs, too!)
- At coupon websites like RetailMeNot.com
If you’re a little more intense about coupons, you can really save big. I’ve been fascinated by all the coupon moms that seem to be coming out of the woodworks lately-publicized in newspapers, TV news, and blogs. These ladies really know how to work the system, sometimes using rewards clubs and coupons together to get lots of free stuff. Want to know how it works? Check out the guides and coupon tips at these blogs:
Remember to only use coupons for things you actually need!
Bonus…
I love this article, 15 Great Grocery Shopping Tips, from Get Rich Slowly. It covers all the basics of how to save on food-it’s definitely worth a look!
photo: Vegetables by MFinderup
October 2nd, 2008
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