Cheapskate's Handbook

A Travel and Food Blog For the Have-Nots

Category : Recipes

It’s Blueberry Season Time For Pie and Jam

July 19th 2010 Posted at Recipes
0 Comments

Blueberries tend to be rather overpriced and not all that flavorful, but right now you can actually get decent quantities for incredible prices. San Diegians can even head to Sprout’s Farmers Market to pick up 18 ounce boxes for only $1.88. While blueberries are delicious on their own, there are also tons of things you can do with them to help make the most of this wonderful time of year. That’s why I’ve collected these two tasty recipes that will let you enjoy your blueberries now and enjoy them long into the future.

Blueberry Pie

For the filling:

  • 7 1/2 cups of blueberries
  • Juice from 1/2 naval orange
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 3 tablespoons tapioca pearls
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup sugar

For the crust:

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 egg yolk
  • a sprinkle of sugar

Make the filling first by putting the blueberries in a large mixing bowl and using a ricer to mash around 3/4 of them, leaving the rest whole. Add the rest of the ingredients, then stir and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

While the filling is setting, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the crust by adding the flour and butter into a food processor and mix using the dough blade. Turn the machine off and then push down the powder that has collected on the sides using a plastic spatula. Turn on for a few more seconds and then pour water through the hole in the top of the processor. Run for a few seconds and then turn off. Use your spatula on the edges again and then run the machine until the dough combines into a large mass.

Split dough in half, roll out bottom crust and place in deep dish pie pan, then pour in your filling and place the top crust on. Flute edges and cut a few vent holes or you can make the crust in a lattice fashion. Use a pastry brush to coat the top crust with a beaten egg yolk and then sprinkle some sugar on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 325 degrees and cook for another 45-55 minutes, until the filling is bubbling. Let cool an hour before serving to allow filling to gel.

Blueberry Jam

  • 5 cups of blueberries
  • 1/2 package of liquid pectin
  • Zest from one orange
  • Juice from 1/2 orange
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups sugar

Place blueberries in a large mixing bowl and crush them all using a ricer. Add all ingredients except the sugar and mix well. Prep your canner or pressure cooker and sterilize two pint-sized mason jars or four half-pint jars.

Pour your berry mix into a large sauce pan and heat, stirring constantly, on high. When the jam gets to a roaring boil in which the bubbles cannot be stirred down, reduce the heat and add your sugar, all at once. Turn the heat back up and continue stirring until you reach a roaring boil again. Continue heating and stirring at this level for at least one full minute, or until the jam thickens to the point where it will coat a metal spoon and two drops will combine into one before falling off the spoon.

Pour jam into sterilized jars, put on lids and wipe clean. Can according to your devices instructions, processing the jams for five minutes once you reach ideal pressure. Let canner cool completely and then remove jars and place on a wooden table. Do not tighten lids. After 24 hours, check jar seals. You can store these for anywhere between 6 months and a year.

Bookmark and Share
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Google] [LinkedIn] [StumbleUpon] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »
Powered by Bookmarkify™

Deviled Egg Potato Salad With Pickles

July 4th 2010 Posted at Recipes
0 Comments

Here’s a forth of July recipe that’s sure to delight and surprise. It takes average potato salad and gives it a major kick. I used homemade pickles that I canned a few weeks ago, but you can always bought store bought bread and butters as well.

  • 6 medium potatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 medium white onion
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 cup Miracle Whip
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 pickle spears

Chop potatoes into small squares and then boil them. At the same time, hard-boil your eggs. While things are cooking, prepare your base by chopping the onion and pickles and then adding to a large bowl with all other ingredients. Mix well. When the potatoes are done, add them into the mixture and then shell and chop the eggs and then add them in.

Refrigerate until cool and you’re ready to go.

Bookmark and Share
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Google] [LinkedIn] [StumbleUpon] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »
Powered by Bookmarkify™

Heavenly, Rich Cream Cheese Frosting

June 10th 2010 Posted at Recipes
0 Comments

This week was my boyfriend’s birthday and he made a special request that I bake him a carrot cake. Unfortunately, my baking skills are not yet up to par with my other cooking talents (with the exception of pie making, I’m quite good at baking pies), so the cake was a bit strange.

On the bright side, the entire experiment wasn’t a complete waste, because I happened to make some of the best cream cheese frosting I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying and I’m happy to get to share the recipe with you here:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 tubs 8 ounce cream cheese
  • Seeds from one vanilla bean
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 cups powdered sugar

Let your ingredients sit out until they are close to room temperature. Use a mixer to combine the vanilla, butter and cream cheese. When the ingredients are well-blended, slowly add in the powdered sugar a little at a time.

Refrigerate for a few hours to let it set completely (and to let your cake cool if you made them at the same time), then frost.

To save you the terrible image of my carrot cake disaster, this image is from maggi.m, although I am fairly certain my frosting is better than the one shown.

Bookmark and Share
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Google] [LinkedIn] [StumbleUpon] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »
Powered by Bookmarkify™

Stewed Cinnamon Cranberry Apples

April 13th 2010 Posted at Recipes
0 Comments

I’ve been trying to cut back on my High Fructose Corn Syrup intake as of late, but there are certain sweet treats that are impossible to buy commercially without it. Fortunately, I invented a delicious side dish that can help treat even the most difficult sweet tooth. These cinnamon apples are similar to those you might buy from Boston Market or the Country Crock side dishes, but they don’t contain any artificial ingredients. Best of all, they’re infinitely more delicious. They make a great dessert or a wonderful side with pork and turkey.

You need:

  • 3 medium apples
  • 1 large orange
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons molasses
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Squeeze the juice from your orange and mix in a medium sauce pot with spice and sweeteners. Slice apples into small, bite size pieces and add to pot, along with cranberries. Cover and cook on medium heat until all ingredients melt into the apples and the apples become nice and soft. It should take between half an hour and forty-five minutes.

Enjoy!

Illustrative image (not my recipe) by Flickr user Lee Jordan.

Bookmark and Share
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Google] [LinkedIn] [StumbleUpon] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »
Powered by Bookmarkify™

Rich and Creamy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

March 17th 2010 Posted at Recipes
0 Comments

Homemade ice cream is a great way too cool off in the hot San Diego summers (or the warm days of spring like we’ve been having). Plus it’s delicious and while it’s not all too nutritious, it’s always nice to know that you’re spoiling your family without feeding them artificial preservatives and sweeteners. This basic recipe is heavenly and serves as a perfect topping for your homemade BJ’s pizzokie, and is great when topped with a bit of Mexican Hot Chocolate Fondue.

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (you can make it yourself by adding vanilla to vodka and letting sit for a few weeks)

Add all ingredients together, scraping the seeds from the vanilla bean before adding the whole pod into the bowl. Whip with a mixer on a high speed until things start to froth up and the volume rises dramatically. Pour into a pot and cook on low to medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture starts to turn a slight yellow color and thicken. Remove from the heat, remove the vanilla bean and then cool in the refrigerator.

Once the mixture is cooled to below room temperature, pour into your ice cream maker and then follow the manufacturer’s directions.

If you like this recipe, but want ice cream that’s a little more adventurous, be sure to try my recipe for aloe vera ice cream. It sounds strange, but it’s sweet and fruity!

Illustrative image (not my recipe) by Flickr user Anshu si.

Bookmark and Share
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Google] [LinkedIn] [StumbleUpon] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »
Powered by Bookmarkify™

St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef and Cabbage Slow Cooker Recipe

March 17th 2010 Posted at Recipes
0 Comments

I have a yearly habit of always celebrating St. Patty’s Day by making my own corned beef and cabbage. On top of being a tasty way to enjoy the holiday, it’s also a super affordable meal for all those cheapskates out there like myself. This year though, I was going to be out part of the day, which would mean a super late dinner or having the corned beef ready too early and leaving it to sit out for hours. So I opted to enjoy the freedom of my wonderful slow cooker instead. The results were fantabulous, so I had to share the recipe with all of you.

Corned Beef and Cabbage in Your Slow Cooker

  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoons coarse mustard
  • 1 bottle dark ale (Guinness or New Castle work great)
  • 1 shot wiskey
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2-3 pounds corned beef brisket with seasoning packet
  • 2 medium onions
  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 5 carrots
  • 1 head cabbage

Mix mustard seeds, mustard, ale, whiskey, seasoning packet, brown sugar and pepper together in a large, flat bowl or baking pan. Add corned beef and let marinate in this mixture for between 15 minutes and an hour (don’t worry if you only do it the minimum time as the marinade will be included in the broth).

Chop the onions, slice the potatoes and chop the carrots. Lightly grease the bottom of the slow cooker with any non-stick lubricant. Layer the potatoes along the bottom of the cooker. Place the meat on top of the potatoes and then wedge the carrots and potatoes around the meat. Pour the marinade over the meat. Add enough water to cover the tops of the veggies and meat.

Leave the cooker on high for 4-5 hours until the meat has finished cooking. Remove the meat and the veggies and let cook. Chop your cabbage. Pour the juice from the crock pot into a large pot and then add the cabbage and cook over medium high heat. When the cabbage has softened to your preferred texture (usually between 20-40 minutes depending on how soft you like it), remove the cabbage and let cool with the meat and other veggies. You can eat everything now or make a rich gravy with the juice.

Bring the juice to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of corn starch blended with 1/2 cup water per gallon of juice. Reduce heat and stir until the texture thickens. Remove from heat. Slice the meat against the grain and serve with veggies, mustard and gravy.

Corned beef photo by Flickr user podchef.

Bookmark and Share
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Google] [LinkedIn] [StumbleUpon] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »
Powered by Bookmarkify™

Delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate Fondue

March 12th 2010 Posted at Recipes
0 Comments

Mexican hot chocolate fondue is delicious and fun to make. It has a surprisingly bitter and spicy without being over powering. Best of all, because the hot chocolate can be bought at the 99 Cents Only stores, the price can be far cheaper than that of regular chocolate fondue.

  • 3 tablets of Mexican hot chocolate
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 chocolate bar
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Your choice of dipping materials: bananas, blackberries, strawberries, marshmallows, etc.

Melt hot chocolate tabs and regular chocolate in milk over a double boiler. Once the chocolate melts and everything is blended together smoothly, add spices and cream. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat. When chocolate is cool enough to eat without burning your mouth, dig in!

If you have left over dip, just freeze it and reheat it when you’re ready for decadent delights again.

Illustrative image (not my recipe) by Flickr user andhong09.

Bookmark and Share
[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Google] [LinkedIn] [StumbleUpon] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email] More »
Powered by Bookmarkify™

Copyright 2010 Cheapskate's Handbook | Powered by WordPress | Designed by Diamonds Designers