CHG Favorites of the Week

(Voting is open until tomorrow for Culinate’s Death by Chocolate contest. Thank you to everyone who’s put in a good word!)

Blog of the Week
The Pioneer Woman Cooks
From Ree, creator of the wildly popular Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, comes this gorgeously designed cooking site with the drooliest pictures this side of Smitten Kitchen. Beyond the food, the writing rocks and the step-by-step instructions (with accompanying photos, natch) are incredibly helpful. Also? Her. Kitchen. Is. So. Pretty. (*drowns in own envy*)

Food Comedy of the Week
“Weekend Plans” by Riegel & Blatt
In which two married dudes recount how life has changed since waving arrivederci to their roaring twenties. Included: brunch, wine, and farmers market. This is kind of my life, only much funnier and with trips to Gymboree.

Organization of the Week
Food Gatherers
Based in Ann Arbor and ranked fourth among all philanthropies by Charity Navigator, Food Gatherers … well, I’ll let them tell you: “exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in our community by: reducing food waste through the rescue and distribution of perishable and non perishable food; coordinating with other hunger relief providers; educating the public about hunger; and developing new food resources.” Aces.

Quote of the Week
“I like to use 'I Can't Believe it's Not Butter' on my toast in the morning, because sometimes when I eat breakfast, I like to be incredulous. ‘How was breakfast?’ ‘Unbelievable.’” – Demetri Martin

Tip of the Week
This may seem basic (“duh”) to some and totally foreign (“wha?”) to others, but here goes. Whenever The Boyfriend, our housemates or I finish food that comes in plastic containers (parmesan cheese, Chinese food, drywall, etc.), we wash ‘em out and use ‘em as Tupperware. They’re stellar for taking lunch to work, storing food, and sending friends home with leftovers, and we don’t have to pay for new stuff, ever. (P.S. We don’t eat drywall. Often.)

Untried Cheap, Healthy Recipe of the Week
Kairee Raisu at A Good American Wife
New mom Anne whips up a hearty meat-and-potatoes meal with a nifty, curry-soaked Japanese twist. Domo arigato.

Video of the Week
“Eggs and Sausage” by Tom Waits
Armed with the gravelliest of rasps and the smoothest sax solo since Clarence Clemons put lips to reed, Tom Waits trips the graveyard shift fantastic. You may never swing by another diner at 1am without hearing it in your head.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr member mamabrarian and eBay member southern.hodgepodge)

Grocery Shopping: What Works for Me

(Thank you to everyone who voted for CHG in Culinate’s Death by Chocolate contest. If you didn’t see it early yesterday, the entry should be up now. Voting goes through the 8th. Yay!)

Recently, Kacie over at Sense to Save posted an online challenge asking bloggers to recap their grocery shopping methods. I really liked the idea, and figured it might be good for blog transparency purposes. (A.k.a. Do I walk the walk?) Also, I’m secretly hoping someone out there has a better system, and is willing to share.

So first, here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how I USED to buy food:

1) Become hungry. This part was simple. It usually involved moving, speaking, or watching an Olive Garden ad. (Curse you, unlimited breadsticks. CURSE YOU.)

2) Go to nearest bodega/supermarket/insanely expensive coffee shop. I live within a one-block radius of three delis, a supermarket, and a KFC. In the old days, I’d cruise over to any one of these and pick up whatever tickled my fancy (which was everything).

3) Buy whatever I want to eat. Price was no object.

4) Shovel food into gaping maw. Fat/calorie/preservative content was no object.

5) Lament lack of funds and ever-expanding tuchus. This part generally involved a lot of self-loathing and vows to never eat again. Needless to say, the pledges didn’t stick, and I was back at Step 1 pretty dang fast. Why, hello there, vicious, self-perpetuating circle of poor eating habits! My name is Kris.

My old method lacked forethought, concern for my health, and any discernable spending strategy. These days, it’s different. I cook. I plan meals a week in advance. I study nutrition labels like I’m being tested later. And while the following process may seem a tad time-consuming, I promise it’s not. Half of it happens in my head before pen is ever set to paper. I:

1) Take stock. What food do I need more of? What am I okay with for another month? Why the crap do I have 128 ounces of chicken breast? This step ensures I know what’s already on hand, so I don’t go buying a ninth pound of poultry.

2) Plan ahead. Which holidays are coming up? Birthdays? What foods should I be on the lookout for? If it’s close to Thanksgiving, butter, onions, or sparkling cider are good bets. For the Super Bowl, chips and beer are the order of the day. Prepping for celebrations this way has saved me a ton of dough.

3) Gauge moods. What are The Boyfriend and I craving? What have we OD’d on lately? (A.k.a. Is it possible to consume too much spaghetti?) By checking our appetites before I set out, I avoid guessing and extraneous purchases while shopping.

4) Consider the blog. What can I make for Monday and Friday? Do I have a backup in case something goes terribly, terribly wrong? (See: Teriyaki Sweet Potatoes.)

5) Make a preliminary list. Based on the previous five steps, what are the foods I absolutely have to buy, whether or not they’re on sale? Here’s a recent prelim list, from the week I made Curried Sweet Potato Stew:

• Fruit
• Veggies (peppers, mushrooms, etc.)
• Snack dip
• Tomatoes
• Romaine
• Carrot
• Ginger
• At least four sweet potatoes
• Broth
• Brown lentils

6) Browse online circulars. What are this week’s loss leaders? What produce has the biggest markdown? Is there EVER, EVER a deal on soy milk? (Answer: no.) Each Friday, I read three local supermarket circulars for values and adjust my list accordingly. I also …

7) Record good deals in a price book. JD at Get Rich Slowly has the definitive post on these guys. (Go! Look now! Then come back.) They’re KEY to scoring deals and keeping track of cost cycles over the course of a year.

8) Research recipes. Is pork going on mega-sale? Will broccoli never hit $0.88/lb again? If there’s a solid discount item (or items), I’ll plan a recipe around it and note whatever else I need.

9) Make a master list. Ultimately, what do I want to buy? Based on all the previous steps, I create a final shopping document complete with brand names and prices. (That’s making it way more complex than it sounds. Really, it’s a piece of notebook paper.) When I hit the aisles, I don’t deviate from my plan.

10) Eat. What will tide me over while I shop? This strategy is all over personal finance blogs, and for good reason. It keeps my impulse M&M purchases WAY, way down.

11) Grab my canvas tote. It’s pretty! And environmentally sound! (But mostly pretty.)

12) Find my keys. I lose them a lot.

13) Shop. I hoof it, so my final haul depends entirely on A) my upper body strength at the time, and B) what can be crammed into my fridge. With four people sharing it, space is at an extreme premium.

And that’s it. All told, I blow about two hours and $45 each week (including walking time) on planning and shopping for a pair of people. Compared to Crystal and Keren, it looks like amateur night at the Apollo. But it’s much better than before, and I’m still working on it. Specifically, I’m trying to better these areas:

1) Coupons. The online databases are useless for my zip code and most coupons are for convenience products, which I tend to eschew anyway. (Also, I’m lazy. Oh, so very lazy.) Nonetheless, I know they CAN be a boon, and resolve to start a collection.

2) CVS/Target/Walgreens deals. While CVS and Walgreens are pretty far away and the Brooklyn Target is legendarily insane, it’s worth braving all three for the discounts.

3) Eating less meat. The Boyfriend and I thrive on poultry. (If God’s a chicken, we’re kinda screwed.) It’s comparatively thrifty and can be cooked 14,000,000 different ways. Yet, legumes, veggies and starches are cheaper. If I can ease Chicken Provencal out of our diets, it could make a big dent in the budget.

So, all you readers out there – how do you shop? What improvements have you made in your system? What’s your best grocery tip? Our operators are waiting for your call. (Translation: comments are open.)

(Photos courtesy of Flickr members Tortuga One, and Neato Coolville)

Spiced Chicken Skewers with Grapes: The Chicken Recipe OF CHAMPIONS

Before our regularly scheduled Monday recipe, I’d like to get a few quick things out of the way.

1) Apologies to reader Megan. Dude. I shouldn’t have doubted.

2) EEEEEEEEEEEE!

3) Seriously? DID YOU SEE THAT? Especially that part at the end when Manning evaded like, 15 guys who were trying to bring him down and then threw a 32-yard pass to Tyree, who had to jump, like, 150 FEET in the air to catch the ball ON HIS HEAD and then still managed to stay alive after landing on his back where it looked like the defender had SNAPPED HIM IN TWO but he still kept possession and put the Giants in a good position for the touchdown? Yeah, that was neat.

4) Preview of the Manning house at Thanksgiving:
PEYTON MANNING: I’m thankful for winning the Super Bowl last year.
ELI MANNING: I’m thankful for winning the Super Bowl this year.
COOPER MANNING: I have not won the Super Bowl, but I’m thankful for having brothers who did. I am also thankful for potatoes.
MRS. MANNING: I am thankful our DNA is made of fairy dust. High five, dear.
MR. MANNING: Yeah, our family is awesome. High five, honey.

5) As is his ritual, my dad wore his 21-year-old Giants boxers (purchased for the 1987 Super Bowl) on the outside of his pants for the game. My family is firmly convinced this was, and will continue to be, the key to sweet Blue victory.

So ... oh yeah. Food. This is a food blog. Must … write about … food (GIANTS).

Okay. Here goes. Since Saturday was a bit jammed by Super Bowl preparations, I had to cook something fast, easy, and light. Fortunately, Ellie Krieger was shining her pearly whites at exactly the same time I was making up the grocery list. While I didn’t have a grill handy, I figured her Spiced Chicken Skewers would work just fine with my broiler.

By rule, food on a stick automatically tastes four times better than its non-impaled counterparts. But even with this in mind, The Boyfriend and I were pleasantly surprised by Ellie’s dish. It was simple, inexpensive, and wonderfully moist, with enough hint of lemon to keep it from being blah. Warmed and split by the heat, the grapes were a nice touch, too.

Food Network kindly provided fat and calorie computations, so only the price is figured out below. It’s also worth noting that this would be a great meal for someone on Weight Watchers. I think it comes out to four (maybe five?) points. Bonus.

That's all for now, I think. My parents are still delirious, so if anyone needs me, I’ll be trying to convince Dad that boxers-outside-of-pants might not be a good look for work. (But why burst the man’s bubble?)

GO BLUE!

Spiced Chicken Skewers with Grapes

Serves 4 – 2 skewers each
Adapted from Ellie Krieger.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
8 (10-inch) skewers (Metal or wood will work. – Kris)
1 1/2 cups seedless green grapes
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (I skipped this. – Kris)
1 lemon, cut into wedges (I skipped this, too. – Kris)

1) Combine oil, zest, juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together. Add chicken and mix so every piece is coated with marinade. Let sit for 20 minutes. During this time, soak wooden skewers if you're using them. (Or they'll burn. Metal skewers don't need soaking.)

2)  Skewer the chicken and grapes like so: chicken, grape, chicken, grape, chicken, grape, chicken, grape. Spray a grate or broiler pan with cooking spray. Broil or grill skewers for 3 minutes. Turn over and cook another 3 or 4 minutes, until some grapes split and chicken is done. If desired, serve topped with mint and next to lemon slices.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
220 calories, 6 g fat, $0.71

Calculations
2 tablespoons olive oil: $0.16
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest: $0.05
1 tablespoon lemon juice: $0.20
2 cloves garlic, minced: $0.10
1 teaspoon ground cumin: $0.02
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander: $0.02
1/2 teaspoon salt: $0.01
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes: $1.79
1 1/2 cups seedless green grapes: $0.48
Cooking spray: $0.02
TOTAL: $2.85
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): $0.71

A Tale of Two Tomato Salsas (The Super Bowl is Nigh)

With my bud D’s Super Bowl party a mere two days away, I thought yesterday would be a good time to prep my second contribution to the buffet table. (The first being Lightened Seven-Layer Taco Dip). Since salsa is simple to make, healthy by design, and beloved by all, it was a logical choice. Problem was, the produce at my local supermarket was looking less than stellar. So, I turned to canned tomatoes. And All Recipe.

Fresh Salsa 1 was the proud recipient of a 4-1/2 star rating and multiple rave reviews on the site, many of which mentioned its high heat level. Knowing that some friends would find super-spicy food inedible, I had to make a second batch with a few changes. It became kind of a contest. Whose version would taste better? Which would produce more salsa? Could I handle three pounds of tomatoes without spilling any on The Boyfriend’s Transformers t-shirt? (Answer: only Optimus Prime knows for sure.)

Thus, Salsa-off 2008 was born. I made the All Recipes formula exactly like the directions told me. Then, I tasted it and changed the following for my version:

• Drained the whole peeled tomatoes for a chunkier consistency.
• Decreased the onion and jalapeno for a milder heat.
• Sautéed the garlic in a bit of olive oil to add depth.
• Added a teaspoon of lime juice for freshness.

I sampled both salsas immediately after pureeing and then again about three hours later, after they had time to meld in the fridge. The results were good all around, but let’s compare.

Taste: I liked mine better. (Not that I’m biased.) While appetizing and definitely worth serving, the All Recipes salsa was very, very hot – too hot almost, and I’m fairly accustomed to spicy food. My milder version had a stronger, smoother garlic flavor, which I could actually detect since it wasn’t overwhelmed by scorchingosity.

Volume: All Recipes wins this one, hands down. Draining the whole peeled tomatoes meant my recipe only produced 1-1/2 cups of salsa. All Recipes almost doubled that. I got the flavor and slightly chunkier consistency I was looking for, but at the cost of serving a few more people.

Price: The total prices are within a dime of each other, but it’s two cents cheaper per serving to make the All Recipes salsa, since it produces more.

Even though there’s no clear victor, I’m ultimately chalking this experiment up in the win column. Each recipe would do Chris Berman proud, and you might even consider making both for Sunday. All Recipes provided nutritional information, so my calculations below are for price only. Everything else is per usual.

And thus ends Super Bowl Week. Hope everyone has a good game, and I’ll see you back here on Monday for more cheap, healthy goodness.

(Oh, also? Go Blue!)

FRESH SALSA 1
Makes 2-3/4 cups or 44 servings at 1 Tablespoon each
Adapted from All Recipes.

2 jalapeno chile peppers
2-1/2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
5-oz diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
14 oz. whole peeled tomatoes with liquid

1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

2) Roast jalapenos on cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Let cool a little, then cut stems off.

3) Pulse jalapenos, garlic, onion, sugar, salt, cumin, and diced tomatoes with green chiles in a blender or food processor, until somewhat chunky. Add whole peeled tomatoes and pulse again until it reaches a consistency you like. Store in a covered bowl in the fridge until ready to serve.

Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
7 calories, 0 g fat, $0.04

Calculations
2 jalapeno chile peppers: $0.35
2-1/2 cloves garlic, finely chopped: $0.12
1/2 onion, finely chopped: $0.08
1/2 tablespoon white sugar: $0.01
1/2 teaspoon salt: $0.01
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin: $0.01
5-oz diced tomatoes with green chile peppers: $0.46
14 oz. whole peeled tomatoes: $0.65
TOTAL: $1.67
PER SERVING (TOTAL/44): $0.04

~~~

FRESH SALSA 1 (CHG version)
Makes 1-1/2 cups or 24 servings at 1 Tablespoon each

1 jalapeno chile pepper
½ t extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/8 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
5-oz diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
14 oz. whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon lime juice
cilantro (if desired)

1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

2) Roast jalapenos on cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Let cool a little, then cut stems off.

3) Heat olive oil over medium heat on a small pan. Cook chopped garlic until just before it starts to brown.

4) Pulse jalapenos, garlic, onion, sugar, salt, cumin, and diced tomatoes with green chiles in a blender or food processor, until somewhat chunky. Add whole peeled tomatoes and lime juice and pulse again until it reaches a consistency you like. Store in a covered bowl in the fridge until ready to serve.

Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
5 calories, 0 g fat, $0.06

Calculations
1 jalapeno chile pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.17
½ t extra virgin olive oil: 20 calories, 2.2 g fat, $0.02
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped: 9 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
1/8 onion, finely chopped: 6 calories, 0 g fat, $0.04
1/2 tablespoon white sugar: 23 calories, 0 g fat, $0.01
1/2 teaspoon salt: negligible fat and calories, $0.01
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin: negligible fat and calories, $0.01
5-oz diced tomatoes with green chile peppers: 30 calories, 0 g fat, $0.46
14 oz. whole peeled tomatoes, drained: 66 calories, 0 g fat, $0.65
1 teaspoon lime juice: 3 calories, 0 g fat, $0.04
cilantro (if desired): negligible calories and fat, $0.33
TOTAL: 117 calories, 2.2 g fat, $1.54
PER SERVING (TOTAL/24): 5 calories, 0 g fat, $0.06