Homemade Chili

Who doesn't like warm chili on a cold winter's day?  It can be made with meat or vegetarian style.  I made Emily's Chili con Carne with Beans.  One of the most interesting things about it was starting out frying hamburger in peanut oil.  I thought, "Will the peanut oil make that much of a difference?"  OH YEAH!  It was delicious!!!  Add onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, canned tomatoes, green pepper (I left this out since it doesn't agree with me), and your choice of beans (Frugal Gourmet used dry beans soaked overnight, but I cheated and used canned beans).  Add salt to taste and simmer until all flavors are melded together and your apartment (or house) smells good enough to eat!

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Sorry it's been so long since I posted a blog.  Holidays took over my free time.  I hope to be more consistent now that the winter humdrums have set in.

I used leftover turkey to make Turkey with Mushrooms and Marsala.  Really easy.  Sautee mushrooms in butter or olive oil then add leftover gravy and wine of choice.  I didn't have any leftover gravy, so I made milk gravy and added some dry red wine.  I have also made this with champagne.  Yummy!  Add turkey right before serving over potatoes, rice, noodles, etc.

I had leftover canned cranberries from my solo Thanksgiving dinner.  Of course the Frugal Gourmet even had a recipe for canned cranberries!  I made a Cranberry Cheddar Sandwich.  The recipe called for French bread, but since I didn't have any I used an English muffin.  Put butter on the bread and then put a layer of cranberries topped with a slice of cheddar cheese.  Broil until warm and bubbly.  Now I am not a fan of putting cheddar cheese on apple pie or anything sweet, so I was a little skeptical of this recipe.  Now this sandwich isn't going to be my new favorite, but it wasn't too bad.

Leftovers don't have to be a pain; sometimes they can be better than the original meal! 

Thanksgiving Day Meal

Thanksgiving with my family doesn't officially start until Friday, but I wanted to make a fun meal today to go along with a day of football.  Last year I made a Cornish game hen, so I wanted to do that again.  I figured The Frugal Gourmet must have a game hen recipe, and he did not disappoint.  I tried Game Hens Stuffed with Sweet Potatoes.  I had never heard of sweet potato stuffing, but it was delicious.  With added pecans, ginger and nutmeg, it was very good despite my not adding enough salt.

For an appetizer I made Scalloped Oysters.  With oyster crackers, butter (lots of butter!) and a pinch of mace, I was pleasantly surprised.  It was actually the best part of the meal and will make them again very soon!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Ready to Start Cooking with the Frugal Gourmet

The very first television chef I remember watching is The Frugal Gourmet, a.k.a. Jeff Smith.  I believe it was on Saturday afternoons on PBS.  I loved the look of the food and I liked Jeff Smith's personality.  He taught me how to make country-fried steak w/ milk gravy.  I haven't made the steak more than once or twice, but I have made the milk gravy easily 100 times.

When I was shopping with my mom in an antique store I found a copy of The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American.  I made a few recipes but then sort of forgot about the book.  Now I would like to cook as many recipes as I can and blog about them.  I love cooking and would like to share these recipes with you and hopefully inspire you to cook something new.

I would love to cook all the recipes in this book, but I might have some trouble getting a hold of certain ingredients.  I can't go to the local store and get tripe or catfish.  There are also some recipes I am afraid of--do I really have to make clam pancakes?  And if I do make them, does that mean I don't have to make clam waffles too?

Join me in the kitchen as I cook traditional and favorite American dishes with the help of The Frugal Gourmet!