Specialty Coffee

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I love drinking coffee. The smell of freshly brewing coffee reminds me of happy childhood memories, of waking up Saturday mornings the smell of fresh coffee, bacon and pancakes.

Today we have many choices for specialty coffees, some which are sure to break the bank! Since I do not like to spend those high prices I have come up with some easy and frugal recipes for my favorites.

Iced Cappuccino

1 cup ice
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp espresso powder
1 squeeze of chocolate syrup (or you can use cocoa powder and honey)

Blend together in your blender till well mixed and frothy. If it is too thick just add a splash of milk or cream.

Mexican Coffee

Sprinkle a teaspoon or so of cinnamon over your coffee grounds in your coffee maker and brew your coffee as normal. Serve with some honey and cream.

To make this extra special, whip some cream and dollop some fresh cream on the top and sprinkle with cinnamon.


French Vanilla

I know you can buy cream for this, but how healthy is a "dairy product" that has a shelf life of months? Here is a healthier versions...

Mix 1 tsp of vanilla into a half a cup of cream, use a bit of sugar or honey to sweeten your coffee to your preference.

For more frugal tips and recipes check out Recipe Swap, Food on Fridays, Foodie Fridays, The Finer Things and Frugal Fridays.

Christine

Cream of Potato Soup

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I find soup calming to make and is a nutritious and frugal meal to serve hungry boys! Since I make my own stock, this dish cost me about $3.50 or so to make (that's in Canadian dollars - you will pay less in the States!) and gives us almost 6 L (or 6 quarts) of soup.

Cream of Potato Soup

4 slices bacon, diced small

2 large carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced

3 - 4 stalks of celery, diced

sprinkle of salt and pepper

6 - 8 potatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp parsley

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

3 L (aprox 3 quarts) stock (any stock or broth is find, I use chicken or turkey)

1 1/2 L of milk

1/2 cup cream (optional)

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Fry the bacon in the bottom of a large pot till crisp. Remove from heat and remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

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Saute carrots, onion and celery in the bacon fat till tender, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, garlic, parsley and additional salt and pepper and stir. Pour over stock and simmer on low for 20 - 30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Remove from heat and add milk, cream (if using) and the bacon you set aside. Stir to mix.
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Taste for seasonings, you may need to add more salt or pepper. Serve with buns or biscuits.
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For more recipe ideas check out Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday and At the Table!

Enjoy,

Christine

Using up Leftovers

One of the ways that I try and stretch my grocery dollars is to using up my leftovers. There are some times when the teenage boys eat every last scrap of food at dinner, but often we have leftovers.

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Last night we had bean salad for dinner and since I made a large portion, I was expecting leftovers. Roll-ups are a great way to use up leftovers - just toss in whatever you have and roll it up! No matter what you stick in there it normally turns out delicious! Here is what I made my boys for a mid-night snack (literaly, it was mid-night, but we had been out at the local fair):

Leftover Roll-Ups

Sour cream

Grated cheese

Leftover bean salad

Leftover meat in the fridge

Leftover vegetables you have in the fridge

Load up what you want on your tortilla and wrap it up. We had some leftover corn and tuna that the boys tossed on theirs as well. Frugal, nutritious and will fill up hungry boys (and hungry husbands - I tossed two in his lunch for today as well).

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For more frugal tips check out Frugal Fridays!

Have a happy weekend!

Christine

Cool and Refreshing Bean Salad

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Beans are an easy, frugal and nutritious addition to any meal. I have been experimenting in new recipes for beans, as one of my goals is to add more beans and lentils into my families diet. Everyone in my family really enjoys beans, so this should be a pretty easy challenge, but in the past I always used canned beans, not dried. I have no idea why it took me so long to make the switch, dried beans are way less expensive and by making the entire dish myself, I control the ingredients that go in. I guess I was just put off from the time it would take, but with just a bit of planning and a slow cooker it is way easier than I thought it would be.
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I have serious cravings for food that is spicy, like make you cry spicy, so I will be serving up some fiery hot chicken drumsticks (which is adapted from a chicken wing recipe I found), but to cool down our palates, I decided to make a refreshing bean salad and will also be serving fresh carrot and celery sticks with homemade ranch salad dressing for those who just love to dip. This is a fun meal that everyone will be happy with!
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Bean Salad

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2 cups dried beans (any combination you like)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 good sized lemon)

1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 purple onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

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The day before:

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Rinse off your beans and check them over for any stones or beans that do not look good.

Place your dried beans in a bowl and cover with cold water, let sit and soak for 8 - 24 hours (This step is not necessary, but helps the beans become more digestible and decreases the over all cooking time). Transfer to your slow cooker, add three cups of water for every cup of beans. Cook them on low over night - about 8 - 10 hours.
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Mix up the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small glass container. Shake to mix. By mixing the dressing the night before the garlic will infuse the oil and have a more mellow taste, not such a sharp taste.
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The next day:
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Drain and rinse and transfer to a bowl. Let cool in the fridge for 4 - 6 hours.
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Once your beans have cooled, add your chopped vegetables and pour over enough dressing just to coat, toss to mix (if you have extra dressing, save it for a salad the next day). Place back in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

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Easy peasy right?

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This post is linked to Food on Fridays, Foodie Friday, Recipe Swap, Pennywise Platter and Slow Cooking Thursday

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Related Posts:

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Simplifying Your Life

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Food for Thought: Nutritional Benefits of Beans and Legumes (By Kitchen Stewardship)

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Christine