Cooking with the Cheapo – making & baking bread

Posted on November 15, 2013 by The Goddess

We like good bread, but even with a voucher or coupon, the stuff is crazy price. We’ve all been brainwashed into thinking that bread is something time-consuming and a lot of effort, when nothing could be further from the truth! Up until a few days ago, I believed that, too! Then I read an article that referenced the ease of making artisan breads and I immediately got a book from the library. It wasn’t the one I from the article, which worked out great! The book I’ve been using is called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Herzberg and Zoë François. They just released a revised edition adding chapters on gluten-free baking. The whole idea behind five minute breads is that your dough sits quietly waiting for you in a covered (but not air-tight) container in the refrigerator and you only grab enough for what you’re baking. Yesterday’s loaf disappeared rather quickly, so tossed another one in the oven, which you see here.

So let’s start at the very, very beginning. I’m lazy and use a stand mixer; makes the entire mixing step take about five minutes.

This is all you need for the basic dough recipe: unbleached flour, coarse salt, water and yeast. It doesn’t matter what brand of flour or what form of yeast – they all work the same. The only thing you have to be careful of is to keep the water tepid or cooler because otherwise you kill your yeast. You can even use cold water, it just takes longer for the dough to rise.

6 1/2 cups flour (they recommend the scoop and level method, where you scoop out the flour, then use a knife to level the top).
3 cups tepid water
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons salt.

Add the water to the bowl, then yeast and salt, then all the flour at one time. I use a stand mixer with dough hook and it takes about 3 minutes before a dough ball forms. Take it out and place it in a 5 qt (approximately) covered container that is not air-tight. Since I don’t want to be up all night baking bread, I stick it in the refrigerator to rise – takes overnight, but who cares?

I’m adding the last cup of flour to the bowl in this picture, then I’ll turn on the mixer on. If you’re really lazy, you could just mix it in the storage container, I suppose, but that’s reallllly lazy!

Within a couple of hours the dough will at least double in volume. At that point you can flour your hands, reach in and grab a hunk of dough about grapefruit size – you might want to slice it off with a serrated knife. I fold it over on itself, forming a ball, then place it on a cutting board dusted with cornmeal for about 40 minutes. I used to have a peel (those big wooden paddles bakers use), but it kinda absorbed too much sewer water…so I make do without. After about 20 minutes, turn on the oven to 450º and get a small pan ready to go into the oven at the same time as the loaf. You need steam, so you’ll fill that pan with hot tap water – brilliant! One thing you will need is a baking stone (which are perfect for frozen pizzas btw) which should always stay in the oven so you won’t forget until it’s too late and you end up just saying the hell with it and going to bed. Not that that ever happened to me. well, okay, mebbe one or two times. okay maybe more…what are you, my mother!!!

The next step is to dust the ball lightly with flour, then take a wet serrated knife and make a cut or two on the top. I really don’t understand the why of this but I’ve baked it both with and without the cuts.

After about 30 minutes check and see if the crust is nice and brown. If it is, take it out with a spatula (you don’t wanna be grabbing this hot thing) and place the loaf on a rack to cool; put it on a plate or counter and it’ll get mushy. That’s it – except for letting it cool thoroughly before slicing – – and good luck with that!

Get the book or go to their website and see how easy it all is – I plan to make baguettes and dinner rolls over the weekend.

Cooking with the cheapo – frittatas!

Posted on November 10, 2013 by The Goddess

As far as I’m concerned, frittata translates to “dump old leftovers hiding in the back of the refrigerator into a bunch of eggs and pretend it’s a fancy new dish” but in Italian, so it’s fancy-schmancy!

The trick is to make sure you use a heavy skillet (cast iron is perfect) that can go from stove to oven. Pull whatever leftovers you’re using out of the fridge or open up some canned veggies. Get your eggs out early enough to warm up before beating them and preheat your oven to 400º. Pour a little oil into the skillet after it’s warmed. You’ll need a starch of some sort to suck up the eggs – use leftover rice or potatoes.

Into the skillet toss the more solid items like onions and/or meat to give them enough time to warm up. Then gopher broke with other ingredients! This frittata has rice, canned corn, Rotel tomatoes, some of that chicken Buddig lunchmeat along with lorraine swiss. You whisk the eggs together and then carefully pour, making sure to cover everything. Now, here’s the frittata trick: Let it cook for a couple of minutes on the stove, pulling the cooked eggs away from the sides and allowing the liquid to drain to the edge. Do this a few minutes until it’s not so runny and then carefully place in the oven for about 10-20 minutes. I check after 15 minutes because I use a huge skillet filled to the top, but if you’re using a smaller skillet you’ll need less baking. Insert a knife into the center to see if the mixture has set; if so, take out of the oven and let rest for about five minutes. Enjoy!

This is just after the eggs have been added; I’m using the fork to pull the eggs away from the edge.

The finished product, hot out of the oven.

Plated and ready for PITA to dig in – this was a wonderful concoction. Frittatas are even better as leftovers…although it’s not likely they’ll hang around for very long!

Cooking with the Cheapo – chik ‘n

Posted on October 13, 2013 by The Goddess

I’ve been reading articles about this Beyond Meat company (Bill Gates is a big investor) and there it was, featured in the current issue of Popular Science: Fake Meat is the Future of our Planet. Naturally I had to try it and since DH was heading to Danada Square anyway, I had him stop at Whole Foods for a pack (with this $1 pdf coupon from the Beyond Meat website). He chose grilled, but said Whole Foods has other varieties.

Admittedly I am a crummy photographer, but here’s what the guts look like on the quesadillas I made with corn tortillas, refried beans, two strips of Beyond Meat and a slice of American cheese. I always use shredded cheese, either pepper jack or a similar mix, but someone left the whole pack in the refrigerator with maybe 6 shreds left – damned house elves!

Verdict: PITA liked it fine and even DH said it was like eating chicken. I thought it was okay (and certainly nothing like tofu!), but I’ve never been a fan of ready to use grilled chicken (like Short Cuts). The true test will be FirstBorn (who never met a meat product he didn’t like). He ate earlier, so I’ll put the leftovers in plastic and we’ll see if he notices anything different.

Cooking with the Cheapo: potatoes & cheese – Frenchified!

Posted on September 23, 2013 by The Goddess

I recently learned that PITA acquired a new skill – grating stuff – so I put her to work with this version of a galette. Yes, I know a galette is traditionally a flat, round cake, usually a form of rustic tart, but I think this straw potato dish fits just fine.

1. Use as many thin-skinned potatoes as you’d like – I grabbed the golden variety. Scrub, pat dry and either grate by hand or use a processor.

2. Soak in cold water for about 20-30 minutes, drain and pat completely dry. The water will be pinkish – that’s the starch coming off.

3. In a non-stick pan, melt butter on low heat with enough oil to fry the potatoes. Although some recipes use olive oil, I’m using vegetable oil – – might also have something to do with the fact that I just used up the last of my free olive oil – – might.

4. Turn flame/heat to medium and add 2/3 of the potatoes to the pan, patting them down soundly with a spatula – you want a tight, compact pancake. While that’s cooking away (don’t disturb it), grate or slice thinly about 2-4 oz of cheese. Pick a cheese with a flavor strong enough to stand up to the potatoes; some people like raclette, or a swiss, but today I’m using an extra sharp cheddar.

5. When the potatoes on the sides and bottom are nicely golden, add the cheese and then the remainder of the grated potatoes. Press down firmly. Flip the potato cake so the browned side is on top; you might want to do like I do and flip it onto a plate and then upside back into the pan, after you’ve added slightly more butter.

6. When the bottom has crisped nicely, slide onto a plate and pat down all over with a paper towel to remove the excess grease. Allow to cool a few minutes, then cut into wedges.

Perfect with a salad or, if this is a main meal, accompanied by some leftover grilled chicken or pork tenderloin.

Cooking with the Cheapo: The Joys of Summer Grilling…

Posted on September 2, 2013 by The Goddess

I suppose this is a shameless plug for Jewel, but since they had the best price on corn this week (10/$1) – so be it! DH grilled the corn and then put whole, ripe peaches on the grill. omg! You can get all fancy-schmancy with a drizzle of a balsamic vinegar reduction or (my favorite) some vincotto original or just eat them warm and wonderful.

Fresh foods prepared simply…

Cooking with the cheapo: breakfast

Posted on August 25, 2013 by The Goddess

Here’s a soft omelet with the Shop & Save muffaletto mix tossed in (green and black bits are olives). Eggs were the last Eggsland deal at Dominicks, Jimmy Dean sausage was the .24 clearance (after coupon) yesterday at Dominicks and the hash browns were EE frozens I bought as a filler item at Jewel. Obviously tomatoes are home-grown!

Cooking with the cheapo – use your garden bounty

Posted on August 21, 2013 by The Goddess

These are the portobella mushroom slices I picked up last night, sauteed in butter with only applewood smoked salt as seasoning. Put them in the refrigerator after they’ve cooled down and you’ll be ready with burger toppings, scrambled eggs…anything goes good with portabellos!

We’re finally getting our tomatoes in quantity – – which is both a good thing and a bad thing! Here’s a way to use up those tomatoes that are both slightly overripe and hybrid plum tomatoes that lack true tomato taste. The heirloom tomatoes are tops for flavor, but they won’t win any beauty contests, that’s for certain! Slice them in quarters, roughly, with a yellow onion or two, some smoked salt and Herbes de Provence. They look like the next shot.

I melted butter and when pan was nice and hot, added some vegetable oil. Wait a minute or two for the oil to heat up and then dump in your tomatoes and onions (you can also add garlic, either whole or powder).

Mid-way through the cooking process, you can see how much the liquid has already been reduced. Still aways to go, though.

Here’s the finished product. Much more concentrated and aromatic, but not mushy paste. A fantastic way to cook eggs for a late, lazy brunch: Add butter to a warm frying pan (okay, a sauté pan), then the tomato mix (obviously the amount depends on how many eggs you are using). While the tomatoes are warming up, crack open your eggs into a bowl and whisk with milk or cream. When the pan is hot enough and your mixture is nice and airy, pour into the pan and stand by with your spatula! You are going to be constantly pulling the eggs from the sides and moving them into the middle. When the entire mess is mosly cooked, turn off the heat and let sit for a minute or so. You are looking for a soft scramble, not the dried out stuff.

And that’s all there is to it! You’ve used lots of your going-soft and no-flavor tomatoes and there’s a nice supply in your refrigerator just waiting for some eggs, or pasta to meet and greet!

Post edit: Cooking with the Cheapo: How about some dairy-free gelato?

Posted on August 14, 2013 by The Goddess

Edit: Rachel points out that if I’m using raw eggs I should have some sort of disclaimer – – or rename my site salmonella.me! While we have no compromised immune systems here, I do believe that it’s important to get as high a quality egg as possible and so buy vegetarian feed, no antibiotics eggs. When we had chickens, the difference in egg quality between the 99¢ sale ones and our own was unbelievable. You save on body wash and toothpaste to buy organic foods – – but on sale of course!

Inasmuch as so many people have dairy issues, I decided to try my hand at making gelato from coconut milk – coincidentally on sale at Jewel for 89¢ a can into September! While we’re used to milk and sugar in our gelato, there is actually no standard of identity for the term gelato set forth by the US Department of Agriculture, as there is for ice cream. Where ice cream in the US is defined by the Federal Code by its ingredients, gelato in the US has no such definition – and goody for us!

This was my first attempt, so I kept it pretty simple: Two cans of coconut milk (not the god-awful light stuff), two whole eggs, a tablespoon of vanilla, a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil for mouth feel and organic agave as a sweetener

Liquids into the Vita-Mix and give it a whirl. You are not only blending, but introducing air into the mix; drizzle in some vanilla and agave. Just how much you add is a personal choice.

This mixture sat overnight in the refrigerator – if you put it in the freezer, be careful that it doesn’t start to harden like ice cream. Unless you’re going for ice cream!

This is another batch I made using brown bananas – imagine tossing an ice cream ingredient! Into the Vita-Mix to purée them.

I used the same base as my previous batch, but added cinnamon and vegetable oil and white sugar in place of coconut oil and agave. Was leaning towards honey, since we have so many flavors, but maybe next time – with peaches!
This one isn’t quite ready for prime time, but by tomorrow it should be nice and firm – or you can put it in the freezer (covered with wrap) for a short time.

See how fast, easy and cheap it can be to make a non-dairy gelato the entire family will clamor for? And if it doesn’t thicken enough, you’ve got either dessert topping or coffee creamer!

Cooking with the Cheapto – using new spices and herbs

Posted on August 9, 2013 by The Goddess

This is a nothing special post ’cause it’s only some summer squash sauteed in garlic-infused oil (with a few cloves thrown in the pan). My point is that I’m using My Spice Sage‘s applewood smoked salt and Herbes de Provence blend for the first time and the smell is unbelievable! That good, yes. I hadn’t used their Herbes de Provence since I had so much of my own, but they gave me a 1 oz pack and I just now tried it. I will be tossing the other blend into the compost. Scares me to think of how accustomed we all are to stale spices and herbs – the difference will make your cooking pop!

And hey, they’re not paying me for this plug, but their prices are really cheap and shipping is fast. and if they ever have an overstock they want to dump…

Cooking with the Cheapo – leftovers magic

Posted on August 5, 2013 by The Goddess

Oh, my oh my! The smell and taste is exquisite. I tossed a batch of cooked pinto beans into the slow cooker with a can of EE kernel corn, one can of stewed tomatoes, three of those Lightlife spicy black bean burgers (nuked for a couple of minutes just to thaw because you never want to dump frozen into a warm mixture in a slow cooker) chopped into small pieces and a small can of Herdez salsa verde. When that was hot and bubbling I added a container of leftover white rice.

Came back home to bliss. And the cost? Beans, rice, corn and salsa were either free or money makers – so $1.50 for the burgers…works for me!

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