Summer is dip season to me.  Be it dipping fruit into various sweet type things or dipping veggies into something savory… It’s awesome to crunch on fresh, healthy things dipped in a little something decadent.

Here are three sweet desert dips you can use with cut fruit:

• Easy Chocolate Dip: 1 bar of semi-sweet chocolate, broken up into pieces.  1/8 a cup of evaporated milk.  Combine in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high until chocolate is melted – make sure to stir it frequently.  Tastes awesome with cherries, strawberries and melons.
• Easy Carmel Melt: 1/2 a bag of Kraft Carmel squares. 1/2 a cup of whipping cream.  Combine ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low heat until carmel melts.  Stir frequently to avoid cream scorching.  Tastes awesome with all apples.
• Easy Fruity Dip: 1 cup of fruit yogurt (your choice of flavor – the kind with real fruit in it is best), 1 cup of whipped cream.  Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined.  Awesome with ALL fruits.

 

Carmel and apples are AWESOME!

• Dijon Parmesan Dip: 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. 1/2 a cup of sour cream. 1/16 a cup of dijon mustard.  Cracked pepper to taste.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  AWESOME with all veggies.

Despite the warming weather, I’ve been on a soup kick lately.  I’ve been craving miso soup, in particular.  About five years ago I lived with Doctor Lou Lou (whose specialties were nutrition, Eastern medical philosophy, acupuncture and massage – I scored having her as a roommate.)  Whenever I was feeling ill or off balance Lou would cook me up some Miso soup that set me right again.  Granted she made chicken/herb broth with a bunch of Chinese herbs and free range chicken that could knock the cold out of January; but, her point was a good one – all Miso soups have healing properties.

Yah – I’ve been feeling a little off balance lately – so I took myself to Whole Foods and rounded up ingredients to make an easy version of Lou’s Miso soup:

Easy Miso Soup ala Kate:
Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups of organic chicken stock
• 1/2 a cup of firm tofu, cubed
• 1/4 a cup of fresh corn
• 1/4 a cup of seasonal mushrooms
• 2 or 3 pieces of roasted seaweed
• 1 Tbs of red miso paste
• Soy sauce or fish sauce to taste

Technique:

• Combine stock, mushrooms, corn, tofu and soy/fish sauce in a microwave safe bowl
• Heat on high in microwave for two to three minutes (or until boiling)
• Mix in miso paste to soup
• Microwave on half power for an additional minute
• Float seaweed on top
• Eat and be healthy!

 

Westbrae Natural makes GREAT miso paste... lasts forever!

The title of this post sounds wayyy dirtier than it is intended to be.  I haven’t been posting on here lately because I’ve been on a cheap-prepared food kick which really lacks any culinary acumen or creativity… Primarily this has consisted of frozen pizza and waffles.  (I also threw in some frozen prepared fried chicken and ate that with waffles one night for some variety.)  Yes, you snobby foodies may shudder at this concept… But, my Midwest upbringing at the hands of two very busy, professional parents taught me that there isn’t a damn thing wrong with frozen waffles and TV dinners every once in a while… It’s like fast food: you’re not meant to have it every night and if you chose to do that you’ll turn into a pasty, doughy, unhealthy person.

ANYHOW: philosophy on frozen, prepared food aside – I got to thinking about all the stuff you can do with a frozen waffle.  This is less about recipes and more about ideas for quickie meals… I trust that everyone can figure out how to put peanut butter and jelly on a frozen waffle.  Enjoy.

A frozen gold mine, rather than a frozen fail.

• Fake Monte Cristo Sandwich: Two waffles, one egg, one slice of ham, one slice of Cheddar cheese and syrup to taste.  Fry the egg, cook the waffles, put it together like a sandwich (the heat from the waffle and egg will melt the cheese) and pour some syrup onto it… YUM!
• Peanut Butter n’ Jelly Waffle Sammich:  Pretty self-explanatory; but, if you need help – here is how to make a PB&J sammich – just substitute waffles for bread.
• Fruity-Tooty Waffles: Two waffles, one cup of apple sauce & some cinnamon.
• Grilled Waffles & Cheese: Two waffles, two slices of cheese, cook them open face in an oven or toaster oven.
• Pizza Waffles: One waffle, two spoons of spaghetti sauce, some cheese and broil.
• Nuttella Waffles: Simple enough.
• Cinnamon Toast Waffles: As many waffles as you want, toast and butter, add sugar and cinnamon.  Yum!
• Frozen Fried Chicken n’ Waffles:  Cook up some frozen fried chicken and eat it with a waffle drenched in syrup — add in some greens if you want an authentic Southern delight!

My colleague, Laura Silver, has posted a delish recipe for Thai Tuna Fishcakes over on BitchBuzz.  I was thinking about experimenting with a “tuna burger” type concoction this week for SS; but, after reading her recipe I’ve decided to try this instead… You should, too!

 

Image via BitchBuzz.com

Saturday, April 18th there will be a Ladies Who Lunch (or Dinner) event at my apartment in Berkeley.  This is a “wine & nibbles” party – everyone attending will be bringing a bottle of their favorite wine and an appetizer to share.  (I’ll be providing some basics like carrots & dip, guacamole & chips, cheese & crackers…)

If you are interested in attending this event (or, future ones) please join our Facebook group and RSVP for events as you see fit.

I am truly American in some ways – I love Mac n’ Cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Ranch dressing…  Though, I have to say, store bought ranch dressing tastes for shit.  No matter what brand I’ve tried there is this weird, tangy and metallic taste which comes out of that bottle.  Yuck!

Back in the day, my parents used to make Ranch dressing.  I think they may have used a pre-packaged spice packet by Hidden Valley; but, I remember it being so much better than what was in the bottle that it inspired me to try making my own w/out a pre-packaged spice packet.

This is very calorie heavy, for those of you concerned, you may not want to drown your veggies or salad in this stuff unless you have a very healthy heart… Though, in my opinion, drowning veggies and salad in condiments is a crime, anyhow.  Dressing to enhance the taste, not to hide it.

Mmmm... real Ranch!

Real Ranch Dressing!
Ingredients:

• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dill weed
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbsp. parsley
• 1 tsp. onion powder

Technique:

• Combine all ingredients in a large Mason jar.
• Close jar tightly.  Like, really tightly.
• Shake jar until all ingredients are well combined.
• Dress your salad or veggies with REAL ranch!

I kind of happened into this recipe by accident.  I had some pork cutlets and pineapple in my fridge I needed to use; so, I threw it all together and ended up with this cheap, fast and yummy, filling dish.

 

Yummy sweet & sour pork!

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 thinly sliced pork cutlets, cut into strips
• One cup of pineapple chunks, drained and cut into bite sized pieces
• One clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of butter
• 1 tsp of soy sauce
• 1 tsp of sesame and ginger sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 cups of farfalle, cooked al dente and drained

Technique:

• Melt butter in a deep saute pan over medium low heat and brown garlic
• Add pork, salt and pepper and cook until pork is lightly browned
• Add pineapple, soy sauce and sesame/ginger sauce to pan
• Raise heat to medium high and cook until sauce is bubbly and carmelized
• Drain pasta
• Combine past and meat/pineapple mixture in the pan
• Eat and enjoy!

You might recognize celebrity chef Betheny Frankel from her stint on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart or on BRAVO! television’s The Real Housewives of New York.  What you probably don’t know is that Frankel is one of the only egg-dairy-wheat (read: vegan) chefs I’ve encountered who produces really tasty recipes.

The thing I like best about her?  She has excellent recipes for drinks… SkinnyGirl drinks, actually… I’m not sure that they’re particularly healthier for you than the normal mixers would make; but, I like to pretend they are.  Granted, I also like to pretend that David Tennant is in love with me and will be coming to the US to marry me once he’s done filming Doctor Who…

But… enough about me!  Video of Bethany making her patented margarita below:

Cheers, Bethany!  Thanks for the cocktail recipes ~ life is better with social lubrication!

Check Bethany’s new cookbook, available on Amazon ~ Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself From a Lifetime of Dieting

It’s been a wackadoodle couple of weeks of moving and job searching and all sorts of other things which have taken me away from the world of writing about the frugal gourmet.  I promise, promise, promise I’ll be back this week with some new cheapo recipes and fru-gour tips.

Cheers,

Adorkable Grrl

I have my XXX to blame for my addiction to truffled sea salt.  He introduced it to me this past summer when I was cooking pasta carbonara for him.  As a devout coveter of truffles, I found many uses for this poshy new spice in my formerly sig-oth’s spice rack.  I made amazing eggs, terrific tuna noodle casserole and magnificent macaroni n’ cheese that had a salty-truffle hint to it that was resplendent of those upscale “comfort food” joints you see these days where they bake a whole truffle at the bottom of a pot of mac n’ cheese with eighteen types of cheese.

I fully expect upon moving to my next apartment – when I stock the kitchen – that I will pony up $22.12 so I can have a pot of my own magic truffled sea salt… oh yes I do.

Truffled-salty goodness! YUM!

If you want to try it yourself you can get it via this website.