It's been a busy 2012

In case you were wondering what I've been up to the past year, here's an e-card I sent out this holiday season that sums it up. I usually love sending holiday cards, but this year proved to be one of the busiest ever and I had to forgo sending paper cards this year for my sanity. Instead, I made a photo slideshow email card through Smilebox. People seemed to love it some much I might consider doing it again next year.

Happy new year!

Another free slideshow design by Smilebox

Cloth napkins: A virtual shopping spree

The quickest way to class up a dinner on the cheap is adding cloth dinner napkins. Here are some from my online window shopping trip:

JAQSstudio Eco-Friendly (via Etsy) - $3.38 each ($13.50 for a set of 4) 

Aprons: A virtual shopping spree

Holiday time usually means cracking open the wallet, but it doesn't have be a debt-ridden couple of months. Consider giving one or more aprons to your cook or hostess friend.

Aprons make a wonderful gift. In fact, I have three: one made of canvas for cutting meats, a lighter one for baking, and one for just looking cute when serving--guests are bound to arrive early to help.

Here are some suggestions during my online window shopping. (They get more pricey as you scroll down.)

World Market Gratitude Apron - $9.98 

Karen's favorite things on a budget

Some time back, I posted "Gadgets for the tiny kitchen." Now, I'm sharing some wonderful products that friends gave me during my bridal shower or that I bought myself after spending time in other people's kitchens, experimenting with these.

Here are my favorites that I've personally tested and can vouch for. Buy for yourself or another foodie friend:

Ikea tea towels
$0.79!

Yes, that's right. Just pennies. They're not great for drying dishes (because they're not very thick) but are super cute as napkins.

One-dish chicken legs

After a long hiatus, I'm bring back the blog. With the now no-so-new job and the wedding that's since passed, I'm trying to make time to eat right and cook at home more. BrokeAssFoodie helps me stay dedicated to those two goals.

I am a sucker for things called "one-dish" or "one-pot." Who hates cleaning up after dinner? This girl!

I modified this recipe from a bunch of different magazine recipes.

Ingredients:

• Pitted olives (sliced in half)
• Grape tomatoes (quartered)
• Thyme (a few springs)
• Cloves of garlic
• 1 lb. of chicken legs (skinless)
• olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Why don't my ingredients have amounts? That's because I rarely count (unless I'm baking). I basically think of the stuff I like and add more of it -- it's not at all scientific. I would recommend limiting the thyme (powerful stuff) and same with the cloves of garlic, but if you are on Team Jacob (and not Team Edward), pile on the garlic. Throw the ingredients except the chicken into a roasting pan. This was our roasting pan that's impossible to clean so I line it with tin foil.

Cooking for one?

I recently bought the book, "Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One." Kevin wasn't all that pleased that I brought home the book, seen as a giant F-you to him, declaring that I would never cook for him again. He really wasn't upset though. I bought the book mostly to talk to the author, Joe Yonan, food columnist for The Washington Post.

I asked Joe how he got to his dream job, writing about food for the Post. His response: "a lot of practice." I wasn't exactly sure if he meant writing or cooking, but I didn't probe Joe further and left his answer at that. Lots of practice! What wonderful, simple advice!

The premise for his book, though, cooking for one might not even exist anymore. Well, at least, that's what a study from The Hartman Group says. Entitled, "Clicks & Cravings: The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture," the study says that single people who are "cooking for one" are still connecting with people through texts, social networks, or on recipe sites. In fact, 40 percent of people are getting their food advice from blogs, websites, and apps instead of their mom or family members, UPI reported.

I have mixed feelings about the study. Yes, it's true that social media helps connect people so that people are no longer eating by themselves in a room alone. But it's makes me sad to hear that people aren't going to their family members for recipes as much these days. That's my goal for this blog--to share the advice that I've gotten (and will continue to acquire) from friends and family. Hopefully, it works!

My love affair with the freezer

Yes, I know I've been away for some time. Work, wedding planning, life--although all good things---got in the way. Although I haven't been cooking as much, I've of course been eating during that time. Lately, a lot of food has been family-sized make-ahead meals that I freeze for later.

Here's what the freezer looks like right now. (Don't judge; it's a mess!)

Study: Americans cook the fastest in the world

Sad, but true. According to a recent study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Americans only spend 30 minutes cooking dinner, the lowest amount of time compared to other countries. Turks spent the most time cooking at 74 minutes per meal.

Despite the fact that one-third of Americans are obese, the United States also doesn't spend much time eating their meal (1 hour and 14 minutes), the third lowest time in the world. (see a pdf visual)

I'm all for easy home-cooked meals, but I wonder if Americans aren't enjoy the whole process -- cooking, eating, tasting.

Simple summer squash

Squash is another one of those vegetables that I hadn't truly explored until adulthood. Like a good man, squash has many good qualities: variety, beauty, and ease.

To create a simple side, skin the squash. Make sure to take off all of the outer layer; leaving the skin on sometimes turns bitter (in my opinion). Slice and butter up the pan (this is one of the rare occasions when I absolutely vote for butter over olive oil). Throw in the slices and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle on freshly ground pepper and kosher salt, and serve. Delicious!

Mint lemonade time

I think May constitutes lemonade weather. Here's my take on the traditional drink. It's simple to make and requires just a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 6 tea bags (I used Lyons tea, which was the tea Kevin drank in Ireland)
• 3 or 4 lemons
• Bunch of fresh mint
• Sugar

Instructions:

1. Boil water in a pot.
2. While the water is doing its thing, slice up the lemons and throw them into a heat-resistant container. I once used a plastic drip dispenser and the plastic disintegrated into nothingness. It was bad news.
3. Add the mint bunch and tea bags.
4. Once boiled, add the water to the container full of all the ingredients and stir.
5. After 7 minutes, remove the tea bags carefully (it'll still hot) and most of the lemons and mint, leaving a few in for decoration. Once at room temperature, cover and refrigerate.
6. When you're ready to serve, add ice and sugar (both optional). It's best not to add sugar until the end so that it doesn't settle to the bottom. Enjoy! It's much better than the store-bought kind.

All-day apple butter

Despite the name, this apple butter doesn't have butter in it. It's a jam preserve that can go with breakfast or desserts. It's especially great to make during the fall when you have more apples than you know what to do with.

Ingredients

• 5lbs. apples - enough to fill the crock pot two-thirds full(I used a mix of green, pink lady, and macintosh)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/ tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. groung nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• pinch of salt

Instructions

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

When I was in college, my roommates thought I was crazy because I would pour leftover grease fat into a glass jar or metal can and freeze it until trash day. They thought the fat jar was so gross, except that I refused to clog up the drains. I was right! ScienceDaily posted an article about how pouring fat down the drain can cause overflow sewers. More fat jars, people!

In other news, I wanted to share some favorite links for more responsible cooking/housekeeping. I keep a box in the closet for clothes donations and electronics (batteries, lightbulbs, cords, printer toner) that I periodically drop off at hardware stores, grocery markets, or local schools. You can search for any nearby drop-off stations by typing in your zip code and the item you want to recycle at Earth911.com.

But the recycling doesn't stop there. Did you know, you can't recycle the caps of water bottles but you can recycle aluminum foil? Real Simple (one of my favorite magazines) has a good online guide about how to recycle unconventional items, such as carpeting, nail clippers, and even crayons.

Hallelujah! Google recipes is here

Hallelujah! Google Recipes is here. Just like Google Videos and Photos, the search engine selects the most popular/recent recipes based on your searched term. It pulls from sites, including foodnetwork.com, food.com, epicurious.com, and my favorite, allrecipes.com. But the best part is that you can sort by the ingredients you have, time period that you want to commit, and by calories---all without leaving the page. I know I sound like an ad for Google, but there is a reason why people keep using it; it's great.

Currently reading: Cooking with Nora

I just took out another cookbook from the library, Cooking with Nora: Seasonal Menus from Restaurant Nora. Nora Pouillon is the owner-chef of two DC restaurants, including one that is Michelle Obama's favorite (President Obama surprised her with a dinner there for her 46th birthday). What's unique is that Nora has been in the business of responsible cooking, serving organic everything (food, beer, even the cotton on the tables and the waiters). I was lucky enough to have eaten there (thanks to a generous gift certificate). It was as delicious as promised.

Nora suggests the following tips for home cooking:

Beet and feta salad

Beets are another one of those things that I didn't try until a couple years ago. I'm glad I did. Here's a recipe for a tasty, easy salad:

Ingredients:

• Lettuce (I like arugula or spinach because the beets are sweet)
• Beets
• Feta cheese
• Walnuts (optional)

1. Boil the beets for about 15 minutes. I've actually never timed it because I wait until the water boils and stick a fork in a beet until it's squishy.

The dirty dozen: when to buy organic

I dream of the day when I'll be able to afford all organic food. Until I become a millionaire and own my own farm, or at least, afford to buy all my groceries at Whole Foods (i.e., Whole Paycheck), here's a list of the foods that you should aim to buy organic. It's known as the "dirty dozen," 12 fruits and vegetables that are the most at risk for contamination of pesticides. If you have to pick and choose which groceries you spend the extra money on, these are it, according to Organic.org:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

Extreme couponers: savvy or scary?

I'm in both awe and fear of extreme couponers. I worry I am two cents short of becoming this:

This is a new show on TLC all about extreme couponing. I think it's my new addiction---the show, not the extreme couponing.

Getting rid of food: Garbage disposal vs. trash

The other night, I was cleaning up after dinner and realized that I splitting up the food scraps between the trash bin and the garbage disposal. I asked myself, "Self, what's better for the environment?" Obviously, the best choice is to compost peels and cores in a compost heap, but unfortunately my current status as an apartment complex tenant isn't conductive to the compost piles similar to those like my grandfather used to keep.

Here's what Shift Your Habit has to say on the matter:

Believe it or not, it’s actually better to throw food away and have it be taken to a landfill than to turn it into puree via the kitchen sink.

Pushing food scraps into the garbage disposal does not make them disappear. It only adds to the solid waste that enters the wastewater treatment facility. This sludge not only requires additional chemicals for treatment, but when strained-out must ultimately be transported to a landfill anyway.

Unfortunately, not all sewage arrives safely at the treatment plant. Some pipes break, sending raw sewage spilling into streets, rivers, or beach areas and wreaking havoc on aquatic environments and human health and comfort.

Currently reading: Double Delicious

I'm currently reading Double Delicious: Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives by Jessica Seinfeld. I know, I know. It's you choice in whether you believe she pulled a Mark Zuckerberg, stealing the idea of her first New York Times bestseller for extolling the virtues of purees. However, it is a well-known secret ingredient to get kids (or in my case, a boyfriend) to eat veggies.

My review of the book: it was worth what I paid (i.e., a free borrowed loan from the library). There are some helpful tidbits:

• Use a cast-iron skillet. You won't need as much oil to cook your food, and you get the added bonus of more iron in your diet. (When I was running cross country many moons ago, I was iron-deficient. My doctor also told me to use cast-iron skillets or woks.)
• Store your oils in a dark, cool cabinet---not on your stove. Exposure to oxygen, heat, and light can make them rancid.
• Use purees. Start with non-green vegetables (cauliflower, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash) because you'll notice the taste less when you mix with other foods.

I will certainly try to add more veggie purees to my meals. More to come...

Gadgets for the tiny kitchen

For much of my adult life, I've been cursed with tiny kitchens, including one in Boston that was a closet converted into a gallery kitchen. Right now, I have a 8'x7' kitchen in DC; that's enough for a dishwasher, fridge, sink, and some storage and counter space. It's not much, but it's ours (or at least rented).

To conserve space or simply make our lives easier, here are some of the things that help: