budget talk
-
Asian-style Grilled Fish Tacos
The folks at NAKANO sent me this recipe to pass along to you. I think it’s perfect for a hot summer day. Makes: 8 Tacos Ingredients: Dressing: 3 tablespoons NAKANO Natural Rice Vinegar 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil Slaw: 3 cups shredded cabbage (purple and/or Napa) 1 cup shredded carrot (3 carrots) 1/4 cup chopped green onions (3 green onions) 1/4 cup thinly sliced radish (2 radishes) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Tacos: 8 corn tortillas, warmed 3/4 pound (12 ounces) white fish, grilled 1 avocado, sliced Directions: In a large bowl, whisk NAKANO Rice Vinegar, tamari, honey and sesame…
-
Growing Your Own Food-Post One
If you’ve followed Budget Smart Girl for the last few years you’ll know I’ve made some feeble attempts at growing vegetables in the backyard…well apart from the rhubarb which I’m happy to say is looking great right now. However, this year as you’ve seen in previous posts I’m determined to get it right, and I’m off to a pretty good start. I started lots of seeds indoors in March (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, broccoli and Brussels sprouts). Some seeds I’ve direct sown into the raised beds. Veggies like carrots, beets, parsnips, bush beans and yes, even melon. The rest I’ve purchased as plants, zucchini, edamame, peas, and all the herbs I’m growing along with the…
-
The Three Stages of Homemade Yogurt
I’ve always been a fan of yogurt and not only eat it as a breakfast treat and dessert, but use it in things like breads and muffins. Good news is it’s easy to make. I have a Salton yogurt maker but I have heard that lots of people use a thermos with great results. Whatever your method here’s my basic recipe and tips I’ve found that increase the likelihood of a successful batch- 4 cups milk…I’ve tried it with all types, skim, 1% but have had the best results with whole milk ¼ cup dry milk powder ½ cup plain yogurt…once again the best type is made from whole milk…
-
Getting Ready to Garden
Winter can be a frustrating time for us avid gardeners. This year I’m determined not to let cold weather (and fingers crossed, another late spring), hinder my attempts to get a vegetable garden planted. Many years ago I was freelancing for a local magazine and got assigned the topic of what gardeners can do while they can’t get outside. My editor arranged for me to meet with the head designer at a very upscale gardening store. I went in there thinking I’d come out with lots of tips I could pass along to readers when in fact I came away with just one. Pick up some gardening books and use…
-
Five Must Have Ingredients (that save time and money)
All weeks seem busy but last week for some reason was hectic. Although I love to be in the kitchen, some days even I hate the thought of going in there to cook dinner. I’m gradually coming up with some shortcuts. I wasn’t thinking about saving money as I put them into practice but now I realize some can shave off a few pennies here and there- Flavored Mashed Potatoes When I make bangers and mash (that’s sausages and mashed potatoes in non Brit speak), I always like to serve caramelized onions on top of the potatoes. However, last week, the thought of peeling, slicing and then cooking onions had little…
-
Cranberry-Orange Trifle
I’m not sure if I’m the only person who still eats cranberry sauce with their Christmas meal but year after year I was left with lots of it. I refused to stop making it because for me it wouldn’t be a holiday meal without it. My dilemma was what to do with all the leftover sauce. One idea was to pair it with cheese for a sandwich which is pretty good but last year I came up with this dessert recipe. Best thing is people who won’t touch cranberry sauce like this one…or maybe they don’t recognize it in its new form. I paired the sauce with canned mandarin oranges that…
-
Chocolate Wontons with Chai Drizzle
Here’s another recipe I developed this week. When you think of wontons you think savory but these are sweet and I think make a perfect snack for this time of the year. To give them some extra pizzazz I used chai tea mix. The pairing of slightly sweetened chocolate with the spicy bite of the chai is a winning combination. Ingredients 4 ounces of cream cheese 2 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar 1 tablespoon cocoa powder ¼ teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of ginger powder 1 cup chai tea…the liquid kind you buy in packages in the coffee and tea aisle 10 wonton wrappers Oil for cooking the wontons Method In a small…
-
Ginger, Apricot and Cardamom Chocolate Sticks
Here’s the second of this morning’s experiments, treats. Ideas for recipes come from all sources and this one combined my love of cardamom during the holiday season, and secondly, memories of my maternal grandmother. Our birthdays were just three days apart and I think it gave us a lot in common, one being our love for all things ginger and dark chocolate. Each Christmas we’d give one another a box of chocolate ginger chocolates. To this day whenever I make anything with these two ingredients I think of her and remember what a great lady she was. With that in mind I’m dedicating this recipe to my nan Kate. I decided to add some apricots…
-
Cranberry Chocolate Bites
I’ve spent the morning in my lab (AKA the kitchen) putting together some holiday treats. While my second experiment…I mean treat, is setting in the freezer, I thought I’d post this one to share with you. Just three ingredients and as you’ll see they make the idea gift for the stocking, part of a place setting during a holiday get together, or even as a take home gift for guests. All you need is- 11 1/2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate I used Nestle chunks but you can use chips or even milk chocolate if you want. 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries About 1 1/2 – 2 cups cornflakes The best…
-
More Gift Ideas and Peanut Butter Cups
Hope everyone enjoyed Black Friday and Cyber Monday and netted yourself some wonderful bargains. I’m almost done with my holiday shopping so now I can concentrate on making treats and goodies. I’ll be sharing some of the recipes with you. One uses just three ingredients and makes a perfect stocking stuffer too. To kick things off, here’s a recipe I saw online for homemade peanut butter cups. They’re my weakness and I’m ashamed to say a bag of these goodies I bought for holiday snacking has already disappeared- http://www.popsugar.com/food/Homemade-Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Cup-Recipe-6577927 This time of the year there’s so much going on that putting together dinner can be a chore. I know…
You must be logged in to post a comment.