How to Save a Lot of Money by Not Eating Out

Maybe I’m a control freak, but I like to cook and know what I’m eating.  Some nights, though, I throw up my hands in horror when I realize I’m cooking for 10 people.  That’s what happened this past weekend.  After two days spent in the kitchen, I heard myself suggesting, “Let’s eat out.”

I had already served Homemade Vegetarian Lasagna with Meatballs on the side, Garlic Bread, Salad, Honeydew Melon Slices and Chocolate Mousse Cake on Friday night. 

Mom Money-Saving Tip 94

After years of tossing out half-used cans of tomato paste, I finally realized I had another option: tubes of tomato paste.  They offer the very useful option of squeezing out however much tomato paste you need.  

Naturally you are paying for convenience.  A 4 ½-ounce tube of Mutti Double Concentrated Tomato Paste, which contains about 8 tablespoons paste, is selling for about $7 on some websites.  A same-size tube of Amore Tomato Paste is $3.99 at my local supermarket, while a same-size tube of Napoleon Tomato Paste is $2.28.  Meanwhile, a 6-ounce can of store-brand tomato paste, costs 79 cents.

Wonder how that cost breaks down per tablespoon?

A New Kind of Omelet

When I was just learning to cook, I shared an apartment in New York with a friend who worked in the Standard Brands test kitchen.  One day she came home with a new product her department was testing.  It was called Egg Beaters.  It looked like beaten eggs, but in fact it was made of egg whites and yellow coloring.  It tasted pretty much like regular eggs, but I couldn’t figure out why I would want to use it instead of real eggs.

Now that I’m older and think more about healthy food choices, I understand

Mom Money-Saving Tip 93

If you love fresh cherries but are shocked at the price, look for twinned cherries. Some stores refuse to sell this odd-looking fruit.  But those that do, sell them cheaper.  There is nothing wrong with twinned cherries. Twinning occurs when the weather is too hot when the cherries are in the process of budding.  Twinned cherries are a double-barreled eating pleasure.

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Israeli Couscous: What Is It and How Do I Cook It?

Top: uncooked Israeli Couscous - Bottom: Cooked Israeli Couscous 

Israeli Couscous, also known as pearl couscous, is like regular couscous but on steroids.  Uncooked and poured out onto a plate, this kind of couscous resembles a pile of white peppercorns. Traditional couscous look like large grains of sand.  Bob’s Red Mills describes Israeli Couscous, which the company markets as Traditional Pearl Couscous, as “essentially small ball-shaped pasta.” 

Mom Cooking Tip 146

Here’s a convenient way to use up a few cups of leftover cooked pasta: put it in a greased baking dish, add some cut-up cooked vegetables, 1 cup homemade or jarred sauce and 2 well-beaten eggs and mix well.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Mozzarella cheese.  Cover and bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

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Mom Money-Saving Tip 92

Here’s a way to re-purpose leftover cooked corn on the cob.  Put several ears on a non-stick frying pan, turn the heat to medium-high and let the kernels heat up and start to brown.  Turn the ears every minute or so that different kernels brown.  Serve while the corn is still hot.

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Dinner for One

Salmon and Asparagus Risotto

There are at least three ways to look at the idea of cooking just for yourself.

1) It could be such a nuisance that you get a takeout meal and forget about cooking altogether. 

2) You could treat yourself to your favorite dish.

3) You could try something new that you think you’d like but hesitate to feed someone else in case it doesn’t turn out well.

I used to choose option 2 because that was the only way I ever got to eat Spaghetti with Garlic Sauce or Fried Eggs on Toast, two of my favorites. 

Question for Mom

I recently bought a 5-pound bag of short-grain white rice and cooked some for dinner.  It turned out incredibly sticky.  What am I doing wrong? –Nevin G

Short-grain rice is covered in starch, which causes it to be sticky after it’s cooked.  Some stickiness is good if you’re using chopsticks.  But too much stickiness is unappetizing.  Here’s a solution.

Fill a large pot with water and begin heating over high heat.

While it is coming to a boil, take 1 cup of the raw rice, put it in a sieve and run cold water over it to wash away some of the starch.  Continue until the water runs clear.

When the large pot of water begins to boil, toss in the rice and cook for about 15 minutes uncovered.  Test to see if it has softened enough.  If yes, drain the rice, put it in a bowl and serve.  If it is too chewy, cook another minute or two and test again.  Drain and serve.

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Portobello Mushrooms: What Are They and How Do I Cook Them?

Portobello mushrooms, or portobellos, as some cooks call them, look like mushrooms on steroids.  Some of them measure at least six inches in diameter and can weigh more than one-quarter of a pound. 

Portobellos are more expensive than standard mushrooms, but they offer dining opportunities that smaller mushrooms don’t.  They can be stuffed and baked, broiled or grilled and offered as a main dish.  I often serve them in a bun, like I would a hamburger.  If you cut portobellos into 1/2-inch slices and then sauté them in butter or olive oil, they make an excellent side dish.  

Baby Portobello mushrooms, which are about 2 inches across,

What Every Freezer Needs

Most cooks probably have a favorite food they stash in the freezer.  For some it would be cookies, which you can actually eat frozen but do thaw very quickly if you can wait that long.  My freezer is seldom without croissants, which defrost and crisp up in the oven in about 7 minutes.

But the frozen food I value most these days is home-cooked shredded chicken.  It doesn’t take up much space and is enormously useful.  Toss a frozen handful into soup or thaw a handful and add it to a salad.  Viola!  A meal.

Better yet, heat up a cupful or two of frozen shredded chicken in some water and barbecue sauce and then stuff it into a few heated buns.  It makes a quick snack, lunch or dinner with virtually no fuss.

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Dry Spice Rubs: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Dry spice rubs can be commercially-made or homemade mixtures of ground spices.  Chefs use them to boost the flavor of whatever they’re cooking.  All they do is rub some spice mixture on the uncooked meat, chicken or fish and then bake, grill or fry it as normal. 

In addition to varying the taste of whatever is being cooked, dry spice rubs are an excellent way to use up spices you have on hand and are ending their use-by date. 

Dry spice rubs normally contain at least five different ingredients, but depending on what you’re cooking the spices will vary.  For instance, my dry spice rub for Baby Back Ribs is made up of paprika, chili powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. 

Experts say