Spuds On Fire

I'm just not willing to let this meager summer go...not yet anyway! So, I made classic burgers the other night. You know when you get one of those cravings? And along with it I wanted fries--something good, crisp, different, but without the frying and vat of oil!

Thank goodness I saved this recipe from Food52. The timing was perfect! Check it out. Get rid of the frozen, soggy, mushy carb sticks--get real! Literally! Nothing could be easier for off-campus cooking--prepped in minutes, cheap, cheap, cheap, delicious thru and thru.

Slapfries With Sirachanaise

Equipment:

Cookie sheet with rim

Large mixing bowl

Ingredients:

3-4 baking potatoes, cut into long fries

4 Tbls olive oil

Spices:

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

Dipping Sauce:

2 Tbls mayonnaise 

1 tsp Siracha (or I used Hot Garlic Chili Paste)

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands & the potatoes.

2. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

3. Slice potatoes into 1/4" horizontal sheets, then 1/4" vertically for that classic long, thin, fry look.

4. Add fries to mixing bowl with spices and oil.

5. Toss to coat and spread single layer onto lightly greased cookie sheet. 

6. Bake 35 minutes, turning every 10 min to avoid sticking to pan.

7. Crisp to your preference.

8. Combine mayo and hot sauce in a bowl.

9. Enjoy an awesome new way to eat fries! 

PS. I have no idea why they're called slapfries other than the flavor hits you in the face! In a good way!

Cherry Clafouti

You just have to take advantage of this summer's bounty--farmers' markets, fruits, veggies, sunshine, outdoors--see what your local area offers and use it as much as you can!

Support Georgia Peaches. Michigan Cherries. Washington Apples. Maine Blueberries. Local Sweet Corn. Rainier Cherries. Apricots. Raspberries. Blackberries. Whatever! Wherever you are! Go for it!

These crops are fresh, naturally sweet, bursting with vitamins, and delicious--so, don't settle for a lesser ingredient!

That said, I went and bought 2 lbs of cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberry, and decided I would post a refreshing, simple and classic French fruit dessert that's easy for any level cooking skill. Better yet, you almost always have the ingredients on hand!

In fact, our son, Jon, made this as a high school student when he decided to pursue French as a second language--as a pot-luck party or class activity prior to heading to Paris that summer--that's how easy this recipe is!! This is like a combo of pancake, crepe, pudding with cherries--yep, pretty good! It' just one more option for summer fruit!

Disclaimer:
The photos below don't necessarily include all steps, because I was not happy with the original recipe, so I went to the goddess of French Cooking, the infamous Julia Childs, and used her version.

Cherry Clafouti--A Classic French Dessert

Equipment:
Oven-proof Baking Dish, well-buttered
--ie Pyrex 9" x 13" rectangular, or , 9" or 10" diameter cake pan
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Cherry Pitter or Paring Knife

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar, divided
3 eggs
1 Tbls vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour

2-3 cups cherries, pitted and halved (there is a tool for this but I used a small knife)

Note: raspberries, blueberries work equally as well especially if trying to avoid the hassle of prep!

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Preheat your oven 350F degrees.
3. Butter your baking dish.
4. Combine the milk, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and flour in a mixing bowl or blender.

(Note: If you don't like the clumps, you can pour your batter into the baking dish thru a sieve.)

5. Pour 1/4 inch layer of batter into your prepared dish. Set remainder aside.

6. Bake this layer for 7-9 minutes, just until it begins to set.
7. Prep your cherries while you wait (no pun intended)!

8. Remove from oven and sprinkle your cherries over the top. Leave the oven on!

9. Sprinkle cherries with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar.
10. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries.
11. Finish baking for 40 - 55 minutes until clafouti is puffed and brown. A knife should come out clean when inserted to the center.

12. Allow to set and cool slightly. Add your powdered sugar, a dollop of whipping cream, and serve warm.

Enjoy summer! Enjoy friends! Enjoy sharing a meal!

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes

It is still in the 40's in Chicago these days as we approach May 2014.
But like everyone else I am craving sun, warmth and getting outside.
C'mon it's Easter for crying out loud and we are all wearing parkas.

Well, no use yammering.
I decided to begin looking at summer flavors.
And Bobby Flay's 'Burgers, Fries, and Shakes' had just the answer for anyone and any college student with hankering for summer, milkshakes and the great outdoors:

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake!

This is one delicious, decadent recipe that is made in minutes and will have you believing that you are sitting next to the campfire.  And it's the easiest fool-proof way to make perfect toasted marshmallows at home.  If you love vanilla, stick with pure toasted marshmallow flavors, but I used chocolate instead, drizzled a little melted chocolate and crumbled some grahams to turn this into a drinkable s'more shake!  You'll see.

Equipment:
Nutri-Bullet / Magic-Bullet (or other blender)
Oven (with Broil setting)
Cookie sheet
Parchment Paper
PAM Spray

Ingredients:
(1 serving)
9 large marshmallows, toasted, gooey, and warm
1/4 cup whole milk
1 Tbls whipping cream (optional)
1 3/4 cups packed chocolate ice cream

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with PAM spray.

3. Set your oven to 'BROIL' and set oven rack in middle.
4. Layer your marshmallows in single layer.

5. Place in oven for 20-30 secs until golden brown. DO NOT WALK AWAY!
6. WATCH THIS VERY CLOSELY--LITERALLY TAKES SECONDS!

7. Remove the sheet and turn each marshmallow and broil for another 10-20 secs until golden brown.

8. Combine milk, (cream), ice cream and 7-8 marshmallows into your blender cup.

9. Pulse for 30-45 secs.

10. Pour into your glass and top it off with marshmallow, chocolate sauce and grahams. Or be vanilla!

11. SUMMER IS COMING. Be prepared.

Case For Cooking

Through the years I have been a huge believer in teaching kids about finance well before they hit college.  We started our kids off in their pre-teens with envelopes and budgeting their meager allowance into Spending, Charity, and Savings.  As they grew up into high school, allowance went away at age 16, but they were allowed to start a job.  During their senior year in high school each of the boys received a weekly budget for bus fare, school lunches, necessities, haircuts, school supplies--you get the point!

The goal of this process was to accustom them to being responsible and getting a taste of managing their money, even if only a small amount--they were encouraged to set aside automatic debits to their stock accounts--one son did well turning 300 investment in Dicks Sporting into a 700 dollar return that he promptly put in 6 shares of Apple that netted him a total amount of approx 3000 when all was said and done.

The other son burns holes in his pockets with cash--but even his limited saving paid for his volunteer trip to save the Sea Turtles last year with Rustic Pathways--so as to the success of our feeble financial education, I'm not 100% sure; but they did get the message that money should not control you.

Rather "your hard-earned money needs to be working for you" at all times--in a stock account, investing in property, passive income, developing your talents, getting better interest rates, Roth IRA, etc.--and the more your money works for you, the less you will be working for money.
We will see how successful we were when our last son embarks on his own next year June 2014.

As college begins, having these habits in place--paying yourself first, thinking about your expenses (most of which are dependent on you and your spending) in terms of wants vs. necessities, and living frugally (but not miserly) becomes critical if you are branching out on your own.

As in the previous financial link I provided from The Empowered Dollar and the blog I posted...take charge of your budget--start learning, start planning and thinking of ways to improve your cash-flow, even if it is meager at this point--developing those habits with little income will be the foundation of continuing those habits with a bigger paycheck.

As for the link that I am sharing today discusses, one of the first places to look for hidden expenses is FOOD costs!  This is where cooking skills, even if only a few, will stretch your budget a long way, and help you avoid the unnecessary costs of pre-made, pre-packaged, processed foods or eating out when you really can't afford to.

I know I have stated this before, but it is nice to see that others in the financial blogging sector think similarly!  Next to housing expenses, food costs, either groceries or eating out, is the second largest expense for most Americans.

Be curious and check out this blog snippet from www.20somethingfinance.com; and, if you have the time, I would encourage you to systematically read his entire "summer" project titled 'Summer of Savings'.  Great advice from someone in your shoes!

http://20somethingfinance.com/save-money-on-food-groceries/

Other bloggers worth looking at

---- www.budgetsaresexy.com
---- www.financialsamurai.com

Eat Well. Stay Hungry. Dream big. Don't Settle.

Your money could be doing a whole lot more for than going down the toilet!

M Is For Mango Lassi

Not all weekends are meant for cooking especially as summer comes to an end.  Enjoy every last drop of sunshine before the cold sets in again, but don't go hungry!  And this quick recipe is just what I'm talking about--throw it all in the blender or Magic Bullet and go--M is for Mango Lassi.  Enjoy!

Equipment:

Magic Bullet type blender

Knife, for chopping mango

Ingredients:

3/4 cup 1% Milk

1/2 cup Vanilla or Plain Greek Yoghurt

1 tsp honey

1 cup of chopped fresh mango

3-4 ice cubes

Redi-Whip if you want to be fancy

Instructions:

Combine in a blender.

Push button.

Head out the door.