Before we get into the recipe, here are some alternatives for your sub in case you’re not completely committed to making a homemade dressing from scratch. This recipe is super easy, though.

Alternate dressings

You don’t need to make a homemade dressing for your sub. Although, the recipe below is super easy and delicious. If you’re not in the mood to make something from scratch, here are some other great options…

• Oil and vinegar – A simple combination of oil and vinegar (50/50) will do the job. Any oil and vinegar will work, but I love the simple taste of olive oil and white vinegar.
• Mustard – Any mustard will work, even plain yellow hot dog mustard. I love a good French dijon mustard on a sandwich, and even on a hot dog!
• Salad dressing – Most salad dressings would work. The ideal dressing would be an Italian or Greek oil and vinegar dressing. Both are tart and herby like the recipe below. In a pinch, I would try just about anything, even Blue Cheese.

My favorite Italian Sub Dressing Recipe

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably ready to make something homemade! My favorite Italian Sub Dressing Recipe is super simple. The combination of vinegar and herbs really brightens the sandwich and helps the cold cuts to shine.

I used xanthan gum to keep the oil and vinegar from separating, but that’s completely optional. It doesn’t change the taste at all. Xanthan gum is super useful in the kitchen but not trivial to find. You can get it here from Amazon.

The sandwich in the photo is fresh mozzarella, mortadella, prosciutto, and pepperoni on a baguette. Besides the dressing below, I also added thinly sliced tomatoes and sliced pepperoncini. It was a great combination, but next time I would probably add salame and swap out provolone for the mozzarella. A baguette is also on the edge of being too crusty for a great sub sandwich.

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Italian Sub Dressing

This tart and herby dressing will elevate your cold cuts to another level!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 1/4 cup Vinegar, white or other type of vinegar
• 1 tsp Oregano, dried
• 1 tsp Basil, dried
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsg Xanthan gum optional

Instructions

• Mix vinegar with herbs and garlic and let sit for 15 min to rehydrate
• Add xanthan gum (if using) to the olive oil.
• Combine olive oil with vinegar mixture in a jar and shake well to combine.

Notes

The herbs are really just a suggestion. You can use any combination of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano and other dried herbs. Keep the total amount of dried herbs to about 2 tsp. A super easy option is to use pre-mixed Italian Herbs seasoning.

I usually use white vinegar, but you can use any type of vinegar, including balsamic or wine vinegar. You can even use a combination of different vinegars. Just keep the total amount to 1/4 cup.

I didn’t add any salt to this since everything else on an Italian Sub is quite salty. If you use this for anything else, like as an actual salad dressing, you’ll want to salt to taste.

If you’re not using xanthan gum the oil and vinegar will separate after a while. Just shake before using.

 

The post Italian Sub Dressing Recipe appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

To make fermented hot sauce, blend or finely chop by hand or in a food processor, about a pound of fresh chiles. Add 5% salt by weight. Mix well and put in a quart deli container for at least a week or up to three months. You can use the sauce just as it is, or you can add vinegar if you prefer a more sour flavor.

Selecting chiles

This recipe can really be made with any fresh chiles. It can even be made with bell peppers, although it won’t be hot. I once made a batch with red bell peppers for a friend who didn’t like spicy food. I called it “Not Sauce”.

Habanero chiles make a really delicious sauce but it’s too hot for most people. I like to mix red habaneros with something less hot, like holland or fresno chiles.

While you can mix any types of chiles together, it’s best to mix similar colored chiles together. Otherwise, if you mix red and green chiles you’ll end up with a sauce that’s brown, which doesn’t look that great.

Preparing the chiles

You should rinse the chiles in cool water to remove any dirt. Don’t use any kind of soap or vegetable wash as you want to leave the natural yeasts and bacterias that live on the chiles.

You definitely want to remove the stems before processing the chiles further. If your chiles have a lot of seeds, you may want to remove some of them as well. Don’t obsess about removing all of them. I usually leave quite a few in mine.

The fermentation is fast and consistent when the chiles are chopped finely before leaving to ferment. I use a food processor to chop them finely. You can also use a blender or even chop them by hand. If you’re using a blender it’s fine to add a small amount of water to get them to blend fully. Keep the amount of water to a minimum as the chiles will liquify as they ferment and you don’t want the end result to be too watery. Also, be sure to include the water when calculating how much salt to add.

How much salt?

Salt is what keeps the bad bacterias controlled while allowing lactobacillus to do it’s work. Lactobacillus is the good bacteria that is responsible for all the delicious fermentation for our hot sauce, but also dill pickles, sauerkraut and other fermented foods.

The amount of salt you add should equal 5% of the total weight of the chiles (and any added water.) It’s as simple as taking the weight of your chiles and multiplying by 0.05. The result is the weight of salt you need to add. It’s easiest to do this with your scale set to grams.

If you don’t have a scale, you can estimate the amount of salt you need. After your chiles are chopped or blended, for each cup of chiles, you should add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, or 1-1/2 teaspoons of table salt. This should get you close to 5%.

Now that you’ve figured out how much salt to use, add the salt to your chiles and mix well. This is called mash.

Storing the mash

I use a 1 quart deli container for storing my chile mash. Ideally you want a container that will allow some air to escape but you can also open the lid every few days to let any excess gases out. A mason jar would work well. You can leave the lid on loosely so the gases escape on their own.

Add the chile mash to your jar and tap it on the counter carefully to remove any large air bubbles. Once you’re ready to store the mash for fermenting, sprinkle a light layer of salt on top of the mash. This will prevent any mold from forming on the top of the mash.

Put a label on your container with the type of chiles you used and the date. You’ll be glad you did! After two months of fermentation it’s easy to forget what was in the jar.

The first few days

The first few days of fermentation are the most critical to watch. You should check the mash at least once a day in case any mold forms. Even with salting the top of the mash, a while mold can sometimes form. This is completely normal and harmless. If this happens, scrape the mold off the top of the mash and salt the top again. If the mold is black, this is bad and you should toss out the whole batch and start over. This has never happened to me, so don’t know what causes it, but I’ve heard others mention this.

After the first week, it’s unlikely you’ll see any mold so you can check on it less frequently. You shouldn’t need to add any more salt either. I give mine a shake every few days just to keep the liquids and solids mixed.

How long to wait?

Some people are happy with their sauce after only a week. I think this is too short, though. The longer it ferments, the better the flavor. I would consider two weeks to be the absolute minimum. I always wait at least four weeks and sometimes as long as eight.

Finish it up

The fermentation process breaks down the chiles into a more liquid form. The longer you let the fermentation go, the more liquid. I find that after a month the chiles have essentially become a perfect sauce without any further blending. But if you prefer a smoother sauce you have a couple of options.

You can blend the sauce to break it down completely. You can also strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. You can use one or both of these methods to end up with the consistency you prefer.

The lactobacillus responsible for most of the fermentation produces acid that gives the sauce a sour taste, like most commercial hot sauces. The 5% salt we added at the beginning is just about right for my taste. If you find that your finished hot sauce isn’t sour enough, you can simply add white or apple cider vinegar. You can also add salt if needed. Either way, you can tweak it to your own taste.

I put my finished sauce in recycled glass jars or bottles and store in the fridge.

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Simplest Fermented Hot Sauce

Basic recipe for turning any fresh chiles into fermented hot sauce.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword hot sauce, sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh chiles any kind
• 5 % salt

Instructions

• Remove stems from chiles and finely chop in a food processor or blender. Add a small amount of water if necessary
• Add 5% salt by weight to the processed chiles and mix well
• Add chile mash into a glass jar and sprinkle salt over the top to inhibit mold growth
• Allow to ferment for two weeks or up to three months

The post Simplest Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

This coleslaw recipe features finely sliced cabbage and onion in a light and creamy dressing. The dressing is very lightly sweet and tart and will complement any pulled pork sandwich. The method of prepping the cabbage will leave the perfect amount of crunch.

I wish I could take full credit for this recipe. It’s based on one by Serious Eats that I thought was awesome, but a bit too flavorful to go on a pulled pork sandwich. I tweaked their recipe quite a few times until I came up with this variation that is just about perfect to me. I’ve made this same recipe many times to eat with fried chicken sandwiches and other BBQ meals and it always gets rave reviews.

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Creamy coleslaw for pulled pork

This coleslaw is designed to be the perfect topping (or side dish) for a BBQ pulled pork sandwich. It has a light, creamy dressing and won't get nearly as watery as other coleslaw recipes because of the preparation of the cabbage.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword barbeque, bbq, coleslaw, pulled pork

Ingredients

• 1 head (~3lbs) green cabbage sliced thinly, or pre-sliced cabbage
• 1 whole white onion sliced as thinly as you can
• 1 cup sugar white granulated
• 1/2 cup kosher salt or 1/4 cup table salt
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup vinegar white or apple cider
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp black pepper ground, to taste

Instructions

• In a very large mixing bowl, combine the sliced cabbage and onion with the sugar and salt. Massage the mixture by squeezing the cabbage and onion between your fingers until the cabbage starts to feel wet. Do this for about 5 minutes and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Rinse and drain the cabbage. Dry it well with paper towels.
• Mix the remaining ingredients into a large serving bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the cabbage and mix. Let sit for an hour (or up to 24 hours) before serving.

Notes

The initial massaging of the cabbage with sugar and salt does two things. It draws water out of the cabbage so it doesn’t get as watery after adding the dressing. It also seasons the cabbage so that it has just the right amount of salt all the way through the cabbage (not just in the dressing).

You shouldn’t need to add any salt to the dressing, but if the finished coleslaw tastes like it needs more salt, it’s fine to add some.

The post Coleslaw recipe for pulled pork appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

Jack in the Box mayo-onion sauce is made from mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, onion powder, and mustard. Reproducing the sauce is as simple as mixing the ingredients and allowing to sit for a few hours for the flavors to meld.

If you were a fan of the Bonus Jack and pre-1999 Jumbo Jack, check out my recipe for Jack in the Box secret sauce.

The quest for mayo-onion sauce

I started trying to make this sauce in order to recreate the original Ultimate Cheeseburger. It was a simple but amazing burger. It consisted of two patties, three types of cheese and mayo-onion sauce, on a bun. You could optionally get a version with bacon. It came wrapped in a half-foil sheet before Jack in the Box went to all paper wrapping. I wish I could find a photo of the burger to show you!

I searched Google every so often when I would think about trying to recreate that burger. I finally came across the definitive list of ingredients by locating the Jack in the Box website from 2002 on archive.org. There was a page that lists every ingredient in every menu item including all sauces, sodas and even the burgers (100% beef, phew).

Once I knew the ingredients, it was a simple matter of experimenting with ratios and taste testing in order to nail the recipe.

Recipe notes

I believe this recipe is indistinguishable from the original. It’s impossible to compare it side-by-side, though, since Jack in the Box has since phased out the sauce completely. But, if you were a fan of any of their sandwiches that used this sauce, you’ll immediately recognize the slightly sweet, slightly tart, oniony kick.

The recipe is listed below and is very simple and flexible. I tested with common ingredients found in most kitchens so you shouldn’t need to go to the store for anything. The only optional ingredient you might not have is xanthan gum, which I discuss below.

If you’re trying to make this as close to the original as possible, here are a few notes:

• Most onion powder is actually finely granulated onion. This will leave a slight grainy texture to the sauce. If you want it ultra smooth like the original, look for onion powder that is truly powdered. Here is an Amazon link for an ultra fine onion powder for about $3.
• Ground mustard powder is ideal. Yellow mustard will taste the same, but the turmeric added for color will make your sauce slightly yellow. The original sauce is very white.
• Corn syrup works slightly better than regular sugar since it will mix with the ingredients easier. If you’re using corn syrup you can mix all the ingredients at the same time instead of first dissolving the sugar.
• The easy way to adjust the intensity of this sauce is to mix all the ingredients first, except for the mayonnaise. Then add half as much mayonnaise and taste the result. If it’s too powerful you can continue to add more mayo until you get to the flavor you like.

Do I need xanthan gum?

Xanthan gum is listed in the original ingredient list and I used it in my testing while developing this recipe. It’s a common fast food ingredient and does give the final sauce a very familiar texture and mouthfeel. It’s fine to leave it out if you don’t have any, though. The only difference is that the sauce will be slightly thinner. If the end result is too thin for you, another option is to use cornstarch. I would add just a pinch or two of cornstarch to the vinegar mix (before adding the mayo) and then microwaving a few seconds until just bubbling. It should thicken slightly.

Xanthan gum is super useful and used in all sorts of processed foods. It’s also super cheap on Amazon. A tiny amount of Xanthan gum lasts FOREVER! I only use a pinch here and there. I’m still using some that I bought more than 10 years ago. Here is a high quality vegan brand on Amazon for less than $5.

The recipe

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Jack in the Box mayo-onion sauce

A recreation of this iconic sauce from Jack in the Box that was used on the Sourdough Jack, Chicken Supreme, Ultimate Cheeseburger (pre-2002) and Hot Ham and Cheese.

Cuisine American

Keyword jack in the box, mayo, onion, sauce

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1.5 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp granulated sugar or corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp dry mustard powder or yellow mustard
• 1 pinch xanthan gum optional
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

Instructions

• Mix the vinegar, sugar, onion and mustard until the sugar dissolves
• Add a pinch of xanthan gum while mixing and allow to sit until it thickens slightly
• Add mayonnaise. You can use it immediately, but it will get better as it sits. Allow at least an hour for the best flavor.

Notes

This should make enough sauce for about four burgers or sandwiches.

The post Jack in the Box mayo-onion sauce recipe appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

The easiest substitute for giardiniera is to drain and coarsely chop any sour pickled vegetables such as sport peppers, pepperoncini, jalapenos and/or pickles. Then add a small amount of dried oregano and olive oil. The result will give you the sour, spicy and herby notes of giardiniera.

I just ran out of giardiniera and need a quick substitute

If you need a giardiniera in the next hour, you can make a quick giardiniera using nearly any pickled vegetables. There are other vegetables that work as well. Sour pickled vegetables work the best. I would stay away from any pickled vegetables that are very sweet such as sweet pickles.

Here are some pre-pickled vegetables that I found work really well:

• Pepperoncinis
• Sport peppers
• Pickled jalapeno peppers
• Pickled roasted bell peppers
• Jarred artichoke hearts
• Canned mushrooms
• Olives, pitted
• Capers

To make the substitute giardiniera, chop your combination of vegetables in order to end up with about 1 cup total. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tsp of dried oregano. You probably don’t need to add any salt. It will get better as it sits, but you can use it immediately.

I don’t have any giardiniera and have never tried it

Most supermarkets carry at least one or two brands of giardiniera. It should be in the same section as the pickles. If you’re outside the midwest your options may be limited to national brands, which are ok, but not as good as the local brands.

Fortunately, there are a ton of giardiniera options available on Amazon. Here are a few awesome options:

I don’t like giardiniera

If you don’t like the sour kick of giardiniera, you might like New Orleans-style olive salad. It’s a key ingredient in a muffaletta sandwich and brings a ton of flavor but is much less sour than giardiniera. The most well-known olive salad is made by Central Grocery in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The line to buy a muffaletta or olive salad sometimes goes out the door and down the block!

Central Grocery’s olive salad is also available on Amazon

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Giardiniera Substitute

Here is a quick way to make something close to a giardiniera to liven up your sandwich.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword giardiniera

Ingredients

• 1 cup Pickled vegetables, like jalapeno peppers, sport peppers, pepperoncini, artichokes, sweet peppers or any other sour pickled vegetables
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

• Chop pickled vegetables into 1/2" pieces.
• Add olive oil and oregano. Mix well and let sit for an hour.
• Pile on your hotdog, sandwich or anywhere else you need a big kick of flavor

The post Substitute for giardiniera appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

I really love hot sauce. A few years ago I started making my own hot sauce from recipes I made up myself. I looked at a few sample recipes but mainly just experimented with the basic ingredients that make up hot sauce, which are really just:

• Chiles (dry or fresh)
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Water

Anything else you add brings extra flavor, which could be things like fresh garlic or onions, spices or even nuts or seeds.

I keep a notebook of recipes that I started numbering from #1. I would make up a new batch, number it, and then bring it to work for my co-workers to try. Some batches were great, while others were just ok. A few were really bad. A few of my closest co-workers got really hooked on the hot sauce and used to ask for more by batch number. One of the most common requests I got was for batch #19, which is based on fresh orange habaneros, onion, and carrots. It’s hot but really good.

After I moved to NYC in 2010 I stopped making hot sauce for a while since my kitchen was a bit smaller and I didn’t have good ventilation (which is critical!) I recently decided to make up a batch of an old favorite recipe, #27. That recipe previously involved cooking fresh orange habaneros on the barbecue until they were blackened. Since I don’t have any outdoor space or a bbq now, I used a cast iron skillet to get some color on the habaneros. I also couldn’t find orange habaneros in the fall so used green ones. They didn’t seem nearly as hot as the orange ones but still packed a lot more heat than a jalapeno. The final sauce was still really tasty!!!

Here is the rough recipe:

• About 30 orange or green habaneros (washed, whole)
• One sweet onion (peeled and cut in half)
• Four garlic cloves (peeled)
• One tablespoon of salt (to taste)
• Vinegar
• Water

Put habaneros into a cast iron skillet or on the barbecue until they start getting blackened a bit. Add the onion and garlic and cook until habaneros are soft and well charred. Onion should be soft. Garlic will still be firm but have a bit of charring. Remove stem and core from habaneros by pulling the stem with your fingers while holding the habanero with a fork or something besides your hands (since you want to keep skin contact to a minimum.) It should come out fairly easily. Don’t worry about leaving seeds or some of the core. Add habaneros, onion and garlic into a blender or food processor and add vinegar and water (50/50) until there is just enough for it to blend well. Blend until fairly smooth.

Dump the blender into a strainer and pass the mixture through to remove any remaining seeds and skin. Press this well with a spoon to make sure you get all the good stuff. Add vinegar and water until the remaining mixture is about the consistency of hot sauce. It will thicken a bit when it sits so it can be on the thin side.

Now comes the fun part. Add about a teaspoon of the salt and taste. It’s going to be hot. Keep adding salt until it tastes slightly salty. Keep some cold water or milk handy while you’re doing this. It’s going to be a lot hotter right now than it will be in a week so just hang in there. You might also need to add extra vinegar if you like it a little more sour. Once it tastes right, bottle it and keep it in the refrigerator. There should be enough salt and vinegar to keep anything from growing in it, even at room temperature, but it will likely last longer in the fridge.

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If you’re not familiar with Indian cooking, there’s a very popular type of dish known as dal (or dahl, daal, dhal). They are nearly always made of some sort of split peas, beans or lentils with Indian spices like turmeric, cumin, chile, and coriander. The combination makes for a really tasty dish that (IMHO) is way better than any American preparation of lentils.

When I started cooking Indian food, I went to YouTube because it was so different that what I was used to cooking and I wanted to see someone do it first. I now have two favorite YouTube Indian chefs that I always go to when I want to make Indian food. Their videos are very easy to follow and their recipes turn out great. One is Manjula (manjulaskitchen). The other is Sanjay (vahchef).

Here’s one of Sanjay’s recipes that I just made tonight. It came out great!  Of course, I made a batch about four times bigger than in the video so will have many meals from a $0.99 bag of lentils. To go with the dal, I also made Sanjay’s palak paneer recipe except using extra firm tofu instead of the paneer cheese.  It was a great vegetarian meal that was as delicious as it was frugal.

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Instant Pot Vegan Red Lentil Dal

A super fast and delicious recipe for Indian-style dal

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword dal, indian, lentils, red lentils

Servings 8

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

• 1 bag Red lentils 16oz
• 1 Onion small, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp Coriander ground
• 1 tsp Turmeric ground
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri chile powder ground, optional
• 1 tbsp Oil olive or other neutral oil
• 4 cups water

Instructions

• Set the Instant Pot to saute. Add the oil and spices and stir until they become fragrant and sizzle.
• Add the chopped onion and stir until the onion becomes translucent.
• Add the lentils and water and change the Instant Pot setting from saute to Bean/Chile for 10 minutes. Secure the lid.
• When the timer goes off, carefully release the pressure. Stir gently as the lentils will be very soft. Add extra water for a thinner consistency.

Notes

I usually turn these lentils into lentil patties. I pour the lentils into 1 quart deli containers and refrigerate overnight. The next day the lentils will be set up solid. I slide them out and slice the cylinder into patties. I then freeze the patties so I have them ready whenever I want. To cook them, I put a frozen patty in a skillet with oil and fry until crisp on the outside and hot inside. 

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Sesame seeds are found in recipes from all over the world.  You’ll find them used in Mexican moles, Middle Eastern desserts, Asian dishes and topping American hamburger buns.  It’s no wonder considering how tasty and healthy they are.  Here are some good reasons to get more sesame seeds into your diet and a tasty Korean BBQ recipe that will help you sneak them past the most finicky eaters.

I’m not going to try to get into all the details of why they’re so good for you, but here are a few of the good things packed into these tiny seeds:

• Copper, which support antiinflammatory and antioxidant enzyme systems to reduce pain and swelling and prevent cancer
• Magnesium, which supports cardiovascular and circulatory systems to reduce asthma symptoms and lower blood pressure
• Calcium and zinc, which supports bone strength and prevents colon cancer
• Phytosterols, which lower cholesterol and blood pressure

Check out this page and this page for more detailed information.

So it’s not like you can just have a big bowl of sesame seeds for dinner.  My two favorite ways to sneak in some sesame seeds are hummus and this Korean BBQ recipe:

Korean BBQ

Almost any kind of meat (or tofu) will do in this recipe.  My favorites are beef short ribs, chicken thighs, tri tip, pork loin and firm tofu.  Make the marinade as much as a week in advance and marinade the meet for at least and hour and as long as 24 hours.  The most important part of this recipe is the toasted and then crushed sesame seeds.  Don’t skip that part!

• Meat
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 4-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 green onions, finely chopped
• 2T ginger, finely chopped
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2T agave or sugar

Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until they turn a light brown and are fragrant.  Put them in a blender or food processor and pulse until mostly crushed.  Smell that flavor!!!  Combine the rest of the ingredients and either keep in the fridge until ready to use or pour on your meat to marinade.  Wait as long as you can stand it and then fire up the grill and cook over high heat to get a good char.  Cook until finished and serve with kimchi and rice or whatever else your family likes.  Leftovers are possibly even better!

The post Sesame seeds appeared first on Frugal Cooking.

The formula for potato salad is pretty simple:

• Some cooked starchy vegetable(s)
• Some aromatic vegetable(s)
• Some mayonnaise-like binder
• Some seasoning

I had some cooked quinoa and left over sauteed green beans and mushrooms.  Here is what I came up with:

Summer Quinoa and Vegetable salad

• 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup cooked green beans. chopped
• 1/4 cup cooked mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup frozen peas, defrosted
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1T fresh parsley, chopped
• 3T mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up.  Makes about 3 servings.

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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!

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