Sunday Morning Brunch

In our house, it became a tradition to do Sunday Morning Brunch. It gave us an excuse to get our kids up and out of bed at reasonable time (they would sleep till 3 in the afternoon if I let them). This was also the day when everyone was at home, we could all sit down at a meal together and talk about what happed last week and what our plans were for next week. Sunday was the day we dedicated to getting ready for the coming week. This included meal planning, cleaning bedrooms, and washing clothes. So it better be a hardy meal cause I'm not cooking again till dinner. Back when I was first married, we only had a couple of kids. We would go out for Sunday Morning Brunch at our favorite restaurant, Tiny Nailers (lots of small carpenters).  They had a stuffed French toast to die for. As we added on more children, it got too expensive to go out to brunch except on Mother's Day, Easter, and my birthday. So, I started cooking brunch at home. To this day, I still do brunch every other Sunday and the kids come over and bring my grandkids.

This included:
1. Some kind of meat, bacon (turkey or pork or both), ham, or sausage.
2. Scrambled eggs
3. One or more of  fruit bread, French toast, pancakes, coffeecake (is pancake baked in a pan).
4. Fruit salad
5. Sometimes adding yogurt or cereal

I would make a fruit salad with whatever I had around. Usually it's canned peaches and pears or fruit cocktail drained. Add sliced bananas and orange slices. Maybe some frozen blueberries or other frozen fruit. During the summer, I'll add fresh strawberries when they are cheap. You can even make this the night before and leave it covered in the refrigerator over night.

Preheat oven to 375. Take a large bowl, crack two eggs per person and  add enough milk to make the eggs a pastel yellow. Whip with fork and set aside. Place meat on a broiler pan and place in oven. Cook till desired crispness. In large bowl  make pancake batter (you can use boxed, but sometimes I make it from scratch). Now, I can either stand there for an hour making pancakes 2 or 3 at a time putting them on an oven safe plate to stay warm or I can pour it into a greased cake pan. Place fruit or brown sugar crumb mixture* on top and gently swirl in with a knife. Bake for 45 minutes. 15 minutes before breakfast time for us it's 10AM. In a large frying pan, heat up two tablespoons of oil, pour in eggs you set aside earlier, reduce heat, scrape pan bottom and mix in until eggs reach desired consistency. Sometimes I melt cheese into the eggs. Everything should be ready to serve.

If I happen to get up early, I might make banana bread as a treat. You can substitute any canned fruit (i.e. pumpkin, peaches, cranberries and mandarin oranges).

Smash 3 or more bananas in a bowl. Add 2 eggs 1/2 cup of milk 2 tablespoons of oil, 1/2 cup of sugar, tablespoon of cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well. Add 1 cup of Bisquick TM  and 1 cup of flour or two cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 tablespoon of salt. Mix and pour into an oiled cake pan. Bake 375 for 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

*1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of white sugar, 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, 2 tablespoons of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix till crumbly.  

Herbs and Spices

Every kitchen should be well stocked with herbs and seasonings. Even a plain pot of water can taste good with the right seasoning added to it. Some of the most ordinary dishes can taste better and be a culinary delicacy, with the right herbs added. Its something that can even be fun to experiment with and customize to your own taste.  Initially it can be expensive to stock up your kitchen with herbs and seasonings. However you only need use small quantities at a time so a jar can go along way. If you keep them in airtight containers they last longer. I tend to buy a different herbs or seasoning each time I go to the store. Spreading the cost out over time.

herb [hɜːb (US) ɜːrb]n

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) a seed-bearing plant whose aerial parts do not persist above ground at the end of the growing season; herbaceous plant

2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany)

a.  any of various usually aromatic plants, such as parsley, rue, and rosemary, that are used in cookery and medicine

b.  (as modifier) a herb garden

seasoning [ˈsiːzənɪŋ]n

1. (Cookery) something that enhances the flavour of food, such as salt or herbs

When experimenting it is best to think of herbs in groups. There is the Sweet group these are seasonings added to things like pies, cookie, pastries, fruits or fruit bread. They include: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Ginger, Chocolate,  Vanilla, and, orange or lemon rind. (Allspice is very rarely used  in anything but is a good spice to use in  variety of foods from squashes to meats. I make a really good Christmas sausage with it).

There is the spicy group primary for Mexican food but anything you might want to spice up. They include: Paparika, Cayenne Pepper, Chili powder, Cilantro and various dried Peppers (make sure you wash your hands afterwards and don't accidentally rub your hair out of your eyes they can really burn).

The Italian group includes: Oregano, Onion Power, Chives, Bay leaf, Basil, and Garlic (really you can use this in almost anything, I do suggest getting cloves and squishing them).

Then there is what I call the General herbs that can be used in everything from eggs to soups. This is what you use when you want that added something special. They are Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Parsley (this has no flavor its for looks and color),  Celery seed, Sage (this is used on a lot of poultry dishes). There's Dill that is used for fish. Curry powder is used in dishes from India. There are a lot of Asian herbs but I cant pronounce them much less spell them and all of mine have Asian writing on them. I get them at our local Asian market and use them when I'm doing stir fry or sushi or fish. Again trial and error.

There is the Pepper Group these can be used every where and each kind makes the food taste just a little different. I really do suggest getting pepper corns and a grinder or small mortar and pestle. It really does make a difference to have fresh ground. They include: black, white, pink, and green peppers. Each has its own distinct taste or you can used them mixed.

Adding even a little of  spice to a premade sauce or meal can make it taste like it was freshly homemade. When I have forgotten to take something out for dinner can always make pasta and pasta sauce.

Sauté 2 tablespoons of oil or butter or margarine with  a teaspoon Salt, pepper, Onion Power, and Garlic. Add a tablespoon of each Oregano,  Chives, Bay leaf, and basil (it helps  to pull out the flavor of the dried herbs),  simmer on low for five minutes. You can add chopped onions,  mushrooms or even carrots or zucchini depending on your likes. Sauté for another five minuets or until the vegetables are soft.  Add tomatoes sauce and or any form of tomatoes (fresh, whole, diced, paste, etc.) simmer on medium to low heat for as long as you have before you need to serve it. The longer the better it will taste. Serve over any variety of pasta you have on hand top with any kind of cheese you may have on hand sprinkle with parsley.

What to make for dinner?

What should I cook for dinner is a question that shouldn't be asked when you come home from work tired. In most cases, it is the question that we ask ourselves everyday as we look into our refrigerators and cupboards hoping the food will jump out at us all prepared and ready to be served. The sad fact is that ready to serve food, while quick and easy, can become costly for any size family. Making a weekly planner of dinner and recipes ahead of time can greatly cut  food budget.

The old adage, "plan your meals out before you go shopping so you will know what to buy and not spend more than you need," is not always the cheapest way. This was all well and good when food prices did not fluctuate the way they do now from week to week. Back in the olden days (ok, I'm showing my age), you knew that ground beef would be a dollar a pound every week. That ground beef can now cost anywhere from $2.50 to $4.00 a pound depending on the current sale, amount of fat or the butcher's whims.

1. Make a  written list or at least a mental note of things in your pantry and refrigerator/freezer.
2. Look over the grocery store ads and get an idea of what meats, chicken or fish are on sale.
3. Look in the discount meat or chicken section of your grocery store.
4. Buy pantry goods in bulk as they come on sale.

Once you have stocked up your freezer with discounted meats, chicken, or fish you have a good basis to create meal plans. Use what's  in your freezer and pantry ingredients to build your meals around. This can keep cost down. The Internet is a good resource because you can give it a list of items you might have and it can give you a recipe that includes those items. Then, you may only need to buy the few ingredients still needed. Doing this, lets say, over the weekend means that you know what to take out and defrost before you leave for work. It also saves your brain from having to figure out what to fix when you get home from work.

In my case, chicken quarters were on sale for 56 cents a pound in the discount bin. I have found $80 worth of t-bone steaks for $20 or even prime rib.

Here is a recipe using the chicken I found cheap.

Italian Chicken over Rice
Make 2-4 cups of cooked rice. Lay on the bottom of a glass casserole dish. Place 2 lbs. of washed chicken quarters (or any parts of the chicken you get on sale) on the rice. Pour a half a cup of water over chicken and rice. Salt and pepper chicken and rice liberally. Pour 1/2 cup of Italian dressing over chicken. Sprinkle oregano and garlic powder over chicken. Optionally, place whole canned tomatoes on chicken. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Add canned or frozen green beens and garlic bread for a well rounded dinner.
You can fix the entire meal and feed 6 people for under $8.