The Culinary Review > Articles

How To Make Pancakes - A Tour

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:49:33 MST

We are big fans of how easy and versatile pancakes can be. Breakfast is the traditional time for pancakes topped with butter and syrup but we have tried to expand the pancake menu to include dinner and appetizers as well. All you need is a small work bowl, a decent non-stick pan and a few minutes.

For two people we have come up with this basic recipe. This will make about 1 pancake for each person.

bananas

1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Now to this basic recipe we usually add a whole banana sliced up and about 1/2 cup walnuts.

Sometimes we even add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to make chocolate pancakes. Remember though if you add more dry ingredients like cocoa powder you may need to add a little more milk.

walnuts

We have discovered that since we are using butter to fry the pancakes we generally do not want to add butter on top of them with syrup. So we have been using yogurt and syrup or sour cream and syrup. It actually tastes a lot better than butter.

Sometimes we have blueberries around, usually frozen from the summer before and want to add them to the batter. Most of the time when people add blueberries to the batter they just drop a few in to make it look like they are in there, but we cook them in a pot with the brown sugar and salt and then put it all in the batter. This makes the batter completely blue and every bit is full of blueberries. We use about 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of blueberries when we do this, and you may choose to hold back some of the milk since the blueberries have a lot of water in them.

blueberries

A few weeks ago we decided to try a little different approach and made coconut pancakes. We had some dried coconut and some coconut milk around so we left out the oats and replaced the whole milk with the coconut milk and added about 1/2 cup of dried sweetened coconut flakes.

The pancake batter was completely different with the coconut flakes in it. The batter was thick but the result was really good. Basically when we make these pancakes we try to intensify certain flavors. Sometimes it is easier than with others.

Vanilla and salt really brings out the flavor in bananas, and salt really brings out the flavor in blueberries. We thought vanilla would have brought out a lot of flavor in coconut, as well as having coconut milk in the batter, but next time I think a little rum might work better.

After working with the new pancake understanding we thought it might be interesting to try something a little different. We usually have yellow corn meal around, and we love to make corn bread, but it takes a good 20 minutes to make it.

coconut pancakes

So using the basic method we decided to make savory yellow corn meal pancakes. We left out the vanilla and the oats and added cheese. The batter is very simple and uses less ingredients than for syrup topped pancakes.

1/4 cup yellow corn meal
1/4 cup white flour
2 ounces diced monterey jack cheese
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Again this amount was for 2 people, 1 pancake each. We topped this with salsa, sour cream and 1/2 an avocado sliced.

If you are looking to introduce an interesting appetizer or a late night snack this is a good way to show off pancakes in a very different way.

Inexpensive Ingredients in Recession

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:05:28 MST

In these times of dear money many people may be tempted to use discount stores, see Dollar Stores to purchase food ingredients. We were quite surprised when we opened a bottle of "Spice Pantry" ground cinnamon. As you can see from the photos above the first picture is the fake cinnamon and the photo below is cinnamon from a reputable grocery store.

The consistency was amazingly different. It seems that the top photo is not one thing. If you look closely it is mixed with many other ingredients.

We have guessed that it must be some part cinnamon because it smells a little like the spice but does not taste like it. It looks like it is mixed with various sorts of organic fillers, but you can easily see from the photo that is does not look like cinnamon.

We have heard before that people should be careful buying any food type products at discount dollar stores but this is the first time we have seen this type of bad product up close.

Unfortunately if you want good quality food products you probably need to spend a little more than $1. Lets hope people watch out for what they buy, especially when they are eating it.

Holiday Meal Planning - Menu Costs

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:44:45 MST

The holidays are here, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually the biggest food events of the year. Millions of families are getting ready to fly here or there, or drive long distances to be together - and eat, usually too much. But this year the economy is foremost on peoples mind.

With record declines in the stock market, and the threat of job losses many people will likely be concerned with not over-spending on cakes and cookies, and turkey and ham.

So we thought that it would be a good idea to go over the costs of preparing an entire meal. Since most are looking to be economical we thought we should go over the many costs involved in hosting either Christmas or Thanksgiving meals.

We wanted to start by assuming eight adults, but you can easily modify the amounts if you have fewer, or greater numbers of guests.

A typical Thanksgiving dinner includes the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs ...etc. Here are our estimates.

Total Estimate Holiday Meal Cost - $49.31 ($6.16 per person)

These prices are based on our food database, which are US averages, and may be different in your area. This is meant as a guide only.

The following meal item choices are just the basics as many families have many different pies, cakes and cookies, as well as many vegetable dishes. The menu we provide below is for cost analysis only.

Main Course

Turkey
Total Cost: $15.35
Cost Per Serving: $1.92

Gravy
Total Cost: $0.43
Cost Per Serving: $0.05

Sides

Stuffing
Total Cost: $4.63
Cost Per Serving: $0.58

Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Total Cost: $3.48
Cost Per Serving: $0.43

Cranberry Sauce
Total Cost: $3.43
Cost Per Serving: $0.43

Deviled Eggs
Total Cost: $2.26
Cost Per Serving: $0.09

Mashed Potatoes
Total Cost: $3.37
Cost Per Serving: $0.42

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie
Total Cost: $6.40
Cost Per Serving: $0.80

Drinks

Cranberry Juice Cosmopolitan
Total Cost: $9.96
Cost Per Serving: $1.24

Tips to save money on holiday meals

Have guests bring something (wine, dessert etc). Often wine or drinks and dessert can really add up, so dividing this cost between your guests can really help out.
To save even more money, make Thanksgiving or Christmas a potluck. Assign each guest a different dish to bring along (to make sure that you don't end up with four sides of cranberry sauce, but no mashed potatoes).
If you are having a lot of guests over for Thanksgiving or Christmas, instead of purchasing two turkeys (which would be difficult to cook in a single oven anyway), purchase one large turkey and additional turkey legs. You can easily find reasonably priced turkey legs in the grocery stores right now which would be a great way to make your turkey go further.
Make a menu plan, write a grocery list, and stick with it. The more times you have to run to the grocery store to pick up last minute items, the more money you will spend.
Don't cook too much food unless you will eat it all or you're planning to send your guests home with leftovers.
Make sure you actually eat your leftovers, otherwise freeze cooked turkey and other dishes. No food is more expensive than what you throw away.
Make your leftovers last for several days by incorporating them into other meals (soup, sandwiches, fajitas).

How To Stock a Home Bar

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:18:19 MST

In these difficult financial times the best way to beat the high prices and still enjoy a wide range of bar beverages is to properly stock your own home bar. Whether you plan to have a party or just want to have the option to make a great drink every once in a while it is nice to have a nice supply of liquor, garnishes and mixers around to create anything you might expect from a bar.

First you need a good supply of hard liquor.

Ingredient	Volume	Mass	Cost	Calorie
Scotch Whisky, Blended (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$19.91	1,616
Brandy, Generic 750 ml Bottle (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$11.95	1,616
Vodka, Generic 750 ml Bottle (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$7.97	1,616
Gin, Generic 750 ml Bottle (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$7.97	1,616
Whiskey, American Generic (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$9.96	1,616
Tequila, Light (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$12.94	1,616
Rum, Generic, 750 ml (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$7.97	1,616
Rum, Dark, Spiced (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$12.94	1,616
Whiskey, Irish (1 bottle)	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$14.93	1,616

This list provides the general cost of the basic bottles you need for a well-stocked bar. We list the generic versions of the most common liquor you might want to have around. These are not meant for sipping. These generic liquors are meant for cocktails where the taste of any specific liquor is very diluted with ice and a mixer.

Drink Recipes

This is a list of some basic Liqueurs. This is by no means a complete list as there are new flavors and brands being created all the time. These are generic for the most part but we have found that the cheaper versions are really just as good as the name brands.

Ingredient	Volume	Mass	Cost	Calorie
Creme de Mure	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$19.91	2,601
Creme De Menthe	750 Milliliters	848.40 Grams	$7.97	3,156
Creme de Fraise	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$19.91	2,601
Creme de Cassis	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$19.91	2,020
Creme de cacao	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$11.95	2,525
Cointreau	750 Milliliters	1,515.00 Grams	$24.89	2,020
Coffee Liqueur, Generic	750 Milliliters	785.28 Grams	$7.97	2,576
Blue Curacao, Generic	750 Milliliters	1,515.00 Grams	$6.97	2,020
Amaretto	750 Milliliters	707.00 Grams	$9.96	2,778
Triple Sec	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$11.95	2,273
Drambuie	750 Milliliters	25.25 Ounces	$9.96	1,717

Mixers

Mixers are anything you mix with hard liquor to make a cocktail. The following list is by no means complete but should provide a good starting point.

Mineral Water
Cola
Club Soda
Ginger Ale
Lemon-Lime Soda
Tonic Water
Water
Fresh Lemon Juice
Fresh Lime Juice
Fresh Orange Juice
Grapefruit Juice
Cranberry Juice
Pineapple Juice
Tomato Juice
Coconut Cream
Coconut Milk
Simple Sugar

Condiments

Bitters
Grenadine
Powdered Sugar
Granulated Sugar
Coarse Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Tabasco Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Orgeat Syrup ( almond-flavored syrup )
Horseradish
Cinnamon Sticks
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Nutmeg
Light Cream
Whipping Cream/Heavy Cream
Passion Fruit Syrup
Simple Sugar
Milk

Garnishes

Stuffed Olives
Cocktail Onions
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Maraschino Cherries
Strawberries
Celery
Pineapple
Bananas
Cucumber
Fresh Mint

Are You a Super Efficient Cook?

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:02:27 MST

Some of us are simply frugal and efficient by nature when it comes to food and cooking. We don’t like to be wasteful and can find uses for most things in our fridge and pantry – even when the vegetables are becoming mushy. We like to find many ways to use our leftovers and only as a very last resort does anything end up in the trash (no – ideally the compost).

So, how do you know if you’re one of these particular people? Here are a couple of behaviors that signals whether or not you're in the food efficiency category.

You know you’re a super efficient cook if you:

- Save your bacon fat when frying bacon

- Save vegetable cuts and scraps during the week to make your own vegetable stock.

- Save your chicken or turkey carcass after a meal to make your own stock.

- Save all your shrimp peel and fish skin and bones after a seafood meal to make your own fish stock.

- Make breadcrumbs, croutons or gazpacho soup with left-over stale bread

- Make wine sauces, or reductions with leftover red wine

- Save your parmesan rinds to add flavor to sauces and stews

- Freeze that tiny piece of left-over fresh ginger to use another time

- Freeze fresh herbs if you have too much and they're going bad

- Grate all your limes and lemons before pressing, in order to freeze small bags of citrus zest

- Make your own banana bread or muffins when your bananas are getting over-ripe, instead of throwing them out

- Make meringue with leftover egg whites – after all the yolks went to a delectable crème brule or chocolate cake…

- Use the same vanilla bean over and over again by soaking it in alcohol in order to make your own vanilla extract

- Make your own preserves and jams when fresh fruit is cheap and in season.

- Know how to make soup out of all your leftovers / going-bad-vegetables and food

- Never throw away any edible food but always succeed to utilize every single ingredient in your fridge by morphing one dish into another and freezing leftovers

Ingredients That Bring Up Recipe Costs

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:53:55 MST

After calculating many food network recipes, it’s easy to see a common thread as to which ingredients most increase the price. The inclusion of one of these ingredients will many times decide whether or not a recipe will turn out to be expensive or reasonable. So what ingredients usually bring up the cost in recipes and what can you do to reduce that cost?

- Cured Meats - Prusciutto, pancetta etc…
Some Italian cured meats can be outrageously expensive in the U.S. For cheaper alternatives, try to substitute bacon or salami and change the cooking instructions accordingly.

- Fresh & Aged Cheeses - Parmesan, Pecorino, Buffalo Mozzarella etc…
Some recipes call for large amounts of fresh cheeses, such as goat cheese, mascarpone or buffalo mozzarella – or aged cheeses such as Parmesan and Pecorino. And while cheese is wonderfully flavorful and tasty, it can make a dish substantially more expensive. There is not too much one can do to reduce costs here, except to buy a cheaper cheese, or use less of a more expensive cheese.

- Fresh Herbs
Unless you have your own herb garden where you grow a lot of fresh basil, parsley, thyme and sage – fresh herbs can sometimes become the most expensive part in some recipes – especially if it calls for large amounts. Sure, fresh herbs provide a lot of flavor, but unless herbs are in season and you can get a nice deal at your local farmer’s market, try to use cheaper options such as fresh parsley or cilantro which are often more reasonable.

- Fresh Vegetables
It’s too bad that fresh vegetables cost as much as they do. If for example, you’re making an asparagus or artichoke dish when these vegetables are not in season – they can cost more than it’s worth. Solution: buy frozen vegetables when they’re not in season, they usually taste fine, and prices are often much cheaper.

- White Wine
Sometimes when a recipe calls for a small amount of white wine, it’s certainly unnecessary to open a completely new bottle. Instead, we like to use Dry Vermouth for splashes of flavor – it provides excellent taste for a much lower cost, plus it’s convenient.

- Red Wine
If a recipe calls for a whole bottle (or two) of red wine - don't use a $10 bottle. Yes, commonly you hear "Don't cook with a bottle you wouldn't drink", however we have found that if you use a cheaper blended wine such as Chianti, the flavors won't be as harshly prominent, and you can safely use a $5 - $6 bottle... the dish will still taste excellent.

- Vanilla Beans
Yes, yes vanilla beans provide so much sweet flavor. However, if you’re living on a budget, they are almost certainly out of the question. Instead, use a cheaper vanilla extract – or buy one vanilla bean and either place it in alcohol to make your own extract, or pulse it with sugar to make your own vanilla sugar. That way you can make a real vanilla bean go much further.

- Kalamata Olives
Kalamata Olives are so tasty and provide so much flavor, it’s a big shame they are so expensive. If you find these olives a little too pricey for your budget, then one option is to use regular black olives in a dish and add one or two minced sardines. The sardines will provide a similar salty flavor and add more complexity to the dish – without tasting overly “fishy.”

- Bread
Sometimes a recipe calls for a fancy crusty Italian or French bread, or perhaps a buttery Challah which is either outrageously expensive, or you can’t find a loaf at all, depending on where you live. Then, your best bet is to bake yourself. And yes, this does probably sound completely unreasonable to most people, however baking your own bread is not as difficult as it seems. Once you try it out, you might just find it to be so much fun and so interesting, you’ll be wondering why you haven’t tried it out before.

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
This is a dead-simple tip. Many Italian recipes call for large amounts of extra virgin olive oil. Unfortunately, good quality extra virgin olive oil is not cheap, and if a recipe calls for half a cup or a cup, then it adds up. Solution: simply use a cheaper oil than the recipe calls for, if a large amount is required.

- Frying Oil
If you are creating a recipe where frying is required, what type of oil you use will make a big difference in the final price of the dish. Many chefs recommend frying meats and vegetables in peanut oil due to its high smoke point. However, peanut oil can be quite expensive, and even though you can filter the oil after frying and use it a second time, it can still add up to quite a high cost. Instead, use regular vegetable oil or canola oil when frying. It won’t make much of a difference in the final product, and it’s considerably cheaper.

New Food Network Recipes With Calories & Cost Calculations

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:17:54 MST

Here is some information about the most recent food network recipes that we recently have calculated. There are quite a few reasonable dishes in this list, both cost and calorie wise - most recipes contain under 600 calories per serving and there are no recipes that cost more than $3 per serving (except those from Michael Chiarello).

Recipe	Calories per Serving	Total Calories	Cost per Serving	Total Cost
Tyler Florence
Tyler Florence's The Ultimate Omelette	441	2,649	$1.09	$6.52
Tyler Florence's Parsnip Puree	723	2,892	$1.44	$5.75
Tyler Florence's Deep-Dish Apple Tarte Tatin	504	2,017	$0.81	$3.23
Tyler Florence's The Ultimate Stuffed Potato	684	2,736	$2.06	$8.23
Tyler Florence's Herbed Garlic Bread	320	1,281	$0.53	$2.13

Paula Deen
Paula Deen's Chicken and Asparagus Crepes	341	1,366	$2.05	$8.21
Paula Deen's Shrimp Salad Sandwich	517	2,070	$2.45	$9.82

Giada De Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis Mediterranean Bruschetta	625	2,499	$1.99	$7.96
Giada De Laurentiis Strawberry and Mascarpone Granita	410	1,640	$2.51	$10.05
Giada De Laurentiis Onion Soup with Fontina and Thyme	285	1,140	$2.01	$8.03
Giada De Laurentiis Smashed Parmesan Potatoes	283	2,260	$0.70	$5.58

Robert Irvine
Robert Irvine's Pepperoni and Cheese Scrambled Eggs	403	2,417	$0.87	$5.22
Robert Irvine's Carved Baked Ham	585	11,705	$0.90	$17.97
Robert Irvine's Potatoes O'Brien	201	1,207	$0.57	$3.39
Robert Irvine's Pork Medallions	403	1,613	$1.28	$5.12

Alton Brown
Alton Brown's Quick Cottage Cheese	399	1,598	$1.19	$4.77
Alton Brown's Chocolate Waffle	451	2,709	$0.60	$3.63
Alton Brown's Welsh Rarebit	443	1,772	$0.91	$3.64
Alton Brown's Mini Man Burgers	110	878	$0.52	$4.15

Michael Chiarello
Michael Chiarello's Fluffy Pancake with Fontina	1,085	4,338	$5.31	$21.24
Michael Chiarello's Potato Hash with Baked Eggs	724	2,895	$1.24	$4.95
Michael Chiarello's Grand Mimosa	126	1,006	$4.79	$38.28

For more information, check out each tv personality's recipes with cost and calorie calculations:

Rachael Ray's Recipes

Alton Brown's Recipes

Giada De Laurentii's Recipes

Paula Deen's Recipes

Tyler Florence's Recipes

Martha Stewart's Recipes

Ina Garten's Recipes

Emeril Lagasse's Recipes

How a Couple Can Eat Well on a $50 Week Menu

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:57:48 MST

The purpose of this menu

The goal of this menu is to prove that you can live very well and healthy on a $50 a week budget for two people. Sure, $25 per person (or $100 for 4 people), isn't as cheap as you could possibly go, many people survive on much less than that. But with this menu we are not trying to eat rice and beans every day (even if that is served a couple of times) - we are trying to enjoy a varied diet with legumes, vegetables as well as meat and fish. And yes, it can be done, the key here is planning your meals in advance and actually cooking/preparing all your meals in the kitchen, no take-out or restaurant visits.

Meals Breakdown

For breakfast in this menu we feature filling meals that keep you full for a long period of time. We alternate between oatmeal with milk, and eggs and toast for breakfast, with the Saturday pancake exception. If you don't like regular oatmeal, you could easily substitute old fashioned oats for steel cut oats. They take a little longer to cook, but if you have the time (most of us don't), then they provide an even tastier and healthier alternative.

For lunch, we try to prepare food that is easy to bring along whether to work or school. Sandwiches play an important part here, as do beans and rice. Another important aspect of lunch is ease of preparation. You don't really want to be cooking when lunch comes around, that's impractical for most of us.

For dinner, we try to provide a varied diet that includes budget alternatives such as lentils and polenta and garbanzo bean soup. But when you're eating on $50 a week, you can actually afford meats as well as the occasional fish. For meats, we use chicken thighs which provide excellent flavor for a good price, as well as sausage and bacon. On Friday, we feast on salmon.

We have not accounted for drinks in this menu, other than a glass of orange juice each morning for breakfast.

We have attempted to make a practical menu. For example, we allocate a pack of bacon over two days: pasta carbonara one day, and BLT sandwiches for lunch the next. We make a double batch of soup, so that the other half can be enjoyed for lunch the next day.

Cost Calculation

All of these meals are priced with the accrual method. That means, that we only calculate the cost of as much as you need. In other words, if a recipe calls for 1/2 pound of bacon - we only calculate the cost of 1/2 a pound, even though you might need to buy a one pound package. That means, that it might cost more than $50 to purchase the ingredients for these recipes, however if you already have staples, it might cost less. Overall, the difference in price averages out over time: the price calculated for these dishes is exact.

Many of the recipes listed, calls for making more than 2 servings. Either scale down the recipe to fit your needs, or make a larger batch and freeze for another day. If you have leftover sausage for example or if you need to buy a larger pack of salmon - then freeze the individual filets or sausage links and use at another time. Sure, the price will be slightly higher one week, but next week it might be lower.

The prices of these ingredients reflect an average across the country. Sure, some people in some areas of the United States will be able to make this food at a lower cost.

$50 Weekly Menue (2 people)

Each meal is priced for two servings (two bowls of oatmeal, two sandwiches, two servings of each dish...)

Monday - Total cost breakfast, lunch and dinner: $6.11

When making tonight's dinner - spaghetti carbonara , save half the bacon back for tomorrow.

Breakfast - Oatmeal with milk and raisins

2 servings basic old-fashioned oatmeal: $0.68
Served with 1 cup whole milk: $0.24
1/2 cup raisins:$0.38
2 glasses of orange juice from concentrate:$0.46

Total: $1.76

Lunch - Beans & rice with salsa

Refried Pinto Beans: $0.78
Brown Rice (1 cup uncooked): $0.28
Salsa (4 tablespoons): $0.43

Total: $1.49

Dinner - Italian Spaghetti Carbonara with Cabbage Salad

Italian Spaghetti Pasta Carbonara: $2.48
Shredded Cabbage Salad: $0.38

Total: $2.86

Tuesday - Total cost breakfast, lunch and dinner: $7.24

With leftover bacon, make BLT's for lunch

Breakfast- Scrambled eggs & toast

4 Scrambled Eggs: $0.80
2 slices of Hearty Grai n Bread, toasted: $0.18
1 tablespoon Butter (for spreading on toast): $0.06
2 glasses of orange juice from concentrate:$0.46

Total: $1.5

Lunch - BLT sandwiches and carrot sticks

2 Classic BLT Sandwiches: $2.58
2 carrots: $0.28

Total: $2.86

Dinner - Polenta with lentils

Herb Balsamic Lentils with Polenta: $2.88

Total: $2.88

Wednesday - Total cost breakfast, lunch and dinner: $6.50

Make a double amount of soup for dinner - it will be tomorrow's lunch.

Breakfast - Oatmeal with milk and banana

2 servings basic old-fashioned oatmeal: $0.68
Served with 1 cup whole milk: $0.24
One banana, sliced: $0.24
2 glasses of orange juice from concentrate:$0.46

Total: $1.62

Lunch - Tuna salad sandwiches

2 Tuna Salad Sandwiches - $2.48
Shredded Cabbage Salad: $0.38

Total: $2.86

Dinner - Chickpeas soup with grilled cheese sandwiches

Smooth Garbanzo Bean Soup: $1.16
2 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: $0.86

Total: $2.02

Thursday - Total cost breakfast, lunch and dinner: $7.60

Tonight's dinner - chicken cacciatore is made with chicken thighs which is a great cut with lots of flavor for a low cost.

Breakfast - Softboiled eggs with toast

4 softboiled eggs: $0.68
2 slices of Hearty Grai n Bread, toasted: $0.18
1 tablespoon Butter (for spreading on toast): $0.06
2 glasses of orange juice from concentrate:$0.46

Total: $1.38

Lunch - Garbanzo bean soup & fruit salad

Leftover Smooth Garbanzo Bean Soup: $1.16
Basic Fruit Salad: $1.26

Total: $2.42

Dinner - Italian Chicken Cacciatore

Italian Chicken Cacciatore: $3.52
Brown Rice (1 cup uncooked): $0.28

Total: $3.80

Friday - Total cost breakfast, lunch and dinner: $9.01

On Friday's, a festive meal is in order and tonights dinner - salmon with baked potatoes is slightly expensive, but so tasty and healthy.

Breakfast - Oatmeal with milk and raisins

2 servings basic old-fashioned oatmeal: $0.68
Served with 1 cup whole milk: $0.24
1/2 cup raisins:$0.38
2 glasses of orange juice from concentrate:$0.46

Total: $1.76

Lunch - Beans & rice with salsa

Refried Pinto Beans: $0.78
Brown Rice (1 cup uncooked): $0.28
Salsa (4 tablespoons): $0.43

Total: $1.49

Dinner - Salmon with baked potatoes

Herb & Cheese Baked Salmon: $5.20
2 Baked Potatoes: $0.26
1 cup of frozen green peas: $0.30

Total: $5.76

Saturday - Total cost breakfast, lunch and dinner: $8.40

On Saturday's, you have time to enjoy a leisurely pancake breakfast and a creamy butternut squash risotto makes a great dinner.

Breakfast - Pancakes with maple syrup

Classic Pancakes: $0.78
1/2 cup Maple Syrup: $0.36
2 glasses of orange juice from concentrate:$0.46

Total: $1.6

Lunch - Eggsalad sandwiches and carrot sticks

2 Egg Salad Sandwiches - $1.02
2 carrots: $0.28

Total: $1.3

Dinner - Butternut squash risotto

Creamy Butternut Squash Risotto: $4.64
1 cup frozen green beans: $0.86

Total: $5.5

Sunday - Total cost breakfast, lunch and dinner: $5.16

On Sunday morning, take your time and make hashbrowns for breakfast. Country sausage stew is both tasty and cheap.

Breakfast - Scrambled eggs with hashbrowns

Hashbrowns (Country Fries): $0.36
2 Scrambled Eggs: $0.80
2 glasses of orange juice from concentrate:$0.46

Total: $1.62

Lunch - Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches with carrot sticks

2 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches: $0.58
2 carrots: $0.28

Total: $0.86

Dinner - Country sausage stew

Country Sausage and Potato Stew: $2.38
1 cup of frozen green peas: $0.30

Total: $2.68

Total cost for the whole week: $50.02

Ideas For Easter Recipes

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:16:13 MST

When Easter arrives, we like to feast on lamb, ham, eggs, desserts and of course Easter candy!

Here are a couple of ideas for the Easter meal from a variety of websites. You're sure to find something of interest, no matter whether you're looking for an interesting lamb recipe or something to do with all those eggs you just bought. Of course, dessert is the best part: how does a ricotta cheese lemon tart or a hazelnut chocolate cake sound?

Egg-related dishes

Lemon-Dill Chicken Salad-Stuffed Eggs - Southern Living

Pizza al Formaggio - The New York Times Dining and Wine

French-Style Stuffed Eggs - Cooking light

Spinach and Gruyere Quiches - Martha Stewart

Ham

Holiday Ham with Pineapple

Simple Baked Ham - Cooking Light

Marmalade-Glazed Ham - Martha Stewart

Fire and Spice Ham - Cooking Light

Lamb

Fig & prosciutto-stuffed lamb with thyme potatoes - Taste.com.au

Pistachio-crusted lamb racks - Taste.com.au

Rachael Ray's Black Cherry and Black Pepper Lamb Chops with Sweet Pea Risotto

Roast Boneless Leg of Lamb with Potatoes, Lemon, and Marjoram - Martha Stewart

Baking & Dessert

Hot Cross Buns - Wild Yeast Blog

Ricotta Cheese Lemon Tart

Swiss Easter Rice Tart - The New York Times Dining and Wine

Chocolate hazelnut cake - Taste.com.au

Ricotta Cake - Martha Stewart

The New York Times Explores the Rising Costs of Food

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:56:31 MST

In The New York Times article “Cost Surge For Stocking The Pantry” information about the rising food costs confirms again that it’s much more expensive nowadays to feed your family. According to this article, milk is up 17%, cheese 15%, rice and pasta 13%, bread 12% and eggs has increased by 25% since February 2007 and 62% in the last two years.

Graph from The New York Times

“Government figures released Friday showed that grocery costs had jumped 5.1 percent in 12 months, the latest in a string of increases. In fact, the nation is undergoing its worst grocery inflation since the early 1990s.” Cost Surge For Stocking The Pantry

Unfortunately, food prices aren’t likely to recede in the near future. With the high price of wheat we might soon see even higher prices where cereal and baking products are concerned.

For consumers around the country, there isn’t much we can do, except becoming even more clever at the grocery store, cook at home and find new ways to make our dollars reach further.

For more tips and advice on how to save money in the kitchen, check out:

10 Tips to Save Money in the Kitchen

Which Ingredients Should You Splurge vs. Save On

Advice for Planning Family Meals

Why It's Better To Drink at Home Than in a Bar

How Much Does a Typical Homemade Sandwich Cost?

10 Outrageously High Calorie Recipes From Food Network Chefs

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:33:33 MST

While it can be debatable whether one dish has a low calorie content or not, it's certainly not debatable whether or not a dish has a high calorie content. Here are 10 recipes from Food Network chefs which have a remarkably high calorie content. Each dish has over 1000 calories per serving and the richest dishes are topping the list with 1400 calories per serving.

1. Tyler Florence's Mozzarella Grilled Cheese - 1,455 calories per serving ($5.53 cost per serving)

2. Giada De Laurentiis Breakfast Pizza - 1,412 calories per serving ($4.19 cost per serving)

3. Paula Deen's Beef Bourbon Y'all - 1,417 calories per serving ($6.20 cost per serving)

4. Giada De Laurentiis Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce - 1,404 calories per serving ($4.48 cost per serving)

5. Rachael Ray's Chicken and Broccoli Peanut Noodles with Cucumber Carrot Salad - 1,390 calories per serving ($3.78 cost per serving)

6. Paula Deen's Chicken Scaloppini - 1,304 calories per serving ($2.38 cost per serving)

7. Rachael Ray's Red & Green Lasagna - 1,306 calories per serving ($5.14 cost per serving)

8. Rachael Ray's Black Cherry and Black Pepper Lamb Chops with Sweet Pea Risotto - 1,255 calories per serving ($7.91 cost per serving)

9. Ina Garten's Fillet of Beef Bourguignonne - 1,175 calories per serving ($5.66 cost per serving)

10. Alton Brown's Coq au Vin - 1,043 calories per serving ($7.10 cost per serving)

10 Low Calorie Recipes From Food Network Chefs

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:11:04 MST

Whether or not a dish is considered to have a low calorie content is up for debate. However, here we have gathered 10 Food Network recipes that have a calorie content under 600 (compared to many other Food Network recipes, that is a low number...) Not all dishes are complete meals and require side dishes which are not included.

1. Ina Garten's Zucchini Vichyssoise - 237 calories per serving ($1.45 cost per serving)

2. Giada De Laurentiis Garlic and Citrus Chicken - 256 calories per serving, sides not included ($1.40 cost per serving )

3. Paula Deen's Fired Up Rosemary Salmon - 327 calories per serving, sides not included ($5.59 cost per serving)

4. Ina Garten's Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese - 373 calories per serving, sides not included ($1.94 cost per serving)

5. Giada De Laurentiis Roman-style Chicken - 399 calories per serving, sides not included ($2.24 cost per serving)

6. Rachael Ray's Grainy Mustard Dressed Chicken and Roasted Potato Wilted Spinach Salad - 418 calories per serving ($2.60 cost per serving)

7. Ina Garten's Parker's Split Pea Soup - 434 calories per serving ($0.79 cost per serving)

8. Giada De Laurentiis Spaghetti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto - 471 calories per serving ($3.07 cost per serving)

9. Rachael Ray's Chicken Eggplant Roll Salad - 561 calories per serving ($4.23 cost per serving)

10. Rachael Ray's Chicken in a Pot, No Pie - 598 calories per serving ($2.35 cost per serving)

Advice for Planning Family Meals

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:01:47 MST

In order to prepare healthy, cost-effective meals on a continuing basis, it often helps to plan in advance. Here are some tips which will help you plan your meals in order to save time, money and frustration.

- If your family lives with a busy schedule, then menus will be a tremendous help. Each week, sit down and plan the food for the week. Consider what you have in the freezer as well as in the pantry. Then decide which meals will be prepared during the week and write a grocery list accordingly.

- When making a menu, think about the freshness of your groceries. What groceries you buy for the week will determine which order they should be consumed. First, always start with fresh fish or seafood. Next move on to packaged meat, then cured meats and finally frozen food and pantry staples.

- Keep an eye on sales prices in your local grocery store. Once something goes on sale, don’t hesitate to stock up and fill your freezer. If meat goes on sale, then cut/divide into smaller portions and store in containers or plastic bags. If vegetables go on sale, you can either slice them raw or blanch before freezing. Just make sure to date each frozen pack.

- Once or twice a week, cook double portions of lasagna, soup or whatever meal you’re making. Then freeze this food either in larger packs or single servings. After a couple of weeks you have built up a nice storage of food which you can eat at times when nobody feels like cooking. Again, make sure to date each frozen pack.

- Bags of precut vegetables are often unnecessarily expensive. It makes more sense to buy regular vegetables and prep them yourself. This works especially well with carrots, onions, celery and cabbage. Blocks of most cheeses also work well to shred. Store the prepped food in plastic bags in the fridge and use within 4 – 7 days, or store in the freezer up to 1 to 3 months depending on the ingredient.

- Make it into a habit to use all left-over food. If a recipe calls for 2 pounds of ground beef, but you can only find 3 pound packs to buy, then form the remaining meat into hamburger patties and freeze. If there are leftover pork roast from dinner, then make pork sandwiches the next day etc… Remember that all the food that gets thrown away ends up being the most expensive.

- Make sure to arrange the food in your fridge as well as your pantry properly. Keep the freshest items in the back to make sure that older food gets eaten before they go bad. This also applies to cans and dry goods since they do expire after some time. A tidy pantry and fridge makes it easier to see exactly what you have on hand, so nothing gets forgotten in the back.

Culinary Vacations: Food Festivals & Fairs

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:54:18 MST

If you are looking for an event-filled culinary vacation, then a visit to food festival will open your eyes to new experiences. Not only will you meet new people, you will get a direct glimpse into a new culture and an opportunity to try new things. Perhaps one of these various festivals would be interesting to attend:

- Oktoberfest, Germany
Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day beer-focused festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September and early October

- Kona Coffee Fest, Hawaii
Kona Coffee Fest is a ten-day event that celebrates coffee.

- Festival del Mar, Anguilla
Caribbean feast that focuses on fresh island seafood.

- Food and Fun Festival, Iceland
Icelandic festival that features Icelandic ingredients in top restaurants.

- Food & Wine Festival, South Beach Florida
South Beach Festival that features gourmet culinary experiences.

- International White Truffle Festival, Italy
Italian festival that features the white truffle.

Caribbean Cruises and Culinary Vacations

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:56:22 MST

If you are looking to get more out of your Caribbean cruise, then perhaps a culinary cruise vacation would be a good idea. Many companies now provide cruises with cooking classes, festivals and lectures related to culinary experiences. This is a great way to meet other like-minded people who are as enthusiastic as you about cooking and food, in a relaxing and exciting new environment.

- Cooking Cruises
Do you wish to become a better cook during your cruise? Then look for a vacation that offers cooking classes. Viking Range and Norwegian Cruise line are two companies that provide cooking classes on some cruises.

- Wine Cruises
Are you interested in wine? Then perhaps a wine cruise would be the perfect combination for you. Experience and learn about wines in a constantly changing environment. Crystal Cruises, Silversea, Cruise West and Seabourn are some companies that offer wine-themed cruises.

- Food & Wine Festival Cruise
Perhaps the best of both of worlds could be combined at a cruise with a food and wine festival. Crystal Cruises and Seabourn Cruise both host culinary festivals during some of their cruises.