tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146738522011-12-14T21:33:10.041-05:00World-cuisine recipes for singles or Couples, as well tips for stretching your food dollar. (Entries posted approximately on Wednesdays and Sundays, sometimes more.)blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1129967048182031192005-10-22T03:44:00.000-04:002005-10-22T03:52:59.440-04:00

I've finally launched my new cooking multiblog, Curry Elvis Cooks, which is a combination of my 4 older cooking blogs, as well as several new food, drink, and gardening categories. The homepage is not up yet, and the new blog's template will be changing slowly. I hope you'll bear with me.By the way, I will be maintaining my 4 older cooking blogs for archive purposes only: Curry Elvis Cooks,

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1129408982289885402005-10-15T16:43:00.000-04:002005-10-15T16:43:02.296-04:00

Okay, you don't have time to make your own soup right now, and you're tired of canned soup. But you've got a stock-pile of cans that you bought on sale. What do you do? Easy. Add a bit of pizzaz to your soup. I regularly add salt, black pepper, crushed red chile pepper flake, sesame oil, and Italian seasoning (any combination of dried parsley, basil, sage, rosemary, thyme). If you like mushrooms

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1129321540954945272005-10-14T16:25:00.000-04:002005-10-14T16:25:40.976-04:00

This isn't exactly a salad, it's more of a salsa/relish - but is sometimes referred to as Middle Eastern or East Indian salad. It's very easy to make, refreshing, and it works great as a garnish for curries, soups, and stews. The salt and parsley/cilantro enhances the flavour of tomatoes and onion.Ingredients1 small, finely diced tomato1 small, finely diced onion1 tbsp finely chopped parsley/

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127925897994819052005-09-28T12:44:00.000-04:002005-09-28T12:44:58.020-04:00

I was watching Chef Emeril yesterday, pancake day, and he made fascinating looking Goat Cheese-Stuffed Zuchinni Pancakes. But while I don't mind goat cheese once in a while, I prefer the heavenly gooey chewiness of melted bocconcinni mozarella. So here's a more savoury, high-protein variation on Emeril's recipe using chickpea flour mixed with white flour, and both zuchinni and potato. Apologies

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127804476269475642005-09-27T03:01:00.000-04:002006-01-24T18:29:49.013-05:00

When I've got a craving for a snack with a high mouth feel and belly satisfaction level, I like to have either Japanese-style tempura fritters or East Indian-style pakora fritters. But being the kind of foodie that I am, I always have to be different and try something hybrid. I lucked out one day with a great snack combo: shiitake onion pakura (pakora/tempura). They're easy to make, but do

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127627407707646552005-09-25T01:50:00.000-04:002005-09-25T01:50:07.736-04:00

In the Northern Hemisphere, we're in the rainy season right now. (The suggestions in this post apply to the Southern Hemisphere, too.) If you've decided to have a little garden for your vegetables, it's probably a little late this year. But if you've got the space and the means, get yourself a good rain barrel (available at garden supply and home improvement stores). It's a perfect time to

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127516557215291792005-09-23T19:02:00.000-04:002005-09-23T19:02:37.243-04:00

If all you know about East Indian food is papadums and samosas, you're going to love pakoras. The batter is made from chickpea flour - known as "besan" in East and West Indian groceries. The filling is up to you: diced vegetables of all kinds. Just make sure you use firm vegetables (i.e., stay away from delicates like peas, snow peas, celery, sprouts). I'm not a beer-drinker myself, but as with

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127425415528510382005-09-22T17:43:00.000-04:002005-09-22T17:43:35.560-04:00

Bean sprouts are incredibly cheap, highly nutritious, and versatile enough to add to a lot of dishes (stir fries, fried rice, vegetable curries, salads). But they spoil quickly. If you enjoy eating bean sprouts but find yourself throwing a lot out, why not save even more money and grow your own? All you need is a jar of water, mung beans, and a couple of days.Once you've got your sprouts, try out

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127313357422167962005-09-21T10:35:00.000-04:002005-09-21T10:35:57.446-04:00

Food budgeting is an odd thing. It's relatively easy to sit down and make out a budget for your monthly food bill, but its altogether much harder to actually follow it. I've found that I just cannot stick to my budget most of the time if I just set a dollar value. It's frustrating, and every time I go to the grocery store, I get kind of anxious about whether I should buy this or buy that

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127233984949786502005-09-20T12:33:00.000-04:002005-09-20T12:35:11.730-04:00

Short of owning your own greenhouse, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere in a cold country, you're probably out of luck for growing any more vegetables until next spring. You can, however, grow herbs and start seeds in mini clay pots on your window sill. (Grow some wheatgrass for your cats, if you have any.) Starting seeds indoors in early spring is also a great way to get your backyard, deck

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127176470103590492005-09-19T20:34:00.000-04:002005-09-19T20:34:30.106-04:00

If you read my Curry Elvis Cooks blog, you already know that I'm enamored of Vietnamese food. I've lost track of just how many posts I've written about this cuisine. You'd almost think I don't eat anything else. Well, the truth is that I am a big fan of noodles, whether Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Vietnamese. But of all of these cuisines, my observation is that Vietnamese restaurants are

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1127104693554991222005-09-19T00:38:00.000-04:002005-09-19T01:57:39.066-04:00

In one of my Curry Elvis Cooks posts, I mused about a delicious, juicy mushroom and chickpea flour fritter that my great-grandmother and grandmother both used to hand-feed me while I sat on their knee as toddler. The entry in this blog refers to that recipe (ignore the references to zuchinni blossoms). The veggie burger here is healthier than my last version.Ingredients2 mushroom fritters, from

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126995318302603272005-09-17T18:15:00.000-04:002005-09-18T03:19:17.740-04:00

When vegetarian food started becoming very popular in North America close to a decade ago, all kinds of prepackaged vegetarian burgers and entrees started popping up. I don't know about your city, but in the places I've lived in the past decade, I needed a small bank loan to buy some of these things. You'd think vegetarian food would be inexpensive - come on, there's only vegetables - but the

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126921257280093982005-09-16T21:40:00.000-04:002005-09-16T21:40:57.290-04:00

As I said in a previous post, my father has managed to keep his monthly food budget very low by some disciplined eating. Here are some of the things he does:Eats meat only once a week. This saves him a considerable amount of money. I don't recommend this for everyone, especially if you are not used to it. Start by eating smaller portions of meat, then try to skip meat one day a week. When you are

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126814724304490642005-09-15T16:05:00.000-04:002005-09-15T16:05:24.333-04:00

If you're into food and cooking shows, chances are probably good that you've either heard of or seen the original Iron Chef TV series. It's the one where a guest chef battles it out in a high-end cook-off against a Japanese "Iron Chef". Each chef takes their own food background and infuses it into the secret ingredient, which is revealed by the flamboyant host, Chairman Kaga. (The show's huge

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126756722921370492005-09-14T23:58:00.000-04:002005-09-14T23:58:42.926-04:00

The title of this post is a bit misleading, but I want to illustrate a point about food budgets and finances. About 10 years ago, a politician (from the province of Ontario, Canada, if you're keeping track), said that welfare recipients should be able to get by on a food budget of about $80/m. Of course, there was an outcry about this. The average single person back then might have been spending

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126628304668328232005-09-13T12:18:00.000-04:002005-09-13T12:18:24.693-04:00

Kitchen gadgets - Every time an email or paper flyer comes my way for kitchen gadgets, I drool. I'm currently drooling over one of those sexy, multipurpose KitchenAid mixers. I dated a girl once who begged me to buy her one of those, with all the extras. Sorry sweetie; I get the first KitchenAid I buy. And if you're lucky, I might let you use it.However, when I recall the basement cold space full

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126572524721935952005-09-12T20:48:00.000-04:002005-09-12T21:03:43.063-04:00

I remember, years ago, when I was a kid, my mother clipped coupons. she had stacks of newspapers that she went through, clipping out coupons that she would and could use. She was both frugal and discplined. Me? That's another story.If I used food coupons, I'd probably need a moving van to deliver items that I'd not normally eat. This is, of course, no way to save money. And my point, of course,

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126474139876344032005-09-11T17:28:00.000-04:002005-09-11T17:30:06.270-04:00

Above, a large globe eggplant from my mother's deck garden.It's probably a bit late this year to grow anything more than a few herbs indoors, unless you live in some nice sunny climes. But for next year, if you decide to set up a small barrel to grow a few veggies and herbs in, here are a few things that you should consider saving:(1) Egg shells, crushed(2) Used tea bags or coffee grounds (plain,

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126380415799034692005-09-10T15:20:00.000-04:002005-09-10T15:26:55.806-04:00

I don't know what it's like in other countries, but in Canada, we love our donuts. Now while fresh is preferred, day-olds don't usually taste all that bad, and they cost less. Most bakeries, or the bakery section of your supermarket, offer day-old specials on other baked goods as well. Items such as day-old croissants aren't half bad with a dab of mayo or pesto mayo. Here's a simple recipe I

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126313111050837032005-09-09T20:44:00.000-04:002005-09-09T20:45:11.056-04:00

With the cost of gasoline rising out of control, our enitre lives are affected. Food, especially, seems to be rising in leaps and bounds. I've heard store owners tell me that wholesalers are increasing the price of some items by as much as a whole dollar all at once. It makes for some very unhappy customers.Another trend that I've noticed over many decades is how the potato chip industry

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126211304817698412005-09-08T16:14:00.000-04:002005-09-08T16:28:24.823-04:00

No one's done a study on this that I know of, but there's something about a bag of grapes that consistently makes me waste most of it. I eat some of them the day I buy the grapes, but after that they sit in the fridge and rot. Some therapist somewhere might tell me that it has to do wth some grape-related trauma that I suffered as a kid, but I've only being doing this for the past 4 calendar

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1126123639510725352005-09-07T15:52:00.000-04:002005-09-07T16:07:19.516-04:00

I know I've been going on about Farmers' Markets and such, but my personal opinion is that, most of the time, vendors at markets have far better deals than your local supermarket. However, with the recent rapid increases in the price of fuel, that seems to be changing. Nevertheless, even with summer almost over, you can still get the last batch of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as great

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125873732108725442005-09-04T18:26:00.000-04:002005-09-04T18:42:12.116-04:00

[CAUTION: Potentially offensive language ahead. If you are of a sensitive nature, please read with caution or visit another food blog.]There are two food items that I love more than anything else: any form of noodle or pasta, and mushrooms.. If you're not a mushroom fanatic, no point in reading any further. If you love mushrooms and can't get enough, but find that your fresh mushrooms spoil

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125760634533167082005-09-03T11:14:00.000-04:002005-09-03T11:17:14.540-04:00

If you've never been to your local Farmer's Market, go have a look. Saturdays are usually the busiest, so if you're not a big fan of crowds, go later in the day, say an hour or two before closing. In fact, not only are there usually less people later in the day, you can often get some amazing bargains. Many vendors would rather drop their prices to get rid of stock than pack it all back up,

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125610004623005802005-09-01T17:26:00.000-04:002005-09-01T17:30:20.266-04:00

Thrice - Red bell pepper half stuffed with fried rice. Sprinkle with cheese and pop in the oven for a delicious meal. Thrice-cooked rice. Three recipes from one idea? Sure. Want to learn how to stretch your budget by using the same ingredients, without ending up eating leftovers? Read on.(1) I started with some very basic ingredients: red bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms (canned okay), onions,

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125533861766838162005-08-31T20:17:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:17:41.766-04:00

Below, you'll find a few pictures of various vegetables and herbs growing in pots and barrels on my mother's back deck. See how easy it is ? :D If you're growing tomatoes, make sure you have lots of tall, thick wooden dowels to keep the vines propped up. And watch out for thieving little cute yummy chipmunks.More pictures to come on this blog and at Curry Elvis Cooks.

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125533631404985112005-08-31T20:13:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:13:51.406-04:00

A mysterious okra-like pod (bottom left) amongst various vines. 

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125533566981066512005-08-31T20:12:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:12:46.980-04:00

Bittermelon pod (4-5 inches in length). 

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125533471982518482005-08-31T20:11:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:11:11.986-04:00

Baby bell peppers. 

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125533387323746972005-08-31T20:09:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:09:47.326-04:00

A very large globe eggplant, which would fit in my hand with my fingers spread open wide. 

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125533081248530232005-08-31T20:04:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:04:41.253-04:00

Red (ripe) and green chili peppers 

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125532983803222492005-08-31T20:03:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:03:03.806-04:00

A quick-growing bittermelon behind some fragrant basil (foreground) 

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125532921736237132005-08-31T20:02:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:02:01.740-04:00

One of several tomato plants growing in a pot or barrel on my mother's deck 

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125261716163880352005-08-28T16:38:00.000-04:002005-08-28T16:48:43.823-04:00

Time was when a full-time job at minimum wage was actually enough to get by in life. Not anymore, especially with gasoline prices trying to leave the stratosphere. Everyone except the truly wealthy feel the pinch, especially when you factor that for every cent per gallon gasoline increases, delivery costs on everything we purchase goes up several times over. Every product costs more, which causes

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1125097575009264412005-08-26T19:05:00.000-04:002005-08-26T19:06:15.013-04:00

If you live with other people, maybe even in an apartment building, and are friendly with them, a great way to enjoy good meals without leftovers or waste is to rotate the role of cook amongst yourselves. During my mid-20s, when I lived in Toronto, Canada, I managed to have a couple of nice guys as roommates. We shared in the food costs and alternated who would cook on a particular night. For the

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1124951129376278322005-08-25T02:25:00.000-04:002005-08-25T02:25:29.380-04:00

It's just a hypothesis, but single people are more likely to eat out every night than married people. Obviously, that gets costly. Let's say supper costs you about $8-10, and you eat out at least 5 times a week, week in and week out. At about 50 working weeks per year, that's at least $8x250 = $2000/yr. On a monthly basis, that's about $8x20 = $160 or more. Add in your lunch, and you're probably

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673852.post-1121902522542102942005-07-20T19:27:00.000-04:002005-07-20T19:35:22.543-04:00

Cooking single or for a friend as well? Tired of leftovers? Sick of seeing the biology experiments in the back of your fridge? Enjoy world cuisines but can't afford to eat out all the time or at all? This blog may be able to help you out.I'm a trained cook (no papers, so I can't call myself a chef) and have thrown dinner parties for 2-20 over a few decades. But most of the time, I just cook for

blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0