Tag: Cheap

Brunch

Recipe—Sausage Gravy

Diva di Cucina

I was never really a huge fan of biscuits and gravy, until I had this recipe. Oh my goodness! Now I am hooked! I am a huge fan of breakfast and this is the perfect side to serve up with some scrambled eggs and potatoes. It is the ultimate in breakfast comfort food (especially after a night of drinking). I actually really like this gravy with Pillsbury biscuits, they are cheap, quick, and convenient. Sausage gravy and biscuits are perfect for a cold winter day and best of all it is super easy to make.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb roll breakfast sausage (not link or patty)
2 tbsp flour
2 c milk
salt and pepper

STEPS

  • In a medium skillet brown the sausage over medium high heat.
  • Remove the sausage when done and set aside.
  • Leaving the drippings in the pan, stir in the flour.
  • Cook over medium heat for 1–2 minutes.
  • Pour in the milk and whisk to combine.
  • Cook over medium or medium-high heat until thickened.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve over warm biscuits.
Kitchen Tips

Kitchen Tip—How to Roast Beets

Diva di Cucina

Beets are such a wonderful winter veggie but do you know what to do with them? I love mine roasted in salads. Beets are low in calories, are a good source of fiber, and contain a variety of vitamins and nutrients that can help prevent heart disease and certain types of cancer. I just love the vibrant color of beets. They are a beautiful addition to any dish and bring a unique flavor unlike any other veggie. Here are some step-by-step instructions on how to roast your very own beets.

Note: Roasting beets whole works great for beets the size of a tangerine or smaller but if you have large beets I recommend cutting them into quarters after peeling them. They will cook much faster that way.

INGREDIENTS
raw beets
olive oil
salt and pepper

STEPS

  • Preheat the oven to 400º.
  • Cut the stalks and the roots from the top and bottom of the beets.
  • Using a vegetable brush scrub the beets making sure to get off all the soil.
  • Peel the skin off the raw beets using a vegetable peeler.
  • Place the peeled beets in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat
  • Line a small baking dish with foil and place the beets in it.
  • Using a second sheet of foil “tent” the beets.
  • Place the baking dish in the oven and roast the beets for 35–45 minutes or until they are fork tender.
  • Beets can be eaten right away or you can place them in an airtight container once they cool and kept in the refrigerator. I slice mine right before serving so they don’t dry out.

Dinners

Recipe—Garlic Shrimp and White Beans

Diva di Cucina

A couple of weeks back I had the opportunity to be a guest blogger over at Rantings of an Amateur Chef. I shared this simple recipe for Garlic Shrimp and White Beans. In case you missed it here it is. 

I absolutely love it when I can find a recipe that is not only fabulous but also incredibly quick and easy. Being a working mom those are mandatory criteria for a recipe to make it into our weeknight dinner rotation. This recipe for garlic shrimp and white beans is very simple and yet super flavorful and it only uses one pot making clean up a breeze. Score! I just put the pan right on the kitchen table and let everyone serve it up family style. This rustic recipe goes great with some crusty bread to sop up all the rich tomato sauce and a green salad to balance out the meal. Yum!

Note: If you don’t have a large ovenproof skillet just complete the first 9 steps in a regular skillet and transfer the bean and tomato mixture to an oven safe baking dish and then top with shrimp and finish off under the broiler.

INGREDIENTS
6 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 tsp garlic, minced and divided
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (more if you like is spicy)
1 bay leaf
15 oz can petite-diced tomatoes, drained
salt and pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
2-15 oz cans white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 c chicken broth
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp paprika
2–3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

STEPS

  • Preheat broiler.
  • Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add 2 teaspoons of the garlic, chili powder, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf.
  • Cook stirring constantly for 1–2 minutes making sure not to burn the garlic.
  • Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
  • Using the backside of the spoon smash up any large chunks of tomatoes and cook until broken down, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the tomato paste and cook stirring constantly until the tomato mixture is a deep red and begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the beans and broth and bring to a steady simmer.
  • Cook down until the liquid has reduced and thickened.
  • In a large bowl combine the shrimp, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, remaining 2 teaspoons of garlic, paprika, and salt and pepper tossing to coat.
  • Lay the shrimp over the beans making sure they do not overlap.
  • Place the entire oven safe skillet in the oven under the broiler.
  • Broil until the shrimp are cooked through, about 4–5 minutes.
  • Carefully remove skillet from broiler.
  • Drizzle with dish with the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and garnish with the chopped parsley.
  • Enjoy!
Side Dishes, Soups

Recipe—Chili (The Classic Kind)

Diva di Cucina

It’s finally cooling off here in California and that means I am cooking up lots of soups and one of my favorite winter comfort foods, chili, the classic kind. This is the good stuff, heavy on meat and beans, light on veggies. That’s how I like my chili. What better way to warm up at the end of a cold day then a big bowl of chili? This recipe really is perfect, it’s not too spicy, not too mild, it’s just right. Something Goldilocks would love, probably Momma, Daddy, and baby bear too. This recipe does take a couple of hours to cook but that’s what makes it so good. All those flavors get cooked into the meat giving you a really hearty and flavorful chili you are sure to enjoy.

Note: If you are someone that likes chili with a little more kick, just add in a couple dashes of cayenne pepper.

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs ground beef
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 c chili powder
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can tomato sauce
1–2 c beef broth

GARNISHES
shredded cheddar
sour cream
green onions, chopped
fritos
diced avocadoes

STEPS

  • In a large pot cook the beef, onions, and garlic over medium-high heat until no longer pink.
  • Drain off most of the fat leaving about 2 tbsp in the bottom.
  • Stir into the pot the chili powder, flour, oregano, cumin, sugar, and salt.
  • Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, beans, sauce, and 1 cup of the broth to the pot.
  • Cook for an additional 45–60 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Add more broth if you want a soupier chili.
  • Ladle the chili into a bowl and have fun garnishing it with your favorite toppings.
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Homemade Marshmallows

Diva di Cucina

divadicucina_marshmallows

I was trying to come up with a cute idea for a Christmas gift for my son’s teachers and came up with the idea of making hot cocoa gift baskets. You know, a mug, some hot cocoa, some homemade cookies, and marshmallows. Well I am never the person to take the easy way out by just buying an actual bag of jet puffed marshmallows at the store, I wanted these gift baskets to be special, made from the heart. So I decided to attempt to make my very own marshmallows. Gourmet marshmallows seem to be all the rage this season but unfortunately they can cost a fortune. With this recipe you can make your own at home. They are a little bit of work, and one might by intimidated, but they are actually easy. I think the hardest part was waiting for them to set! These homemade marshmallows put store bought marshmallows to shame and are so totally worth making on your own. If making your own marshmallows isn’t on your bucket list it should be. Give these a shot. They will take your hot cocoa on a cold winter night over the top!

divadicucina_hotcocoa

Note: The original recipe I followed called for using a stand up mixer but I used a hand mixer. You can use either. The marshmallows can be very sticky and difficult to handle so the trick to cutting them is to constantly coat them in powdered sugar after every slice of the knife.

INGREDIENTS
3 c sugar
1 1/4 c light corn syrup
water
4 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 c powdered sugar

STEPS

  • Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  • While sugar water is heating up add 3/4 cup water to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the 4 packs of gelatin over the top. Set aside.
  • Bring the sugar water mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 235º.
  • Carefully pour the hot sugar water into your mixing bowl with the water and gelatin and mix on low.
  • Add the salt and increase mixer speed to high.
  • Beat the sugar mixture on high for 5 minutes and than add vanilla.
  • Continue beating the mixture for another 5 minutes.
  • When you are done, pour the marshmallow cream into a greased 9” x 13” pan.
  • Smooth the top and gently tap to release air.
  • Leave the dish on the counter for at least 10 hours.
  • After the waiting is up sprinkle the entire top of your marshmallows with powdered sugar making sure it’s coated and place a cutting board over the top of your dish.
  • While holding the cutting board and dish together carefully flip the dish and cutting board upside down simultaneously releasing the marshmallows onto the cutting board. (Your set marshmallows will now be upside down on the cutting board.)
  • Lift the baking dish and sprinkle all of the exposed marshmallow with powdered sugar making sure there are no exposed areas.
  • Using a large sharp knife cut into 1” strips and coat each exposed side with powdered sugar.
  • Cut those strips into 1” cubes making sure you coat each cut side with powdered sugar.
  • Once done, sprinkle all of the marshmallows with the remaining powdered sugar making sure there are no exposed sticky areas.
  • Enjoy in a big mug of hot cocoa!
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Confetti Cake Batter Cookies

Diva di Cucina

Awhile back I posted a recipe for lemon crackle cookies. It was a cookie recipe that is primarily made from a box of cake mix. I love the concept of taking cake batter and sprucing it up with a few extra ingredients to make one heck of a fabulous cookie These types of cookies always come out really light and super moist and best of all they are quick and easy to make. Well ‘tis the season for complete chaos and busy schedules so what better time to share a recipe for super quick and scrumptious confetti cake batter cookies. I used red and green sprinkles to make them festive for Christmas but keep this recipe in mind throughout the year. Just change the sprinkle color for the appropriate holiday. Perhaps pink and red for Valentine’s Day?

INGREDIENTS
1-18.25 oz box of white cake mix
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2–3/4 c sprinkles

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a large bowl mix together the dry cake mix and baking powder.
  • Whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla.
  • Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir until all ingredients are combined.
  • Fold in the sprinkles but be sure not to over mix or the dye will stain the batter.
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it.
  • Drop 1” balls of dough onto the baking sheet leaving approximately 2” apart.
  • Bakes cookies for 9–10 minutes making sure they don’t brown.
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for about 3 minutes.
  • Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a cutting board or cooling rack.
Brunch, Dinners

Recipe—Leek Quiche

Diva di Cucina

I recently started following this fabulous gourmet blog called C’est la Vie Cuisine. On the day I found out I would be receiving leeks in my next produce box Lucie posted a recipe for leek quiche. I knew it was meant to be! I adapted her recipe (see the original here) based on what I had on hand and by adding in some extra eggs and cheese to accommodate a deeper pie dish. This recipe turned out great! I served it for dinner with some breakfast sausage and toast but it can be enjoyed for any meal. One of the many fabulous reasons I love quiche! This recipe was so easy and really tasty! The caramelized leeks and onions take on a nice sweet flavor making it a fabulous complement to salty breakfast meat like sausage or bacon.

Leeks are a part of the onion family and are very mild and sweet in flavor. The leek basically looks like a HUGE green onion. Leeks are known for being very low in calories and having wonderful health benefits. They are high in dietary fiber, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, folic acid, and vitamins A, B, C, and K.

Notes: Leeks can have a large amount of soil and dirt between the layers so after you slice them make sure to wash them thoroughly. I submerge them in water and use my hand to swish them around. The leeks float to the top and the dirt sinks to the bottom. I then use a salad spinner to help remove all the excess water.

You can omit the piecrust all together to create a low-carb version of this recipe. To do this, grease your pie dish and whisk the mozzarella in with the egg mixture. Bake time will be the same.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (see above note about washing)
1 tbsp garlic
1 sheet of refrigerated piecrust at room temperature
salt and pepper
9 eggs
1/2 c half and half
1 c mozzarella

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • In a larger skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onion, leeks, and garlic to the skillet.
  • Cook stirring frequently until the onions begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
  • While the leeks and onions cook gently press the crust into your pie dish.
  • In a medium-mixing bowl whisk together your eggs and half and half until well incorporated.
  • When the leeks are done cooking season with salt and pepper and gently fold the cooked veggies into the egg mixture.
  • Sprinkle half of the mozzarella into the bottom of your pie dish.
  • Add the egg mixture to your pie dish and top with remaining mozzarella.
  • Bake the quiche in the oven for 30–35 minutes or until the middle is firm.
  • Allow quiche to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Adapted from C’est la Vie Cuisine.

Brunch, Dinners

Recipe—Broccoli and Cheddar Egg Bake

Diva di Cucina

A few weeks back I received some violet queen purple broccoli in my produce box. It was the most gorgeous piece of produce I have ever seen! It was almost too pretty to eat… almost being the key word there. I was over the moon about this exciting piece of produce and wanted to do something really spectacular with it. Alas, my busy schedule kept me from really thinking outside the box so I made one of my favorite broccoli recipes with it, a broccoli and cheddar egg bake (a.k.a. a quiche with no crust, perfect for the low-carb lover).

This purple broccoli was just too pretty not to show you! I just wanted to put it in a vase on my table. Once the broccoli was cooked it looked slightly darker than a typical bunch of green broccoli. It ended up loosing most of that purple coloring.

One thing I truly love about egg bakes is that they are perfect for any meal of the day, breakfast, lunch, or dinner and they are so versatile. You can add any ingredients you want! This recipe is written with some pretty basic ingredients but you can go wild with whatever you like. Red bell peppers and mushrooms are also great additions. I made this one for dinner the other night and just served it with some toast. The leftovers made an awesome breakfast the next day. Gotta love it when you make a meal you can stretch out over a few days.

INGREDIENTS
8 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
12 eggs
1/4 c milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 1/2 c broccoli, chopped and steamed
1 small tomato, chopped
2 c cheddar, shredded (divided)

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a skillet over medium-high heat cook your bacon until done.
  • Remove cooked bacon from skillet and dispose of most of the grease leaving a tablespoon.
  • Sauté the onion in the reserved bacon grease over medium-high heat until brown and caramelized.
  • While the onions are cooking scramble the eggs, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
  • Mix in the bacon, steamed broccoli, chopped tomato, sautéed onion, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese to the mixing bowl.
  • Pour the egg mixture in a greased 8” x 8” baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top.
  • Bake for 35–45 minutes or until the center is set.
  • Remove the egg bake from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Sandwiches

Recipe—Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

Diva di Cucina

This was one of my recipes in the running for the Hot and Spicy Week I did back in September but I just had too many good jalapeño recipes to share so this one got the boot. Well my jalapeño plant was still producing in November thanks to this unseasonably warm weather so here it is, the jalapeño popper grilled cheese sammy! It is creamy, cheesy, and spicy, all the qualities a person looks for in a popper. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
2–3 large jalapeños, roasted
2 tbsp butter, softened
4 large slices of sourdough
1/3 c cream cheese
8 slices cheddar cheese

STEPS

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Spread one side of each piece of the bread with butter.
  • Place two slices of bread butter side down in the skillet.
  • Top the bread in the skillet with the sliced cheddar cheese.
  • Add the roasted jalapeños to the sandwich.
  • Spread the remaining two slices of bread with cream cheese on the sides without butter.
  • Place the bread cream cheese side down on the sandwich.
  • Cook for approximately 3 minutes or until the bread is a toasty brown.
  • Flip and cook for another 3 minutes until cheese is melted and the other side is a nice toasty brown.
Soups

Recipe—Velvety Celery Cream Soup

Diva di Cucina

I have gotten big bundles of celery in my organic produce delivery several weeks in a row now. I certainly love my celery sticks but I just don’t think I will be able to eat another one for a few days. While recovering from celery stick overload I made one of my favorite vegetable soups, celery cream. This is one of the easiest soups to make and even though it is very simple it is wonderful. It is super creamy and the lemon and hot sauce gives it just the right kick. I made a big batch to take to my mother in law who just had knee replacement surgery a couple of weeks ago. One thing I love about this soup is you can make a big batch of it and it reheats great! I typically double the recipe and then divvy the soup up into several containers for future dinners and lunches. It’s a perfect dinner for cool evenings or even on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Note: When using a blender to puree the soup you will need to do it in batches. I recommend placing a towel over the top of your blender and holding the lid firmly in place as the heat will make the lid blow off and it makes a huge hot mess and can burn you if not secured.

INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
1 bunch of celery, sliced
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
4 tbsp flour
6 c chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 c heavy cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
4–5 dashes of hot sauce
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
salt (optional)

STEPS

  • In a large soup pot melt the butter and add the celery, onions, and garlic.
  • Cook over medium-high heat until soft.
  • Sprinkle the flour in the pot and stir while cooking for 1–2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth and bay leaf.
  • Bring pot to a boil, cover, and reduce heat allowing to simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the bay leaf.
  • Using a blender puree the soup in small batches until nice and smooth. (See above note)
  • Transfer the soup back into the pot.
  • Add in the cream, lemon juice, hot sauce, pepper, and salt. (Be sure to sample the soup before adding in the salt. Unless you are using a reduced sodium you may not need it.)
  • Bring pot to a boil, cover, and reduce heat allowing to simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until desired thickness.