Mashed POTATOES! MMMMMMMMMM! I love 'em!

Quite easy to make, contrary to my belief as a child. Just boil some cleaned potatoes until they are easily crushed, drain, then mush around with a fork and some milk and butter. I followed Alton Brown's recipe for mashed potatoes which used russet potatoes as well as red potatoes. His recipe uses a cream/milk mixture cooked with a few cloves of garlic. The garlic added a nice subtle flavor, but you need breath mints after eating the mashers.

I haven't been very creative in the kitchen lately. I tried making an interesting Orzo dish, but that didn't really pan out. Angela should give me her orzo recipe!

Ceasar salad dressing goes really well with pasta, I've noticed. It provides a good standby sauce when you're out of the traditional tomato sauce (or if you're just tired of it).

Take a look at this website: http://www.foodsubs.com/ It miiight be a good resource (have not really examined it yet).

I had some 'maters and zuchinnis in the fridge that were close to going bad, so this is what I did with them:

Grilled Zuchinni
Cut zuchinni into moderately thin slices, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set on a grill for about 5-6 minutes, or until tender. There was a dressing suggested to go with these grilled zuchinnis, but I didn't make that since I was missing the red wine vinegar. I probably could have used balsamic, but that would have been a bit too strong, I think. The zuchinni was very good on its own, and the buttery taste was able to pop out. I probably could have used a bit more salt, but I'll try more next time.

Roasted 'Mater
Take a tomato, cut it in half, top with diced mozzy cheese and sprinkle with a comb. of salt, pepper, and oregan, and top it off with a little balsamic vinegar. Stick it in the toaster oven for 5 minutes or longer. The 'maters should have staid in a little longer, but the oil was popping and I saw some flames around5 minutes, so I took them out. I've never tried roasting tomatoes before, so this turned out ok, I suppose. I think it needed a little more flavor. Next time I'll try a recipe instead of using random things.

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On the grocery front, my parents were here for the weekend (woot, cavalry!) and they were nice enough to buy me some groceries. I'm not sure what the total came to, but after my walmart trip last week, I think I'm over my $50 food budget. I remember the total seemed a little excessive (that's what you get for going to Ukrops - don't get me wrong, I like some of their stuff, but they mark up their prices). Ah, well, I tried! I'll try a bit harder next month. Anyway, I picked up some bulk orzo, so I expect some goodness with that, as well as some mozerella, garlic, triscuits, honey grahams, apple juice, and some other things I can't remember. Maybe I'll post an inventory of my cupboard so you guys can give me some ideas for food (if ya want!).

some quick eats which are goooood eats!

cheddar cornbread - took about 10 minutes to prep, and 15-20 to cook. I would guess it's fairly cheap, except for the cheese ingredient. It's really good with Tapatio hot sauce. (1 cup flour, 1 cup cornmeal, some sugar, baking powder, salt, paprika for a mild kick, milk, 2 eggs, and 2 cups of cheddar. in the oven 15 min at 415. pull out and add some cheese on top and let sit in the oven for a couple minutes with the oven off.)

ziti with parmesan and tomatoes - just cook up some ziti, sprinkle on some extra virgin olive oil, parmesan, and dice up a nice tomato, followed by a dash of pepper and you're good! I'm so glad I had this over macaroni and cheese.

A cheap, but not necessarily good in any way, lunch - microwave popcorn. $.20 from the walmart deal, but not a very satisfying meal at all.

yummy breakfast - toasted english muffins with raspberry preserves. I bought the preserves some time ago, so I guess they don't really work into my $50 a month on food. Maybe I can make some cookies with them or something...

If you're here, reading this entry now, you've probably wandered over from my other journal, so props to you for making it! Huzzah!

So in general, I'm not very much of a blogger (even though this is livejournal), but I thought I was time for me to make better use of the food communities on LJ. As opposed to cluttering up my friends page on my main journal, I thought I would create this other journal, where I can use a friends list to monitor recipes or food ideas drawn from LJ. And I can use the journal part to talk about living with a small food budget, share recipes, and other things of that nature.

I really love food, and I often have what I call 'foodgasms'. Seriously, the most wonderful thing in life is eating a good meal, and it's a shame that a lot of people don't necessarily invest their time in cooking good food rather than those package deals. I'm guilty of purchasing freezer foods too, but that's because I lack a culinary imagination - yet another reason for this journal.

In an effort to curb my spending and increase my savings, I'm attempting to spend no more than $50 on food a month, while still having the pleasure of eating good food. Anyhow, I hope this works. Anyone is free to comment with recipes, ideas, suggestions--anything. Perhaps we can all enjoy a great meal together after a little experimentation and exploration.