Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce and Meatballs

Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce and Meatballs
Serves 4
Ingredients

• about 8 oz of pasta
• 2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 6 oz can of tomatoe paste
• 2 onions
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 tsbp of vegetable oil
• 1 slice of bread, crumbled
• 1 egg
• 12-16 oz of ground beef
• oregano, basil, or Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper

1. Chop the onions and garlic.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan and add 3/4 of the onions and 1/2 of the garlic, cooking until tender.
3. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato pasta and cover, simmering for 30 minutes.
4. While the sauce is cooking, mix the remaining onion and garlic with the bread crumbles, egg and beef. Form into 24-26 golf ball sized meatballs.
5. Cook the meatballs on a cookie sheet on 350F for 20 minutes.
6. Cook the pasta according to the instructions.
7. Drain the pasta and cover with the sauce and meatballs, seasoning liberally with the spices.

Modified from http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pasta/spaghetti-sauce/

The site that I got this recipe from has a bunch of variations that are worth checking out. I wanted to make meatballs with onion and garlic, though, and this was a good one. The meatballs taste a lot like meatloaf, which makes sense because my own meatloaf recipe looks a lot like the recipe for the meatballs. 

I think next time I'll make more pasta and use actual bread slices instead of really hard French bread.

Pasta, 1/2 of a box at $1.09/box = $0.55 at Fred Meyer

2 onions: $1.18 at Fred Meyer

Garlic, 1/2 bulb at $0.33/bulb = $0.17 st Fred Meyer

2 cans of diced tomatoes: $1.20 at Fred Meyer

1 can of tomato paste: $0.85 at Fred Meyer

1 lb of ground beef: $5.08 at Fred Meyer

1 egg of 12 at $4.18/carton = $0.35 at Fred Meyer

Vegetable Oil, about $0.10

Total Cost: $9.48 for 4 servings or $2.37 per serving

Caribbean Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Onions

Caribbean Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients

• 2 lbs of chicken breast, about 4 breasts
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic bulb, broken into whole cloves
• 3 tbsp of brown sugar
• 3 tbsp of lime juice
• 1 bottle of chili sauce
• 1/2 tsp of ground ginger*
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp of red cayenne ground pepper*
• aluminium foil
• 1 cake pan, about 9" by 13"

*omit for a less spicy dish

1. Slice the sweet potatoes into thin slices and the onion into strips. Set aside with the garlic.
2. Combine the chili sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, ginger and red pepper together and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Line the pan with the foil - this is to collect the juices and prevent the pan from burning.
5. Spread the vegetables in the pan and cover with 2/3 of the sauce.
6. Cover the pan with more foil and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
7. While the vegetables are cooking, cut the chicken into strips or chunks.
8. After 20 minutes, pull out the pan, add the chicken and the rest of the sauce to the vegetables and recover with the foil.
9. Cook for another 40 minutes and then serve.

I don't think there's anything inherently Caribbean about this dish but I've called it that for so many years that I can't call it anything else. I generally dislike spicy dishes but I make an exception for this one - the sauce is probably my favorite part.

Overall this takes about 2 hours to make. It's best done on the weekend and if I make a whole batch, with or without chicken, it's enough to feed me for a week.

Timing-wise, it's possible to add the chicken at the beginning, but I find the chicken can dry out too much in one hour and if the pan is in for only 40 minutes, the sweet potatoes tend to be hard.

Of course, I've also cooked this for an hour with no chicken at all and it was just as delicious. If I don't need to worry about the meat, the sweet potatoes and onions can be in the oven for as long as I want.

4 Chicken Breasts: $8.19 at Fred Meyer
2 Sweet Potatoes: $1.53 at Fred Meyer
1 Onion: $0.97 at Fred Meyer
1 Garlic Bulb: $0.33 at Fred Meyer
Lime Juice, 1/4 of a bottle at $0.99/bottle = $0.25 at Fred Meyer
Brown Sugar, 1/10 of a bag at $1.99/bag = $0.20 at Fred Meyer
Heinz Chili Sauce: $2.53 at Fred Meyer
Total Cost: $14 for 4 servings or $3.50 per serving

The Seal Pup Felting Project - Part 3

Round 2 of the Seal Pups went better.

The body is shorter:

The head is bigger:

 And better placed:

The body is curved and not flat:

The front flippers help support the body:

And the back flippers are up:

This looks more like a seal than a voodoo doll:

I still have all of the detail work to do but so far, I've improved in my felting abilities.

Time spent: about 20 minutes.

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup
Serves 4

• 3 large red onions or 4 medium ones
• 1 quart of beef stock
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• pinch of sugar
• 1/3 cup of apple cider (or red wine)
• 2 tbsp of French or Italian seasonings and a bay leaf
• 1 chopped garlic clove or 1 tsp garlic power
• Parmesan cheese (or other type of shredded cheese)
• Thick bread (optional)
• Brie or other type of soft cheese (optional)

1. Cut the red onions into long strips from pole to pole
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottom pot on medium to medium high heat
3. Add all of the onions and cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring constantly
4. After 10 minutes, add the sugar to help caramelize the onions
5. After the 35-40 minutes, add the apple cider or wine and scrap the brown fonds from the bottom and sides of the pot into the liquid
6. Add the stock, seasonings and garlic and cook for another 20 minutes
7. Slice the bread and soft cheese and arrange on a plate
8. Serve the hot soup in a bowl with Parmesan on top and enjoy with the bread and cheese

I love my mom's homemade soup. It takes an hour to cook and and the constant stirring is tiring but this soup is delicious! So much better than soup from the French Onion mix... It makes for good leftovers as well.

This is possibly my favorite recipe that I've ever made.

4 red onions: $3.90 at Fred Meyer

3 cups of beef stock + 1 more cup: $3.28 + $1.09 = $4.37 at Fred Meyer

Apple Cider, 1/5 of a carton at $3.69/carton = $0.74 at Fred Meyer

Vegetable Oil, about $0.15

Seasonings, about $0.50

Parmesan, about $0.30

Garlic Powder, about $0.15

Sugar, about $0.05

Total Cost for Soup: $10.16 for 4 servings or $2.54 per serving

1/2 loaf of French Bread at $1.99/loaf = $1.00 at Fred Meyer

1/2 wheel of Brie Cheese at $6.49/wheel = $3.25 at Fred Meyer

Total Cost for the whole meal: $14.41 for 4 servings or $3.60 per serving

Bento Box #8: Pesto Soba with Broccoli and Aspargus

Bento Box #8: Pesto Soba with Broccoli and Aspargus
Serves 3
Ingredients

• 1 head of broccoli
• 6 oz of soba noodles 
• 5 tbsp pesto
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 lb of asparagus

1. Slice the broccoli into florets and cut off the ends of the aspargus.
2. Cook the soba for 5 minutes. 
3. Add the broccoli and asparagus to the pot and cook for another 2-3 minutes until tender.
4. Drain and mix well with the pesto and balsamic vinegar.
5. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Modified from http://curtainsandcoathooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/bento-box-5-tortellini-with-pesto-and.html

This turned out pretty well - soba noodles are light weight and don't feel starchy. The vegetables here are steamed and pretty tender, while the pesto and balsamic vinegar are well balanced and don't overpower the dish. This even refrigerates and reheats well, meaning I can make it on Sunday and have lunch made until Thursday. Paired with an apple or banana, this lunch is pretty healthy and filling.

I'll definitely be making this again and at under $2, it's one of my cheaper lunch dishes.

1 head of broccoli: $1.30 at Fred Meyer

1/2 of a packet of soba at $1.59/packet = $0.80 at Uwajimaya

Pesto, 1/2 of a jar at $3.19 = $1.60 at Safeway

Balsamic Vinegar, 1/5 of a jar at $2.95 = $0.60 at Safeway

1/2 lb of asparagus at $ 3.01/lb = $1.50 at Fred Meyer

Total Cost: $5.80 for 3 servings or $1.93 per serving

Other entries in this series:

Bento Box #1: Sushi Rice, Stir Fried Broccoli, Carrots and Water Chestnuts, Grape Tomatoes and Tamago 

Bento Box #2: Edamame Salad with Rice 

Bento Box #3: Edamame Salad with Onigiri 

Bento Box #4: Corn and Black Bean Salad 

Bento Box #5: Tortellini with Pesto and Broccoli 

Bento Box #6: Broccoli and Rice Stir-Fry
Bento Box #7: Penne with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

The Seal Pup Felting Project - Part 2

Seal Pups: 1/3 done

Things I've Learned:

1. The body needs to be shorter
2. The head needs to be bigger and not as far back
3. The back flippers need to be turned sideways
4. Using the bead eyes is a good idea
5. Felting wisps is really hard

One down, two to go!

Bento Box #7: Penne with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Bento Box #7: Penne with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Serves 3
Ingredients

• 1/2 box of penne pasta, about 1/2 lb. 

• about 1 carton of cherry tomatoes

• about 4 oz soft mild goat cheese

• basil or other spices (optional)

1. Cook the pasta according to instructions until tender, then drain but do not rinse
2. Cut the tomatoes in half and set aside
3. If not already crumbled, cut the goat cheese into small pieces
4. Mix the pasta with the goat cheese, letting the cheese melt on the pasta
5. Toss with the tomatoes and seasonings then serve

Modified from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pasta-with-Tomatoes-and-Goat-Cheese-103833

Another miss. For sure, the pasta is easy to have at hand and it is a good way to use up tomatoes but the taste doesn't justify the cost of the cheese. True, cheese is expensive. Still, if I want to keep these dishes under $2.50 per meal, I need to do better.

1/2 box of penne at $1.07/box = $0.53 at Fred Meyer

Goat Cheese: $4.99 at Fred Meyer

Cherry Tomatoes: 4/5 of a carton at $2.99/carton = $2.40 at Safeway

Total Cost: $7.92 for 3 servings or $2.64 per serving

Other entries in this series:

Bento Box #1: Sushi Rice, Stir Fried Broccoli, Carrots and Water Chestnuts, Grape Tomatoes and Tamago 

Bento Box #2: Edamame Salad with Rice 

Bento Box #3: Edamame Salad with Onigiri 

Bento Box #4: Corn and Black Bean Salad 

Bento Box #5: Tortellini with Pesto and Broccoli 

Bento Box #6: Broccoli and Rice Stir-Fry

The Seal Pup Felting Project - Part 1

One pup is mostly done, according to the instructions:

The body is measured 7" by 3", rolled into a wedge 2.5" long. One side should be thicker than the other. That... didn't exactly happen.

Felting is essentially stabbing a barbed needle into wool a lot of times. Somehow, this works.

Rolling the head was a bit harder than the body:

The head should really be further down, almost hanging off the body:

I felted more wool onto the 'chest' of the seal:

 

Flippers:

 

The completed body:

When I handed this to a friend, she thought it was a voodoo doll:

The whole thing took about half an hour. I still have about 15 minutes' worth of work left to do - mostly the face. Surprisingly (for me, anyway), this was a pretty simple project... so far.