Cook It - Home-Ec 101

Doughnuts, Simple

Heather says: I feel almost dirty for posting this. Do you ever get a craving for funnel cakes and the fair is months away? Or do you ever break all your own advice and wander through the grocery store while your belly rumbles? Well, that’s what happened tonight. Apparently I’m in denial that I’m running …

Six Ways to Start Saving on Groceries Today!

Heather says: Long time commenter Angela asked: This might be a silly question, but, do you stick to a budget also when doing these list? Besides the pantry staples, do you try to get everything else under a curtain amount? The menu and coordinating grocery lists I post on Home Ec 101 are written for …

Heather says: It has been unusually cool here near Charleston, SC, but our summer is just around the corner. Summer, in my world means grilling and not just steaks, but vegetables, too. Our third and final installment of recipes from BeefItsWhatsforDinner.com take us out onto the porch where I fired up the grill to prepare …

Walnut Crusted Roast: Beef it’s What’s for Dinner

Heather says:

Walnut roast with bleu cheese mashed potatoes, wilted walnut spinach, drizzled with a worcestshire sauce — Walnut roast with bleu cheese mashed potatoes, wilted walnut spinach, drizzled with a worcestershire sauce

I have to get this off my chest. Yum, yum, get your fork away from my plate, yum.

My husband’s grandmother recently celebrated her 75th birthday (Happy Birthday Nana!). His mother is planning a nice dinner after they return to Minnesota and she is on the lookout for a company worthy meal with low effort. Listen to me, this is it. Sure, it sounds all fancy schmancy, but the techniques are not complicated. With a good thermometer and the ability to resist the temptation to open the oven, anyone can make a good roast. The mashed potatoes could easily be switched with instant, it’s the blue cheese that makes them special. The wilted spinach? Can you heat oil in a pan? Then you can handle this. The Worcestershire sauce? If you can boil water, you’ve got it in the bag.

The recipes and nutrition information for the roast are after the jump.

Heather says:

My 14yo stepdaughter is here for her spring break and we bond over dinner preparation. She teases that I just enjoy having an indentured servant at my disposal. Well, I do miss having a sous chef. (For those unfamiliar with restaurant hierarchy, a sous chef performs a lot of the drudge work in a professional kitchen) Alas, our household budget doesn’t come close to including hired help. Her enthusiasm usually increases when she is given the opportunity to help plan the menu. With that in mind, I had her check out BeefitsWhatsforDinner.com, where she chose the Mediterranean Beef Pitas.

To round out the meal we also prepared a Greek salad and cucumber sauce, like tzatziki, for those who may not care for hummus. As my in-laws are also visiting, we laid out a buffet rather than filling individual pitas for everyone. I doubled the beef recipe to serve 8.

Recipes and commentary are after the jump.

Popcorn Snack Mix

Heather says: Every Thursday a group of women invade my home. We divide and rotate snack duties to keep the expense and effort minimized while providing maximum snacky goodness for all who attend. Yesterday my friend Krystal introduced me to my newest vice – popcorn snack mix, you see I’m a sucker for combinations of …

Heather says: Let’s say it together chia, like the pet, peeno. Most recipes I offer here on Home Ec 101 are budget friendly in nature. This one isn’t, unless you happen on some rocking seafood sales. According to Foodtimeline.org, cioppino is believed to have evolved in the San Francisco Bay area. I became a fan …

Before I took the training wheels off my Internet, I used to hang out on AOL’s Kitchen Frugality message board. This soup recipe came from one of those fine ladies and has become a standard in our home. Even if you think you can’t boil water, I promise you can make this soup while standing …

Heather says: This creamy soup is quite rich, perfect for a chilly evening spent calling Midwestern family and asking, “Hey, how’s the weather up there?” (It was -2F yesterday, sorry about that) Yields: approximately 8 cups of soup Ingredients: 5 cups chicken broth 1 cup wild rice (If you aren’t a huge fan of …

Heather says: From time to time I get emails asking about different cuts of meat: what are they, where do they come from, and how on earth should I cook it? Since we don’t exactly have a huge production budget (it’s my weekly grocery budget after all), these questions are often deferred until the cut …