Saturday, July 26, 2008

Trash(y) salad




Yesterday, I got into my housekeeping groove and didn't want to quit. I was doing laundry, washing dishes, throwing stuff away, and I didn't want to stop to go to the grocery store, but I was crazy hungry. It came to me that we hadn't been to the grocery store all week, and we used to go almost every day for something. Granted, we had dinner out with Mr. B.'s parentpeople one night, but other than that, we had leftovers and madeovers. I saw no reason to break the cycle for lunch on a Friday. After cleaning the kitchen, I looked around and saw a lot of odds and ends. Odds and ends are the perfect opportunity for...

Trash(y) Pasta Salad!


Serves as many people as you want. Just add more stuff. (I am SO technical!)

8 oz. dry rotini (or fusili, or for true trashy salad, the cheapest elbow mac you can find. I had wacky mac, so mine was a trace more garbage blanche than white trash--just like me!)
red wine vinegar
olive oil
herbs and spices
low-fat mayo (if you're doing better than I am, you've got yogurt in your fridge, and can mix it 50/50 with the mayo... I wasn't there on Friday)
sugar
delicious veggies you need to use

Boil water. While you wait for water to boil, mix about a tablespoon olive oil with about 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Add spices. I used Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Whisk in small bowl (I used a measuring cup). Add about 2 tablespoons mayo, or your mayo-yogurt mix. (Some people like to use reduced fat sour cream. I'd go easy on the vinegar if you're gonna do that.) Add a little sugar. Whisk some more (I say whisk... I did in fact whisk it with a fork... a whisk was entirely unneccesary for this operation) and let all that get comfy and intimate together while you dump pasta in the pot and chop veggies. I had an orange bell pepper we've had since... I don't know, but I'm surprised it's still good. I also have a ton of baby carrots, so I sliced them thinly and tossed them in the pot for the last 4 minutes or so of the pasta cooking so they could slightly soften. I also chopped a tomato.

When pasta is done, drain and rinse with cool water. Dump in bowl, add veggies. Pour some dressing over, stir, and add more dressing if necessary. Salt, pepper, and put in fridge. If you're starving like I was, you can stick it in the freezer for a cold minute and then put your face in it after you've grated some fresh parm on top.

This would also be fantastic with peas, ham, chicken, or any odds and ends things you have in the fridge. I mean, I wouldn't put fruit in it, but you get the idea.

Not the healthiest, but I made it entirely from staples (not the metal kind, ew) and leftovers.

Thrift Store Ninja I: How to get 'new' clothes for work, quell your shopping urge, and come home with money left over




After years of vintage, studenting, t-shirt hawking, tutoring, and housekeeping, I have a job in which I am the youngest employee and will be teaching students just a few years younger than me. In some cases, the students are older than my own personal mother. This means the funky has to be saved for the weekend and I've got to look professional. I mean, I'm not gonna start buying beige tweed, but I can't really rock the shabby chic to work so much anymore. And, I'll be working at the same place four days a week, so I can't play the "recycle my five pieces of nice stuff" game anymore.

So a couple weeks ago, Mr. B. called me up and told me he'd found a new thrift store and it was half-price day. I withdrew cash from the bank and was at his house ready to go before he could even get out of the shower. I took out $20 with the intention of spending just that, and getting a blue shirt and a khaki skirt for work. A couple months ago, I got a fantastic pair of blue and brown pants and an awesome plaid skirt (both on clearance for ridiculously tiny amounts of money) that match nothing in my closet, and my khaki skirt has a stain. Heading into month two of lame summer pay, I was dying to shop but had small money.

Mr. B. and I went to what I will call Tiny Thrift Store for the purposes of this blog. I did not find any clothes, and decided I'd spend some loot on other things, namely a set of curtains (Hello, Window Scarves!)



and cookbooks.



It turned out I'd been to the thrift store before, but not on the glorious wonder that is 50% off day. And I found out that here, the last Sunday of every month is 50% off day at most of the thrift stores in town. It makes sense--it's a good time to clear out the junk. How much did I spend at Tiny Thrift Store?

Window scarves 8.00 4.00
Williams Sonoma
Cookbook 2.00 1.00
Vegetarian
Entertaining 2.00 1.00
Joy of Home
Brew (for Mr. B) 2.00 1.00
----------------------------
7.00

Well, those were great finds! Just one problem--I had no shirts, and I still was itching for clothes and to make some purchases. So, we went to Larger Thrift Store. After sifting through the fun of the kitchen supplies and playing the WTF is That? game, Mr. B. and I parted ways and I destroyed the women's section. While there was nothing great in the skirt or pants department for me, I got four shirts for work that will carry me through the summer and into fall (and I know as hot-natured as I am, I'll wear them to work this winter).



For those of you who watch "The Office" (that's everyone in America under 40, right?), I call this my "Pam Shirt."



It has completely awesome buttons, but it's missing one! Oh no, what will I do?


Well, the missing button will still let me be modest, but even better... look what's hidden under the collar.



Booyah! Moral of the story... don't give up too easily if the thrift find is awesome. The black shirt above even had the original extra buttons stitched to the inside care tag. It pays to check this stuff over. I know all y'all can sew on a button. Even if you think you can't, you actually can. I promise. Try it, just don't stab yourself. And if you have a waterbed, don't use it to hold the needle while you find your thread. I haven't done it, but it's been done. All I'm saying.



This next one doesn't look like much, but the neckline is fabulous, the fit is wonderful and the fabric feels like your favorite blanket. It will be good for early fall and spring, and I now wear it for what I call "fake fall." Fake fall is when I get up early and it's cool outside, and I curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a blanket and think about Halloween. (Fall fever has set in superbly early this year.)



I came home, removed tags, and have worn all but the shirt I went out specifically to get, the first blue one. *head smack* However, they've all worn great and are in excellent condition, and they were purchased for about $10. So, for under $20, I quelled the shopping urge, revamped my wardrobe, and found the opportunity to use Mr. B.'s shower curtain as a backdrop. Wooh!

Some pointers for thrifting that you probably already know but I will talk about anyway:

1) Carry a measuring tape. (And if you're shopping for furniture, a tape measure.) Sizes vary hugely, especially if you run across vintage. Know your measurements or the measurements of clothes that fit you well, and shop accordingly.

In Thrift Score, Al Hoff notes that you can wear clothes while thrifting that will allow you to try on clothes right there in the aisle (leggings, tight pants, flowy skirts, etc.). Of course, some people will think you are shoplifting. A lot of stores have gotten better about dressing rooms, but if you're in a hurry, these are good ways to get around that. I'm a combination measurer/try on in the aisles/dressing room girl myself.

2) Look at seams. Make sure they aren't crooked. It may be a $4 dress, but if you don't like to sew, it will be a $4 dress that stays in the "sewing pile." (Don't even start on the sewing pile. It's a tragedy, especially if you have no free time, and spend the free time you have on a blog. Seriously.)

3) Wash everything that can be washed. I don't think I have to explain this one.

4) Find out what time or days the new old clothing is put out, and what days have what discounts. Almost every store has special discount days. Pick up a flyer, check the website, or ask!

5) If you have Talbot's taste on a Goodwill budget, hit the thrift stores in the froufrou part of town. Those ladies will get rid of some high end stuff that they are just tired of or out of closet space for. Personally, I prefer hideous aprons from the 70s and vintage waitress uniforms, but when I need work clothes, those are good places to hit up.

Do any of you have thrifting tips? Share! I mean, I don't expect you to tell me your secret spot, but what have you learned in the thrifting process?

(A note: all thrift stores I vist can not currently be named because one of them may be hiring me for side work. Woo.)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

I'm Tired, Turkey



So last night when I came in from work, I was so tired I immediately went to bed for an hour and a half, and so did Mr. B. This led us both to wake up around nine p.m., each hungry enough to contemplate pouring mustard on the other, chomping, and facing consequences later. I asked Mr. B., "Do you want healthy?" He's kinda got to do the healthy thing, but at nine p.m. allowances can be made.

"Yes and no."

"Ok," I said. "That I can do."

Mr. B likes meat, cheese, and carbs. I like veggies, cheese, and carbs, and I like meat sometimes. I knew that his belly needed filling, and it had to be tasty, but I didn't want a nutritional travesty. I excel at pasta; I excel at casserole. These powers combined...

A Variation on Ziti.

-One pound of whole wheat penne (Barila was on sale for $1.39)
-One pound of ground turkey (3.99 -- this can usually be gotten cheaper on sale)
-One can of diced tomatoes (I use Hunt's Fire Roasted with Garlic -- thick, chunky, very little juice, and on sale for .97!)
-8 oz tomato sauce (I bought a 16 oz can of the store brand for .65 and used half--
The rest will certainly be used within days)
-One onion (had on hand, about $1 at the grocery store)
-One green bell pepper (had on hand, about .79 at the grocery store)
-Garlic clove (again, had on hand)
-1 c. lowfat cheddar cheese (Used Kraft -- it was the only lowfat, non-fake cheese I
could find. Unfortunately, the package cost $4.39. I can usually get two of the
store brand for that, but I was willing to compromise for lower fat)
-1 c. lowfat cottage cheese (I used a little more than a cup. I purchased a two-cup
container for 1.97, and will annihilate the rest on salads this week
Optional, but awesome: assorted herbs and spices, fresh parm for topping

The directions that follow are intended for someone with a dirty kitchen who might hurt someone if she doesn't eat soon.

Come in from grocery store, exhausted. Find only clean pot, add water, lid it and put it on heat to boil while you chop and fry. Preheat oven to 350. Start sauteing turkey while you wash the cutting board and knife so you can chop bell pepper. (I kinda halfass large-diced it. I was not concerned with looks.) Throw bell pepper in with cooking turkey (pepper needs longer than onion to cook). (Your water's probably boiling now. Add penne and stir.) Dice onion (we had a vidalia. Was tasty.) and add to pan. When turkey is about done, mince or slice a large garlic clove and add it to pan. Stir a bit and wait for some of the water to cook out of the pan. (By the way, there's enough water in the turkey that you generally don't even have to use olive oil. For real!) When everything's done and looking happily delicious, lower the heat and add the tomatoes (if you use regular diced tomatoes, drain off some of the liquid). Stir. Add some tomato sauce (you can use more than I did -- Mr. B just isn't a huge fan of lots of tomato sauce in a dish) and herbs to taste. I threw in some Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, a little sea salt and a few turns of the pepper mill. Then, I added the cottage cheese (lower fat than even the part-skim ricotta, and still tasty!) and a half cup of cheddar. Stir. Sniff. Get excited.

Put some cooked, drained pasta in your baking dish. (I think I used a 2 quart and still had some left over for a smaller casserole. You'll have to eyeball this.)Add some of the sauce mixture. Stir. Add more pasta and more sauce and stir. Do this till the ratio makes you happy and the pan is full. Sprinkle with about a half cup of cheddar, and bake for about 15 minutes. Everything's fully cooked and hot, so it doesn't have to cook long. Plate some and grate some fresh parmesan on top if you like. It went well with green beans, and today at lunch it went well with salad. Mr. B pronounced it good with a glass of merlot, and I did the same with a glass of vinho verde. (What versatility!)

Mr. B noted after dinner that it would have been good with half the amount of cottage cheese combined with an equal amount of the lowfat ricotta, and also suggested adding zucchini next time. (I will.)

As far as servings, he and I are fairly big eaters, so I don't want to say a cup is a serving. However, the fiberlicious whole grain pasta and turkey make it a fairly filling dish. We're getting about 7-8 meal-sized servings (again -- us-sized servings) out of it.

My total cost at the grocery store: $13.36 (and I have sauce and cheese left over for later culinary endeavors this week). Add in the onion and bell pepper, and it could cost around $15. Not the cheapest in the world, but feeding 2 people four times, and serving it with canned green beans ($1) or a bag of salad (Manager's Special -- $1.99), it's a pretty sweet deal.

Check out the blurry deliciousness (I really need to work on my photography...)

The Bitsch is In

Inspired by my love for writing, my devotion to eating, and an awesome blog (Cheap Healthy Good), I have decided to use my ninja-like shopping skills, culinary adventurousness, and… um… laptop computer to embark on a journey of spending less money, eating more healthfully, and bombarding you, dear reader, with far too much information about it.(I'll probably bombard you with more than you ever wanted to know about a lot of things. In fact, you may want to leave now. BUT -- if you stay, there will be cake. Or at least sex brownies. But more about those later.)

A recent M.A. graduate, I spent half a house on school and have to pay that back now. Also, I’m about to start paying for astronomical health insurance. I'm already quite the thrifty girl, but I'm gonna see just how thrifty I can be.

I’ve always been, shall we say, zaftig (so zaftig that I started a fake 80’s metal band with my other zaftig friends – see here). I like to eat, and I’m only moderately active. Hell, I’m a busy girl. I lost about 20 pounds in grad school, but put eight or so of them back on due to writing my master’s thesis on Faulkner (try it and see if your options aren’t a) street drugs, b) alcoholism, or c) ice cream dependency) and due to finding myself in a very cozy relationship with a wonderful man who appreciates my country cooking background and Paula Deen/Nigella tendencies.

This awesome man has not taken the best care of himself (and neither have I), but has been making changes in the last few months to do better with this (so have I).I’m working a bit harder to feed us better, and to do so with deliciousness and low cost. We both like to eat, so food has to taste good. My boyfriend thinks that chickens and cows are vegetables, so food has to be filling. I don't do "fake" (artificial sweetner, margarine, etc. -- it's sugar and butter, dears, though I am willing to cut back on these types of things). These are my parameters for starting off.

So, here we go. The kitschenbitsch is in.