Recipe: Cure Your Cold With Onion Quiche

I get the sniffles a few times a year, usually around allergy season. Because of the timing, I generally chalk it up to pollen and try to get on with my life, but there's something about the clogging of my sinuses that leads to a general clogging of the brain, which probably explains why, on a day when I was feeling all-around miserable, I decided that the only possible solution to my woes was to cook onions into some kind of pie.

Had I had my wits about me, I might have tried to get really fancy and make this a tart (or I would have put this project aside to do when I wasn't feeling quite so far under the weather), but it's really more of a quiche, due to the unashamed use of store bought pie crust and over-application of egg. Let's call it Onion Quiche, then. Whatever it was, it fixed my sinuses and it tasted delicious, so I win double.

Deliciousness!

Fortunately, I was present enough to take some photos, which means a recipe to share.

Recipe: Peach Custard Pie

As it so often seems to happen around here, this recipe was so delicious that we gobbled it down before I remembered to take a pretty picture of the result. I did, however, find a pretty picture of fresh peaches!

And hey, the lack of a picture of the pie has got to be a good recommendation for it, right?

Nutella Mug Cake!

I admit, I am posting a link to a recipe I haven't tested and won't be able to test, because Mr. Scrimp and I don't have a microwave.

it just looks so GOOD

I know, I know! Crazy, right? Not owning a microwave? Who even does that?

It isn't something we did on purpose. We just didn't have one when we got married (there was a "wait, you don't own a microwave?" "I thought you did!" "I thought you did!" conversation), and we didn't really have the money to get one at the time*. We could buy one now, but it's been nearly two years of a no-microwave life, and I have to admit, it's grown on me as a lifestyle. Slow food is sort of de rigeur when you have no microwave. What started out as a disorganized accent has become a life choice we now actively uphold.

The one thing that does make me sad is that we will not be able to sample this particular mug of deliciousness from The Family Kitchen. A chocolate mug cake with a twist--a little extra oil and a big scoop of Nutella make for a cake that is moist, gooey, and about as decadent looking as you can get with microwave cookery.


* We did the same thing with a vacuum cleaner and made do without for over a year before a kind relative donated an unwanted one. I am not enough of a hipster to do everything the old-fashioned way just because I can.

Recipe: Apple Cake

I broke my foot on Saturday! This probably means good things for readers of my blog, because it's going to force me to do a lot less running around and being busy and a lot more sitting down and working on projects to pass the time, which means I'll have a lot more to talk about here on Scrimpalicious.

Today, I'm sharing a recipe for Apple Cake. I wish I had pictures to show you, but we ate this thing so quickly that I didn't have a chance. I originally found the recipe on AllRecipes.com, but it was cloyingly sweet and very high in fat, so I modified it. This variation on the recipe is property of your truly.

Homemade Pop Tarts

I think most people under the age of 30 love Pop Tarts, or have loved them at some point in the past. But if you're like Mr. Scrimp and me, that love has been tainted by your knowledge of how absolutely terrible they are for you--am I right? (You don't need to answer that; I know I'm right)

Pop Tarts, for me, have always fallen into that heartbreaking category of "processed foods that are impossible to make at home," along with Ecto-cooler, Little Debbie Oatmeal Cakes, and Eggo waffles. Let's just face it, people. Some foods are delicious because they are full of horrifying chemicals. And, probably thanks to their vividly colored fillings, neon sprinkles, and tooth-aching sweetness, I just always assumed Pop Tarts were one of those things.

Proof that I was wrong?

Enter the Los Angeles Times (really) and their recipe for homemade Pop Tarts--oh wait, I mean toaster pastries, because convention demands we lie to ourselves and pretend that toaster pastries that aren't Pop Tarts are still worth eating.

Are they Pop Tarts? Technically no. Stupendous Man refuses to eat store-bought organic toaster pastries and although I know he'd try these, I doubt I'd be able to manufacture something that tastes like a perfect replica to him, primarily because there are only one or two situations in which I will willingly use corn syrup and as for the rest of the crazy things they put into Pop Tarts, I don't even know how to pronounce half of those ingredients, let alone where the home cook might buy them.

Still, a toaster pastry that I can fill with my own homemade jams or jellies? Or frangipane? Or Nutella? A Nutella-filled pop tart!! You have my ear, L.A. Times. I am definitely going to give this recipe a try, and I am just going to try and ignore the fact that each one has nearly 500 calories in it. I sleep through breakfast and skip lunch on many Saturdays, making this a totally acceptable weekend breakfast because shut up.

So it might not be healthy in terms of calories, but I'd rather sit down and split a single, chemical-free homemade, Nutella-filled pop tart with Mr. Scrimp any day than stock my pantry with brand-name cancer pastries.

Recipe: Brie Quiche

I made a modified quiche lorraine for breakfast this morning, and it was so quick and easy (and delicious!) that I decided two things -- one, I will be making this much more often from now on, and two, I have to share the recipe with all of you.

I used a the frozen vegan pie crust from Whole Foods, and it turned out rich and delicious.

Recipe: Homemade Bagels

So yesterday, on Facebook, someone posted a recipe for homemade bagels.

Now, I love bagels. Love. Them. And I've always sort of been under the impression that they were very difficult to make.

I'm here to tell you now, that isn't true. Bagels are complicated, but not difficult at all. If you have any experience working with yeast doughs at all, these shouldn't give you a moment of pause, really. I don't have a ton of experience, but I'm learning, and these were fast, easy, and delicious.

Bagel sandwich at a deli or bagel place? $2-5 apiece. Homemade bagels? About $3 for 8. 

Handy Tip

So I've posted at least two bread recipes here thus far. By now, I hope you all have tried one or the other of them, or made another bread recipe of your own.

If you've ever tried making a yeast bread, you know how insane it can be to try and clean it up. Bread dough just never seems to come off of anything. If you are like me, you still haven't figured out how to deal with that. Soaking only sort of works. Hot water is a disaster. The stuff eats sponges alive. What to do?

Well, A Year in Bread will answer those questions and tell you the best way to clean up raw bread dough. Go read!

Recipe: Challah

Although my family has a Jewish background, I was raised Christian, but in spite of not being a traditionally observant Jew (although I do celebrate the big holidays), I am trying to learn how to observe some kind of sabbath.

I really love to make challah. I've recently started a goal of trying to make a loaf every Friday morning, since Fridays are a late-start day for me and I don't need to go to work until 1. That way, we have fresh bread for the weekend and something special to eat on Saturdays.

This recipe takes me about two hours, from getting out the ingredients to taking the finished loaf out of the oven to cool. It's not as sweet as a traditional challah, but we like it that way because it means we can use it for sandwiches without getting a weird overly-sweetness to it, but can also sweeten it up with a bit of honey and butter, or with jelly.

I will say, I am generally afraid of trying kneaded, yeasty breads because I have had a lot of past experiences where what I got was a heavy, dry, crumbly loaf of flavorless blah... but this recipe so far has always turned out well for me, very elastic with few crumbs.

Friday Mornings

Fridays are a late-start day for me at work. I don't go in until 1pm, but Mr. Scrimp still has to be at work by 7:30, so I have Friday mornings completely to myself.

Generally I write a Five Dollar Decor post if I haven't finished one for the week already, tool around on the Internet, maybe go to the gym,and just generally take it slow.

This morning, I had to drive Mr. Scrimp to work because my car is in the shop having its computer and brake lines replaced. I thought about going to the gym, but I wasn't feeling great. I thought about going back to bed, but I'd had a cup of tea when I got up. I thought about watching a movie, bu that's never as fun without Mr. Scrimp.

So instead, I made a loaf of challah, cleaned my kitchen and pantry, and tidied the dining room in preparation for the weekend. Normally, we just do our big cleaning jobs during the weekend, but what inevitably happens is that I get to Monday and feel like I didn't really relax. There's nothing relaxing about coming home to three days' worth of dishes, a dirty floor, and five loads of laundry.

The challah is baking, I have an hour before it's time to go to work, and now I can take my apron off without feeling irresponsible. Tomorrow, we'll have a day off the way we really ought to, with the chores and worries of the week set aside and nothing to do but get back in touch with what it means to be quiet.

Five Dollar Decor will be up, but tonight, after I get home from work and we pick up my car from the shop, probably.

In the meantime, think about planning a real day off, from housework as well as job-work--doing chores ahead so there are none to do except the most basic ones of cooking and tidying up after yourself as you go.

Shabbat Shalom!

Fleischmann's Giveaway

I really love fresh-baked bread. I've even posted the recipe for the no-knead bread that I make. I also love cookbooks (and I've done a blog post about that, too!).

I was reading the fabulous blog A Year in Bread, and blogger Farmgirl Susan posted a link to a Fleischmann's Yeast giveaway for a no-knead bread cookbook! All you need to do is go here, fill out the form, print it, and mail it with $1 for shipping and handling to the Fleischmann's Yeast company (address on the website).

This offer is only good while supplies last, so you should probably jump on it now. I know I'm going to.

Recipe: Zucchini Bread

I had this one friend in college who made amazing zucchini bread. When Mr. Scrimp and I got married, I knew I had to get her recipe and make some, because we both love it so much. I altered it here and there (for instance, I added grated apple for a little extra sweetness and because I didn't quite have enough zucchini), took a bunch of pictures, and made two batches. It was the first thing I ever baked in our house. You can tell, because in the photos everything was mixed by hand in a salad bowl. What can I say? Everything else was still packed.

Pie in a Jar!

I really like making pie, but we don't eat a lot of sweets, and with just the two of us one pie is really too much. The answer? A single-serving pie made in a jelly jar! These can be made in a large batch, frozen, and pulled out to cook one or two at a time when you're ready to eat some.

We also really like pot pie, which can also be made as single servings in a jar and frozen until you're ready to cook them. I don't have a problem with frozen, pre-made food--as long as we're making it ourselves.

Check out the Our Best Bites blog for directions, a ton of great photos, recipe variations, and more.

Happy Monday, everyone. Have a great day!

Recipe: Pain au Chocolat... sort of

We lived in France when I was little, and it shaped a lot of things about me. I haven't been back, although I often wish we had the means to go. There was a fair amount of pidgin French spoken in my house when I was growing up, and we ate a lot of French food, watched French movies, and read French books.

I think my dad has never quite gotten over having to leave behind the pâtisseries of Paris. He'll occasionally go out early in the morning and pick up croissants or pains au chocolat and bring them home to have for breakfast with a strong cup of coffee.

I woke up this morning with a sudden urge for pain au chocolat (often just called chocolate croissants in America). Now, I've tried to make croissants before, and never done particularly well at it. Puff pastry is a finicky, time-consuming, demanding thing to make, and I didn't feel like putting in all that effort for a breakfast that would be, as a result, way after breakfast time. But there was a roll of puff pastry in my freezer left over from some brie en croute that my mother-in-law made for a Christmas party we threw, so I pulled it out and started improvising. They aren't real, as I said to Mr. Scrimp while we gobbled them up, but they're delicious.

Shortbread Buttons

Well, I've just finished making eight jars of jelly, and Mr. Scrimp is making us a delicious dinner involving lots and lots of fresh veggies and a little bit of sausage (mm).

But I hopped on the computer for just a minute and found, on CraftGossip, a link to a recipe and how-to for these adorable shortbread button cookies, designed by blogger forty-sixth at grace.

I love shortbread to death. It's one of the easiest types of cookie to make, and pretty much always comes out delicious. I will definitely be making these in the near future.

Recipe: No-Knead Bread

I love bread, especially the homemade kind, but I can't ever seem to knead it right and so when I make it, it's always too crumbly and lacks elasticity. I'd try using a dough hook, but I haven't got any sort of electric mixer.

So, when I want fresh bread at home, I make no-knead bread, based on the recipe in the New York Times. It couldn't be easier, and it turns out a delicious loaf every time.

No-Knead Bread (makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I found bread flour did not result in as good a texture)
• 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 5/8 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Dough will be very sticky. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 12-18 hours. 12 is probably still a little too short, because in the absence of kneading the gluten in the bread is being broken down by yeast alone and that takes a fair amount of time.

When the dough is dotted all over with many small bubbles, it's ready. Coat the dough with flour and fold it in half once or twice and let it rest for another 15 minutes or so.

Shape the dough into a ball, seam side down, and put it in a dutch oven or other heavy, oven-safe pot that has a lid. Dust with flour again if necessary and let rise for another 2-3 hours.

Bake at 450 degrees--30 minutes with cover and another 15-20 minutes uncovered to brown. You will want to check this frequently because cooking time will differ slightly depending on the pot you cook it in. Finished bread will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Recipe: Apple Pie

Well, I've posted recipes for an entree and a soup so far. Seems like now would be a good time to give you a recipe for dessert.

Mr. Scrimp and I are currently enjoying the last leftovers of an apple pie that I made for Thanksgiving. However, don't let the fact that Thanksgiving is over stop you from making this. It's too delicious to only eat once a year!

Apple Pie (6-8 servings)

Ingredients

• 4-7 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced medium-thin
  
• 3/4 cup sugar (for a more tart pie, use slightly less)
•  2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• Pinch of salt
• 2 unbaked 8-inch pie shells
• Butter

Prepare or buy pie crust. If you prepare your pie crust at home, place it in an 8-inch pie tin and set aside.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Working in small batches, dredge apple slices in the dry mixture and arrange in pie tin until a single layer of apples covers the bottom. Cut four or five small slivers of butter and lay on top of apples. Repeat, alternating layers of apple slices and butter until pie shell is full or apples are gone. End with a layer of butter.

Roll out the second pie crust. If you wish, use cookie or fondant cutters to cut a shape out of its center and place it on top of the pie, wetting outside edges and crimping to seal.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, and then turn heat down to 350 and bake until pie crust is golden brown.

If you don't feel up to making a whole pie, make a single crust and half the filling. Roll the crust into a circle, fill it with apples/spice mixture, and fold in half, crimping edges to seal and forming a semicircle. Bake at 400 until crust is just browned--voila, turnover!