Two Frugal Chicks

Here’s my trick. About 2 weeks to a month before I run out of a product I will start shopping for it on Amazon. I’ll check their price and compare it to several other websites and get an idea of what the item is selling for. Then………….I wait………………………..

Within a few days/weeks I will get an email sent to the account I have registered with Amazon telling me the items I’ve been shopping for is on sale! Then, I buy. Works almost every time. If they see me looking at it several times on different days and not purchasing it they know I’m interested. They wait me out and if I don’t buy it, they discount it for me and game on. That’s when I buy.

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With the rainy dreary weather we’ve been having lately; I’ve been in a soup mood. But I’m tired of the same old soups I’ve been making for years. So I’ve been branching out and trying new recipes. This one is a keeper. I loved it.

When I have a chance to go out for Thai food I love to order their chicken soup. I really wanted to try to make it at home and it turned out wonderful.

1 1/2 lbs chicken – I used two chicken breasts

2 T veg oil

3 stalks lemon grass – I used lemon grass in a squeeze tube I found in the produce dept

4 medium shallots – I didn’t have shallots so I used a small onion

8 sprigs cilantro – a must have

3 T fish sauce – the stuff stinks, but get past the smell cause it makes a difference if the recipe

4 C chicken broth – I used the paste from Costco added to water

2 cans coconut milk

1/2 pound white mushrooms sliced

1 T sugar

3 T lime juice

2 tsp thai red curry paste

Garnish

1/2 c cilantro leaves

2 fresh jalapeno or thai chiles seeds and ribs removed – I skipped this and it was just fine

2 green onions sliced thin – a must

1 lime cut into wedges for squeezing into soup – a must

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil and brown chicken. Remove chicken and to the same pan add the lemon grass, onions, cilantro sprigs and 1 T of fish sauce and cook for a minute or if you’re using fresh lemon grass then cook till lemon grass softens. Stir in broth and 1 can of coconut milk scraping up any bits. Add the chicken back and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 mins.  Stir the remaining can coconut milk, the mushrooms, and sugar and cook over medium heat about 3 mins till the mushrooms are tender.

Whisk the lime juice, curry paste and 2 T fish sauce together. Off the heat, whisk the mixture into the soup. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro, chiles, and green onions. Serve with lime wedges.

Super yum. We ate the whole pot in two days. Even my husband who doesn’t usually like thai food gobbled it down. It was just the right amount of spicy from the chile paste..

I love my standing mixer and this pizza dough is one of the reasons why. It kneads for 30 mins! The secret is to allow proper rising times and use a super hot oven. Perfect pizza would be a wood fired oven, but lacking that, I use a super hot oven and a pizza stone. 

This recipe comes from a book called Pizza Napoletana and I’ve used it for years. It does take a bit of planning since it has to rise twice but is so worth it I don’t mind. 

Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Preheat oven to 475 (I leave my pizza stone in the oven to reach max temp then

transfer my dough onto the hot stone which makes it crispy)

1 1/2 C warm water (105-115)

1 t active dry yeast (or half a package)

3 C all purpose flour

1 C cake flour (make your own if you don’t have any. 2 T of cornstarch in a one cup measure then fill the rest of the cup with all purpose flour. Sift together)

1 T sea salt

Combine water and yeast. Proof till it foams about 10 mins

Mix flours and salt in bowl of heavy duty stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the proofed yeast mixture to flour and knead on low for 30 mins. Shape dough in a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise 4 hours. After 4 hours punch down dough and divide into four balls in four bowls. Brush lightly with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for another 2-4 hours. Shape by pressing fingers into dough leave an edge to create a rim. Working your way around the circle I let the weight of the dough pull itself to desired thickness.

As the dough dangles, it stretches while the edge stays plump. I bake my pizza on a pizza stone. Make sure whatever pan you use it can take the heat. It cooks pretty quickly because the oven is so hot. If your oven is dirty you may wanna scrape out any loose debris cause it will likely smoke (I happen to know this from experience).

Greek Pizza

Pesto (Buy a jar at Costco and make mounds on plastic wrap and freeze in a gal ziploc so you can pull out a bit of pesto whenever you need it)

Olives

Peppercinin’s

Feta

Parmesa

Mozarella

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Hot and Sour Soup

Soak the dried mushrooms

Cook the pork

Sautee the fresh mushrooms

Simple yummy flavor

Lunch!

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

10 C shicken stock (I use chicken stock paste)

1/4 lb lean pork strips ( I used a lean pork chop )

1 T siracha

2 T soy sauce

3/4 tsp white pepper

1 egg

5 T cornstarch

small can bamboo shoots

small can water chestnuts – sliced

1 C mushrooms sliced

1 C dried mushrooms ( had some dried mushrooms I bought at Costco – it was a variety mix but any kind would do )

1 cake firm tofu

1/4 white vinegar

1/2 tsp sesame oil (I was out, but it was still yummy)

finely chopped green onions (not pictured, I was out and didn’t want to run to the store)

Pour hot water over dried mushrooms to rehydrate. Bring stock to a simmer.  Cook pork slices in skillet with a T oil. Remove pork.  In same skillet, sautee the fresh sliced mushrooms. To the stock add soy sauce,  the cooked pork, cooked mushrooms and rehydrated mushrooms chopped up and chili paste.  Simmer for 10 minutes. Add pepper, vinegar, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and chopped up tofu. Simmer 5 mins.

Mix cornstarch with 5 T water and add to the pot . Bring back to simmer and pour the slightly beaten egg in a thin stream over the surface. Let stand for 10 seconds before stirring in the sesame oil. Serve with garnish of chopped green onions.

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These will sell out fast so  hurry on over and grab one while you can.

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This week Fred Meyer is a good place to stock up on baking supplies

Fred Meyer Flour (5 lb) on sale $1.50 with weekly ad coupon – limit 2

Tillamook Cheese or Butter on sale $1.67 with weekly ad coupon – limit 6

Kroger Brown Sugar or Powdered Sugar on sale $1.50 with weekly ad coupon – limit 6

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Here’ the link http://www.truevalue.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=8353

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Time to start thinking about the holidays. This would be a nice gift for the little ones. My grand daughter Loved Veggie Tales when she was little. So cute..

I’ve been wanting one of these and this is a good price. Only $9.98. Originally $17.99. I think I’ll order a couple. .