Kate's Cuisine

Beef stroganoff is a funny thing. To some it’s the perfect comfort food and to some, there’s just something off about the taste of it. I am of the former thinking and my girls love it too, calling it “meat and gravy.” I love so many things about this dish – the fact that you can use a really cheap cut of meat, the fact that it comes together really quickly, and the fact that it uses ingredients that I usually have on hand. While I may not choose to serve this when entertaining, and it may not be the prettiest dish I’ve ever made, there is something just so warm and simple about beef stroganoff, it’s no wonder it’s been around as a classic for so long!

1 recipe Fresh Pasta Dough $0.96
5 – 6 cups spaghetti sauce $3.79
1 pound baby spinach $4.99
2 cups ricotta cheese $4.00
3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/2 cup for sprinkling $3.74
5 tablespoons butter $0.30
1/2 cup all-purpose flour $0.11
4 cups milk, warmed $1.08
1/2 teaspoon salt $0.01
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper $0.01
Pinch of nutmeg $0.01

Total Cost    $19.00

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly oil a casserole dish.

2.) Roll out pasta dough to 1/2″ thickness. Cut the dough into 3 large rectangles and cover loosely with a tea towel so they do not dry out.

3.) Place spaghetti sauce in a medium saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook just until the sauce is heated through.

4.) Meanwhile, melt butter in a separate medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add flour. Thoroughly mix flour and butter together and allow to cook for 3 – 4 minutes.

5.) Slowly add warmed milk into the flour, whisking constantly while you do. Add salt, black pepper, and nutmeg and cook, whisking regularly over medium heat, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

6.) Once sauces and pasta dough are ready, start to assemble lasagna: spread about 3/4 cup of spaghetti sauce along the bottom of the casserole dish. Lay down one of the “sheets” of pasta dough and cover with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Place 1 cup of ricotta cheese over the spaghetti sauce, trying to cover as much of the pasta dough as possible. Over ricotta cheese, layer spinach and spoon a thin layer of white sauce over top. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over spinach to finish off the layering.

7.) Lay another sheet of pasta dough over top of the Parmesan cheese and continue to layer with: spaghetti sauce, ricotta, spinach, white sauce, and Parmesan.

8.) Lay the last sheet of pasta dough over the layers. Generously spoon spaghetti sauce over the entire dish and top with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

9.) Bake in the preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes until entire dish is bubbling and cheese is browning on top.

10.) Remove from oven, loosely tent with foil and allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before slicing into squares.

11.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

This lasagna recipe came from a happy accident in my kitchen – it was originally supposed to be Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni, not lasagna. But however, something happened with the original sauce with spinach and I had made for it. By the time it came to actually give the cannelloni a go again, I was so fed up with the thing I tried to figure out the fastest thing I could do with the ingredients I had in front of me, so that I could feed the two hungry little faces staring up at me. This is what I came up with, and it’s one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had (in my humble opinion.)

I originally kept the pasta laid out in the dish in large rectangles because again, at that point it was just easier than cutting them out. And I figured, you have to slice them when they come out of the oven anyway so, why not just slice the entire thing when you do that? I think it actually helped the lasagna, and made for nicer pieces that were evenly layered throughout, instead of everything sagging out the sides like it sometimes does when the sides are left open.

This did start as one of my flops when I first started the dish. But it just proves that even when things go wrong in the kitchen, you can still usually make them right.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts $7.72
3 tablespoons olive oil $0.54
1/2 small onion, diced $0.24
1 heaping tablespoon honey $0.10
Pinch of ground allspice $0.01
1 cup chicken stock $0.50
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice $0.04
1/4 cup heavy cream $0.38
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar $0.14
1 teaspoon salt $0.01
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper $0.01

Total Cost    $9.69
Cost per Serving $2.42

1.) Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts; sprinkle generously with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add to skillet and saute until chicken is almost cooked entirely through, about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to a large casserole dish, cover loosely with aluminum foil and place in oven to keep warm and to finish cooking through.

3.) Remove all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet and return to medium heat. Add the minced onion, honey, and allspice and cook, stirring until the onions are just wilted, 3 – 4 minutes.

4.) Increase heat to high and add chicken stock and lemon juice to the pan. Bring to a boil, scraping up bits on the bottom of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1/2 cup.

5.) Add cream to the skillet and bring to a boil again; boil until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

6.) Add balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper to the skillet. Return to a boil.

7.) Remove chicken from the oven and place on serving platter. After sauce has boiled for one minute, generously spoon sauce over chicken.

8.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

Of the many recipes that I’ve tried from the classic cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, I find this Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Citrus Sauce recipe just as I find many of the others – it’s a good meal that will do when you’re in a rush and not really trying to impress, but really nothing to write home about. And while I have yet to find  in this iconic cookbook a recipe that I actually think about after cooking, and can’t wait to cook again, this book does have its merit.

The Joy of Cooking isn’t really just a cookbook – it’s an entire education about food. In here, you’ll find information about the different cuts of meat, the different spices, facts about any kind of vegetable or fruit you could imagine, and just a lot of really handy tips and knowledge about food. I think this is a great cookbook for those that are just getting comfortable in their kitchen, or those that just want to learn more about all the different types of food. But if you’re someone who already has the basics mastered, already know a lot about food,  and are now looking to up their game, you might want to find something a little more challenging.

Another reason this book will continue to stay close at hand in my kitchen? Because just like this recipe, it’s a great go-to book when you need a quick and easy recipe that calls for simple ingredients – even if it doesn’t totally knock your socks off.

1 pound potatoes, cut lengthwise into 1/4″-thick slices $2.99
2 cups white vinegar $1.08
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil $0.36
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt $0.01
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper $0.01

Total Cost    $4.45

1.) Bring potatoes and vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, making sure that vinegar is covering the potatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer just until potatoes are fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Let potatoes cool in vinegar for 30 minutes. Drain well and gently toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

2.) Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill potatoes in a single layer until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from grill and sprinkle with salt.

3.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

Being married to someone who only eats two choices of sides, rice or potatoes, I’m often looking for creative things to do with both. Martha, the Creator of Creative, came up with this recipe for salt and vinegar potato slices, done on the grill. I didn’t use fingerling potatoes like she does in the original, but I don’t think it made a difference. These potatoes were tasty and pretty easy, especially with the mandoline that I just bought. My girls and I loved them, unfortunately hubby did not. So while I did manage to find a creative way to make potatoes, I don’t think this one will appear as a regular on our menu. That doesn’t mean my girls and I won’t enjoy them when it’s just us for dinner, though!