Kim Chee

1 head Napa cabbage, about 1-1/2 pounds

¼ c. kosher salt

½ c. rice vinegar

1 t. sugar

2T. hot chili paste (recommended: Srirachi Hot Chili Paste)

1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 scallions, finely sliced

Directions:

Remove outer leaves from cabbage. Cut cabbage in quarters and remove the tough inner core. Slice across sections into ½-inch slices. Put into a colander, add salt, and mix well. Place over a bowl and let drain, covered, until wilted, about 2 hours.

In a large bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the chili paste, ginger, garlic, and scallions and stir. Rinse the salt off the cabbage with a couple of changes of water. Dry well and add to the vinegar mixture; stir well to combine. Put into a sterilized glass jar and pack the cabbage down; add enough water to cover. Close the jar and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This is spicy and gets spicier the longer it sits-add or subtract chili paste to your taste.

Pool Kogi

1 ½ T. sesame seeds

¼ c. chopped green onions

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp. salt and pepper

1 T. sesame oil

1/3 c. soy sauce

¼ c. water

1 T. sugar

1-2 lb. beef or pork, sliced thin

Opt: 1 T. each

Grated carrots, turnips, cabbage

Directions: Parch sesame seeds till brown. Combine all ingredients. Marinate several hours. Fry or bake meat. Serve over hot rice.

Fried Rice

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Fauxtisserie Chicken + Chicken stock

Ok, after texting Kathy about chicken, I realized I need to share one of my yummy, frugal recipes with you. Check out this link from OurBestBites.com:
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/05/rotisserie-chicken/

If whole fryers go on sale, I usually cook the whole thing in my crock pot and serve with mashed potatoes and veggies, then strip the rest of the meat to freeze. PLEASE do NOT throw out those bones! I usually have a ziploc bag in my freezer and any time I have cut up onions, celery or carrots, I throw the tops/onion skins in the freezer baggie. Or chicken bones. Or lemon peels. Once I have enough bones and veggies in there, I use this recipe from Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love:

Roasted Chicken Stock (makes 3 quarts)
1 4-5lb roasted chicken, homemade or store-bought
2 med sized onions, cut in half, skins on
4 med carrots, quartered
6 pieces of celery, tops on, cut in quarters
1/2 bunch parsle, rinsed
3 garlic cloves, skin on, smashed
1 T salt
4-5 black peppercorns
4 slices fresh lemon
3 quarts water

In a large stock pot, combine ingredients and add 3 quarts of water. On high heat, bring soup to a boil; then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour.
Pour through a colander into a large pot or pitcher to serparate the broth from bones and veggies. Discard bones and veggies. You are left with yummy chicken stock.

Ok, me here again. This recipe is very forgiving, but I have found I like it most with lots of celery. And I've used thyme and rosemary in it before and it was yummy. I usually put a quart jar in the fridge to use for everyday and freeze 15 oz baggies of it in the freezer for soups.

If you do not use stock on a regular basis, prepare to be amazed at how this will change your dishes. You can steam veggies in the microwave with it, make a yummy roux for soup. Replace any water in recipes with stock and your food will take on a whole new richness. And that's what makes this recipe so awesome--you're using stuff you were just going to throw away, so you can't get much cheaper than that. And I know the cans are only .50, but hey, that's a few more quarters in your grocery budget!

Oh, and this makes your house smell really good. Like you are one amazing cook or something...

Mmmm

Can I just say I love popcorn? Has anyone tried to do it in a paper bag in their microwave? I'm thinking I might have to try it...

Asain BBQ Chicken

From Our Best Bites

Asian BBQ Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Light

1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t curry powder
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Combine everything but the chicken in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. Place marinade and chicken in a zip-lock bag. Pop that bag in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or longer if you have it (even overnight)

Preheat a grill (or an indoor grill pan or broiler). Spray cooking surface with cooking spray and place chicken on it to cook. Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness. Optional: garnish with sliced green onions

Rosey here. Here's the deal. Chicken thighs or leg quarters frequently go on sale for 69 cents or less a pound here. (Once I even found it for .39/lb! WO!) That makes this meal awesomely cheap and supery dupery good. When I see chicken on sale, you can bet you find this on my menu. As soon as I buy it, I dump it in a plastic gallon bag, lime rinds, garlic cloves and all, and shove it in the freezer. (Yes, shove, because that's the relationship I have with my tiny freezer.) Then, the morning of the day I want to make it, I pull it out and it marinates while it thaws. Usually I just bake it in the oven for 45 mins until juices run clear. It's a hit. Both twins ate two thighs a piece last time and that's a ton of food for them. Enjoy!

Classic Shepherd's Pie

From the kitchen of LaRae Longmore:

1 lb hamburger

1/2 onion

seasonings of your choice

Combine and cook together. Then, dump in a 9x13 pan and add:

1 can tomato soup

1 can beans, drained

Top with mashed potatoes (Enough to feed six. I often make this after I have leftover mashed potatoes to save me a step). You can either have little mounds or smooth them out. Sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese. Bake in oven 350 for 1/2 hour or until cheese is bubbly and potatoes are crisp on edges. Tonight I topped it with green onions. This is a family favorite!

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

Wo--you have got to seriously check this out! I was super excited to find this (actually, Erin found it for me) and have a new idea of something dairy free for Chad. It was yummy.

http://nuttykitchen.com/2010/06/01/coconut-whipped-cream/

Basically, you refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight. Then, scoop out the firm milk product. (My whole can was cream). Whip it and add vanilla and sugar. Yum!

English Muffins

• These actually look like the real thing, and they are yummy!