I Ain't No Gourmet Chef, But...

Continuing the cooking posts, I want to make it clear that I'm just a regular person who's burned a few meals but loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen. Here are a few no-nonsense tips that have moved me from "making" frozen dinners to making up my own recipes:

Make friends with your neighbors. If you're like me, you'll start to make something and realize that you a) don't have enough of an ingredient that you need or b) the recipe calls for an ingredient you don't have (and/or will never use again). Never fear! Odds are a neighbor has a 1/4 teaspoon of allspice or the typical cup of sugar.

Follow the recipe exactly the first time (if you have to substitute or omit, see #3). Cooking is an art, yes, but it's also just a matter of following directions. You don't have to get all toss-the-contents-of-the-skillet-up-in-the-air-and-add-a-dash-of-whatever-you-want the first time you cook something. Just follow the recipe. Most of the time, it turns out great and you don't have to be a cooking genius to do it.

Google is your friend. I can't tell you how many times I've googled "substitute for sour cream" or "recipes with broccoli, chicken, and cream cheese." If you don't know what to do, ask. And the easiest place to find answers is online. Take heart: there are a lot of other clueless people in the kitchen just like you and me who've found solutions and shared them in cyberspace!

Subscribe to cooking magazines or read them online. 95% of the new recipes I try come from magazines I read. I really only subscribe to Cooking Light and Real Simple, but they give me plenty of recipe ideas (and sometimes too many even with just those two magazines). Figure out what and how you like to cook and find magazines/cookbooks/online resources that meet your needs. In both magazines I get every month combined, I might pull four recipes to try. I pass over lots of other good ones because I need to have practical expectations for myself. Instead of having a pile of recipes that's so big I never make anything, I pull a few and make them happen. If I like how it turns out, the recipe goes into my recipe notebook; if not, I throw it away. 

Cooking is a skill; practice does make better. Just out of college, I "made" bagged salad kits and added plain boiled chicken to it. Bleh. When we were first married, I graduated to hamburger helper, basic meat and veggie meals, and experimental grilling on the small George Foreman I owned. Eh. And now, I'm no gourmet chef, but I've found a creative outlet in cooking and have done it so much that I rarely measure ingredients, often add ingredients not in the recipe, omit ingredients without worrying about it, and try new recipes almost weekly. If I can do it, you can too!

My recipe rule: If a recipe takes longer than the time you have (for me over 30 min) and/or if it has ingredients that are obscure and that you won't use again, don't make it. Don't even pull that recipe out of the magazine or dog ear the page in the cookbook. Just move on and don't feel guilty about it. (Or save it for that rare occasion when you have time to yourself and just feel like making something special.) Otherwise, just order something like it next time you go out to eat and save yourself time and probably money. 

Herbs and Spices

One of you asked about herbs and spices--whether I use fresh or dried, how much, what I use them for. Great questions. Keep in mind that I'm no expert, but I'll tell you what works for me.

The spices listed on the previous post were just the skeleton--the ones that show up all the time in recipes and the ones I turn to when trying to add flavor to a dish. Here are the bare bones spices I recommend: salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, chili powder, cumin, parsley, rosemary, and cinnamon.)

To answer your question about fresh or dried, here's my take: fresh always tastes better. HOWEVER, I rarely use fresh when cooking because a) I only end up using part of it and having to throw the rest away, b) it's quicker to use dried because you don't have to chop anything, and c) it's a little cheaper in the long run. I do grow basil and rosemary in my garden because I use those so often and like how they look in my yard, but that's about it for what I use fresh on a regular basis.

As for how much to use, the general rule is that you use three times the amount of fresh herbs as dry herbs. So, if a recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of fresh basil, you could substitute 1 tablespoon of dried basil with similar results.

Other spices in my kitchen that I use enough to justify having them:
paprika, ground (cayenne) red pepper, thyme, ground mustard, ground nutmeg, dill weed, ground ginger, garlic powder, garlic salt (I usually make my own--1 part garlic powder to 3 parts salt), Tony's Creole seasoning.

As for how I use those spices, I'll give a sampling of possibilities for each spice listed so that this post doesn't turn into a novel. Also, items with a ** mean you can use them more liberally; items with a * mean you should use them sparingly since a little bit goes a long way. Typically, when you have a recipe, use the amounts and spices they recommend the first time you make it; then adjust to your liking or make substitutions as you want to after that.

*salt & pepper: I pretty much use these all the time. I'm fairly sparing with both because you can always add more later if it's not enough.
**Italian seasoning: Obvious addition to many Italian dishes, but also great for soups, stews, and baked or crusted lean meat (chicken/fish) recipes.
**basil: This is good on italian dishes, salads, raw veggies, and even sandwiches.
**oregano: This is good on/in just about anything--Italian dishes, salads, breads etc.
*chili powder: Use in any Mexican dish or as part of a homemade rub.
**cumin: Use in any Mexican dish or as part of a homemade rub.
**parsley: I use this a lot in savory recipes like lasagna.
*rosemary: Toss root vegetables like sweet potatoes with olive oil and rosemary and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until soft--delicious! Also great in bread and on chicken.
*cinnamon: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Use it to make cinnamon toast, add to french toast or pancake batter, include in muffin or bread mix and homemade granola, use as part of a homemade rub, or sprinkle on a bagel topped with cream cheese.
**paprika: This is way more than a garnish for your grandma's potato salad; use it to make your own taco seasoning along with chili powder, cumin, and a few other things (lots of easy recipes online).
*ground red pepper: ATINY bit goes a long way, so be warned! Add to soups and rubs for an extra kick of flavor.
**thyme: Easy to throw into spaghetti sauce, sprinkle on baked chicken, etc.
*ground mustard: Some casseroles call for this.
*ground nutmeg: Great for baked goods around the holidays like pumpkin bread, muffins, & cookies.
*allspice: Great in the fall for pumpkin bread. I use this VERY sparingly because it has a bitter flavor.
*dill weed: I use this in my homemade bread. Also great added to Greek yogurt for dipping sauce for gyros or other Mediterranean food.
*ground ginger: I don't use this often and I really can't remember why I have this, but I've used it enough times that I definitely think it's good to have around, and I've substituted this for fresh ginger (not the same, but it usually gets the job done).
**garlic powder/garlic salt: Sprinkle on buttered bread and toast in the oven for homemade garlic bread, add to guacamole, include in a meat marinade, sprinkle on steamed veggies; also an ingredient in lots of recipes
*Tony's Creole seasoning: sprinkle on veggies like broccoli before broiling in oven, include in jambalaya, or add to meat just before grilling. Use this like salt, though; a little goes a long way.

Hope that answers some of your questions! Keep 'em coming! And stay tuned for my all-time favorite recipe using cream cheese and cinnamon. Yum!

Pantry staples, Johnson-style

A friend recently asked me about how I make quick and delicious meals on a budget, so I decided to share some secrets here.

Disclaimer: the following foods do not follow a particular diet and are generally healthy. Sometimes, convenience overrules dietary ideals. We're okay with that over here. The list is also not comprehensive since I forget things on a regular basis and everyone eats a little differently.

Quick and delicious meals are all about ingredients you have on hand, so here are ingredients that are almost always in my pantry, fridge, or freezer. Today's post: the pantry.

PANTRY STAPLES (in no particular order)

• Ritz crackers (any kind). Great for any kind of breading (sub for breadcrumbs), a quick lunch (top with lunch meat and cheese or cream cheese), or easy appetizers (for example, in the over or microwave, melt a square of cheese and a piece of pepperoni on each cracker--delicious!)
• Brownie or cake mix. I keep these on hand for the unexpected house guest/college student who comes over. Always good to feed the guests! Sometime I'll post my super-easy cake mix cookie recipe (3 ingredients and less than 20 minutes to make).
• Rice. Easy side with fish or chicken, and easy to throw in add-ins like peas, fresh herbs, cheese, etc. My favorite is brown Minute Rice, which takes  total of 10 minutes. Gotta love fast. Oh, and it's cheap, too.
• Cereal and/or oatmeal. If you're like us, these aren't just breakfast foods; they also make great late night snacks or additions to brinner (breakfast for dinner). I also use oatmeal in cookie, bread, and muffin recipes along with homemade granola and parfaits (layer plain yogurt, fresh fruit, and oatmeal for a quick breakfast or snack). Oatmeal is also budget-friendly.
• Multiple kinds of pasta. Pasta is versatile, working both as a side or a main dish. Plus, it's a great absorber of leftovers. Add that spinach and tomatoes that are going bad and throw in some chicken, pesto, and parmesan and you have yourself a meal! Pasta is also cheap and goes on sale often. My latest favorite is a brand (sold at Walmart--can't remember it right now) that is veggie noodles. Tastes like regular noodles, but each serving of noodles is also a serving of veggies--double plus! If those aren't available, I always try to go for whole wheat. I also keep pasta sauce on hand for a quick weeknight spaghetti if I don't have time for something more involved.
• Nuts. Not only are these a great source of protein to snack on, but they're also perfect to add to salads, desserts, breading for meat, or ground up in smoothies. 
• Dried fruit. Another easy add-in for green salads, chicken salad, or as a snack by themselves.
• Chocolate chips. I try not to have too many desserts in the house on a regular basis because I have so little self-control if it's around, BUT I always have dark chocolate chocolate chips (I like Hershey's brand best). A small handful satisfies my sweet tooth, and they're also perfect to add into a homemade granola (nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate chips), or if you get the hankering to make some chocolate chip cookies or banana chocolate chip muffins or chocolate chip scones...you get the idea. :)
• Peanut butter. This goes way beyond the PB&J. I also pair peanut butter with apples or celery to entice me to eat more fruits and veggies and add more protein to my snack, add it to a chocolate-peanut butter-bananan smoothie, or use it in homemade Asian marinades for chicken.
• Onions. Onions make the world go round, people. Or at least they make food taste better. I add onion to soups, spaghetti sauce, homemade pizza, and saute them with peppers for all kinds of Mexican food. If you like them raw (I don't), you can throw them on a salad or sandwich. Many, many recipes call for onions, so it's good to have a couple on hand. 
• Canned goods that you use on a regular basis. For me, this means cream of chicken/mushroom, corn, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and black beans.

BAKING/SPICE ESSENTIALS:

• Cooking spray
• Olive oil
• Flour
• Sugar
• Vanilla
• Salt/pepper
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, chili powder, cumin, parsley, rosemary, cinnamon

What would you add to this list and why?

If you want recipes for anything referenced above, wonder what I make with the ingredients listed, or just want to say hello, leave a comment!

Three Things Thursday

Thing food
I did something etiquette books tell you never to do: I tried two new recipes and then invited four friends over to join us for dinner. Thankfully, they were the I-can-screw-up-a-meal-and-you'll-still-like-me-if-we-have-to-order-pizza kind of friends, but still. The result: total success! I made Baked Spinach and Mushroom Rigatoni and Herb and Cheese Quick Bread. The rigatoni recipe isn't online yet because it's from the May issue of Real Simple, but I'll post it as soon as it is. The big surprise: it's a slow cooker recipe--gotta love that. The bread, some of you will like to know, is yeast-free, so you don't have to deal with dry-active yeast or waiting for the dough to rise AND it tastes (and smells) delicious. Win-win.

Thing media
I'm not a huge media consumer, but I've found a few shows this year that I like to watch that are pretty great (in no particular order): The Mindy Project, Community, Parks and Rec, Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy (don't judge), Go On. If you haven't seen them, they could be fun summer catch-up shows while all the reality junk is on primetime.

Thing honest
I maybe possibly kind of volunteered to be the preschool storyteller for our church's VBS this summer. We're talking 3-5 year olds. My specialty is teaching 15-year-olds. We'll see how this goes. My guess is I'm going to have to suck up my pride and do some downright silly things like dress up, talk in weird voices, and give out stickers like it's my job. Looking forward to the challenge! I think.

Coming up!
Thing political
Thing books

Freshfully

So, a couple of weeks ago, we got our first box of produce from Freshfully, and let me tell you, it was a fabulous experience. I went to my designated pick-up location and my labeled box was sitting there waiting for me. The produce was well-preserved and packed, and I was so excited about our box that I forgot to take a picture of it before putting it all away in the fridge. This is pretty much what it looked like, though:

In our box: kale, 6 apples, a green pepper, 2 potatoes, a sweet potato, a turnip, lettuce, LOTS of collared greens, and some pecans. Let's just say all these greens forced me to be creative and hospitable. We ate up the lettuce without a problem between sandwiches and salads. We love green peppers, so that little sucker was gone in a day or two. We ate two of the apples during the week and put the others in a homemade apple-pear cobbler (delicious--I added pears to the recipe). I roasted the potatoes, sweet potato, and turnip with a sliced onion, olive oil and salt and pepper and served it over a green salad with a homemade dressing. Click here for the recipe I based that on. I also put kale into the green salad. The rest of the kale (and there's still some in my fridge) went several places: on sandwiches, pureed and added to ricotta cheese for Moo, and in smoothies. As for the pecans, they're still in my pantry, but they last for a while and I'll use them eventually.

So that leaves the collared greens. People, I've lived in the South my whole life, but have NEVER eaten or cooked collared greens. Ever. They're a little scary. And stinky. But I wasn't about to let them go to waste, and I'm always up for trying something once. Since I had so much of it, I invited several people over and added it to our dinner menu--a little risky, but they were close friends so I wasn't too worried. I wanted to steer clear of the traditional way of cooking it (boiling, smothering in butter, adding ham hock) because that seemed to take all the nutrients out of it, so I found this recipe for sauteing instead and it turned out well. The added bacon is key and I would also recommend a little butter. That being said, collared greens aren't my favorite. I still have some in my fridge staring back at my every day (they're still in perfect condition). I wonder if I could add them to smoothies? Seems like smoothies cover over a multitude of sins. We'll see.

I'll definitely be buying a freshfully box again, but maybe every other week since we couldn't consume everything fast enough--even after having people over to help us with it!

Kitchen Challenge

I'm all about experiments, especially when they're temporary. So, my latest experiment is what I call "The Kitchen Challenge"--so creative, I know. Here's how it works: I just stocked up at the grocery store and my goal is to see how long I can make the food I have last without buying more. Exceptions: weekly, I'll buy milk, produce, bread, and other perishables as needed.  Other than that, I'll be cooking my way through the pantry, freezer, and fridge for the next...three weeks? maybe?  I'll have to get pretty creative toward the end.

What'll be tough about this challenge is that we'll have nights where we eat what we have, not necessarily what we want. And I think that's good. I can get a little too entitled about food, thinking that it exists to serve my desires, when really food, while meant to be enjoyed, is primarily fuel. So, I'll have to let go of loving every meal and embrace resourcefulness. Did you know that the average American throws away between 15 and 40 percent of all groceries bought? Woah. I don't mean to get all "there-are-starving-children-in-Africa on  you, but there are starving children in Africa. Heck, there are starving children in America. Certainly I can put on my big girl panties and be resourceful for a few weeks. (Secretly, I'm hoping that those few weeks can become a lifestyle, although secretly, I'm hoping that lifestyle can still accommodate my love for frozen yogurt. :) All kidding aside, I'm shooting for a few weeks. Baby steps, right?)

Of course, it's quite possible here at the end of the school year that I just can't follow through on this experiment right now and need to opt for easy dinners, so I may re-challenge myself to this in the summer. I'll keep you posted on how it goes and let you know what I'm cooking along the way. Anyone else want to join me in Operation Resourcefulness?

Great Expectations

Before having Moo, I thought I'd have gobs of time during my maternity leave to accomplish GREAT THINGS, to check off some long-term to-do's, and did I mention accomplish things? That's right, I did. Because I love to accomplish. Oh, how motherhood is redefining that word! Throw in a child who only naps 45 minutes at a time during the day (I'm not going to complain too much, though, because he sleeps 8 hours at a time at night!) and there's just not as much time to accomplish as I anticipated. Probably good for this productivity addict.

Today's project was something I've been wanting to try for a while but could never get organized enough to do it: making a dinner menu next month. Woah. A friend of mine used to do this for all three meals a day and I was always amazed that she could think ahead far enough to plan meals for A MONTH. Woah again. So, one of my long-term to-do's was to try this monthly meal calendar and after spending little bits of time on it all day long, I finally finished! Check! (One of my greatest loves: checking items off a list. Yes, I'm a first born.)

Basically, I sat down with my recipe binder and started filling in blanks on a calendar that I printed, making sure to write in pencil in case I changed my mind. Here were my parameters:

• No cooking on Sundays
• Once a week: meatless meal
• At least once a week: fish
• Once a week: leftover day or freezer/crockpot meal
• Every week: varying mexican, Italian, and kinds of meats so that I didn't have two beef dishes back to back, for example
• As much as possible, choosing recipes that would use common ingredients so I don't waste food (Example: a bag of apples could be used on Monday night's chicken salad on greens and Tuesday night's pork chops and applesauce.)

I'm pretty excited about it. It should make creating my grocery list easier, and, while I'm sure I won't stick to every single meal, it's nice to have a plan and have items on hand. We'll see how it goes. For now, it looks all expectant and promising hanging on the fridge. :) 

Midnight snack

I have grand plans to write something of a little more substance on here soon, but for now, the world needs to know about the greatest midnight snack (possibly in the history of midnight snacks):

WHEAT THINS

dipped in 

CREAM CHEESE

dipped in

CINNAMON SUGAR

People, the salty-sweet combo is perfection in your mouth. I'm warning you, though: ration the ingredients. A full box of wheat thins plus a full tub of cream cheese plus an endless supply of cinnamon sugar = the inability to stop eating all that savory goodness! Not that I've tried it, of course. 

Go ahead. Try it. And let me know what you think. Do you have any delicious snacky food combos? I'm almost out of cream cheese and need a new idea for tomorrow night's indulgence...

Fondue? Yes please.

Several years ago, we began a Valentine's Day tradition of having fondue at home. It was a less stressful, more intimate, slower way to enjoy the day and one another, and this year was no different. Here's the spread:

We started with a warm cheese baked with wine--perfect for dipping breads & veggies.

Next, we moved on to the main course of chicken & steak cooked in oil and served with two homemade dips.

We finished off the evening with chocolate-dipped strawberries, bananas, pretzels, and marshmallows.

Mmmm, mmm. I'm getting hungry all over again just thinking about it! The best part: fondue takes almost no time to prepare since everything is raw. We went from groceries to a meal in 30 minutes. Love it.

Do you have a one-a-year meal?

Sushi. Check.

In lieu of going out to eat for a date night this weekend, Phil and I decided it was high time we attempt to roll our own sushi. Our adventure started at Publix as we bought all our ingredients. A little tip: don't be afraid to look like a dork and ask the deli person where the smoked salmon is. (And for those faithful Publix-goers, the smoked salmon is across from the sushi area on the end of an isle with other seafood delicacies). Somehow, our smoked salmon didn't make it in the ingredient picture--oops.We opted for a phili roll with salmon, cucumber, avacado, & cream cheese--one of our favorites!

Ingredients: cucumber, wasabi, wine (not actually a sushi ingredient, but key to a great date night), sushi rice, sesame seeds, cream cheese, avocado, & seaweed)

Next, we made the rice. This was actually the most surprising part of the process because it involved extremely wordy directions in paragraph form on the back of the box and over an hour of prep & cooking time. However, the results were perfect, sticky rice, so the madness worked! While I worked on the rice and sipped my wine, Phil worked on his project: hand making a sushi rolling mat (I'm sure there's a word for it, but I don't know it). The mat allows you to compress the roll as you roll it so that it's tight and stays together. Since we didn't have one and didn't want to buy one, my innovative husband improvised with some wooden skewers and duct tape. Not bad, huh?

Next, we chopped up all the ingredients and had the assembly line ready to go:

And then we were ready to roll 

(and I in no way mean that in the Alabama sense):

I told Phil he had to roll the first one since he made the rolling mat, so here he is in all his proud "I-made-something-from-scratch-and-it-works" glory:

In a matter of minutes, we made four rolls:

And they were DELICIOUS! 

Now, Surin's Yummy Yummy and Super Crunch rolls are hard to beat, so they weren't quite that good, but they were fresh and flavorful and tasted a lot like sushi we eat out, which I think is pretty great, especially considering it was our first attempt. 

We're thinking it'd be fun to have a bunch of people over for "roll your own sushi night." Any takers? Also, this is my first official item to cross off the 30 before 30 list, so I'm hoping my other goals will be met with as much success!

Thanks, Panera!

Last Thursday, I was out and about, trying to run a bunch of errands on my rare day off, when I realized that I was insatiably thirsty and hadn't actually had any fruit or vegetables all day. Nice. So, I decided to go to a nearby Panera to try one of their "real fruit" smoothies. That counts as fruit, right?

While waiting for my drink, I notice a sign for the new cherry vanilla bagel, and since I'm always thinking of new food combinations, I asked the very fine looking guy at the register if he had tried it. I thought it sounded good, but I was having a hard time envisioning those flavors in a bagel.  He had tried it, but felt the same way, that it was an odd flavor for a bagel. (Insert our conversation about how great cinnamon crunch and asiago cheese bagels are). "Do you want to try a cherry vanilla bagel?" he asked. I just looked at him with "do-I-have-to-pay-for-it?" plastered all over my face. "I'll let you try it," he said. And of course, I let him give me a free bagel--toasted.

So, here's my review of the cherry vanilla bagel, which boasts that it's "flavored with cherry chips, dried cherries and cranberries, vanilla, honey and brown sugar": It's just okay. It smelled divine, like homemade cake, but I think the flavors would go better in a muffin or something that's lighter than a bagel. I couldn't decide if it needed to be more sweet or if it was too sweet, which I realize sounds like a paradox, but I'm pretty sure cream cheese would have solved whatever flavor problem there was  (I didn't want to push my luck by asking for free cream cheese). Bottom line: I was glad the bagel was free. After all, it's hard to top the cinnamon crunch and asiago cheese bagels.

P.S. I just learned that the cherry vanilla bagel is the "Pink Ribbon Bagel" honoring breast cancer. While that information doesn't make the bagel taste any better, I love that Panera is joining the cause in their own way.

me, lately

What I've been reading...

Connie May Fowler's novel, Before Women Had Wings, Language Network grammar book, Real Simple, Cooking Light

What I've been listening to...

José Gonzàlez, sermons from LMPC, and Pandora

What I've been eating...

Virginia's recipe for BBQ ribs, Edy's Slow Churned French Silk ice cream, the last of summer's produce (tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, and blueberries).

BBQ Ribs: Buy a rack or two of ribs. Boil them for 40-45 minutes in a large pot and allow to cool. Place in large Ziploc bag and pour in a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. Marinate overnight. Grill 3-4 min per side to heat through.

Where I've been...

Chattanooga for Labor Day weekend and Atlanta another weekend to see Phil's family, Pepper Place Market, junior high football games, friends' houses, delicious restaurants, two different churches

What's on my to-do list...

Fold laundry, dust, tackle that last stack of boxes from our move, organize my files, exercise, read for fun, call my aunt, grade 67 essays, check the mail, write letters, blog (done)

Deep things I've been thinking about...

Church denominations, women in the church, being a working mom (NO hint about a baby here, just something I've been thinking about), whether to keep our current church community that's 25 minutes away or start over with a church community closer to where we live, how to streamline our lives so that we have a balance of giving our lives away and resting. These could all be blog entries of their own!

What I've been watching...

Confesssion: Glee. I'm blaming my sister-in-law for introducing me to this show.

I adore ALDI

I'm late getting on this boat. I know it. But give me a break--I've been out of the city for a year and where I was had one ALDI that was 40 minutes from my house. So yeah, I was an ALDI virgin until yesterday.

To clarify any misunderstanding (which necessarily happens when you throw the word "virgin" into a sentence), ALDI is a small, European-style grocery store with huge knock-off prices, a "put in a quarter to get your cart; return your cart and get your quarter," we-have-our-own-brands-that-are-just-as-good-as-the-flashy-ones, bag-your-own-groceries, we-only-accept-cash-or-debit-cards kind of place. And did I mention the prices? Oh my.

So, ALDI fliers showed up in my mailbox this week, which made me wonder if, in the past year that I've been away, Birmingham made a good choice in the midst of all the bad ones (remember our brilliant ex-Mayor, Larry Langford?) by building an ALDI near my house. Turns out, ALDI is 2.91 miles from my house!

Here's a glimpse of the savings from my $30 (!) grocery bill yesterday:

• $2.79 for 28 bottles of water
• 25 cent peaches, plums, and nectarines 
• $1.50 a pound for cherries (and they were already separated into 1-lb. bunches so you didn't have to guess how many pounds you were purchasing)
• $1.00 salad dressings
• $5.99 for a bag of about 6 frozen chicken breasts

Just a glimpse. I was so giddy leaving the store that I almost called my mom to have someone to celebrate savings with! I didn't need to buy any wine, cereal, fresh meat, or other refrigerated products this time, but I needed to save a little something for next time anyway. And there will definitely be a next time!

By the way, if the whole process of putting a quarter in your cart, etc. is a little foreign and intimidating to you, check out this link that explains how everything works and you'll look like a natural in no time.

Doo-Doot, Doot, Doot, Doo...I'm lovin' it!

Last weekend, as I was on my way back from a less-than-24-hour trip to Birmingham, I decided to stop at my favorite gas station/Subway joint to fill up my car and my stomach. It was 1:30 and all I'd eaten all day was a handful of strawberries and a granola bar, so it's fair to say that I was ravenous. I walked up to the Subway door only to find that it was closed for Memorial Day (good for them, bad for me), so my brain started racing: Can I make a meal out of gas station food? Eew. No. Do I get back on the interstate and wait for the next Subway or Chick-Fil-A (my favs)? No. I might die of starvation by then. And so, I was left with option #3: the McDonald's that was in walking distance from the gas station. YES.

I'm a little anti-fast food if I can help it, so I honestly haven't been to a McDonald's for anything other than a McFlurry (love those things) since...gosh, I don't know. Maybe college? Anyway, I was actually getting pretty excited about a cheeseburger and as I was standing in line, I realized that I could buy my entire lunch for under $4.00. This is why people come here. For a mere $3.00 + tax, I got a cheeseburger, apple dippers (my attempt at being healthy...along with the fact that I don't eat french fries without ketchup and I couldn't do the whole ketchup-while-driving thing), a mocha frappe, and a cup of water. And let me just tell you: they were all delicious. Even the apple dippers, which was the part of my lunch I was least looking forward to. (Don't we all have those parts of meals that we just have to "get through" in order to get to the really good stuff?) I thought it was funny (but brilliant) that the apples didn't have the peel on them, and they were the perfect balance of not too crunchy-sour or too mushy-nasty. I highly recommend them. And the caramel dipping sauce didn't hurt either. The mocha frappe was yummy too, but definitely more like a dessert than a drink.

All this to say, I'm warming up to McDonald's again. The truth is, it'll probably be a few more years until I eat there again--mostly because I like to cook too much--but when I do, I'll look forward to it. So, thank you, Yellow Arches, for some low-cost yummy food in a time of need!

Afternoon Tea

Based on my blog entries this month, it should be clear how little free time I've had. BUT one of the best choices I made in the midst of all the crazy was to have afternoon tea at The English Rose with several friends from school. A traditional English tearoom (see pictures), it's one of Chattanooga's unique places run by two "real life" English women and the perfect place for all things girly.

After writing our party's name in chalk on the chalkboard to secure our place during a short wait, we had time to peruse the shelves and shelves of tea sets, teas, stationery, aprons, and other little trinkets that you really hope you don't knock over since you'll be paying for them if you do. Most entertainingly, we saw a group of about 6 elderly women decked out in all red--literally from head to toe. They all had on different red hats, and I'm pretty sure I overheard someone say that they come every week for tea at high noon. I wouldn't put it past them. And I secretly hope that I'll be having afternoon tea in a red hat when I'm 80+ years old!

We sat down and the first thing our server asked us was, "Would you like a pot of tea for the table?" Yes please! And oh, it was good! But when our finger sandwiches and cheese scones came out, the tea took a back seat. The cheese scone was especially delicious with all the buttery flavor of a scone without the dryness.

But better than the black tea (with cream, of course) or the "crumpets" was the conversation with friends who understand my life in grad school right now and that was the real treat.

If you ever have a leisurely afternoon in Chattanooga, I highly recommend the English Rose. In the above picture, our table was the one in the bottom left corner.

Wrongo Dongo

Phil and I went to a charity wine tasting last night for our friends Jim & Amy Jo, who started a foundation for pediatric cancer called the Austin Hatcher Foundation.  Every "team" (1-2 people) brought 3 bottles of the same red wine.  Two of the bottles were covered with paper bags, numbered, and set out for mystery tasting while the third bottle was displayed on a table in the center of the room.  As we tasted wines, we wrote down the numbers of the bottles we liked and then voted at the end of the night. The person whose wine had the most votes got to take home everyone else's third bottle, which amounted to at least 50 bottles last night!

Since Phil and I had a hunch that we wouldn't win (and we didn't), we decided to buy the wine with the funniest name, so we came home with three bottles of Wrongo Dongo because, as the bottle says, "Dongo to the party without it!" I'm not sure what the marketing strategy is here.  Honestly, it sounds like a potty word that your mom wouldn't let you say as a kid.  Why would a wine with the word "wrong" and "dong" in it be appealing? Must be for all those reverse psychology folks out there, Phil being one of them.  Unfortunately, we can't tell you what it tastes like because all the bottles were numbered and we didn't know which number was ours, but I can tell you this: it wasn't expensive. So, if you're in the mood for a red wine experiment, check out Wrongo Dongo, if for no other reason, then simply for the name. And, we think this would be a fun idea for a small dinner party. Any takers?

Goat cheese: an introduction

A couple of months ago, my mom decided that it would be "fun" to have a billy goat come for a conjugal visit to the two female goats they have. Enter Buckeye, a very youthful looking billy goat who wasn't quite sure what his role was as a male. Enter male goat #2 who is older and more experienced and voila! both boys suddenly know exactly what to do and get to work making kids. My parents are now owners of two pregnant goats, Daisy and Maggie, who should have at least one kid each by Spring. My 12-year-old sister watched the entire fornicating process with my dad--definitely an easy segway to the birds and the bees talk.

But I can't think about any of this when I eat my new favorite food, goat cheese. I've always been a little skeptical of goat-anything, chalking it up to health food gurus who also feed their children only food with the word "organic" in it. But over Christmas, I had a salad with goat cheese on it and fell in love with the stuff. If you've never had it, it's a very soft cheese, about the consistency of cream cheese, with just a little bite, like sour cream has. It comes in all kinds of flavors, and my favorite so far is mediterranean herb. Delicious. It's great on salads (like the one below) and on crackers.

Here's one of my favorite salads:

Baby spinach leaves
sliced pear
mandarin oranges
honey roasted almond slices (I buy these in a bag at the store)
mediterranean herb (or plain) goat cheese
fruity vinaigrette dressing (I prefer Ken's Healthy Options Raspberry Walnut)

Enjoy!

So worth it

I recently found a recipe on a friend's blog for homemade caramel popcorn with cranberries. It looked so beautiful that I decided to make some for Thanksgiving and let me just tell you that it's worth the hour and a half it takes to make (really just half an hour of prep and 1 hour to bake). Oh my goodness. It's baking in my oven as I type and every 15 minutes when I have to pull it out and stir it, I absolutely can't resist eating a few bites. It's delicious! So, if you have some extra time over the holidays (ha!), I highly recommend this delectable little treat!

Here's the recipe:

Caramel Corn with Cranberries

14 cups plain popped popcorn (scant 2/3 cup unpopped kernels)
1 cup honey roasted peanuts (optional)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cranberries (I use dried)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the popped popcorn and peanuts in two large bowls.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and butter over medium heat. As the butter starts to melt, stir to mix completely. When the mixture begins to boil, stir constantly for five minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the baking soda and vanilla extract. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir a couple of times (not all of the popcorn will be coated).

Transfer popcorn mixture to 2 large roasting pans (or pans with edges).

Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, stir in the cranberries. After an hour, turn the popcorn out onto parchment paper, break apart, and allow to cool. Try not to eat it all at once!

This season's drink pick: Tazo Chai

I have to give my sister-in-law, Bekah, credit for introducing me to the deliciousness that is Tazo chai. I first tasted a chai latte when I was in high school at my favorite coffee shop in Chattanooga, Greyfriar's. With its black tea and spices, I excitedly concluded that it tasted "like Christmas" and couldn't get enough of it. However, my wallet could get enough of it, so I rarely bought it. Last year, though, Bekah introduced me to the cartons of Tazo chai that you can buy in the grocery store (specifically Publix and Target; Wal-mart doesn't carry it), and it has been my fall/winter indulgence ever since.

The best part (besides saving money) is that it's so easy to make. You pour half your mug full of the chai concentrate and fill the rest of the mug up with the milk of your choice (I prefer skim). Stir, microwave for a minute and a half, and voila! A perfect cup of chai that tastes just like it came from a coffee shop. If microwaves freak you out, you can heat it up on the stovetop in a saucepan, too. And at $3.99 a carton and eight servings per carton, each cup of chai runs me about 50 cents, which is a heck of a lot better than $3.50. It comes in decaf and regular, although I have to have regular.

With the leaves brightening and falling and the cooler temps outside, I have a carton of chai in my fridge, another one on deck in my pantry, and a hot cup of it in my hand. Tis the season to drink chai!

Two strokes of genius

Phil and I have been craving sushi for the past month and finally found a night when we were both free to scout out the rice-roll goodness in Chattanooga. While I'm missing the oh-so-affordable and delicious sushi from Maki Fresh in Birmingham, we did find ourselves some tasty rolls at a place called Sushi Nabe. The only problem? The sushi roll was too big for my mouth. And it's not just this place; it's everywhere. If you read this previous blog entry, you might recall that I have an unusually small mouth, so a "bite" of sushi is about two times too large for me. I end up looking vaguely like a chipmunk and have trouble swallowing--quite entertaining to anyone dining with me, I'm sure.

So, I propose sushi sliders, half-pint versions of all the best sushi rolls around at half the price. Who doesn't like little versions of things? They're "cute," and, as we all know, "cute" sells.

While we're on the subject of brilliant ideas (and no one out there better steal this and make millions without giving me a cut of the profits), here's one that I've thought about for a while: mini milk jugs. Call it a "jug-ette," if you will.Everyone longs to drink milk straight from the jug (and if we're honest, we've done it more than a few times), so why not make a small, 1-pint jug of milk that you swig from all morning long? It would be the exact same shape as a regular gallon-sized jug, only about a fourth of the size. Brilliant, I say!

If the sushi sliders and the jug-ettes (sounds like an 80s band name!) ever make their way into the world, I would like to go on record and publicly state that I did actually think of them first.