Jan 12 - The Carefree Gourmet
Easy Budget
by Joyce McCombs

Today the CG is featuring recipes that are easy on the checkbook, the pantry, and the cook. Somehow January always looks a little bleak in all these departments after the wonderful excesses of December and the New Year.

I say it’s time to be like a camel and live off your hump for a bit until things even out again. Yes, I know we’re already gaining daylight, it hasn’t been a hard winter and we’ll all get some perspective during the Festival of Lights in February. But until then, most of us still have meals to prepare on a regular basis.

More than one local cook has stopped me at the store lately and said with despair “I don’t know WHAT to make - I’m out of ideas - HELP!” I’m hoping like heck the things I’ve unearthed for today’s CG can lend a hand to those in need of culinary enlightenment, and will be easy on the food budget as well.

You already know I’m in favor of recipes that call for no exotic ingredients, no lengthy or complicated procedures, and most especially NO pastry bags. Thankfully none of those things applies today. My goals for you this week are simple: Use ingredients you’re likely to have on hand, no more than fifteen minutes prep time, minimal clean up, and maximum taste. If there’s leftovers and you can coast for one meal, even better. And remember, it never hurts to buy ice cream on sale, tuck it away in the back of the freezer, and bring out for dessert when a basic dinner needs a grand finale. Set out the leftover holiday cookie sprinkles and let people decorate their scoops to their hearts content - call them northern lights sundaes and think about spring. I promise it really is coming!

Kiss the Cook Cookies
Why anybody needs to make cookies in January after the recent holiday baking marathon is a mystery, but you and I both know that somewhere, somehow, someone will need a couple dozen goodies and you are going to be asked to produce them. Take heart, because these require little effort, only four inexpensive ingredients and hardly any time to put together. You don’t even have to drag out a mixer, just find a medium size bowl and a measuring cup and you’re good to go. Chocolate kisses work best, but I won’t tell if you use a few chocolate chips instead - just be careful not to burn your precious fingers.

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup sugar
38 plain chocolate kisses

If you have a small child or a husband handy, put them to work unwrapping and counting the kisses while you mix the egg, peanut butter and sugar together and shape into 3/4" balls. Allow the unwrapper or yourself to consume two of the kisses as reward for a job well done. Place the cookie balls on greased cookie sheet. (If you have less than 36 balls, it means you can eat some more chocolate with no guilt!)

Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the top of each cookie. Let cool. Makes about three dozen 3/4” cookies.

Apple Crisp
I know you probably have a favorite crisp recipe already, but this has a little twist with a salt water and lemon juice routine, and I think it sounds like a winner. It also has sugar only in the topping, and not on the apples, which saves both calories and pennies. A recent survey said that the smell of baking apples and cinnamon was one of the top ten all time favorite fragrances people want to sniff when they come into a home. You can buy scented candles and get the same effect, of course, but you can’t enjoy them for dessert!

Butter a 9 x 12 glass baking dish and preheat the oven to 350.

Peel, core and thinly slice six large or eight medium tart apples and place in baking dish.
Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in 1/3 cup water and add one tablespoon lemon juice. Drizzle evenly over apples, then sprinkle apples with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Combine these things together until crumbly:
1 stick soft butter
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
Loosely cover the apples with mixture. Bake uncovered at 350° for 40 minutes.
Serve warm with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or a slice of cheddar cheese

V-8 Soup
This is a very sneaky way to get more vegetables into your diet and even though I can’t stand to drink a can of V-8 like the Carefree Spouse does, I just love this soup. It’s a winner for the crock pot, too, though you should brown the meat on it’s own before adding everything else and letting it cook six hours on low. You absolutely have to have some really crusty French bread with this and the soup is really good with a sprinkle of any kind of cheese on top, too. You can use three cans of any kind of vegetable in place of the frozen bag, if you need to.

1 pound hamburger (add chopped onion if desired) and drain well.
1 big can V-8 juice
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 packet spaghetti sauce mix

Brown the hamburger in a large Dutch oven or soup pot (toss in some onion if you like), then drain well. Add a big can of V-8 juice, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a packet of spaghetti sauce mix. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer until the vegetables are done. Add a cup of cooked rice for a thicker soup.

Creative Casserole
Just in case someone hasn’t heard, this is the classic “too much month at the end of the money, after holiday belt tightening, I don’t want to look at the Christmas bills yet” recipe. It’s quick, filling and best of all, cheap. Even better, it doesn’t TASTE cheap, just good. Even better than that, here’s four variations with totally different tastes:

Basic Budget Beef
1 pound ground beef
2 cups rice
1 package onion soup mix
4 cups water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Worcestershire sauce, if you like it

Find your big skillet and brown the hamburger. Drain any grease, then add the dry soup mix, rice, can of soup, W sauce to your taste and the water. Bring the whole works to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done. You have my permission to dice an onion and cook it with the hamburger if you don’t care for the dry soup mix.

To make Taco Loco:
Follow the same procedure above except use:
1 pound ground beef
2 cups rice
1 package taco mix OR
1 teaspoon each chili powder and cumin
3 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 can cheddar cheese soup
Top with grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese

To make Pizza Pizzaz:
Follow the same procedure above except use:
1 pound ground beef
2 cups rice
1 packet spaghetti mix OR
2 teaspoons each basil, oregano and parsley
3 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato soup
1 small can sliced olives (optional)
Top with grated Parmesan cheese

To make Hurry Curry
Follow the same procedure above except use:
1 chopped, cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups rice
1 package onion soup mix
2 teaspoons curry
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups water
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup peas
Serve with sliced bananas, raisins and chopped sweet pickles and any kind of chopped nuts (almonds are very good) to compliment the curry.

Four Bean Casserole
Does your New Year’s Resolution include adding some fiber to your diet? Here’s a good place to start. I’m notoriously anti lima bean anything, so I’ll probably add a can of black beans instead to this interesting mix. As long as the proportions stay the same, you can mix and match bean varieties as you like. Serve some rice along side this casserole and you’ll create a complete protein, and decrease the chance of the dreaded gastric distress, too. If you have some leftover holiday ham lurking about, it won’t hurt to dice it and add it to this, either.

1 15-oz can pork and beans (undrained)
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15-oz can lima beans, drained
1 15-oz butter beans, drained
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Mix all the ingredients together. Bake covered in a well greased casserole or bean pot at 350 for 2 1/2 hours or in a crock pot on low for 5 hours, stirring hourly.

Butternut Squash Soup
I can’t wait to try this tasty sounding soup featuring one of my favorite squashes cooked together with a bit of apple. Even the name “Butternut” sounds luscious, doesn’t it? Look for squashes that are solid and have firm, smooth skins. Butternuts have very few seeds and cook up tender with fewer strings than acorn squash and will keep perfectly well for several weeks in a cool dark place. They are easier to peel if you cut them into manageable chunks first and use a paring knife instead of a potato peeler.

2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 cups chicken broth
A dash each of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper
Sour cream

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat, sauté and stir the onion, carrot, and celery about 8 minutes until softened. Add the squash, apple, chicken broth, and spices, mixing well. Cover and simmer until the squash is very soft and breaks apart into the soup. Serve hot, topped with sour cream.

Split Pea Soup
Even though the package says the peas don’t need to be soaked, I always do, at least for a couple hours, but it’s even better overnight. I swear it decreases the cooking time by at least half an hour. This is my own version of the all time classic that it only took me twenty years or so to perfect. A recent batch disappeared in record time so I must be doing something right! Dried peas and beans are always a wonderful bargain and you sure get a lot of excellent nutrition for your budget buck. And for some reason, even kids who don’t like peas as a vegetable will happily lap up a bowl of pea soup with no protest.

2 cups (1 pound) green split peas
8 cups water
4 teaspoons chicken bullion or soup base
Finely diced ham, 1-2 cups OR
A trimmed ham bone or smoked hock
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Pinch of allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour combined with 2 tablespoons butter

Sort and pick peas then cover with warm water and let soak at least two hours or overnight. Drain and rinse well, then cover again with cold water and bring to a boil (add the ham bone or hock now if using). Sauté the onion in a little olive oil until very soft, then add the garlic and cook two or three minutes until fragrant. Add the carrot and celery and stir it around for a minute, then add the whole works to the peas, which should be boiling. Add the diced ham (if using) and seasonings, stir well, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring frequently. Add a bit of water if needed, or if soup is too thin, remove cover during last hour to reduce mixture. When the peas have disintegrated completely, remove the bone if used, then stir in the flour and butter combination to bind the mixture and keep it from separating. Serve hot with a sprinkle of dill weed and sour cream if desired. This works very well in a crock pot, too.

Please accept my wishes for a very Happy New Year to all the CG readers who make writing this column so much fun. I’m taking a short break to do some long distance research for you, so you all play nice with Janet Boyer who will be guest columnist here next time, ok? JMc

  

Index to Carefree Gourmet Articles

Sourdough Sensations June 29, 2007

Kitty Treats June 29, 2007

Dog Treats April 20, 2007

Sandwich Plan March 23, 2007

Carefree Wacky Ingredients March 8, 2007

Homestead Hearth January 25, 2007

Carefree Cooking 101 January 11, 2007

Holiday Punch December 23, 2006

Holiday Treats December 12, 2006

Thanksgiving II November 20, 2006

Standby Favorites October 16, 2006

Cabbage October 11, 2006

Apples September 22, 2006

Kids Cook July 6, 2006

Wacky Tips June 8, 2006

Graduation May 11, 2006

African Cuisine April 13, 2006

A Bit of Irish March 23, 2006

Crazy for Carrots March 9, 2006

February Vacation February 23, 2006

Easy Budget January 12, 2006

Christmas Treats December 22, 2005

Sweet Surprises December 8, 2005

Turkey Times  November 22, 2005

Grand Champions - Part 2 - October 13, 2005

Janet Boyer September 22, 2005

Grand Champions September 5, 2005

Blueberries  August 12, 2005

Halibut and Zukes July 28, 2005

Orange Juice July 14, 2005

Happy Birthday June 30, 2005

Honey June 9, 2005

Picnic Dishes May 26, 2005

Celebration Salads May 12, 2005

Kraft Foods April 21, 2005

Shrimp April 7, 2005

Carry on Airline snacks March 25, 2005

Sandwiches March 10, 2005

Back from Vacation February 24, 2005

Super Bowl Snack Attack  January 14, 2005

Ginger Snaps December 29, 2004

Christmas Memories - December 12, 2004

Thanksgiving November 23, 2004

Glen and Meat  October 29, 2004

Blueberry Pie Champion  September 30, 2004

Fair Winners  September 2, 2004

Glen's Knives June 11, 2004

Aunt Aggie Tells All... May 13, 2004

Crazy About Catsup April 29, 2004

Carefree Clearance Special April 8, 2004

Seattle Adventure March 26, 2004

Vegas, part 2 March 12, 2004

Vegas Wind February 12, 2004

Casserole Bonanza January 11, 2004

No Fuss Dishes  December 19, 2003

Fake and Bake Christmas  December 11, 2003