I would describe myself as frugal. Some people might prefer the term "cheap". I'm okay with that. Especially when it leads to better food than if I had bought it pre-made. … [Read more...]
All-time Favorites
How To Make Wedge Salad
July 16, 2008 (Updated March 24, 2014) by
Lots of food trends involve expensive or hard-to-find ingredients, complicated preparation or some other reason to not try it at home. But one thing I never saw until a couple of years ago, and have since seen it dozens of places -- a pretty good definition for "trendy" -- is the wedge salad. This is the exception that proves all the rules for trendy foods: It's actually easier than a "regular" salad. … [Read more...]
How To Make Herbed Croûtons
July 16, 2008 (Updated March 24, 2014) by
I love croûtons, but not those pre-made rock-like nuggets covered with artificial flavors and colors that you find in the grocery store. I've done plain garlic croûtons once before, to go with the pizza soup. (And yes, garlic croûtons are "plain" croûtons. If you're not going to at least use garlic you might as well put some toast on your salad.) This time I did garlic and herbs. But no salt. Nearly everything needs some salt, but these do okay without it. … [Read more...]
How To Make Bacon Bits
July 15, 2008 (Updated August 7, 2014) by
Everything's better with bacon. Everything. But there's a better bacon than bacon ... Wait! Come back, I'm not crazy! Okay, now what I was trying to say before you started laughing and walking away, is that there's a better bacon than bacon ... for making bacon bits. … [Read more...]
How To Make Creamy Italian Dressing
July 14, 2008 (Updated March 23, 2014) by
If you have a bottle of store-bought creamy Italian dressing in your fridge or pantry, go take a look at the ingredients. In fact, just grab the bottle and bring it back to the computer. Go ahead, I'll wait. Now, here's how to tell if you've got a good brand. What's the first ingredient? Is it hydrogenated vegetable oil? (Corn and soy are both vegetables, so they both count.) Minus 50 points. Or maybe it's corn syrup? Also minus 50. Is either one of these ingredients in the top three? Minus … [Read more...]
