Kate's Cuisine

This is yet another recipe that I took from the faaaabulous cookbook, Bite Me, by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat. I’ve made several other recipes from this book, including the Dramatic Red Beet Risotto, the Cheesy, Cheesy, Cheesy Broccoli Souffle, and many others. And just like every other recipe I’ve tried from this book, this one kicked butt – but there was one difference – it was way better than any of the other recipes! Seriously, not only is this my new favourite recipe from this book, but it’s my new favourite soup recipe. Period. And it’s even a contender for my top favourite recipes of all-time. Yeah, it’s really that good. My kids loved it too; the recipe says that it serves 10 – 12 and after just me and my girls ate it for dinner, there was only one small bowl left for me the next day.

And don’t be overwhelmed by the long ingredient list, either. Many of them, such as the butter and oil, are repeats so you won’t actually have 21 different things littering your countertop while you’re trying to get dinner ready. And the soup comes together really quick, especially if you have a hand-held blender to puree it. And, it’s super easy to make this meal vegetarian too. Just substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock and you have a meal that will satisfy any vegetarian.

The whole thing is YUM and I cannot wait until I can make it again!

1/2 package rigatoni $0.50
2 tablespoons vegetable oil $0.14
1 green bell pepper, diced $0.45
1 package sliced mushrooms $1.99
1 red onion, diced $0.65
1/2 cup green olives, sliced $0.99
4 slices bacon, chopped $0.96
1 can pizza sauce $0.99
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese $1.50

Total Cost   $8.17

1.) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. When the water is at a rolling boil, add rigatoni and cook until it’s just under al dente. Drain.

2.) While water is boiling, brown bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a bit of water to the pan so bacon ends up nice and crisp, and browns evenly. When bacon is finished cooking drain on paper towel and set aside.

3.) Meanwhile, place vegetable oil in a separate large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot add mushrooms and red onion. Cook, stirring regularly for about 5 minutes. Then add green pepper and green olive and continue cooking until pepper is soft, about another 3 – 5 minutes. Add pizza sauce and lower heat to medium-low, stirring regularly.

4.) When pasta is finished cooking and drained, add rigatoni to pan with sauce mixture along with bacon. Toss to coat pasta thoroughly and cook until heated through and cooked to al dente. Top with Parmesan cheese.

5.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

This dish was a creation I came up with one night when I had little else but some assorted pasta, few assorted veg, and pizza sauce in the house. I thought the kids would love it and while they did, I think I enjoyed it most of all! There are two things I like most about this Pizza Pasta recipe: it’s quick and easy; and you can really add just about any ingredients that you would like to eat as a pizza topping and make it your own. So go ahead and when you’re done, let me know what you thought and of course, what you used as your Pizza Pasta topping!

1 package dry active yeast $0.33
3/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
1/4 cup white sugar $0.05
3/4 teaspoon salt $0.01
1 egg, room temperature $0.17
2 1/2 cups bread flour $0.55
1/4 cup butter, softened $0.22
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon $0.90
1/2 cup brown sugar $0.10
1 cup raisins, soaked in boiling water for 30 seconds and drained  $0.95

Total Cost   $3.28

1.) In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2.) In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the sugar, salt, egg, and 1 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

3.) Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4″ thick rectangle. Smear the dough with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins. Roll up the dough along the long edge until it forms a roll. Slice the roll into 16 equal size pieces and place them in the pan with the cut side up.

4.) Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or cover and let sit at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

5.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

6.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

I got this recipe from the All Recipes app on my iPod Touch, so I’m guessing you can find it on the website too. It’s a very simple recipe, and the rolls were quite tasty although not as sticky as I would have liked. The original recipe also didn’t call for raisins, I added those, and I think that next time I’ll definitely leave them out. They seem to take away a little bit from the gooey-goodness of it all. I’ll also make a frosting or glaze for them, I don’t know what I was thinking leaving it out. But, as an easy cinnamon roll recipe, this one fits the bill and the rolls are pretty yummy!

1 pound stewing beef $5.25
1 cup vegetable oil $1.10
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce $0.36
3 tablespoons rice vinegar $0.42
5 cloves garlic, minced $0.05
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard $0.12
6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves $0.50
2 teaspoons ground sage $0.54
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper $0.23
2 teaspoons chili powder $0.94
2 teaspoons paprika $0.32
Salt and pepper $0.02
1 red pepper, cut into large chunks $0.45
1 green pepper, cut into large chunks $0.45
1 red onion, cut into wedges $0.65
2 ears corn on the cob, cut into 1″ chunks $0.32

Total Cost    $11.72

1.) For the marinade: In a small bowl, whisk together: 1 cup vegetable oil, worcestershire sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, thyme leaves, sage, cayenne pepper, chile powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk so that contents become entirely combined.

2.) Place stewing beef in a resealable bag and pour marinade over meat. Mix well to ensure that meat is entirely coated. Place in fridge for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

3.) Assemble kabobs: place one piece of meat on skewer, then one piece of red pepper, then one wedge onion, then one piece of corn. Repeat with the rest of the skewer, and then do the same with remaining skewers.

4.) When ready to grill, light charcoal until they flame, and flames extinguish themselves out. The coal will remain hot enough to smoke throughout the entire cooking time. Brush the grill lightly with oil.

5.) When skewers and grill are ready, place kabobs onto grill. Grill for about 15-20 minutes, turning regularly and rotating on grill if necessary.

6.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

There’s nothing that quite says summer like kabobs smoking out on the grill. These ones are fantastic, totally tender and full of flavour. And using marinated stewing beef is a great way to save some cash on pricey cuts of meat like chicken or beef tenderloin.

It’s important to remember whenever you’re making any kind of kabobs that you soak wooden skewers before using them. Generally, 30 minutes is recommended to be enough but I always find that I need to soak mine for the day in order to prevent them from burning up on the grill.