Budget Meals Posts

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Smokey Black Bean Soup with Orange & Cilantro

Friday January 2nd 2009

It’s been freezing here in Boston for the last week or so, which has put me in serious comfort-food mode. I’ve had a few days off, and have been able to flit in and out of the kitchen, tending to hearty, slow-cooking dishes. (Hehe…Hooray for vacation! I’m just sad it has to end.) This is [...]

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Rosemary Scented Roast Chicken

Monday December 8th 2008

I love roasting broiler chickens because you get all that great roast-y flavor—without the time commitment of preparing a larger bird. You can put this dish together from fridge to table in about an hour, making it an ideal candidate for a stick-to-your-ribs weeknight dinner. The bird is slathered in good olive oil, seasoned liberally [...]

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Split Pea Soup with Homemade Pork Stock

Thursday November 13th 2008

This soup was a happy accident. Normally, I make split pea soup the way a lot of folks do: I simmer split peas in water with garlic, a handful of diced carrots and onions, and, of course, a ham hock. The ham hock gives the soup its signature smokey saltiness and deep flavor. Now, when [...]

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Dueling Wings, Part 1: Lemon Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Thursday November 6th 2008

The other day, I bought a huge package of beautiful, meaty whole chicken wings. I couldn’t decide on a single recipe, so I divided the chicken in half and whipped up two different marinades. I let each batch soak overnight. Chicken wing battle, GO! On the white plate in golden brown, our first contender: Lemon [...]

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Garlicky White Beans, Two Ways: Dip & Creamy Soup

Friday October 24th 2008

I have a great—and relatively newfound—love for white beans. (See? I do eat more than meat.) Here are two of my favorite ways to prepare them. The first recipe is for a thick dip that’s fragrant with garlic and lemon. The second is a creamy, spinach-laden soup that uses the dip as a base. A [...]

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Old-Timey Sunday Waffles

Sunday October 12th 2008

These waffles are crunchy on the outside and egg-y and moist on the inside. The Angry Chef and I both like ours slathered with thin slices of cold butter and dripping with good, local maple syrup. If there are any leftover, I like to reheat them in the toaster oven and melt a little cheese [...]

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Easy Sunday Hash Brown Omelette

Sunday September 21st 2008

Omelettes have always been one of my favorite weekend foods. You can get up late, fill one with whatever you have on hand, and it will keep you going for most of the day. When I moved to Boston, my favorite omelettes came from Deli Haus, a diner in Kenmore Square which sadly isn’t there [...]

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Herb Roasted Chicken Legs with Root Vegetables

Tuesday September 9th 2008

I know that fall is officially on its way when I start to roast chicken. Even though I bake pretty consistently year round, I’d never dream of roasting a chicken in the summer. For some reason, that’s a cold-weather ritual, at least for me. This roasted chicken/veggie combination makes a great, rustic autumn dinner. The [...]

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Old-School Diner Pancakes

Wednesday August 13th 2008

Put the Bisquick down and walk away. You can do it. These are the kind of pancakes you used to be able to get at roadside diners—or your grandmother’s house. They’re great in the morning, or late at night, which seems to be our favorite time to hunker down with a tall stack. Make them [...]

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Duckie’s French Spaghetti

Saturday July 19th 2008

Duckie was my grandmother. To this day, my mother and I aren’t quite sure what’s French about this recipe, but that’s always what she called it. This is a great thing to bring to picnics. It also lasts a while in the fridge, and gets better the next day. Follow the recipe exactly. There’s a [...]

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