French onion soup is one of those cheesy, carb-y, savory indulgences that you dream about diving face first into a bowl of after being outside on a cool day. It’s also the kind of dish that you can whip up out of some onions from the pantry, boxed beef stock, stale bread and some cheese and herbs. Those Frenchmen… so smart and surprisingly thrifty! This is one of those dishes that could easily appear to be intimidating. But in reality, all you’re doing is carmelizing onions with thyme, then simmering with beef broth and some other savory items, and then melting cheese on top of a small bread round before serving. I have a few suggestions for how to do this, depending on if you have oven safe bowls or if you’re freezing the soup. Traditionally, you would place a round piece of old/dry baguette in an oven/heatsafe bowl, top…
Hey guys! I wanted to design a three-course Valentines Day menu for under $30 including wine, something fun and sweet but attainable on a lower price range than going out. I’m the type of person where quality time reigns supreme, so if you’re like me and think a romantic night at home is as good as it gets (or your partner feels that way!), check out this easy and affordable menu. You’ll start with sharing a meat and cheese board and opening a bottle of wine. Next, serve up pan fried butterflied jumbo shrimp with a souped-up mushroom aglio e olio (cut the mushrooms if you’re a mushroom hater ha, but absolutely follow the other steps). Dessert is inspired by the adorable french toast churro bites that Vera from Oh My Goodness Chocolate Desserts posted back in January, just as a dessert rather than breakfast! I also am adding a…
Hey guys! I have to start this post apologizing for the shoddy quality of these pictures- I try to only post things if the pictures are at least decent, and these were taken when my phone was on its last legs. That being said, I REALLY wanted to share this post because it is such an easy way to stretch a buck and make amazing comfort food at the same time. Great idea+bad pictures= kindof ok to post, right? These enchiladas are far from traditional, but they are yummy and perfect to tuck into after freezing outside for the day. Even better, there’s only 1/4 cup of taco beef (yes, seriously) in this recipe, with the rest of the filling being black beans and rice! That keeps this recipe nice and affordable. This is also my new favorite way to use up slightly dry wraps, because you can’t tell when…
Hey guys! Since one of my very best friends is now vegan, I’ve been hanging out with her and doing food prep days periodically and ending up with some vegan freezer meals! Curries are not something I typically make vegan since I like to use jarred curry paste, but believe it or not you can get vegan curry paste in a jar! Who knew?! We used Patak’s Mild Curry Paste. I didn’t grow up in a family that ate a lot of Indian food, not even westernized Indian food (I’m looking at you, most butter chicken). Any, really, except for samosas! Indian food was something I really realized I liked on a food tour in college, as well as through friend’s mum’s cooking it! When I was finishing my BBA, I remember vividly one of my colleague’s mum bringing in chicken biryani and nearly dying of happiness it was so…
Hi Guys! I hope the first week of 2017 is going well for you! Since this time of year is often when we want to focus on health and weight loss goals, I wanted to share my favorite salad of late! This is inspired by a salad my family had out for dinner one night (I wasn’t there) at a restaurant, that my mum then tweaked to her preferences and I am in LOVE. This salad is so stinking simple, and while it has cheese, it’s a small amount that feels decadent because you’re literally just shaving it in. This is fast to make but delicious and a total show stopper- and is SO affordable for a salad this time of year! I posted the picture below right after Christmas and people were liking it like crazy- so I knew I wanted to share with you. Tomato Basil Salad with…
Hey guys! I’m here, I’m here! …With my first gift guide of the season. I’m going to be sort of pumping these out in the next ten days, I’m hoping they’ll be helpful to anyone struggling with what to give to a friend or family member this holiday season. So I didn’t want to leave them too late! I hope that by splitting it by interest rather than having a gift guide for moms/dads/siblings it allows you to really give a thoughtful gift that the people you love will enjoy. I’m starting with my guide for the foodie because I love, love food and entertaining! When I think of things I’d like for the holidays, I usually think of things I wouldn’t buy for myself. In my family we have a $60 per person limit for gifts from the kids (Mum doesn’t want us spending tons and tons of money…
A 1$ per serving easy vegetarian meal that is perfect for freezer planning!
Hello! Tomatoes are easily one of my favorite things! I love fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, tomato salads, soups and sauces! Recently uncooked tomatoes have been giving me some sort of weird heartburn, so I have been cooking my tomatoes in different ways so I still get my “fix”. Since I also love pasta, an easy roasted tomato marinara seemed like just what I needed to make. This is a super affordable post which is surprising given that we’re using ten fresh tomatoes, and while you can definitely buy cans of tomato sauce for cheaper, but honestly this was so delicious that it felt fully worth the extra money. I also used a can of tomato sauce to make my roasted tomatoes go further so keep that option in mind as well! Roasted Tomato Marinara and Spaghetti $0.92 per serving or $5.50 for six Ten tomatoes (five romas and 5 vine ripened)…
Hey guys! I wanted to do a quick post about how I make my chicken stock for zero dollars! This sounds crazy, I know, but I take rotisserie chicken carcasses from family members and friends, herbs from mine and my mum’s herb gardens, the ends of my veggies (I freeze them when I chop them up) and regular pantry staples. Even if you don’t have access to free chicken carcasses or herbs, keep in mind that chicken carcasses are food waste you’d throw out otherwise. A rotisserie chicken is often cheaper than a roaster chicken! Not only do you get 4 meals (or so) from it, you can make stock which can be the base of other meals as well. I like to make my stock in my crock pot. I love that I can turn it on and (mostly) forget about it. I put it on high for 4-6 hours…
Hey all! This post is about one of my favorite recipes for the freezer to date- bacon and cheese egg wraps! Honestly, making up a bunch of these and freezing them for myself is one of the nicest things I’ve done for myself in a long, long time! It’s an awesome way to have a quick and easy breakfast that really satisfies you if you have a long morning of meetings or running errands. If you are a non-pork eater, you can easily substitute a turkey bacon alternative. I have even heard of vegan friends making tofu and veggie scramble and a non-lard tortilla (yes, a lot of traditional tortillas are made with lard but not so much for store bought). The trick to executing this well and not having soggy tortillas is to cook everything and then cool it down to room temperature before assembling your wraps. This is also…