I love baking bread but haven’t been doing it much because I end up eating way too much. I did bake a loaf this winter when it was nice and cold outside, and a bit chilly inside my little NYC apartment (which I love). I’m not going to say what I think it looks like. I’ll let you decide. Needless to say, there are a lot of jokes waiting to happen. Feel free to post them.

I used the no-knead technique that everyone has been talking about (ad nauseum) for the past few years, ever since Mark Bittman wrote about it in the NY Times. I don’t blame them, as it’s probably the single easiest way to a spectacular loaf of bread. I’m not going to say anything more about the technique other than to say that if you haven’t tried it, try it. Here is the original video from 2006. If you watch the video, you’ll see why it’s easy to end up with a funny shaped loaf. Even one that looks like a…

Butt Bread

Formula cooking is the idea that behind every recipe there is a formula.  The formula dictates what kinds of things go into a recipe and roughly what’s done with them.  That formula might be the same for literally hundreds or thousands of similar recipes but with each combination of specific ingredients yields something unique.  The easiest way to illustrate is with an example.

Here is a recipe for Macaroni and cheese:

• 1lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
• 8oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2cup milk
• 2T flour
• 1t salt
• 1cup seasoned bread crumbs

Mix first 5 ingredients and pour into a small baking dish.  Cover with bread crumbs and bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

This is a simple recipe but specifies exactly what goes into the dish and in what order.  Here is a formula for Macaroni and cheese:

• Some kind of pasta
• Some kind of cheese
• Some kind of sauce
• Some kind of seasoning
• Some kind of topping

Mix in some order and heat until all ingredients are cooked.

With this formula, you can create a practically unlimited number of dishes that could be called macaroni and cheese but are distinctly different from the first recipe.  You already do this when you happen to be out of cheddar cheese and substitute monterey jack instead.  Now, think about every part of a recipe being replaceable and your now using formula cooking.  This flexibility will allow you to create your own variation that might be:

• Healthier
• More suited to the tastes of your family
• Easier to prepare
• More interesting
• Better matched to another dish that this will accompany
• Best of all… Less expensive to make!

Now let’s say that I’m planning to make a Cajun meatloaf for dinner tonight.  The meatloaf is already in the oven and I need to make a quick side dish.  There are some chopped vegetables left from making the meatloaf.  I have some left over rotelli pasta that’s already cooked and some mild cheddar I got on sale because my family doesn’t like sharp cheddar.  Why not make a Cajun macaroni and cheese to go with the Cajun meatloaf?  Here’s what I come up with.

Cajun Stove top Mac & Cheese

• 1lb Rotelli pasta, cooked (pasta)
• 6oz mild cheddar, grated (cheese)
• 2T flour (sauce)
• 2T butter (sauce)
• 1/2 cup milk (sauce)
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped (seasoning)
• 1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped (seasoning)
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped (seasoning)
• 1/4 cup andouille sausage, diced (seasoning)
• 2t Cajun seasoning salt (seasoning)
• 5 dashes Tabasco (seasoning)
• 1/2 cup stale goldfish crackers, crushed

Cook the butter and flour over medium heat in a large sauce pan until the flour turns lightly brown.  Add the onions, bell pepper and celery and cook about 5 minutes or until soft.  Add the andouille and seasoning salt.  Add the cheese and milk and stir until it forms a sauce.  Add the pasta and tabasco.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes for it to thicken.  Sprinkle with the crushed crackers.  Serve with Cajun meatloaf!

I’ve never made the above recipe, but bet it would be good!  It’s just an example to show how when you use the formula you can come up with something completely different that you can be pretty certain will still be recognizable, and probably delicious.  Next time you’re looking at a recipe, see if you can figure out the formula.  If you do that, I bet you’ll immediatly come up with ideas to make your own version that’s probably even better!

The article offered up some great general tips for making frugal food choices.  I’ve summarized them here.  A link to the full article is below:

1. Choose less expensive cuts of meat like whole chicken and whole pork loin
2. Add grains and legumes to stretch out a meal
3. Go vegetarian a few times a week
4. Stick with simpler recipes and avoid buying spices that you won’t use again
5. Cut down on food waste by freezing and cooking leftovers into new recipes

The full article has a lot more detail along with some frugal recipes at the end.

NPR ran an article this weekend (11/8/2008) about how celebrity chef and UK national hero, Jamie Oliver, is now advocating healthy and frugal cooking. Jamie is also commonly known as the Naked Chef from his popular cooking series on the Food Network.  I’ve seen the show several times and like his simple style that was already fairly frugal.  In case you were wondering, I’ve not seen a single episode where he was actually naked.

The heart of Jamie’s frugality seems to be getting more people into the kitchen and cooking for themselves instead of eating out.  This is definitely a start in the right direction considering how much money most people spend on eating out and how badly overweight so many people are.  Now if only we could get some mandatory nutritional education in schools.  Hmmm…

I just received the Nov 2008 issue of Chile Pepper magazine (yes, I actually do get a magazine called Chile Pepper) and found an article called “Embracing What’s Left” that has recipes for using left overs to make some spicy dishes.  I’ve been getting Chile Pepper magazine for many years and this is the first such article I can remember.

The recipes included are pretty straight forward but have some good ideas for different ways to use up left overs.  Here is a summary of the recipes:

• Hot and Sweet Asian Leftover Salad – A hot, sweet, sour and salty dressing over leftover turkey, chicken or ham with shredded cabbage, glass noodles and vegetables.
• Leftover Stuffing Hash – This is more like a stuffing frittata with onions, bell peppers, leftover turkey and stuffing sauteed and then mixed with eggs and cream and finished under the broiler.
• Wild Rice and Leftover Salad – Wild rice and left over turkey with dried cherries, pecans, chiles and vegetables drizzled with a dressing of cranberry sauce, dijon mustard, champagne vinegar and olive oil.
• Leftover Pot Pie – Just like it sounds using a prepared pie crust.  Personally, I’d make the crust myself.
• Leftover Mish Mosh – Pureed cooked brussels sprouts and root vegetables with an egg as binder started in a skillet and then transferred to the oven.

The specifics of the recipes aren’t that important.  Take the ideas and make your own variations on these using ingredients you already have that you know your family likes.

1. Recycle it! If it’s still Halloween, take the candy your kids bring home and hand it out to trick-or-treaters.  Just don’t let your kids catch you.
2. Take it to work.  Let your coworkers finish it off for you.  Put a bowl out in the kitchen and it should be empty by the time you leave the office.  Just think of all the calories and cavities you just saved!
3. Make a pinata.  You can make a pinata out of paper mache and then stuff it with all this left over candy.  Pinatas are also great stress relief.  Make one for your kids and another for you to beat the heck out of when no one’s around.
4. Bake with it. M&M’s and Red Hots are great baked into cookies.  Bite-sized candy bars can be baked into cupcakes.  There must be a recipe that calls for Candy Corn?!?!
5. Decorate with it. Ah ha!  Use Candy Corn to decorate cakes, cookies, cupcakes or a gingerbread house.  Candy Corn makes good scary teeth (in more ways than one).  Between #4 and #5 you could make one heck of a dessert!
6. Melt it down. Chocolate candies can be melted down and used in making brownies, cakes or new candy.  I’m not sure what happens if you try to melt down a Butterfinger or Peanut Butter Cup, but now I’m dying to find out.
7. Mix into ice cream. Mix candy into store-bought ice cream, like Cold Stone or Marble Slab.  Better yet, mix it into homemade ice cream.  Give it a cool name like Black Cat Crunch (chocolate ice cream with chopped Butterfinger and Heath Bar.)

I hope you find a good use for all that candy (that doesn’t involve you eating all of it.)  Remember that even a few pieces here and there all add up on you and your kids.

Personally, I have no problem with McDonalds or any other fast food chain.  They make (relatively) inexpensive, (usually) quick and (arguably) tasty food.  It’s certainly not the healthiest food on the planet, but it’s also not their responsibility to control what I eat.  The goal of nearly every restaurant is to make their customers happy and 99.9% of customers want the best tasting food possible regardless of calories, fat, cholesterol, etc…  McDonalds does that for cheap and they are successful for it.  Good for them.

So, to be fair to McDonalds, I offer these five frugal reasons you SHOULD eat at McDonalds and another five reasons you SHOULD NOT eat at McDonalds.

Top reasons you SHOULD eat at McDonalds:

1. Your body completely rejects anything with fiber, vitamins or nutrients.  You’re completely safe at McDonalds.  Feel free to eat anything on the menu.
2. You have a rare metabolic disorder and need mass quantities of empty calories just to keep your present weight.  You’re at the right place!
3. Your doctor told you that you don’t eat enough foods from the “fatty meat” and “deep-fried” food groups. Again, anything on the menu will work.
4. You’re training to be a competitive eater but on a very tight budget. I don’t even think Takeru Kobayashi trains at McDonalds.   What does that tell ya?
5. You love McDonalds and only eat there on RARE occasion. Go for it!  It’s a pretty frugal way to treat yourself.  (Sorry McDonalds, this is the only REAL reason.)

Top reasons you SHOULD NOT eat at McDonalds:

1. You think McDonalds is the cheapest way to get a hamburger. Every frugal cook knows that there is almost nothing that can’t be made at home for less money.  This is no exception.
2. You eat at McDonalds often enough to know exactly how much a meal #3 costs with tax. Take the money you think you’re saving on food and get some better health insurance because you’re going to need it.  Better yet, life insurance.
3. You want to teach your children good eating habits so they grow up to live long, healthy lives.  This is actually a reason TO take them to McDonalds- just make it once or twice a year (not weekly!)
4. You would like to get to use your social security benefits one day. Eating fast food regularly will shorten your life.  You could easily cook food at home that is even worse than McDonalds, so watch it!
5. You have this crazy hang up about feeling good and living a long time. The old saying “you are what you eat” is totally true.  Eat good food and you’ll feel good and live long.

So now that you have some good reasons on each side, where will you eat today?

You can make a frappamochasomething at home and save lots of money but that’s not what I’m going to talk about.  There are plenty of copy cat recipes around.  This post is about making Turkish coffee, possibly the most frugal coffee around.

Turkish Coffee has a rich history going back several hundred years and is well ingrained into Turkish culture.  One of the things I love about Turkish coffee is the simplicity of the equipment and ingredients.  All you really need to make Turkish coffee is a grinder and some coffee beans.  You should have everything else you need already!

The equipment

There are several methods of making Turkish coffee.  My Turkish method forgoes use of the traditional pot in favor of the microwave.  You could also use a small saucepan using the same principles.  I have a Turkish grinder but you could also use any grinding method that can get the coffee to a fine powder.  This is the finest grind of any coffee making method.  Properly ground coffee should feel similar to baking powder.

If you don’t have a Turkish grinder and would like one, look for a used Turkish grinder at garage sales and thrift shops.  They tend to last forever so you’re likely to find a good used one.  If you have a Turkish grinder you’ll need to get it adjusted properly. Take off the lower half and tighten the adjustment screw until you feel tension when turning the handle.  Then back the screw off just a bit so the handle turns freely.  You can also use a turkish grinder for espresso by loosening the screw more.

Grinder adjustment

Now you’re ready to grind.  Replace the bottom half and unscrew the knob on top to remove the handle and upper cover.

Grinder top

I use the cover to measure out beans.  I use 1 lid full (or about 2T) per cup of coffee.  Pour those into the grinder, reassemble and start grinding.  I find that turning the handle slowly gets the job done quicker because turning too quickly keeps the beans floating above the grinding burrs.  Shake every now and then to hear if there are any unground beans left.

About 2T of beans

When the grinding is done, dump the ground coffee into a pyrex or similar measuring cup.  It should be very fine, almost a powder.

Finely ground

Now add water up to the 1-1/2 mark and stir well.  At this point you’re probably thinking this will never be drinkable.  I agree is looks pretty bad at this point, but it will turn into coffee- trust me.

Ready to heat

Now we’re ready to turn this into coffee.  The trick now is to heat it up to a slow boil so that it takes about 5 min.  A little more or less time is ok, but 5 min makes the best coffee.  I like using the microwave because it’s easy to control the heat.  I set mine for 5 min at power level 5.  A little before 5 min is finished, I can see a low boil happening right near the top of the water line.  WIth any higher power level, the boil happens too fast and boils over.  At a lower power level, it never reaches a boil in the 5min.  You should experiment with your own microwave until you get it right.  Watch it!  A little too much heat and it will boil over and leave a big mess in the microwave!  You can also do this on the stove in a saucepan over low to med heat.  Just time it and adjust the heat accordingly to get the low boil in 5 min.  There’s a special coffee pot used for doing this on the stove.  I don’t have one but will try to have my mom find one when she’s visiting Turkey next spring.

Once you’ve heated it just right, give it a stir just on the top half of the liquid to loosen any grounds floating in the foam.  If you heated it right you should be left with a nice foamy top like the picture below.  Too much or too little heat kills the foam so that should be your guide.  Now let it sit for 3-5 min for the grounds to settle to the bottom.

Almost ready to pour

After waiting a bit, pour the coffee slowly into your mug.  I like to pour over my white counter so I can easily see where the coffee stops and the grounds begin.  They should mostly be settled to the bottom so pour slowly to make sure they stay there.  If a little gets into your cup it’s fine.  They’ll settle to the bottom.  Just don’t drink the last bit in the bottom.  It’s tradition to flip the coffee cup upside down onto the saucer and then read your fortune in the grounds.  I’ll leave that for another post.

Pour slowly

Now you’re ready to enjoy.  Turkish coffee traditionally is enjoyed with sugar.  Actually, some methods call for putting the sugar into the mixture before heating.  You should definitely try this.  I like mine black so I don’t add any sugar.  I sometimes add a bit of cardamon and/or cinnamon to the grinder with the beans.  This is another variation.  If the idea of spices in coffee sounds good, try googling “indian coffee”.

I hope you try this and enjoy the results.  I find that making coffee this simple and traditional way is uniquely satisfying in a way that no coffee shop cup could ever be.  Maybe that’s the good feeling of frugality or maybe it’s just darn good coffee.  Who cares?

1. Collecting canned goods is fun.  Once the pantry fills up, build a display in the living room or your bed room.
2. It’s fun have a refrigerator full of rotting food.  Guess which block of cheese will go moldy first.  Place bets on whether the carrots or parsnips will turn green first.  Can we say vegetable chia pet?
3. You prefer the taste of Wonder bread over a home baked loaf.  If it’s really true, you should blame your parents for that tragedy and skip their birthdays for a year or stop calling them for a month.
4. You think being in good heath is highly overrated.  Who says you have to be “regular” to be happy?  Treat prescription pills like baseball cards.  Trade with your friends!  The more you have, the more popular you’ll be!
5. You ‘re running out of places to store all that money you pick from the tree out back.   Might as well blow it on food!  Teach your kids that money is something you should be completely irresponsible with.

Obviously, this is just a fun list of really silly reasons not to be frugal.  When you think about it, it really is pretty silly not to be frugal.  If you have any other fun reasons not to be frugal, post a comment!

Last night I was waiting to get into a restaurant in the Little Saigon area of Westminster/Garden Grove and wandered into a Vietnamese supermarket.  They had the best looking ribeye steaks I think I’ve ever seen for $2.99/lb.  I was blown away.  This must not be a very popular cut of meat among the regulars.  Even the beef short ribs (sawed across the bone for Korean galbi) were $3.49/lb.

If you’ve never been to your local Asian market, you should definitely give it a try.  It’s certainly different from most American markets but you’ll be rewarded with some great deals and special items you can’t find elsewhere.

Here are some great deals I’ve come across at my local 99 Ranch:

• The freshest ginger you’ve ever seen for dirt cheap.  I didn’t know ginger could be this good.  Great produce, in general, although I don’t know what to do with many of the items.  I usually pick up the various bok choy varieties and stir fry them.  I also pick up green onions, fresh chiles, black mushrooms, melons and sometimes jack fruit.
• Seafood is fresh and cheap.  Much of it is alive.  This is the only place to pick up crab and lobster.  I can’t remember seeing live lobsters for more than $9.99/lb- not that I buy lobster that often.  Many fish counters will also clean and deep fry a fish for you.  They usually have a big chart above the back wall showing what they can do.
• Meat in all sorts of cuts, some I don’t even know what to do with.  I’m definitely going back for some ribeyes!
• Sauces and spice mixes are cheap and better than what the American market carries.  Check out how many different types (not brands) of soy sauce there are.  My favorite is the dark superior- it’s much less salty and as dark as kitchen bouquet.  It has a much better flavor for stirfrying than Kikkoman.  Many spice packets have directions in English so try something new!
• A butane burner for $13.  I love Sichuan hot pot and you need one of these burners.  I also got three large butane canisters for $5.  I’ve made hot pot quite a few times and haven’t even gotten through one.  They also have all the ingredients for hot pot.  I’ll post about my hot pot experience some time soon.

Well, I’m sure there are many more deals there.  I’ll try to get some specifics on my next trip and post some photos too.  If you shop at your local Asian market let us know what you buy by posting a comment!