I wanted to tell you about Spur so many times before ‘cause it’s one of my top 3 favorite restaurants in Seattle and you just *must* go there. That is, in case you like brilliantly-good food, amazing cocktails, the feel of a sophisticated downtown/neighborhood gastronomic pub, and fab music from the 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s (Led Zeppelin, Talking Heads, Echo and The Bunnymen anyone???) Well, do you?

I sure do, and that’s why I couldn’t say no to an invitation from TexaSweet Citrus’s PR saying “Spur Gastropub tomorrow night… Bring your appetite for this special four-course, Texas grapefruit-inspired menu… Chefs Brian McCracken and Dana Tough will create a special multi-course menu highlighting the versatile, sweet flavor of Texas Rio Star Grapefruit.”

Grapefruit?

I was absolutely positive that Spur chefs will play and create exciting dishes with it.

There are many restaurants that I like in Seattle but so far only Spur succeeds in creating brainy food that tickles not only your intellect but also your tummy and soul. (I’ve been to some restaurants that get out of their way to make creative or molecular food but the end result is boring and not particularly appetizing.) The first time I had dinner there (with my husband) I declared that if I wasn’t married, I’d go and kiss the chef.

So… The meal started with carbonated grapefruit segments. It was like eating/drinking solid grapefruit-flavored soda—it was a bit confusing but an exciting, new experience with this fruit–

and lovely Gougères (French cheese puffs)

Followed by radicchio and grapefruit salad with candied pecans and blue cheese

Spot prawns with carrots mash, a foam of something on top—there was a lot going on in this dish—baby cilantro, and grapefruit. The grapefruit was warm which was a surprise—when was the last time you had warm grapefruit?

Sous vide duck, fennel, Brussels sprouts. That crunchy crust was so oo-la-la-delish

1 cocktail (The Empress, a signature cocktail at Spur that “will never leave the menu”, they promised. (The menu changes frequently/seasonally)) and 4 wines paired with each course to try…

And for dessert, passion fruit custard, grapefruit sorbet, fromage blanc ice cream, and streusel

I couldn’t decide which photo makes it look prettier—it was SO good. Have I said “brainy” enough times already? You can easily tell how much thought was put into each one of the dishes.

Thank you Spur Gastropub and TexaSweet Citrus Marketing for a mind-blowing dinner! I’ve got a “whole lotta love” for you.

“Finally” was the first word that came to my mind when I got an email from Norma announcing a “celebration in honor of Chef John Howie’s new cookbook:  Passion & Palate:  Recipes for a Generous Table.” Chef John Howie is the owner of Seastar restaurant and raw bar (as well as Sports and Steak) which has been, and still is, one of our favorite restaurants since we move to WA about 10 years ago. I’ve been waiting for this cookbook ever since.

So, yeah, finally. He wrote a cookbook.

The launch party was a lot of fun with some of my favorite dishes:

Raw, fresh oysters with shallots, grapefruit and pomegranate seeds

(The recipe is in the book.)

Scallop ceviche with mango-kiwi relish (It’s in the book!)

Sushi… I love their pickled ginger (That red pile in the front)—it’s the best!

(And what do you know? They are all included in the book!)

Chubby oysters in a creamy leek sauce and silky deviled eggs with Ahi tartare (It’s in the book!)

I believe this was a Mahi Mahi ceviche with pineapple relish. Yum yum.
(And if I’m right then… It’s in the book! Page 55)

Shots of porcini soup with truffles cream (You guessed it, it’s in the book.)

All this beautiful food spearheaded by Chef Howie

Superb wines were poured by the charming sommelier, Erik Liedholm (Fantastic suit, BTW) from champagne to sauvignon blanc to an esoteric wine/grape I never heard about before and can’t remember it’s name, to pinot noir, and moscato—Wow—I tried them all.

No, it’s not in the book (Or maybe it is?) It’s close to home, from Willamette Valley, OR

A tower of desserts: Lemon poppy seeds cookies, White chocolate Irish cream truffles (It was so soft, like a baby’s butt!), Chocolate hot chili truffles (I Love, love chili & chocolate together), and Ginger snap cookies.

Fun party,

and then we went home

They say that 350 people tested the recipes.

What should I make first?

Mussels Provencal or crab cakes?

Sorry for not being around much lately. With summer and all, you know, I’ve been away doing other stuff. Well, summer only lasts here about 2 months! Only!

When I moved here 10 years ago people would say “Let’s meet for coffee” and when I’d say “OK, when?” and open my calendar (It was in paper, no iPhones back then) they would reply “Ahhh…sometimes in September or October.”

I thought they were kidding me back then, but now I get it. With such a short summer, no one wants to do things they can do later in the year in the summer. Meet for coffee? We can do this during winter.

Seattle summer is a time to be outside, outdoors, out there. Unless you are sitting in your warm-to-hot car defrosting your bones.

But I just had to stop by for a quick post and tell you about this book that my friend Keren wrote—I’m very proud of her!—because you might be traveling to Seattle, or maybe you are a local but still, in this book, you will discover many food places that you have never heard of before. You might need this book.

Keren covered every place: restaurant, lounge, bar, coffee shop, food truck, specialty food store, market, events, etc, worth mentioning in her book. She has done an extremely thorough job.

I’ve been living and eating here for 10 years and I haven’t heard about many of the places in the book.

It’s a small and lightweight and you can carry it in your purse and check mark every place you went to.

Get a copy: Food Lovers’ Guide to Seattle: Best Local Specialties, Markets, Recipes, Restaurants & Events by Keren Brown

Also see: Food Lovers Guide to Seattle Book Launch Party and many other upcoming events (especially for moms at a local café in Seattle) with Keren—click here.

And a list of places to start checking out at Sexy Food: One-On-One With Keren Brown by Linda Miller Nicholson

Enjoy, travel, and feast!

We almost didn’t make it to see the gingerbread houses in Seattle this year. The exhibit ends in 2 days.

But the Sheraton’s Gingerbread House Village had become a yearly family holiday tradition since 2008.

In case you don’t know, the gingerbread houses are made with all edible ingredients like candy, sugar, and graham crackers. I also noticed some pastas as well all kinds of breakfast cereal.

The theme this year was “Home for the Holidays” and it’s beautiful and amazing like it has been in the past years. (I only wish the lighting there was better…)

And if you haven’t seen it before, you’ve gotta also see the pics I took in 2008 and 2009.

I have finally met her. The pie lady.

I’ve heard so much about Kate McDermott’s Art of the Pie class in the past year. Some people call her “The pie lady”, some “The pie whisperer” but no matter what they call her, all of them love her and rave about her class, and her pies. Especially the pie dough.

In the past two decades I have used the same one apple pie recipe which I have had since 1990’s and the same fruit crostata recipe, and I wasn’t very curious about other pies at all. But I did get very curious to know more about Kate’s pie because all the talk about her around town. Finally, last Saturday I had a chance to participate in her pie baking class at Dish it up!

The thing that touched me the most about Kate’s pie was her relating to the pie almost as if it were a person: a friend, and at times, even as a child. She was talking to it, sending good vibes into it, thinking good thoughts about people she cares about while mixing and kneading it. She patted the chilled dough with her rolling pin, but did not hit it. “You would not do that to a child, would you?”, she asked. I confess, I banged quite a few doughs (but not kids!) that were hard to roll in the past. But no more, no more.

In short, Kate is putting her pleasant, warm personality into the pie. Making her pie was not an act without a thought or emotion, was not an automatic series of actions, although one could have expected it to be just that since she’s been making pies for many, many year. But no, watching and listening to Kate while she demonstrated making her pies was watching an act full of love, care, and warmth.

I must say, I think what I have witnessed was not only the “art” of the pie, but also the “soul” of the pie and its maker.

When we got to taste a freshly baked apple pie, I tried to identify what’s so different about it? I compared it in my head to the ones I had before. Maybe it’s the addition of leaf lard (I have never used it so far), but there was something beyond that. I think it was the love that was put into it.

The filling—it was phenomenal. Kate used many different apple varieties—one of each kind. I think there were 8 of them. Each one with a unique characteristic to add: some turned mushy when baked, some held their shape, some were sweet, some tart, there were greens and reds… And the spices… They were just right, and so gentle. Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure you put 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in this?”, because usually the cinnamon flavor really stands out, overpowering the fruit in apple pies.

Now what about the dough? It is definitely distinctive but more difficult to describe. I think that compared to an all-butter dough which tends to have a melt-in-your-mouth and crumbly texture, Kate’s dough  has a bite, it’s not very crumbly but more crispy, and crunchy, but most of all, it has layers—not at all a puff pastry but certainly it made me think of one. See?

Kate wrote a blog post full of tips about the pie making process, Flour, salt, fat and water.

There’s also an excellent post with the recipe and more tips here, in this post.

I took many notes during class. Here are the tips I learned:

For the dough:

Rule #1: keep everything cold! Everything—the bowl, the flour, your hands (chill in ice water), the rolling pin, etc. Keep them in the freezer! On hot days, put your mixing bowl inside a bigger bowl with ice.

Kate doesn’t sift and doesn’t take exact measurements. She keeps it simple and feels it with her hands.

Use butter that is sold wrapped in foil. It’s a sign for good, fresh butter.

Stop mixing before you think you’re done. You should still have large pieces of butter—this will create the marbling later on, which translates into layers of flaky dough.

For vegetarian (and Kosher) dough, you can use Earth Balance brand to substitute the lard and butter.

After every addition of water squeeze the mixture to test if it holds and pulls into a ball.

The dough is freezable, unbaked, up to a month. But, before freezing it, put it in the fridge for the gluten to relax.

For the filling:

Use a variety of apples.

Cut the fruit to large dice.

Don’t judge an apple (or a person) by the way it looks on the outside. It might be delicious. Taste it and see.

No need to peel the fruit. It will make every bite a flavor and texture sensation.

Use superior quality fruit! (Go to the market, if there is one close to you.)

To estimate how much fruit you’ll need, put the whole fruits in the pie pan and pile it high. Put it back again after dicing it to measure if you have enough before you proceed with the seasoning.

The amount of spices she used to season her pile of diced apples:

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2-3 gratings of nutmeg
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar/lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour

When rolling the dough:

Put a good amount of flour on the board

The technique: place the rolling pin in the middle of your “chubby disk”, from the middle, roll up, lift, go back to the middle and roll down. Turn the dough, repeat. Flip to other side, repeat.

Roll it to be as thick as glass.

If the dough tears, use water to glue it back together

Put the pie dish in the freezer

Brush excess flour off the rolled dough, on both sides, before transferring it to the pie dish

Kate doesn’t bother with greasing her pan. (The dough did not stick. Ha!)

The dough has memory. If you stretch it, it’ll shrink when you bake it (Remembering where it used to be.)

Scatter diced butter on top of the filling once placed in the pie dish

After putting the second rolled dough on top of the filling, roll it up, making a “reservoir” so the juices don’t escape out (I’ll add to that, always put your pan in a large baking sheet when you bake!). Also, take it off the edge. If the dough sits on the edge, it’ll melt downwards and it could burn.

If once you finished preparing the pie the dough gets warm, put it back in the fridge to chill before baking

Bake: 425 F degrees for 20 minutes + 375 F, 40 minutes. If it browns too fast, place aluminum foil with a hole in the middle (for the steam to vent), matte side up, to protect the dough.

A tip about ovens: If you want to test and see if your oven has hot spots, place slices of bread on a baking sheet and bake it, see where it browns and when not.

Make “tasties” with the leftover dough.

***

I also found a recipe for Kate’s Shaker Lemon Pie here and her blackberry pie in Saveur magazine, here.

My conclusion: Wonderful Kate makes wonderful pie!

I spent Sunday brunch time at allrecipes gorgeous kitchen in downtown Seattle for a Back to School Tweetup event. Since I don’t have an iPhone (or other means for tweeting live) and did not want to schlep my laptop for tweets’ sake, I’ve decided to share this experience with you in a post.

I admit it, I’ve never used allrecipes web site to search for recipes before—have you? It’s one of the biggest recipes web sites with recipes that are generated by users, simple people like you and me (unlike the celebrity chef driven sites). So, anyway, I was a bit surprised to be invited to this event. Nevertheless, you will find useful information here today.

All the participants were mommy bloggers. We met and chat over Proseco mimosas (Interesting, all the women chose a mimosa over coffee. I wonder why…) It was nice to see some fresh faces, like Kristin from Kristin pot pie and Jenny from Jenny on the spot.

But the focus of the day was not how to get drunk before lunch time, but a cooking demonstration and recipe ideas derived from allrecipes.com site. Chef Joy who teaches cooking classes at Whole Foods was the star of the “show”.

First, she talked about the importance of including fresh fruit in your kid’s lunch box—I couldn’t agree more. However, she said, ”a whole fruit is not as appealing as a cut fruit so sometimes it ends up uneaten, or worse, in the trash!” What you have to do is make it look appealing an fun. You need to peel it and/or slice it. It makes a big difference.

I know from my own experience as the mother in this house, that to be able to shove some fresh fruits down my peoples’ throats, I have to peel it, slice/dice it, even take the seeds out. And, yes, sometimes I have to bring it as close to their mouths as possible, like a mommy bird brings a worm to her baby birdies beaks. Ah, they are so spoiled. Spoiled, I tell ya…

When I send fruit in a lunchbox, if it’s a fruit that browns, like apples, I put the cut pieces in a bowl with some lemon juice diluted with water. Now that lemons seem to be so expensive, I’m going to use oranges instead. It actually tastes better with orange juice.

When it’s fruit like a banana… Well, I send it as is, unpeeled, wrapped in a paper towel because I know the poor banana is going to get kicked and pushed around and will end up smooshed and bruised from my kid’s playing with the lunchbox. But Joy… Joy draws a face of hers

 Now, do your kids like food that looks cute? Then try Apple Ladybug snacks. (As for me, I don’t think my kids will fall for this trick. Plus, I’m not the type who makes cute food, or decorated food. Yeah, I know, I’m so Bo-ring.)

Joy demonstrated about 10 different recipes she found on the allrecipes.com web site. One of them was chicken soup (She used store-bought brands. To get the best flavor, she uses 2 different brands) with pasta, tortellini in this case, and frozen peas, with a sprinkle of parmesan before serving.

My take on this? I make an easy homemade chicken stock (it is so much better then *any* store bought stock/broth you’ll ever find so you should make a teeny tiny effort to make your own. Please!) My kids love when I add Matzo balls, yes, store-bought. But I use whole wheat—does it give me extra points? And, I usually add the peas in their frozen state to the soup—this is a quick way to cool a steaming hot soup for little kiddies. 

Next, we put our hands on some Vietnamese salad rolls. I particularly liked this recipe because, really, this is one of the easiest things to make, and it’s so fresh, and crunchy, and even sophisticated! I have seen spring rolls being made numerous times before but never came to a point of actually making them at home. Shame on me. The best part about rolls? I love recipes with many different ingredients where anyone can make their own and put inside only what they like. This is why we eat wraps and tacos often in this household.

We drank a lot.

And ate a lot. (We tasted about 10 recipe…)

And finished with dessert, a combination of S’mores and Rocky Roads. A-ha.

Sweet.

And that was so much fun.

Just look at this place!

Wouldn’t you want to work and cook in such a kitchen?

I knew you would.

I would too.

Sometimes I get stuck. Plain stuck in a rut. When everything seems to be the same old routine, dull and boring. When nothing much is happening. I’m sure it happens to everyone, right?!

Does it ever happen to you?

When it happens to me, I find my posts are dreary, my photos are terrible, the food I cook a total bore – well, when you’ve been cooking chicken for 20+ years, how do you get giddy about yet another chicken recipe?

To get out of the mud, I seek new energies. Look for new ideas. Hunt for exciting recipes. See what other people are doing.

(Or I go shopping. I went. I’m back.)

I search for inspiration.

Sometimes I find it.

Have you heard about Mireille Guiliano?

No? OK, let’s try again. Have you heard about the book “French Women Don’t Get Fat”? A-ha! I thought so.

I attended a gathering in Muse coffee shop in Seattle last Monday. Oh, how I wish I had a coffee shop like Muse close to my home. It’s a very energetic and exciting place; the coffee is so tasty and fresh, the beautiful art hung on the walls is so colorful, and there’s so much light… It’s just fantastic! The sort of place that gets you in the creative mood and in the muse indeed.

My friend Keren, a.k.a the Frantic Foodie organized another fun food event; this time with Mireille Guiliano, who has a newly published book, the French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook!

We had an opportunity to hear Mireille’s stories and philosophy about life and food, and ask her questions. (For some reason, I always find myself to be the most curious person in the room/the one who nags with so many questions.)

So what is so inspiring about Mireille Guiliano?

First, she wore a fabulous royal purple jacket.

Her hair looks great. And I loved her green sunglasses.

But I think it was her repetition of the word “pleasure” (with a French accent) that did it.

Yes, that pretty much summarizes everything. Pleasure…

Anyone who encourages me and my fellow people to have more pleasure in life is my guru.

OK, you want to know more?

“Pleasure”, “eating with pleasure”, “good life”, “Joie de vivre”, if you must. How can a person who talks like that not be inspiring? And she seems the kind of person who practices what she preaches; pleasure.

Pleasure as a way of living, pleasure as a way of eating.

Food-wise, she made a good point when she asked, “Are we eating to live or living to eat?”

I want to be living to eat.

A while ago I have blogged about weight loss together with 3 other bloggers and after a while I quit. I just thought that diet talk is a total bore and leads to nothing. (I won’t even bother to point out the link to it.) I did nothing really to lose weight. Just talk, talk, talk… and blog, blog, blog… Mireille is right; diets don’t work. Instead, she proposes eating as a way of living.

I know that for me the main problem with food is that I relate to it as a task, as “eating to live”. I constantly feel I’m on the run, thinking about the millions things I need/want to do next, I don’t feel relaxed when I eat. I cook fast, I eat fast, I barely breath between bites. Literally, I sit at the edge of the chair during each and every meal. Not a good thing.

My main question for her was, “How can I, with two young kids, can relax and enjoy dinner when there’s so much noise at the table, and when there’s so much to do after dinner? It just makes me eat fast and as a result, more than I need.”

Here are a few notes I took while she spoke (the rest you can read in her book/s):

- To enjoy eating with children, delegate tasks, set rules at the tables, cook together, take the time.

- As a general approach, we need to take the time for enjoyment and pleasure by setting boundaries. It’s the 21st century trap – we eat too fast, as if it is work. Don’t speed, slow down.

- Focus on the food when you eat (no talking on the phone, or reading a book, no eating by your desk at work, etc).

- Balance.

- No snacks. Three meals a day. Each meal should have carbs, protein, and fat.

- Portion size. (I noticed the recipes in her cookbook have smaller portion size. For example, 3-5 oz. of meat and fish per person.)

There are many recipes I plan to try from her new cookbook. Some are: Shaved fennel and citrus salad, Macaroni with ricotta and walnuts, Lemon ricotta pancakes… But as a daily reminder, I’ve decided to adopt Mireille’s breakfast suggestion, her recipe for Magical Breakfast Cream.

Mireille’s Magical Breakfast Cream

I thought that since the recipe has oil and nuts, why not use a nutty oil (like walnut or hazelnut oil) instead of flaxseed oil? Also, I like to add a little sweetness from a fresh fruit. Otherwise, here it is, the recipe from the French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook.

Makes 1 serving

***

Our very own local and amazing, and one of my favorite people and good friend, Keren Brown organized a special event this weekend.

Do you spot anyone who might look familiar to you?

(Hint: She’s sitting on the left side)

Do you know Ree? A.k.a The Pioneer Woman?

Ree is on a book tour and Keren asked her to allocate some time to meet with Seattle’s food bloggers.

Ree was so sweet and down to earth, patient to listen to everyone’s stories, and she has two great big, really gorgeous, dimples.

And here’s Ree taking a photo of me taking a photo of her.

We’re blogger paparazzi/paparazzi bloggers… spying on our family, spying on other bloggers, on food…

Besides meeting Ree, hearing her speak and me joking around (a bit too much? I hope I did not make a complete fool of myself), the event was a wonderful opportunity to meet people I like and get to know new ones, and drink and eat local wine and food.

There was lots of good food and wine at Anthony’s restaurant located in Seattle by the water with fantastic view of Puget Sound. It was my first time there but I will be back! Such professional, generous, and pleasant hospitality and food there.

Oregon Dungeness crab legs,

I wish I took photos of the rest of the food to show you. It was delicious! Asian ginger beef sliders, Seared fresh Alaska halibut, Ahi Poke on sesame crisp. All good enough reasons to start your own food blog. I tell ya, there’s lots of perks in this “job”.

The view from the restaurant, breathtaking

A way overly exposed photo, but I love it

Raw oysters are pretty new to me. The first time I had one was last summer. Have you ever had raw oysters?

An oyster’s flavor is so unique; I’d say there’s no experience quite like it.

Eating an oyster always feels to me like swallowing sea water. It reminds me of the time I almost drowned at sea when I was 10. I feel like swallowing the ocean again and the taste lingers long after the oyster has gone down. Nowadays, every time I eat fresh raw seafood that it makes me happy to be living in Seattle.

And it all happened here,

I can’t get enough of this…

Yesterday morning I woke up and felt like making pancakes. I only make pancakes a handful of times a year, but after my Poffertjes experience, I got into the mood.

With the hunger challenge on my mind, I could not stop thinking about the ease with which such a craving is an impulse and not a decision. It was something I wanted and could do without thinking about it twice, unlike when I took the previous hunger challenge and we had a tight budget of $110 for the four of us to stretch during 5 days. Back then we just didn’t have enough money left or any food items in the pantry to make pancakes, and I’m not even fantasizing about maple syrup, blueberries, raspberries, or chocolate.

As a parent, a mother, I cherish every moment that I am able to feed my family, my children, and not having them worry about food.

I can cook and bake with my children anytime I want to or they want to

My children have the freedom of choice to be picky about food

I don’t think I need to tell you about people who are hungry and poor. You know it’s out there. You’ve heard it before. But, for the sake of the children… (sorry, I know, it’s a “cheap” trick), let’s give a little. $7 is a lot for someone who has to rely on food stamps.

There are many things you and I can do, whatever works best for you, like:

* Plan a food drive with your school, neighborhood, or after-school group.

 *Donate the free items from “buy one, get one free” grocery store campaigns.

 *Grow a vegetable garden with your family and donate extra vegetables to a local soup kitchen. Check out this for more details: Gardening for the Greater Good.

* Donate to Yes We Can! Project.  United Way is trying to raise $10,000 to help fund a project to rent out space at a local cannery. At this cannery space, they will be able to preserve fresh food (like vegetables and fruits) that normally would go bad and get thrown away (what a waste of good food), and then distribute them to food banks. Renting out space in the cannery will result in 10,000 – 14,000 additional cans of food per week for local emergency food providers. It’s a great project that will help tons of families, will save food, and will help people eat healthier!

***

To read my previous hunger challenge posts:

January 2010:

United Way’s Hunger Challenge 2010: Freedom to choose

Hunger challenge 2010 – Giving

Hunger challenge 2010 – Hungry, not only for food

April 2009:

Lots of planning… and cakes

Hunger challenge – Budget, groceries, and menu

Hunger Action Week – 1st day & grocery shopping

Hunger Action Week and thoughts of empty fridges

Hunger Action Week – This is what’s left

Hunger Action Week – Days 3-4-5

Hunger Action Week – the end

I find it a difficult to write about hunger when it comes to my own personal story. I remember being hungry too but no, we were not poor. So I believe… Although my father was nowhere in sight ’cause he was living on a different planet (OK, not planet, continent), my mother had a good job as a computer programmer years before they started invading our lives. I assume she earned a nice salary and money wasn’t the issue. The real issue was little energy and a lack of interest in setting foot in the kitchen, going to the grocery store, cooking food, stocking the fridge and the pantry. My mother worked long hours and spending time in the kitchen or home making were never her passion.

As a child, I didn’t like to eat much. Almost every day, I came back home from school with hardly touched food in my lunchbox. I usually threw it in a garbage can on my way home so my mother will not get upset about me not eating my lunch. By the time I was in high school, I stepped into the kitchen and cooked every weekend. On weekdays, I was responsible for preparing my own lunchbox which meant I didn’t make any. Was I a lazy teenager? Most days I didn’t eat anything before 2 PM or later. I remember sending hungry looks at the boys who took big, thick, generous sandwiches that their mommies made for them out of their backpacks, or devouring a home-made lunch at my best friend’s house, and shoplifting food from the grocery store near my high school during recess. There were no cafeterias in the schools I went to and I didn’t have money to pay for food anyway. Sometimes I stole money out of my mother’s purse, if I thought she will not notice, and bought half a loaf of bread stuffed with whatever while a stolen chocolate milk hid in my pocket. With the stolen money I also bought snacks which I secretly kept in my desk’s drawer, just in case there won’t be any food at home. I might have been hungry, but it wasn’t only for food.

Big jump to the present…

Not throwing away food and using leftovers makes me terribly happy and proud. I feel so resourceful and smart, like yesterday when I used old, but still good, cheeses I had in the fridge to bake savory cheese “cookies”and a fancier Mac and cheese. (More recipe and leftover ideas can be found here: Leftovers)

We do splurge from time to time with more expansive food, but mostly I cook simple meals with basic ingredients that don’t cost much. I think this is what my children prefer and it saves me time that I can spend with them instead of in the kitchen. I invited my son to cook the Mac and cheese with me but he didn’t feel like it. So, it’s best to make it quick and simple and then go play.

Other money saving tips I learned:

* Non-star, humble, food ingredients like cabbage, zucchini, kale, chicken liver, cost less and they are delicious and nutritious.

* Growing a few herb plants which cost $2-$3 each saves a lot of dough and add a lot of flavor to simple dishes. A package of fresh herb costs about $3 and it dies fast unlike a potted plant you can use for a few good months, even years. It’s beautiful too. Make sure to read Willi’s post Gardening for Food Security!

* Portion size. We calculate 4 oz. of protein/meat (beef, lamb, pork, and fish) per adult. A 6 oz. portion is considered very generous here. It is healthier and… better for the environment.

* Stretching ground meat with breadcrumbs, like they used to do in the old days, will make 1 pound of meat transformed into a meatloaf or meatballs good enough for 8 servings!

What food-money saving tips do you keep in your pocket?

***

Here are a few examples of pretty inexpensive recipes and more tips that I have previously posted:

Magical Lentil Soup, Peas and tarragon soup. More soups here, Soups

Simplest vegetable salad, Crunchy cabbage salad. More salads here, Salads

Breadcrumbly Pumpkin Ravioli, Leftovers Creamy Orecchiette with Roasted Vegetables, Chicken, and Leafy Greens. More pasta recipes here, Pasta

Chicken is relatively inexpensive. Last year when I took the challenge on a budget I even managed to buy organic chicken. Breasts cost more, but legs and liver cost less. I’ve got a lot of recipes for chicken (click Chicken.) A few of my favorites and cost-effective are Chicken soup, Crispy chicken legs, Amazing, but simple, Chicken Wrap, Chicken Liver with Cinnamon and Apples… Ah, the list is long. We love chicken.

Beef cost more but you can stretch this Pasta Bolognese recipe into 10 servings! (Other beef recipes under Beef)

A whole dinner of Pork schnitzel, potato-yam mash, roasted cauliflower will cost only $4-$5 per serving.

1 lb. of boneless leg of lamb is enough for 4 adults. With one skewer per person, I make dinner for the whole family. My lamb recipes are under Lamb. They are all my favorites, but if I had to pick only a few, I’d say go for the Marinated Lamb Kebabs with Cilantro and Honey or the Mexican inspired lamb wrap I made foe the challenge.

Fish and seafood cost more…but making a French Onion Quiche or Shakshuka does not.

During the previous hunger challenge I made Pear Clafouti with pears that refused to ripen.This brings us to cakes, cookies, and other desserts. I never tried to calculate the costs of baked goods. The prices, of course, vary from store to store. Flour and sugar are pretty basic and stretch a long way to making many goods. 12 eggs are $3.5 give and take, butter – $2 +/-, sour cream – $1.5, heavy cream – $1, chocolate chips – $2… I assume you can make a cake on a $6-$7 which is good to make 10-12 happy. Maybe not what’s on your mind when you’re dealing with a tight budget, but if you get a chance to breath, it’s a little treat. It costs less than store bought and it tastes a lot better and fresher. Sour Cream Coffee Cake uses pretty basic ingredients as well as Honey vanilla pound cake and you can even make this chocolate cake.