Kate's Cuisine

Laura’s Cauliflower Gratin

kate — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:30:53 +0000

1 1/2 cups milk $0.42
1 bay leaf $0.16
1 clove garlic, split $0.01
3 tablespoons butter $0.18
3 tablespoons flour $0.03
1/2 cup cheddar cheese $0.63
1 head cauliflower florettes $2.99
1/4 cup breadcrumbs $0.21
2 to 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese $0.54

Total Cost $5.17
Cost per Serving $1.29

1.) Make the sauce by bringing the milk to a simmer in a saucepan with the bay leaf and garlic. Cover, turn off the heat, and let infuse, about 15 minutes. Melt the butter in the saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute to remove the raw flour taste. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring, until thick. Stir in the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and reserve.

2.) Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt the water and blanch the cauliflower until just shy of being tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with a tea towel. Season with salt and pepper, then toss with the sauce and dump into a gratin or casserole dish. Scatter over the breadcrumbs and Parmesan and bake until bubbling and gratineed on top.

3.) Serve and enjoy!

Read my review of Laura’s Cauliflower Gratin here

Laura’s Cauliflower Gratin: Review

kate — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:30:10 +0000

I watched the episode that Laura made this dish and it was one of those ones that looked so good I had to make it that night. I did substitute in cheddar cheese for the pricier cheese that I almost never have on hand – Gruyere cheese, which Laura used on the show. On the Food Network copy of this recipe, it also states that the cauliflower should be “just shy of being tender,” while on the show, Laura said that you want it, “pretty much done.” I went with the word straight out of her mouth and I have to say, it was pretty darned good!

Clinton’s Lemon Roasted Chicken

kate — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:35:01 +0000

1 whole roasting chicken $12.95
2 bunches fresh sage $0.50
1 lemon, cut in half, plus one sliced $0.70
1/2 cup butter $0.44
Salt $0.01
Pepper $0.01
2 onions, cut into wedges $0.94

Total Cost $15.55
Cost per Serving $1.94

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Rinse chicken thoroughly and pat very, very dry with paper towels. Carefully lift the chicken’s skin on one side of the breast and gingerly slide 3 – 4 lemon slices between the skin and the meat. Repeat with the remaining side. Place two halves of the lemon into the chicken cavity, along with the bunches of sage.

3.) Rub the butter generously over the entire chicken, making sure to cover all parts of the skin. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

4.) Place onion wedges in the bottom of a roasting pan and place the chicken on top. Place in the preheated oven for 2 – 3 hours, depending on the size of the chicken, until the skin is golden brown and super crispy; and the juices run clear. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil if it begins to darken too much before the center of the chicken is cooked.

5.) Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 – 15 minutes before carving.

6.) Serve and enjoy!

Read my review of Clinton’s Lemon Roasted Chicken here

Clinton’s Lemon Roasted Chicken: Review

kate — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:34:14 +0000

I watched Clinton Kelly make this on The Chew one day and was pulled in instantly, as roasted chicken is one of my all-time favourite meals and I’m a sucker for anything with lemon in it. What really got me though was the presentation. This roast is absolutely gorgeous, and begs to be the centrepiece at the table before being carved.

As for the taste? It’s delicious, but like I said I am a bit biased seeing as how it’s roast chicken. The lemon taste is definitely distinctive throughout, and the super crispy skin is the only way to have roast chicken, as far as I’m concerned. Does the taste surpass the presentation? Even being one of my faves, I have to say in this case, no. But then again, Clinton is the expert on presenting beautiful things!

Blueberry Muffins

kate — Sat, 12 May 2012 23:53:46 +0000

1/2 cup butter, room temp $0.45
1 cup granulated sugar $0.19
2 large eggs $0.40
1 teaspoon vanilla $0.22
2 teaspoons baking powder $0.02
1/4 teaspoon salt $0.01
2 cups all-purpose flour $0.28
1/2 cup milk $0.14
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries $5.99

Total Cost $7.70
Cost per Serving $0.65

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Butter 12 muffin cups, or place paper liners inside.

3.) In a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, turning speed to medium if necessary.

4.) Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.

5.) Beat in vanilla, baking powder, and salt.

6.) With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter. When incorporated, fold in remaining flour and then remaining milk. Fold in blueberries.

7.) Spoon into muffin cups and place in oven. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until muffins are golden brown and spring back lightly when touched.

8.) Remove from oven and allow to rest in muffin cups for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

9.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Blueberry Muffins review here

Blueberry Muffins: Review

kate — Sat, 12 May 2012 23:52:41 +0000

Blueberries are a Superfood for a reason – just about every single thing about them is good, and there’s not a single bad word to be said about them. But, try telling my kids that.

Blueberries have powerful antioxdiants that do a number of good things for you including keeping your heart healthy and helping with cancer prevention. In addition to that, blueberries are also extremely good for your eyes and they can also help keep your mind sharp. But kids don’t care about any of that.

I can’t really blame them. I didn’t like blueberries myself until a few years ago, and I’m 33 years old now. In fact, I still only like blueberries when made in certain ways, certain dishes. And this is one of them! A very easy, very tasty blueberry muffin recipe that takes only minutes to put together – and has terrific health benefits, too!

Ree’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

kate — Sat, 05 May 2012 10:22:15 +0000

2 tablespoons cumin $1.50
1 tablespoon chili powder $1.41
2 tablespoons garlic powder $0.78
Salt $0.02
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts $5.80
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 5 $0.12
1/2 green pepper, diced $0.36
1 onion, diced $0.47
3 cloves garlic, minced $0.03
1/2 red bell pepper, diced $0.45
1 can diced tomatoes $0.99
4 cups chicken stock $2.00
1 small can tomato paste (about 2 tablespoons) $0.59
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed $1.19
2 tablespoons cornmeal $0.02
1/2 red onion, diced $0.33
1/2 avocado, diced $0.49
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese $0.56
5 corn tortillas $2.10

Total Cost $19.21
Cost per serving $2.40

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl combine the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and some salt.

2.) Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil over them and sprinkle on about 1/4 of the spice mixture. Rub spice mixture and oil entirely over chicken.

3.) Place the chicken into the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.

4.) When chicken is finished cooking, keep the oven turned on, shred chicken with two forks and set aside.

5.) In a large pot heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot add the onion, the peppers, and the garlic. Stir to coat veggies in oil and then add most of the remaining spice, but hold back some so you can test and further flavour the soup later on. Once the spices have been added, cook for another minute or two.

6.) Add the shredded chicken and the can of diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Then add the chicken stock, the tomato paste, and the black beans. Bring the entire pot up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

7.) After the soup has cooked for about 30 minutes, sprinkle some cornmeal into about three tablespoons of warm water and stir to thoroughly combine. Pour that into the soup and stir to combine.

8.) Meanwhile, slice the corn tortillas into long strips and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over them. Stir to coat strips in oil. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them in the oven until they get nicely browned and crisp.

9.) While tortilla strips are cooking, taste soup to make sure it is to your liking and add more soup or spice mixture if needed. Turn heat off of soup and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

10.) When strips are finished cooking, remove them from the oven. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle several tortilla strips on top of each serving. Serve alongside diced red onion and diced avocado for toppings.

11.) Serve and enjoy!

Read my review of Ree’s Chicken Tortilla Soup here

Ree’s Chicken Tortilla Soup: Review

kate — Sat, 05 May 2012 10:21:26 +0000

Yes, this is Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman’s, very own chicken tortilla soup and I bring it to you on this day – Cinco de Mayo 2012! This recipe is pretty good, although I did find it just a tiny, tiny bit bland. It may be because I left the hot peppers out of it. I know those are pretty much a staple in any chicken tortilla soup, but my little ones have pretty sensitive tummies when it comes to spice so I try to leave it out if I can. I might try adding cilantro or something next time though; something that will still give it a little kick but not so much to turn the kids off.

I do give props to Ree; hers is a website that I love to visit quite often, actually. But I really don’t like the way her recipes are laid out. There are no real measurements and while I understand that over time, you get to know how much you like of what in it, when you’ve never made it before it’s nice to have a ballpark figure to work with. I know, I know, she shows you picture by picture – but sometimes, you can over-think it and forget to leave out actual measurements and that seems to be what’s happened here. It’s also very hard, going by Ree’s recipe, to get everything laid out ahead of time, which is something that I really like to do when I cook.

That being said, I don’t want to sound like I’m trashing Ree, her recipes, or her website. I’ve seen this woman on daytime talk, and I started going to her site when no one even knew who the Pioneer Woman was. I do truly love her and her cooking, and I have no idea how she gets everything done in a day. Try out her soup, or any of the other recipes on her site, and have a very, very happy Cinco de Mayo!

Tuna Casserole

kate — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:21:21 +0000

1 package egg noodles $0.99
2 cans tuna, drained and flaked $1.98
1 cup frozen peas $0.50
4 tablespoons butter; plus 4 tablespoons, melted $0.48
1 tablespoon olive oil $0.04
1/2 onion, finely minced $0.24
4 cloves garlic, sliced $0.04
4 tablespoons flour $0.04
Pinch of nutmeg $0.02
1 tablespoon ground mustard $0.17
2 1/2 cups milk $0.70
Salt $0.01
White pepper $0.02
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs $0.63

Total Cost $5.86
Cost per Serving $0.72

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Line a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2.) Take the 1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs, combine them with 4 tablespoons of melted butter and stir to thoroughly combine. Set aside.

3.) In a medium-sized saucepan, melt four tablespoons of butter with one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once melted add minced onion, four slices of garlic, ground mustard, and nutmeg. Stir and allow to cook for one minute. Add flour and stir to thoroughly combine in the fat. Cook for two minutes. Then, slowly whisk milk in a little at a time, stirring constantly. When all milk is added, add a pinch of salt and white pepper. Continue stirring until milk has thickened, about 5 – 7 minutes.

4.) If water has boiled by this point, add a very generous dash of salt along with the egg noodles. Cook for about 4 or 5 minutes, then drain completely. Place in casserole dish.

5.) To the noodles in the casserole dish add tuna, peas, and milk mixture. Stir to thoroughly combine and then shake casserole dish gently to even it out. Sprinkle the entire top with the bread crumbs soaked in butter.

6.) Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the entire dish is bubbly and the top is golden brown.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Tuna Casserole review here

Tuna Casserole: Review

kate — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:20:31 +0000

I really don’t understand why tuna casserole gets such a bad rep. It’s the classic example of taking really simple ingredients and turning them into something that is absolutely magical. Warm, bubbly, delicious, and all those aromas that are just pure comfort no matter how you slice it. I confess to even wanting this dish so badly sometimes when I’ve been out of ingredients that I’ve been very lenient with my substitutions. Broken up lasagna noodles and yes I admit, even chopped up string cheese for the top when I didn’t even have a crumb to spare. Might not be as magical then, but still pretty good – and that’s hard to do when you’re talking about cooking with string cheese! This one’s the real deal though, and exactly how it was meant to be!