Kate's Cuisine

3 large egg whites $0.51
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar $0.01
3/4 cup icing sugar $0.42
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract $0.06

Total Cost   $1.00

1.) Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and place the rack in the centre of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.) In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until they are foamy. Add the vinegar and continue to beat until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat, on medium-high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Use a bit of the egg whites and dab a small spot on each corner of the cookie sheet, underneath the parchment paper. This will help hold the paper down while you’re spooning the egg whites onto the paper.

3.) Spoon the egg whites into a pastry bag, or a resealable plastic bag with the bottom corner tip cut off. Then gently squeeze rounds about 2″ in size onto the prepared sheets.

4.) Place the meringues into the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, rotating the baking sheet about halfway through for even cooking. The meringues are done when they are pale in colour and fairly crisp. Turn off the oven, open the oven door a crack, and leave the meringues to dry in the oven either overnight or for several hours.

5.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

When my friend first told me about how her mom used to always make these cookies for her when she was a kid, I had never heard of them before. So when she said, “Oh yeah, she just used to beat egg whites and then put them in the oven for a little bit,” that’s exactly what I did – and it was a big mistake! And if you make the same  one, rest assured that you will pull out of the oven little hard bits of egg white that are not only stuck to the cookie sheet, but that also taste like egg, and only egg. Blech! Not something you really want in your cookies!

After my failure (but hey, experimentation is the whole idea, right?) I did look up an actual recipe for Meringue Cookies and I found this one on the Joy of Baking website. The cookies are really good and, just as my friend had promised, crispy crunchy on the outside and soft and marshmallow-like on the inside. YUM! And, I just love the fact that you’ll get about 10 – 15 cookies and the total cost is exactly $1.00!

1 pound lean ground beef $4.11
1 roll polenta, cut into rounds 1/2″ thick, to make about 16 rounds $0.99
1 onion, diced $0.47
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce $0.12
1 tablespoon paprika $0.48
1 clove garlic, minced $0.01
Salt and pepper $0.02
2 teaspoons vegetable oil $0.04
1 can tomato sauce $1.19
1 tablespoon dried basil $1.38
1 tablespoon dried oregano $0.60
4 cloves garlic, minced $0.04
1 tablespoon olive oil $0.18
Salt and pepper $0.02
2 tablespoons butter $0.12
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour $0.02
1 1/2 cups 2% milk $0.41
1 teaspoon dried mustard $0.03
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes $0.23
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated $2.99
3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese $0.54
1/2 cup grated Mozeralla cheese $0.63
Salt and pepper $0.02

Total Cost   $14.64

1.) Brush a large casserole dish with oil. Lay half of the polenta rounds in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) For the meat mixture: Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and saute for about 10 minutes, until onions just begin to brown.

3.) To the onion add the pound of ground beef, 1 minced clove of garlic, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook until beef is fully browned and when done, drain the fat from mixture. Set aside.

4.) Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: In a pot over medium heat add tomato sauce, dried basil, dried oregano, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix until sauce is thoroughly combined. Continue to heat until sauce just begins to bubble; then turn heat to low and continue to simmer, stirring regularly.

5.) While the sauce is cooking down, prepare the cheese mixture: Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, place chili pepper flakes and dried mustard in the butter and stir. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix to thoroughly combine and allow flour to cook for 2-5 minutes. Then, slowly whisk in milk.

6.) Cook milk, whisking constantly so it doesn’t burn, for about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken. Then remove from heat and slowly add cheese, first adding a small handful and stirring to incorporate, and then adding a little bit more and stirring, and repeating until there is no cheese left, reserving 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.

7.) When mixtures have all finished cooking, start assembling lasagna. First, spoon some tomato sauce over polenta in casserole dish. Then on each round, spoon enough meat mixture to entirely cover polenta round. (Don’t worry too much if some of the meat falls off of the round.) On top of meat mixture, spoon about 1 tablespoon of cheese sauce, again on each polenta round. Spoon more tomato sauce on top of cheese sauce on all rounds, and then lay one more polenta round on top of each. Over the top polenta rounds, spoon one more dollop of cheese mixture, and then one more dollop of tomato sauce.

8.) Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, dividing equally between all rounds, over top of polenta.

9.) Place in preheated oven for 20 minutes until sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle with dried parsley.

10.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

When I first heard of Polenta Lasagna a couple of years ago, this is what I always imagined, layers of delicious fillings piled high on top of polenta rounds. Imagine how shocked I was the first time I actually saw someone make it (on some cooking show or another) and saw that they actually cut their roll of polenta into long strips, and then layered them just as you would traditional lasagna. And then I found out that’s how most people actually make their Polenta Lasagna. So I guess this is one recipe I put a twist on without even realizing it. Personally, I think that this version looks a little more sophisticated and modern too, if you’re going for that artsy presentation look with your food, rather than the delicious-but-sloppy look that I usually end up pulling off.

But, presentation and twists aside, this dish is pretty darned good, and a nice alternative when you want lasagna, but want something a little different too. I have to say, this was my first time trying polenta and I would still choose lasagna noodles over the cornmeal mixture. Polenta just has a texture that’s going to take some getting used to for me. But I did also serve it to my kids and the polenta was actually their favourite part, they weren’t all that interested in the part that I actually cooked!

I would give this dish a thumbs-up, and I probably will end up making it again. And while there are a lot of ingredients, keep in mind that it’s mostly small stuff like seasonings and it’s still pretty cheap too; I got 8 small polenta lasagnas out of my original dish and ate it - a lot – for 2 days afterwards!

1 racks back pork ribs $15.80
1/2 cup dried oregano $2.47
1 tablespoon basil $1.38
1 tablespoon dill $1.53
1 tablespoon dry mustard $0.09
2 tablespoons garlic powder $0.78
2 tablespoons paprika $0.96
Salt and pepper $0.02
1 anise fennel, thinly sliced $1.39
1 red onion, thinly sliced $0.65
Juice and zest of one lemon $0.65
1/2 cup Martha’s barbecue sauce $0.76

Total Cost   $26.48

1.) In a small bowl mix together: oregano, basil, dill, dry mustard, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

2.) Rinse ribs and pat dry. Then, apply the rub onto the ribs and gently massage into the rib meat. Place in a resealable bag and place in refrigerator for at least an hour. When ready to begin cooking, take out of fridge and let sit for half an hour, to bring temperature up before placing in oven. While ribs are sitting out, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3.) When the ribs are ready for the oven, place the ribs in a greased casserole dish. On top, layer the sliced anise fennel, the sliced red onion, and the lemon zest. Pour the lemon juice over the entire dish.

4.) Place in oven for 45 – 50 minutes. Then take out of oven and brush with barbecue sauce. Then place back in oven for 10 minutes. When done, remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

5.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

I made these when I needed to have my ribs done differently one night and they turned out delicious! With the lemon juice and zest, as well as the dill, they come out very tangy and then just a light brush of barbecue sauce at the end makes them a little bit sweet too. The fennel and the red onion mix in with all those herbs, which not only gives the ribs more flavour, but also makes a pretty nice side dish for these ribs too!

My new favourite soup!

2 cans diced tomatoes $2.58
2 tablespoons olive oil $0.36
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt $0.01
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper $0.01
2 tablespoons olive oil $0.36
1 small yellow, diced $0.47
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced $0.34
2 medium celery stalks, diced $0.11
1 large garlic clove, minced $0.01
2 tablespoons flour $0.04
3 cups chicken broth $1.50
1 dried bay leaf $0.16
2 teaspoons sugar $0.02
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt $0.01
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper $0.01
2 tablespoons butter $0.12
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil $0.50
4 slices white bread $0.56
2 tablespoons butter $0.12
1 cup cheddar cheese $1.25

Total Cost   $8.54

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Strain tomatoes,  reserving their juices in a medium bowl. Spread strained tomatoes on prepared baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast in oven for 15 minutes.

2.) While the tomatoes are roasting, in a large soup pot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic, cooking until softened, about 8 minutes. Add flour and stir to coat. Over high heat, add roasted tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

3.) Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and puree soup using a countertop or hand-held blender, until smooth. Stir in two tablespoons and chopped basil.

4.) For the croutons, spread butter on both sides of all bread slices. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and place 2 slices in the pan. Top each with 1/4 cup grated cheese and place remaining bread slices on the cheese. Cook for 2 minutes, until underside is golden brown, flip, and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from pan, and cool for a few minutes before slicing. Cut into 1-inch squares and sprinkle a small handful on each bowl of soup.

5.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here