Getting Creative With Leftovers

Cheddar and Chorizo Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes and a Giveaway!

December 8, 2011 by Rebecca 56 Comments

The giveaway info is below the recipe, so make like a scuba diver and keep on going down!

Some of the best food is just not pretty. It’s gooey, gloppy, brown, and not even a little bit elegant. It looks like it’s not worth the paper plate it rode in on. But when the scent wafts to your nose, when you take that first bite and the inelegance of the whole thing gives way to an explosion of flavour, it suddenly transcends the need to be another pretty dish. You plate it how you want. Heck. Sometimes you just skip a plate if the spirit moves you. It doesn’t matter as long as you get the food to your mouth. How can this happen? Isn’t there the axiom about eating with your eyes before you eat with your mouth? I’m working on a hunch about the phenomenon, though.

I call it my Frog in a Box theory.

Everyone remembers the Looney Tunes cartoon where the down-on-his-luck, unemployed construction worker finds a frog with the extraordinary ability to sing like an angel, right? The man hoards his new found, potentially lucrative critter in an attempt to make money off of it. He goes to a talent agent’s office, talks a big game, plops the frog on the desk where he promptly delivers a resounding, “Brrrrrrrrrrrr-ibbit!” The man and his frog are bounced out on their respective ears* and once the door is slammed shut, the frog sings an aria in the hallway. Oh the frustration! Darned frog!

*Do frogs have ears? I should know this. I feel a homeschooling unit coming on…

After a few more rejections the man takes matters into his own hands and rents a theater where he resorts to trickery to bring in a crowd. (Free beer and chicken, anyone?) He gets a full house, raises the curtain, shoves the frog on stage and once more, “Brrrrrrrrr-ibbit!” The crowd exits, stage left and the frog consoles the man by singing a few popular ditties.

So here’s the deal. This dish is my Frog in a Box. No matter which light, which plating, which lens and which toppings I used, these things just plain looked ugly. And every time I took a bite, I heard a glorious choir in my head. What was a gal to do? I don’t give up as easily as our poor Looney Tunes construction worker. I’m posting it anyway, ugly photos and all. That blasted frog was able to escape detection but these potatoes? They’re here for everyone else to try and enjoy. Make them. Try them yourself! Stick it to the frog!

The crispy potato shell holds a creamy Cheddar, chorizo and green onion studded mashed potato filling. Eat them for breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. Plate them or hold them in your hot little hands while you eat them. Have them with a proper dinner or slap a platter of them on the coffee table for the ultimate hockey or football viewing snacks. You can even make these up to the point where you’d bake them and stash them in the freezer (minus their cap of shreddy-cheddy) until you want to serve them. Top with cheese as directed and bake. How neat is that?

Cheddar and Chorizo Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes and a Giveaway!

Crispy shelled, creamy Cheddar and chorizo and green onion stuffed twice baked potatoes are a great comfort food addition to your winter meal and snack repertoire. I've eaten these at breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time and can promise they're one of the best game day snacks you could ever serve. All that and they're easy, too!

Ingredients

6 leftover baked potatoes
4 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup room temperature milk or half and half
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 1/2 cups cooked and crumbled Mexican style chorizo , divided
6 green onions, cleaned and thinly sliced

Optional for serving:

sour cream
candied jalapenos
additional sliced green onions
salsa

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Halve each potato lengthwise. (Before halving each potato, pay attention to how it naturally lays on the cutting board so that after halving, they don't tip when placed skin side down on the pan.) Scoop most of the potato innards into a mixing bowl, just leaving enough in place to maintain the shape of the potato skin. (This means leaving about 1/4" of potato guts in place.)

Smash the potato guts together with the softened butter, milk or half and half, and 2 1/2 cups of the cheese in the mixing bowl until the potatoes are relatively smooth. Stir in the chorizo and green onions until evenly distributed.

Divide the potato filling evenly among the potato shells, spreading the filling to the edges of the potato skins. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the tops of the stuffed potatoes.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the filling is hot all the way through. Serve as is or topped with sour cream, candied jalapenos , salsa, and sliced green onions.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/12/08/cheddar-and-chorizo-stuffed-twice-baked-potatoes-and-a-giveaway/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

The Giveaway!

I have a seriously fun giveaway that has me pretty excited. Okay, I lie. I’m stupidly excited about this. In the years I’ve been blogging here, you’ve gotten to know a lot about me; my book/movie/Doctor Who/music/bacon obsessions. It’s all true, but one of the biggest obsessions in my life is…

Wait for it…

Clothing. I love clothing. I love clothes far more than any woman who has carried and birthed five children has any right to be. I love all sorts of dresses- retro dresses, vintage dresses, modern, sleek, voluminous, old-fashioned, cute, sultry… Anything I can afford to buy and I can carry off I adore. I’ve long admired the selection over at Shabby Apple (you HAVE seen their website, right?) and I know from personal experience how their dresses are the kind of women’s dresses that make every woman feel like an old-fashioned movie star- glamourous, sexy, and oh-so-put-together. Unlike my pauvre potato recipe, their designs look good in any light, any situation, and any lens that catches them.

When Shabby Apple contacted me and offered to give away a dress from a list of dresses to one of my readers I jumped on it. I might’ve even squealed a little bit. I’m telling you honestly their dresses are squeal worthy. In other words, I said yes. Do you want to see the dress I picked to give away? Hmm? Yes? Are you excited yet? I know I’m not the only dress nut out there. Feast your eyes on this!

Image used courtesy of Shabby Apple

Isn’t it gorgeous? Shabby Apple describes the dress as being “Plum-colored folds of soft jersey fabric dip from the shoulders into a ruched waist that runs from bust to hip on this flouncy, ballet-inspired dress. Perfect for traveling, this dress sports a V-neck and fully lined skirt for extra coverage, so whether at the office or on the road, you’ll feel comfortable and beautiful.” So, so true.

Anyway, let’s get down to brass tacks. To enter for a change to win this incredible dress (think holiday parties and beyond! Dress it up with a jacket and some tall boots for the office or church or a dinner date!) just head over to Shabby Apple’s Facebook Page and like them. (That’s easy enough with to-die-for dresses like that!) Then scoot back over here and leave me a comment saying you did it.

And the nice folks over at Shabby Apple don’t want anyone to feel left out. They’ve issued a coupon code just for Foodie with Family readers: foodiewithfamily10off . This code is good through January 7th, 2012, so get a-shopping. Then you can stand around in your splendid Shabby Apple dress eating one of my Frog in a Box Chorizo and Cheddar Stuffed Potatoes looking magnificent. Maybe the potatoes will even look prettier next to that dress!

The contest fine print: Shabby Apple is providing a dress for the giveaway, but all opinions about their company and their wares are my own. With apologies to my global friends, this contest is open to US residents only. Winner will be selected using random.org on December 15th, 2011.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Comfort Food, Freezer Pleaser, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Giveaways!, kid food, Main Dish, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, kids, party food, quick and easy, Snacks

Fromage Fort (Cheese Spread)

November 23, 2011 by Rebecca 6 Comments

We interrupt these Thanksgiving preparations to bring you a Public Service Announcement. This is only an announcement. This post will take less than five minutes to read and less than five minutes to prepare. You may then return to cooking for your feast:

Did you get invited to a last minute shindig? Do you need just-one-more-thing to round out your holiday feasts? Do you love cheese?

That last question is the most important really, because this is a recipe for cheese lovers. Serious cheese lovers only. Because this is how you use up the odds-and-ends in your cheese collection. You do have a cheese collection, right? A nub of Romano, a hunk of Cheddar, a couple tablespoons of crumbled bleu, some Asiago pieces rattling around in a bag or a drawer or a container in your refrigerator…

Well, the French ride to the rescue here, with the classic Fromage Fort. Fromage fort translates as “strong cheese” and believe you me, there’s nothing wussy about it. It is CHEESE writ large. It is a cheese spread from the country that many people find synonymous with cheese.

So what is Fromage Fort like? (Look away, my French friends. You may be horrified at this description.) It’s kind of like good ole American pimiento cheese, but minus the pimientos and plus wine. How could you possibly go wrong?*

*Let me tell you how you could go wrong. You could use Velveeta or American cheese. If you do that? You’re totally on your own. Blech. Don’t misunderstand. There’s a time and a place for both of those, but neither of those belong here. Emphatically. Amen.

The only specialty item you’ll need is a food processor. That’s kind of non-negotiable here for the best texture. Other than that, the world is your Fromage Fort oyster. You can make this five minutes before running out the door or a week in advance. The longer it sits, the stronger it gets!

Serve with crackers or crusty bread or veggie platters or on baked potatoes or pretzels or… or… or… You get the idea!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Important Cheese Eating advice: When making Fromage Fort, try to steer away from using too much from the bleu cheese or really salty cheese families (Asiago, Romano, Parmesano). Let those be “accent” notes. Use a milder cheese (Cheddar, Jack, etc…) as the melody!

Fromage Fort (Cheese Spread)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Fromage Fort (Cheese Spread)

Fromage Fort -French for strong cheese- is a classic recipe that uses up odds and ends in your cheese collection. This slightly garlicky cheese spread touched with a flavour of white wine makes a wonderful appetizer or addition to any cheese course when served with crackers, crusty bread or crudites.

Ingredients

1/2 pound of assorted cheeses (Cheddar, Asiago, Romano, Parmesan, Monterey Jack, Colby, Swiss, etc...)
1/4 cup of dry white wine (or more, depending on desired texture)
1/2 a large clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Cracked black pepper to taste
Optional: Chopped herbs for garnish

Instructions

Grate cheeses and add to the bowl of a work processor fitted with a metal blade. Add remaining ingredients and fix lid onto the food processor. Process until you have a spreadable consistency. Check the texture. If you want it runnier, add a splash of white wine and process again. Scrape into a bowl or a ramekin. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to a week.

If desired, garnish with chopped herbs.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/11/23/fromage-fort-cheese-spread/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, Comfort Food, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Holiday Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: budget friendly, Christmas, Food gifts, Frugal Food, holiday food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Thanksgiving, traditional food, Vegetarian

Taste of Home Old Fashioned Ham Balls

April 26, 2011 by Rebecca 16 Comments

Ham Balls.

Could there possibly be a less appealing sounding name for a dish?*

*Perhaps. But it would have to be exceptionally gross… Maybe “Repurposed Egg Salad” or “Blood Sausage”. You get the idea…

Let’s be honest, they’re also not the purtiest meatball on the block. They’re brown on the outside, but they’re a pinky colour on the inside. Not bad when you remember the presence of ham, but a bit disconcerting for the inside of your average meatball. Here’s the thing of it, though; These ham balls from an ancient Taste of Home (Yes, again with the Taste of Home. I’m feeling nostalgic.) are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in all of my life. Allow me to paint a picture.

The year is nineteen-ninety seven. I arrive at the home of my father and step-mother for Easter dinner with husband in tow. We are expecting our first child. I am quite firmly in mega-morning sickness mode. No food has sounded, smelled or looked anywhere near good to me for about two and a half months. And I do mean nothing. I’ve choked back sleeve upon sleeve of saltine crackers, sipped tentatively at ice water and seltzer and forced myself to take in enough calories to keep myself going and keep baby growing. I visit a bit, putz around in the kitchen with Val a bit, and ask what’s fer grub while secretly steeling myself to eat a few courtesy bites before excusing myself from the table. Val pauses, hand on covered casserole pan and says, “These are ham balls!”

If you think you know what’s coming next you just might be wrong.

What I heard was, “These are ham…” and then I blanked out. I could smell the salty ham and see the sticky brown sugar mustard glaze and deep brown crust. It smelled perfect. It looked amazing. All I wanted at that one moment was to stick my face into the casserole and not come up for air until I had licked that pot clean. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, I looked to Val with an awestruck expression. I’m not sure what I said to her, but the result was her handing me one glorious sticky ham ball skewered on a fork. I nibbled once, twice then made like the Tootsie Roll Owl and on three gobbled the whole thing down. It was the first real food I had managed to eat in weeks and I made up for lost time. The Evil Genius ate his meagre portion (from which I stole while he wasn’t looking.) Whether anyone got a proper serving after I had my fill, I don’t recall. Quite frankly, I didn’t care. I was a monster.

Over the years, we looked forward to ham balls at Easter so much that we eventually skipped the actual ham supper and went straight to ham balls. Nowadays, a triple batch of these sweet, salty, savoury, sour, sticky ham meatballs is eaten on Easter Sunday and for a couple of meals thereafter.

Ham ball sandwiches on soft bread with bread and butter pickles, a bit of mustard and a side of baked beans is good enough to make my husband weepy. Ham balls on steamed or fried rice with sweet garlic chili sauce is a fast and well-loved dinner.

Ham balls snuck from the bowl when all the kids are asleep? Well, that’s the best of them all. A word to the wise: Make sure you wash your hands before you sneak the sticky little ham balls. You will most certainly want to lick that glaze from your fingers and I’d hate for you to be unprepared.Who’s looking out for you? Me. That’s who.

4.0 from 1 reviews

Taste of Home Old Fashioned Ham Balls

Author: Rebecca Lindamood (adapted gently from Taste of Home)

Recipe type: Main, Appetizer

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 80 mins

Total time: 1 hour 45 mins

Serves: 12-16

Sticky, sweet-and-sour, savoury ham meatballs in a brown sugar and mustard glaze. Use up your leftover ham, or make like us and skip the ham dinner going straight to these.

Ingredients

Ingredients for ham balls:

2 pounds ground pork
2 pounds leftover ham
4 large eggs
1½ cups milk
1⅓ cups crushed shredded wheat cereal (You can use a food processor or a zipper top bag and a mallet for the job!)

Ingredients for the glaze:

3½ cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1½ cups water
1 cup apple cider vinegar (Don’t use white vinegar here. It lacks oomph!)
2 teaspoons ground mustard powder (Or 1 tablespoon prepared British-style mustard, like Coleman’s.)

Instructions

Use the coarse setting on your meat grinder to grind your ham. (If you do not have a meat grinder, use your food processor to pulse until it is finely chopped like hamburger or chop very finely with a large, sharp knife.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Evenly coat two 9″x13″ baking dishes with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine all the ham ball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together with your hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Roll the meat into 2-inch balls. (I use a disher to get evenly sized meatballs so they cook at the same rate.)
Arrange the ham balls in the pans. Set aside.
Add all the glaze ingredients to a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking just until the sugar is fully melted.
Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Do not cover the pan while simmering.
Pour the glaze over the ham balls, dividing evenly between the two pans.
Bake the ham balls, uncovered, for 70 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency and the ham balls are browned.

Notes

These freeze well, so don’t worry about the high volume of the recipe. Not that you’ll have many left, that is… They’re just a bit too tasty.

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Main Dish, Meat, Party Food, Recipes, Stretching your dollars

Hot TexMess

March 23, 2011 by Rebecca 8 Comments

We had ten inches of snow last night. On the twenty second-slash-twenty third of March. I vacillated between bitter and grateful. Bitter because it’s MARCH TWENTY THIRD and I have ten inches of snow when yesterday there was green and chirping and peeping and warm breezes and sunshine. I opted to park myself on grateful because I had another opportunity to pull out all the stops on comfort food. Since I’m a realistic optimist, I took advantage of the cold day to bake up a storm. By the time the baking was all done, I was done*. And while cookies and cakes and clafoutis make really delightful desserts and snacks, they do not a dinner comprise.

*As in stick a fork in me dun done.

While four hungry children milled around me asking what was for dinner (and one sneaky child snitched at cookies on cooling racks) I searched the dusty rooms of my brain for what I could turn out that would be satisfying, quick, crowd-pleasing and delicious enough to prevent me from resenting the food on tonight’s season finale of Top Chef All-Stars.*

*Have you ever tried watching that show (or another like it) after a dinner of tater tots and boiled hot dogs? I don’t recommend it unless you’re a much more even-keeled, much less sensitive person than I am.

This dish was inspired when I stumbled onto one recipe for chilaquiles (tortillas simmered in a spicy tomato sauce) and then onto one for huevos rancheros. Hot dang and pass the plate! Where had these two dishes been all my life? The short answer is that they were, with a few exceptions, in Texas, New Mexico, Southern California. Since I’ve spent my life in Michigan, Kentucky, New York and France, it was no wonder my experience with them was limited. Yes, I’d had the huevos rancheros before, but chilaquiles were new to me. And since I didn’t know any better, I combined the two recipes and performed my own ignorant alchemy on them.

Because what I did resulted in gold. Ugly gold, but certifiable 24-karat food gold. I was struggling for what to call the dish because I think we’ll all agree that “Chilaquiles Plus Huevos Rancheros and a Few Extra Things that Don’t Really Belong” is somewhat unwieldy. I consulted a friend with much more experience in this than me. She said, “Call it whatever you want. It’s really not either dish.” Or something to that effect, but very loving. Also interesting? She told me that both of those dishes are considered hangover food. This brings me to another point…

The plate just looked like a big hot mess to me. Let’s be frank. It’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever turned out of my kitchen, but whooooeee. Just like Nick Tahoe’s Garbage Plates, it was worth forgetting its lack of the pretty. And if you’ve ever stumbled across the Nick Tahoe’s threshold on a late night college tour of Rochester, you know how satisfying an ugly, ugly dish can be.

Because I was feeling silly and full of myself and I have a serious penchant for word play, I decided to call it a big Hot TexMess. It is what it is. And what it is is delicious. This is my hideous and wonderful creation. I think Nick Tahoe probably felt the same way. Look past the ugly duckling exterior and whip up a big old batch of this for yourself tonight. I promise you will be happy you did.

Hot TexMess

Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!

Yield: Serves four very generously or six with bird-like appetites

Ingredients:

4 cups smoky chipotle and tomatillo salsa (I used homemade salsa, use whatever is your favorite type.)
2-3 cups leftover pulled pork or chicken
12 corn tortillas, stacked and cut into 1-1/2 inch squares
Neutral Oil (such as canola, vegetable) or peanut for frying
2 cups refried beans, heated
4 eggs (or six if you’re serving small portions), fried in butter
1 cup crumbled cojita or feta cheese (You can substitute grated Monterey Jack if desired or necessary.)
1 ripe avocado, halved, scooped from the shell and sliced
1/2 of a sweet onion, peeled and finely diced
sour cream or Greek yogurt (How about you make your own?)
candied jalapenos, preferably (If you haven’t made them yet, this is the time!) or jarred jalapenos
chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges
Optional: hot white rice

Heat 2-inches of oil to 350°F in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. If you don’t have a deep-frying thermometer, you can tell the oil has reached the proper temperature when it looks streaky in the pan and a piece of tortilla dropped into it forms many bubbles around the edges immediately. Fry the corn tortillas in batches, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp. This should take between 3 and 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chips to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, stir together the pulled pork (or chicken) and the salsa and bring to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer, gently toss in the fried tortillas. Allow to simmer for about 2-3 minutes, or just until the tortillas begin to soften a little. Remove from the heat.

Lay out four (or six) serving plates. If you’re using the rice, mound a scoop of rice into the center and press down in the middle to make a well. Divide the refried beans between the plates and then divide the simmered tortillas and meat between the plates. Top each serving with a fried egg, cheese, onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream, and finally the avocado slices. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the top. Dig. In.

4.0 from 1 reviews

Hot TexMess

Author: Rebecca Lindamood

Recipe type: Main, Breakfast, Dinner

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

Huevos Rancheros crossed with Chilaquiles (salsa simmered corn tortillas) topped with avocados, sour cream, candied jalapenos, cheese and more! Gluten free to boot!

Ingredients

4 cups smoky chipotle and tomatillo salsa (I used homemade salsa, use whatever is your favorite type.)
2-3 cups leftover pulled pork or chicken
12 corn tortillas, stacked and cut into 1-1/2 inch squares
Neutral Oil (such as canola, vegetable) or peanut for frying
2 cups refried beans, heated
4 eggs (or six if you’re serving small portions), fried in butter
1 cup crumbled cojita or feta cheese (You can substitute grated Monterey Jack if desired or necessary.)
1 ripe avocado, halved, scooped from the shell and sliced
½ of a sweet onion, peeled and finely diced
sour cream or Greek yogurt (How about you make your own?)
candied jalapenos, preferably (If you haven’t made them yet, this is the time!) or jarred jalapenos
chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges
Optional: hot white rice

Instructions

Heat 2-inches of oil to 350°F in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. If you don’t have a deep-frying thermometer, you can tell the oil has reached the proper temperature when it looks streaky in the pan and a piece of tortilla dropped into it forms many bubbles around the edges immediately. Fry the corn tortillas in batches, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp. This should take between 3 and 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chips to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, stir together the pulled pork (or chicken) and the salsa and bring to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer, gently toss in the fried tortillas. Allow to simmer for about 2-3 minutes, or just until the tortillas begin to soften a little. Remove from the heat.
Lay out four (or six) serving plates. If you’re using the rice, mound a scoop of rice into the center and press down in the middle to make a well. Divide the refried beans between the plates and then divide the simmered tortillas and meat between the plates. Top each serving with a fried egg, cheese, onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream, and finally the avocado slices. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the top. Dig. In.

Notes

If you have bird-like appetites, this serves six.

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Filed Under: Eggs, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Meat, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, quick meal

Spicy Sweet and Sour Tofu

March 21, 2011 by Rebecca 4 Comments

From a smarty-pants, web-savvy point of view, I ‘m doing this strangely. I should be posting this later this week so you can think of it for Friday (say for instance, if you’re observing Lent) and I should not mention that I know that… But I was lucky enough to see some pretty spectacular thunderstorms -mighty unusual for this area at this time of year- at about 5 a.m. For those of you to whom I am not married and of whom I did not give birth, that is roughly WAY TOO EARLY for me. Thus, I cannot be held responsible for messing up the order of what I’m posting. Rest assured, I have some seriously meaty, luxurious, not-at-all-Lent friendly dishes that will be posted later this week.

Tofu.

Right.

Tofu and I made a little peace many moons ago when I spent a few teen and young adult years as a vegetarian. A little peace, I say, because while I liked it alright, I never craved it. It was just kind of boring.

In retrospect, I understand this means it wasn’t cooked the way I liked it, which was nobody’s fault but my own since I was the one cooking it. Live and learn, right? In the past couple years, I’ve tried adding tofu to our family’s diet on a very occasional basis. Very occasional because while my eldest three kids, as a rule, do not complain about food, two of them complain vociferously about tofu. One of them loves it. Add the two youngest finicky eaters to the mix and the perpetual balancing act of motherhood falls flat and gives short shrift to my poor, long-suffering, tofu-loving eleven-year-old. He wasn’t the only one mourning the lack of the bean curd, though. The Evil Genius loves tofu.

I still serve it though, because they may be stubborn, but I invented stubborn. You can’t write off a food as hopeless until you have tried it at least twenty times or more. And I keep trying, because tofu is a wonderfully efficient and economical source of protein for meatless meals. It is simple to prepare and it can be adapted to just about any regional cuisine or style. I feel victory on the horizon! Mainly because I made this dish two weeks ago.

The ones who don’t usually like tofu liked this! The two youngest liked it enough to take three bites each. The rest of them? Ate it! In abundance! They ate it! And they loved it! And I loved it! And the Evil Genius loved it! And I need to step away from the exclamation marks! Now!

The point is this. I never craved a tofu dish before having this one. I liked this so much that the day after making it I announced that I wanted to make it again that night. That might’ve been pushing it a bit. My eldest said, “Let’s not get carried away, Mom. How about we wait ’til next Friday?” From him, that was a ringing endorsement.

What makes this tofu dish different? The triangles are lightly fried in oil until golden brown, that gives a little crisp outer crust to the fluffy inner tofu. The Thai inspired sauce is spectacularly simple and bold; lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, a little heat and a little sweet and a little umami courtesy of fish sauce.

If you have dietary restrictions that contraindicate using fish sauce, you can simply replace it with an equal amount of soy sauce. But if you can, make it with the fish sauce. It gives it that little extra level of flavor that tofu often needs since it is, on its own, quite bland.

While you can substitute white sugar for the raw sugar, I encourage you to try it with the raw sugar first. It adds a rounder flavor and more body to the sauce. Do a little taste test with some raw sugar and white sugar. Do you taste the hint of caramel in the raw sugar? Once you start using this, you’ll be hooked!

P.S. As of Wednesday, one of the two youngest boys asked me how long until they got to try the tofu again. SCORE! (One last exclamation mark. I think you’ll agree it was warranted.)

Spicy Sweet and Sour Tofu

Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!

Ingredients:

14 ounces Extra Firm Tofu
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons raw sugar (Turbinado or Demerara preferably, white sugar can be used in a pinch.)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1-inch piece of ginger, minced or grated on a microplane
zest from one lime
1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola or peanut)
Optional for garnish: Chopped fresh cilantro

Lay the tofu block on its widest side on a cutting board over a towel. Lay two dinner plates on top of the tofu as a weight and let it drain for 10 minutes. Lift the plates, flip the tofu block, replace the plate and let drain for another 10 minutes. Repeat the process once more for each side. Your total draining time should be at or over 40 minutes. This draining makes the tofu hold together better and pop less in the hot oil.

Set the tofu block on the long, narrow side and slice into four thin cards.

Stack the cards and cut lengthwise, then crosswise into four rectangles.

Cut the rectangles diagonally into triangles.

Then make a tofu sculpture. Because you can. Tofu. More fun that you ever knew before…

This should give you 8 triangles per card, for a total of 32 triangles.

Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, lime juice and zest, fish sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Pour the oil into a 12-inch non-stick skillet (or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet) over medium heat. Carefully and quickly arrange the tofu triangles in the hot oil.

The combination of oil and tofu has a tendency to spit, so you need to be cautious. Work quickly, but don’t throw the tofu or it will splash you with hot oil and fall apart despite your best efforts. Fry the tofu, without moving it, for 4-5 minutes, or until it is golden brown on the underside. Use tongs or a spatula to flip all the tofu triangles.

Turn the heat under the pan to high. Whisk the sauce one more time and pour over the hot tofu and pan. The sauce should bubble up and boil almost immediately. Gently toss the tofu to coat well. Continue cooking and tossing until the sauce is syrupy. This will take from 2-4 minutes.

Serve tofu triangles immediately in the syrup. I prefer this over sweet brown rice, but it is also good over Calrose or sushi-type rice. I like it accompanied by stir-fried green vegetables of some sort, but use whatever you enjoy most.

Spicy Sweet and Sour Tofu

Author: Rebecca Lindamood

Recipe type: Main, Vegetarian

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 4

The Thai and Vietnamese inspired sauce for these crispy, golden brown triangles of tofu is spectacularly simple and bold; lime juice, ginger, garlic, soy sauce. Sweet, heat, umami goodness.

Ingredients

14 ounces Extra Firm Tofu
2½ tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons raw sugar (Turbinado or Demerara preferably, white sugar can be used in a pinch.)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1½ teaspoons fish sauce
½ teaspoons crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1-inch piece of ginger, minced or grated on a microplane
zest from one lime
1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola or peanut)
Optional: chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Lay the tofu block on its widest side on a cutting board over a towel. Lay two dinner plates on top of the tofu as a weight and let it drain for 10 minutes. Lift the plates, flip the tofu block, replace the plate and let drain for another 10 minutes. Repeat the process once more for each side. Your total draining time should be at or over 40 minutes. This draining makes the tofu hold together better and pop less in the hot oil.
Set the tofu block on the long, narrow side and slice into four narrow cards. Stack the cards and cut lengthwise, then crosswise into four rectangles. Cut the rectangles diagonally into triangles. This should give you 8 triangles per card, for a total of 32 triangles.
Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, lime juice and zest, fish sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Pour the oil into a 12-inch non-stick skillet (or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet) over medium heat. Carefully and quickly arrange the tofu triangles in the hot oil. The combination of oil and tofu has a tendency to spit, so you need to be cautious. Work quickly, but don’t throw the tofu or it will fall apart despite your best efforts. Fry the tofu, without moving it, for 4-5 minutes, or until it is golden brown on the underside. Use tongs or a spatula to flip all the tofu triangles.
Turn the heat under the pan to high. Whisk the sauce one more time and pour over the hot tofu and pan. The sauce should bubble up and boil almost immediately. Gently toss the tofu to coat well. Continue cooking and tossing until the sauce is syrupy. This will take from 2-4 minutes.
Serve tofu triangles immediately in the syrup. I prefer this over sweet brown rice, but it is also good over Calrose or sushi-type rice. I like it accompanied by stir-fried green vegetables of some sort, but use whatever you enjoy most.

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Filed Under: Getting Creative With Leftovers, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Main Dish, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: budget friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, quick and easy, quick meal, Vegetarian

Ham and Swiss with Caramelized Onion on Rye Pizza

October 17, 2010 by Rebecca 30 Comments

Here we are in Challenge #5 in Project Food Blog from foodbuzz.com! Thank you all many times over for the support you’ve given me in the comments here, via email, and on the Foodie With Family Facebook fan page. (That’s an awful lot of effs.) The competition has been more fun than I ever expected it to be.

This prompt for this challenge stated, “One recipe, 100 variations! We’re challenging each of you to put your own spin on the same recipe. How you do it is up to you. …You’ll be asked to put your own spin on Pizza. For the purpose of this contest and challenge, we are defining pizza as having a solid base, a sauce and at least one topping.” Oh my. We are in my wheelhouse on this one, folks. My middle name is “Put My Own Spin On Pizza”.

Pizza. Can we pause for just a second?

(Contented sigh and wistful expression stealing over my face.)

I say -without a touch of hyperbole- that I could happily eat pizza every day of my life. From pepperoni-and-cheese to Hawaiian pizza to Chicago deep dish to more outlandish combos, I love it all, but, and this is a biggie*, I am choosy about my pizzas.

*I mean a big ‘but’ not to be confused with a big ‘butt’ which would be the inevitable result of me eating pizza daily.

I don’t order pizzas because I am, ahem, a little high-maintenance when it comes to pizza. If I’m going to pay twenty dollars for one meal, it had better be the best representation of that meal that ever was. And -God love them- the pizza joints around here just don’t measure up. Good pizza can take some serious planning and time, but my last minute cravings still have to be obeyed. So how does such a picky-pants get a quick pizza on the nights when you really need one?

Enter the freezer from stage left. You probably already know that it’s a good idea to keep frozen pizza dough on hand, but did you know that you can keep frozen partially baked pizza crusts, too? I’m sure you’ve seen the variety of pre-baked pizza shells you pick up in shrink wrap at the grocery store near the bread section. These are like that, except that they’re -wait for it- tasty.

There’s no real mystery to the process. On days when you find yourself with a little bit of time to spare, whip up your favorite pizza dough, portion it out and roll it or stretch it out like you’re going to make a pizza. Bake it for just a handful of minutes and remove from the oven before the crust starts to color to cool. Then freeze and wrap the crusts individually. Here are a few helpful things to keep in mind when making partially baked pizza crusts:

For the best results, use a pizza stone that preheats with your oven. Transfer your dough to and from the oven on a cornmeal dusted peel. If you don’t have a pizza stone, the next best option is a parchment lined pan dusted with cornmeal or semolina.
Get generous with the cornmeal or semolina. Use a good layer of cornmeal or semolina flour on your pan, peel or parchment; whichever vehicle you use to get your crust in and out of the oven. Since you’re not completely baking the crust, it is crucial to prevent the dough sticking before or after baking. This step provides a little insurance against sticking dough.
Cool crusts completely before stashing in the freezer. This simple step improves the final baked pizza, so don’t skip it.
To save room in the freezer, make a stack of crusts, separating each layer with parchment paper. After stacking, wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap or a large, resealable freezer bag. You can use the parchment separating the crusts beneath them during baking, too.

Frozen crusts ready to be topped.

When time is short and pizza calls your name, simply pull a crust from the freezer, top, and bake. It doesn’t get much easier than that. You can have a pizza done before the local place could have delivered one. There are a couple of tricks to getting the perfect pizza from your homemade frozen shells.

Use pre-cooked or mostly cooked toppings on pizza shells. Since the crust is already partially baked, you aren’t going to need to cook it as long. That means that your toppings aren’t going to cook as long, so you need the head start cooked toppings will provide. This means cooked, chopped meats are good (as is pepperoni since it’s already fully cooked.)
Don’t overload the crust! Okay, this rule applies to using fresh dough, too, but it bears repeating. As tempting as it is to put half a pound of cheese on your personal pan pizza, it just doesn’t work. The crust would be blackened before your cheese was all melted and bubbly. If you have too many toppings, your crust will suffer for it. Resist!
Break out the olive oil. Lightly brush the outer edge of your pizza crust with olive oil before topping. This helps develop a deep brown, crackling crisp crust. (Of course, if you prefer the paler variety, this can be omitted!)

And finally, since I’m on a hint-sharing binge, I want to let you in on some of my favorite ways to use pre-baked crusts.

Get creative. Experiment a little. I’ve found that most of my favorite sandwiches (Reubens, Smoked Turkey with Cheddar, and French Dip Sandwiches, just to name a few…) translate very well to the pizza medium. Have fun with it.
Make a build-your-own-pizza bar on movie night. I have not yet met a kid who isn’t in love with the idea of building his or her own pizza. Lay out bowls with toppings and sauces and give each person their own pre-baked crust. I guarantee happy faces. (Psst… It’s a great way to use up odds and ends from the refrigerator, too. Got a little leftover cooked chicken and some hot sauce? Hello, Buffalo Chicken Pizza!)
Miracle last minute bread. I have, on more than one occasion, pulled a pizza shell from the freezer, topped it with cheese and tossed it (on its parchment square) straight onto the rack of a hot oven until the cheese was melted and bubbly. Ta da! It makes almost instant crispy bread to serve alongside hearty soups in lieu of crackers. Dunked into a steaming bowl of sausage and white bean soup or a humble tomato soup, this really shines!

To help get you started on stocking your freezer I’m sharing one of my favorite pizza crusts; onion rye. Rolled thin, this crust gets cracker-crisp and holds up well to all kinds of pizza toppings. It is an obvious choice for my favorite game of “turn this sandwich into a pizza”.

This crust serves as a perfect compliment to the flavors of a classic deli Ham and Swiss on Rye. Tender balsamic caramelized onions provide the sauce on a pizza that is so good that you’ll be ready to bake another one as soon as you take a bite of the first. And what’s to stop you since you already have all those crusts in the freezer?

For a printer friendly version of this recipe with no photos, click here!

Ham and Swiss with Caramelized Onion on Rye Pizza

Ingredients for Onion Rye Pizza Shells:

Yield: 4 individual sized crusts, 2 small crusts or 1 medium-large (note: Yield has been modified to to reflect the quantities specified in the recipe. I always double recipes -yes, even my own- and based my original yield on the fact that I doubled my recipe. I’m sorry for any confusion!)

1-1/4 cups water
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg yolk
2-1/4 cups bread flour
2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rye flour (Use light, medium or coarse, depending on how strong you like your rye flavor. I use coarse. Rye? Because I love it.)
1 Tablespoon malt powder or sugar
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of white pepper
2 Tablespoons dried onion flakes
2-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
Optional: 1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon water until frothy, caraway seeds and coarse salt for sprinkling over the edge of the crust.

Bread Machine Instructions:

Combine water, oil, egg yolk, bread flour, white whole wheat flour, rye flour, malt powder, salt, pepper, onion flakes, and instant yeast in the pan of your bread machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Program for a simple dough cycle and press start.

Stand Mixer Instructions:

Combine water, oil, egg yolk, bread flour, white whole wheat flour, rye flour, malt powder, salt, pepper, onion flakes and instant yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Turn the mixer on the lowest setting. Continue mixing until a smooth and elastic dough is formed. Place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Hand-prepared Dough Instructions:

Use a whisk to combine bread flour, white whole wheat flour, rye flour, malt powder, salt, pepper, onion flakes and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add the water, oil and egg yolk and mix with a sturdy spoon until a cohesive dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

To Prepare the Pizza Crusts:

Preheat the oven (with a baking stone, if you have one) to 425°F.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, punch down to deflate, and divide into 4 equal pieces. I find a bench knife is the easiest tool for this job. Form each piece of dough into a ball.

Gently flatten the dough balls and cover with a tea towel. Remove one dough ball from beneath the towel and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch it into an approximately 10-inch circle. A rolling pin gives you the super thin, cracker-crisp crust which I prefer in this recipe.

Dust a peel (or parchment lined pan) generously with cornmeal or semolina flour, lift the dough circle and place on the cornmeal. If desired, brush the outer 1/2-inch of the crust with the egg wash then sprinkle with caraway seeds and coarse salt. Use the peel to slide the dough directly onto the stone (or place pan in the oven.) Bake for 4 minutes, or until air bubbles start to puff up on the dough. Remove the now partially-cooked crust from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Gently pierce any air bubbles in the center part of the crust (the part you will top) while the dough is still hot. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

When all are completely cool, place each on a square of parchment that is the same size as the crust. Stack the crusts and parchment and wrap tightly with a double-layer of plastic wrap or put in a large, resealable freezer bag before freezing. These are best when used within 3 months of being made.

To Make a Ham and Swiss with Caramelized Onion Pizza

Ingredients for Two Personal Pizzas :

2 frozen Onion Rye pizza crusts
4 large cooking onions, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
a pinch each of salt and sugar
balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 thin slices of good quality deli ham (I used honey baked ham.)
2-1/2 thin slices of Swiss cheese
Optional, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard mixed with mayonnaise for dipping

Begin by making the caramelized onions: Melt the butter over low heat in a heavy-bottomed mid-sized saucepan. Put onions in the pot, sprinkle the pinch each of salt and sugar over the onions and toss to coat with the butter. Stir occasionally until onions begin to become soft and start giving up their juices. Continue cooking over low for about 35 minutes, adding a splash of balsamic vinegar any time the onions begin to look as if they’re drying out. The onions are done when they are so tender it seems they’re melting. They should be moist, but not sitting in pools of liquid. Remove from the heat.

Preheat oven (and baking stone, if available) to 500°F.

Take two Onion Rye Crusts (and their parchment squares) from the freezer. Divide the caramelized onions evenly between the two crusts, spreading near the edges. Fold the ham slices gently onto the crust, covering most of the onions. Arrange the Swiss cheese slices evenly over the top and use a peel or your hands to slide the parchment and crust onto the pizza stone or directly onto the oven rack. Bake for 6-9 minutes, depending on how crispy you prefer your crust. Six minutes will give you a softer, lighter colored crust, while nine minutes will yield a pizza like the one in the photographs here.

Let cool 5 minutes before slicing. If desired, serve with the dijon mayonnaise for dipping.

This is my fifth entry in Project Food Blog over at Foodbuzz.com. Did you like this recipe and the post? I’d appreciate your vote of support! Voting is now open. To show your support for Foodie With Family, you can click here or on the orange “Vote for Me” tab in the Official Project Food Blog Contestant widget in the upper right sidebar. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting me this far and for your continued support!

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Instructional, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Main Dish, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: budget friendly, Déjà Food, Food Preservation, Frugal Food, kid friendly, kids, leftovers, party food, quick and easy, quick meal

Baked Potato Skins

February 2, 2010 by Rebecca 6 Comments

My father has told me more than once that he has one huge regret about how he raised my siblings and me. If he could go back and do it all over again, he would not teach us to love potato skins and the heels of bread loaves because he had to fight for every one he ate after he did. Does he have any other parental regrets? Who knows? I stopped listening and started drooling after he said ‘potato skins’. Sorry, Dad.

Ah the potato. God’s perfect tuber. I am eternally grateful to my Dad for selflessly showing me the delicious potato skin path through life. Baked potatoes topped with butter, salt and pepper are a wondrous thing but they’re not the only thing baked potatoes can do. Loaded Baked Potato Soup (shameless self-promotion alert), our family favorite baked potato bar, and twice-baked potatoes are all stupendous. But the apotheosis of potato preparations, the be-all-and-end-all of potato eatery is the baked potato skin. Fresh from the oven, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, seasoned and cheese laden, the baked potato skin is what every little spud aspires to become. Can you imagine anything more perfect than this?

Well, okay. How about anything more perfect than this?

Every time I see a plate of 12 dinky potato skins for $6.99 in a restaurant* I want to jump on the table and yell, “I can make four times that amount with four times the toppings for that same price! Highway robbers!”

*You know, on those 2 nights a year we eat in a restaurant. Maybe The Evil Genius would take me out more frequently if I stopped jumping on tables and haranguing the staff.

This is truly a wallet-friendly party food. Out of the same batch of baked potatoes that you got your Loaded Baked Potato Soup you can get these stupendous Baked Potato Skins. Let me lay out the plan for you.

Night 1: Bake 12 potatoes along with whatever number baked potatoes you can eat with dinner. Cool the 12 extra potatoes on the rack while you eat your dinner potatoes.
Night 2: Hollow out the 12 cold potatoes as directed in the recipe below. Use the potato ‘guts’ to make Loaded Baked Potato Soup. Place your potato shells on a rimmed baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. If it’s going to go beyond that, you can pop the shells into the freezer. When they’re frozen solid, transfer to a zipper top bag and keep frozen for up to one month before using.
Night 3 (or 4, 5, etc…): Make your Baked Potato Skins and accept the praise and adoration lavished on you for serving such a delicious and festive food.

And, hey! Sunday is the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games start next week. This is hard-core finger food time, people. Whether you’re attending a party, hosting a party or attempting to become one with your couch, you need to make these. They’re guaranteed to win friends and influence people. At least it wins and influences me.

Hey there, handsome...

For a photo-free, printer friendly version of this recipe, click here!

Baked Potato Skins

Ingredients:

12 baked potatoes, cooled to room temperature
2-3 cups grated cheese (I prefer extra sharp Cheddar, but you can also use Monterey Jack, Colby, Pepper Jack or any combination of those cheeses.)
1/2 pound of bacon
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a batch of Creamy Onion Topping (full post here, or printer friendly version here.)
additional thinly sliced green onions for topping

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut each baked potato into quarters, taking care to keep the skin as intact as possible. But don’t just cut them willy-nilly. Take a second to consider your potato. Cut in half first.

Now look at your halves. See how potatoes are generally oval shaped? You want to cut those halves in half again, but cut them so that you’re cutting it through the longest angle of the oval so that your quarters will be relatively stable on the pan when you lay them down. That would be front to back on the left potato half or side to side on the right potato half.

Use a regular soup spoon to carefully scrape most of the insides out of each potato quarter into a large bowl, leaving behind a shell of about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch.

I know some folks take more of the potato out of the shell, but I like my potato skins a bit more substantial. Feel free to cut back on the amount of potato, just be sure to keep a shell intact or your potato skin will go floppy. Not so appetizing sounding, is it?

When you have eviscerated all your potatoes divide your potato shells between two rimmed baking sheets. Use the potato ‘guts’ to make baked potato soup or tightly wrap with plastic wrap, refrigerate and make soup within the next three days.

Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil evenly over the potato shells using about two tablespoons per baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the potato shells to taste. Remember that potatoes love salt and pepper, so don’t skimp here.

Place sheets in the top third of your preheated oven. Set timer for 10 minutes.

While the potato shells are toasting, turn your attention to the bacon. Slice the bacon into 1/2-inch thick strips and slide into a large skillet over medium heat.

Cook until the bacon just begins to turn crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Move the drained bacon to a cutting board and coarsely chop.

Remove potato shells from the oven and generously cover with the grated cheese, using about 1 cup per baking sheet. Scatter the bacon pieces evenly over both sheets.

I used a mix of cheeses including copious amounts of white extra sharp Cheddar here. Because the potatoes were so hot when the cheese went on it began melting immediately. Whilst it appears these potatoes are almost naked I assure you they weren't. I wouldn't do that to a potato.

Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the bacon and return the pans to the oven. Bake for 6-8 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. If you like your cheese a little on the more toasty side -and I do- allow to cook an additional 2 minutes or just until the cheese is beginning to brown on top but is still gooey underneath.

Move baked potato skins to a platter. If so desired, garnish with sliced green onions and serve with a bowl filled with the Creamy Onion Topping.

And boy, do I ever so desire.

Later this week, in keeping with our preparations for the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games there will be an epic barbecue smackdown wherein I take on…

Myself!

What will win? My Carolina Style Barbecue Sauce or my Smokey Tomato Based Sauce? Hmm?

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Holiday Food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks Tagged With: munchies, Olympic Games, snack food, Super Bowl

Savoury Rice and Egg Pancakes

January 12, 2010 by Rebecca 14 Comments

Looks tasty, doesn’t it? It’s crisp around the edges with the perfect balance of saltiness and creaminess in the center. It’s nourishing. It’s delicious. It fills you up. It only takes five minutes to make from start to finish. But you know what else dings my chimes about this dish? It costs $3.42 for four large servings. And yes, that includes garnish.

And no, I’m not joking.

I sat down today prepared to write a little ‘how-to’ on saving money in the kitchen with a family favorite recipe thrown in to boot. The keyword here was ‘little’. An hour into writing, I realized there was no way to condense what is a way of life into one itty-bitty post with a recipe. I have enough material to fill four posts and I will get to every bit of it. I want you to come back for all of this. Here’s the deal. I know saving money in the kitchen isn’t exactly the sexiest topic. I get it. So I have a little incentive to offer. But first, a question.

How much do you spend on food each month? And how many people are you feeding? You don’t have to tell me unless you feel so inclined, but just consider it for a moment. According to the USDA’s Cost of Food reports (published monthly), my family of seven should be spending $804.40* per month on our food.

*This is calculated according to the ‘Thrifty’ food plan numbers given on the chart. If I were to use the ‘Low’ food plan we would be expected to spend in excess of $1,067. This trend continues on up through the ‘Moderate’ and ‘Liberal’ plans.

Here is my incentive. I’m going to tell you what I spend every month on groceries. I’m also going to tell you what another blogger buddy of mine, my dear friend Krysta a.k.a. Evil Chef Mom, pays monthly to feed her family of six. Just one other question, though, before divulging our food budgets. Would you agree, from all appearances here at Foodie With Family and over at Evil Chef Mom that our families eat pretty well? You might even say a wee bit on the fancy-pants side occasionally? I think that’s fairly safe to say, right?

I spend $500 a month. I feed seven people and whatever friends or family happen to be hanging around at meal time out of that.

Krysta spends between $650 and $700 a month. She’s feeding three, count ‘em, THREE teenagers, a pre-teen, a host of kids’ friends (also teenagers), and any family or friends who might be present at meal time.

We both make food good enough to share.

That puts me in at more than $300 under what the government believes is the least amount of money a family my size would reasonably spend per month in food.

Lest you should get the wrong idea let me tell you something important. Neither of us coupon shops. Neither of us obsessively watches sales. None of us -ourselves, our kids or our husbands- feel deprived of the food we want or crave. We are food lovers.

It’s really simple. Really. I wouldn’t lie to you!

Starting tomorrow we’ll go through a series of posts chock full of tips, tricks, and methods that can potentially help you save beaucoup bucks in the kitchen without sacrificing flavor or slaving away in the kitchen. Unless, of course, you like slaving away in the kitchen. The point is that it’s your choice.

Let me break down the food cost from today’s recipe:

2 cups of uncooked rice from a 25 pound bag. The bag was $16. There were 62.5 cups of rice in the bag. That translates to $0.51 for this recipe.
6 eggs from a dozen at a cost of $1.50 per dozen (from our own chickens). The cost for the eggs was $0.75.
1 cup of shredded cheese from a 3 cup bag that cost $2.79. The cost of the cheese for this recipe was $0.93.
1 Tablespoon of hot sauce from a bottle containing twenty tablespoons. The bottle cost $2.99. The hot sauce used in this recipe cost $0.15.
1 teaspoon of salt from a one pound box that cost $2.99. The one pound box contained 283 teaspoons. That puts the cost of the salt in this recipe at a fraction of a cent over $0.01.
2 Tablespoons of canola oil from a $1.00 jar that contained sixty tablespoons. The cost of the oil is $0.03.
8 Tablespoons of salsa from a jar containing twenty two tablespoons. This is the big splurge in our recipe. Since the jar cost $2.79, the total cost of the salsa for the dish was a whopping $1.04.
That makes the grand total for the whole recipe a bank-book friendly $3.42. If you skipped the salsa you’d clock in at $2.38 for the whole entree.

This is great-tasting food, too. You can make a whole batch of them, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and take a couple a day to work or school for lunch. They reheat beautifully. If you need a little something extra, throw a handful of salad alongside. Bang. A complete meal.

There are more options. You can mix in some leftover cooked meat or vegetables. Wrapped in a piece of foil or a paper towel it’s a meal you can take on the road with you. No matter how you slice it, it’s going to be cheaper and more filling for the money than even the dollar menu.

Frugal does not have to look or taste like sacrifice.

Hang on. There’s more to it. It’s good for you. It’s great for you. The egg provides lean protein. The rice provides a healthy carbohydrate. The canola oil is non-hydrogenated. The salt is negligible. On it’s own, it’s healthy. If, however, you compare it to fast-food or pre-packaged, processed food you’re going to come out leaps and bounds and miles ahead nutritionally.

How about it? Are you interested? Try the Savoury Rice and Egg Pancakes and then come back tomorrow. This is going to be fun! I promise!

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here!

Savoury Rice and Egg Pancakes

Ingredients:

4 cups chilled leftover cooked rice
6 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheese, whatever type you have on hand
1 Tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Canola oil (or non-stick cooking spray)
8 Tablespoons salsa
optional: thinly sliced green onion tops

Break up the cold rice in a mixing bowl (or in a resealable plastic bag) with your hands so that no chunks remain.

Crack eggs into the rice, add shredded cheese, hot sauce and Kosher salt. Mix thoroughly.

If your mixture is too thick or dry, you can crack another egg into it. Eggs vary in size, so this may happen occasionally. So, gee whiz, add another $0.10 to the total if you need to do it.

Add just enough oil to a non-stick skillet to lightly coat the pan. Place pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot scoop a scant quarter cup into the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop to gently pat the rice mixture out to a thinner patty shape. The mixture will not spread on its own.

Don’t crowd the pan. This 12″ nonstick pan can comfortably fit four pancakes at a time.

Cook for about two minutes per side, or until deep golden brown on each side.

Transfer to a waiting plate and repeat with the remaining rice and oil until it is gone. Serve with salsa. You can plate it up all perty-like if you want. And I want.