tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76070070969220603832024-03-19T02:19:12.940-07:00The Tasty CheapskateWhere tasty and cheap eat together (and hopefully remember to write down the recipe).Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger941125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-77752736793313950832020-01-09T11:58:00.003-08:002020-01-09T11:58:53.394-08:00Thoughts on a Juice Fast and a Recipe for Homemade Almond Milk (Raw, Delicious) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
If you just want that almond milk recipe, skip to the end. If you're interested in my experiment with a juice fast, keep reading.<br />
<br />
Back in October, I did something slightly insane. I tried a juice fast. Interestingly, I almost did the same thing at about this time last year. Apparently, Mark and Kip's birthdays (nine days apart) kind of do me in and make me feel gross.<br />
<br />
My <b>main goal was to re-set my body</b>. I wanted good things in it. I wanted my bowels to have a bit of a break. And I wanted to re-set my appetite away from junk and towards better things. I even kind of wanted to see if my stomach would feel smaller and I would eat less afterwards. (And was curious if the deprival would actually make me eat more afterwards, thereby backfiring.)<br />
<br />
Juice fasts are NOT cheapskate things to do. In fact, in my first search while doing research I was admonished to be sure I planned a day at the spa because this was tough stuff (insert eye roll). And another said they couldn't possibly have done the juice fast without going to a retreat. Seriously, America. But now I'm one of them (minus the spa or retreat, but still the crazy). I will say that I did it in a fairly cheap way. For a juice fast. Which, as I said, still isn't cheap (at least $10/person/day and that's with homemade juices, which is tough because you're kind of tired anyway).<br />
<br />
Last year, I did some research on a juice fast, bought ingredients, and then...I had a juice instead of a meal or two and felt better and called it good. Part of me firmly believes that that, in fact, was the right choice and all any of us needs to or should ever do.<br />
<br />
But this year, I decided to go for the whole three-day fast. I wanted to do it as an experiment if nothing else. Would it really make my body feel better? Would I be toxin-free, less bloated, and basically glowing when I was done? Uh...<br />
<br />
It has, indeed, been interesting.<br />
<br />
Below you'll find my experience and thoughts. You'll also find a perfectly perfect almond milk recipe because, well, some might say, I cheated (depends on who you talk to in the juice fasting community).<br />
<br />
Also, I didn't always follow all the rules (didn't drink juice every two hours and stuff like that; I had a life to live, but I see how that would have helped keep sugars steady and I did my best).<br />
<br />
<b>Day 1:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Expectations:</b><br />
<br />
I did not expect this day to be particularly hard. I regularly fast two meals once a month for religious purposes (no food and NO water--ouch it's hard). So I thought this juice thing would be a breeze.<br />
<br />
<b>Actual experience:</b><br />
<br />
-It was not hard until dinner.<br />
-My teeth felt dirty and I determined to brush them more often the following day.<br />
-I took a HUGE, deep nap in the afternoon. To be fair, I'm not sure if juicing is to blame. We'd hosted Kip's parents over the weekend, and I could have been just tired. Also, everyone warns you that you'll be tired, so I kind of expected that a little, but not 1 1/2 hour nap level.<br />
-I felt weirdly dehydrated. I suppose this is because I was drinking so much juice with all those natural sugars, and drinking more seemed like so much fluid.<br />
<br />
-In the morning I had a beet juice combo and it honestly seemed like a perfectly reasonable breakfast, especially since the last week and a half had been so full of food. It felt good to enjoy that simple breakfast. I worked out as usual (core class followed by reading while walking on the treadmill--about 50-60 minutes total). Life proceeded as usual. By 11, I was hungry, but that's not way out of the usual.<br />
-For lunch I had a carrot orange juice. It was perfectly delicious, but also intensely sweet. Then I did some work and took my huge nap.<br />
-At dinner, I truly missed food. I was somewhat prepared for this, but what I wasn't prepared for was to have trouble drinking my juice (a green kale/spinach/apple combo). I was just juiced out. I almost felt like I'd rather eat nothing than drink another juice. I got about 2/3 through the juice and just couldn't drink the rest. It was a strange feeling--I was hungry, and I enjoy that juice (I've had it before and consider it a "treat" not an obligation to my health), but thinking of drinking the rest made me want to hurl. In fact, I had a slight dull headache also.<br />
-This is when I decided to kind of sort of cheat. I googled whether nut milks were allowed on juice fasts. Depends on who you talk to. Nut milks are, after all, basically, nut juices. But sometimes people are doing a juice fast as a type of elimination diet (see what is irritating your gut or whatever) and nuts are a common thing to eliminate. But I really really felt like I needed something besides that dang juice. So I made my first ever almond milk and if nothing else good comes from this experiment, it was worth it just for that. That almond milk was just what I wanted and it seems it was just what my body needed. When it was done later that night, I slammed two glassfuls down. Just chugged them. Now, I'd been warned not to do this with the juices, but the truth is that I'd never been tempted to. I just sipped along on them for, like, an hour. I don't know if I could have chugged them if I'd tried. As I said, sometimes even consuming the whole thing was a challenge. But I chugged those almond milks. And it felt amazing. Until about 45 minutes later when it didn't. But it was fine.<br />
-I was way tired, a bit foggy headed, and a bit head-achy. Went to bed and slept a fantastic sleep.<br />
<br />
<b>Day 2:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Expectations:</b><br />
<br />
-Not to be too miserable. Dinner would be hard. Looked forward to trying a cashew milk.<br />
<br />
<b>Actual things that happened:</b><br />
<br />
-I woke up feeling great. In fact, every morning, I felt pretty great and I slept extremely well throughout this experiment (except the last night). Beet orange juice for breakfast (I actually preferred these beet combo juices in general--they felt a bit more substantial than the others)<br />
-Did a 30 minute weight workout with Kip. Felt a bit sluggish, but okay. Consumed nut milk post workout. Loved it.<br />
-Lunch was a green juice. Was bored out of my mind of juice. Wanted more variety, but couldn't find it in the raw juices Evansville has to offer for purchase. Bought some stuff to make my own juice, plus a Naked (not raw and not unpasteurized) juice for dinner (which also had pulp in it making it not a true juice either. Didn't care; I felt desperate for some variety and it promised coconut!)<br />
-Did a butt ton of work in the afternoon and did not take a huge, ridiculous nap.<br />
-Felt blerg.<br />
-Brushed my teeth three times instead of two.<br />
-Really sluggish in the evening. Very low level headache. Also very low level ache in mouth teeth. No idea why. From not chewing. From so much acid from the vegetables/fruit.<br />
-Was NOT glowing. In fact, I felt kind of low-level sick. It seemed that this whole trend was just a way for healthy, wealthy people to force their bodies to feel less optimal. That seemed pretty stupid to me. Also, when I confessed my juice fast to my sister on the phone, she told me they'd just had a specialist on eating disorders talk to their youth group and cleanses and juice fasts of all types were on her naughty list. At this point, they were kind of on my naughty list too, and I wondered if I should finish it up or not. I wondered if it was setting a poor example for my children and even talked to my girls about how this was an experiment and how I might even end up feeling it was bad for me in the long run.<br />
-Naked juice for dinner. It was a cheat (pulp of some of the fruits/veggies included) and it was repulsive (sorry, spirulina; you just don't belong in juice...). I literally had to try to let the juice flow past most of my tongue. And, again, I struggled to drink the whole thing because I was so juiced out.<br />
-Warm cashew milk for an evening snack. Yeah, it sounds gross, but when you've been drinking juice all day, it's pretty delicious.<br />
-Very tired in the evening. Very FOGGY brained. Felt a little low level sick--like when you're not really sick, but somewhat under the weather.<br />
-I did not experience crippling hunger (I credit this to the nut milks, though that is not logical since they only have, like, 35 calories and are mostly water. But somehow they felt much more filling than the juices.)<br />
<br />
<b>Day Three:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Expectations:</b><br />
<br />
-Hard. Hungry. Might break and have normal dinner. Wasn't sure.<br />
-I considered eating dinner this night. I felt I had sufficient "data" for my experiment. And I was just so juiced out. What about a nice salad. I kept it on the table (hehe puns) as an option, but kind of wanted to try the whole three days to see if any miracles happened. If I ate, I would lose the last twelve hours of my experiment. But if I was too miserable to care, then I was going for dinner.<br />
<br />
<b>Actual Results:</b><br />
<br />
-Again in the morning, I felt just fine. In fact, I felt good. Energetic, not starving, and extremely well rested. Beet combo juice for breakfast.<br />
-Did a yoga workout and my stomach started growling in the middle. This is 9:30 or so. This was the first morning, I'd felt that hungry.<br />
-Cashew milk post workout snack. Prepared more almond milk because I'm an addict now.<br />
-Cucumber grapefruit juice for lunch (my own creation and perfectly amazing, though not filling at all).<br />
-Afternoon hunger. This truly was the first day where I felt significantly hungry. The other days I experienced hunger, but nothing too significant. The third day my stomach growled much of the day.<br />
-Kept with the juice that night. Didn't want it, but drank it. Just wanted to see what happened.<br />
-Did NOT sleep well. The other night's I'd slept so much better than usual, but this night, I slept worse. Don't know why.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Overall:</b><br />
<br />
-Some people report an, um, cleansing of the bowels. This, I believe, is a sometimes effect of any type of fasting and I'm not sure why. But I didn't experience that (nor do I during my monthly religious fasts). In fact, after day one, my bowels just kind of hung out and chilled. This was interesting and, honestly, kind of nice. I had almost (TMI warning) no gas whereas in usual food-eating life, I have plenty (though it smells perfectly neutral unless I'm sick) as do most food-eating humans.<br />
-I also slept like a log (except for the last night). I can't help but think that part of the reason for that is that my body wasn't trying to digest a huge dinner and/or dessert still.<br />
<br />
<b>Pros:</b><br />
<br />
-I slept like a freaking angel (most of the time). My takeaway is that it might be beneficial for me to eat earlier in the evening and then to not eat anything else until bed. I wonder if my digestive track is just working overtime while I sleep. Or it could have been cause by low blood-sugar levels. Not sure.<br />
-Because of my great sleep, I enjoyed fairly energized mornings.<br />
-I did feel mostly completely unbloated (except when I chugged the almond milk that one night). That said, I don't often feel bloated, but I definitely noticed less gas. That said, gas is just an indication that our bowels are moving so... is having non-moving bowels a good thing. Jury's out on this one, especially since I don't have offensive stinky gas anyway (usually).<br />
-I suppose I consumed many vitamins and minerals.<br />
-I learned to make delicious nut milks and became an addict.<br />
-Do I feel like I re-set my body? This was my main goal. I wanted to wash out the crap (maybe literally though that didn't happen) and re-adjust my appetite and junk eating expectations. On some level, this definitely happened. When I craved food, it was nuts and real, delicious wholesome foods. I did NOT want sweets of any kind. The thought made me sick (perhaps because of all the sugar in the juices already?) [Several months later update: This craving healthy food effect lasted for over a month and may have lasted longer if the holidays hadn't hit. I didn't crave sugar, almost at all. When I did, a bite or two of something would fully satiate me, and more than that felt a little icky. I had some pie at Thanksgiving and then slid into Christmas and began eating more sweets again, but the long-term effects of reduced unhealthy cravings makes me feel like the fast may have been worthwhile after all.]<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Cons:</b><br />
<br />
-I felt kind of sick at several stages of this. I'm not sure how wealthy you have to be as a culture to invoke sick-feeling-ness in the name of healthy.<br />
-I felt foggy as heck at night. Like, wondered if I should drive a vehicle foggy. I just wasn't as sharp feeling as usual and had very low energy. I went to bed early (maybe this is a very good thing), but didn't have my usual evening energy.<br />
-No bowel cleanse, though I'm not sure I'm sad about that.<br />
-Sure, I lost weight, but come on, it's not going to stay that way [Several months later update: Half of it did stay away until the holidays due to my healthier eating and cravings, so about 2-3 pounds].<br />
-This would seriously wreck your teeth if you did it often enough. I brushed extra, but chewing really does a lot to cleanse the teeth (I mean, maybe not if you're chewing cookies, but fruits or veggies or other foods get a lot of junk off your teeth; I hadn't realized how much. And the sugar/acid bath that is juice (yes, even veggie juice on some level) would be hard on teeth over time.<br />
<br />
<b>TAKEAWAYS:</b><br />
<br />
-Eat less several hours before bed.<br />
-Juice for breakfast as an occasional mini-fast is very cleansing and nutritious. I fully support it. If you're really desperate, do breakfast and lunch, or breakfast and dinner. Juice all day every day for three days is blerg, but did have some long-term effects that I considered fully helpful. I think a juice fast (I would say no longer than 3 days) would be helpful once, maybe twice a year (but definitely not more than that, or your just disordering your eating).<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Almond Milk</span></b><br />
Make: 3-4 C<br />
Cost: $4<br />
Prep time: 5 minutes<br />
Wait time: 1-5 hours (the almost must sit in water)<br />
adapted from <a href="https://detoxinista.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-milk/">Detoxinista</a><br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
1 C almonds<br />
8 C water (4 four soaking and 4 fresh for blending)<br />
<br />
Optional ingredients:<br />
<br />
-2-4 dates<br />
-1 tsp vanilla<br />
-1 Tbsp cocoa<br />
-warm spices<br />
<br />
Put one cup almonds with 4 cups water. Soak for 4 hours. Want to speed this up? Use very hot water, and you'll only need an hour or so. This is what I did.<br />
<br />
Drain water.<br />
<br />
Add 4 more cups water to almonds. Blend away in a good blender (though you DON'T need a super fancy one like BlendTec)<br />
<br />
Strain through cheesecloth, nut cloth, or just a plain old tea towel (that's what I used; purchased from Walmart and very cheap). I set my cloth over a wire mesh strainer. It strains quickly (as opposed to something like cheese) so this should only take a few minutes. Then squeeze the rest out, which takes another minute or two.<br />
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<br />
Drink. But don't chug. Seriously, I never chug store bought almond milk, but this stuff is so creamy and good, I have to stop myself. I thought that had just been an effect of the fast, but today when I made it, I had to put on the breaks again. It's so good.<br />
<br />
If using optional ingredient, include them when blending. Or you can add the vanilla and cocoa after straining. Up to you.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>What to do with that pulp? </b>My true advice? Nothing. Throw it out. If you've got chickens, feed it to them. I know that is so un-cheapskate of me, but truly, it's not very good. It has, supposedly, very few nutrients/flavor left (though I'm sure it's got fiber). And the truth is that I tried two recipes using it--one from the same blogger who gave us this delicious recipe and one of my own nut balls--and they were both flavorless, requiring so much more sugar and huzzah to make them taste good. You got your nutrition in the nut milk. The pulp doesn't have much left. If you find an amazing way to use it, however, I'd love to hear about it in the comments, though.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-50355774105725533312019-04-09T19:00:00.001-07:002019-04-09T19:00:26.181-07:00Things I've Learned from The Tasty Cheapskate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Hello friends!<br />
<br />
This post was supposed to be written in January. I'm a wee bit behind.<br />
<br />
I've been crazy busy with writing and life which is why The Tasty Cheapskate will be slowing down. From here on out, I may post an amazing recipe, or a group of favorites for you, but I won't be posting regularly. With any luck, I will have a Kindle version of my favorite recipes for you to purchase sometime next year.<br />
<br />
For now, I wanted to share with you what I've learned from writing this blog. When I started, it was our goal as a (young) family of six to eat on $6/day. We came pretty close! The second half of the year, that figure moved up to $10/day. We could do that pretty handily. Now I sometimes spend more than that a day (closer to $13/day), trying to keep our food budget at around $400/month. Below you'll find a few of the things that I still cling to to keep our food life cheap while still eating as naturally and healthfully and deliciously as possible. Cheers!<br />
<br />
1. <b>Cook most of your own food. </b>I mean, somebody shut the door, right? Earth-shattering advice happening right here. But, seriously, it's the biggest and best tip I can give you. Food will almost always taste better, be better for you, and be CHEAPER if you make it at home. You don't have to go crazy (unless you want to). You don't have to make your own <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2018/02/crockpot-greek-yogurt-for-dummies.html">yogurt</a> or kimchi or grow your own tomatoes for <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/08/oven-roasted-tomato-sauce.html">sauce</a> or bake all your own <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/11/whole-wheat-refrigerator-bread.html">bread</a> (unless, again, you want to). But make dinner at home and life will be cheaper. Take a sack lunch and life will be cheaper. Skip the drive-thru for breakfast and life will be cheaper. No guarantees here but your waist might get smaller too.If you have to cheat, cheat. Buy a bagged salad (cheaper than even a fast food salad). Buy applesauce in the little cup things for your kids. Buy breakfast cereal for heaven's sake if you want to. But don't go out all the time (do go out sometimes if you're exhausted or want to--just not all the time). Even expensive food is cheaper and usually tastes better if you make it at home (hello <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/01/best-chocolate-cakes.html">triple layer chocolate cake</a>). There are so many resources these days from food blogs to allrecipes to pinterest to everywhere. You're not stuck with grandma's cookbook. You can find a million and three good recipes with a million and three reviews to boot.<br />
<br />
2. <b>Don't eat more than your body wants or needs</b>. I just can't stop with the earth-shattering revelations here. But one of the most expensive things we can do is eat (and cook) more than we need. Yeah, I know it's easier said than done. I feel you, people. Just don't cook and eat like it's a holiday every weekday. Keep your portions small.<br />
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3. <b>Don't waste food.</b> Try not to over-buy food (especially perishables). Try not to overcook and end up with things people won't eat for leftovers. This takes a little trial and error, but if you care about it, you'll get it and it will save you TONS of money. Americans waste 50% of their food every month (that's not all home waste; it's grocery stores and farms too). But we easily throw away a good 10-20% of our food budgets every month. You do the math. That's a lot of money that just went into the bin. It's a carbon footprint. It's a budget slap in the face. Sometimes I'm a little crazy about this and I am trying to be more moderate so we don't wind up with a fridge full of odd little bites of leftovers all the time. But if it's a serving-size leftover, I keep it. And then I try to remember to eat it.<br />
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4. Speaking of... <b>Eat your leftovers</b>. I try to have leftover nights and bring out all the stuff we've got to eat. I eat leftovers for lunch. And it is AMAZING. Why would anyone NOT want to eat leftovers for lunch??? They're delicious and cheap and take NO time to prepare. If you're not doing this, you are missing out on one of life's great delights, time-savers, and indulgences. Yeah, I just called leftovers an indulgence. I'll do it again if I have to. You're leftovers are better than most restaurant food. Eat them.<br />
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5. Along these lines..<b>.Keep the refrigerator clean</b>. Because if you really don't eat all your leftovers, it's okay. You're sill human. I know sometimes we have good intentions, but just don't get to those leftovers. It's okay. Clean them out of the fridge, make adjustments to your cooking or shopping, and try again. Keeping a messy fridge (or freezer) with rotten food won't reduce your food budget. It'll just make your crazy and maybe sick if your weird kids go and eat that rotten food.<br />
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6. <b>Eat less meat.</b> If you don't eat less meat, eat it with cheap side dishes like rice or potatoes. We're not writing about diet ideas here, so if you just can't stomach potatoes, or you're on a keto diet, so be it. But meat is cheaper if you pair it with something inexpensive.<br />
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7. <b>Breakfast for dinner.</b> We did this back in our cheapest days. And we still do it. It's fun, it's easy, it's time-saving. Your kids will probably eat it.<br />
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8. <b>Quick foods. </b>Have some quick foods on hand, even if they're cheats. Pull out the pasta, the croissant rolls (to wrap meat or cheese into), the bagged salads, the tortillas, the beans and rice if that's your jam. Easy things to make when you're about to order a pizza. Try not to eat these every night or you'll grow hopelessly bored, but they're really nice in a pinch. And the truth is that every time I almost order food and then drag my butt into the kitchen and whip something up, I end up relaxing and feeling better about life and the night. Try it.<br />
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9. <b>Have a plan (ish)</b>. Even if it's just a sloppy Pinterest board. Kind of knowing what you'd like to make for the week saves you money and makes cooking more fun and makes life less crazy.<br />
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10.<b> Clean up together</b>. When your kids are old enough, cook together. This isn't cheap necessarily, but it keeps you from slavery, which is nice. It makes it more fun to cook and eat together if you are not the family servant.<br />
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BONUS! <b>Have fun and give yourself a break sometime</b>s. Eating cheap is a great way to slim your budget (and maybe your waistline), but don't let it become an unhealthy obsession. Let it be fun. Let it be freeing.<br />
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<b>Long live cheapskatery!!!</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-5969781610350169742018-12-19T20:23:00.001-08:002018-12-19T20:24:19.232-08:00Ten Best Christmas CookiesBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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<img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrBfWw0_D24LyEIZJ_H9FisyW-Go40yMNOErMI1sThICf1K1iTZwRvCXg2C4S3lF12cRNYr3XG6aLlCyC08Ujm08ug1jQ5NSTRtsqIqkoOlkQ6dSCBddrBxebM1NuOb9Opl2fK90L3ao/s320/102_4488.JPG" width="214" /><br />
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I'm having a cookie-baking party on Saturday. We'll be making some of these. Because they're the best.<br />
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1. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2014/12/chocolate-sugar-cookies-that-keep-their.html">Chocolate Sugar Cookies (that hold their shape)</a>. If you, like me, really want to like sugar cookies because they're so pretty and festive and traditional, but you just can't because they always taste like dry sugary lumps of flour coal, this recipe might be for you. Flavorful, beautiful, chocolate. Need I say more. (pictured above)<br />
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2. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/12/chocolate-covered-cherry-or-nut-or-mint.html">Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies.</a> So so good. If you don't like Marciano cherries, no worries. You can top these with other delights.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwrf7LrZp01VWDXtsh7nVQ9YJt5nIVlUXbxr1hPMUyQrjlKkwLPzhkA3r7et-iJOQF8NYK_3WF4S-5CSQOAnEBSsOINgTekrjJBUcwqDwymXGk2-7DYqTgZY-3UUkBBJc7YNN_YuUL4TV/s320/P1170034.JPG" /><br />
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3. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2017/12/molasses-curls.html">Molasses Curls</a>. Pretty (this picture is NOT doing them justice), delicious, and not very difficult, these are Christmas in a crisp. Not interested in rolling a cookie and filling it with billows of whipped cream (have you no soul?), you can make their flat sisters, <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2016/12/zinnegaels-cinnamon-oat-crispies-aka.html">Cinnamon Oat Crispies</a> (which has a simple GF adaptation).<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTvSNAYaLvsacsDBN2pZl9_tACsodbFiBNQAhGxCKJ83fEpNFivZ9o2cHIINiwzGiuC_vGvBFucA698oejvlIo_0pwjkkHiBf9zuaQJ7dhGVH9NA7wwmQLJYUhJjwMpTo3p-Jy2uOfVA/s320/103_0784.JPG" /><br />
(Molasses Curls)<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxhrJR-ymoKG3w5noJ7CEyFhB4nldXmDIOFx05beDx7lDGiQTneJTKGYnFx6e4-H5ubSUUyev-BPcthz9HuFTDKJpivhFeqNjIgz7FhO-bE2X4QrD-bhOikbNY3m8iUoQ7POXXQ2uDKo/s320/102_9838.JPG" /><br />
(Cinnamon Oat Crispies)<br />
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4. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/chocolate-cookies-with-orange-sugar.html">Chocolate Cookies with Orange Sugar Edges</a>. Sophisticated and amazing. These are one of my all-time favorite cookies.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptxrRSaqDlJTUJ6YyIA0lKyKWgcQ-ViRKtSmjPt9dY0-LHAaDUAbPCIOVQ5ji46ujCm-vwEiiA38g1IYCIwGaIs_Pi1gvpBCI170Ins-DAbQZ2XnvvNDa_4-6Nh2xDu0M3OaCk8Pp4ew/s320/100_0586.JPG" /><br />
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5. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2010/12/seven-layer-cookies-aka-magic-cookie.html">Seven Layer Cookies</a> (Magic Cookie Bars, Dolly Bars). The best. Easy enough for an 8-year-old to make. (Also, why have these not gotten a photo re-do. Seriously. I make them EVERY year. We must eat them too fast.)<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnScM2Vwhlq2eYiR_B33CqXLhnZBFhXwSfD8WCXFG_V0Jfh6vxM-4J4yVvKcXWie2xGiKv6PgNKXE_OLELRjpVitFlS_TExWxKt1MhxWE1NZ3tmsUoJqqZrCh_Vs8eMoPiAIatXkRH4zM/s320/P1070302.JPG" /><br />
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6. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/molasses-crinkles.html">Molasses Crinkles.</a> My favorite ginger/molasses cookie. And I've made quite a few.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6QuBpzQ8CHHrW_vUitB1DFuws7LBhC7ro-fAj8OvJ7e6EXUBfeRyEJHyYXrEKhu4_Q_2Pv_IU-MZjEiX5auMf4q5f91ZBB5BLyfa31zXyy2_DPWRlOipiJmrYT-CJUEQxp164TTuqZ9E/s320/P1170314.JPG" /><br />
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7. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2010/12/dutch-almond-bars.html">Dutch Almond Bars.</a> These remind me of The Netherlands and Christmas all wrapped up in a pretty box together. Also, SO easy. You mix, like, five ingredients with a spoon, pour in a pan, and bake. Done.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6o4YE-xTKwpm4vvYyDuk9SdHC50VjCYkGvPRUDncqGY9d_k6ee4UPai_cGr0a7RtY4tB6fYAT6soV_DMiTYAx_IVanL6dvMPY4Fy-Qc5xrM-0sANx-svtdbc-hzqRsZskxVORcNtQpQN/s320/P1060991.JPG" /><br />
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8. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/10/katies-chocolate-sandwich-cookies-aka.html">Katie's Chocolate Sandwich Cookies</a>. These will melt you into a puddle of sweet agreement and holiday love. If you'd like, you can roll the edges in peppermint.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDQ4GMUnM0VwahiCmv3FDA7KiGirJT0d_jv61YLVORUIpgzcDqcchxZ4rrV1sc6hzWo5ChB98cDWpBxhkg_j2ooQdevgQEAsOCunIkzCJ5tspR7pE7W15qa5LZSqQRHIWZs1g4zul8_tX/s320/P1150816.JPG" /><br />
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9. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2010/12/speculaas.html">Speculaas/Speculoos. </a>A traditional Dutch/German cookie. All the spice cookie goodness with the soft chewiness of an American cookie. Right here.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYQ6GrpsUwwvf2-6bdJZh4UHJD7XrkqvGoVimLrOmXF39hVvd0kbmRlQRvEYqIIpqKwQhPr4CmaZjxkdiUP3cvKEPiQiX0kOsaSxoDF0jZZzC1CsFIhPEb7CazvxADuzkVJ36elT3tDKa/s320/P1070084.JPG" /><br />
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10. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2016/12/easy-double-chocolate-chip-cookies.html">Easy Double Chocolate Cookies. </a>And in case you crack under the cookie pressure. (Don't. It's gonna be alright), just make your favorite Chocolate Chip or Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip recipe and throw in some holiday M & M's.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNFGy84YeNauAfToyrQu18HmQUswCJqTn_RxH99PMO-tn2lWSkAzEncb-eOmgAM-NMhWC68He6C05PFAQOpEMwQsmayMUoxp572vF2ePYtaGRVrw9vDH3XWIvoQm6j4kd9C3SW6zh-Jk/s320/102_9911.JPG" /><br />
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Well, folks, you can definitely see how my photography skills have evolved over the years...<br />
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My daughter might be manning a teen/tween table making the easiest ever <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/12/melted-sugar-gingerbread-houses-no.html">cheater gingerbread houses</a>.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kG-ATj6O7dbd_-gZBr1vMNaKtIueDG-slzU_8HgCRtjkdbznm0QppgMqgaKTQ_oniJyuMNquCLQ_A6eP2F0HkdrEz-n7UH9mKpKVLwP0T0hMvv9CUJMdQIY3boJ8XSZ5-BArYL2psTnb/s320/P1170161.JPG" /><br />
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Merry Christmas!!!<br />
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(My favorite salad recipes coming January...)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-27722322574991548662018-11-13T20:10:00.000-08:002018-11-21T10:34:18.639-08:00Ten Best PiesBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0gFhm5st5sggL8ZeJhMTpQ4SXPk3S1GgqJq1-mz6RuEJylSFWOiHP_kGRPTWRCuUR3TzLkZ4qYqGq0K5GiVhV69Lr6sSgqktT5LcXMBWnANNnHUTN1gXpOmW1utLhew_WjCl7yic_ks/s320/103_0699.JPG" /><br />
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So, uh, I noticed something as I was picking the "best of" pies on The Tasty Cheapskate. At least 50% of them are chocolate. I don't know what to say, except that we are people of weak moral values. Why don't we eat more fruit pies? What about nut pies? How can you eat this many of the same pie type of pie and feel good about yourself? What is wrong with getting to know pies that are different from you, huh? I'm sorry, friends, I truly am. We should have a delicious strawberry pie, an amazing cooked peach pie. We should have lemon. And berry. And chess. They are delicious and I love those types of pies.<br />
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But I will say this. What we do, we do well. Each and every chocolate pie featured here will make you want to lick the plate. Clean.<br />
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But since it's almost Thanksgiving, we'll start today with pumpkin.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwz7YqunpCPUMA3AEhGKBv6apEaoOhdB3xEwrGPajFzFF2vXQ9RekmdugjoZpTN8pK936cdAMhOtzJfnojiWcfwqKeDj5fOAa_a0kANGikG4Vh492lA2gKWyIlS60bHIjHpirMw8FIMXv/s320/P1160777.JPG" /><br />
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1. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/12/smooth-and-creamy-pumpkin-pie.html">Pumpkin Pie.</a> This is the best one I know. Pumpkin pie is lovely because it's so much easier than most people think. May you never buy overly-bright-orange pumpkin pie from the Wallymart again.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Grcv-4KOOWbDHKOz_l66D3J6-D82cqTGFh5X835Ng3rewHJAezF28ybfFkKejZDW_RpUeI5pvFrbx6ueufLoyfw3SRiHoMIQ0U5jOp6QjjA0iFL77qQdKs5vQb6YmgNNmwg39f79hFM/s320/101_0608.JPG" /><br />
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2. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/11/vegan-pumpkin-pie-that-non-vegans-will.html">Vegan Pumpkin Pie.</a> In the event that you are a vegan, or want to feel good eating pie for breakfast because it's healthy. This is for you, baby. Also, I think the post is kinda funny. I mean, kinda. In a me, kind of way.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoM5CIOhXPNNKZsxOAeLlXSLU07jlF2oVcgNuPbRrIt8uqfS6lJW0CHI0T8r48zCtfPO1-UIpYGxECDZ0y7UgTJSaZSLwq7Cd0UhZ6_VBlQ03gm0a3-_kDUkCP5u09hlSf-6zpQxyxiJ6/s320/P1160244.JPG" /><br />
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3. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/11/chocolate-pie-with-latticed-cookie.html">Chocolate Pie with Latticed Cookie Crust. </a>This is my favorite chocolate pie for Thanksgiving. It's basically like a big cookie with a chocolate filling. Yeeesss, we have pumpkin and chocolate pies for Thanksgiving. I think we've established that we have issues, okay.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0NC-5a7zBEPi_JzcRV2wBxRtEhoIJr3ODdRxj6oX1Qd18yEV5JApgeIOMK09GdJkGv5PmvewF6U7vffaz5RwDnX2RM-8VfYXqgE9c7lY2fy-rwibAC1F8lolT768j_T741aytO29mPM/s320/100_5167.JPG" /><br />
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4. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/08/chocolate-orange-mascarpone-cheesecake.html">Chocolate Orange Mascapone Cheesecake Pie</a>. And this is my favorite pie for Christmas. Yeesss, I have enough chocolate pies on my blog to designate them for different holidays. We've established that a problem exists. Would you please stop harping on it? I'm sure I'll get help for it soon.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssvrKI-26eemUJkVqsIJdIpoljun0lFFKkYMCW4GMiySTCQhoRPZETcQI5gt7wNkjt0EhKU9F909kF4VBKcZPcqWh86Zwddk6rQy4EchY1k-f4sBAxgz8I-XZlBXPDZVDurhZoiTfRiA/s400/102_0096.JPG" /><br />
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5. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/09/peanut-butter-pie.html">Peanut Butter Pie.</a> Oh look, a non-chocolate pie. That may or may not have a chocolate crust with chocolate garnish. But, come on, we're branching out, right?<br />
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<img height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfj6LNBFgoP8_1oLayVHdkAQHr7Evk7HpGPZpbqaOKHR8xPpP7_PQR-_6tpFlkqor9VJYhPafgbOo9tJ8UAj2aItFH4NKic9ygXDxyWMs6lzUgs2yowiumSLvA0E43skU9VquawdjZ30/s320/102_4942.JPG" width="320" /><br />
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6. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2015/03/classic-apple-pie.html">Classic Apple Pie</a>. Okay, fine, you win. Here is a classic fruit pie for you. Oh so classic. And oh so amazing. Also, completely gorgeous. And if you make it for the holidays, you're kids can go nuts doing cute little seasonally appropriate dough cut outs. Fun for the whole family!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgmPXUqTE5uwkgWqnZf4N4FnDpI2K_fxWdNzVjkoCDjE_ULPqyD2rC_G4L1P5yPud2ITB33eSB41Gtrz84pbE9fIVYC63SLT_NNSf9pZqC7764ptxUpYfEWRrWIb7258sdPnA68AA-Sk/s320/102_4166.JPG" /><br />
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7.<a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2010/11/easy-chocolate-pie-theres-no-jello.html"> Easy chocolate Pie</a>. Hey, look, we're back to chocolate. What d'ya know? This one was my first chocolate pie love. Simple, rich, delicious. And SO EASY. Three ingredient filling! If you're looking to save time and still be amazing for Thanksgiving, pick this one.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3t2CeOXgluRsuaXq63XzpLGJhx5q_Qy2fjx0qcjVJH902RlRcCRZ50OBUl90Z_bPsi6xZeE4qNBLJ-52uIhE-WuXyjl2mooEkS0Hxutd8OHd6hh5p3HS7ttm9Ep9wMPlPTvDvzDfj-Bs/s320/P1130098.JPG" /><br />
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8. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/07/mostly-raw-peaches-peach-pie.html">Raw Peach Pie.</a> This one is seasonally inappropriate. But it's so good, it needed to make the list. Plus, I needed it to diversify. It's like the one ethnic character on that TV show you like.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0gFhm5st5sggL8ZeJhMTpQ4SXPk3S1GgqJq1-mz6RuEJylSFWOiHP_kGRPTWRCuUR3TzLkZ4qYqGq0K5GiVhV69Lr6sSgqktT5LcXMBWnANNnHUTN1gXpOmW1utLhew_WjCl7yic_ks/s320/103_0699.JPG" /><br />
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9. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/07/no-cook-chocolate-mousse-pie.html">No Cook Chocolate Mousse Pie</a>. Are you in love? This is the pie for lovers. (Or addicts, I suppose.) So, yes, I it's our Valentine's chocolate pie. So rich. Surprisingly easy. Potentially gorgeous.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aLdI5XV45MTFiTP76nswGB2qX6SvXnmsJk_sdMSJiqHL2ILuYF0V8FHq4Aidm6ra7n2AESzWKuh-HRaAHdAC4ICDGMBEfSCTrksb_79WVa5yft-eQcID8vboBu739Uqgi5O7CxFJog4/s320/102_9553.JPG" /><br />
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10. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2016/09/chocolate-chunk-chocolate-pie.html">Chocolate Chunk Chocolate Pie</a>. And I saved the best for last. Yes, it does have the word 'chocolate' twice in its title. (You know, it's rude to keep pointing out my weakness publicly like this.) Creamy chocolate-chess-pie filling with chunks of chocolate throughout. I love this pie. The end.<br />
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If you happen to eat things BESIDES pie on Thanksgiving, I've got some tips for baking, brining, and other stuff <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-turkey-lurkey-time-roasting.html">HERE</a> and <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2010/11/turkey-brine.html">HERE</a>.<br />
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I hope to get to a cranberry post next week, but just in case I don't, check out some of the recipes in <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2015/11/thanksgiving-menu.html">THIS POST</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-70927072234913434972018-11-01T14:22:00.004-07:002018-11-01T14:24:54.000-07:0015 Best SoupsBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQKQwMa5-dA6Wx-AwYczLYuWy0Ec9mz7j6F0h8QFvQJYtqJ65XxdJvNzyL1EWCwULACYphPsP5Glza27kPfTmZVRcq6jfI6FAq08e1x3Bff5cz6j3x407W2AHU7EvwQkQD_tSoHKTN_w/s320/102_1357.JPG" /><br />
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I love soup. I love it so much that if you check the <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html">RECIPES </a>section of this blog you'll find many many soups. I tried to choose my favorites, but even then I did a bad job narrowing things down (I chose fifteen and could have kept going, but these really are the BEST). I hope you love some of these in the cold months ahead as much as I do. Note: I wanted to re-do some of the ugly pictures (you can see that my photography has improved over the years even if it's still not perfect), but I simply didn't have time. One day maybe I will, but for now, know that they are delicious and usually gorgeous.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwER1ISq4PbKrNgRcMJy0qkUKfIi7XIzP8s4rQRIwFboDF8ukf3tBpz1aStqzAZu6t27-sSxz7Q2pKsKmCEuzczDihPtQ3AS8HZkb6eNwxiF-aI0KFejUZGEVY-fWVkCZRLjdPDyOQXKA/s320/103_0954.JPG" /><br />
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1. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-best-beef-stew-ever-aka-beef.html">Beef Stew</a>. Simply the best. But not the easiest. But the best. Ever.<br />
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<img height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JTSiXiRByZo5JTK53kBS3mVyYCnZlOT63bK2HjF9lwn3O34DZHXBW4m6EODYCAcDv0OO_YGgki9TxXHNSCpiwzd-g8ALW_M3F9_3EfZA6cygy5fbi7WbhkW1am9r54hoekP11S_zIQY/s320/102_2147.JPG" width="320" /><br />
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2. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2014/03/creamy-cheese-potato-soup.html">Cheesy Potato Soup.</a> This is my big group cheapskate go-to. It can feed a crowd on a few dollars. And it's amazing.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t3Ou2jcqdSPkoVNHwoGjrW-vQtiCuf_QmUpBK-NASYv1zbbtH3PAZBLZHOHu7P-88bbafyNBP163I8x62q3HXxtoiRvddpR4skWMAxtVccbzKlga-HRpKeuA7vCAASGvZVg9CirzCJI/s320/103_0236.JPG" /><br />
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3. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2017/03/meatball-soup.html">Meatball Soup</a>. Italian lovers, this is going to be your jam. Also, a great crowd pleaser.<br />
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<img height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbtC-N-80KA-J0vXZGB9EoMh_mUqlTOp311McS52pvyV4sFmTrqXUGkRq2CiXogem2O5puThRz2Gk5cFZpbpjlh1m-Z0ORl707KKltL569_WHBDSZbsj2EGAhKkexHNRZtliP3LX-Ouw/s320/102_2422.JPG" width="320" /><br />
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4. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2014/04/moroccan-carrot-soup.html">Moroccan Carrot Soup</a>. The best carrot soup ever. Mmm. I'm seeing this in my near future.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2f4454ViuVALYCsTbqBk9Snl3JqXZN2F3rOgHSXVLZixHfTGMLTRRVBLNLmEorv9D0FGSkM-rtkpM1gBfD0BIjpRW1T10yJoF9xHspC_zZ4bQlKmbjAKmudQK_ar9cnPootagRy2znOY/s320/101_0005.JPG" /><br />
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5. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/10/scared-silly-white-chili.html">Scared Silly White Chili</a>. Perfect for Halloween. Or whenever. It's the best white chili I've had.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQKQwMa5-dA6Wx-AwYczLYuWy0Ec9mz7j6F0h8QFvQJYtqJ65XxdJvNzyL1EWCwULACYphPsP5Glza27kPfTmZVRcq6jfI6FAq08e1x3Bff5cz6j3x407W2AHU7EvwQkQD_tSoHKTN_w/s320/102_1357.JPG" /><br />
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6. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2014/01/broccoli-cheese-soup.html">Broccoli Cheese Soup.</a> The best. We eat this every year for Christmas Eve. Simple, delicious, lovely with sparkling cider.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HwT4ggVvStpxEmo828IgiSHaJh9t3A7FSDjdNk1-Et2YVFA6yqfni2qmkqwRMJXtIYwtwIEyUNDB0Wwn0VLH5YSXcKiZU6yzEggB_0CeuALuuVLQ69xJMVR8TGEOo8FGTxWXN0KW9ZU/s320/101_3194.JPG" /><br />
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7. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/01/crock-pot-creamy-chicken-and-ranch-chili.html">Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Ranch Chili.</a> We can't do this without at least one crock pot recipe right. This one is delicious.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfxb0cDrCOQhlQl9Mdo2NQe87zhUr9Z2jthENnPpY7ClX0nhv5UFpGhyphenhyphenIJ2l4TXRW-9F37iMrnYlaxSTR3EO1ZP2WBxHgmj4THCRfF6HfVKuc1hqvUZgIX_zyRQpit42FMm1-u4Iqa9k/s320/100_3954.JPG" /><br />
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8. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/05/leftover-tuesday-green-gumbo.html">Green gumbo</a>. Super Greens. Here you go. This looks ugly. I've made it often and it always does. But it tastes fantastic and is LOADED with greens you don't usually eat.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjovV6OLLQJBcdrbST6WM4aE15hOCZEMRlRUjq-CSjpfZ5FalqW-Ci0vV2egGK3-WCrJD46kb_hPJKSqSuRKx8miFhKmmB07tCSDu8Jwgiv5I9WkVWpdbdsFIK3K9bUs174KhOJTgHEk/s320/P1170429.JPG" /><br />
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9. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/work-day-wednesday-spinach-soup.html">Spinach Soup</a>. And while we're talking greens.... I make this when I have a bunch of spinach that needs using, or I feel a little draggy and need a green boost. It's easy. It's good for you. It tastes delicious. It really is good, which you might need to take on faith if you think that you and yourn feel a little nervous about something called Spinach Soup. But if you're frightened, try it's more carbalicious sibling, <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/12/spinach-potato-soup.html">Spinach Potato Soup</a>. You might find it more accessible for your crowd and it's still packed with spinach.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoms_oiFOje5SdehYkMoCI1tfIZtURcTn11Bz-u_Mdmj7obhx8lvTVpcjzQf77L_UsyaK161AV1AnCn69HuCCNA-vfQcjvNVjp98QsPiWmwp4XtnYpoQN3GNgl96WGzJMC-wFwESW5b4/s320/102_0255.JPG" /><br />
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10. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/04/corn-and-kale-chowder.html">Corn and Kale Chowder</a>. Again with the greens. But don't worry, this one has corn and potatoes too, so it's less frightening. And sooo good.<br />
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<img height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ttXg0uXf_qRmCZt0vLQGZUFKGcWOV7D_i7YnTBFeB71OXiKMFo4GJYPhKFbitRXdz_WdX0HAK6I2XLxr3ZkdudI78vi5lM4XSW8Z24cUTD-f505Ka0uVi0EzTM2RKidA9NbBbTNlhi8/s320/102_4248.JPG" width="320" /><br />
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11. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2015/01/fire-roasted-fish-soup.html">Fire Roasted Fish Soup. </a>You don't have to love fish to like this. It's so good. A little heat, a little cool.<br />
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<img height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnz6pDxbbjJdTTj4rkHoCrxaHSVtXL1sWY0jy1TisPlkjaa3NZRDFoelIm3asPx1cfHg7v1msxdeU25j0IF54Ah1rv5dVm3j3IoQ9CSi5lXFUTtdonzBzmjwpWJuJSwflrflDem54AAs/s320/102_1683.JPG" width="320" /><br />
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12.<a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2014/01/creamy-tomato-basil-soup.html"> Creamy Tomato Basil Soup</a>. Tomato soup is my favorite. It just is. This is a tiny bit more grown up than the \Campbell's. And world's tastier. It deserves a more grown up picture, but I haven't had time to get one:(.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvUFFlPYBdM5A8bYPf5hyphenhyphenGSKnzXZ0kFJLW49UGf2ZNWEzFHt9rQbTLhGZIYutLm0c-QEg1dE2nY5Ht_fDILPBZh_-4JOiQx20SklKIoe0LG6ub4a4SvS5St6j0QDLpRKiJIM2pY9QEBCm/s320/P1130025.JPG" /><br />
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13. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-stew.html">Summer Stew. </a>This really is best in summer, but I've had it in winter too.<br />
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<img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGObjNA0NQc5ihUFJB6r4TsYU3orku_adxUkyPOxbQFwuCTukfK2RpoQcV5rV7UaNlvAFRR1ebUopEzT61pe4RiSEKdRuXU118USxILb2q3-gPqWP8OZ5ULtUWlnl5Nl-QCKVddiTmBqw/s320/102_1774.JPG" width="271" /><br />
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14. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2014/01/thai-soup-with-chicken-gluten-free.html">Thai Soup</a>. When it gets cold, I always crave tangy, creamy things. This hits that spot.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7RJ_tipzM6HVYB8tCjz_keWBavXMILFftT8BkFu-sukRfpAJ_ujbiJJgTxmWU6SC6PoX36mZ8_dHHWa2SxonHDLKHJO2EmZLI-nF2K9G6Gk-WSE_WyTyfpW-UQMNdNI3z-97mgGwe2E/s320/101_0289.JPG" /><br />
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15. <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/09/zuppa-toscana.html">Zuppa Tuscana.</a> Yes, that Zuppa Tuscana. Only better. It just is. So so good.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-9468866530141917382018-10-09T11:35:00.001-07:002018-10-09T11:35:38.138-07:00Brussels Sprouts--Two WaysBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHxKHs3pU1jGY4YMCJPPy5v8Psj_DTAz3xne7fSRXsqsT8oWHRaeRF-RAfh9Ap2YcKrXEuzgCe8i4-wWN4M5eKX7hS2kuCij2OqoDz3zqNgTBbL6pmk0i4DumS77f9DmjSIfgtXdtnZE/s320/102_9066.JPG" /><br />
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Sorry, universe, but I can't write about cookies all the time. (Don't worry, next week we'll be writing about cake.) 'Tis the season for cool season vegetables (even if southern Indiana hasn't figured out the whole 'cool season' thing yet).<br />
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Because of that, it's time to tackle the most unfairly hated of all vegetables: the Brussels Sprout.<br />
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I think we're going to have to blame either '50s pop culture or '50s housewifery or both for this hatred. Apparently, back in the day, people used to boil the unfortunate little vegetables, which is really the only way NOT to prepare these guys. Sauteed, baked, or even raw, they're pretty delicious, but boil them up and you get soggy, bitter greens. No thank you.<br />
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Below, you'll find two of my favorite recipes for making Brussels Sprouts. They are amazing--like fancy restaurant good. They're easy. They're seasonal. They are not your 1950s Brussels Sprout.<br />
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<b><a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2016/05/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-garlic.html">Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Aioli</a>. </b>Warm, creamy. Better than any appetizer ever.<br />
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<a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2014/02/brussels-sprouts-with-cranberries.html"><b>Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries, Pecans, and Goat Cheese</b></a>. Perfect for November, or any time.<br />
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They're not half bad on their <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/01/work-day-wednesday-braised-brussels.html">own either.</a> You can eat them raw in any cole slaw style food. Or stir-fried with a bit of oil and salt and pepper.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dy2E-vJZvRqnp2Lo7d9dUFzcQAAVRp_ZTB3HIlYyjvlLdgcqtiTvCZG247_YPk7NL0oEWEoOD3IQoyeBbkPMhrN6M4K07VmiSCooM7tIqm9TTtvT9hGdVnNWycPGJHF5QIRfcpt3KfM/s320/P1170229.JPG" /><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-90337436255410761772018-09-24T19:56:00.001-07:002018-09-24T19:56:20.675-07:00My Favorite DalBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-ux4d0vmEacSkl-jy2iKP5LGJ-FEs-Yszc7WuhXiqmsojTBLmqujc3HF3-CRr2Z9yhoTr6HwVTal1DQxJJlhIo0YXH275MyUIYM9Mi3TE6B-LV-qMa-YsrpUTJ_qHoW6HY0vCeVvd24/s320/101_3666.JPG" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0a60Azu2Oob8GC0JgH9cmRz8T5WxNpMI0H8gaFiSiqA0UjK7v4xpTueWv8Rvkm64IV_nn2Z_cIsts7cNbGzyduvclUrgE8Otjy_WAQQlAGSfZiczUa15LrJQmtG3I2Q8AAZAqShVIic/s320/101_3657.JPG" /><br />
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Since last week, I posted my two favorite naan recipes, this week I thought it'd be apropos to post my two favorite dal recipes. Especially with the cooler weather and rain we've been having--it's been making me crave warm comfort foods like crazy.<br />
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My very favorite to-die-for dal is this <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/05/dal-with-tomato-and-cream.html">Dal with Tomatoes and Cream</a>. I'm actually also kind of fond of the post I wrote about it, so if you like you can go <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/05/dal-with-tomato-and-cream.html">HERE</a> to see/read it. If not, I'll post the recipe below as well. It's just so good it will convert you.<br />
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My second most favorite ever dal is this <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/03/coconut-red-lentil-dal.html">Coconut Red Lentil Dal</a>--beautiful (it's the image featured above) and with an amazing combination of flavors. Find the original post <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/03/coconut-red-lentil-dal.html">HERE </a>if you're so inclined or the recipe below.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: large;">Dal with Tomato and Cream</span></span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">adapted from </span><a href="http://steamykitchen.com/10989-indian-dal-nirvana.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Steamy Kitchen</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Serves 4</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 1 hour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $1.95</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(lentils: .50, tomatoes: .75, butter: .30, cream: .35, other stuff: .05)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C dry lentils</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 14-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes (I used home-canned)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 Tbsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 tsp ground ginger (you could also use 1/2-1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 tsp cayenne pepper</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">4 Tbsp butter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 tsp pepper</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">salt to taste</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/3 C heavy cream</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 Tbsp fresh cilantro (didn't have, so skipped. Would have been lovely--for my picture and my palate)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Note for the calorie/fat conscious</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">: You can skip the cream, but not the butter. (Or possibly visa versa.) I tasted it before adding the cream and it was seriously already to die for. Yes, the cream added even more amazingness if such a thing could be, but you could get away without using it. The butter, however, added a smooth flavorfulness that I don't think you should live without.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Check lentils for stones (I've never found one, but I don't want to either). Put lentils in large sauce pan and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain water and return lentils to the pot. You can mash some of them against the side if you will.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Add crushed tomatoes (I pureed my home-canned ones and left the juices in, so it was pretty watery). Add ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, water, butter, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 hour until dal is thick with most of the fluid cooked out. Check the pot periodically and if your water cooks out before it's done, just add more. Take off heat and stir in cream. Garnish with cilantro if desired.</span></span><br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAoMtIjjtb3nOsYTFaJ4L59wrXD1OJqETUEOj0W3Nj_glHtggT4RSbEVYQCrmI8MkXsg9gtC_oyWz1KBBA3gDPsXBH5X-Xf9GrlCKcDwxGbw483rEN4VuAvJVAQ4xWimkC3NMGXU-2gg/s320/101_3679.JPG" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Coconut Red Lentil Dal</span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">adapted from </span><a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/coconut-red-lentil-soup-recipe.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; line-height: 18px; text-decoration-line: none;">101 Cookbooks</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"> (her ingredient list is perfect; her instructions a little fussy to my mind)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Prep time: 15 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Cook time: 1 hour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Cost: $2.55</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">peas/lentils: .20, carrot: .10, fresh ginger: .02, butter: .02, green onions: .36, raisins: .10, coconut milk: 1.30, tomato paste: .20) cilantro: .25)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">1 C yellow split peas (I didn't have so subbed in regular old lentils--the greenish kind you find at Walmart)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">1 C red lentils</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">7 C water (I wasn't sure I should trust this and almost used chicken stock instead, but 101 Cookbooks came through for me and the water worked fine)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">1 medium carrot, diced</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">2 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">2 Tbsp curry powder</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil for a vegan option)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">8 green onions, thinly sliced</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">1/3 C raisins (again, I hesitated here, but went ahead with it--totally awesome. You </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">have</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"> to add the raisins. They cook so that they kind of mush into everything else, but add a nice earthy pop of sweetness to the brew)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">1/3 C tomato paste</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">1 14-oz can coconut milk</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">2 tsp fine grain sea salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">1 small handful cilantro, chopped (this could be optional, but I do love me some cilantro)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Rinse peas and lentils until they no longer put off a murky water. This took more rinses than I expected. I'm not sure it's worth it, but I expect it might lower the gasaciousness of the legumes. Place them in a big pot and cover them in the water. Bring to a boil.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Reduce heat and simmer. Add carrot and 1/2 Tbsp of ginger. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Cover</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"> and simmer 30 minutes or until peas are soft.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">In the meantime, melt your butter in a small skillet. Add curry, ginger, half the green onions, and the raisins (seriously, don't skip them, even if you hate raisins). Saute for a couple minutes (you should start smelling the seasonings) and then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Add this to the simmering soup (add it </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">after</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"> the first 30 minutes). Add coconut milk and salt. Simmer, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">uncovered </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">for 20 more minutes. It will thicken up and you should give it a stir here and there to be sure it's not sticking to the bottom of your pan (if it is, turn down the heat or stir it more frequently or both). I liked it nice and thick. (How thick you may ask, especially if you're not used to making dal? Well, I hate to use the word pasty here because it's not a word we usually use with food to mean good things, but you'll want to get it less soupy and more pasty. Not so pasty you could make a pinata out of it or anything, but definitely on the pasty spectrum. Hope that helps.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">And I really liked it with some cooked farro thrown in.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Serve garnished with remaining green onions and cilantro.</span></span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-42616621660255065892018-09-18T19:16:00.001-07:002018-09-18T19:16:24.991-07:00My Favorite Naan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE</div>
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Naan is one of my very favorite breads. It is good with something exotic like <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/05/dal-with-tomato-and-cream.html">dal</a> or <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/08/chicken-tikka-masala.html">chicken tikka masala</a>. But it is just as good plain or with peanut butter.<br />
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<b>If you want to go fancy, you can work garlic, rosemary, basil, tarragon, dill, or parsley into the dough</b>. And people will basically think you're the bread goddess of the universe.<br />
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Or, well, like I said keep it simple. Or add jam or honey. It's hard to go wrong with jam or honey. It's just amazing no matter what you do.<br />
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I have <b>two go-to naan recipes</b>. They're both completely amazing. The first is my absolute favorite. The second is a very very close second and it does not require the rise time the yeast naan does, which makes it mightily convenient some days.<br />
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You'll find both recipes below. (Quick naan is pictured above, but they both look basically the same.)<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/05/naan.html">Naan</a></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">adapted from </span><a href="http://mybakingaddiction.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">mybakingaddiction.com</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">makes about 15</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 15-20 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 20-30 minutes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rise time: 45-60 minutes<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $.80 (that's about $.06/piece)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(yeast: .05, sugar: .05, milk: .03, egg: .10, whole wheat flour: .36, white flour: .21)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Note: You're going for about 4-4 1/2 C total flour. I usually like to work in some whole wheat flour. I wouldn't add more than 2 C of whole wheat, but hey, if you're a hundred percent kind of person, go for it, and let me know how it turns out. Generally, I use more like 1/2-1 C whole wheat flour in my naan. <br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 Tbsp active dry yeast</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C warm water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 C white sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 Tbsp milk</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 egg, beaten</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C whole wheat flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 1/2 C all-purpose flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and 1-2 C flour. Add another cup flour and then add flour y 1/2 cups until you can't mix it with a spoon anymore. Turn it out onto the counter to knead, add extra flour as it becomes necessary. Remember that you want to keep your ball of dough nice and supple--not sticky, but not a hard ball of dough either. (Although naan is much more forgiving of mistakes than a loaf of bread or rolls; that's one of the things to love about it.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Let rise an hour or until it's doubled in size.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Punch it down. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Note</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">: At this point, if you'd like to get fancy, you can knead in minced garlic, rosemary, or any other herbs you'd like to fancify your bread.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of golf bass. Roll into balls and let these rise for about 20 more minutes. (Note: If you're pressed for time, you can skimp on this rising time and still get great bread.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Heat cast iron skillet (or another skillet that can get hot; the grill would work too if you're skilled in that area). I heat to a bit above medium-medium high. Lightly oil skillet.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Roll out dough as thin as you can and as circular as possible. Place dough on skillet. You can brush it with butter for a special treat, but I usually don't. Cook 1-2 minutes on first side until it starts to get little puffy air pockets. It'll look like this:</span></span><br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedrLe7PJSlnN9iV4hyphenhyphenWB7hLzJtgLl8RQsWqvZpFDP0v0ootUdqa9_DIMKu9DW-1hlGteAagennrb3mIL5bW_0ikqGzSeOI9TPM5XIBoMel8x_bL0uAlKP5jk0CnjizcPNi7J0qCOjet1t/s320/P1110864.JPG" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(If by any chance it doesn't look like this, don't despair. It will probably still be fine. Check your heat and make sure it's not too low.)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Flip it and cook on other side for another minute or until lightly browned. And then keep going.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2013/03/quick-naan.html">Quick Naan</a></span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">adapted from </span><a href="http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/27350/quick-stovetop-naan-recipe" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">The Good Loaf</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">makes 12-15 6-7-inch naan</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 5 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Rest time: 30 minutes (it can be shortened; oh yes, it can)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 20-30 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $1.00</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">whole wheat flour: .20, flour: .30, yogurt .50</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C whole wheat flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 C all-purpose flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 C sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3/4 tsp baking powder</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3/4 C plain yogurt (I used full-fat, but any will do)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3/4-1 1/4 C water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Combine flours, sugar, baking powder.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Add yogurt and 1/2 C water. Mix. Add more water as necessary to get your dough to come together into a nice ball of dough. It will feel dense and just a tiny bit tacky, but it won't stick to your fingers at all.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Let it sit for 30 minutes, or less if you're pressed for time.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Roll it into 2-inch balls. Heat skillet (I used cast iron skillet) to medium high while you roll the dough balls as flat as possible with rolling pin. Add a little oil to skillet. Cook one at a time on medium high heat. When one side is golden browned, flip. Cook briefly on other side; it will probably bubble puff in a few areas and should only need 30-90 seconds.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Remove to plate and continue the process.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-27184692053527306592018-09-03T19:20:00.000-07:002018-09-03T19:20:02.881-07:00Crock Pot Italian Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKptetGXyAPxiZi6vfPI3hru7rSJygHNvOv3yadHrqZiXeXQmN4Xw7LKyWpnkzvPaMv68txRfMpOkF5ZXUsjHRZRzRLQfHsFdewqLAM18e9rqPkfhD4F8r73o5E7MF6fxfhckSHSgq2VI/s1600/IMG_20180830_131209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKptetGXyAPxiZi6vfPI3hru7rSJygHNvOv3yadHrqZiXeXQmN4Xw7LKyWpnkzvPaMv68txRfMpOkF5ZXUsjHRZRzRLQfHsFdewqLAM18e9rqPkfhD4F8r73o5E7MF6fxfhckSHSgq2VI/s320/IMG_20180830_131209.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In honor of Labor Day, I'm bringing you a dish--not for a picnic--but for a nice <b>low-labor dinner for a high-labor day</b>. It's great for anything in the world (Sunday dinner, soccer days, lazy days, hot days, cold days, weekdays), including bringing to friends who need a nice meal. </div>
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If you'd like to read the initial post, which I just think is hil-a-ri-ous. Because of course, I'm just hil-a-ri-ous, you can find it <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/06/crock-pot-italian-chicken.html">HERE</a>. </div>
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Also, if you forget to crock pot it, and still want this, I'd bet you could put it all in a 9x13 inch pan and bake for about 40 minutes, and come out with a win.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: large;">Crock Pot Italian Chicken</span></span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Serves 6</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 3-10 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 6 hours in crock pot</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $4.85</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(chicken: 4.00, cream cheese: I got mine for .50, but a more normal yet still cheap price is a little over a dollar, white sauce: .30, Italian dressing packet: homemade: .05; I don't know how much it is to buy it.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">4 chicken breasts--about 2 lb.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">8 oz. package cream cheese</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 can cream of chicken soup (or 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp flour, 1 C milk, 1 tsp bouillon granules)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 packet Italian dressing mix (or 2 Tbsp homemade </span><a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/06/italian-dressing-mix.html">Italian dressing mix<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">)</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 handfuls spinach (optional, but this does make you feel like you're winning at life)<br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Put chicken in crock pot. Add cream cheese in chunks. Add cream of chicken soup and sprinkle with Italian dressing mix. Cook on low for 6 hours (my chicken was frozen; if yours is thawed, this will take less time) or whenever dinner is [Note: It is possible to overcook this. I mean, it's still good, but your chicken can get a little mushy, so be warned.]. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">If using spinach, toss it in the crock pot, 15 minutes before serving. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">When ready to eat, shred chicken and mix chicken with cream cheese, sauce, and seasoning. Serve over rice or starch of your choice. We had a salad on the side the first day and broccoli the next day. I also thought it would be really good with a few lovely seasonal tomatoes sliced up on the side.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">If making a white sauce instead of using cream of chicken soup:</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Melt butter in a pot. Whisk in flour and bouillon. Let bubble for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk. Stir until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (should take 1-3 minutes).</span></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-85933262693971565182018-08-20T12:57:00.002-07:002018-08-20T12:57:56.217-07:00Raisin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (cheapskate Larabars)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE</div>
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I love these so much that posting about them on a hungry stomach is just a terrible idea. I'm going to have to rush through this, then hurry into my kitchen and make some more. They are just fantastically good. They make for a quick grab-and-go breakfast if your kids sleep in (like one of mine did this morning). They make for a great post workout snack. They make for a great healthy dessert that doesn't really taste like a healthy dessert.<br />
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They are like Larabars in that they combine fruit and nuts (and chocolate) to make something divine. But they combine the cheapest dried fruit and the cheapest nut. The cost of the entire batch is about not more than $2.00. The last time I bought a box of Larabars on sale, it was $5.00.<br />
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And the truth is that they taste 500 times better than those expensive Larabras. So make them.<br />
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(P.S. Freeze them if you want to keep them around longer than 40 seconds. My kids descend upon them like locusts of Biblical fame--consuming all.)<br />
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You can find the recipe below and the original post <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/04/raisin-peanut-butter-breakfast-cookies.html">HERE</a>.<br />
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Want more Larabar knock-offs. Try <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/06/homemade-larabars.html">THESE</a>. Or <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2015/02/brownie-bites.html">THESE BROWNIE BITES</a>.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Raisin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (aka Cheapskate Larabars)</span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">adapted from </span><a href="http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/24/peanut-butter-cookie-dough-cookies/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">Chocolate-Covered Katie</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Makes about 12 (um, a little foggy here on the amount; I must have been snitching too much dough)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Prep time: 5 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Cost: $1.70</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">peanut butter: .70, raisins: .70, peanuts: .30</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Note: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">These are oily when you form them into balls--at least mine were. I just set them on a paper towel and all was well.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Another note:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> If you'd like, you can add any variety of dried fruits or nut butters. I did a batch with raisins, coconut, peanut butter, and almonds. It was also delicious, although this original recipe was still may favorite. Nevertheless, feel free to play around with the recipe a bit.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1 1/4-1 1/2 C raisins</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">3/4 C peanut butter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">6 Tbsp peanuts (I used raw, but plain roasted will work too)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">3/4 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">dash of salt if that's your thing (it's mine)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">chocolate chips, optional (I added them sometimes and didn't other times--both were awesome)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Combine raisins, peanut butter, and peanuts in a food processor. (Note: In an attempt to save on dishes I tried this in my cheap blender. It didn't work; the raisins were just too sticky.) Process until smooth (you'll have a few bits of peanuts, but not big chunks) and coming together like a dough. Add vanilla and salt (if using) and process. (If using chocolate chips, you can add these at the very end and give them a whirl or two, but I like mine chunky so I didn't pulverize them.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Take out, form into balls. Place balls on waxed paper or paper towels and press into cookie shapes using a fork or spoon.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-10928697408334360802018-08-06T19:57:00.005-07:002018-08-06T19:57:39.793-07:00Spinach Enchilada Lasagna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I promised better pictures this year. It was a dirty lie. I'm sorry. This isn't, to be fair, an easy food to photograph, and my good camera is currently out of commission. But, well, I did my best. <br />
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Don't be discouraged by ugly food. This is a creamy delicious simple meal that is great for a crowd. It's basically a vehicle for cheese. but, you know, there's a layer of spinach, so we tell ourselves it's dinner.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Spinach Enchilada Lasagna</span></b><br />
adapted from allrecipes<br />
Prep time: 10-15 minutes<br />
Cook time: 20-25 minutes<br />
Cost: $5.50 (this is about $.45-.90/serving)<br />
tortillas: 1.50, sour cream: .50, salsa: 1.00, cheese: 2.00, spinach: .50<br />
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<b>Note</b>: The original recipe called for corn tortillas and this is so delicious like that. But Kip prefers flour, and that's good too. I also like it with half corn and half flour. You get the flavor of the corn and the texture of the flour.<br />
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<b>Note #2</b>: You'll notice the cheese has a wide range for measurement. Kip loves this super cheesy. I feel when we use too much cheese, it takes over all the flavors, and it's like eating a pan of cheese (not that there's anything wrong with that...). So decide which way you want to go with this.<br />
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<b>Note #3</b>: I'd bet (though it is untested) that this would work just fine in a crock pot on low for 3-4 hours. <br />
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1 C sour cream<br />
1 C green salsa (green enchilada sauce works as well)<br />
1 bunch fresh spinach<br />
2-4 C Monterey Jack cheese<br />
1 package corn or flour tortillas<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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Stir together the sour cream and green salsa. Spread a bit on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.<br />
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Layer tortillas, sour cream/salsa mixture, spinach, cheese. Repeat until sour cream/salsa mixture is gone (2-3 layers), then top with a layer or tortillas and cheese.<br />
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Bake for 20-25 minutes.<br />
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Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-11632253831460599622018-07-31T14:50:00.002-07:002018-07-31T14:50:43.099-07:00Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peanut Butter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I always think, "You know the last thing I need is another cookie recipe on this blog."<br />
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I'm always wrong. (I mean, obviously; who doesn't need more cookie recipes on her blog?)<br />
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But at this point in my cooking life, I basically have my cookie groove on. I've got my favorites. I've got some snobbery towards cookies. <b>It's hard to surprise or impress or convert me to new recipes. But every once in a while something comes along that just does. This is one of those cookies. </b>When my sister-in-law introduced me to them, I thought they'd be good. But they were better than good. They were <b>rich and delicious and buttery and full. They had a crisp-ish outer part and a delicious melt-in-your-mouth almost creamy interior.</b><br />
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Also, I thoroughly messed them up the first time I made them and overcooked them by, well, a lot because I mis-set my timer and then forgot about them. (I like to do this for, um, scientific purposes, so that I can deliver you the best fail-proof recipes possible). Anyway,<b> I way over-cooked them and they were overdone (like, almost twice the cooking time) and I thought all was lost. Nope. They were a little crispier on the outside, but the middle was still amazing and not overdone at all. </b>They were the best "burned" cookies I've ever eaten. Note: They didn't actually taste or look burned at all.<br />
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I hate to call them my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe because they've got peanut butter in them, so they shouldn't count. But <b>somehow they still feel like my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe anyway.</b><br />
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After all, you'll notice that I didn't call these "Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies." They're not a peanut butter cookie that you add chocolate chips to (though <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2017/02/heart-peanut-butter-cookies.html">those</a> are good too). They're a chocolate chip cookie that you add peanut butter too. <b>They taste more like chocolate chip cookies and have more the texture of chocolate chip cookies, but the peanut butter adds something to them. it makes them richer, with a more full flavor. </b>Yes, you can taste the peanut butter. Yes, it matters. But somehow it still doesn't take these out of the chocolate chip cookie category for me. Hopefully, you can make them your newest greatest go-to as well. (Just don't forget so fully that they've got PB in them if you're friends with people who have allergies.)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peanut Butter</span></b><br />
adapted from <a href="https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/30364/chunky-chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-cookies/">Very Best Baking</a><br />
makes 24 cookies<br />
Prep time: 5-10 minutes<br />
Cook time: 7-10 minutes<br />
Cost: $4.00 (that's $.17/cookie)<br />
butter: 1.00, brown sugar: .10, white sugar: .05, peanut butter: .50, flour: .15, egg: .10, other ingredients: .10, chocolate chips: 2.00<br />
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3/4 C butter, significantly softened<br />
1/2 C brown sugar, packed (I prefer dark, always)<br />
1/2 C granulated sugar<br />
1/2 C creamy peanut butter<br />
1 egg<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
1 1/4 C flour<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
2 C chocolate chips<br />
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Preheat oven to 375.<br />
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Beat together butter, brown sugar, sugar and peanut butter until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients until incorporated, but for heaven's sake don't beat the poor thing to death. Stir in chocolate chips.<br />
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Drop onto a cookie sheet.<br />
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Bake for 7-10 minutes at 375 degrees. The edges should be set, the center soft. (But, like I say, if you screw that up, they'll still be good). Allow to cool a few minutes before you try to pick them up. If you pick them up right away they may fall apart--not that I know from experience or anything. I mean, I'm a totally patient person.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-37413447516338110092018-07-23T19:28:00.001-07:002018-07-23T19:28:59.701-07:00Natural Gatorade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE</div>
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Guys! I seriously love this stuff. I drink it all the time after workouts and now crave it. I hope I can push my addiction on to you.<br />
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Below you'll find the original post with, erm, "recipe."<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">I guess I better confess and say that I can't exactly call this natural Gatorade because what is Gatorade exactly? It's like watered-down Koolaid with electrolytes mixed in, right? And this isn't really an natural version of that sugared, electrolyted drink. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What it IS is water that's been pimped up with some natural electrolytes. </b><br />
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<b>That's right. I just told you that today's recipe is water. </b>Maybe I should feel embarrassed about the state of my lameness, but the truth is that this drink is really very lovely and kind of addicting. I find that <b>I now crave it when I've been out in the heat or had a really hard workout or both (nothing better after hot yoga). You get the hydration and the electrolytes without drinking a lot of sugars and/or sweeteners and food dyes. </b></div>
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And I do feel that it has more oomph and helps me recover more quickly than plain water. Sometimes after a hot or hard workout, I get headaches and this seems to help with that. I'm not going to call it a miracle tonic, but maybe it kind of is. </div>
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And <b>is it dumb easy? Yes</b>. </div>
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And <b>is it super cheap? </b>Yes. ($.25 at its highest price compared to the $.99 of Gatorade)</div>
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And <b>is it tasty? Surprisingly. </b></div>
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Half the time when I take a swig of Gatorade, I want to spit it out. It just tastes so fake and almost thick to me. This natural Gatorade is just so refreshing. <b>Note:</b> If you drink Gatorade because you like sweet, red/blue/purple/orange drinks, then you won't get that sweetness from this drink and you might find that disappointing. This isn't sweet. It's a barely flavored water, but what it lacks in sweetness, it makes up for in refreshingness (totally a word). </div>
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Now I'm going to <b>warn you</b>: In this drink I'll instruct you to add salt to your water. And you'll go, "Ew, gross. Who puts salt in your water?" Um, you do if you drink any type of Powerade or Gatorade or probably any other number of processed drinks (Gatorade checks in with a whopping 11% of your daily sodium intake--270 mg). But that's not the point. The point is that we're going to add salt, but this still won't taste salty. It's just a pinch. Even alone in the water, you probably wouldn't notice it, but with that lemon, it's actually a really nice complement. Just be sure to mix it in (or you'll get a somewhat nasty last swig of water). Also, you MUST use a natural salt. First of all, it supposedly has more benefits (the naturalists will tell you that iodized salt is really just a processed food), but perhaps even more importantly--it tastes better. There's not that little hint of iodine that you can sometimes taste in regular table salt.</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Natural Gatorade</b></span></div>
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Cost: $.28</div>
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lemon: .25 (I can usually get my lemons for cheaper, especially from somewhere like an Asian market), salt: .03</div>
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2 C water</div>
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1 pinch (or 1-2 grinds) natural sea salt (I used pink Himalayan because I had a tiny sample from a market, but any natural sea salt will work)</div>
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juice from 1/2 lemon or lime</div>
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Mix it all together. Be sure to get the salt dissolved and mixed in (just stir it a few times) or you will taste a big swig of saltiness at the bottom. </div>
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Drink it. That's right. It's not the rocket science of recipes, but try it. I'd love to hear what you think of it after a workout. If it works for you, leave a comment below. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-29986645237591339992018-07-16T19:34:00.001-07:002018-07-16T19:34:38.970-07:00Zucchini Coconut BreadBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3PoTjcaZNGqJUg1-ijshv9L8PfQcn-XtjcUn9kP0KXRVOLGUWcEc3iQcJh_ThjcvARa0PwV7UEwyMZHtNPhJdNB6DqccJ5ndUFlrUn7Z-31uLRHF2X6NAWs2uAS4fKxxThnurQP5bmrP/s320/P1130157.JPG" /><br />
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I was going to do a post about these amazing chocolate chip peanut butter cookies--the best of both worlds. But then we ate them all before I could take a picture.<br />
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Never fear. This just gives me the opportunity to give you the best zucchini bread ever recipe. After all, 'tis the season for overmuch zucchini bread.<br />
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Don't mess with the sugar or oil to try to reduce them. Some things are just right and should be left alone.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me tell you another story about this bread: The first time I made this, I tried to ruin it in every way. I underbaked it, but didn't know, so I let it cool and then cut into it and it was gooey--like, really gooey. I put it (that's right--the cut-in-half loaf) back in the oven and pretty much re-baked it for an hour. I thought all was lost. The edges were dark brown. And the middle--who knew--I suspected it was hopelessly dry or still gooey. My friends, it came out delicious. The overly dark edges seemed to have gotten a crispy browned sugar edge and the middle was moist and perfect. Ah, merciful loaf.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Zucchini Coconut Bread</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">adapted from <a href="https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6941/zucchini-coconut-loaf/">allrecipes</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Makes 1 loaf (or 12 muffins)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 10 minutes with food processor; 15 without</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 1 hour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $1.00</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(egg: .10, oil: .10, zucchini: .20, flour: .07, whole wheat flour: .14, coconut: .35, other stuff: .04)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 egg</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C vegetable oil (I use canola)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C white sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C grated zucchini</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3/4 C all purpose flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3/4 C whole wheat flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 tsp baking soda</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3/4 tsp cinnamon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 tsp nutmeg</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C shredded coconut (I use sweetened)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Note</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">: I use a food processor to shred my zucchini and even when I take into account the time to wash the darn thing, it saves me a bunch of time when grating zucchini. Also, if you have too much zucchini, freeze what remains in a bag labeled with the amount.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Combine egg and oil. Mix in sugar, then zucchini and vanilla. In separate bowl combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Mix in coconut.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Pour mixture in lightly greased loaf pan (I use a larger 9-inch one, although you could probably cram it into a smaller 7-ish inch one too).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Bake at 350 for 1 hour.</span></span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-15454950674073875892018-06-26T08:38:00.000-07:002018-06-26T08:38:47.757-07:00Blender Waffles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqgFtXqSt7DcP_YcYh5ULDYTUjI_f3NY7w3wklyDMWeG8D1cEmQ965YirU4nmVBQew6PQC8jDmG3OqYkZns5GOvcfVm7cbQNh9CEZJtbIgxPfopR9_B_1O1ZXXKJD5u4ZkZDwvLUF3mTm/s320/P1090472.JPG" /></div>
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If I was a better advertiser, I'd market these as high-protein diet foods. "Eat them with peanut butter!" I would say (and I would be giving truly great advice). But really this is just lazy-mom food. You'll thank me.<br />
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Below is the original post with recipe.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I know plenty of people consider waffles a breakfast food. I won't </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">argue </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">with that. I will simply say that in this family waffles are eaten for dinner. Because someone is too lazy to stand by the waffle iron for 20 minutes in the morning. And yet waffles are the perfect lazy woman dinner because they only take 20 minutes. That's right--that's how things are run 'round here. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">These waffles are not typical. They </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">contain cottage cheese and a booty load of eggs. Because of this they are quite high in protein</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">,which is nice. They also</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> taste almost like crepes in waffle form</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. And in my opinion that is a good thing, a very good thing. And like crepes, they are very good with any of a number of toppings: syrups, fruit sauces, whipped cream and bananas, jam, Nutella (oh mama), or whatever you have on hand.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The other life-changing thing about these waffles is that they are </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">made in the blender</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. That means they take all of 2 minutes to prepare (that's right; no egg white whipping necessary). Perhaps more even that their crepe like deliciousness, this quality has endeared them to me forever. I love you cottage cheese blender waffles. And since I'm saying that I need to give a special thank you to my friend, Pilar, from whom these come. Thanks Pilar! </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I have not yet tried them with whole wheat flour. I love them so much as is that I've been afraid to. If you do, please let me know how they turn out.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blender Waffles</span></strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Serves: Our family of 6</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 2 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 20 minutes (depending on how large your waffle iron is; mine is unfortunately small, so it takes longer)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $1.15</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(cottage cheese: .50, flour: .05, milk: .05, eggs: .50, oil: .05)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Note</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">: These can be kept warm on a cookie sheet in the oven (set at 200 degrees) if you want to serve your whole family at once instead of flipping them onto plates as they're ready, diner style. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C cottage cheese</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2/3 C flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/3 C milk</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">6 large eggs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/3 C oil</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Throw it all in a blender and blend until combined and smooth. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook in lightly greased waffle iron.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">If desired keep warm in oven as noted above.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-89823597134574062962018-06-20T11:44:00.004-07:002018-06-20T11:45:21.944-07:00Peanut Butter (sort of healthy) Ice CreamBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSwP_EFHl5Zqy3Ni6uHhL3MdUmm-1sYnWBpo442G1doBLW4Qfg_22mMIXzhRG-9DPBtMxMY6MB9nfI_Uc2rtDtPcMsXRojkm9y6JUs7_Gm4sGCsLdbRBO9YDs_KDFJrMyXYiCmedQFl0/s1600/IMG_20180620_131743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSwP_EFHl5Zqy3Ni6uHhL3MdUmm-1sYnWBpo442G1doBLW4Qfg_22mMIXzhRG-9DPBtMxMY6MB9nfI_Uc2rtDtPcMsXRojkm9y6JUs7_Gm4sGCsLdbRBO9YDs_KDFJrMyXYiCmedQFl0/s320/IMG_20180620_131743.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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In my continuing efforts to eat only ice cream this summer...<br />
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Forget the chocolate milk. You ready to up your post workout recovery, uh, "drink" game? Of course you are.<br />
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Because this is ice cream.<br />
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That you can feel kind of sort of good about eating. It's <b>mostly milk and peanut butter</b>. And, yes, I did eat some after my workout today. And, no, I did not regret it. And, <b>even though I'm being a wee bit facetious with the whole ice cream recovery drink thing--you can for real drink this and it really will help you recover. It's full of tons of protein, a little fat, and some suga</b>r (so much less sugar and cream than regular ice cream, though). It wins over Gatorade by, like, 10 million percent.<br />
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It's also <b>delightfully cheap for something with delightfully real ingredients</b>.<br />
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I've made several changes to the <a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/07/peanut-butter-ice-milk.html">original recipe</a> that make this<b> easier, quicker, and creamier</b>. If you have a cheap-o ice cream maker like me, this will come out more like a <b>soft serve</b> or milk shake. you can freeze it overnight, or eat it quickly (you can guess which option I chose...).<br />
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Happy Summer!!!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Peanut Butter (sort of healthy) Ice Cream</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">makes 1 quart</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 5 minutes </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Mix time: 20 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $2.00 (or $.50/ 1 C serving)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">milk: .40, cream: .25, peanut butter: .50, sugar: .15, vanilla: .15, chocolate chips: .55</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Note: You can also use 2 1/4 C milk and 3/4 C cream<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 1/2 C milk (we used 2 %)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 C cream<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C creamy peanut butter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">6 Tbsp brown sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2-1 C chocolate chips, optional</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Combine milk, cream, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla in a blender. Blend. Alternately, you can just give it a good solid whisk--you want to be sure you incorporate the peanut butter thoroughly. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the instructions. (If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can freeze this into ice cubes and then blend it up the next day.) <br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" />When it's done, top or mix in chocolate chips. If you need that dark chocolate for health reasons of course. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-60460786376697318412018-06-11T20:10:00.002-07:002018-06-11T20:10:54.759-07:00Homemade Hummingbird NectarBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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Most of my recipes are for people food. But I have a few non-food recipes that are worth knowing about. This is one.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hummingbirds are really amazing animals. They're fast, small, and exotic-seeming, although hummingbirds of some variety are found in most parts of the country. If you have a feeder or several, you'll find that they're fairly brave animals as well. I guess that's what happens when you're super speedy. We used to have several feeders and they'd zoom right past us--just over our heads and in front of our faces. It's almost frightening actually what with those long pointy beaks they've got. Sometimes they'll even battle over a feeder using their beaks like swords (I'm totally not kidding; it's crazy.) We bird-watchers--we have some pretty wild times.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I knew it was time to get the feeders out when I saw a hummingbird trying to feed off of my red watering can (and just about any other brightly colored thing on the deck). Unfortunately, our feeders had met an unfortunate end in the dishwasher at the end of last season (Note: Do not, I repeat do NOT put your cheap plastic hummingbird feeders in the dishwasher--top or bottom shelf.) So I hopped on over to my spending Achilles heel: Rural King. They had plenty of feeders to choose from and next to all the feeders, they had that hummingbird nectar that they sell. It usually looks like orange or red syrup. And it costs a lot (I believe these were $4.99 a pop). I saw a lady standing there in front of the "nectar," reading a box. And I really really really wanted to stop her and tell her she didn't have to buy that expensive colored corn syrup and that she could make her own for super cheap. But then I was worried that that would be weird or creepy. Especially since I'd gone to Rural King dressed, as usual, in my best (cough) yard work clothes.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">To make up for it, I will stop you. Do not buy that silly hummingbird nectar. Make you own. My mother-in-law--an avid bird lover/watcher--gave me this recipe for hummingbird nectar. It has worked for us for years. Super easy. Super cheap. I can hear the hummingbirds whizzing now.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Homemade Hummingbird Nectar</span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 1 minute</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $.05 for 1 cup (that's opposed to nearly $5.00 for not much more than a cup)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 part white granulated sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">4 parts water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Mix it up. I allow the sugar to dissolve. Pour into your hummingbird feeder. And they will come. (Um, probably--like, if you've got them in your area and all.) It can remain good for a few weeks (if the hummingbirds don't gobble it up), but if the nectar gets foggy, change it out and clean your feeder (not in the dishwasher) because something has likely contaminated the nectar.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-68197578930727210552018-06-05T12:18:00.000-07:002018-06-05T12:18:08.111-07:00Citrus Gelato--No Ice Cream Maker Required<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE</div>
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It's summer! Well, pretty close anyway. Around here, it's been hot. When it's hot I crave ice cream. I know that some people crave ice cream all the time, but I really only crave it when my bones are melting. So pretty much all summer.<br />
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What I love about this ice cream is that it can be made without an ice cream maker, and that you can use any old citrus fruits you have sitting around. We've made it with lemon, lime, grapefruit, and a combination. And it is SO SO good. Using the citrus fruits just makes it incredibly refreshing. I'm seriously having to force myself to keep typing and not go make more RIGHT NOW. It's so good, I like to pretend it's completely healthy by focusing on the 1/4 C of fruit juice and forgetting about the cup of sugar and two cups of cream. Because, yeah, all that fruit juice--I'm basically consuming a smoothie, right? I said, riigghht...<br />
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Below you'll find my original post and some tips for variations. Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Have you had enough of virtuous drinks and ugly vegetables?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Good. Because I think there's still just enough summer left to squeeze in more ice cream, don't you?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">This treat was inspired by a grapefruit gelato posted on</span><a href="http://www.apronstringsblog.com/desserts/grapefruit-gelato-easy-summer-dessert-recipe/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;"> apronstrings</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">. It was the best frozen treat I've had all summer (and I have had, um, a few). I figured it would work with other citrus as well. And boy, did it ever.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">In addition to tasting amazing, this ice cream requires no ice cream maker and takes a whopping 7 minutes to whip up (although for purposes of full disclosure, I should mention, it takes 4-8 hours to freeze). Seriously, it's so good, so easy, and all natural. And if you want more virtue in your ice cream, hear this: Before we went away on our trip, we had 1/2 lemon, 1/2 lime, and some cream. So you see, I had to make this ice cream, because otherwise, those things would have gone bad. And we all know that's a sin, right? Amen and amen.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lemon-Lime Gelato</span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">adapted from </span><a href="http://www.apronstringsblog.com/desserts/grapefruit-gelato-easy-summer-dessert-recipe/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">apronstrings</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Serves 6 (or 4 or 2 or maybe just you because, really, who's counting)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Prep time: 7 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Cost: $2.15</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">(1/2 lemon: .20, 1/2 lime: .15, cream: 1.50, milk: .10, sugar: .20)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Note:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> This recipe requires regular whipping cream--as in, not heavy whipping cream. You're shooting for 25-30% milkfat, so it's not too icy and not too much like whipped cream. Here in Evansville we apparently like our creams on the heavy side. The only non-heavy cream I found was still one at 36% milkfat. So for this recipe, I combined 1 1/2 C heavy whipping cream with 1/2 C whole milk (though other milk would probably work too). For the grapefruit version, I used 1 3/4 C of the 36% milkfat cream and 1/4 C whole milk. Both worked well.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1/2 lemon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1/2 lime</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1 C sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2 C non-heavy whipping cream (see note above)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Juice the lemon and lime. You should end up with about 1/4 C juice. Then zest the lemon and lime.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Pour cream, sugar, juices, and zests into into an 8x8 inch pan. Mix it up. I used a flat whisk and mixed it till the sugar was incorporated enough that it didn't sit in a big lump on the bottom. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for 8 hours. (If you'd like this ice cream faster than that--and who wouldn't--put it in a larger pan so it's spread thinner.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-81651916268596965802018-05-28T13:24:00.002-07:002018-05-28T13:24:18.873-07:00Easy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mmm. This is a good one. Below you'll find the original post and recipe. Happy Memorial Day!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Generally, I really hate dessert recipes that "cheat." I pretty much loathe all cake box recipes, for example (yeah yeah, haters gonna hate) as well as things made with cinnamon rolls in a tube or Jello in any form (ugh, Jello, why?). But this. For this I will break all my rules. For this perfect and dumb easy cookie, I will add a box of instant chocolate pudding into a regular cookie dough and have some of the best double chocolate chip cookies you will ever taste. I'm not sure what dark magic that pudding uses, but it gives the cookies that moist, fudgy consistency, yet still lets the butter shine through and has a little crisp to the edges. Fool proof every-time-perfect cookies. #welovedarkmagicbutonlyincookiesandmaybefantasynovels</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">On over </span><a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/03/triple-chocolate-cookies.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">HERE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> I've got a triple chocolate cookie recipe that is amazing in every manner, yet a pain in the bootyttocks to make (it is still forgiven due to its utter awesomeness, but it's not a lazy afternoon cookie). But these. These are </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">simple, yet with the perfect flavor, perfect texture and consistency. Perfectness (</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">yes, I know it's not a word; what of it?)</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. Plus ease</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I got the recipe from my good friend, Becca, who baked them for December's book club, thereby making the universe completely happy. So add some Christmas M&M's to these things and make the people in your life happy.</span></span><br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcp9E6PP886WYjGUUYrvM4UZ6G71HmqrWONXts1onzr6MPxkTDPHWIbnZba32eHtmB2p3bMm1LlnMi5i-LHE6DXTi4dcTTI5rlsTlKg48WWsFpI-PSTLOUNubL233dQYZT710-X37E_o/s320/102_9915.JPG" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">Easy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies</span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 10 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 10 minutes/batch</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $.4.90</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">butter: 1.35, brown sugar: .20, white sugar: .05, eggs: .20, cocoa: .15, chocolate pudding mix: .85, flour: .20, chocolate chips: 1.90</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C (2 sticks) butter, soft or a tiny bit melted</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C brown sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C white sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 eggs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">a little less than 1 tsp baking soda</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">a little less than 1 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 C cocoa</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 small packet instant chocolate pudding mix (NOT cook and serve)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 C flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 C chocolate chips (or 1 C chocolate chips and 1 C M&M's)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Preheat oven to 375. (You're going to drop the temperature to 350 after you put the cookies in.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs. Add soda, salt, cocoa, and chocolate pudding mix. (Note: You may want to stir those powdery cocoa ingredients in by hand at first, so you don't get a puff of chocolatey powder in your lungs and die or at least cough and then have to clean all the walls near your mixer.) Add the flour. Mix until combined, then add chocolate chips and M&M's.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Put in preheated oven, drop temperature to 350. Bake for 9-10 minutes.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Refrain from consuming them all and then blaming science, or at least social science for forcing upon you this experiment on impulse control. Give some to Santa for goodness sake. Or, well, maybe a few of your neighbors if Santa also has poor impulse control.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/easy-double-chocolate-chip-cookies" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">PRINTABLE RECIPE</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-90852131305395039452018-05-22T10:45:00.004-07:002018-05-22T10:45:55.297-07:00Classic Potato SaladBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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Potato salad season is upon us. Want a really good one? Yes. Yes, you do.<br />
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Have a great Memorial Day!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">Potato Salad</span></strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Adapted from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Best-Recipe-All-New/dp/0936184744?ie=UTF8&tag=ciotti-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The New Best Recipe</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ciotti-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0936184744" height="1" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: medium none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Serves: 5-8</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 10 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 15 minutes plus you'll need time for the potatoes and boiled eggs to cool before assembly.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $3.30</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(potatoes: 2.00, eggs: .60, mayo: .05, pickles: .50, other stuff: .15)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 lb red potatoes (I left the skins on)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">6 Tbsp red wine vinegar (you can use any, but the red wine flavor does make a difference)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">salt and pepper</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">6 hard-boiled eggs, diced</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">dash onion powder (or 2 Tbsp minced red onion if you peeps aren't averse to pieces of onion)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C dill pickles, chopped small</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3/4 C mayonnaise</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 tsp mustard (Dijon is nice, but not essential)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 Tbsp parsley leaves or dill</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Boil potatoes. (I left mine whole, let them cool, and then cut them, but you can just chop and boil if you wish). Hard boil eggs (Put in cool water, bring to boil, boil 10 minutes.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Drain potatoes (and cut into 1/2 inch pieces if not already cut). Let cool until just warm and add vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Gently toss. I put mine in a bowl with a lid and flipped it over a time or two. (</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Note</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">: </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Best Recipe</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> claims that the slightly warm--not hot--potatoes will absorb the flavors better than cold potatoes. I admit that I let mine cool completely before reading this tip. The potatoes still absorbed quite a bit of flavor and were good, but I trust the </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Best Recipe</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">folks, so try it with the barely warm potatoes). </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Let cool completely in refrigerator (20-30 minutes). Once cool add remaining ingredients and gently toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/classic-potato-salad" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">PRINTABLE RECIPE</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-22090599987146505122018-05-16T10:15:00.001-07:002018-05-16T10:15:04.515-07:00Spinach QuicheBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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This past week, I went to my friend's house and had her delicious quiche. It reminded me how very much I love quiche. And, as my friend stated, it's the perfect food. <b>You can eat it warm or cold, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.</b> It's a <b>vegetarian meal, but with lots of yummy proteins</b>. And<b> at this time of year when hens start laying more (and eating more vitamin-rich bugs and plants if they're free range)</b>, it's the perfect time for a perfect quiche. We just adopted a couple of our friends chickens and so we've been rolling in eggs (not quite literally). But I've definitely been looking for egg heavy recipes lately.<br />
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Even better: This meal can be made in 45-60 minutes even if you make your own crust. <b>If you use a store-bought crust, it's a solid 30-minute meal</b> (okay, maybe 35 if you don't want to burn your mouth on the quiche).<br />
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<b>And it's cheap.</b> If you make your own crust <b>each serving (1/6 of the quiche) is about $.50</b>. Even a bowl of cereal struggles to beat that people (and it cannot even begin to compare in taste or nutrition). A store-bought crust adds an extra $.20 to each serving. Still a deal and a half.<br />
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The cream cheese (and other cheeses) in this recipe rescue it from being too spinach-y or too eggy. Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spinach Quiche</span></strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">adapted from </span><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/spinach-quiche-revisited/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">smittenkitchen</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Serves 8 </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 5 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook Time: 25 minutes plus a few minutes to cool/set</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $2.25 with crust: $2.90 (This breaks down to about $50/serving--1/6 of the quiche)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(spinach: .70, cream cheese: .40, milk: .10, eggs: .30, Cheeses: .75)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Note on spinach</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">: The original recipe calls for 10 oz. We made several times with about half that and loved it (meaning that I loved it and Kip liked it). This last time I decided to live dangerously and used about 8 oz. spinach. It did not go over as well, which is what I get for living dangerously. I liked it, and Kip ate it, but didn't eat the whole serving--which </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">was</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> large, but still--and hasn't had any leftovers.) So use more spinach at your own risk.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 oz cream cheese, room temperature (if you happen to think about it; otherwise throw it in the microwave for 20 seconds)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/3 C half and half or milk</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 eggs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">4-5 oz spinach, frozen (thawed and drained) or fresh (chopped)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C shredded cheddar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 C shredded Parmesan</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 tsp onion powder (or a few sliced green onions if you and yourn like to live dangerously)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 tsp pepper</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Heat oven to 425. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Beat cream cheese. Beat in half and half, then eggs. Add seaonings, cheese, and spinach. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Pour into a pie crust.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Bake for about 25 minutes or until you can stick a fork in it and come out clean (between 160 and 180 on an instant read thermometer). Cool a few minutes before serving so it sets up.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Crust:</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $.64</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(flour--combo white and whole wheat: .14, butter: .50)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(Yeah, you can buy one, but if you have a food processor this takes only about 10 minutes and it tastes so so much better. And of course, even with that real butter, it's cheaper too.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 1/4 C flour (I use half whole wheat and half all-purpose)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C butter, cut into tablespoons</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4-1/2 C cold water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Stick flour and butter in the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-EHC650-2-Speed-Chopper/dp/B00005MF97?ie=UTF8&tag=ciotti-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">food processor </a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: medium; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ciotti-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005MF97" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: medium none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">and process until you've got pea-sized chunks of butter (if you accidentally make them smaller, it's okay). Add water, starting with 1/4 C. If it comes together in a ball, proceed to roll it out. If not, add more water by the tablespoon until it does. (Alternately, you can cut the butter in with 2 knives or with a pastry cutter if you don't have a food processor or if you are a purist when it comes to pie crusts.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Take dough out and roll it to 1/8 inch thickness. Put in ungreased pie pan and shave off overhanging sides. Or, if you're me, cut and patch because your roll-out job wasn't perfectly round or even close and you have places that need more and places with too much overhang.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/spinach-quiche-pie" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">PRINTABLE RECIPE</a></span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-30922506829349630882018-05-10T20:03:00.000-07:002018-05-10T20:03:15.499-07:00Chocolate Volcano Cake (Chocolate Bundt Cake with a bunch of icing in the center)BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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This week it was my birthday! I love my birthday. But the night before my birthday I got home five hours later than planned from my conference. I did not have time to lovingly create a nice layer cake for myself. I actually didn't want to do anything hard at all. And I didn't. I made a gorgeous bundt cake that is super easy and super delicious and stays moist for DAYS (not that we need days around here, but still it's nice to know...).<br />
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I made it that morning. It takes about 20 minutes of hands on effort, though you do have to hang out at your house for an hour while it cooks. We ate it that night.<br />
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A few notes while I've got your ear.<br />
-The fancy pants pan was a little small for this cake (it may have oozed over in the oven), so be sure you use a larger bundt pan.<br />
-The frosting. The first time I made this it was perfect and liquid-y and glaze-y like it should be. But since then, I've sometimes had it seize up when I add the cocoa. I do NOT know why this happens (scientists???). I suspect it has to do with the temperature of the butter/water, but I'm really not sure. Anyway, when it seizes, it forms this thick chocolate-y paste. Do not fear if this happens. Put it in the bowl and add the powdered sugar. It will loosen up (I know it seems it will only get thicker, but it doesn't) and get runnier (the above picture is with a frosting that seized; you can see that it was still drizzle-able). It won't be as runny as a glaze, but it will be runny enough to drape over your cake in a glorious show of awesomeness.<br />
-At the bottom of this post you'll find pics of the big bundt cake with the glaze-y frosting<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chocolate Volcano Cake</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">adapted from </span><a href="http://www.throughherlookingglass.com/conventional-oven-brick-street-chocolate-cake/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Through Her Looking Glass</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Makes one large bundt cake</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 15 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 1 hour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $8.00 (much more than a usual cake in this house, but it's birthday season and I will splurge on those birthday cakes. Plus, as I sometimes point out, it's so much cheaper than buying a lousy cake make from lousy ingredients from the store. And it will feed a crowd. It's at least 16 servings making this only $.50/serving)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">sugar: .30, butter: 1.25, eggs: .30, flour: .25, cocoa: .50, chocolate pudding mix: .50, chocolate chips: .90, more butter: .60, cocoa: .50, powdered sugar: .90, other stuff: .30</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cake:</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 C sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C butter, somewhat softened</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 1/2 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 eggs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 1/2 C flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C cocoa</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 tsp baking soda</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C instant chocolate pudding mix</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 1/4 C buttermilk</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Chocolate Icing:</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C (1 stick) butter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C cocoa</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 1/2 C powdered sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">To make the cake: </b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Grease that bundt pan, baby. Grease it, or you will regret it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Beat sugar, butter, and vanilla. Add eggs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, instant chocolate pudding mix. Of course you're supposed to sift this, and if you're a person with grit, I suppose you will. I always just dump it in the bowl and then sort of fluff it around with a fork or, heck, the beaters. Because I'm lazy. My cakes turn out anyway.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Now add the buttermilk.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Then the chocolate chips.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Pour it into the bundt pan (or a tube pan).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Then, without opening the oven, turn the temperature down to 325 and bake for another 30-ish minutes (mine was about 35 minutes). Insert a knife or other long cake testing device. It should come out with moist crumbs, but not batter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Let it cool for 10 minutes. Then turn it out onto a cake platter. Here I must issue another warning. Don't leave this thing in the pan for an hour or few and then expect it to come out. The longer cakes sit in pans, they less they want to leave them. So give it just a brief cooling period and then turn it out.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">When it is completely cool, you'll add the frosting.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">For the frosting:</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Heat water and butter. Melt butter. Then remove from heat and whisk in cocoa and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and beat (I always have to move it to a bowl for this step because my pan isn't big enough and is non stick and I like to beat icings so the ingredients incorporate fully).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">When the cake is cool, pour this into the center. It will overflow down the sides. I should tell you that I also like to spoon it up onto all the sides so that it is on all sides. In fact, I do this a few times (every couple hours or so) to get a chocolate glaze coating on the cake. Because I like it like that, okay.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Old pics so you can see it with the glaze-y puddle of awesome. </span></span><br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzndGBsZTiP-2Xc9-4A0l6qxGI9vEIDfYX2McyCQxTJBuWP8rHNAMBPWjvVN9DKllNKo-XTycdOIX7qFMab9RXZWvg66CHOABlgcV_T2zmh6kj6-w_IZS-KKqFvjSJJS3FCbAdDJwNbvg/s320/102_9618.JPG" /><br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqAc9zQ1yOOvZW_Jz5WsNV5XtQEtONqrpUihWDCsITgV4aiJY9CGVyqBRKVC_04gh2mk1nhbCAxbYVv5o4-0rgoNboTKwNF-sc-_zbsLgpje2nRE8aywiTbDHtZDEWUpdzYlV9nDixt4/s320/102_9630.JPG" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-45873335703214250112018-04-30T13:02:00.002-07:002018-04-30T13:02:23.236-07:00Pumpkin Oatmeal Travelling Cookies (that you could eat for breakfast)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtj9SkU9nnG8SybepCCTCyQ1NOpLQMMR8KX16B_VO_0cEMtB20I8Q5VP3QoTkby7KLTVPY4roNJneb62hFA31L1d2MqA5d9jRP6uqKX7EWIDZ8Mwp3BvmrTsuxbFyA0vmrLKH6XM88qk/s320/102_9980.JPG" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">I make these ALL the time. Not only when we're travelling, but also for a healthy snack. Or, heck, breakfast. They're a little sweeter than they should be for one of your day's three meals, but we do it anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">But this week, I really am travelling, and I'm going to make them for that. I believe them to be the perfect travelling food. They hold up well, but even if they get smooshed, they're still amazing (maybe even more amazing). They need no refrigeration, no special love or extra care. They stay moist <i>forever</i>. Yes, yes, there is sugar in them (though not quite as much as a normal cookie). But, no, they are not carrot sticks, quite. Still, they do have a healthy dose of pumpkin. And th</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">ere are lots of delicious oats and whole grains as well. Happy for the brain, good for the bowels. What more can you ask for? No airport lunch required, thank you very much.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTsFpzMMeulgpwDUE3_BZLzTR4KNxS5FMaIvQtJIE0VkWGOPy8WO9_wV21ykhlsYGJOxvtOiu18WCrjUe7KWcKOGGszwdAcshuIdJubT-9X7mSlfCF2amDnCxFdlC-P6ZKSWZ8v4JiDY/s1600/102_9965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTsFpzMMeulgpwDUE3_BZLzTR4KNxS5FMaIvQtJIE0VkWGOPy8WO9_wV21ykhlsYGJOxvtOiu18WCrjUe7KWcKOGGszwdAcshuIdJubT-9X7mSlfCF2amDnCxFdlC-P6ZKSWZ8v4JiDY/s320/102_9965.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">And if you do eat them for breakfast, just remind yourself that It's kind of like pumpkin oatmeal in cookie form. Yeah, you're welcome.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies</span></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">adapted from </span><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/228740/pumpkin-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%205" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">All Recipes</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">makes 36</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Prep time: 10 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Cook time: 10 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Cost: $3.40 (that's about $.10/cookie; what!!!??? No bowl of cereal can compete with that)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">butter: .90, brown sugar: .35, sugar: .15, pumpkin puree: .50, egg: .10, flour: .10, oats: .30, chocolate chips: .90, other stuff: .10</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">3/4 C butter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1 C brown sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1/2 C white sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1/2 can pumpkin puree (so about 8 oz or a scant cup)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1 egg</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1/2 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1 C all-purpose flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2 C oats, (blended into crumbles or flour; see below)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1 tsp cinnamon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1 tsp baking soda</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1/2 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1 C dark chocolate chips (I like 60%), optional, but awesome</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Preheat oven to 375.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">First of all, you're going to give those oats a whiz in your blender or food processor. They don't have to be a completely smooth flour (though they can be), but these are best when they're at least crumbles instead of regular oats. Set that aside when you're done.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Beat butter and sugars together. Add pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Add dry ingredients to wet. Blend.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Then add the chocolate chips.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Drop onto baking sheet (my sister sprays hers; she also uses a cookie scoop, which makes these really pretty, but I didn't have one).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/pumpkin-oatmeal-breakfast-cookies" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">PRINTABLE RECIPE</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-42517276697730874262018-04-23T19:47:00.001-07:002018-04-23T19:47:13.840-07:00Katie's RollsBEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE<br />
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As BBQ season pokes its head out of the dismal clouds of freezing cold spring, I felt inspired to make us some pulled pork with these amazing rolls. Do not save them only for BBQ season. They're also perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter and Sundays and winter and dreary spring and summer picnic and pretty much every day ever in the whole world.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Katie's Rolls</span></strong></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Makes 16-24</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prep and cook time: 2 hours (1.5 hour rise, 15 minute bake, 15 minute prep)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cost: $2.05 ($.10-.15/roll)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">milk: .15, yeast: .15, butter: .30, sugar: .05, eggs: .20, flour: 1.20<br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C warm water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C milk, warmed (not hot)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 Tbsp yeast</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/4 C butter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1/2 C sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 eggs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">7-8 C flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Add yeast to water and milk. Let it sit there if you've got five minutes. If you'll get distracted by leaving a thing for five minutes, then just throw the butter, salt, sugar, and eggs in before you forget what on earth you were doing in the first place. Mix it all together. Mix in 4 C flour. Add 2 more cups. Begin kneading with hands when it gets too tough to stir. Of course, if you're a member of the 21st century and have a </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSM150PSER-Artisan-5-Quart-Empire/dp/B00005UP2P?ie=UTF8&tag=ciotti-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Kitchenaid</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ciotti-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005UP2P" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: medium none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">, you can use that too with the dough hook. I myself haven't quite made it to the 21st century and that's okay with me because (weird mental disorder alert) I kind of like kneading. It relaxes me. I like how the dough smells. I like how it feels. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">So if you, like me, will be doing things manually, here is </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">#1</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">best tip for rolls</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. The dough should be pillowy--like a mother's bosom. We don't want any tight teenage breasts, nor do we want a stretched and sagging grandma shelf. If a three-year-old would just love to lay her head on your dough, it's perfect. (Warning: If you have a real life 3-year-old available, do not invite her to lay her head upon your dough to test it out. You'll get hair in your dough. And possibly boogers. Which is what mother's bosoms also get covered in when they have three-year-olds. Not that we mind because three-year-olds are cute.) I've digressed, haven't I? Anyway, so keep adding flour in 1/4 C increments or so and knead it for about 8 minutes until it is nice and pillowy and perhaps the teeniest little bit tacky, but not sticky. Then put it in a bowl and cover it and keep it in a warm place. (Everyone always says put it in an oiled bowl. I have never, not even once in my life done this. I always just throw it back in the bowl I mixed it in. It is always always fine. Who are these people with their oiled bowls and what is the purpose of oiling the bowl?) </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Tip #2</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">: If it's cold in your house, stick the bowl with the dough in the oven. Turn the oven on for 1 minute. Then turn the oven off and leave the dough in the warmed oven. (Do not leave the room to go do something in that one minute. You will never remember your dough. It will cook right there in your bowl with a dish towel over it and perhaps your house will burn down. This is not worth what you were going to do in that one minute.) Note: You can also turn the oven on and off, and then put the dough in if you value not setting off any fire alarms. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Let it rise for one hour or until doubled. Then punch it down and shape it into rolls. Put the rolls on a greased baking sheet. Cover them and let them rise again--this time for about 20 minutes. </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKP6rN2BmF37WVJxm3w_bA-oa-BCQ-9vZ0ik2IGsWCF8MmulITl_vBmNfzzVX4ccXhGdVb7k0txyM8vuQnuEa3DpD432xIaznueedl9IEc2F74xJLi-Sg9WnO_LlgASQmjmG7nFTyZCyw/s1600/P1060347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKP6rN2BmF37WVJxm3w_bA-oa-BCQ-9vZ0ik2IGsWCF8MmulITl_vBmNfzzVX4ccXhGdVb7k0txyM8vuQnuEa3DpD432xIaznueedl9IEc2F74xJLi-Sg9WnO_LlgASQmjmG7nFTyZCyw/s320/P1060347.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></div>
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(They should look kind of like this.)</div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes. I like my rolls just a </span><u style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">bit</u><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> on the dough-y end. I always break them open to determine if they're just right and not way too doughy still. It's not the perfect technique, but it works. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">You can make the rolls ahead of time and freeze them. You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it (covered in plastic wrap) for about 24 hours. You can even make them to the rolled roll point and then freeze them and then take them out, let them dethaw and rise, then bake them. The possibilities are limitless. As it seems is my ability to write many many words even when I am so so tired and have said I will not tonight write many many words.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/katie-s-rolls" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">PRINTABLE RECIPE</a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607007096922060383.post-3026183022421795332018-04-18T11:15:00.002-07:002018-04-18T11:15:28.141-07:00Character-inspired Recipes: Cinnamon Oat Crispies, Molasses Curls, Double Chocolate Scones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week, my new book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hugging-Death-Essays-Motherhood-Goodbye-ebook/dp/B07BR9WGF9/">Hugging Death: Essays on Motherhood and Saying Goodbye</a> </i>came out on Amazon. To celebrate my mom, I reminded you of these amazing cookies. (P.S. Hugging Death hit the #1 spot in SIX of its categories. It's still on sale for $1.99 through the end of the week.)<br />
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This week, my YA fantasy novels are both on sale. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grey-Stone-Jean-Knight-Pace-ebook/dp/B01IYGQXP2/">Grey Stone</a> is for sale for the ever-lovable price of FREE (on Kindle) (P.S. It just hit #1 on Amazon it the epic category as I was writing this post!). And <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grey-Lore-Jean-Knight-Pace-ebook/dp/B077WJSPWW/">Grey Lore</a> is just $.99. If you like fantasy and you haven't snatched them up, then you definitely should. But lets forget about books (haha; don't really; seriously go buy them) for just a moment and talk about FOOD.<br />
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When those books came out, I created several character-inspired recipes to go along with them. They were really good. Here is your loving reminder to go make these right now.<br />
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Two are cookies that are connected to each other (much like the books are connected to each other). And the last are just some really amazing chocolate scones.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxhrJR-ymoKG3w5noJ7CEyFhB4nldXmDIOFx05beDx7lDGiQTneJTKGYnFx6e4-H5ubSUUyev-BPcthz9HuFTDKJpivhFeqNjIgz7FhO-bE2X4QrD-bhOikbNY3m8iUoQ7POXXQ2uDKo/s320/102_9838.JPG" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Zinnegael's Cinnamon Oat Crispies (aka Cinnamon Lace Cookies)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2016/12/zinnegaels-cinnamon-oat-crispies-aka.html">ORIGINAL POST HERE</a></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">adapted from </span><a href="http://addapinch.com/oatmeal-lace-cookies-recipe/?utm_campaign=Feed:+ourhomeschoolhome/vFXF+(Add+a+Pinch+%7C+Full+Feed)&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_content=Yahoo!+Mail" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Add a Pinch</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Makes 50-ish cookies</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Prep time: 5 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cook time: 5-8 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cost: $2.25 (that's $.04 per cookie. I didn't even realize how cheap these actually were till doing the math)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">butter: 1.25, sugar: .50, oats: .25, egg: .10, other stuff: .15</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">For gluten-free adaptation</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">, use a gluten-free flour or skip it altogether. You may also need to use oats that haven't been grown or harvested with wheat or gluten-y foods.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 C (2 sticks) butter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 1/4 C brown sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 1/4 C rolled oats</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">3 Tbsp flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 tsp cinnamon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 egg</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1 tsp vanilla</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats. You must do this. Don't skip it or these will not come off.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Heat butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in oats, flour salt, cinnamon, egg, and vanilla.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Drop the batter by the teaspoon or half tablespoon onto the baking sheets (did you notice how little those scoops are. They must be little; they are going to SPREAD and if you use too much you will have one huge pan-sized rectangle of cookie at the end).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Bake to 5-8 minutes until the edges have browned (you can make these blonder, but they crumble more easily).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Allow to cool. Then remove from parchment paper.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Store in airtight container. These will last well for several days and freeze wonderfully.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/cinnamon-oat-lace-cookies" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">PRINTABLE RECIPE</a></span><br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTvSNAYaLvsacsDBN2pZl9_tACsodbFiBNQAhGxCKJ83fEpNFivZ9o2cHIINiwzGiuC_vGvBFucA698oejvlIo_0pwjkkHiBf9zuaQJ7dhGVH9NA7wwmQLJYUhJjwMpTo3p-Jy2uOfVA/s320/103_0784.JPG" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Molasses Curls</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2017/12/molasses-curls.html">ORIGINAL POST HERE</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (Zinnie and I would like to thank Pioneer Woman for her inspiration for these cookies, though neither of us is big on brandy, so it had to be adapted) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Cookies: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">1 stick (1/2 C) butter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">½ C molasses<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">¼ C sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">¼ C brown sugar, packed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">2 tsp vanilla<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">¾ C flour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">1/8 tsp salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">¼ tsp ginger<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Filling:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">2 C heavy cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">1/3 C sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">1 T vanilla<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">1 T cream cheese, softened to room temperature (this acts as a stabilizer)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Preheat oven to 325 degrees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Put butter, molasses, brown sugar, and white sugar in a skillet. Allow butter to melt, stirring constantly with heat proof whisk or a wooden spoon. Allow mixture to bubble and cook for one minute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Remove from heat and add in the flour, ginger, and salt. Stir together quickly, then stir in vanilla.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Drop ½ tablespoon FAR APART on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper or a silicone pad. You’ll only fit about 6 cookies on at a time. They will spread A LOT.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bake for 10 minutes. They should be bubbly and flat. Ours always ran together a little no matter how hard we tried to get them not to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Remove from oven. Allow to cool three minutes. They should be pliable, but not stretch when you pull them off the pan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Drape over cannoli mold (or the large metal handle of a whisk, which is what we used; anything thick and round will do; we used the handle of an ice cream scoop as well). It will drape over the edges and you’ll kind of form it into a cylinder shape. Set on parchment paper sealed side down and allow to cool completely. You have to work kind of quickly so they don’t get too brittle, but don’t panic. It’s not too hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Allow to cool and set <b>completely</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Meanwhile, make whipped cream. Combine cream, sugar, vanilla, an softened cream cheese in a large bowl. Whip until stiff peaks form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After all have cooled completely, use a frosting piping thing (or a Ziploc bag with a small hole cut out of the corner like we did in our apparently insufficiently stocked kitchen). Pipe the whipped cream into the cookies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Trouble Shooting:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Once we let our cookies cool too much and they were too brittle to form into cylinders. Life went on; we ate them anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Since you have to make these in batches, your batter will cool as you wait. That’s not a problem. Just scoop it onto the cookie sheet when it’s its turn and it will spread and bubble as it should.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">-When we were folding these, they were very greasy and that worried me, but then the grease went away and wasn't a problem. So don't stress if they seem greasy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">-As I said above, if you want these to be as they are supposed to be (crispy cookies), you need to pipe them right before eating, but they are so divine soft that if they sit in the fridge, your life might just become a little bit fuller. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/molasses-curls" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">PRINTABLE RECIPE</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Double Chocolate Scones</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2016/07/double-chocolate-scones.html">ORIGINAL POST HERE</a></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">adapted from <a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/11/10/triple-chocolate-scones-supreme/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Sally's Baking Addiction</a><br />makes 8 scones<br />Prep time: 10 minutes<br />Cook time: 10 minutes<br />Cost: $2.60<br />flour: .10, whole wheat flour: .10, oat flour: .05, cocoa: .20, sugar: .10, butter: .60, cream: .50, egg: .10, chocolate chips: .85<br /><br /><b>Note:</b> To healthy this up just the slightest little bit, I couldn't help but use some whole wheat flour and oat flour (Zinnegael would never have done such a thing, but I did). They were delicious and while the oat flour makes it a tiny bit crumblier, I think it also helps it stay moist and gives it a depth of flavor that is fantastic.<br /><br />1 C all-purpose flour<br />1/3 C whole wheat flour<br />1/3 C oat flour<br />1/3 C cocoa<br />1/2 C sugar<br />2 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)<br />1/2 C (1 stick) butter (frozen or cold)<br />1/2 C plus 1 Tbsp heavy cream<br />1 large egg<br />1 1/2 tsp vanilla<br />1 C semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (oh, and we were short, so we threw in some white chocolate chips too)<br /><br /><b>Glaze: </b><br /><br />Note: This glaze adds more sweetness, but it also sort of seals the scone so that it doesn't dry out. The original recipe recommends dipping them in this glaze, but I just drizzled it rather thoroughly over the top of the scones, and that was way easier. (Yay for laziness and stuff.)<br /><br />1 C powdered sugar<br />1 tsp vanilla<br />2 oz water<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put baking rack in middle-low position. Line it with parchment paper (seriously--this is a good idea).<br /><br />In a bowl or food processor (I use a food processor and it makes things like this so fast and easy), combine flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.<br /><br />Cut the butter into chunks with a knife and toss those in. Give the food processor several pulses (or mush them into the dry ingredients with your hands, or a pastry cutter if you must).<br /><br />In a small bowl, whisk the cream, vanilla, and egg. Pour it into the food processor and process until combined. Don't overmix it. A bit crumbly here is better than being it to death.<br /><br />Dump out your mixture and press it together until it forms a bit of a ball. Knead it 10-12 times. Don't knead the heck out of it. You just want it to come together and be combined. That's all. Scones are sensitive little things and if you overmix or overknead them, they will be dry. So err on the side of underdoing it. You won't regret it.<br /><br />Form into a ball and roll or press it into a nice circle that is about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Cut this into 8 triangles (like cutting a pizza).<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZF3dIhZOfL6TNeRpr7FfHUAMWWcPZfFqpRKlKVko_ZtCXn_QaOa23DEEOy9D9L33mev1D-9KJMG9a_nhFeOiVCV0maaL8ZW6UNav4ZvErmBd0Xg5sMUlzjDQc1nmGOW60cdsAPAMxSyY/s1600/102_9186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZF3dIhZOfL6TNeRpr7FfHUAMWWcPZfFqpRKlKVko_ZtCXn_QaOa23DEEOy9D9L33mev1D-9KJMG9a_nhFeOiVCV0maaL8ZW6UNav4ZvErmBd0Xg5sMUlzjDQc1nmGOW60cdsAPAMxSyY/s320/102_9186.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Sorry that this pic is a little blurry, but wanted to show you the correct thickness)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQsQPNj_vPrAq4TybJPdI-9EHxjqhGgTckD-cwXMHBLcJDNkHSFa3SG4dLSQG9IfznQa3s-2FGLQppiVDOvD74ZAbJHfbmeP0avh05U_4a9F3wU6PtD6XHlSI5vbXvXytR8jH-PkkAfo/s1600/102_9184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQsQPNj_vPrAq4TybJPdI-9EHxjqhGgTckD-cwXMHBLcJDNkHSFa3SG4dLSQG9IfznQa3s-2FGLQppiVDOvD74ZAbJHfbmeP0avh05U_4a9F3wU6PtD6XHlSI5vbXvXytR8jH-PkkAfo/s320/102_9184.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br />Put these on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or just until they lose their shiny look. Again, err on the side of too little. Cook too long and they dry out.<br /><br />Remove and let cool slightly.<br /><br />Prepare glaze by mixing all those ingredients together and drizzle thoroughly over scones (or use a pastry brush, which is easiest). You want the glaze to pretty much cover the top and sides as much as possible (you're welcome).<br /><br />Eat warm or not. They're delicious.<br /><br /><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tastycheapskateprintablerecipe/double-chocolate-scones" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">PRINTABLE RECIPE</a></span></div>
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