Category: Cooking

Happy Autumn 2008 to all of you mmm-yoso!!! readers.  Today is Friday and it is time for another $5 for two meal, written by Cathy.

Hi everyone. Boy have we had some cool evenings lately.  It is soup weather.  Coincidentally, chicken thighs and legs are on sale for 99¢ a pound at Vons this week, as is celery.  You can buy carrots individually for less than a dollar a pound and can find some onions for that same price.  This is all you really need.  If you like, you could put some sort of starch in the soup, like noodles or rice or potatoes, but even that is not necessary.  Chicken soup is *so* easy.

For the discount price, chicken is sold in this bulk package.  I used 5 thighs in my 4 Quart stock pot and there were 15 thighs in this package.  Thigh meat has more flavor than breast meat and there is only one bone to remove. I think thighs are easier to work with than legs.

You will also need these three ingredients: celery, carrots and onion.  The flavorful trinity known as a mirepoix.

Chop these. Use the celery leaves.

Put the chopped vegetables ( I used 5 carrots, 1.5 onions and the whole celery) and the chicken thighs, skin and all into the pot, fill with water, put on low heat and cover.

Don't add salt or pepper-those can be added at the table.

Oh.  This is how you make stock, by the way.  You don't have to cook this in broth or other canned flavorings.  

Simmer on low with the lid on for about an hour.  Remove the thighs, let cool.

When cool, remove skin and bones and shred the chicken meat with your hands.

You can skim fat off the top of the soup while these are cooling.

Put some ice cubes in a clean dish towel, twist and then run the towel over the top of the soup.  A good amount of the fat will cling to the cold towel and even go through it and congeal on the ice. Another way is to put the whole pot in the fridge for about an hour and then skim the congealed fat off the top.

Reheat the whole thing, ading back the chicken meat and some Herbes de Provence and/or garlic powder or other spices if you wish.   

At this point, just about 10 minutes before serving, you can toss in some rice or noodles or even potatoes.     

Alphabet pasta works well, too.

Cathy's basic chicken soup

5 chicken thighs, 5 carrots, 1 bunch celery, onion, Herbe de Provence, water. (You can add any herbs pretty much in any amount.  Spices are a whole other ballgame)

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog about food, written by a bunch of friends.  Cathy is taking her turn blogging today, because Kirk and ed (from Yuma) have lives…

HI.  Back again with another easy meal for two for $5 or less…buying ingredients which are on sale this week. 

Let's just get this out in the open- I have *never* made the same meatloaf twice in my life.  Never.  I don't expect you to, either.  Instead, I am giving you some general instructions so you can make meatloaf in your own way, to your own taste.  The one I am showing you is *very* basic and tasty, without any added spices…

Start out with meat.  You don't have to, but I mix 3/4 ground beef with 1/4 something else- in this case, ground pork.  The 80/20 ground beef is $1.69/lb at Vons this week, the ground pork is always $1.69/lb at 99Ranch.  I ask for one of my size handfuls of pork when I go to the butcher counter.

Then you need fillers and binders.  Today, I used an egg, raw mushrooms,  stewed tomatoes and panko breadcrumbs.

Take the juice from the stewed tomatoes and soak the breadcrumbs in it. Stewed tomatoes have garlic, onion , celery and green pepper in it.  No need to add any more flavor.

Mix all the ingredients together-lightly. I mix the meat, with my hands, first, then incorporate the wet breadcrumbs, the stewed tomatoes and sliced mushrooms.  Form into loaf shapes and place on a cookie sheet with edges (a jelly roll pan). Bake at 350° until internal temp is 170° if you are cooking ground pork, 160° if you are using ground beef only.  About 45 minutes for 1 pound total meat.edit: You don't really have to hit 170° these days, but I cook until the thermometer hits 155° and then let it rest and it continues cooking and it should be fine.  Well, I'm not dead yet anyhow…

Get an instant read thermometer.  That, along with good knives are the kitchen tools you will need and use regularly.  The rest of the things for your kitchen should all be multi-use items.

While the meatloaf is baking, assemble the following: potatoes-red skinned, Yukon golds and new potatoes have thin skins that don't have to be peeled.  Unsalted butter, salt and white pepper are all else you will need.  Nothing fancy.  Potatoes are good.

Cut the eyes from the potatoes, then chop into relatively small similar sized chinks, so they will cook at the same time.

Immerse potatoes into cold water-they were grown underground. (You put vegetables grown above ground into already boiling water).     

Turn heat on low, let potatoes boil until fork tender. Turn off water and drain-Do Not Rinse!

Put the potatoes back into the pot, add the stick of butter, some white pepper and some salt (you can add more after you have a taste).  Mash.

Taste and see if you need more salt or pepper. 

I use white pepper so you don't see black specks, plus it tastes kind of nutmeg-gy…you can buy white pepper in any Asian grocery store.

When the meatloaf is done, take it out of the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes.  The juices will stay in that way and the cold leftovers will be wonderful in a sandwich tomorrow.

If you want to splurge and really enjoy your meal, (the regular price of this is about $1.49), get this can of Dawn Fresh by Giorgio mushroom steak sauce.  SO worth it…just open and heat.

Slice the meatloaf, cover with potatoes and gravy.  A meal.

OK, that was a very general recipe.  You can fancy up the meatloaf with all sorts of things, you can fancy up the mashed potatoes, or you can do it this way and not have to think about anything. All the flavors work and you don't even have to add salt.

Cathy's Meatloaf

Meat: 3 parts ground beef to one part ground pork or ground turkey

Binder: breadcrumbs, soaked in some sort of liquid; egg

Flavor: stewed tomatoes, spices, garlic, sauteed mushrooms, chili sauce, Worcestershire, capers, olives-open up that pantry

Stretchers: fresh vegetables, including shredded potatoes and/or carrots, ground nuts, dry cereal, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, bulgur

Cook at 350° until internal temperature of 160°is reached.  Take out of oven to rest, it will continue cooking.

Cathy's mashed potatoes

One handful of raw potatoes per person,  one stick of butter, salt and white pepper. If for some reason there is not enough butter, add some milk sparingly to help mash.

This is how I cook.  Really.

mmm-yoso!!! is this blog.  Just a diary of food that we eat.  By "we", I mean Kirk and ed(from Yuma) and sometimes Miz Ducky and sometimes Omar and even sometimes me, Cathy.  Today, another meal made at home with food on sale.

Hello again.  It is Friday and time to get another recipe. This one is *so* easy and *so* inexpensive and *so* good. 

I try to make most of my recipes easy to cook and be tasty and to make the ingredients easy to remember.  BLT: Butter, lemon (or lime) and tarragon.

Chicken is on sale for 69¢/lb at Vons (with your club card),  This 6 pounder was ~$4.  Lemons are not on sale, but I bought one anyhow.  One whole stick of butter. About 1/4 cup of dried tarragon, (1/2 cup fresh) which was 30¢ when bought by the pound at Henry's.

Melt the butter, squeeze a whole lemon into the butter, put the tarragon in and let the flavors sort of meld-without letting the butter get cold again…

Pour it over the chicken and bake.

I heat the oven to 450° until I put the bird in, then turn it to 350° and bake 20 minutes per pound.  (Inner temp should be 185°)

Photo when it was almost done…

Sorry, I apparently started eating and stopped taking photos.

Easy, tasty side dish.

Broccoli is on sale 50¢/lb at Henry's this week.

Broccoli, olive oil, kosher salt (not as salty)

Slice broccoli into small florets, put into bowl, cover with olive oil and scant tablespoon salt (you can add salt later if you wish).

Spread out thinly on baking sheet, even the small leaves and stems…try to have everything cut pretty thin/small.

Put the baking sheet into the oven about 10 minutes before the chicken is done.

You'll hear the sizzle of the oil. The florets will burn and be nicely crisp.

Tasty! Addictive!

Cathy's BLT Chicken

1 each: Chicken, stick butter, lemon

1/4 C dried tarragon (or 1/2 C chopped fresh)

Melt butter, add juice of lemon, add tarragon.  Let flavors meld (about 5 minutes) while heating oven to 450°.

Pour melted mix over chicken, put into oven, lower temperature to 350°.

Cook 20 minutes per pound, until internal temperature (taken at thickest part of breast, not touching the  bone) is 185°, or until juices run clear.

BROCCOLI SIDE DISH

Finely chop broccoli into florets, stems can be sliced finely also. Put into bowl.

Pour olive oil over broccoli, put about 1 T Kosher salt  and mix.

Place all, spread flat, onto baking sheet.  Put into oven about 10 minutes before the chicken should be done.  When broccoli starts to brown and oil sizzle, remove.

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food written by Kirk and friends.  Today, Cathy is writing about cooking at home with stuff she bought on sale this week. Again.

Hi. Back again, showing you a meal (actually two meals )I made for two for $5, buying stuff that is on sale this week in San Diego.

London Broil. That is how it is labeled at Henry's this week.  $2.59/lb. A tough cut of meat that is sometimes labeled that way- how it should be cooked.  Actually, the cut of meat is more often (correctly) labeled flank or top or round steak.  It has muscle fibers that run through the entire cut and needs to be massaged or pounded and NEVER scored or stabbed or otherwise mutilated-the few juices in the meat will run out.  It is best when marinated and then…broiled… as the way of cooking it.  Then you cut against the grain and the meat is tender and juicy when hot or cold. Simple.

The marinade I usually make for roasts and red meat is pretty simple: Olive oil, red wine, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, black pepper. You really can't put in too much of any of the ingredients, except maybe the black pepper.  Just make sure everything is coated and let it marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight, in the refrigerator.

I saw this cool hanging planter thing at the County Fair last year and found it on line and, as you can see, I have a lot of fresh herbs (mostly different basils) at my fingertips. (They sell something similar to this at Home Depot now)

Broil about 3 minutes on each side.  No more than that, unless the meat is more than 1.5 inches thick. (broil about two minutes per side if the meat is an inch thick or less)

WHEN YOU TAKE THE MEAT FROM THE BROILER, LET IT REST FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES. If you cut it right away, the juices run out and the meat will get tough when it cools down.

When you slice it-against the grain-  it will slice thin easily and be pink in the center.

I served it hot with some noodles with a simple cheesy cream sauce.

and the next day we each had the chilled meat on top of a salad, made with red and green peppers, slices of mushrooms and radishes and some celery on some mixed lettuces. (Along with some tomatoes from my garden.)

I do buy the 'by the pound' lettuce  and mushrooms  from Henry's and find those to be more economical -less waste-. A large bag filled with enough mixed lettuces for two salads was 80¢.  A large handful of mushrooms was 92¢.  All the other veggies were on sale this week at Henry's.

Cathy's London Broil Marinade

For one lb meat: 1 C Olive oil, 1 C red wine, 1/2C chopped garlic, 1/4 C each chopped fresh basil, oregano and parsley.  Black pepper to taste.

If you are using dried instead of fresh herbs, use less-the flavor is way more concentrated in the dry stuff.

Cathy's Cheesy Cream Sauce for pasta

melt 1 stick butter

Heat 1 C milk in sauce pan. Add melted butter.

Add 2 Tbs wine vinegar-(this will turn the milk to cheese)

Simmer for about 15 min until the sauce cooks smooth.

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and immediately toss in two whipped eggs, the above sauce and 1/3 C fresh grated Parmesan or Romano, salt and pepper.  Toss and serve.

(if you cook 1/4 lb bacon (cut in little cubes) until clear with the butter in the above recipe and then pour the bacon with the melted butter/bacon fat mix into the milk, then follow the rest of the recipe, that *is* pasta carbonara)

Cathy's Salad Dressing

1/2 C oil, 1/4 C vinegar, dash Tabasco, salt and pepper

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog about food.  Food we eat out and food we eat at home and food we think about eating.

Hi.  Well, this is the third "$5 Friday" meal I am showing you.  It is what I prepare when I find stuff on sale at local grocery stores and do the cooking.  Everything here is kind of simple, tasty and what was available when I went shopping, save for a few "staples" I have around the house.

So, whole chickens are 99¢ a pound at Henry's this week.  I did get a 5 pounder, which is the whole budget, but this will make more than food for at least two meals for two people.

You also need a can of beer- any kind will do.  Even soda pop, sweetened (not with that artificial stuff in it), some  seasoned salt and a bunch of rosemary. I have a Rosemary plant, apparently the Chernobyl variety, that grew from a 50¢ garage sale  mini pot into a 3 foot by 3 foot monster of a bush.

It also helps if you have one of these contraptions placed in a pan.  It holds a can.  It cost 88¢ at WalMart years ago.  You can get one for about $15 if you want to shop elsewhere. All of them work the same way.  It  holds a can. It also will keep the chicken upright.

Drink half the can of the beer or sugared soda pop. (Just so you all know, somebody left this beer at our house: I buy dark beer for myself). 

Stuff the can with rosemary.  Put can into contraption. Put seasoned salt on the chicken. All sides.

Mount the chicken over the can. 

Place the chicken in the center of the grill.

Our grill has three burners and I put the sides on low and leave the center one off.

Cover.

Cook until juice runs clear when you put a knife in near the thigh.  About an hour in this case of a 5 pounder.

The basic premise is that the inside beverage boils and therefore steam cooks from the inside and the outside cooks, skin burns and gets crispy.

I served it with Stouffer's Spinach Souffle (on sale at Albertsons last week for $2 each).  The extra chicken will be moist and taste wonderful on a salad tomorrow.

Cathy's Beer Can Chicken

One chicken;Seasoned salt; Rosemary; One can of beer or regular (sugared)  soda

Drink half the can of beverage.  Stuff can with fresh rosemary. Mount chicken upright with can inside cavity.  Place on pan. Heat gas grill on low so there is radiant heat from all sides.  Cook until juices run clear.