Bisque. It’s gotten a bad rap. Rich, creamy, laden with calories.
If your refined palette demands a creamier texture here is a secret cooking ingredient: Evaporated Milk. It’s got a rich, velvety mouth feel that mimics cream in soups, but it’s got a fraction of the calories. And it’s shelf stable, so you can always keep a few on-hand.
Butternut Carrot Bisque
Ingredients:
1 bag of cut up Butternut Squash (about 22 ounces- About the same amount of flesh from one medium sized Butternut Squash)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 T. butter
10 oz Wild Veggie™ Carrot Puree
4 cups Stock (your choice, I either use vegetable stock or chicken stock)
Salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg to taste
Directions:
In a large stockpot, saute onion in butter until the onions are translucent.
Add in butternut squash and continue to cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until squash is soft.
Add remaining ingredients, and cook on low for 20-30 minutes, allowing flavors to blend.
Prior to serving, process in a blender in batches (I use our Ninja), or use an immersion blender.
Serve steaming hot with biscuits. YUM!
This also freezes really well, so if you have leftovers, freeze them for a night that’s begging for soup!
Zut Alors! I wrote a few weeks back about how you can save money by ditching the ‘Bux habit, but I wanted to share a few quick, easy coffee recipes with you using freshly brewed coffee. We ditched our Mr. Coffee a few years back and opted to embrace the French Press.
The great people over at L&Z and Tomoson recently gave me the opportunity to try out the the Francois et Mimi 50oz Glass French Press. For those unfamiliar with a French press, it looks like this:
It’s a glass pot held by a metal “cage” with a heat proof handle. The lid contains a plunger with a fine mesh to contain all of the grounds in the bottom of the pot (and not in your cup) once the plunger has been depressed all the way.
Making Coffee in A French Press is a cinch:
Place 3 scoops of coffee grounds in the bottom of the glass pot.
Heat water in a pot or tea kettle until it is VERY HOT, but not boiling (about 30 second from boil- if you are using a tea kettle to heat your water, you’ll get familiar with the “I’m almost boiling” gurgle. If you are heating water on the stove in a pot, you want the water to have tiny bubbles that have yet to “pop”).
Pour hot water over grounds and put the lid on the pot, but do not depress the plunger.
After about 4 minutes, depress the plunger and the coffee is ready to drink.
The Francois et Mimi French Press is awesome because it’s 50 ounces, while most French Presses are 12-20 ounces. 50 ounces is comparable to a standard drip coffee pot. That means the Mr. and I can actually share a pot of coffee without one of us sneaking back into the kitchen after the first cup and finishing the pot (Our former French Press was only 24 ounces, which makes about 2 1/2 coffee cups of coffee).
So now you know how to make coffee in the French press here are a few ways to fancy up your cuppa Joe.
Quick & Easy Misto (aka a Cafe au Lait)
Ingredients:
20 ounces Hot Coffee (prepared however you like)
1 cup milk (whatever kind you like, I prefer whole or 2%).
Sweetener, if desired
Ground Nutmeg or Cinnamon, if desired
Directions:
In a heat proof cup, heat milk for approx. 30 seconds in the microwave.
Froth milk in a Magic bullet, blender, or using an Milk Frother. This takes about 30 seconds. The more fat the milk contains, the foamer the milk gets. Fat free milk (either dairy or non-dairy) does not get too frothy.
Pour Hot Coffee into your serving cup. Add your sweetener and stir. This is a great time to try a new sweetened syrup!
Using a spoon, Push frothed milk to the side and pour milk over the coffee.
Top with Foam if desired.
Get extra fancy and sprinkle the top of the foam with nutmeg or cinnamon!
Hot, frothy milk!The finished product, time for breakfast!
Quick & Easy Mocha: If you love a Cafe Mocha to start your day, simply add 2 T. of your favorite Chocolate milk mix to the milk before your heat and froth it. Follow the same directions as above.
If you like your coffee a little stronger, add an extra scoop of grounds into the French Press during the brewing process.
Because the French Press does not have a heat mechanism to keep the coffee hot throughout the day, you may want to pour the coffee into an insulated carafe. Because there is no heating mechanism, if you make an iced coffee using the remaining coffee (if there is any!) later in the day, the coffee will not be thick, bitter, or tar like (think about the coffee in your work place break room about 3pm- EEK!).
Cooled/leftover French Press coffee makes GREAT iced coffee. Simply pour over ice, add any milk and sweetener/syrup you’d like and serve. YUM!
For an Iced Mocha, mix 2 T. of your favorite Chocolate milk mix to the milk before adding it to your ice and coffee.
I love the Torani Sugar Free syrups, they come in over 40 flavors and most of them are great in coffee. We like the following flavors:
Irish Coffee (it’s non-alcoholic)
Caramel
Hazelnut
French Vanilla
Brown Sugar Cinnamon (Takes just like a cinnamon Dulce Latte from Starbucks)
Almond
Pumpkin Spice
Coconut (it’s good in a mocha)
I want to thank the great people over at L&Z and Tomoson for the chance to review this rad French Press. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a 50 ounce French Press free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.
I’d love to hear about your favorite coffee recipes. Leave a comment and share how you dress up your Cuppa Joe!
We eat a lot of berries, especially when they are on sale. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered the Driscoll Advisory Panel!
It’s quick and easy to join. Sign up here, and after you enjoy a package of Driscoll berries, just visit the website and enter the traceability code or scan the QR code at the bottom on the carton to take the survey.
You’ll earn coupon with each survey you take! Sign up and you’ll automatically score a .50/1 coupon!
Rewards Club members enjoy: -Special offers & a birthday gift -Get access to sweepstakes & contests -New & exclusive recipes, health & wellness tips, and more -A monthly e-newsletter
With all of the berry sales coming up, you’ll find tons of chances to buy Driscoll Berries! You’ll be taking surveys and earning coupons in no time!
This week, Ralphs has Strawberries for $1.88- after the .50/1 coupon you can print after you sign up that’s only $1.38 per pound- that’s a good deal. And if you are an ORGANIC eater- Rejoice! These codes are on Driscoll’s Organic berries too! I’ll be posting a recipe featuring berries this weekend!
Whomever coined the term “morning sickness” either had never been pregnant or couldn’t tell time. I’ve been really nauseous lately all the time, so I’ve been cooking a lot of dinners that I haven’t been eating. Most of my evening meals have comprised of cold cereal and a splash of whole milk.
However, I made an awesome, easy Frittata last night that smelled so good, I actually ate about a quarter of it.
I love making Frittatas. They are super easy to make, and you can use basically anything in your kitchen. Veggies, cheese, and protein of any type. Frittatas are gluten free, and can be made vegetarian (but not vegan, since they do have eggs as a major ingredient).
Here is the recipe that I cobbled together. I didn’t write anything down, I just rummaged through the fridge and pulled out stuff that looked good together. I chose the yellow potatoes because when they cook, they have a rich, creamy texture without adding tons of empty calories (Potatoes are high in potassium, which his mama needs to keep the charlie horses at bay).
Easy Frittata (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
6 eggs
3/4 cup Milk (use whatever kind you normally use- soy, cow’s milk, whatever)
1/2 lb turkey sausage (or your fav. breakfast sausage)
2 T. butter, divided
8-10 small yellow potatoes, chopped into small pieces (you can leave the skin on)
1 16oz bag of peppers and onions
1T minced garlic
1 ripe tomato, roughly chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (If you are watching calories, opt for a low cal. cheese)
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large oven proof skillet, cook sausage per package directions. Once sausage is cooke, remove from the pan, chop into bite size pieces and set aside (You can also use pre-cooked sausage- just heat it up and cut into bite sized pieces).
Deglaze the pan with a scant 1/4 c. water. scrape the yummy brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the potatoes and 1 T butter. Cook the potatoes on medium/low until the potatoes are “al dente”.
Add the remaining butter, garlic, and the onions/peppers. Continue to cook on medium heat until the veggies are soft, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, add the sausage back into the pan.
Pour the reserved egg mixture over the veggies, and sprinkle with a touch of garlic powder (if desired).
Top with the chopped tomatoes and cheese
Place the entire oven proof skillet in the oven, bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
Serve right away with a small green salad or with fruit. I love frittata topped with fresh salsa and a little plain greek yogurt or sour cream.
And here are some shots before we demolished it. If you can’t eat it all in one meal, you can always stash the leftover in the fridge and eat it cold, or re-heat it in the microwave. It’s good for breakfast too!
This is a super yummy salad that is easy to prepare and can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. I used green red and orange peppers but feel free to use whatever color bell peppers you can find in your local supermarket.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa ( I used red quinoa)
2 cups water or broth, your choice
3 bell peppers, cleaned and diced
1/4 cup oil, your choice (I used corn oil)
1/4 cup vinegar, you choice (I used pomegranate, but balsamic would be good too)
1/4 cup stone ground mustard
Pepper and salt to taste
(optional 1/4 c. feta or goat cheese crumbled)
Directions:
Cook quinoa in water or broth as indicated on package directions.
Once quinoa is cooked refrigerate until cool.
In a large bowl mix cooked chilled quinoa and bell peppers set aside.
In a small bowl mix oil, vinegar, and mustard until combined.
Pour over quinoa mixture and stir to combine. Taste and salt and pepper as needed.
Store in refrigerator for at least four hours prior to serving.
Delicious as a side dish or top a green salad with this mixture to make a large entree salad.
Because of this salad is a vegan (sans cheese, of course), vegetarian, and gluten free it is a great option for a potluck with friends or family.
This recipe makes six side dish servings or three main dish servings
One way to keep on the frugal track is to meal plan. If you’ve never meal planned before, it can seem daunting. Here are just a few tips to get started.
Inventory your pantry, freezer, and fridge. I use these worksheets. I keep them in plastic sheaths taped to the fridge and inside the cupboard. That way you know what you’ve got on hand without having to dig. I update them every week.
Check out your favorite grocery stores weekly circular online before you hit the market. You may find that chicken is on sale that week- in that case, plan to cook more dishes that involve chicken. To save the most amount of money, eat what is in season and what is on sale!
Make a list of the types of dishes that your family already enjoys. Make a list of the ingredients for each recipe. Check off the ingredients you already have on hand.
Gather up some recipes that you’ve wanted to try for a while. Make a list of the ingredients the recipes call for that you don’t have on hand. I try to add in one new recipe each week.
Decide what you want to cook for dinner each night (based on what’s on sale, recipes your family likes, and maybe 1-2 recipes that you’d like to try that are new to you). I try to have one night where we eat up leftovers. I also make a green salad to go with dinner that night.
Plan on having the ingredients for a few easy meals on reserve in the pantry/freezer. Sometimes your day goes south and you don’t have the time/energy to make what’s on the menu for a certain night. Having something easy to make waiting in the wings keeps you out of the drive-thru! I try to plan the extra meals around stuff that we already have in the cupboard. If you don’t have any “extra” food, plan on buying the ingredients for 1 extra meal each week for a month. It can be as simple as a can of soup and grilled cheese- No need to be gourmet every night!
Write a list of all of the ingredients that you need for your weeks menu that you do not have on hand.
Look online and in inserts for coupons. To save time, use a Coupon Database to locate coupons. I like Couponmom’s Coupon Database– it’s separated by state!
It can take a few weeks to a month to get into the meal planning groove. Give yourself grace and realize that it doesn’t come easy to everyone!
Now, if that is too much work, there are websites (and companies) dedicated to helping you meal plan. eMeals is one of them- It’s not free, but it’s pretty cheap ($5/week or so). They ask you a bunch of questions about your family, diet, and where you live and they supply you with grocery lists based on your dietary needs and where you live and shop.
I’m going to try to publish a recipe at least once a week. Some of these may seem familiar to those who have eaten in my kitchen before. Most of these recipes are family favorites with a healthy twist.
Ingredients:
1 T. butter
1 T. diced garlic
1 bag Birdseye Recipe Ready Mirepoix OR 1/2 cup each, chopped: white onion, celery, & carrots
1 red or green bellpepper, diced
1 1/2 cups brown rice
4 cups water or broth (I used homemade chicken broth)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 T. Cajun Seasoning
Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt butter and add garlic. Cook until fragrant (about 5 minutes)
Add Mirepoix and pepper. Cook on medium until onions are clear.
Add rice and liquid, cook on medium, stirring often, for 30-35 minutes, until rice is tender.
Add black beans, and cook until beans are heated.
Add Cajun Seasoning and serve.
This makes 6-8 servings. It’s yummy!
*To make it vegan,use coconut oil in place of butter, and use veggie broth instead of chicken broth.
We eat a lot of berries, especially when they are on sale. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered the 
Hewes Family Fun 