The Frugal Gourmom

I brought this to my hubby’s family party ONE time (to a bunch of sneers about green bean casserole) and I am now designated to bring it to every family function. I won them over, and they are difficult eaters to please. I swear you will never sneer at green bean casserole again.

Ingredients
2 bags of frozen green beans – I prefer the “fancy” ones or the French cut ones for this.  You can also use the equivalent amount of fresh green beans. 

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 hefty tbsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small sweet onion – diced finely
1 clove garlic – minced
3 cups of 2% milk – you can use 1% or whole…but skim doesn’t work so well.

1 lb of crispy bacon, cooked & drained – I made bacon for my hubby today & had nearly the entire pound leftover…so I was inspired to make this. I always buy the 3 lb pack at Sam’s Club and divide it up into smaller portions and freeze it. It’s only about $7.50 for 3 lbs of the lean, thick sliced bacon.

1 bag/container of French Fried Onions

2 cups of shredded cheese – I used 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 cup of colby/jack

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

First get the green beans in a colandar and defrost with some warm water. Let them drain REALLY WELL.

On to the white sauce. Just say NO to condensed soup! Yuck!  Get a saucepan on medium heat and add the 3 tbsp of butter, diced onion & garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Let the onions soften for a minute or two.

I had 1/2 lemon on hand leftover from the souvlaki and an orange…so I decided to marinate some chicken for the grill tonight. I never EVER buy marinades. They are super easy to make and use all natural ingredients.   You’ll love this one. I always say that if you have fresh herbs available, they are best…but it’s March here in Chicagoland and the herbs are not growing yet (well, aside from my chives) – so I used dried thyme in this.

Ingredients
The zest and juice of one orange
The zest and juice of 1/3 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp Thyme, minced
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
about 1/3 cup of olive oil

I like to use a measuring cup so it’s easy to pour (I never really measure anything…I use my eyes to measure) – zest the orange first. You can use a fine box grater or a zester if you have one. Just the colorful part of the skin, not the white part (which is bitter) – the zest is so fragrant, my son ran in the kitchen and said “mama, I smell oooooranges!” 

Then slice the orange in half and use a fork (or juice reamer) to get all the juice out of both halves.

Since I’m a bit stressed about my interview tomorrow, I wanted to make something easy for dinner tonight. I had some leftover homemade chili in the freezer and some baked tortilla cups…so I opted for nacho dip night!

Take an oven safe dish and layer a can of fat free refried beans in the bottom evenly. If you have chili or taco meat leftover in the freezer, layer that on next. If not, the beans are great on their own. Like ‘em spicy? Add some salsa or hot sauce in on top of that. Like olives? Add some on top!  Have some jarred nacho cheese in the fridge? Add a layer of that on too. Then top with some shredded cheese & bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

While it was baking I made some guacamole & shredded some lettuce. Dice some tomatoes or use store bought pico de gallo for the top too. I like to put my sour cream in a ziplock bag & cut off the corner so I can pipe it on in fun ways….like MR. NACHO! hahaha! 

juice of 1 lime (or lemon/lime juice)

1 clove garlic (minced finely)

1 tomato, seeded/drained & diced finely

about 3 tbsp of finely diced red onion (if you dig onions, of course)

salt/pepper
 
Just dice the avocados in their shells (cut in half, twist and “karate chop” the pit with a knife & twist it out) then squeeze them into a medium bowl. Add the garlic & lime/lemon juice + mash up a bit with a fork. Add the onion, tomato & season with salt/pepper to your taste.

I would put this up against any Greek restaurant’s souvlaki…any day. Out of this world delicious!

Marinade/Meat

- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- about a handful of fresh oregano (finely chopped) – can use dried if fresh not available, but fresh is best.
- 5 cloves of garlic – minced finely
-1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp of salt & ½ tsp of black pepper
- about 1/2 cup of olive oil

2 pork tenderloins – fat trimmed off (you can also use chicken)

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl & whisk together. Put the meat in a large ziplock & pour in the marinade.  Marinate 2  largely cubed pork tenderloins (or chicken breasts) for AT LEAST 30 minutes. I like to do in the morning so it’s really flavorful by dinnertime.  Skewer on kebobs and grill until golden & cooked through…turning often. It takes about 10-15 minutes on a hot grill.

Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/4 cup English cucumber – grated finely and squeezed as dry as possible
-1cup of plain Greek yogurt (If you can’t find Greek yogurt, use regular plain yogurt & strain thru cheesecloth for an hour or so – you just want it thick. I think even sour cream may substitute OK)
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- ½ tsp of salt
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
-the zest of 1 lemon

Just combine all ingredients and let the flavors meld. Great to do a day in advance.

Tomato Salad
- about 1/4 cup of diced cucumber
- 3 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded & chopped
- ¼ cup onion, thinly sliced
-a good squirt of lemon juice
-1 tsp koshersalt & 1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients and toss. DONE!

I’m a fan of using up leftovers & repurposing them. Tonight I used leftover ricotta, marinara, turkey pepperoni & Italian sausage from last night’s calzones to make a kick-butt baked pasta.

First & got some water on to boil. Then, I took some garlic & olive oil and started it up in a saucepan and added in last night’s leftover marinara.

This is actually a few recipes in one. You can use jarred marinara, but I always make my own. You can also buy pre-made Italian sausage, but this way is cheaper & you control the garlic, spice and flavor. It’s really more of a method than a recipe. I’ve used spinach, garlic & mushrooms as filling & it’s fantastic. Try different things…the kids and adults will all have fun making their own little packets!

Sauce Ingredients
1 can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 sweet onion & 1/2 red pepper…pureed in the food processor
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
a small squirt of honey
salt & red pepper flakes

Get a small saucepan warm and add the garlic, then the onion & pepper puree. Season with salt & pepper flakes. Add the basil & oregano….then the tomato sauce.  Add the dash of honey and combine well. Simmer for 5 minutes & it’s done.

Italian Sausage Ingredients
1 roll of breakfast sausage…plain or spicy
1 tbsp fennel seeds - ground up with a mortar & pestal so the seeds become powder. This makes it really taste Italian.
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 cloves minced garlic

Combine all ingredients and brown in a skillet. Drain on paper towels.

Ricotta Ingredients
1 15oz container of ricotta
about 1 cup of mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup of grated parmesan or other sharp Italian cheese (I had Grana Padano, so I used that)
salt/pepper

Just combine them. Done!

What has bacon, eggs, cheese and is something you eat for dinner? It’s not fritatta….it’s CARBONARA!  My pal Jen has a blog called Momma J Cooks! (here is the link to it: http://mommajcooks.wordpress.com/) and last Saturday she made some pasta carbonara. She inspired tonight’s meal…and guess what? It’s S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night! …are you singing the song yet? haha!  This pasta doesn’t really need chicken, but my boys like chicken and I had some on hand. So I figured, why not? Chicken, bacon, cheese, pasta…yeah, sounds good.

I whipped up a quick marinade for a couple of sliced up chicken breasts.

Marinade Ingredients
4 cloves garlic – minced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp wine vinegar (mine was garlic wine vinegar that I got for FREE when Jewel had them on sale for $1 and I had a bunch of $1 off coupons…I won’t need to buy vinegar for years to come)
about 1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Pour over the sliced up chicken in a ziplock baggie and stick it in the fridge for a few hours. I usually do this around lunchtime. If you don’t have that much time…you can just let it marinate for 1/2 hour.

Now on to the pasta.

Ingredients
1 lb of spaghetti – I’m using the Ronzoni Smart Taste. It’s really good. High fiber and it tastes like “normal” pasta.

6 slices of bacon, diced (I a whole package just because my husband is a HUGE fan of bacon and I figured a little extra cooked bacon around the house is good)

1/3 cup white wine

3 eggs, beaten
2/3 c. grated parmesan or romano cheese – I’m using Grana Padano because it’s what I have on hand.
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Get a large pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti.  Take a skillet and add the diced/chopped bacon.  Cook until crisp. Remove crispy bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Pour off all excess grease and set aside.

The water should be boiling by now, so get the spaghetti into the hot tub!

Use the same skillet you cooked the bacon in & get it hot again, add the chicken & all of the marinade and sautee until just about cooked through – add the wine and let it cook a minute more until it’s thoroughly cooked and the wine reduces a bit.

There will be liquid in it….this is going to add to the sauce and flavor of the pasta. The pasta will absorb it up!

As the pasta is cooking, beat your eggs, grate the cheese and mince the garlic. Combine & whisk them together.

When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain it well and put it back in the hot pan. Toss with the egg/cheese/garlic mixture.   Make sure you toss it quickly so you don’t have scrambled eggs in your noodles! You may want to temper the eggs with a dash of the hot liquid from the chicken in case you are worried about it.

The hot pasta will cook the eggs and melt the cheese making a silky delicious sauce for the pasta. Once the egg mixture is incorporated go ahead and add in the cooked chicken/wine/marinade and crispy bacon…season with salt & pepper.

Dinner is served!   This makes A LOT of food. We will have leftovers for days. My hubby & I both went back for seconds and my toddler ate his whole plate. His exact words were “mama, I loooove bacon & noodles!”  Me too, son. Me too.

These are so delicious…they are my homage to St. Patrick’s Day since my family isn’t so keen on corned beef and cabbage. They are little fried rounds of potato-y goodness. Great as a side dish…awesome with breakfast.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of grated potato – I used fresh hash browns b/c it’s what I had on hand.
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup of leftover mashed potatoes
1 egg
1 tbsp skim milk
about 1 tsp kosher salt & 1/2 tsp black pepper
about 1/4 cup of olive oil

Grate the potatoes (or just measure them out like I did today) and put in a large bowl.  Add the flour and combine well.

My husband is very anti-seafood. He can’t even stand the smell of it in the house, which is why I don’t make it very often in the winter season. It’s also pricey here in the middle of the country.  

Today he is working…and canned tuna is cheap. So here is my FAVORITE tuna salad.

Ingredients
1 can of tuna – drained well (I like the solid albacore white…I buy in bulk at Sam’s Club)

2 tbsp of each of the following…diced finely:
dill pickles
celery
carrot
red pepper
sweet onion

2 tbsp of low fat/low cal salad dressing (I LOVE the low fat poppyseed from Aldi…it’s seasonal, but I stock up on it when they have it. It’s sweet and tangy and fantastic in this and in cole slaw) – I’ve used Italian dressing, Ranch and just plain old lemon juice and olive oil. They all work. You can use mayo if you like, but I don’t do mayo…ever.

1 tsp of lemon juice
salt/pepper to taste

Drain the tuna very well and flake into a bowl.

This one takes about 18 hours…but it’s in the crock pot & 12 of those hours are overnight! 

Ingredients for the overnight hours are:
1 lb (or so) of stew meat
1 bell pepper
1 sweet onion
1 can of beer
a tbsp of each: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin & smoked paprika

Ingredients for the next day are:
1-1.5 lbs of ground beef or ground turkey
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of chili beans
1 can of drained kidney beans
1 tbsp of burger/steak seasoning
1 tbsp of chili powder