Saturday, February 20, 2010
Musings on the no-shopping experiment
I bought a crazy amount of dairy, fruit, and vegetables recently. This is normal for me. My freezers and cupboards are too full not because I buy huge quantities of meat and starch, but because I tend to default to dairy, fruit and veggies and the other stuff ends up in the freezer or cupboard. It remains to be see if I actually save any money during my experiment.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
No shopping experiment, exceptions
I'm making exceptions to the no-shopping experiment.
1. Coffee is necessary and is exempt.
2. I have a huge oversupply of tea. So it's not exempt, even though it can easily be moved.
3. Cat food is exempt, obviously. However, the cats will surely benefit when I cook those turkeys.
4. I've also declared a moratorium on buying bath stuff. I have enough for several years. Really. Certain stuff from Paula's Choice is necessary and exempt, however.
5. Chocolate is necessary and exempt. It is unlikely that I will be left with an oversupply, of course.
6. It will become necessary to buy some stuff to get rid of other stuff. However I won't buy the Costco size packages.
1. Coffee is necessary and is exempt.
2. I have a huge oversupply of tea. So it's not exempt, even though it can easily be moved.
3. Cat food is exempt, obviously. However, the cats will surely benefit when I cook those turkeys.
4. I've also declared a moratorium on buying bath stuff. I have enough for several years. Really. Certain stuff from Paula's Choice is necessary and exempt, however.
5. Chocolate is necessary and exempt. It is unlikely that I will be left with an oversupply, of course.
6. It will become necessary to buy some stuff to get rid of other stuff. However I won't buy the Costco size packages.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Pork Chops with Spicy Citrus Chipotle Sauce
It's day one of the eating through the freezer experiment. I pulled out some soup for lunch and defrosted two thick cut pork chops for dinner/leftovers for tomorrow. I decided to brine the porkchops, and got out a cook book to find the brine proportions. Right next to the recipe for the pork chops, there was a sauce recipe that used orange juice, lime juice and zest, and chipotle peppers. I had all of those things. Perfect!
The pork chops were browned for on both sides, and then put into a 450F oven for about 10 minutes. Use a meat thermometer just to be on the safe side. Puree the sauce ingredients in advance and then cook the sauce down while the porkchops are resting.
Here's the sauce recipe. I modified it since I didn't have molasses. This makes enough for four pork chops. (I made a half recipe)
1/2 cup molasses (I used a combination of brown sugar and corn syrup)
1 cup orange juice
zest and juice from 2 limes
4 adobo chilies in sauce (I had some in the freezer. I just threw in the entire packet - it may've been a bit more)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter.
salt and pepper to taste.
Puree all the sauce ingredients in the blender.
After the pork chops are done cooking, let them rest under fill. Drain the fat from the pan and add the sauce. Cook it down until it's thick and shiny. Remove from heat and add the butter. Serve with the pork chops.
The pork was done to perfection on the chop that I tested with the meat thermometer. The other one was a bit underdone so I saved it for tomorrow, when I'll be reheating it. Rugrat was crying and begging while I was browning the chops, so I gave her some without sauce. She liked it. As for the sauce, well, it's good I'm on a spicy foods kick. Even so, it was a bit much. I'd back way off on the chipotle peppers next time. It was tasty, though. It wasn't too sweet, and the citrus flavors came through. I ate my pork chop with broccoli and homemade bread. (I have a lot of flour to use up too!) I am enjoying this experiment so far.
Net food cleared from storage
2 pork chops
3 limes that were staring to go bad
1 packet of chipotle chiles from the freezer
2 oranges that fell off the orange tree
some flour + brown sugar
The pork chops were browned for on both sides, and then put into a 450F oven for about 10 minutes. Use a meat thermometer just to be on the safe side. Puree the sauce ingredients in advance and then cook the sauce down while the porkchops are resting.
Here's the sauce recipe. I modified it since I didn't have molasses. This makes enough for four pork chops. (I made a half recipe)
1/2 cup molasses (I used a combination of brown sugar and corn syrup)
1 cup orange juice
zest and juice from 2 limes
4 adobo chilies in sauce (I had some in the freezer. I just threw in the entire packet - it may've been a bit more)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter.
salt and pepper to taste.
Puree all the sauce ingredients in the blender.
After the pork chops are done cooking, let them rest under fill. Drain the fat from the pan and add the sauce. Cook it down until it's thick and shiny. Remove from heat and add the butter. Serve with the pork chops.
The pork was done to perfection on the chop that I tested with the meat thermometer. The other one was a bit underdone so I saved it for tomorrow, when I'll be reheating it. Rugrat was crying and begging while I was browning the chops, so I gave her some without sauce. She liked it. As for the sauce, well, it's good I'm on a spicy foods kick. Even so, it was a bit much. I'd back way off on the chipotle peppers next time. It was tasty, though. It wasn't too sweet, and the citrus flavors came through. I ate my pork chop with broccoli and homemade bread. (I have a lot of flour to use up too!) I am enjoying this experiment so far.
Net food cleared from storage
2 pork chops
3 limes that were staring to go bad
1 packet of chipotle chiles from the freezer
2 oranges that fell off the orange tree
some flour + brown sugar
The (almost) no-shopping experiment
I love to go grocery shopping, and I'm a total hoarder. As a result, my cabinets, freezer, etc, are filled to bursting. Hell, I've got two turkeys in my freezer, four kinds of flour, and more weird legumes and grains than you can shake a stick at....
So now, I've got time on my hands, less income than usual, and the prospect of an impending cross-country move. It's time to "eat through the freezer"*, and the cupboards, and the fridge, and the liquor cabinet, so I don't have to end up giving all of this food to my mom.
So I'm starting an experiment. As of now, I'm only going to buy cottage cheese, milk, coffee and eggs. I'll buy produce on an as-needed basis, but will try to use up the frozen fruit and veggies. I may make exceptions for special occasions.
This will not keep me from food blogging, though. Quite the opposite. I'll keep you updated on the experiment and will also write a lot of posts as I try new recipes to use up my larder of provisions.
*My ex-boyfriend was an even bigger food hoarder than me. In fact, he was a bad influence on me. His particular predilection was to fill the freezer. Anyway, ever so often he'd go through phases where he'd "eat through the freezer".
So now, I've got time on my hands, less income than usual, and the prospect of an impending cross-country move. It's time to "eat through the freezer"*, and the cupboards, and the fridge, and the liquor cabinet, so I don't have to end up giving all of this food to my mom.
So I'm starting an experiment. As of now, I'm only going to buy cottage cheese, milk, coffee and eggs. I'll buy produce on an as-needed basis, but will try to use up the frozen fruit and veggies. I may make exceptions for special occasions.
This will not keep me from food blogging, though. Quite the opposite. I'll keep you updated on the experiment and will also write a lot of posts as I try new recipes to use up my larder of provisions.
*My ex-boyfriend was an even bigger food hoarder than me. In fact, he was a bad influence on me. His particular predilection was to fill the freezer. Anyway, ever so often he'd go through phases where he'd "eat through the freezer".
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Minestrone
It's all Missy's fault. She's got me on a soup kick. She sends me reports of the tasty weight watchers soups that she makes, and that makes me want soup. Last week I made the Asian-style vegetable soup. I still had some veggies left over, however. In yesterday's newspaper, there was a minestrone recipe. It would use up my leftover veggies and I had almost all the other ingredients, sort of, so I decided to make it.
The recipe called for sauteeing the veggies and then adding the remaining ingredients. I didn't do that, and left out the olive oil. I chopped up cabbage, a bit of bok choi, some carrots, celery, a small onion, and a bit of garlic. I dumped that into a soup pot and added beef broth, two 16 oz cans of diced tomatoes and two cans of garbanzo beans (the recipe called for different types of beans but that was what I had) and some italian seasoning. I skipped the pasta - for some weird reason I don't like pasta and beans together. I also skipped the spinach, since i had added so much cabbage and bok choi. I let it simmer for about 45 minutes.
It is pretty good. It's not as rich or salty as most minestrone, and was thinner and chunkier. I liked having more beans and no pasta. According to my calculations, a huge serving would have two weight watchers points, in case you care.*
*I don't care at the moment - I'm not letting myself stress about my weight until I'm officially out of work. Then I'll have more time to cook healthy foods, watch what I eat, and exercise.
The recipe called for sauteeing the veggies and then adding the remaining ingredients. I didn't do that, and left out the olive oil. I chopped up cabbage, a bit of bok choi, some carrots, celery, a small onion, and a bit of garlic. I dumped that into a soup pot and added beef broth, two 16 oz cans of diced tomatoes and two cans of garbanzo beans (the recipe called for different types of beans but that was what I had) and some italian seasoning. I skipped the pasta - for some weird reason I don't like pasta and beans together. I also skipped the spinach, since i had added so much cabbage and bok choi. I let it simmer for about 45 minutes.
It is pretty good. It's not as rich or salty as most minestrone, and was thinner and chunkier. I liked having more beans and no pasta. According to my calculations, a huge serving would have two weight watchers points, in case you care.*
*I don't care at the moment - I'm not letting myself stress about my weight until I'm officially out of work. Then I'll have more time to cook healthy foods, watch what I eat, and exercise.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Rice Pudding
I had a rice craving a few nights ago, but it passed and I was left with some leftover rice. I decided to make rice pudding. I've made it before, using recipes where you cook rice in milk, but I wanted a recipe that started with leftover rice. A quick search of the internet led me to this recipe, which is seemingly very popular based on the rating and number of reviews.
In the recipe, the rice is cooked in water and then cooked in milk. I used my leftover rice instead, and cooked it in a mixture of milk and half and half (I ran out of milk). It's pretty rich, with equal parts milk and half and half. I added Splenda instead of sugar when it was almost done. (It's kind of silly not to use sugar, given how much half and half is in there, but oh well.) It seemed like nothing happened for a while and then all of a sudden it thickened rapidly. At that point I had to start stirring it more frequently. At the very end, a mixture of beaten egg and milk is added and the mixture is cooked for 2 minutes and then removed from the heat. Vanilla, butter and raisin are added and the pudding is allowed to cool. I left out the butter since there was already enough butterfat in there, and used yellow raisins since that's what I had. I put a piece of saran wrap over the top to prevent a skin from forming, and then let it cool in the fridge. The pudding was very creamy and rich when warm, and was even better when cool. It didn't have the grainy texture it gets when the rice is cooked in milk. It was most tasty and I will be making it again, although I probably won't use as much half and half.
In the recipe, the rice is cooked in water and then cooked in milk. I used my leftover rice instead, and cooked it in a mixture of milk and half and half (I ran out of milk). It's pretty rich, with equal parts milk and half and half. I added Splenda instead of sugar when it was almost done. (It's kind of silly not to use sugar, given how much half and half is in there, but oh well.) It seemed like nothing happened for a while and then all of a sudden it thickened rapidly. At that point I had to start stirring it more frequently. At the very end, a mixture of beaten egg and milk is added and the mixture is cooked for 2 minutes and then removed from the heat. Vanilla, butter and raisin are added and the pudding is allowed to cool. I left out the butter since there was already enough butterfat in there, and used yellow raisins since that's what I had. I put a piece of saran wrap over the top to prevent a skin from forming, and then let it cool in the fridge. The pudding was very creamy and rich when warm, and was even better when cool. It didn't have the grainy texture it gets when the rice is cooked in milk. It was most tasty and I will be making it again, although I probably won't use as much half and half.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Roast Beef
Pak N Save had round roasts for $1.79/lb today. That means only one thing - it's time for roast beef! I LOVE roast beef. It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold, but it does have to be nice and rare, with a hint of salt. Even when I was mostly vegetarian back in grad school, ever so often I'd get a beef craving and go get a roast beef sandwich. I like to make a roast on Sunday, so I have lots of leftovers for the week. It's tasty when reheated, in salads, burritos or wraps, sandwiches, and, if you get really bored of it, use the leftovers in soup. My coworkers always gave me envious looks or comments when I would bring it in for lunch.
Fortunately, it is easy and inexpensive to make. I usually use round roasts, which tend to be pretty cheap and have good flavor, but this method works for other lean cuts of beef too. Look for one without a lot of internal fat. The round roasts sometimes have a layer of fat on the top. That's ok. If it's really thick, remove it. If it's not so thick or if you are feeling lazy, just leave it. Rub the roast with a little bit of olive oil, and then rub it with a little bit of salt and pepper, or a herb blend. Sometimes I use thyme, or a beef rub that I have. Today I was out of thyme, so I used some herbes de Provence (thyme, savory, fennel, basil, and lavender). For a garlic flavor, make little cuts in the roast and insert slivers of garlic. Preheat the oven to 500F. Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan and put it in the oven. After 15-20 minutes, lower the temperature to 250F and cook until it's done. (I like it rare but will cook it a bit longer if people other than me will be eating it.). The low temperature keeps it nice and tender. It usually takes about an hour to cook a 3-4 lb roast in my oven, but mine's fast since it's a convection oven. Use a meat thermometer to be safe. When it's done, take it out and tent it with foil for 15 minutes or so before slicing. This helps keep it moist. If you want to slice it really thin for sandwiches, it helps to chill it in the fridge first.
Today's roast was nice and tender, and had good flavor. The herbes de Provence are pretty herbal smelling, so when it was cooking I was afraid it might tasty soapy from the lavender, but the flavor didn't really permeate too much. The cats liked it too, which is a sure sign that it's not over-seasoned. However, the roast was completely overshadowed by the sweet potato rolls, which were hot out of the oven. (No, I wasn't being Martha Stewart - I had some frozen dough left over from when I made them in November.)
Fortunately, it is easy and inexpensive to make. I usually use round roasts, which tend to be pretty cheap and have good flavor, but this method works for other lean cuts of beef too. Look for one without a lot of internal fat. The round roasts sometimes have a layer of fat on the top. That's ok. If it's really thick, remove it. If it's not so thick or if you are feeling lazy, just leave it. Rub the roast with a little bit of olive oil, and then rub it with a little bit of salt and pepper, or a herb blend. Sometimes I use thyme, or a beef rub that I have. Today I was out of thyme, so I used some herbes de Provence (thyme, savory, fennel, basil, and lavender). For a garlic flavor, make little cuts in the roast and insert slivers of garlic. Preheat the oven to 500F. Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan and put it in the oven. After 15-20 minutes, lower the temperature to 250F and cook until it's done. (I like it rare but will cook it a bit longer if people other than me will be eating it.). The low temperature keeps it nice and tender. It usually takes about an hour to cook a 3-4 lb roast in my oven, but mine's fast since it's a convection oven. Use a meat thermometer to be safe. When it's done, take it out and tent it with foil for 15 minutes or so before slicing. This helps keep it moist. If you want to slice it really thin for sandwiches, it helps to chill it in the fridge first.
Today's roast was nice and tender, and had good flavor. The herbes de Provence are pretty herbal smelling, so when it was cooking I was afraid it might tasty soapy from the lavender, but the flavor didn't really permeate too much. The cats liked it too, which is a sure sign that it's not over-seasoned. However, the roast was completely overshadowed by the sweet potato rolls, which were hot out of the oven. (No, I wasn't being Martha Stewart - I had some frozen dough left over from when I made them in November.)
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