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Eat Well, Spend Less: Week One Link Round-Up

Aimee — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:12:04 +0000

Thank you all for the fantastic response to yesterday’s post, Homemade Substitutes for Grocery Staples. It definitely showed that this Eat Well, Spend Less series is coming at a good time for many of you.

Remember, the list of pantry staples to make from scratch is posted for inspiration, not assignment! A few commenters felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, but the idea is to start small. Baby steps all the way.

Can I just share one response? I so loved what reader and friend, Julie, commented on the post:

“Such a brilliant topic. This is the meaning of true convenience food – not the availability of prepared foods at every corner store! True convenience is the skill to make it yourself.“

Isn’t that so true.

Now hit the jump for the full Eat Well, Spend Less round-up of posts from the other bloggers.

Alyssa from Kingdom First Mom :: Using Coupons on Healthier Foods
Carrie from Denver Bargains :: Simple Steps To Get Started Using Coupons
Jessica from LifeasMOM :: Avoid Expensive Ingredients to Eat Well & Spend Less
Katie from Good Life Eats :: Homemade Pantry Staples – Eat Well Spend Less
Katie from Kitchen Stewardship :: Eat Well, Spend Less: When to Splurge, Settle, and Skip
Mandi from Life Your Way :: Eat Well, Spend Less: Budget for Lots of Fresh Produce
Shaina from Food for My Family :: Eat Well, Spend Less: Menus and Meal Planning
Tammy from Tammy’s Recipes :: Buying in bulk, long-term food storage, and our personal methods

Next Monday we’ll share our top five frugal meals. Stay tuned to Eat Well, Spend Less!

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Eat Well, Spend Less: Week One Link Round-Up is a post from Simple Bites

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Eat Well, Spend Less: Homemade Substitutes for Grocery Staples

Aimee — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:58:45 +0000

Has anyone else noticed the rapidly rising price of food lately? That the usual grocery run is costing more and more? I have, and I’ve been comparing receipts with several other food bloggers. The results of our research has prompted us to bring you a series to help you spend less while continuing to eat well.

Spearheaded by Jessica of Life as MOM, our series Eat Well, Spend Less will touch on topics such as buying (and storing) food in bulk, frugal meals, menu planning, and much, much more. Besides Jessica and myself, on board and digging deep to help you eat better on a budget are also Shaina, Mandi, Katie G, Alyssa, Carrie, Katie K , and Tammy.

The series will run on Mondays or Tuesdays for the next 3 weeks, depending on the blog. Simplebites will contribute on Mondays and we’ll link up everyone’s posts for the week on Tuesday. Get ready to learn a lot and be equipped for the rising costs of everyday food.

The Big Bucks: Organic Health Foods

The series is about both eating well AND spending less because let’s face it, spending less can be pretty easy: cheap food is abundant in heavily processed form. Sure it is possible to eat on a budget, but eat well? And by well, I don’t mean filet mignon for Sunday dinner, I’m talking about providing our families with wholesome, healthy food. That is the goal of this series.

Robyn O’Brian has a fantastic TED talk where she partly highlights the need for us to reject processed foods and embrace the “real food” movement for the health of our children. It’s powerful stuff. If you haven’t watched the clip, I definitely recommend making it a priority. (My latest multi-tasking duo is folding laundry and listening to TED talks on YouTube.)

I think it’s fair to say that the more processed our food becomes, the lower the price drops. The items that generally increase my grocery bill are the ones that are best for me: organic products, made with real ingredients, that have been treated with respect. Because I care about what I serve my children and I put into my own body, I pay a higher price for organic or natural products – unless I can make them myself for less, which is often the case.

Why pay $4 for a container of organic chicken broth when I’ve got the carcasses from last night’s dinner that I can simmer down to make fresh stock? Why get gouged $6 for a small bag of granola when I can get the raw oats for $1 and make my own with the kids after school?

Not only is it cheaper to make your own real food staples, you know exactly what is going into your food. You can customize each item- be it a condiment, salad dressing or spread - to suit your family’s needs, avoid allergens and cater to taste preferences.

Homemade Substitutes for Grocery Staples: Important Factors to Remember

Food should be purchased and preserved in season. This is the best way to save money. Example: stock the pantry with canned tomatoes in September when they are practically giving them away.
Ingredients should be purchased in bulk when possible. The advantage is a reduced unit price. Go in on big purchases with a friend, if needed.
Set aside a realistic amount of time to make your homemade grocery staples. Accept that it is going to require some time, and remember that you will get faster as you gain experience. Team up with a friend on major canning projects and organize preserve swaps to gain a varied selection.
Start small. Don’t attempt everything on the list below or you may become overwhelmed and give up. Instead, start with two staples such as one salad dressing and one pancake syrup. Once you are making these regularly, add two more items, and so on.

Pantry Staples from Scratch

Katie from Good Life Eats and I are collaborating to bring you homemade versions of pantry (and fridge and freezer) staples. She is covering ‘dry’ items and I will elaborate today on ‘wet’ products. So that means head over to Good Life Eats for baking mixes, granola bars, and more dried goods.

If you think about it, many basic ingredients and foods that we consume daily or weekly can be made from scratch for much less than it costs to buy prepared. As described above, smart shopping by buying in bulk and in season can also dramatically increase savings.

I can honestly say that, with the exception of ketchup and dill pickles (which I intend to attempt this summer) I make all of the following kitchen staples from scratch. And you know what? It doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Maybe because it’s become a way of life for me; a conscious choice. I know why I can my own food, I understand the importance of healthy food culture, and I’m not afraid to roll up my sleeves and put in some long hours in the kitchen to benefit my family – and save some coin in the process.

I hope you are encouraged to do the same.

Stocks

Chicken Stock :: Recipe Girl
Brown Stock
Turkey Stock :: Food for My Family
Fish Stock :: Artistta
Vegetable Stock

Salad Dressing

Sauces

Classic Bolognese :: Verses from My Kitchen
Summertime Pesto
Pear Sauce :: Good Life Eats
Tangy Barbeque Sauce
Classic Applesauce
Four-Ingredient Tomato Sauce
Roasted Tomato & Garlic Pizza Sauce

Syrups

Apple Cider Syrup :: Good Life Eats
Cranberry Orange Maple Syrup :: Good Life Eats
Honey-Orange Syrup
Molasses-Cinnamon Syrup
Sweet Summertime Blueberry Syrup
Vanilla-Rice Syrup

Spreads

Condiments

Cultured Salsa
Green Tomato Chutney :: Food in Jars
Mayonnaise
Quick Pickled Onions :: Under the High Chair
Restaurant-Style Salsa :: Good Life Eats
Tomato Ketchup :: Julie Van Rosendaal via the Family Kitchen
Extra-Garlic Dill Pickles (Traditional)
Garlic-Dill Cucumber Pickles (Lacto-Fermented)

Dairy

Buttermilk :: Good Life Eats
Crème Fraîche :: Chocolate Chip Trips
Homemade Yogourt
Creamy Homemade Ricotta

Other

Do you feel like it costs too much to feed your family RIGHT?

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Eat Well, Spend Less: Homemade Substitutes for Grocery Staples is a post from Simple Bites

Five Simple, Natural Recipes for Homemade Pancake Syrup

Aimee — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:23:26 +0000

Pancakes are somewhat of a religion in our household, but contrary to what most people think, we don’t enjoy them exclusively with pure maple syrup. Yes, around here it is easily accessible and somewhat affordable, but I like to change things up for pancake toppings from time to time.

A favorite of ours is fresh yogurt with apple butter, but we get even more creative than that and today I’m showing you some of those variations. Pictured above from left to right: buttery maple, honey-orange, molasses-cinnamon, vanilla-rice syrup, and blueberry syrups!

When I was growing up, we scooped local honey from a big bucket into a small cast iron pot and set it on the wood stove to melt for our pancakes. With store-bought pancake syrups consisting basically of corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavoring, my mother made sure to keep all Aunt Jemima and Log Cabin bottles far from our breakfast table.

Now my children also enjoy all-natural syrups on their pancakes and waffles, their current favorite being the Molasses-Cinnamon. These are recipes that I’ll be teaching them to make before they move out on their own and hopefully the tradition of homemade pancake syrups will be passed down to their children as well.

A few things to note about these recipes:

As much as possible, all ingredients are organic.

For the best flavor and consistency, these syrups are made to be served warm. They will be stiff if you serve them straight from the refrigerator, so set the glass jar in a pan of hot water and let them warm up. Alternately, scoop out a portion of syrup into a small bowl and warm it for a few seconds in the microwave.

Store all syrups in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, although they probably won’t last that long.

A jar of homemade pancake syrup makes a lovely gift. Perhaps alongside a jar of homemade pancake mix? Sounds like a smashing start to a breakfast basket to me.

Molasses-Cinnamon Syrup

If you like a warm molasses cookie, then you’ll love this dark syrup. The butter adds an irresistible glossy sheen to the syrup while smoothing out the sharp bite of the molasses. Serve over this baked apple gingerbread pancake for a real treat.

1/2 cup demerera sugar (or brown)
1/4 cup molasses
6 Tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon salted butter

In a small pot, whisk together sugar, molasses, water, and cinnamon over medium heat.
Bring to a slow boil and continue stirring until ingredients are fully incorporated.
Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Cool slightly. Transfer to a jug for serving or a glass jar for storing.

Yields: 3/4 cup syrup

Buttery Maple Syrup

This isn’t anything more than maple syrup and butter melted together, but it’s a favorite when we’re making ‘stacked pancakes’. Inspired by Wilder’s ‘Farmer Boy’, I layer piping hot, 3-inch pancakes with warm buttery maple syrup until they tower tall, then serve them to the kids. Nothing makes them happier.

It’s also a great way to stretch maple syrup.

1 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons water
1/4 cup salted butter

In a small pot, whisk maple syrup and water together and warm over a burner.
When syrup is hot, whisk in butter all at once.
Continue stirring over medium low heat until butter is melted and syrup is hot. Pour into pitcher and serve, or make stacked pancakes.

Yields: 1 1/4 cups syrup

For Stacked Pancakes:
Keep syrup hot on the back of the stove while you fry pancakes. Place pancakes in a 9×13 pan and drench with buttery maple syrup. Keep pan in a low oven while you continue to cook pancakes. Keep adding to the stacks and brushing on syrup after every addition. Serve warm.

Honey-Orange Syrup

This glistening, citrus-infused syrup is like a beam of sunshine in the morning. Absolutely amazing over cornmeal pancakes or a bowl of fresh fruit.

1 cup organic honey
Zest of one orange
Juice of one orange
(optional: 1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier)

Wash an orange and zest completely ( I use a microplane). Juice the orange.
In a small pot, whisk together honey and the freshly squeezed orange juice over medium heat. Continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil and the orange juice is completely incorporated.
Remove from heat and stir in orange zest.
Allow to cool slightly before serving. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Transfer to a jug for serving or a glass jar for storing.

Yields: 1 cup syrup

Blueberry Syrup

Last summer I capitalized on the low prices and abundance of local blueberries and made my own blueberry syrup. I knew it would be good, but not THIS good. We became smitten, pouring it over ice cream sundaes, cheesecake, yogurt, and of course, our pancakes. I bought crates of berries, canned the syrup, and we’ve been enjoying it all winter long.

You should definitely bookmark the recipe for next June, but for now you can use frozen, thawed blueberries for a delicious, tart alternative to the sweeter syrups.

Vanilla-Rice Syrup

Plenty of pure vanilla and rich butter in this recipe transform organic brown rice syrup into a luxurious topping.

1 cup brown rice syrup (I use Lundburg)
3 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons salted butter
(optional: 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeded)

In a small pot, whisk brown rice syrup and water together and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
When syrup is hot, remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.
Whisk until butter is melted and ingredients are incorporated. Cool slightly. Transfer to a jug for serving or a glass jar for storing.

Yields: 1 cup syrup
[print_link]

Don’t worry, we’ve got our favorite pancake recipe coming next week!

Pancakes, waffles or French Toast, what is your household favorite?

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Five Simple, Natural Recipes for Homemade Pancake Syrup is a post from Simple Bites

Spices 101: Three Options for Grinding Spices (Recipe: Quick Mojo Sauce)

Aimee — Fri, 07 May 2010 05:14:16 +0000

If you’ve got a pepper mill, then you are off to a great start to grinding your own spices. Why grind your own? Well, we’ve already discussed the benefits of buying whole spices, so now you’ve got to break them down. Fortunately it’s easy to do and well worth your time. One sniff of freshly pulverized cinnamon will likely convert you forever.

As with most kitchen equipment, a simple tool is best for grinding spices; here are my recommendations for three different types.

1. Mortar & Pestle

I love pulverizing whole spices by hand in a mortar and pestle, because I feel like I am connecting with women all throughout history who have done the same thing. It’s like kneading bread by hand, it brings a satisfaction that only working ingredients by hand can provoke.

Photo by stevendepolo

On a practical side, a mortar and pestle offers instant results, a fast clean, and a perfumed kitchen. It is ideal for crushing small amounts of spices, and also works well for pestos, curry pastes, or sauces like the Mojo below, with the mortar taking the place of a mixing bowl.

Choose a mortar and pestle for bruising herbs, the occasional guacamole (yes!), and small amounts of spices here and there. For serious spice grinding, however, you will want this…

2. Coffee Grinder

If you do a lot of cooking, I recommended you purchase an inexpensive coffee grinder and dedicate it to a lifetime of spices. (You won’t want it to go back to grinding coffee once those blades connect with their first curry blend).

It’s an affordable investment that will simplify your cooking. I think I paid $19.99 for my 200 watt Braun and that was, oh, six or seven years ago.

Nothing beats a little coffee grinder for pulverizing large amounts of spices, such as blends, or bark spices, like cinnamon, which tend to just shred under the pestle.

Cleaning

A coffee grinder is not quite as easy to clean as a mortar, but here are a few ways it can be done efficiently and thoroughly. Note: one of these methods is usually sufficient depending on the type of spice ground. Safety first: always unplug the grinder before cleaning.

Use a stiff bristled pastry brush to remove all spice residue. (keep this brush labeled ‘spices’ and keep it dry.)
Wipe with a damp sponge or even a heel of bread.
Pulse a few tablespoons of rock salt through the grinder, discard and wipe clean. This doesn’t have to be done every time, but helps to eliminate excess odors and flavors when switching from savory to sweet spices.
For a deep clean, pulse 1/4 cup of rice through and discard rice. This helps remove stuck particles and oil residues.

3. Microplane

This kitchen tool is useful for large nuts such as nutmeg, tonka bean and some types of cinnamon or casse. A gourmet’s best friend, it is also very handy for grating ginger, garlic, chocolate, citrus rind and many other ingredients.

For years I went without a microplane, and made do on an old box grater; however, one recent Christmas I happily found myself in possession of one and now reach for it nearly every day. It is definitely an essential kitchen tool for the scratch cook.

A Word on Toasting Spices

No matter what method you use to grind them, almost all spices can benefit from a slight toasting before grinding to bring out their flavors.

Nope, you don’t use a conventional toaster, so put away that 4-slice T-Fal; all you need is a small pan! Cast iron works well. Heat the pan gently over medium heat, add spices and give the pan a shake. Toast for 2-3 minutes, watching carefully that nothing browns or burns. You will smell the spices releasing their natural oils.

Remove from heat, cool and use as directed in recipe.

Recipe: Quick Mojo Sauce for Grillables

Don’t skim or ignore this recipe, because you would be bypassing my go-to summer grilling sauce! Forget sugary barbecue blends, this vibrant citrus-based sauce can be paired with almost anything that you’re grilling.

Based on a traditional Cuban sauce, my mojo uses cumin seed, fresh garlic, limes and oranges to create a pungent sauce that is essential for summer grilling. The best part? It can be mixed up in advance.

I love spooning my Mojo over grilled and sliced pork tenderloin, tossing it with grilled shrimp, or dousing chicken kebabs. You can even use mojo over grilled vegetables or toss it with greens for a salad. Don’t forget the sliced avocado!

Quick Mojo Sauce

3 lemons, scrubbed
3 limes, scrubbed
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon whole cumin
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Toast cumin gently over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and allow to cool. Pulverize with pestle.

2. Add garlic to cumin and smash to a paste.

3. Zest and juice citrus and add to mortar. Add olive oil and mix well. Transfer to a jar with a lid. Marinade 6-8 hours. Can keep 2-3 days refrigerated.

4. Use liberally over grilled meats and seafood. Garnish with fresh coriander and sea salt.

Do you use whole spices? How do you grind them?

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Spices 101: Three Options for Grinding Spices (Recipe: Quick Mojo Sauce) is a post from Simple Bites

Ten Ingredients You Absolutely, Positively, Must Have on Your Spice Rack

Lydia — Sat, 01 May 2010 05:19:51 +0000

Today Simple Bites is honored to welcome spice enthusiast extraordinaire Lydia Walshin from The Perfect Pantry. After hearing about our Spices 101 series, she readily agreed to guest post and we are most fortunate to have her share her wealth of knowledge with us.

Welcome, Lydia!

My first kitchen, the one in the third-floor walk-up apartment I moved into post-college, had no pantry. No cupboards, no shelves, just a bit of a ledge behind the stove where I lined up a few essentials (not a great idea, but I didn’t realize back then that I was shortening the life span of my oils and spices by bathing them in stove heat).

I didn’t know much about cooking, so I didn’t need much in the way of herbs and spices. I’m sure I had salt and pepper and cinnamon, and maybe Hungarian paprika because my mother always seemed to sprinkle it on fish. I probably had oregano, which I knew to use in spaghetti sauce, and most likely I had garlic powder, for the same reason.

That was then.

Today, though I have more than 60 spices on my spice rack, I know exactly what I’d want on that little ledge behind the stove in my first kitchen, if that’s all the space I had for my herbs and spices.

Photo by Lydia

Lydia’s top ten spice rack essentials

1. Kosher salt

My go-to, for everything including baking. It’s inexpensive and readily available in every market. Salt draws maximum flavor out of every other spice. It makes mild tastes pop in your mouth, and even brings out the chocolate flavor in chocolate.

2. Black pepper

I actually use far more black pepper than salt in my cooking; I buy Tellicherry pepper pre-ground (heresy, I know!) from The Spice House in Chicago, which grinds it fresh every week, and I also keep whole Sarawak peppercorns in a grinder. I love to experiment with different types of pepper. Though the typical proportion is one-half pepper to one salt, I tend to use equal amounts of the two in my cooking.

3. Curry powder

A blend – okay, a convenience food – that comes in sweet or hot varieties. Because curry powder can contain more than a dozen spices, the pre-mixed powder available at the grocery store saves lots of space on the spice rack. If you can, buy from a local Indian market; if not, buy the Madras powder that comes in a tin, in the spice section of every supermarket.

4. Chili powder

Same as curry powder, a convenient blend that replaces many individual jars on the spice rack. Don’t confuse this with ground chile peppers; chili powder usually contains chile peppers plus cumin, coriander, oregano, and many other spices.

5. Ground cumin or cumin seed

Fundamental to many cuisines (Mexican, Indian, Caribbean, North African), I can’t imagine cooking without it.

6. Cinnamon

Not just for baking, where it is an indispensable companion to apples and pears, but also for savory dishes like meatloaf, tagines and stews.

7. Thyme

My personal favorite of the green herbs, I love thyme with eggs and potatoes. Buy it in leaf form, rather than ground, so you’re sure of what you’re getting.

Photo by Lydia

8. Ground ginger

As with cinnamon, not just for baking.

9. Cayenne pepper

Or a smoky pepper, Spanish paprika – sweet or hot — OR ancho chile powder. I love heat, so I can’t envision a spice rack without hot pepper.

10. Arrowroot

Surprised? I thought so. A thickener that doesn’t turn your sauces cloudy, arrowroot substitutes for cornstarch in my kitchen. It’s neither herb nor spice, but a small jar sits on my spice rack at all times, ready to add a bit of oomph to stir-fries and stews.

Editor’s Note

Thank you, Lydia! I thought I might score ten out of ten on this quiz, but you got me on the last one! I’ll definitely be sourcing some arrowroot and incorporating it into my cooking. I’m particularly interested in your arrowroot cookie recipes.

Readers, for further information on any of these ingredients and recipes that utilize them, visit The Perfect Pantry and type in ingredient in the Lijit search bar. Prepare to be inspired!

People’s spice racks can be as interesting and varied as their book shelves. What’s on yours?

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Ten Ingredients You Absolutely, Positively, Must Have on Your Spice Rack is a post from Simple Bites

Stocking Your Pantry for Success

Shaina — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 05:09:10 +0000

One of the very first keys to successfully eating as a family and cooking meals on a regular basis is having a good base to start from in your pantry. Having food on hand and available makes this process less stressful and much less work.

Can you imagine if you had to purchase every spice and herb and tablespoon of ingredient in each and every recipe you make every time you make it? The task of shopping just to make one meal could feel a bit overwhelming, much less trying to plan a week’s worth of meals. This is just one reason why having a well-stocked pantry is so important.

Stocking your pantry…

helps you steer clear of prepackaged and processed foods.

makes it easy to come up with last-minute meals.

saves you money by allowing you to stock when food items are on sale.

keeps food on hand in case of an emergency (remember all those snow days last winter?)

helps maintain a healthy diet full of real foods.

Photo by Shaina

What Should You Keep on Hand?

When deciding which items you should be stocking in your pantry, it’s always a good idea to first look at what you tend to cook most often. Stocking up on dried split peas, for example, will do you no good if you never cook them.

An easy way to do this is to write down your menu for two or three weeks or look back at what you made for that time period. Perhaps you often cook with whole grains, or maybe you eat at least one meal a week if not more that has red pepper flakes added in. Look at which ingredients you’re using most often; these are things you’ll want to be sure to have on hand all the time.

Next, consider your baking habits. Do you bake bread from scratch? Do you make cookies and cakes frequently for dessert? Do you make your own granola? These are also things to consider when building your pantry stash.

Finally, look at any specialty or ethnic ingredients you use on a regular basis. My family loves to cook with Asian ingredients like sesame oil and rice wine; therefore, these are things we keep stocked in our home. We also use capers, artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes frequently. What specialty ingredients do you like having around?

Photo by Shaina
Here are some general categories and food items that could be staples in your home. Add or subtract items to fit your family’s lifestyle and eating habits.

Pantry Basics: A Place to Start

Flours – unbleached white, wheat, rice, cake, almond
Sugars – brown, cane or beet, powdered, turbinado or demerara
Dry Pastas – a few different shapes and sizes
Grains – couscous, rice, barley, quinoa, oats, flax, cornmeal
Oils – olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, sesame oil
Vegetables – onions, potatoes, garlic
Canned/Jarred Tomatoes – sauce, diced, stewed, paste
Spreads – peanut, almond & hazelnut butters, jam, jelly
Natural Sweeteners – honey, maple syrup, agave
Vinegars – balsamic, white, red wine, apple cider, rice wine
Specialty Sauces – hot sauce, Tabasco, oyster sauce, mirin, rice wine, soy sauce
Nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, coconut
Dried Fruit – raisins, apricots, dates, cherries, cranberries
Dried or Canned Beans- black, navy, pinto, kidney
Canned fish/seafood - tuna, salmon, clams, sardines, anchovies
Specialty Items – artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives
Herbs and Spices – oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, cumin, peppers and many more
Salts – kosher, sea salt, pickling salt, rock salt
Baking Ingredients – baking powder, baking soda, yeast, cream of tartar, chocolate
Extracts – vanilla, almond, lemon, peppermint
Beverages- coffee, tea, cocoa

More Great Pantry Resources:

Three Recipes to Keep in Your Pantry from Simple Bites

118 Essential Pantry Ingredients from The Perfect Pantry

Spices 101: What You Need to Know About Buying Spices from Simple Bites

Build a Frugal Pantry from Good (&CHEAP) Eats

Stocking Your Pantry for Home Cooking: The Basics from Food for My Family

Making Room for Bulk Storage from Keeper of the Home

13 Pantry items every baker positively, absolutely has to have from The Perfect Pantry

What are “must-haves” in your kitchen pantry?

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Stocking Your Pantry for Success is a post from Simple Bites

Spices 101: Storing Spices (Recipe: Black Pepper Shrimp)

Aimee — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 05:08:31 +0000

If you’ve been following our Spices 101 series, you may have had some spice myths debunked, and also may have decided to invest in quality spices. Today, we’ll learn how to store your quality spices properly so that they’ll maintain their maximum freshness and potency.

It may come as a surprise to you, but a decorative spice rack conveniently situated above the stove is not doing your spices any favors. Sure the row of little glass jars are pretty to look at and the rack itself may be a space saver, but with all the heat, steam, gas and fallout from your cooking, your spices are no better off than the Icelandic cattle living in the path of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano spew.

OK, maybe a little better.

Here’s how to store everything from anise to za’atar.

What Your Spices Should Avoid

No sauna’s (or volcanoes) please! When storing spices, your biggest enemies are:

Air
Light
Heat
Humidity

What comes to mind? Can you think of someplace that’s airtight, dark, cool and dry? Read on!

The Best Kitchen Locations

The Freezer. Ground spices retain their condition and quality best when stored in an airtight container in the freezer. Up to six months is recommended, but I keep some for up to a year.
Inside a Cabinet Door. Here’s a visual tour of a lovely storage solution inside a cupboard door. This space-saving idea is fantastic for small kitchens.
In a Drawer. Very convenient, but drawers are precious real estate in most kitchens. Drawer racks and jars are available from The Container Store.
On a Pantry Shelf. This is where most of my mason jars of spices and dried herbs are stored. It’s cool, dark, and far from heat sources.
Open Storage. If spices are sealed in tins, open shelving or counter-top storage is fine, as long it is not near a direct heat source.

Magnetized tins on refrigerator doors, while very visually appealing, are not ideal. Their glass tops expose the spices to light, while the fridge gives off heat; unless they are used up quickly, the quality of the spices will deteriorate rapidly.

Storage Tip: Keep your top 10 (or 20) most used spices handy in a cupboard at eye level and stash others out of the way.

The Best Storage Containers

Tins. This is the best possible place for your spices; preferably tins without glass tops. These ones from Specialty Bottle are some of the most affordable I’ve found.
Small Spice Jars. Ikea has affordable options.
Carousel spice racks. These popular organizers are best stored inside a cupboard, away from sunlight.
Mason Jars. Perhaps the most eco-friendly choice. Most of us have them hanging around, waiting to be repurposed. Perfect for herbs and spices of all shapes and sizes.

Labeling Tip: For quick turnover of spice varieties, identify your spices with a small paper or sawed off Popsicle stick and drop it into the jar along with the spices. When you’ve finished the jar and are switching ingredients, simply toss the label. No more time wasted scratching at a stubborn adhesive with your fingernail.

Recipe: Black Pepper Shrimp

A famous chef I once worked for was asked what his favorite spices were. His answer was quick and delivered with a smile: “Salt and Pepper”. His reply surprised me a bit, but now, having discovered the tantalizing scents of good quality fresh pepper, I understand.

Pepper doesn’t have to just garnish or complement a dish anymore; it can be the star ingredient. This shrimp recipe we enjoyed this week demonstrates just that.

Thanks to the Food Network’s Paula Deen for this simple and succulent recipe. Eat the shrimp with your fingers, and serve with a tossed green salad and a crusty baguette to sop up the garlic-pepper butter.

This dish is perfect for a relaxed Sunday supper or you could tip the entire pan into tin foil and pack it up for a deluxe picnic on the beach!

Don’t be shy with the pepper, you want to feel the heat and the full flavor.

Black Pepper Shrimp

Serves 4, generously

3 lbs (1.5kg) fresh shrimp, with shells on*
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
4 Tablespoons freshly ground black pepper (my current favorite is ‘Tribal‘ from India)

Preheat oven to 450-degrees F. Rinse and drain shrimp, then place in a single layer on a shallow baking sheet. Set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan, add garlic and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour garlic butter over shrimp and toss to coat.
Pepper shrimp until well covered, then place in the oven and bake until pink (about 5 minutes). Turn, bake a few minutes longer, and pepper again.
Serve immediately with plenty of napkins.

*Note: I used shrimp sized 31-40 (per pound).

How do you store your spices? Feel free to link to photos of your own spice racks, cupboards and drawers – we’d love to be inspired!

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Spices 101: Storing Spices (Recipe: Black Pepper Shrimp) is a post from Simple Bites

Spices 101: What You Need to Know About Buying Spices

Aimee — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 05:37:21 +0000

One might think that learning which spice to add to which dish is one of the first things you would be taught in Spices 101, but they would be wrong.

Learning to source and purchase fresh, quality products is paramount when learning to cook well with spices. Would you make a fruit salad with moldy fruit? Spread rancid butter on fresh baked bread? Of course not. Likewise, you should aim to use the best spices and herbs possible, for reasons we will discuss below.

This is the second post in our Spices 101 series. In my first post, I debunked common spice myths and pointed out how proper selection and addition of good quality spices to a dish can elevate the flavor of a dish with little effort and minimal cost. Next week we will talk about how proper storage is important for preserving your newly acquired quality spices, followed by how to grind whole spices and finally, learn what spices to stock your pantry with.

For now, let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly facts about buying spices.

Photo by SINDELL357

Rules for Buying Spices

This post could have been titled “Throw away your spices and start over” and as harsh as that may sound, it’s not far off in describing how I feel about the state of most spice cabinets I see.

Here are my purchasing tips for stocking your pantries and spicing up your life – through food.

Stay Far Away from Typical Grocery Store Spices

Products on the shelves of your average grocery chain my have been there for a year or more, and they probably sat in a warehouse up to a year before that. Since the average shelf life of ground spices maxes out around six months, chances are you’re buying stale spices.

Also, these spices are generally very poor quality and may contain nasty contaminants, which we’ll look at in a minute.

Purchase Whole Spices

Purchase whole spices and grind them yourself to retain maximum potency and ensure a fuller flavor.
Whole spices will stay fresher, longer. Since ground spices have such a short shelf life, chances are every ground spice in your cabinet right now is past it’s prime.
You know what you are getting with whole spices. Ground spices may have other ingredients such as salt, rice or flour mixed in and FDA regulations do not require suppliers to list these add-ins as ingredients. Also, ground spices are not required to be free of contaminants.

Buy the Best Possible Spices You Can Afford

Cheap spices are cheap for a reason. The health regulations for ground spices are lax, with the ASTA (American Spice Trade Association) cleanliness specifications stating that “…it is not possible to grow, harvest, and process crops that are totally free of natural defects”. *What, so let’s just grind them in and sell them? Pretty much.

What are these ‘defects’? Well if you really want to know, a few of them are mold, exctreta (yep, that’s poo), dead insects, rat hairs, wire, string and a list of other ‘foreign matter’.

What percentage of this foreign matter may be in your pre-ground spices? It’s shocking, but up to 20% for some is still considered “acceptable”. The average is much less, but still…. Ick.

So what can you do to source better spices?

Go to Ethnic Markets. Often ethnic markets have good quality whole spices at affordable prices. They are selling spices that are used regularly and are re-stocked much faster than an average grocery store where spices may sit for much longer. Of course ethnic markets can sell poor quality spices as well, but talk to the staff. Smell the spices and buy a small amount to try at home to see if you like them.
Source a local spice merchant. These spices shops nearly always guarantee quality and freshness. The best part? You can usually chat with the staff about how to incorporate their products into your cooking. Some may even have recipe cards to hand out.
Source Quality Spices Online. If you cannot locally source whole spices, consider purchasing online from a reliable company. There are many options out there. Here are my recommendations:

Avoid gourmet shops selling regular spices at inflated prices. It happens plenty. If you’ve been to your local ethnic market and/or specialty spice merchant and experienced the real thing, you can usually just use your eyes and nose to identify the frauds. Most spices are incredibly pungent, and should never smell musty.

Buy Small Amounts of Spices at a Time

Spices are not the ingredients to be buying bulk for your home kitchen because they do go stale. Unless you are a very active cook and are heavy-handed with the spices, I wouldn’t recommend buying bulk spices.

Remember, if you’re buying good quality spices, you won’t need to use as much for cooking as they will be much more potent than standard grocery store fare. A little goes a long way.

Final thought: When You Can, Grow your Own

The best solution for sourcing dried herbs is to grow your own! Or buy from a friend or family member who has a garden. Hang bundles of fresh herbs upside down to dry, then fill mason jars with their fragrant leaves. Stored properly (which we’ll talk about next week) these herbs will last all winter.

There is growing interest in knowing where your dairy, meat and vegetables come from. Don’t you want to know where your spices come from as well?

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Spices 101: What You Need to Know About Buying Spices is a post from Simple Bites

Three Recipes to Keep in Your Pantry

Cheri — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 05:05:57 +0000

Unpredictability is to be expected when you have a family. No matter how organized and steady YOU are, the rest of the family doesn’t always follow suit. As parents, we have to learn to be flexible and roll with the punches.

Mealtimes can be a harried affair when things don’t go as planned and the run to the grocery store has yet to transpire or you haven’t had even a moment to think about what your family is going to eat for dinner. Those are the days when you wish your fairy god-mother would pay you a visit and make a meal magically appear before you.

Fortunately you can have the next best thing. You can be your own fairy god-mother by stowing away recipes that will be there at a moments notice, to whip up in a jiffy and satisfy your hungry family. It’s as easy as picking a couple of recipes made from ingredients that you always have on hand.

Let’s look at a couple of ways you can find some pantry meals that are tailored to your family. That way you can make sure these items are always available for when those crazy days arrive.

How to Choose A Pantry Meal

Be Picky About Ingredients

Make sure the ingredients can either be stored in your pantry or freezer, or are ALWAYS in your fridge. There’s no sense in choosing a recipe where you risk having the ingredients go to waste.

Avoid the use of fresh ingredients which may quickly reach their prime such as mushrooms. You can easily toss them in if you have them on hand, but don’t rely on them when planning a pantry meal.

Make Sure Your Family will Eat It

You want your family to actually eat supper so make sure that the meal is something that you know your family will enjoy. There’s little point in keeping a recipe on hand that isn’t a family favorite.

Make it Speedy

Chances are if you didn’t have time to plan a meal or go to the grocery store then you need something quick to put on the table. Make sure you pick meals that do not need a lot of prep or long baking times.

Keep it All-inclusive

It’s important to choose something that can be served on it’s own, as a meal. Don’t plan on serving your dish with a side of salad in case the lettuce happens to be wilting in the fridge. Making side dishes also means more work for the already frazzled parent making the meal.

Remember

These recipes are for busy days when dinner needs to be quick and tasty. Perfection is not needed, but a simple, tasty and healthy meal will be appreciated. The point of a pantry meal is to ensure that the ingredients are there at ALL TIMES so that you don’t have to add another worry to an already stressful day.

Below are three recipes that my family often enjoys as last minute meals. Now yours can too.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir-fry

This stir-fry is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. You can even make your own catalina dressing if you don’t keep it on hand. This is my husband’s most requested stir-fry!

Keep on Hand

pantry: rice, red pepper flakes, garlic, onion, oil
freezer: chicken, stir-fry vegetables
fridge: catalina dressing, hoisin sauce

Recipe

1 pound chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1 Tablespoon oil
3 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup catalina dressing
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
rice, for serving

Heat skillet or wok over medium high heat. Saute chicken and onion in oil until chicken is browned on the outside.
Add vegetables and garlic. Cook until tender crisp.
Stir in catalina dressing, hoisin sauce and red pepper flakes. Cook until bubbly and chicken is cooked through.
Serve with rice.

Serves: 4

* If you don’t have fresh onions or garlic on hand you can sub 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder.

* This is a great way to use up extra vegetables in your fridge.

Chicken Fajitas

The marinade for these fajitas only needs to sit for 30 minutes with the chicken, making this a quick and tasty meal.

Keep on Hand

pantry: apple cider vinegar, chili powder, garlic, hot pepper sauce, onion, tortillas
freezer: chicken, peppers
fridge: Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salsa, cheese, sour cream (optional)

Recipe

adapted from allrecipes

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
sprinkle of hot pepper sauce, to taste
1.5 lbs. chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 small onion, sliced
1 pepper, cut into strips
Tortillas, cheese, salsa & sour cream, to serve

Combine first 6 ingredients and marinate with chicken for several hours in the fridge or 30 min. on the countertop, making sure to flip occasionally so that the marinade is evenly distributed.
Preheat pan to medium-high heat. Cook chicken until browned on the outside. Add peppers and onions. Continue to cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
Wrap in tortillas with cheese, salsa and sour cream and serve hot.

Serves: 4

* Frozen peppers release a lot of water as they thaw. Wrap and dab them with paper towel to remove the excess moisture. They also lose their crispness, but since these are cooked it will not make a big difference.

Refreshing Macaroni

This macaroni dish has a light and refreshing taste as there are no heavy sauces weighing it down. It’s also the perfect way to get rid of any vegetables that need using up.

Keep on Hand

pantry: onion, chicken broth, macaroni, herbs
freezer: chicken, vegetables
fridge: Italian dressing, Parmesan, cheese

Recipe

1/4 cup Italian dressing
2 chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (10 oz.) can chicken broth (or 1 1/4 cups)
2 cups macaroni
2 cups frozen, fresh or canned vegetables of your choice
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (4 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (2 teaspoons dried)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 cup grated cheese of choice

Heat dressing in large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink on the outside.
Meanwhile cook macaroni to al dente, in boiling water, according to package directions. Drain.
Stir chicken broth and vegetables into chicken mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are heated and meat is cooked through.
Remove from heat. Stir in macaroni, herbs and Parmesan until well combined. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let sit until cheese is melted.

Serves: 4

* Any bite-sized pasta can be substituted for macaroni, although a different amount may be needed depending on the pasta used.

Do you have any recipes that can be made from pantry staples? Do share!

Photos by Cheri Neufeld

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Three Recipes to Keep in Your Pantry is a post from Simple Bites

Spotlight Ingredient: Oats

Aimee — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:35:37 +0000

It is safe to say that oats are among the favorite grain choices here in North America. They are an absolute staple in our house, reinventing themselves through granola, muffins, scones, summer fruit crisps, and much more. Easy to source, affordable and nutritious, oats of every variety should be stocked in your pantry!

Oats don’t have their germ and bran removed during processing, and so they bring you the nutritious rewards of the whole grain to be enjoyed a myriad of ways. A source of both protein and carbohydrates, oats offer a reliable source of energy, making them an ideal choice for breakfast.

I was raised on porridge and now my boys and I enjoy it every weekday morning. I’ve even been known to pack a baggie of quick oats with me when I travel! At home, a turntable on our dining room table holds glass jars, each housing an assortment of oatmeal toppings: toasted almonds, golden raisins, wheat germ, organic honey, golden flax seed, and dried cranberries.

The garnish may vary, but hot oatmeal in the morning is our constant, and we wouldn’t change for all the Kellogg’s in the world.

Let’s take a quick look at the types of oatmeal and a few extra special recipes featuring it…

Know Your Oats

After the husk has been removed from an oat it is called a groat. What happens to that whole grain afterward depends on the type of oatmeal cereal…

Quick Cooking and Instant

Quick oats are the best choice when your toddler is banging his spoon on the table demanding breakfast. They cook up in just a few minutes and contain just as many nutrients and goodness as rolled or steel-cut oats.

They are groats that have been first steamed, then cut into a few pieces and crushed into very thin flakes. The rapid cooking time make them our breakfast of choice most mornings and I’ve been known to fold a handful of them into the occasional batch of cookies for added nutrition.

Quick oats are not to be confused with ‘instant’, which often contain additives and sweetener. Instant oatmeal has been pre-cooked, then dried and flaked. There’s nothing appealing about that! While its convenience is second only to cold cereal, the pasty taste of instant oatmeal makes it a hard sell for this oatmeal lover.

Rolled or ‘Old-Fashioned’

Rolled oats are groats that have been steamed to soften them and then compressed between two rollers to make them thinner. Various manufactures will roll oats to different thicknesses, which is why you will see ‘Regular’ rolled oats (typically with Quaker, etc) and ‘Thick’ rolled oats.

These oats cook up in about ten minutes and offer more texture and fuller flavor than the quick cooking variety.

Reach for the canister of rolled oats for most baking projects requiring oatmeal and homemade granola. All summer long I toss together rolled oats, flour, sugar and butter and we enjoy it as a topping over baked fresh fruit crisps.

Steel-Cut or ‘Pinhead’

These whole groats were sliced crosswise into a few pieces during post-processing and are a favorite among oat aficionados for their chewy – as opposed to mushy – texture and full flavor.

Steel-cut oats are also sometimes called Scotch (or Irish) oats and take the most time to cook by a long shot –up to 40 minutes.

Steel-Cut oat lovers are passionate about their grain, and once you’ve tried them, it’s not easy to go back to instant oats, save for the convenience.

Recipes

Brown Butter-Toasted Oatmeal with Roasted Pears

This personal favorite recipe could almost be mistaken for dessert. But, no, the satisfying breakfast is as healthy as it is delicious!

Steel-cut oats are toasted in browned butter, bringing out their nutty flavor, and cooked for nearly 30 minutes to ensure they are creamy. A simple topping of pears roasted with vanilla and sweetened with agave nectar rounds out this special dish, and pistachios add a satisfying crunch.

for oatmeal

2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup steel-cut oats
4 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 teaspoon salt

for pear topping

1 Tablespoon butter
1 organic pear, washed, cored and cut into 16 slices
2 Tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder (or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons pistachios (or nut of your choice)

Get the oatmeal started by heating the 2 tablespoons butter in a 3-quart heavy sauce pan over moderate heat. Allow it to foam, and turn slightly golden in color. Add oats and stir for about 4 minutes to gently toast the oats.
Carefully add in boiling water (it will send up a cloud of steam!) and salt, and boil hard for ten minutes. Stir occasionally. Oats will thicken slightly.
Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare your topping by melting 1 tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Add pears and cook gently for a few minutes. Sprinkle vanilla powder over them and a pinch of salt. Drizzle with agave nectar.
Simmer, turning the fruit once or twice, until pears are quite soft. Stir in pistachios.
Divide oatmeal into bowls and top with spiced fruit & nuts. Drizzle agave syrup over everything and serve hot with cream or milk.

Scottish Oat Scones

The Scots are well known for their hearty breakfasts – sausages, beans, eggs, porridge – and these traditional oatmeal scones ensure no one gets up from the table hungry. Sturdy, flavorful, and utterly satisfying, they are best enjoyed warm from the oven with a cup of tea.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
2 Tablespoons organic cane sugar (plus more for topping)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix together flour, oats, cane sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and make a well in the center.
In a small bowl, beat egg well, then add in milk and melted butter.
Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients and gently stir together with a fork. Do not over mix.
Divide dough in half and pan into two 7-inch circles on parchment paper. They should be nearly 1 inch thick.
Score an X in the top on the scones. Brush tops lightly with milk and sprinkle with cane sugar, if desired.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on top. Remove from oven, cut into wedges and serve warm.