Delicious!!! Bread Pudding!!!!

Ok, so I was cleaning out my fridge and realized there was way to many different bags of bread with about 1 to 2 slices of bread in them, all different bread, some middle slices, some corner slices, some potato bread roles… you name it, it was in my fridge. What can you do with multiple delicious slices of bread??? Bread Pudding!!! I LOVE BREAD PUDDING! Its the ultimate comfort (desert) food!

And this is the cheapest, easiest, bread pudding recipe!

Here goes…

Recipes Under $10 - Bread Pudding

Time: Approximately 45 minutes
Cost: Not quite sure, but very cheap and under $10, especially if you use scrap bread :) approximately $2.50 if you are using scrap bread and about $6 if you use fresh bread you buy for the recipe :)

Ingredients
7 cups chopped bread (all kinds, 7 grain breads are delicious because they have all those yummy grains, this will make for a really hearty bread pudding, potato breads and brioches are also good because these will add richness and sweetness to your pudding!)
2 cups water
1 cup whole milk $.50
5 tbsp. butter $1
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs $1


IN A POT OVER LOW HEAT - MIX TOGETHER FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES - Then let cool for about 10 minutes (while you cut your bread into cubes)
2 cups water
1 cup whole milk
5 tbsp. butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 tsp. vanilla

In a 13in by 9in pyrex spread the 8 cups of bread evenly and well mixed, especially if you are using scrap bread :)

Now whisk your three eggs until well beaten and then pour into your cooled milk and spices mix and whisk again until everything is mixed well.

Then pour the mixture over the bread in the pyrex, make sure you soak up all the bread, sprinkle with cinnamon and a little brown sugar.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with some sprinkled cinnamon!

Meals Under $10 - Farro & Asparagus (Vegetarian)

This is a delicious, pretty easy, vegetarian recipe that is pretty healthy too!

Total Time: 30
Total Cost: Approx. $5.69

Asparagus -
1lb. asparagus $1.99
(Clean and cut the bottoms of the stems, about 1 inch)
In a pyrex -
Spread asparagus out and add -
1/4 cup green onions, chopped, spread out evenly $.20
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (if you want it spicy)
Drizzle 1 tsp. olive oil

Cook at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Farro -
In a small sauce pan - Add
1 cup farro, rinsed $2.50
3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook for 15 minutes, taste, cook longer if you want it chewy or less time if you want it more al dente.

Pour water out and add -
1 tbsp. cream cheese $.50
1 large chopped vine tomato $.50
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. sage
salt and pepper to taste
Mix well - until cream cheese is well mixed in.

Ready!
Serve Farro over the asparagus and garnish with some fresh ground pepper!

Best and Easiest Pulled Pork Recipe!

So, this recipe is not under $10 but that is because it is A LOT of food! This recipe yields a lot! You could probably feed about 8 people on this, so technically if you are only feeding two it is under $10 because you will probably get about 4 meals from this :)

This pork is great over rice or in a sandwich. Try it on a brioche roll or a potato roll for a delicious pulled pork sandwich!

Total Cost: $15.40
Total Time: 30 minutes to prep.  / 5 hours cooking

Saute in 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
8 green onions, chopped $.40
1/2 yellow onion, chopped $.50
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (if you want it spicy, you can add or take away depending on your taste)

Then Add - 1 large chopped vine tomato

Saute for another minute

Then Add - Pork Shoulder $13 (approximately 4 lbs.)
And -
1/2 cup barbecue sauce $1
1/4 cup brown sugar $.50
1 tsp. adobo (find it in the spice area of the grocery store)
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup water

And mix really well! Make sure the pork is covered in the seasonings and sauce.
Let cook on medium to low heat for 5 hours, or until the meat falls of the bone. Make sure to flip the pork over every hour :) Make sure it is well cooked! Don't eat pork raw :/

Here are some images - We have had Two dinners, and two lunches and there is still A LOT left!

Meals Under $10 - Corn Chowder

Hello there! And a happy wednesday to you too!

Here is a new simple, healthy, cheap, easy and delicious recipe for you to try!

Time: Approx. 30 minutes
Cost: Approx. $5
Servings: Approx. 4

NOTE: Please don't judge me for my dirty stove… it was late and I didn't feel like cleaning it before cooking… I was soooo hungry!

Ingredients

3 Potatoes, chopped, approx. 1/2 lb. $1
(I like to clean them really well and keep the skin, its tastier that way).
2 Cups corn $1 (I used the frozen corn, much easier and I feel frozen is better than canned)
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped $.25 (this is my estimated cost)
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Cup Milk $.50
2 Cups Water with 3 tbsp. flour (this will make your soup thicken, I used whole wheat flour because I ran out of white flour but I would probably use white, whole wheat has a much stronger flavor).
1 Celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbsp. Butter $.25 (guestimated this)
4 oz. of cheese (white cheddar or mozzarella) $2
1/4 tsp. turmeric
salt and pepper to taste

Saute - at medium to low heat in a large pot, until just slightly golden brown
- Butter
- Garlic Cloves
- Onion
- Celery
- Turmeric
- Salt & Pepper (you may want to add more later so go easy at first)

Then - Add Potatoes and mix

Then - Add the water with the flour and the milk and let cook until the potatoes are close to being fully cooked, about 20 minutes but it really depends on how small you chopped your potatoes, so make sure to check them after 10 minutes. At this point add the corn and mix. And last, turn the heat off and add the 4oz. of cheese. Mix until the cheese melts and then serve! Grinding a little fresh pepper on top is delicious!

NOTE: If the soup is to thick you can always add a little milk or water. Just make sure to add a little more turmeric and salt and pepper.

Meals Under $10 for Two - Chicken Cordon Bleu

Well it has officially been forever since I last posted! Way to much chaos in my life the last two months, and I am hoping for some tranquility now. More on the chaos some other time.

So here is the easiest Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe EVER!
Time: 30 min. approx.
Total Cost: $8.75 approximately, not including spices and butter.

Ingredients
Chicken -
2 large chicken breasts $4.25
2 slices of cheese (I used Swiss cheese) $0.50
2 slices of ham (I used turkey) $0.50
5 cherry tomatoes, chopped $1.00
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped $.025
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup milk $1.00

Rice -
1 cup jasmine rice $0.50
1 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup arugula $0.75

Directions -

Start with cooking your rice, so that it is ready when you are  done, follow instructions on the back of the package, some may vary.

Cut your chicken breasts in half, like you would a baguette for a sandwich, place a slice of cheese and ham in each. Set to the side.

In a pan, at medium to low heat, sauté garlic cloves, onion and 2 tbsp. butter until lightly brown with salt and pepper, not to much you can always add more at the end. About 2 minutes. Now add cherry tomatoes, sauté for about a minute. Now add your chicken breasts and cook until chicken is fully cooked, I cheat and stab my chicken all the way to the middle to check that there is no more pink, but you can also use the temperature method, etc. Just make sure its fully cooked :)

Once chicken is fully cooked, place rice in the middle of the plate, then 1/4 cup arugula on top, then the chicken breast. In the pan, which should be on low heat, pour the milk and mix, taste check for salt and pepper. Now pour your sauce over your plates, and voila! You are done :)

And here are image directions. Enjoy!

Cover your chicken - this will help in cooking and will also help keep your chicken moist. 

Meals Under $10 for Two : Curry Vegetables with Rice (Vegan)

Curry Vegetables with Rice
Total cost : $4.50 approx.
Total Servings: 2 large ones 

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup jasmine rice $1
1 16oz. package of Italian Blend Vegetables (You can choose any mix you want, this one has the cauliflower which is why I chose it, the cauliflower is delicious in a curry sauce!) $1.99
1/2 green pepper $.50

Cook rice with two cups water, follow directions on packaging for best results. 

In a pot with 1 tbsp. olive oil or butter (depends on if you want your dish to be vegan or just vegetarian) saute the green pepper chopped into one inch pieces for about a minute on medium heat. 

THEN ADD: 
1 tsp. Turmeric 
1 tbsp. Curry powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder 
1/4 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of sugar

Let simmer until veggies have thawed. About 20 minutes on medium to low heat. Add about 1/2 cup water to make a nice sauce to pour on top when you serve it. 

And done! Take about 25 minutes :) Healthy, cheap and quick! Three of my favorite things!!!

Pickled this and pickled that!

I love things that are pickled!

Except one suggestion - Never eat a huge platter of multiple different yummy pickled things and then drink beer all on an empty stomach... it leads to a stomach ache. I know this from experience, a little to much sour for an unfed gut.

Anyways, next time you are in the mood for pickled items, make them yourself! They are so much yummier when home made, because they taste so fresh and are much crisper when you eat them, also, they are SOOO much cheaper!

I made three jars of pickled food for under $5!

Here goes my recipe....

PICKLED CARROTS, JALAPENOS AND RADISHES

- 1 chopped purple onion
- 3 large carrots
- 3 large jalapeños
- approximately 10 radishes
- salt and pepper (whole pepper corns are best) to taste
- 5 whole garlic cloves
- a little garlic powder
- 3 green onions (chopped)
- approximately 1 cup white vinegar
- a dash of sugar in each jar 

Fill jars with all your chopped goodies, then add salt, pepper, sugar and garlic powder, fill half way with vinegar and the rest with water (you can do all vinegar, but I find doing half water makes it just a little less sour in a good way) Shake and let sit at least one day :)

TIP - I like to keep old tomato sauce jars and peanut butter jars that are glass, wash them and boil them and re use them :) Just make sure you are cleaning them properly. Also if you want to gift these, you can go out and buy some mason jars, however, you can also just cover the lid with some kraft paper and some cute string or even a nice fabric :) 

Images below, ENJOY :)

Cheap / Delicious / Convenient / Bushwick / Burritos ;)

ANTOJITOS MEXICANOS LA PASADITA 

Well, yes there are many burrito places in Bushwick, but sometimes we just need a burrito and we need it fast! Or other times it is 4am and you just left Tutus or Bizarre from dancing your ass off and you find yourself exhausted and hungry... and nothing seems to be open but bodegas, and don't get me wrong bodega sandwiches in Brooklyn are AWESOOMEEEE but if you happen to find yourself on a very special corner in Bushwick, yes this corner is special for many reasons, a lovely lady is sometimes on this corner selling delicious dollar and fifty cent empanadas, there is also one of my favorite, and I know a favorite of many, natural food and craft beer stores, Mr. Kiwi, and the king and queen of late night mexican food trucks, Antojitos Mexicanos La Pasadita, this corner is the one and only Myrtle/Broadway corner. And Antojitos Mexicanos La Pasadita is a food truck you cannot miss trying and a food truck you will love next time you are hungry and you find yourself on this very special corner! 

My favorite - Burrito al Pastor (with Pork in a tangy delicious slightly sweet sauce, pork is just so amazing when there is a little sweet mixed into the marinade, it is usually pineapple when you order al pastor) 
A huge burrito for a total of ---- $7 and it will definitely fill you up! 

But if you are super hungry which sometimes I am, I have also gotten the Nachos and the Huaraches :) Mmmmm! 

And for all you vegetarians out there, La Pasadita is awesome and will make you a Veggie Burrito too! 

What I particularly like about their Mexican food is that it is not loaded in sour cream and cheddar cheese, it  has just a bit of sour cream or may I say just the right amount and they use legit queso fresco :) 

Images coming soon.... 

Meals Under $10 - Jalapeño & Cilantro Sandwiches

Hello there!
And a happy tuesday! I have a quick and easy recipe, great for Spring pic-nics and get togethers! Yes, Springgggggggg!!!!! I do believe it will come soon! I hope!

Anyways, I came up with these while at the gym, I had a bunch of fresh leftovers from a pot of black beans that I made the other day and I wanted to make something quick and easy that would not require me to go buy to many extra ingredients. All I had to go out and buy was a block of cheddar. So, if you make my black beans with cilantro, jalapeño and corn this is a good recipe to follow that recipe. I love to plan recipes so that I don't waste any of the ingredients that I buy, there is nothing sadder than an unused wrinkled up jalapeño that was waiting to be eaten in your fridge and just never got used :(

RECIPE - JALAPENO & CILANTRO SANDWICHES
Time : 20 minutes (approx.)
Cost : (approx.)
Servings : 3

- 6 Slices of bread (wheat bread, white bread, 9 grain bread, your choice) $1
- 1 1/2 tbsp. mayonaise
- 8 cherry tomatoes $1.25
- 1/2 cup cilantro $.50
- 2 jalapeños, cut in strips $.15 each
- 1 green onion, chopped $.25
- 1 scallion, chopped thinly $.25
- 4 oz. cheddar cheese, sliced $1.50
- salt and pepper to taste

HERE IS YOUR PROCESS IN IMAGES -

At this point your sandwiches are ready to grill! I like to grill them in a pan with 1 tbsp. butter, but you can also use olive oil or a non stick pan and use no added oil at all :)

Grill covered on medium heat until cheese melts and both sides are lightly browned! 

Enjoy!

Meals Under $10 - Tacos with Carnitas

TACO'S WITH CARNITAS (BEEF) 

 

 
















Delicious and relatively quick and cheap :)

Total Cost : $9.95 (approximate)
Servings : 8 large tacos

GRILL IN A PAN WITH 1 TSP. OIL
- 1.25 lbs of beef $5
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion chopped $.35
- 1/2 tsp. adobo (latin seasoning found in most latin grocery stores)

FOR YOUR TACOS -
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro $.50
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped $.35
- 2 scallions, chopped $.25
- 1/2 cup white cheddar, shredded, $2
- 8 warm corn or flour tortillas $1
- Juice of one lime to sprinkle on top of your tacos $.50

Random... old blog post... wanted to repost this because it got a lot of views on my old blog and it is a really good idea to salvage some old fabric :)

So... I had a ton of scrap fabric that I couldn't really make anything with... And one day I was going through all my crafting books and found my Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano, and inside I found the best idea ever for crappy scrap fabric pieces. In the book there are directions on how to make a "scrap-fabric leaf rug" :) And so... my scrap fabric turned into an awesome bath mat, which I might add my kitties love to play with!

Check it out! (By the way, the one in Mark Montano's book is much cuter ;)

Kitties Gif

Also found this on my old blog... This is two years ago! Yogi and Bubu were only little babies! Now they are huge!!! Well, Yogi is... Bubu is still a little guy :)

Garbanzo Salad

Found this on my old blog and figured I would repost to this blog. Its a delicious, healthy and refreshing salad!

Garbanzo Salad

 

One of my favorite salads, its filling, healthy, easy to make and delicious!
Here's the recipe I use and some pictures, pictures make recipes easier and more fun to follow :)
 
Enjoy.
 
What you will need - 
 
1 bag of garbanzo beans cooked and cooled
1 cucumber
1 tomato
1 cup chopped cilantro or more depending on how much you want
2 limes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar (clear vinegar)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dry garlic
salt and pepper to taste.
 
Optional
 
1 jalapeño
 
Chopped the cucumber, tomato and cilantro. In a large bowl mix together the garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomato, and cilantro. Then squeeze the juice of both limes into bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and mix it all up. Ready! If you let it sit for an hour in the fridge it will be even better!

Bushwick Sunsets

I have been taking photos of this sunset for about three years now. I never get bored of it. Here is one I took the other day through the ripped screen in my kitchen window.