Chicken Parmesan with Homemade Pasta

Chicken Parmesan -- super tasty and expensive at an Italian restaurant. But can it be done for cheap? Of course!  

There are three components to making this dish:

1) Pasta

2) Red sauce

3) Breaded Parmesan chicken

Pasta - pasta is one staple that is fairly cheap to buy. Most boxes of pasta can be bought for a dollar. I personally like to make my own pasta, which is just as super cheap ( 2 eggs and a cup of flour) but allows you to have more (creative) control over your dish. Tonight I made pasta, which I won't be detailing today, but here are some pics:

Red Sauce - There about as many variations of red sauce as there are people on the planet. I like to keep mine super easy and inexpensive but incredibly tasty. Here are the ingredients I used tonight:

* 2 tbs of olive oil

* 4 cloves of sliced garlic

* 28 oz crushed tomato 

* 14.5 oz diced tomato  

* 1 tbs garlic powder

* 1 tbs onion powder

* 2 tbs grated Parmesan (the kind you sprinkle!)

* 1/2 of a red bell pepper diced 

* dash of salt to taste

* dash of sugar 

First I heated the olive oil to a medium heat in a sauce pan and added the sliced garlic. Once the garlic started to brown, I added both cans of tomatoes. I then added the diced red bell pepper (I only used half of the red bell pepper to add some flavor, I can use the other half of it for something else this week). Then I  added the remaining ingredients. It's important to note that I used the store brand of parmesan in a shaker container. Sure real Parmesan is fantastic, but way too expensive. There are times to buy authentic parmesan, but for how much we are going to be using it in this dish, I prefer the shaker at only $1.36 per container. It's a great trick to save money and still get all that Parmesan flavor.

Next heat up the ingredients and stir and taste. Red sauce tends to bubble and make a mess unless you are stirring continually. You can also use a high pot to prevent splatter. Taste the sauce and season until it taste perfect to you. Once you are convinced it's the best it can be, set aside. 

Breaded Parmesan Chicken - A great tip here is to buy scaloppine (or thinly sliced) chicken. Most recipes require you to purchase chicken breast and do the pounding yourself. It's much easier and much cheaper to buy it already pounded out into thin slices. It is also very inexpensive if you can find it this way as meat is often sold by weight.  In this instance I was able to get nearly six pieces of scaloppine chicken pieces for $2.50! That amazing and means we feed at least four people with this dish or have it again tomorrow! Not to mention you save time pounding down the chicken!

First I take the chicken pieces and season them with a mixture of:

* 2 tbs of parmesan cheese

* 1 tsp of salt

* 1 tsp of onion powder

* 1 tsp of garlic powder

* 2 tbs of Italian seasoning (you can find "Italian seasonings" at many dollar store for 50 cents to a dollar)

Sprinkle seasonings on the chicken pieces.

Next make an egg wash in a small bowl with two beaten eggs. Place some flour  in a small shallow dish. In another shallow dish I combined some crushed bread crumbs ( I had panko crumbs in my cupboard) along with:

2 tbs of Parmesan cheese

2 tbs of Italian seasoning

Heat two inches of oil in a frying pan. Dip each season piece of chicken into the flour, then the egg wash, and then into the breadcrumbs. Press to ensure fully covered. Once all pieces have completed this dipping, fry each side for two minutes. It's important to note, the chicken does not have to be cooked fully at this point as it will continue cooking later in the oven. The important factor is too make sure each side is a nice crispy brown color. You want each side to be fully crisped so it won't lose texture later in the recipie. They should look something like this when completed:

Now for the easy part! Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Use a glass dish big enough to hold the sauce and the chicken. Layer the bottom of the glass dish with sauce. Place breaded chicken on top of sauce and then layer with remaining sauce. Top off with some shredded mozzarella (I found a super cheap cheese "nub" that was only $2 dollars but contained 2 types of cheeses.)

 Place in oven on middle rack and bake for 20 minutes. Cheese should be melted and a golden brown. 

Now we just need to assemble! Place pasta on a plate! Too with breaded chicken cooked in sauce, add some more sauce for good measure and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese! 

Time to eat! I know this is one of the more complicated recipes, but it is also incredibly tasty. On the bright side, we also made four servings for less then $6 dollars! Which is incredibly impressive, and I'm sure you couldnt find a better deal on chicken parmesan than that in your city! 

Broiled Honey Salmon Salad

First nights dinner, something simple yet really tasty. Just because I am eating healthy and cheaply doesn't mean it has to be boring. Even on a budget, you can indulge as long as you plan it and only buy what you need. In this case I only ordered 1/2lb of salmon which is a perfect amount for two salads and one nights dinner. It cost around 4 dollars which means I just have to budget the rest of the week for some dishes with less expensive ingredients.

The first part of the salad is to choose some ingredients. Remember your ingredients have to last all week so just choose a couple of key ingredients. And remember, you don't have to use a whole part of a vegetable. Often with some veggies like squash or cucumber I only use half of a vegetable at a time. This saves the vegetable for later use! Here is the what I used for this salad: red bell pepper, chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoe, and a cucumber.

Perfect! Easy enough, I put the chopped salad in a bowl and put it in the fridge to chill as I prepare the rest of the salad.

Next I set the oven to a high broil. I take the salmon out and cut it into two equal parts. When broiling salmon, I like creating a "boat" made of foil. You can definitely use a glass dish if you prefer but I find using foil makes for easy clean up and allows the juices to marinate closer to the fish when cooking. I take a tablespoon of olive oil and rub it over the salmon. 

Next I make a glaze for the salmon. In this case I used:

*2 tbs of honey

*1 tspn of paprika 

*1 tspn of onion powder 

*1 tspn of garlic powder

I mixed the glaze with a fork. The honey was a little thick from the chilly weather so I added 2 tbs of warm water until it was a nice even glaze. Spoon over salmon. If you are using a foil boat, pull the boat closer together so that the salmon is surrounded by the glaze.

Place on the middle/upper rack and broil for exactly ten minutes. This should work with most 1-inch thick pieces. DO NOT overcook, no one likes overcooked fish!

After ten minutes, pull salmon out and let sit for several minutes while arranging the salad. Use a flat spatula to seperate the skin from the salmon as you place the salmon on top of the salad. Add your dressing of choice (I had balsamic/parmesan dressing) 

All done! 

     

 

New Week 2014 - Bring on the health food!

Had a doctors visit yesterday and he said to be sure I eat healthy this year and cut out any unnecessary sugars, etc. Not the best thing you want to hear from a doctor, but the perfect opportunity to revisit making some great homemade food! So this new year, I want to see how long I can go making healthy food and stay on a budget. Same rules as last year, although I think I will aim for $25-$30 per week. The only reason for the increase is to take into account things like oil, butter and random condiments I may need from time to time. Otherwise I will still try to keep food costs around 25$ per week. This weeks total was only 22$ but I might have to stop at the store later for grated Parmesan so that should put me $25 for the week. Here's what I get this week...

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of the best meals for breakfast when you are on a budget. It's cheap, one box will make lots of meals and it is incredible versatile. I still had a couple of apples left so I decide to make apple cinnamon oatmeal. Sure they sell that already prepacked,but this method is cheaper, tastier and still only takes less than minutes. 1) Prepare oatmeal according to package. (I am really into McCann's Irish oatmeal for its hearty flavor) 2) Core and slice half of an apple (whatever you have is fine) and finely dice. (You can do this by hand but I have a nifty chopper I use) 3) When oatmeal is finished add the finely diced apple and add anywhere from 1/8-1/4 of ground cinnamon powder. Stir well and you are finished! Easy enough and much tastier than prepackaged oatmeal. Ten minutes max. The sweetness of the apple you use will determine how sweet the oatmeal is. You could add a touch of honey or brown sugar but I am trying to stay away from sweets and the apple adds just the right amount of sweetness for me.

Budget Tip - Free Food

So again, this blog is all about how to make a weeks worth of yummy food on only a budget of 20-25$. Some weeks you can even make your budget last longer than that. Yesterday when I was getting my taxes done, I realized the tax preparer was the mother of an old acquaintance of mine. Because of this she gave me a coupon for 2 free tacos. As I drove away I immediately, by habit, put the coupon in the side pocket of my car. Then I realized -- I have a free coupon for tacos! For some reason I have a really bad habit of accepting gift cards, coupons, and food items and then NEVER using them! When I cleared out my cupboards this weekend, I found a blueberry scone mix, 2-alarm chili mix, and a pumpkin pie filling. All items I received free as gifts. Not too mention tons of chocolate and other miscellaneous food items. On Sunday, I was picking up my bedroom when I found a coupon for a free In-N-Out burger! I love In-N-Out! The only problem was... a lot of the stuff was expired. Even the In-N-Out certificate! So as I am working on this blog, I make a new vow. All gift/food items/gift certificates I receive must be used in one week. There is no reason to have to throw away what would be perfectly good food! I think I am like a lot of people though who are too lazy too to use gift certificates or, more often than not, I just forget I have them. So this year, its all about the free food! So even if it is not a perfect opportunity to use a dinner gift certificate, I will make it the perfect time! This free me up to use my food ingredients for an even longer time, which is a very budget conscious thing to do! Man, now I really want an In-N-Out burger.

Shopping Week One

All this food for only 20$!!! So one of the main reasons for this blog is to show how you eat cheaply but not sacrifice on taste and creativity. Since the beginning of this year I have been trying to live off all homemade meals for under 25$ per week for myself (with dinner including two people). So far I have found it very doable and actually I find myself eating a lot better tasting food. The catch is it can take some preparation and you have to learn to stop "shopping for meals" and start shopping for ingredients. This is a very different approach to cooking for me. Before I would make a list of things I would want to make and then shop separately for each meal. Now I go out to stores see what produce and items are on sale and get some great deals and then decide what to make out of it during the week. I usually have some general idea what to make but other times I am surprised at what can be put together with different ingredients! The key is to be open and adventurous! With that being said I also made a couple of rules for myself: #1 No sweets! This doesn't mean I cant use sugar for cooking but I am getting in better shape and see no reason to spend money on sweets I could easily use on food instead! #2 Buy as little as prepackaged products as possible! Most things can be cooked cheaper and better tasting with just a little know how and time. I have quickly come to realize that most things take about the same time to cook whether store bought or homemade but the difference in quality is definitely much higher when I make it homemade! (MOST of the time..I have my own house of horror creations that I have also made!) #3 Cross-tie food items much as possible! Who says certain ingredients go only go in certain foods? Where are the food police? Are they going to come in your house and shut down your kitchen? I usually use the same items all week in such a variety of ways! What goes in soup can also make great crab cakes! What makes a great salad can also make a fantastic pizza! Your an adult now! You can do whatever you want with your food! One fantastic reference I have used which has inspired a lot of my cooking is from a birthday gift I received from a dear friend. It is a book titled "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman. It literally is a guide to cooking nearly everything! And if falls short of some culinary knowledge you need there is always the world wide web! (The book "How to Cook..." is also available as a phone app although I find it much handier to keep a physical copy around. Plus we are trying to save money remember! Your best is to find a copy at your local used book store. The book has been around forever and your chances of finding on the cheap are pretty good!) With that being said, lets get back to cooking! For future shopping list, I will probably list what items I purchase for the week so you can get an idea of what I am actually getting and using! I am looking forward to our cooking adventures together! Joseph

Things I actually made and ate #1 - Italian scrambled eggs

Yes. I know that is the same bowl type I used on my last post. I'm on a budget! What can I say? And being on a budget means you have to be creative sometimes and step outside the box. I currently need to go food shopping but I need to eat lunch. So what does a budget conscious person do? Check the fridge and see what you can make with what you have! As luck would have it, I have some eggs and some heavy cream in my fridge that is expiring today. It's fortunate that I have the cream since I am all out of milk, I can use a dash of the cream instead of milk and make some creamy delicious eggs. Of course since I never like to eat anything boring I need to figure out how I am going to make this meal a little bit more interesting. I check the cupboard and I find a shaker of Italian herbs that I bought at the store for only 50 cents! What a great deal and you can find more of these kind of deals at dollars stores around you. Anything from garlic salt to paprika to celery salt! Which is important for the budget minded. Get all the flavor on the cheap. I decide to use some of the Italian herbs in scrambled eggs which is a first flavor combination wise for me. I also find some chili garlic oil that I made (see recipe) which will add a nice flavor combination if I cook the eggs with it. I also have a touch of homemade salsa I made last week and I find a small amount of Muenster cheese that I can shred on top. So in a pinch I have some sort of Italian style Frankenstein scrambled eggs! Recap: Scrambled two eggs with salt, pepper, dash of heavy cream, good amount of Italian herbs. Heat chili garlic oil in pan. Cook scrambled eggs until done. Topped with muenster cheese with a dash of salsa on top. Verdict? Not Bad! I actually like this combination and I think since the muenster cheese has a nice mild flavor it actually blends well with the rest of the ingredients. I actually would like to try this recipe again, only next time with a full Italian style theme Like say perhaps scrambled eggs topped off with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce! I could definitely see it more as a Sunday brunch type of meal though instead of a weekday staple. One to show off your friends about how daring you can really be!