Chicken chili

1/22/2014 1:50:58 PM

A quick check of my pantry was disappointing. I have butternut squash soup, some boil in bag rice, and a bunch of spices. I do have greek yogurt and ranch seasoning.

1/22/2014 2:07:37 PM

Maybe a spin on dirty rice w/chicken? If you have some tex-mex type seasonings you could make it work.

1/22/2014 2:31:36 PM

Maybe...

1/22/2014 2:35:05 PM

http://www.theprimalist.com/garlic-goat-cheese-spaghetti-squash/

making this tonight. will be my first foray into spaghetti squash. I hope I like it, because I have so many good SS recipes in the queue

trying to decide what to make with it. probably just some "grilled" chicken (seared on cast iron then finished in oven. too cold to go outside, plus the grill still makes me nervous)

1/22/2014 3:09:38 PM

I love spaghetti squash. My sister makes a fantastic mac and cheese with spaghetti squash instead of pasta.

1/22/2014 3:17:56 PM

Making chicken adobo tonight, with chicken legs.

1/22/2014 6:51:15 PM

Skwinkle recently made a goat cheese egg bake thing. It's pretty nomalicious.

1/22/2014 8:01:43 PM

made a nice meaty lasagna yesterday and pot roast today. marinating a couple thick london broils to grill Saturday

1/22/2014 8:07:20 PM

I made chicken vindaloo on Monday. Came out really good, even better as leftovers.

1/22/2014 8:07:22 PM

How do t-dubbers that love to cook, cook on a budget??

I'm not talking ramen noodles and mac and chz budget...but good meals cooked with multiple ingredients/veggies/starches/spices/sauces type budget.

The wife and I try to save money by not going out as much. And while I know we spend a lot going out...when I look over our grocery purchases, it's lot more than I'd like to spend. I do a decent job of buying steaks on sale, chicken breasts from the butcher at the grocery store is not bad, and pork is always cheap...but the total always makes me think we could be doing take-out for not much more.

I think I'm comparing it to my college days when I would buy bags of frozen chicken breasts and never buy other meats unless they were on sale. And I could split some cheap pasta-roni or velveeta shells and cheese into a couple meals. But I still think we could be cooking more economically. We're trying to find another couple to split a CSA with us and we do a garden that gives us a decent herbs throughout the year. But there's got to be a way to do gourmet house cooking in bulk, or cheaper, or something.

What do you guys do to cut costs but still cook/eat well?

1/22/2014 8:19:17 PM

We buy in bulk at BJs and use our vacuum sealer and freeze stuff.

1/22/2014 8:20:46 PM

Skwinkle bases a lot of her recipes on what's for sale at the grocery store. She also uses some other black magic voodoo to somehow make amazing food without killing our budget.

1/22/2014 8:21:31 PM

What sort of budget?

1/22/2014 8:22:58 PM

At the grocery store, I always check out the clearance section for meat and poultry. They are usually 25% off or more. I just try to build my recipe around these items. I love shrimp, but I get them unpeeled and or head on because they're a bit cheaper.

Frozen veggies are economical, but I don't like the taste of them. I don't really get adventurous when it comes to veggies anyway, unless they're on sale. So I stick mainly with green beans and broccoli. I don't really like anything else.

If you're into ethnic foods, don't go to your regular grocery stores because they're twice or 3x as much as it would cost at your Asian food/European market.

1/22/2014 8:31:09 PM

Quote :

"We buy in bulk at BJs and use our vacuum sealer and freeze stuff. "

Do you have a separate freezer, or is it just slightly more "bulk" than you can get at the grocery store??

We probably just need to do more discount buying. Trouble is that my wife likes to do recipes, which always call for separate (more expensive) things that we have to buy just once...instead of larger things that we can use for one dish and the next night maybe use it for something else...and on an on. I think we're at the point in our culinary background where we don't have to use recipes as a crutch...but I think it will be a process.

At the same time...she thinks every night has to be a great meal. Well she was sick tonight and I made chunky tomato soup with a grilled ham and cheese that was fucking delicious. We need to find a good medium of really good pedestrian (soup and sammy/salad) type meals and "fancy" meals. When I use to bartend three nights a week she would just snack on veggies or make a salad when she was home alone. Now whenever I'm home we have to have family meal...but there's just two of us (I think its a by product of her mom being a house wife and always having a home cooked meal for dinner every night).

This might take a while...

1/22/2014 8:42:10 PM

We don't have room for one right now, but when we get a bigger house it will be a must. We usually pick about 3 different meats to buy in bulk, separate them in to a meals worth, and we will rotate and use different recipes to keep from getting bored. This past time was burgers, chicken thighs, and pork chops. The chicken thighs came pre packed in a good serving size which was awesome. Basically enough for dinner and then lunch for my husband the next day.

[Edited on January 22, 2014 at 8:54 PM. Reason : .]

1/22/2014 8:53:00 PM

I'm curious as to how much you're spending at the grocery store each week.

I hear people say all the time they need to spend less on groceries, but I'm never clear how much they think they should be/want to be spending.

[Edited on January 22, 2014 at 9:00 PM. Reason : ]

1/22/2014 8:55:32 PM

We definitely have a couple nights a week where he makes a sandwich and I eat greek yogurt and granola with a side of raw veggies.

1/22/2014 9:00:28 PM

I should keep better track....but I know she use to try and buy groceries for the week on a Sunday(would pick out a couple recipes and get everything for the week)...and it would be anywhere from $120 to $200 (disclaimer...this might include some Dunkin Donuts coffee, creamer, Splenda, etc.). Then I would always find myself stopping back by the store to pick up a loaf of bread, gallon of milk, deli meats...etc to fill out lunch (sandwiches mostly). Either way...I felt like we normally spent around $150 to $200 a week if we made breakfast/lunch/dinner...which includes toast/cereal/fruit for breakfast...sandwich/fruit or chips for lunch...then dinner of course. The benefits of her recipes are that we have leftovers for lunch a lot. The downside of me buying a two pack of steaks on sale is that we don't have leftovers for lunch...so then I'm making with a sandwich with deli meats, lettuce, cheese, tomato, radish sprouts...

I just feel/know there's a more affordable way. I just think we need to spend the time to sit down and talk/think about it.

1/22/2014 9:18:06 PM

We buy deli meat and bread at BJs too. They both keep pretty well in the freezer. We havent tried freezing cheese yet, but my husband likes american cheese and that shit lasts forever. The only thing we haven't compromised on is fresh fruits and veggies for eating raw. We like the steamer veggies that you keep in the freezer for during the week. Weekends we try to go the fresh route. So we end up shopping Friday night or Saturday morning.

1/22/2014 9:23:45 PM

That sounds like a lot for two people. Get rid of the junk and eat simpler. Not necessarily cleaner, but simpler.

1/22/2014 9:24:20 PM

That seems like almost double what we spend per week on food

1/22/2014 9:25:11 PM

I mean...we split a sandwich. So it might seem like a lot (meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce, sprouts)...but I eat half a friggin sandwich with some Cape Cod chips for lunch most days. [JIMMY JOHNS ON OTHER DAYS!!11!!!1!!]

We RARELY throw anything away. Lettuce is probably the one "ingredient" that gets tossed when it goes bad. Which is why I think we should make more salads and just throw a bunch of cheap shit in there and drink an extra glass of wine to make the night better.

Anyways...got some good ideas...or at least reinforcements for what I've been thinking. Thanks t-dub.

1/22/2014 9:34:57 PM

I think we aim for 100 or less per week. Shopping at BJs has helped, becauwe even though we may spend more at one time there are less trips to the store and less impulse buys.

1/22/2014 9:43:13 PM

Here it is, lunch for rest of the week, my version of filipino chicken adobo

1/22/2014 9:58:22 PM

I probably spend ~$100 a month and that includes me, my husband and my 14 month old son. I'm including diapers, wipes and formula in my number.

We have a chest freezer that we keep in the garage. I always go to the meat/poultry section and see what they have on clearance. Right now I've got veal, chicken, pork chops and ground beef in the freezer.

I keep a good stockpile of soups, pastas, rice and mac & cheese. I buy all brand name products b/c I can get them cheaper than store brand items (most of the time, they will be free).

if you are trying to live on a grocery store budget, you really should look into coupons.

1/22/2014 10:22:26 PM

We spend about $100 a week for pretty much all of our food including coffee and a couple cleaning products and whatnot. The only things I really buy frozen are spinach, peas, corn, shrimp and fish. Everything else is fresh He will grab a sandwich or something at lunch maybe twice a week, but most of the time takes snacks with him and leftovers for lunch.

Cooking is my biggest hobby, and I enjoy trying new recipes. We can both cook pretty well by just throwing things together, and we do have our favorite no-recipe fallbacks that we make from time to time, but most of the time I pretty much make new dishes every day.

And I hate wasting food, so I get pretty upset if I have to throw anything away. I save veggie scraps in the freezer to make broth and things like that, not from a financial standpoint but because I think there's flavor and nutrition there that I don't want to throw away to be replaced by something out of a carton down the line.

I would say it takes planning, but I don't feel like I really plan that much. Every week I look at what half-used stuff we have (veggies, canned goods, whatever) and find recipes that will use it, and fill in the gaps from there. Granted, I have a list of a couple hundred recipes with their key ingredients that I've had going for a few years, but I didn't sit down one day and spend hours building it. And when we are out of coffee, cleaning products, canned goods, etc. all at the same time we'll have a shopping trip that's $150 or so.

1/22/2014 10:38:58 PM

I usually end up throwing away the broc stems ( the "trunks", whatever the official name is), do you make anything w/ them?

1/22/2014 10:42:08 PM

You can make broccoli slaw with them if you peel and grate them.

1/22/2014 10:46:13 PM

You know...if you like bamboo shoots, you should try making (lightly pickled) broc stem shoots! They could be good in curry. I just thought of this btw.

[Edited on January 22, 2014 at 10:48 PM. Reason : .]

1/22/2014 10:48:07 PM

Oh yeah, I think I did a stir fry that had them in there.

And also I have made some pot sticker chicken or turkey burgers with one of the bagged shredded mix things. I think it was coleslaw, but you could do a similar with broccoli stems.

1/22/2014 10:49:58 PM

We spent an average of $135.34 per week at the grocery store last year. That includes alcohol, but excludes taxes, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc. Normally it's just the two of us, but it also includes entertaining and guests (of which we had a lot last year). We live in a high cost of living area.

Probably the biggest single thing we do is plan every meal and buy only what we need. Our cupboards are bare at the end of the week (which sucks, but it helps us stick to the plan). We don't shop sales and we're not avid couponers.

1/22/2014 11:59:24 PM

just cut the skin off (all of it- remove anything opaque from the stem, leaving only the translucent heart) and eat it raw (or steam/stirfry with the florets). shit's good.

1/23/2014 12:56:27 AM

Quote :

"I usually end up throwing away the broc stems ( the "trunks", whatever the official name is), do you make anything w/ them?"

My usual broccoli cooking method is to saute it quickly. If I'm doing that, I'll take the stems/trunks, cut off the very end and anything that looks woody, and slice the remainder into coins. I'll throw those into the pan before the florets to tenderize them. As long as you give them enough time to cook so they're not tough, it's pretty tasty IMO.

1/23/2014 2:04:00 AM

I can usually keep it to about $50/2wks for Monday-Friday meals. Admittedly, I'll usually splurge on the weekends with fancier meals either cooked or out with friends.

Prepping a menu around sales, and couponing are the best suggestions I've come across. Bulk stores for a single dude just don't make a lot of sense right now.

Also...I always check Amazon for non-perishable items. Seriously, they're usually cheaper than you can find in stores by a good margin, and they've even begun including coupons on certain items.

1/23/2014 9:09:43 AM

Bulk barely cuts it for the two of us, there would be too much waste if I did it just for myself. The foodsaver helps quite a bit.

1/23/2014 9:21:15 AM

I've been on such an asian kick lately.




Fresh bamboo shoots, Savoy cabbage, carrots and green onions with a little oyster sauce. The fresh bamboo had to be boiled whole (with the gross outer leaves) for half an hour beforehand, and then I just sliced them and tossed them in at the end. did the same thing with the carrots before sauteeing the cabbage and onion til crispy/wilted. would nom again.

Served this with sticky rice and a little chili oil, and salt and pepper peanuts.




And i had to fuck up a sensible vegan meal with dessert, of course. banoffee pie (banana and dulche de leche) with stabilized coffee whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. I used gingerbread dough for the crust, which was interesting, but I think next time I would just make a shortbread crust and add the spices. I dusted the bananas with espresso powder (from King Arthur Flour) and dutched cocoa, and I used a bit of the espresso powder on top of the cream as well. like banana pudding, it's even better the day after!





I got some fresh okra. I think I'm going to stew it with some caramelized onions and canned tomatoes instead of making Bhindi masala like i planned.






[Edited on January 23, 2014 at 5:42 PM. Reason : ]

1/23/2014 5:37:50 PM

That pie looks outstanding. Mmmmmm.......

1/24/2014 1:16:31 AM

I recently got on the chia seed bandwagon and I wanted to see how I could incorporate them into a dessert. Found a recipe for peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies:

http://www.yummymummykitchen.com/2012/01/chia-seed-peanut-butter-superfood.html

Followed the recipe exactly, except my dough wasn't "crumbly" like the directions said. I put them in the oven and they came out amazing! I was really surprised.

Then I read some of the comments and decided to add banana so I could make peanut butter and banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They're also delicious, but for different reasons.

There's a good amount of fiber and protein in each cookie so they're really filling.

1/26/2014 5:01:08 PM

^as someone who has personally sampled these, they are quite badass

1/26/2014 5:02:39 PM

anyone have recommendations for an oven thermometer?

2/5/2014 6:17:06 PM

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/1284-oven-thermometers


sounds like a pretty thorough review, if you've got a membership, or an email address to burn.

2/7/2014 9:45:25 AM

anyone have a good recipe for mac and cheese?

2/7/2014 2:36:48 PM

I make this all the time, minus the bacon.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/mac-n-cheese-with-bacon-and-cheese-recipe.html

2/7/2014 10:21:16 PM

ended up using this one: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/04/macaroni-cheese/

2/8/2014 1:21:28 AM

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen_open_box_sale_jan_2014.html?utm_source=Nl-2014Jan31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=ShopNow&utm_content=inbox&utm_campaign=Jan2014-Open-Box-cs

there's an open box sale going on thermapens. they only run this sale about twice a year. it's the best price you'll find on the best thermometer for checking temps in the kitchen. they only send the link to folks who sign up for their emails, but you should be able to get to it by clicking that one.

2/8/2014 8:58:33 AM

I don't know what grimx meant, but 'oven thermometer' typically refers to a thermometer left in the oven to calibrate baking temperature.


Will the thermapen measure air temperature, NRR? also, do you have any other thermoworks products?

2/8/2014 3:17:00 PM

It was a low carb kind of night. I made spinach sausage balls soup. Like...o...m...g...totes amazeballs.

I made my own "sausage" and added a little bit of store bought pork italian sausage for some flavor.

2/9/2014 8:17:10 PM

yeah, i was looking to ensure that my oven was actually running at the correct temperature.
it was taking a little longer to cook food and i hadn't used gas stoves before i moved into my place, so i figured it wouldn't hurt to get one

2/12/2014 10:02:21 AM