April 28th, 2009 §
Ramsey and I have been trying to keep our weekly grocery bills under fifty dollars without sacrificing too much flavor and variety in our weeknight meals. A well stocked pantry of dry goods, new cooking methods, and planning weekly menus are three great techniques to achieve this, but sometimes you just stumble upon a combination of cheap, (mostly) fresh ingredients that create a great dish.
A prime example of this took place this evening when I made a simple dinner of spinach fettuccine with peas. While it sounds boring, the addition of onion, lemon zest, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese resulted in an expensive-tasting meal for four that cost $5.68. » Read the rest of this entry «
March 22nd, 2009 §
Much to the dismay of my Irish ancestors, I made meat and mushroom lasagna on St. Patrick’s Day instead of a hearty stew or potato-based dish. I watched a bit of the parade and had an Irish coffee, but I was really just in the mood for Italian. Lasagna also meant that dinner the following night could be leftovers, meaning no prep and only a few dishes to wash. It seems to always taste better on the second day too.
If you’re a vegetarian, you can easily substitute the meat with more mushrooms, roasted eggplant, and zucchini, and still have a very hearty lasagna. » Read the rest of this entry «
September 23rd, 2008 §
One of the dishes I made with the heirloom tomatoes this weekend was a roasted tomato pasta. Whenever you don’t want to spend a lot of energy on a pasta dish, but want to keep it classy (aka, not just pouring the usual sauce from a jar over some spaghetti), roasted tomatoes are a great option. There’s a depth of flavor that you don’t get when adding sliced, raw tomatoes, and it puts any jar sauces to shame. Also, the whole dish reheats well, hence the photo above. Here’s the recipe:
» Read the rest of this entry «
