july 27, 2008: frugal feasts mussels and green bean salad

Mussels over Fettuccini
To serve 8
This recipe can be adapted to what you have on hand. If you have a bottle of white wine, use a cup of it here, and drain the canned tomatoes before using. If you don’t have a bottle of white wine (or don’t want to waste it on cooking), use the tomatoes with their juice.
For the linguine:
2 pounds dried fettuccini or spaghetti
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
For the mussels:
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 can diced tomatoes, 15 ounce size
1 cup white wine or juice from tomatoes, see note above
2 bags mussels, opened, and inspected. Toss any with broken shells
3/4 cup half and half or light cream
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the pasta and cook according to package directions until done. Drain, place in a large shallow bowl and add the butter or oil. Toss and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large, lidded pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and push it around until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Dump in the tomatoes and wine (if using) and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels and cover the pot. Let cook for about 6 minutes, just until the shells open and the mussels look firm and opaque.
Scoop the mussels out with a slotted spoon and put them on top of the linguine in the bowl. Raise the heat up to high and boil the cooking liquid for a few minutes to cook off some of the juice. Add the cream and stir well to mix. It should coat the back of a spoon. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed (you shouldn’t need much salt). Pour this sauce over the mussels in the bowl. Top with the chopped parsley and serve in cereal bowls, passing crushed red pepper flakes to the brave ones. Have a large bowl available for the shells.
Cost per serving: $1.42


Fresh Green Bean Salad
For eight servings
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4-5 oil cured sun dried tomatoes, chopped into bits
Large handful fresh basil or other herb, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, sliced into thin slivers
2 pounds fresh green beans, stems removed
Optional:
5-6 more sun dried tomatoes cut into slivers, or a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
¼ cup pine nuts
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Dump in the cut up green beans and cook. For a crunchier texture cook the beans for 5 minutes . For a softer texture, cook for 9-11 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
Stir together the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cooked, drained green beans and toss to coat with the dressing. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Cost per serving: $.45 without optional ingredients, $.73 per serving with grape tomatoes and pine nuts

Vacation!!!!

I will be leaving with my wonderful family for vacation on Saturday, now don't be jealous, 7 children 1 husband , lots and lots of nonsense, clothes,rafts, toys that no one will touch( for the whole week yet continue to strew about the cottage .)



Pray for sun with out that we will be house bound or hitting the dreaded smelly arcades !!!!!

Lots and lots of my famous tuna fish, a must have for beach, sandwiches you know the kind that get all flat and warm, and a hand full of nice sandy chips yum.

the list is long and silly so I won't bore you to death, but I will tell you my heart fills with joy at the thought of spending the week with most of my extended family, minus a few very important ones. we will laugh, cry, sing , dance ,cook, clean and make memories the last a lifetime....be well, I'll be back soon..... Don't forget to read the coloumn 7/30

Pulling Mussels from the Shell

We can now add Food Stylists to our list of job titles!

On Monday a darling young photographer, Mandy, came over to shoot the mussels with fettuccini and the green bean salad.

I snapped this picture with my cellphone as Mandy worked her magic.

We had some issues with lighting and dry looking mussel shells, but with a couple of quick changes and some Pam spray, I think everything looked great, especially Robin's bag.

I think we have figured out that we have to own the process but it is hard for two rank beginners to take the reins. From now on we are just going to move the "professionals" aside and get the job done.

Great Tip !!!!!!!!

I was talking to a good friend of mine, and she had a great tip, she is more of a planner like you Suzanne :) Also perfect as well..

However she does this trick with the frozen chicken, when she removes it from the freezer she take a very sharp knife and slices the breast in half which is a great idea to save on cooking time.....I am so lucky to have such smart people in my life, anything to make the job easier....That is what I say.....

But she did mention my hair is looking like Dolly Partons and I might want to tone it down, but I say hogwash to that.....I have no time for the beauty parlor it has to be done at home, I have a system and until we strike it rich with our coloumn I will be getting blonder and blonder, by the bottle ... Till next time R

Freezer Chicken sounds great not!!!!! but it is !!

I think it is so funny.......I have had an e-mail that thanks us for the clumped chicken recipe....from another clumped chicken friend someone like me ,so now I am feeling fairly confident that at least one family has served this for dinner and lived to tell about it, considering our last minute revision did not make it in the column.. so please be advised .......

If your clumped chicken :) is thicker that 1.5 inches please allow more time for cooking...common sense but who knows.....

However, maybe you were smart and more prepared like Suzanne (she is so perfect anyway) you separated your chicken before you froze it , therefore this advisory is not really for you :).... well I have the best intentions when I buy the 10 packages of chicken breasts,but as it turns out I end up shoving it all in the freezer and running to the next emergency ..my life seems to be full off.

Seriously ,Suzanne both of our lives are crazy, you are just a much better detail person, and I am a bit jealous of that I might add :) your loving coloumn partner R

july 16, 2008: frugal feasts freezer favorites

Frozen Chicken Breasts
- one half per person plus a couple extras-left , overs make awesome chicken salad.
2 tablespoons olive oil or a spritz of cooking spray like Pam
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ cup mayonnaise-more or less
½ cup breadcrumbs (made from 3 pieces of fresh bread or from a can-Italian style are nice here)
½ cup grated parmesan (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Smear or spray the pan with the oil and put in the chicken breasts. Don't worry about unclumping them if you have used the minimalist approach.
Season with salt and pepper.
Frost them with mayonnaise, using about a tablespoon per breast.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parmesan if using.
Cover the pan with foil and roast until the breasts are cooked through.
This will take about 30 minutes for the mashed and separated ones and more like 45 minutes for the clumped ones.
Take the foil off for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the crumbs, and serve hot.

Freezer Steak
There is a cut of meat that is known as the Butcher's Secret. We don't know what part of the cow it comes from, all we know is that it is tender, delicious and about $3.99 per pound. The actual name is First Cut Chuck Steak, Boneless. 3 pounds of steak should feed 8 people, but we need to warn you that it is so delicious and tender that it is hard to stop at one serving.
A half pound per person is a better serving size.
These too can go directly from the freezer to the fire.
Pull out the steaks and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Throw them onto a medium hot grill.
Close the cover and leave them alone for 10 minutes.
Flip the steaks, reclose the cover and leave them for another ten minutes.
They will be perfectly medium rare.

Freezer Corn Salad
The hardest part of this recipe is finding the can opener. We specify shoe peg corn because it is crunchier and tastes more like fresh corn, but use what you can get.
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp garlic salt or ½ tsp regular salt
one clove garlic minced
Several grindings of fresh ground pepper
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 pound bag of frozen "shoepeg" corn, rinsed under warm water to separate
1 red bell pepper, diced
4-5 leaves fresh basil or other fresh herb, chopped, optional
In a medium sized serving bowl stir together the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

Stay Fresh Salad
The great thing about this salad is its longevity, it will last 2-3 days before going south. The secret is no wet stuff if you know what I mean.
We love to have a salad most nights and once again time is a big factor here. make it ahead a couple times a week, cukes tomatoes on the side and it is on the menu most nights.
1 bag of romain hearts, usally three to a pkg. chop all three
1/2 bag of soy sprouts (look for the dryest pkg of these) in the produce section the red package ,not the green which is bean sprouts ( the big market basket has these most of the time )
1 medium red onion sliced very thin
3/4 shredded cheddar cheese
toss well and serve, with your favorite dressing, tonite and tommorrow as well

Steak-mmmms or Steak-ugggs?

OK sorry about my going AWOL. As you know, I was in Paris for the fall fashion collections.

hahahahaha! I was not trying to avoid blogging and I certainly was not trying to avoid you, dear Robin, but this week has been wild. My college roommate was in town and it was so great to have her here (even though she looks way better at 46 than I do) but I did not have a moment to sit and write. Everytime I went to park my ass in front of the computer, a pile of clutter would accumulate and I was hell bent on maintaining the illusion that this house is always neat and clean. Thank God Ann was only here for about 40 hours. Within minutes of her departure the piles of laundry were back, the mudroom toilet was creatively decorated with tinkle and the tumbleweeds of dog hair were rolling accross the kitchen floor. Can I just say that there are days when I feel like the guy who cleans up after the elephants in the circus?

My new complusive thought is that there will be riots in the meat aisles. when I close my eyes I picture housewives across the city slugging it out over the last bit of first cut chuck steak. Can't you just hear the squeeks as normally decorous Moms bash each other over the head with shrink wrapped hunks of chuck roast....


Can we get arrested for starting an insurrection?

Even worse, could we get banned from Market Basket???

I think I need a drink...

Hey Suzanne

Hey what the heck is going on ? Do you have 5 kids , 2 dogs, and husband or something, look I hope I did not hurt your feelings about you be so great at everything including blogging, but I am so sorry it is the truth..... but you should not punish me by not blogging, cut it out and write to me girlfriend.
We also need to take some fab photos for our profile, maybe on Monday when we get together to do the photos for the column sound good ?

Please write to me, see you in the kitchen
your friend R

Off to camp we go!!!!!!

Yes it is true....5 of my children are at camp or someplace else this week....how strange it is....less food to cook.....

As much as this crazy house gets to me sometimes It is wonderful, to have a large family, children under foot( every minute of everyday), phones ringing, doorbells donging, shoes everywhere and no one can ever find their shoes, "hey just look down, you may be tripping over your missing shoe right now", Yelling, Laughing, signing, screaming it all happens daily. The house that never sleeps that is us !!!

It does seems extra special to me this week , I am guessing that is because most of them are not here :) I have had some time to actually think about them and miss them ,a break from managing them , this is good just kidding :)

How ever I still have to make dinner . so I did try a couple of summer salads this week, they turned out great, were quite easy and used fresh herbs and veggies in season which is always the best. I also did Brats again, Oliver (19) was very sad to have missed them on the 4th, he loved them, any meal with meat works for Oliver , also working at Market Basket in the meat department he was able to tell me the brats, have been flying out of the cooler, I am sure it was due to our wonderful column and of maybe because they were on sale too!!!!!!!

I will put the recipes in for the summer salads as soon as I have a minute of free time, I running around like crazy trying to get all those things done that I can not do when all the people are not at camp. R

Ben is 17 and we are old

It is true Suzanne, we are getting old,well I am :) remember when Ben and Gordon were in kindergarten and you crowned my darling son was the king of potty mouth :) . Oh the good old days...

Well we celebrated Ben's special day with an old favorite at our house, Baked Haddock and Scallops with butter crumb dressing, my mom has used this recipe on most of her fish dishes and also as topping macaroni and cheese as long as long as I can remeber, if you love rich this is the for you.

Melted butter, minced garlic, cooking sherry, parsley, and Ritz crackers could not get any better. well we dined on this until I thought I would die.....Ben also requested angel hair pasta with pesto.( which of course I did not bother with I just continued to gorge on the good stuff, ) a different combo , However this was enjoyed by all,we were all so relieved that we did not have the favorite meal for the last two years which consisted of Tyson spicy chicken and french fries, I guess you can tell frozen is a special treat at our house.

It would not be so bad to have this for an occasional treat but we have a birthday every month but February and August in this nut house , so this meal was a wonderful change..the meal ended with my daughters Key Lime Pie, this is becoming the most requested desert in our house which is great for me.... can you even imagined how many birthday cakes I have done it is not pretty let me tell you, I am happy to turn the reins over and have Key Lime Pie for birthday celebrations for a awhile until cake comes back in fashion at the birthday house :) Thanks Ben

july 2, 2008: frugal feasts grilled brats, orzo bake and onion relish

Brats in Beer
Makes 15—enough to generously serve 8 – 10 people
15 bratwurst – the ones we buy come 5 to a package
2 packages “Coney Island” style hot dog rolls
2 bottles dark beer such as IPA
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife
Pour the beer into a large covered pan. Add the garlic and the brats and bring to a very low simmer. (The surface of the liquid should be just barely moving).
Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat, until sausages are cooked though.
Grill, turning frequently, until slightly charred and heated through.

Sweet and Sour Onion Relish
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ pound onions, cut in half and then thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Sugar
Salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and lightly colored.
Add remaining ingredients and cook another minute or two, stirring frequently, until sugar is melted and onions are shiny.
Beer Brats with Onions and Rolls serves 8-10 generously and costs $1.02 per brat

Ricotta Orzo Bake
Serves 8-10
1 pound orzo or other small pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch leeks, (approximately 1.5 pounds), trimmed, chopped into ½ inch pieces and rinsed well. To clean leeks, slice in half lengthwise, chop and place in colander.
Put colander under running water and stir around with your hand until all the grit is washed away
2 cups frozen petite peas
2 cups ricotta cheese
4 slices vegetarian bacon, or regular bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cup whole milk
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or other herb of your choice such as chives, basil or oregano Zest and juice of one lemon
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Pepper to taste
Bread crumbs made from three slices wheat or white bread, in food processor or blender, or 3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Fill a large pot with water and a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until slightly underdone. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the chopped leeks.
Cook until the leeks soften and turn bright green, about 3 minutes.
Add the peas, salt and pepper and cook for one > minute. Remove from heat. Add the ricotta, milk, lemon, salt and pepper and mix well. Put the orzo mixture into a 4 quart casserole dish, and smooth surface with a spatula.
Top with the br eadcrumbs and drizzle with the melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, > until hot and bubbly around the edges. Serve hot or at room temp.
Ricotta bake serves 8-10 generously and costs $1.05 per serving.
A note on our costs per serving: All the ingredients were purchased at area grocery stores.
The prices do not include small amounts of household pantry staples like salt, pepper, vinegar and breadcrumbs.

My Shopping is Done

Yes It is and I am ready to hide for the holiday......The column runs for the first time tomorrow,

I do hope everyone has left for vacation and it may be missed altogether,

I do hope the stores have restocked their Brats for the big rush,

I do hope that my family can forgive me for cooking Orzo bake to many times in the last couple of weeks,

I do hope the column makes people chuckle to think how silly we must be to take this on :)

I do hope we get good reviews, because I am a little bit afraid :(

But most of all I hope everyone has a great and safe holiday!!! R