Best Yummy Food

Every time I make brownies and start to scrape that ooey gooey chocolatey goodness into a pan for baking, I think of the day in baking class when I headed to the sink with a bowl that still had chocolate clinging to the sides of the pan.  I thought I was done and intended to wash the pan.  The chef stopped me, well to be honest screamed at me, “You’re leaving money in the pan!”  And proceeded with a stiff lecture about how expensive chocolate was and I should scrape every bit out of the pan.  If that were my restaurant I would be throwing money into the can.  I’ve never forgotten it.

When you are cooking at home for the family, take a moment to think about any times you may be leaving money in the pan.  It might be something as simple as not scraping out all the brownie batter, but there are other ways to save money for yourself as well.  How about saving your carrot, celery and onion trimmings and making a broth from them the next time you are in the mood for soup?  The same goes for any bones you cut off from your meat.  They can be roasted  and used for a tremendous stock for stews or soups.

Got any leftover bread?  Did you know bread makes a good thickener for soups, stews or sauces?  Or maybe treat your family to some fantastic bread pudding.  If you happen to have leftover mashed potatoes (This rarely happens at my house) you can use the potatoes as a thickener or consider saving them for making shepherd’s pie.  Leftover biscuits from breakfast?  Hang on to them.  You can always spread butter, garlic, parmesan cheese on them later and heat them in a 400 degree oven.

Cereal that has gone too stale to eat in a bowl of milk can be crushed and used as a breading for oven baked chicken.  Leftover wine can be frozen in cubes and used in casseroles and sauces (but not in a sauce that is the shining star of the meal).

Starting to get the idea?  I’d like to hear your favorite uses for leftovers and how you are working to keep money in your pocket and not in the pan!

Serving Size  : 1    
  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
     1/3           cup  unsweetened apple juice
     1/3           cup  water
     1/8      teaspoon  nutmeg
     1/2                firm apple — pared & finely sliced
                        salt
     1/3           cup  oatmeal
     1/4      teaspoon  cinnamon

Place juice, water, apple and seasonings in microwave proof measuring cup.
Microwave for 2.5 minutes. Place oatmeal in microwave proof serving bowl.
Add microwaved apple mixture to oatmeal. Microwave 1 min for quick oats, 3
min for regular.

Seasonings can be adjusted according to taste. Half apples keep well until
the next day or two by wrapping the unpeeled half in plastic wrap. Granny
Smith or Macintosh apples are great for this.

                                    – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 186 Calories; 2g Fat (10.1%
calories from fat); 5g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 0mg
Cholesterol; 6mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2
Fat.

Price for family of four: $5.32

Serving Size  : 6    
Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–        ————  ——————————–
  1                 cup              water
  1                 cup              milk
  3                                      eggs
     1/2         cup              buckwheat flour
     2/3         cup             white flour
     1/2         teaspoon  salt
  3                 tbsp.          melted butter

Serve them with melted butter and cinnamon sugar.

TO MAKE BATTER IN A BLENDER, put all ingredients into a blender jar in order given, and blend briefly at medium speed. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender jar; then blend for another 5 seconds or so. Pour out the batter into a bowl, cover and let rest for 1 hour before using.

TO MAKE BATTER BY HAND, beat the eggs slightly, add milk, water, salt and melted butter, then gradually whisk in flours. Pour the batter through a strainer and let sit for 1/2 hour before using. To cook crepes, melt a little butter in a crepe pan and cook. As buckwheat has an enormous capacity to absorb liquid, you might find it necessary to thin the batter with more milk or water.

                                    – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 197 Calories; 10g Fat (45.6%
calories from fat); 7g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 127mg
Cholesterol; 294mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0
Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.

Cost for Family of Four:   $1.16

When we talk about yummy delicious grains, two very important words must be spoken:“whole grain”. For the most quality and nutritional bang for the buck, whenever you are working with a grain product, try to get as much whole grain into the recipe as possible.

What is a whole grain? There are basically three parts of a grain: bran, germ and endosperm. A grain is said to be refined when the bran and germ are removed during milling. It is considered to be whole grain when all three parts of the grain kernel are intact.

When purchasing a whole grain product, look for the word “whole” on the package and in the ingredient list. You want the first items in the ingredient list to be the whole grain you are purchasing. Also, while you are looking at that nutritional label, it is best if you can get 3 grams of dietary fiber per serving from the product.
Here’s a list of some very yummy whole grains:

• Whole grain barley
• Brown rice
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur (cracked wheat)
• Millet
• Oatmeal
• Popcorn
• Whole-wheat bread, pasta, crackers, sandwich buns and rolls, tortillas, and cereal flakes (ready-to-eat breakfast cereal)
• Wild rice
• Whole-wheat flour
• Whole cornmeal
• Muesli (ready-to-eat breakfast cereal)
• Whole grain cornmeal
• Whole rye
• Amaranth
• Quinoa
• Sorghum
• Triticale

When you think of trying to add more grains into the diet, give these a try.  The nutritional value will be well worth a few pennies more.