Category: budget

Recipe: Plum Cake

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This is a great way to use up plums and can probably be used with plenty of varieties of fruit, especially other stone fruit like apricots and peaches. This is a one bowl recipe that comes together so easily I made it with one hand when I accidentally grated my thumb and had to be extra careful about my left hand for a week. This cake has a mild, sweet flavor that contrasts perfectly with the tart plums, and texture like a cream scone making it perfect for an afternoon tea or coffee snack.

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Recipe: Bagels

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I’m not the sort of person to tell you that you have to make bagels. Commercially available bagels aren’t particularly good but if you live near a bakery that makes fresh bagels the odds are that they’re going to be cheap and fairly good but if you can’t get bagels or happen to live in a place where they’re not particularly available this is an easy recipe which produces really good results for a home kitchen. You can rest these overnight but I’ve found that I personally like the sweet spot of about 4-6 hours in the refrigerator (at 12 hours these start to deflate for me, your results may vary). Luckily the recipe doubles easily and already made bagels last for up to 4 days without any taste or texture difference. If you can’t find molasses most sweet stuff will suffice: honey, brown sugar, and even dark corn syrup will all produce a crisp outside texture with a chewy inside – just how I like my bagels!

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Recipe: Turkeyloaf

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This recipe is fairly simple meatloaf made from ground turkey that comes together with only a few minutes of actual work but it tastes really great and also stays well in the fridge or freezer once cooked. This loaf is kept moist with lots of vegetables but it still holds together solidly enough that slices of it can to be used for sandwiches. You can play around with the flavorings, vegetables, and glaze to create your own personal masterpiece.

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Recipe: Chicken Adobo

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A set it and forget recipe this takes time but practically no effort to produce delicious and flavorful chicken that is perfect with a nice pile of rice. I always store the leftover sauce and use it to make stir fry. I used only drumsticks the first time but I would actually recommend bone in thighs or a mixture of pieces in the future and to just adjust the cooking time slightly depending on the size of the pieces.

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Recipe: English Muffins

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These aren’t too much work and will produce muffins with pretty good nooks and crannies for a great side dish with breakfast or a nice base for a sandwich. The only downside is that the batter needs to be made at least 3 hours ahead of time but that also means you can make the dough the night before and simply bake them in the morning. I baked mine on the stove in a cast iron pan but you can bake them only in the oven if you do not have a good heavy bottomed pan.

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Recipe: Crispy Potato Burger

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The secret to this potato burger is actually two secrets: It uses poha (flattened rice) as a binder and also it uses crushed corn flakes as a coating this makes it the burger stick together extremely well while remaining soft in the center but gives it a good crunch on the outside. Since these are made of potato I found that they don’t freeze particularly well but you can do the prep work of making the burger patty inside ahead of time and letting it sit in the fridge to just coat with batter and cornflakes and fry at the last minute. Probably not great for every day eating but it’s a nice weekend or holiday recipe that isn’t TOO time consuming.

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Recipe: Panzanella

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This is a great recipe for the summer because it’s not really cooking, it can be served cold, and it takes very minimal effort to make. Basically a dressed up bread salad and while I feel like it’s usually an appetizer dish, in the summer paired some fruit it could easily be a whole meal especially if you use really hearty bread (I used a thick seed-filled sourdough), this would pair really well with a nice piece of grilled fish or meat for a BBQ or cookout also.

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Recipe: Makaronia Me Kima

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This recipe is basically a Greek staple but I had never heard of it. Salta Kima is basically Greek style of Bolognese. It has cinnamon, cloves, and allspice making it sweet and spicy. It is also the basis for Cincinnati Chili which my husband particularly loves. It’s a pretty unique flavor and like Bolognese it’s extremely easy to make as it just takes time not work to come together, so it’s good for a weekend or a slow day.

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Recipe: Sweet and Sour Tofu

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I was finally able to find reasonably priced firm tofu in the store so I’ve been trying out more tofu recipes lately and this is the winner by a large mile. It’s super easy to make, you can customize the sauce in a lot of ways, and it comes together with only one bowl and one pan. You can use fresh vegetables if you prefer but I love recipes where you don’t have to chop anything because some days you just don’t have the energy. I don’t love tofu but in this recipe it’s pretty tasty and it’s a nice change of pace every now and then.

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Recipe: Beet Pasta

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This pasta is delightful in color and actually does not taste like beets at all so it’s basically a way to eat pink pasta. You can make the beet puree ahead of time or even make a big batch of it and freeze it (which is what I did) meaning that once you have the puree it’ll be the same 45 minutes from start to finish that regular homemade pasta is. This is honestly one of the best and easiest ways to make sensational pasta if you want to wow a friend or family.

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