Some Ideas for Party Nibbles, on a Budget

In the Pink, over at Nod if You Hear Me, is having a party.  She expects about 15 guests, and has a budget of $35 including wine. Here are some of my suggestions for her, with the idea that she can pick and choose knowing what's on sale locally and existing items in her pantry:


No time to cook
Oven baked tortilla chips and salsa
Spicy Popcorn
Fresh fruit wedges

I have a bit of time
Sausage Bisquick Balls
Homemade Humous and Pita wedges
Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta
Rachel Ray's French Onion dip, with Veggies

Let's Cook!
Pesto Pasta Salad
Potato Salad

Oven baked tortilla chips
It is much cheaper to make your own tortilla chips: It costs about $1.50 for a family pack of corn tortillas (versus $3.49 and up for one bag of premade chips).

Instructions
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  Lay the tortillas out on a cutting board, spray with the nonstick olive oil spray on both sides. If using a seasoning, sprinkle on both sides now.
3.  Stack the tortillas in piles of eight (8) tortillas. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut through the pile of tortillas, cutting into 4 equal triangles.
4.  Arrange tortilla triangles in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake for approximately 6 to 7 minutes until crisp and the edges start to curl and turn lightly brown. Watch the chips carefully after 5 minutes, as they can burn easily. Once the chips are done, remove from the oven to cool. Chips will continue to crisp as they cool.
6. Serve with jar of chunky, hot salsa ($1.99 for large jar at No Frills).

Spicy Popcorn
From Rachel Ray

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup popping corn kernels
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions
Heat oil in deep pot over medium high heat. Add corn. Cover pot and pop the corn, shaking pan often. Remove from heat when pops stop. Drizzle with melted butter. Combine spices in a small dish and sprinkle the blend over hot corn. Serve.

Fresh Fruit
Look for what's on sale.  Recently I found a whole pineapple for 99cents at No Frills, and a large  watermelon was 2.99 in chinatown. Slice into wedges and serve on platter.

French Onion Dip
From Rachel Ray

Ingredients
3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream, low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt (use whatever combo you like, just make the total quantity 1 1/2 cups)
Chopped veggies, such as celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, or carrots for dipping

Instructions
1. Place a medium pan over medium-high heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Add the onion, thyme, some salt and pepper to the pan, and put a lid on it.
2. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and continue cooking the onions until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. (If the onions begin to stick to the pan too much, add a splash of water and scrape up any bits that are sticking.)
4. Turn the cooked onions out into a medium mixing bowl and stir in the sour cream and/or Greek yogurt (whatever you’re using). Serve the dip up with chopped veggies and crackers alongside.

Sausage Bisquick Balls

Ingredients
1 lb. pork sausage
1/2 lb. cheese (grated)
3 cups Bisquick

Instructions
1. Place the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Work with hands until completely blended.
3. Shape mixture into balls the size of walnuts.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 10 minutes on greased cookie sheet.

Homemade Humous and Pita

Ingredients
1 clove garlic
1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, half
the liquid reserved
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
1. In a blender, chop the garlic. Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish. Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed.
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper and pour olive oil over the top.

Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta
Source: http://www.shutterbean.com/2011/herbed-ricotta-bruschetta/#
Makes 20-25 bruschetta

Ingredients
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tbsp minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
2 tbsp minced fresh dill
1 tbsp minced fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sourdough baguette
Good olive oil
1 whole garlic clove, cut in half

Instructions
1. Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat. (I used a grill pan over medium high heat)
2. Combine the ricotta, scallions, dill, chives, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside.  Cut the bread in rounds about 1/2 inch thick. You should have about 20-25 total.
3. When the grill is hot, brush the bread with olive oil and grill on each side for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove from the grill and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of the garlic clove.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread the herbed ricotta.  Serve warm.

Pesto Pasta Salad
Source: Food Network

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (farfalle or other small noodle)
3/4 cup pesto from jar
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, as needed

Instructions
1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Stir in the bow ties and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and run it under cold water just until it stops steaming. Bounce the pasta around to get rid of as much water as you can.
2.  Dump the pasta into a large serving bowl. Stir in the pesto until the pasta is coated. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and the crumbled feta. Taste the salad and season it as you like with salt and pepper. You can make the salad up to about 1 hour before you serve it.
3.  Check out the salt and pepper just before you serve the salad. If it's looking a little dry, add some olive oil and stir it around.

Simple Southern Potato Salad

Ingredients
8 -9 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup chopped pickle
2 medium onions, chopped
5 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
salt and pepper
2 cups mayonnaise
3 -4 tablespoons mustard

Instructions
1. After peeling and dicing potatoes place them in a large pot to boil until tender.
2. Drain the potatoes, add pickles, onions, and eggs then mix in mayo until its the desired consistency.
3. Mix in mustard.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt, Flickr

General Tao's Red Pepper and Broccoli Stirfry

Tonight I was busy working on homework (if you can call it that), with my friend Paul. My assignment was to shoot a photo that must include "red string" and uses the string to convey meaning. Take in any direction we like.  We had fun exploring this theme.

Paul... being a good sport...

Anyhoooo, I thought I might share with you one of the many ways of making a meal using spaghetti noodles, beyond adding a tomato or meat sauce. Noodles are always cheap, even when they are not on sale. Another time I will try and make this sauce from scratch, but for now I used sauce that I found in the dollar store.  I have absolutely no qualms about shopping at the dollar store, although I wish we had the kind of selection that I read about on the 99 cent Chef's site.

General Tao's Red Pepper and Broccoli

Ingredients
Serves one tired and hungry photography student

2 tsp oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup broccoli, sliced into small florets
1/2 red pepper, sliced into skinny strips
2 T sesame seeds, toasted
2 T VH General Tao's sauce
1 small squirt hot sauce
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups spaghetti noodles, cooked
1 spring onion, sliced

Instructions

Toast the sesame seeds on the stove top, shaking and flipping. Should take no more than 2 to 3 minutes.

Cook spaghetti noodles in salted water as usual (or reheat leftover spaghetti in the microwave, as I did).

In a large frying pan or wok, stir fry the onion, broccoli and red pepper, on high heat.  If you eat meat, stir fry your chicken or beef strips separately, until no longer pink.  Remove from pan, then carry on with veggie instructions. After about 4 minutes of mad tossing, add 1/4 cup of water and plop the lid on to allow for a little steaming (maybe another 2 minutes).  Remove from heat when veggies still have some crunch.

Stir in General Tao's sauce, hot sauce, black pepper, and cooked (or reheated) noodles.  Toss madly.  Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion.  Enjoy!

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt, Flickr

Martin Yan's Scallion Pancakes

My dear friend Felix introduced me to scallion pancakes about 20 years ago. I love them so much, but don't get out to eat much these days (no time and no money).  There are many recipes for scallion pancakes on the web, but I like this one, and mostly because I love Martin Yan.

I highly recommend you watch Martin Yan's video here, you will get good tips on how to knead and roll the dough properly, plus he is hilarious!  And if you don't have a food processor just follow along with his "make it by hand" instructions.

Today is supposed to be our "Black Friday" recipe, featuring a "black" ingredient. Well, just look at that dipping sauce! Totally black. Hah hah, I know it's a bit of a stretch, but these are just so good.

Scallion Pancakes
Source: Saveur Magazine

INGREDIENTS
4 cups flour, plus more
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. kosher salt
⅓ cup canola oil
2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
½ tsp. ground white pepper


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Process 2 cups flour and baking powder in a food processor. With motor running, add ⅔ cup cold water; process until dough forms, about 40 seconds. Transfer to a plate; set aside. Add remaining flour and salt to food processor, and with motor running, add ⅔ cup boiling water; process until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Return reserved dough to food processor; pulse until both doughs come together, about 35 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface; knead until smooth, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover; let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

2. Halve dough; using a rolling pin, roll 1 dough half into a 10" x 20" rectangle. Brush with 1 tbsp. canola oil and half the sesame oil. Sprinkle with half the scallions, half the chile flakes, and half the white pepper. Beginning with one long side, tightly roll dough like a jelly roll. Cut roll crosswise into 3 pieces, slightly stretch each piece, and starting from one edge, coil piece horizontally, tucking the end underneath. Using your hand, gently flatten coil into a disk; using a rolling pin, flatten into a 5" circle. Repeat with remaining pieces and second dough half, 1 tbsp. canola oil, remaining sesame oil, scallions, chile flakes, and white pepper. Let pancakes sit for about 10 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 200°. Heat 2 tsp. canola oil in a 10" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pancake to skillet; cook, swirling skillet and turning once, until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and pancakes; cut into wedges to serve.


Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoon sambal oelek chili paste
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce

Combine and serve in a little dish for dipping.

Image by Thomas Hawk, Flickr

Cranberry Relish

Well, my dear American friends, you are on the verge of another Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you!! There is so much for me to be thankful for this year... I'm healthy, happy, and back in school following my dream to become a professional photographer.

I've never written down this cranberry relish recipe, which I have been making for years, and quite honestly can't remember where the original came from (but I have a hunch it was the New York Times).  Some people like their relish tart, and others sweet, so add a little sugar to start, and then taste and add more as you go, according to your personal preferences.  If it starts to get a little gummy or dry as you thicken, add a little water or apple juice.

Cranberry Relish

INGREDIENTS
4 cups fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries
1 small red onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 apple, peeled and diced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients in large saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until cranberries burst and sauce thickens. Taste as you go, and if you find it too tart, add more sugar, 1 T at a time.

Photo of fall leaves by Barbara, Flickr

Julian's Fresh Brussels Sprouts Salad

My Facebook friend Julian, who lives in London, posted the other day about how he was about to enjoy a raw brussels sprouts salad. Hmmmm.... I thought... I love salad. And coleslaw. And sprouts. Sounds perfectly delicious!!

Julian has an allotment garden, something that is rare in Toronto, where he grows his own sprouts. Can you colour me jealoooouuuuuse??  I made mine using sprouts from the store. I think fresher is better, so head to the farmer's market if possible.

Julian's garden

Julian's Fresh Brussels Sprouts Salad

INGREDIENTS
3 cups chopped or shredded raw brussel sprouts
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
3 finely chopped spring onions
A handful of fresh chopped coriander (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Juice of 1 lemon
pinch of sugar
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 T olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, sugar, mustard and salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil, until dressing comes together.
2. Trim ends from sprouts, and discard any tough outer leaves.  Chop finely or shred, using knife or mandoline. (If using mandoline leave ends on so that you have a "handle" of sorts to hang on to as you slice).
3. Lightly toast pine nuts in a non-stick pan, on medium-high heat. Toss around as toasting, and keep a close eye on them as they will burn quickly. Should be a very light brown colour once toasted.
4. Chop spring onions and coriander, and combine with sprouts. Drizzle with dressing and toss madly.
5. Gobble up.

Header image by Barbara Agnew, Flickr
Garden image by Julian

Winter Chopped Salad (a holiday recipe)

Continuing on with our holiday (Thanksgiving) recipes, I want to share with you a fancy and delicious salad. There are many variations of this on the web, this is mine. The original recipe, I believe, comes from Epicurious. The salad features red cabbage and pomegranates, both very cheap this time of year.

WINTER CHOPPED SALAD

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

4 c. chopped romaine lettuce

3 c. sliced red cabbage

1 Fuji apple, cored & diced

1 pear, cored & diced

1/2 c. pomegranate arils

3/4 cup almonds, toasted and coarsley chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

DRESSING

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or onion)

1/2 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup hazelnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Dressing:

Whisk vinegar, shallot (or onion), and honey in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Salad:

Combine lettuce and next 5 ingredients in very large bowl; toss to blend. Add dressing and toss to coat.  Divide salad among plates. Sprinkle with feta cheese, if desired, and serve.

Image Source
William Morris pomegranate wallpaper

Marinated Mushrooms with Red Wine and Fennel (a holiday appetizer)

I love Thanksgiving. Yum, yum, yum.

When I lived in the United States I celebrated Thanksgiving twice. Because I am Canadian I did our Canadian Thanksgiving in October. And then I did another Thanksgiving at the end of November. I love having friends over for dinner, sharing food and friendship.

 Over the next few days I am going to feature some of my favourite Thanksgiving recipes. I think the key to saving money over the holidays is to make things from scratch as much as possible... cranberry sauce, stuffing, rolls, pie crusts, and sides. The other thing is to use seasonal ingredients.  And there's nothing wrong with organizing a potluck, especially if your friends are all as frugal as you.

There's not much you can do to save money on a turkey, I don't think, except to keep a good eye on the sales flyers and nab one when they come on sale. Prices vary widely. Last year I helped out our local food bank at the big supermarket near me. Yes, that was me, dressed up like a turkey asking people to buy and donate a turkey to a family in need. The supermarket did it's part by marking turkeys down to half price. I texted everyone I knew and told them to get down there and pick up their holiday turkeys!! Here's one of my favourite special occasion appetizer recipes:

MARINATED MUSHROOMS WITH RED WINE AND FENNEL
Prepare the day before or early in the morning to allow mushrooms to marinate properly.

INGREDIENTS
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 pounds small to medium-sized fresh mushrooms, stems removed (reserve for another use) and wiped clean
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 T fennel seeds
1 T dried basil
2 tsp dried marjoram
1 cup canned Italian peeled plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup hearty red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
chopped Italian parsley (garnish - optional)

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Salt and pepper the mushrooms, and cook further, for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and reserve.

2. Cook the onion and garlic in the oil remaining in the pan over low heat for 15 minutes. Onions should still have some "crunch."

3. Add fennel seeds, basil and marjoram and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add tomatoes, wine and vinegar to the pan, season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced.

5. Return mushrooms to the pan, simmer for 5 minutes, and remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then cover and refrigerate. Marinate for at least 24 hours before serving.

6. Sprinkle heavily with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
 Present the mushrooms in a bowl surrounded by squares of black bread, spread, if you like, with butter and sprinkled with parsley.

Scoop the mushrooms onto the bread squares and enjoy.

Image Credit
Flower arrangement photo by Thomas Hawk, Flickr

Russian Cabbage Borscht

As I mentioned yesterday, I scored at the supermarket with 5 lbs of beets for 99 cents, and a large red cabbage for another 99 cents. What came to mind? Borscht, of course!!  My favourite borscht recipe comes from Moosewood.

Image by Darwin Bell

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potatoes

1 cup thinly sliced beets

4 cups vegetable stock or water

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 large carrot, sliced

3 cups coarsely chopped red cabbage

black pepper to taste

handful fresh dill weed

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 cup tomato puree

sour cream, for topping

chopped tomatoes, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1.  Place sliced potatoes and beets in a medium saucepan over high heat; cover with stock, and boil until vegetables are tender. Remove potatoes and beets with a slotted spoon, and reserve stock.

2.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, caraway seeds, and salt; cook until onions become soft and translucent. Then stir in celery, carrots, and cabbage. Mix in reserved stock; cook, covered, until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

3.  Add potatoes and beets to the skillet. Season with black pepper and dill weed. Stir in cider vinegar, honey, and tomato puree. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer at least 30 minutes. Serve topped with sour cream, extra dill weed, and chopped fresh tomatoes.

Photo credit
Moscow at night by Jamie Silva, Flickr

German Red Cabbage

I scored at the supermarket yesterday: a large red cabbage for 99 cents! Woo hoo!!!

I have been wanting to make sweet and sour cabbage for a while.  I ate it lots when I lived in Brooklyn, as my upstairs neighbours always made it for our holiday potlucks -- Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

German Red Cabbage

10 Servings
Adapted from Taste of Home

Photo by Jen R

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 unpeeled apple, sliced
• 1 medium red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• Coat the inside of a large Dutch oven with a little oil or cooking spray. 
• Saute onion and apple until tender. Add all remaining ingredients. 
• Cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour. 
• Serve hot or cold. 

Delicious the next day as leftovers!  Makes loads, so if you are a singleton, like me, you can freeze in individual portions.

Rutabaga Fries, or how much do you love your rutabagas???

I love my rutabagas very much.

Rutabaga with onions and garlic
Image by downtownpearl

On Wednesday I had a burger for dinner, and thought I'd try something a little different than french fries. I had read about rutabaga fries, and since I had half a rutabaga leftover from earlier in the week, I thought let's give this a go.

I admit, I didn't re-read the recipe before I made the fries, so they took a while to cook. Apparently you should steam them first, dry them thoroughly, toss in oil (and herbs or spices as desired) and bake.  Instead I just cut into french fries, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, and hot pepper flakes, and cooked at 400F for about 40 minutes, tossing from time to time.  They were delicious: crispy, buttery, with a little heat from the pepper.  What a nice change from french fries.

Here's the original recipe:

Rosemary Rutabaga "Fries" -- from Stephen Cooks!

6 servings, about 4 ounces each

Ingredients

• 1 rutabaga, about a pound and a half
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400º.

1. Peel the rutabaga and cut it in 1/2" x 1'2" spears. 

2. Steam about 12 minutes in a steamer basket until just tender. 

3. Dry the spears with paper towels and then toss with the olive oil, the garlic and the rosemary.

4. Lay the rutabaga spears out in a single layer (ideally with none of the spears touching each other) on a jelly roll pan and bake in the preheated oven about 25  minutes, turning once.  

5. Place them under the broiler for a few minutes, watching closely, to finish browning them. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Other flavouring suggestions:

1. "Indian." Omit garlic and rosemary. After cooking scatter on some garam masala (recipe below).

2. "Chinese." Omit garlic and rosemary.  Before baking, toss the rutabaga spears in a mixture of hoisin sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger and five-spice powder.

Other ideas for your rutabaga, elsewhere on the web:

• Roasted Rutabaga with Sage and Dates
• Ginger Rutabaga Muffins
• Winter Slaw
• Apple Rutabaga Soup (I would use far less butter and substitute soy milk for the cream... but you can decide for yourself!!)
• Smoked Paprika and Rutabaga Bisque (ditto)

Tell me, how do you cook your rutabagas??

Scones

I go through Union Station each morning on the way to school and if you buy a scone there it will set you back $2.75. Wow. One a day, times 33 weeks of school, is almost $454 worth of scones. Add a large coffee and it adds up to $783 per school year. That would be a lot of groceries!! Or pay my rent for one month!

Here's how to make scones at home. It is SO easy. And you know exactly what is going in to them.

I don't have my mom's scone recipe, but this recipe, from allrecipes.ca, is very close to how I remember them.

Scones

A scalloped scone (or cookie) cutter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

5 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

3/4 cup butter or margarine

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, raisins, and salt. Cut in butter. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round. Using a scalloped scone (or cookie) cutter (or an inverted drinking glass) cut scones out from dough.  When you have only scraps left, make another ball, and flatten to 1/2 inch. Keep cutting out scones. If you like the North American style of scones, simply divide round into 8 by scoring lightly with a knife. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.