Archive for the ‘Frugal Food’ Category

Photo by Mr. T in DC

Frugal Upstate,

I love your blog – have gotten so many great ideas. Now a question – I love to make homemade pizza, and I agree with your comments that you can make it relatively healthy and inexpensive compared to delivery pizza.  And everyone in my household loves pizza.  My question — is buying a bread machine worth it for making pizza dough (and other homemade bread)? I’ve never owned a bread machine but have always been curious. Now that I have a spacious kitchen, I actually have room to store one. Any suggestions?  Is a bread machine a good frugal investment in the long term for homemade pizza dough and other stuff?

I generally make my pizza dough with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but do the rising, etc. in my oven on the bread-proof cycle. It’s a little more work than I would like for quick pizza meals, but it is good!

Thanks!

Alice

Alice,

Several people have written or commented lately asking me about the brand of my bread-maker, whether I recommend one etc~so your email is quite timely!

To start with I use a West Bend bread-maker.  It is an older model that we’ve had for quite some time. About 2 years ago it managed to vibrate itself off the counter while kneading bread, breaking the cover off and cracking the casing-I now have to prop up one corner of the machine with a potholder each time I use it. And the lid falls off when I open it up.  But hey-it still works.

Would I recommend one for you? Hmm, yes and no.

No, I would not recommend that you run right out and buy a new breadmachine.  Although the price has come down quite a bit on these units (a cursory Google search showed prices from $200 to $44) it’s still a chunk of change.

Yes, I do think one could be useful for you-especially if you,like me, plan on using it as merely a bread mixing, kneading & intial rising device.  My recommendation to you is to take a little jaunt to your local thrift store-something like a Goodwill or Salvation Army.  Those places usually have 2 or 3 breadmachines, older styles, just sitting on the shelves.

Pick out a nice unit with the larger pan size (2lbs).  Test it out*-plug it in and run the dough cycle for a few minutes to see if the little blade inside rotates around like it is supposed to. You don’t need to worry too much about the heating element etc-with the dough cycle it is only used to slightly warm the pan and aid with rising.

Head home with your bargain priced item and enjoy your breadmaking.  If you find that  you really love it and can’t live without it, then consider asking for a nicer model next year at Christmas

Jenn

Do you have a question for Frugal Upstate? I’d love to hear from you!  Use my contact form to drop me a line and I’ll answer as soon as I can!

*Most thrift stores operate with an “as is” policy on all appliances and electronics. Because of this they usually have several outlets that are left available for patrons to test items.

Photo by NCReedplayer

Halloween might be over, but it is not forgotten at the Frugal Upstate household. Despite the fact that we get over 200 trick or treaters a year, we still somehow wound up with leftover candy and the perennial question: “What do we do with leftover Halloween Candy?!”

I asked my friends on Twitter and we came up with 12 great ideas for using up leftover Halloween candy:

1. Save it for your holiday gingerbread houses (via VisitFingerLake)

2. Freeze it for later.

3. Add a cup at a time to rice crispy squares (via Jeremy Wright). If it’s chocolate or easily meltable let the mix cool a bit first

4. Chop and roll candy apples into crushed candy.

5.  Chop and use as icecream topping or as a decorative/tasty topping for an iced cake.

6.  Toss into homemade trail mix.

7. Chop and mix into brownies. Peppermint Patties or any chocolates/candy bars are especially good.

8. Make Molten Candy Cookies. Just take chocolate chip cookie or sugar cookie dough and wrap a ball around a mini chocolate bar.

9.  Make Leftover Candy Cake.

10. Make Chocolate Candy Corn Cookies (via Feels Like Home)

11. Donate the extra candy to a rehab center (via MommyBlogExpert) a nursing home (via backhomeagain) or a shelter (via luciagia)

12. Sell it to your dentist (via KingdomFirstMom and jodirotondo). Really! There is a program called “Halloween Candy Buy Back” that many dentists participate in.

So what do you do with your leftover candy. . . besides eat it!

Photo by mrjoro

Dear Frugal Upstate,

I am hosting a brunch for 60+ at my church and I saw your recipe for crustless quiche that can be frozen.  If I make these in disposable pie tins, freeze for about 10 days, then how long do I heat to serve?  Thaw first?  Your help is greatly appreciated!

Theresa

Theresa,

Quiche for brunch should be lovely!  I should think that you could make the quiche in 9X13 disposable pans instead of pie plates and then cut into squares or rectangles to serve. You would just have to keep an eye on them while cooking and adjust the time to make sure that the center was completely set/cooked.  I’d say from perusing some other recipes for “quiche for a crowd” about 45-50 minutes at 350.

As for the freezing and thawing, I’ve always cooked the quiche, let cool completely and frozen it. I put it in the oven frozen and baked for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees (check it as you go!).

I did some research for you and saw folks who preferred the taste and quality if you froze the quiche raw (careful not to spill!) and then popped it straight into the oven to bake at 400 for about 45 min for a 9″ pie.

Good luck-I hope you have a lovely brunch!

Welcome to November!  I can’t believe how far into the fall we are already. My oh my-the holiday chaos is ready to start soon.

I’m feel quite in a recipe rut.  Honestly.  I feel as though I cook many of the same dishes over, and over, and over. . . so I am going to add another goal into my weekly menu goals.  As it is I try to work in a vegetarian recipe and a seafood recipe each week. On top of that I want to add in at least one NEW recipe each week.

NOTE:  Do you have a tried & true recipe you think my family would like? Feel free to send it to me!  You can use my contact form. . . if I try  the recipe I’ll publish it (or link to it if you have a blog and have published it) along with full credit and a review of what the Frugal Upstate family thought! So send me those recipes . . .

Monday:  Kid’s Choice.

Our kids only have a half day of school today due to parent teacher conferences.  When the kiddos get home from school I’m going to let them pick what they want to have for dinner, then they can help me make it.  If we don’t have the ingredients on hand then they will have to head to the store with me to go shopping. We’ll use it as an exercise on how much things cost and how to cook. Should be fun!

Tuesday:  Manicotti, Beets & Tossed Salad

Last time I went shopping at Aldi’s they actually had Manicotti shells. It has been a really long time since I’ve made manicotti-so I went ahead and bought them.  I will use a stuffing made with a combination of Mozzarella and cottage cheese (I know it’s heresy to use it in place of ricotta, but it’s what I have on hand).  The beets are still out in the garden.

Wednesday:  Broiled Mahi Mahi, Sauteed Chard & Rice

Mahi Mahi (forzen & prepackaged) was pretty cheap at Aldi’s last week. It is such a nice mild white fish that I couldn’t resist picking up two packages.  I’m serving it with just plain rice and some more chard from the garden.  I can’t believe that stuff hasn’t succumbed to the frost yet!  This is my seafood meal for the week.

Thursday: Split Pea Soup & Homemade Bread

We are still calling this “Shrek Swamp Slime Soup” at the Frugal Upstate house to help get Buddy, who “hates peas”, to eat it.  Funny-he loves the taste as long as we don’t actually call it “Split Pea Soup”. This will be my vegetarian meal for the week.

Friday:  Homemade Calzones & Roasted Broccoli

Using the Pizza Hut Crust Clone recipe of course.

Saturday: Leftovers or Breakfast for Dinner

Gotta use up all those bits and pieces!  If somehow we don’t have enough leftovers to make a meal out of then I’ll whip up some scrambled eggs, bacon & toast.

Sunday:  Shepard’s pie & Beets

Well-actually it will more correctly be “cottage pie” or maybe “woodland pie”. . . I’ll be using a mix of ground beef/turkey and ground venison for the meat.  I’ll add more beets from the garden as a side dish.

For more great menu plan ideas head on over to Menu Plan Monday at The Organizing Junkie.