eBooks & More by Ria Stone

Monday, April 20, 2020

Microwave: Mug O'Apple Bread Pudding

During the COVID19 quarantine, I am rummaging around in closets, drawers, cupboards, and the frig.

I had a tablespoon of canned apple pie filling in the frig that had been sitting around for quite awhile.

I usually have a heel of bread somewhere in the frig.

So, I decided to make a Mug O’Apple Pudding based on a prior Mug O'Bread pudding recipe.

All I did different this time was stir the mixture well before microwaving.

Microwave: Mug O'Apple Bread Pudding Recipe
(Adapted from: https://riastoneblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/mug-obread-pudding.html)

Ingredients:

1 8oz coffee cup

1 TB Canned apple pie filling
1 Slice of bread, torn into pieces
1 egg
1 1-2 TB sugar
2 TB milk or yogurt (I used lactose-free dry milk mix)
1 TB vegetable oil (or margarine)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Dashes of cinnamon

Process:

Add apple filling to bottom of cup
Break bread into pieces, place in cup.
In separate bowl, mix rest of ingredients
Pour mixture over bread.
Push bread down into cup so all pieces are soaked in mixture.
Stir and mix bread, fruit and egg mixture together.
Microwave 2 minutes on high.
Remove, let it cool for a bit before eating.

It tastes like apple crumb cake!

Variations: use other types of fruit or no fruit.

#GERD-friendly

Converting Jack's Peach and Chickpea Curry into a Toast Topping

As you can see, if you preview my blog posts, I follow Jack Monroe https://cookingonabootstrap.com/.

I have also bought most of her books. Like Amy Dacyczyn, author of the Tightwad Gazette, Jack encourages people on a limited budget with limited cooking skills that they, too, can make great frugal meals.

Here is Jack's original Peach and Chickpea Curry:
https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2019/11/05/peach-chickpea-curry-recipe/.

While this post is not an actual recipe, you can go to Jack's website and try her recipe.

I was skeptical about trying to make this recipe for several reasons. Because I need to adapt recipes to make them GERD-friendly and according to available supplies, I wondered if I could actually achieve a curry.

Suffice it to say, adapting the recipe to make it GERD-friendly meant No onions, No garlic and No tomatoes. I tried to use a bit of onion and garlic powders. I tried to give it the tomato flavor by adding a few crumbles of tomato bouillon. If I use too much of any of these spices, my stomach rebels.

Well, it did not turn out the way I thought. So, I now I had a lot of peaches/chickpea mix left.

What could I do with this? First, I thought, I’d try to make the curry again by recooking a batch with additional spices. No, that won’t work, it would be too spicy.

Ok, let me sleep on it.

Then, I thought let’s see if it works as a toast topping. So, in the morning, I spread some cream cheese on a slice of toast and topped it with a 1 1/2 tablespoons of the peaches/chickpeas mix. It worked! It’s great. Hurray, another save!

#GERD-friendly

Sunday, April 19, 2020

A Frugal Cup of Coffee

I have some ground coffee. I have a French Press but I only wanted to make one cup of coffee.

The ground coffee I have has a weak flavor, so what I did was use a tea-spoon (meant for loose tea) and grabbed a tea-spoon full of ground coffee, placed it in a cup and added boiling water.

Then, I stirred it and pulled the spoon out to let it drip and then stirred it some more etc.

Then, I added 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee, stirred and got a good cup of coffee. Used the same grounds twice for another cup.

No Bake: Small Yogurt & Whipped Topping Pie

My recipes have devolved into small or single portion servings and minimalist ingredients.

While I don't have a sweet tooth, I do crave something sweet now and then. I made a version of this recipe, previously, but this one is simpler and more basic.

No Bake: Small Yogurt & Whipped Topping Pie
(Adapted from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12225/strawberry-yogurt-pie-i/)

Ingredients:

6oz Yogurt, flavored
6 Tbspns Whipped Topping
6-8 Cookies, crushed, use more if needed
Garnishes: Cookie crumbs and cinnamon

Process:

Put cookies in a plastic bag.
Smash cookies into crumbs with something hard like a can or a cutting board.
Conserve some cookie crumbs for garnish.

Layer the bottom of a small pie dish with the crushed cookie crumbs.
Use a spoon to level the cookie crumbs in the dish out to the edges.

In a small bowl, add yogurt and topping.
Stir and mix well until smooth.

Pour yogurt mixture over cookie crumbs in pie dish.
Use spoon to smooth mixture out to the edges.
Place in freezer for several hours to set.

When serving, garnish with additional cookie crumbs and cinnamon.

For a variation, see other blog post:

No Bake: Fruit & Yogurt Dessert
https://riastoneblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/no-bake-fruit-yogurt-dessert.html

#GERD-friendly - this is GERD-friendly for some but not all. Because I use lactose-free milk and dry milk, the use of other dairy products sparingly does not cause a problem. Be cautious.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Hotplate: COVID19 Chicken Broth with Additions

Breakfast today was a catch-all, Kitchen Sink Mug O'Something.

Lunch was a mug of COVID19 Chicken Broth with additions accompanied with several saltine crackers.

COVID19 Chicken Broth with Additions

Ingredients:

6 Cups water
1 Chicken Bouillon cube
1 Dollop vegetable oil
A sprinkle of onion powder
A sprinkle of garlic powder
Ground black powder
1-2 drops hot sauce
Additions: Use what you have.
Saltine crackers

Process:

In 1 cup of water, add bouillon cube and microwave on high for two minutes.
Remove, stir to dissolve bouillon.
In a pot, add oil.
Add onion and garlic powders.
Add ground black pepper and hot sauce to taste (Optional).
Turn heat to high.
Stir the ingredients quickly.
Add bouillon water.
Stir.
Add 5 more cups of water.
Let this mixture heat up then remove from hotplate.

I added 6 ladlefuls of the broth to a large mug.
Then I add a ladleful of Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew to the broth.
Then, I stirred the mixture.
I microwaved the mixture for 2 minutes on high.

Be careful this broth will be hot!

Have some saltine crackers with the broth.

While I had a healthy frugal Breakfast and Lunch, the cafe next door has begun to offer door-to-door service. So, today, I got a Cafe-Carmelo Frappachino.

Microwave: Mug O'Something - Kitchen Sink Variety

I have been a small meal eater for over 20 years.

It began when my family went to a restaurant and when my meal came, I was shocked. The plate was piled high with food. There was no way I could eat all that food, so I asked for a doggie bag, immediately. Then, I divided the meal in half and saved the rest. I have been doing that ever since.

I consider a burrito a meal. Previously, at home, when I cooked casseroles or one-pot dishes, I divided them into single serving containers and froze them for work lunches or dinner.

But, it was when I started making and collecting recipes for my next cookbook, I began to focus on what I called:

Small meals
Spoonful snacks
Savor the flavor bits, and
Micro-nutrients

When I make a meal, I think, what does it provide from the concepts of MyPlate:

1 serving vegetables
1 serving fruit
1 serving protein
1 serving grains
1 serving fiber

I am also using the term "serving" liberally. I consider a spoonful of protein or fiber a serving.

Toast toppings and mug recipes probably triggered several of these ideas.

With a toast topping or mug recipe you could add one bit of something healthy mixed in with the rest of the ingredients.

For example, today, I wanted to make a toast topping with one egg.

In these COVID19 Crisis times, using one egg in one recipe seems extravagant. I am now pondering how to use one egg in a recipe that makes more than 1 serving. Frittatas come to mind.

After perusing my frig, what did I have to make a healthy toast topping?

I had some chorizo left. When I buy chorizo, I slice it into wafers and freeze them. Then, when I want to add some chorizo to a recipe, I take one wafer, crumble it into a mug and microwave it for 45 seconds to cook it. I do this because chorizo is a meat and I want to make sure it is cooked.

I realize that my definition of "healthy" is pretty broad. In essence, it's not a bag of potato chips for dinner, or 10 chocolate-filled cookies, or cupcakes. I generally, eat chicken and fish, and some pork. To me, cooking beef is too much effort and the taste is nothing to get excited about.

Then, I added the egg and a dollop of milk.

But, I wanted some vegetables, too. Attempting to stretch my vegetable supplies, I used two spoonfuls of my Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew. I added a few drops of hot sauce and a few grinds of ground black pepper.

Then, I stirred and whipped the ingredients thoroughly. Then, microwaved the lot for 1:30 seconds on high (high is the only setting, I have).

Meanwhile the toast was ready. I was out of mayo, what should I use to coat the toast? What did I have? I had Italian dressing, ketchup, mustard, thousand island dressing, and vegetable oil. I choose the oil.

I added a dab of oil onto the toast and smeared it around.

When the egg mixture was ready, I stacked it on top of the toast and then mashed it down and sprinkled a bit more ground black pepper on top.

The results were tasty.

Now, did I get the daily recommended amount of vitamins, minerals, grains, and protein, etc? No, but I did get a micro-amount of many of these items.

You'd think I'd be slim because of all these small meal tactics, but I am overweight. I think it's because I like late-night snacks, even though they are small. Plus, when I used to gather with family and friends, eating and talking were usually the main events.

Microwave: Mug O’Something - Kitchen Sink Variety

Ingredients:

1 Slice of Chorizo, crumbled
1 Egg
1 Dollop of milk
Ground black pepper to taste (Optional)
1-2 Drops of hot sauce
1-2 Tspns of Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew or find something in your frig to add
1 Slice of bread
A Dab of oil

Process:

Make a slice of toast and set aside.
After crumbling the chorizo into the mug, microwave on high for 45 seconds.
Add egg.
Add dollop of milk (I used powdered milk mix).
Add some ground black pepper to taste.
Add drops of hot sauce.
Add Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Stew or your addition of choice.
Stir and whip ingredients thoroughly.
Cover mug (I use a saucer).
Microwave on high for 1:30.
Add a dab of oil to toast top.
Dump egg mixture on top of toast.
Smash it down and spread over toast.