Kate's Cuisine

2 cups all-purpose flour $0.44
1 tablespoon baking powder $0.15
1 teaspoon salt $0.01
1 tablespoon white sugar $0.01
1/3 cup shortening $0.15
1 cup milk $0.27

Total Cost   $1.03

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.

3.) Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 – 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1-inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.

4.) Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

5.) Serve and enjoy!

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This is another recipe from that old standby, All Recipes. The recipe promises to give you “the biggest biscuits in the history of the world,” and I do think that’s kind of a stretch. I have made them several times and I’ve still never noticed that these biscuits were much bigger than most other biscuits I’ve made. That being said, the recipe site also states that you’ll need 45 minutes to make them from beginning to end, and I don’t think they even take that long.

These are great biscuits to whip up when you want to offer bread with dinner (or just want a great snack) and are running low on time. They are easy to make, delicious, and really really fast! It doesn’t even call for yeast so there’s no waiting around for your dough to rise or having to pound it down and then wait some more. I’ve replaced the shortening with butter too when I didn’t have the former on hand and that doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference, they’re still very good!

The recipe also doesn’t call for any kind of oil or fat to be brushed over the biscuits before you put them in the oven; but I like to brush them with melted butter just before I pop them in to keep the tops from burning and drying out, and to add even more flavour to the biscuits. What I love most about these biscuits is that they are plain, so there’s lots of room to play around with it and add your own flavours. Cheddar cheese, olives, herbs, ham, and raisins are just a few ideas I’ve had for tasty biscuits!

1 pound lean ground pork $2.84
1 pound lean ground beef $4.11
1 onion, diced $0.47
2 cloves garlic, minced $0.02
1/2 cup water Free
1 1/2 teaspoons salt $0.01
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed $0.60
1/4 teaspoon ground sage $0.06
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper $0.01
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves $0.04
1 egg $0.17
1 recipe Flaky Pie Crust 0.89

Total Cost   $9.22

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Place pork, beef, onion, garlic, water, salt, thyme, sage, black pepper, and cloves in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is cooked, about 5 minutes.

3.) Roll out one 9″ pie crust and place in the bottom of a greased pie plate. When meat mixture is finished cooking, spoon into bottom of pie crust. Place another pie crust on top and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top so that steam can escape.

4.) Beat one egg and brush on top of pie crust, being sure to cover the entire surface of the crust.

5.) Place in preheated oven and bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until the top crust is golden brown and the mixture is bubbling hot. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

6.) Serve and enjoy!

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The French Canadian tourtiere is a meat pie that traditionally is served in many French Canadian homes on Christmas Eve. My family is not French Canadian, and we also never ate tourtiere on Christmas Eve, I’m pretty sure. But we did eat it occasionally and of course, now I love making it myself for my own family! It makes the carnivores happy and really is just one of those feel-good, comfort-food meals. It’s also super easy to make, especially when you have some pie crust sitting in the freezer; and it freezes on its own really well too. Just prepare it fully and then heat it up in the oven whenever you’re ready for another slice!

3 cups powdered sugar $0.75
2 cups butter, softened $1.78
2 teaspoons vanilla $0.44
1 teaspoon almond extract $0.54
2 eggs $0.34
5 cups all-purpose flour $1.10
2 teaspoons baking soda $0.04
2 teaspoons cream of tartar $0.56

Total Cost   $5.55

1.) In a large bowl, beat 3 cups powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, 1 teaspoon almond extract and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2.) Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half 1/8″ thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. At this point, place any sprinkles, shapes, or other decorations excluding icing that you wish to include with your cookies.

3.) Bake 5-7 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely before icing (optional.)

4.) Serve and enjoy!

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I’ve had this recipe crammed into my recipe box for so long that I can’t even remember where I got it from. And it’s covered with so much crusted flour and icing drops that I can barely even read it anymore. I like to think it’s these kinds of recipes that my children will cherish the most some day. But I digress…on to the actual recipe.

I make it every year, among the three different cookies that I make to give to my family and friends. These, along with the other two, were my very first introduction to baking and I’ve been making them for about four years now. They’re delicious and light and flaky inside and just a little bit crispy outside, like you would expect sugar cookies to be. But this year, there are a few things I’m going to do differently.

Out are the cute Christmas cookie-cutter shapes. These shapes yes, are very cute but, they’re a pain. Spending all that time rolling and cutting and reshaping, please. It’s Christmas! Who has time for that? Not only are they painstakingly time-consuming, but you throw them into the basket, or Tupperware bowl, or other container and all those little pieces break. So you’re left with oddly misshapen curved sticks that were once candy canes, and long rectangles that have a missing bell-top somewhere. This is what I’m doing instead, and what I recommend you do as well.

Roll the dough into a log that’s about a foot long and maybe 2″ wide. In about 1″ – 2″ slices, slice the dough so that a circle is formed. Place these onto the baking sheet and continue baking as directed. You’ll have uniform circle sugar cookies that you can still decorate with icing, sprinkles, or whatever else floats your Christmas sled, but it’ll be a lot easier for you to do. And if you really want to be on top of things, make the dough this weekend, roll it into the log, wrap it and throw it in your freezer. On Christmas Eve, thaw the dough out, slice it up and Santa has fresh cookies!

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for dish $0.36
1 medium onion, cut into a 1/4″ dice $0.47
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4″ dice $0.45
1 pound button mushrooms, stems trimmed, quartered $1.99
2 teaspoons coarse salt $0.02
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper $0.01
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces $5.24
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour $0.12
2 cups milk $0.54
1 pinch cayenne pepper $0.07
1 pinch grated nutmeg $0.05
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese $2.99
1/4 cup bread crumbs $0.11
1/4 cup canola oil $0.28
4 shallots, cut crosswise into 1/4″ rings $2.00

Total Cost   $14.70

1.) In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onion, and saute until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and mushrooms, and cook until softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside to cool.

2.) Prepare an ice bath: Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add beans, and cook until bright green and just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, and plunge into ice bath to stop cooking. When cooled, toss drained beans with mushroom mixture; set aside.

3.) Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup flour, whisk constantly until mixture begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Pour in milk, and continue whisking until mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in cayenne, nutmeg, and the remaining teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Pour over beans, and toss to combine.

4.) Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Spread half the green-bean mixture over the bottom. Sprinkle on half the grated Parmesan, and spread with the remaining green beans. Combine the remaining Parmesan and the breadcrumbs, and sprinkle over casserole. Cover with foil, and refrigerate until just before serving.

5.) Heat canola oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Toss shallot rings with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Fry the shallots in batches, turning frequently, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Place in an airtight container, and set aside until ready to serve.

6.) Heat broiler, positioning rack about 8 inches from heat. Cook casserole, covered, until mixture is bubbly and heated through, about 10 minutes. Uncover, and cook until top is golden brown, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle fried shallots over top.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

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