Molasses

I had a yen for a molasses-ginger cookie one night last week. I succumbed to it, and have been using up the jar of molasses in 3 ways:

1) Molasses cookies (I added 1/4 cup of raisins, and used butter instead of margarine since that's what I had)
2) Granola (I added flax seeds and cinnamon to one batch, and stirred in the tiny raisins once out of the oven)
3) Wholewheat bread: I acquired a breadmaker off Craigslist for $30 last year. I use it to mix and knead the dough, and then shape and bake the bread myself. Here's the recipe if you were to make it by hand (by machine, you would just put all the liquids in first, then all the dry, with the yeast at the very top, then press GO!):

My approximate wholewheat bread recipe

In a large bowl, sift 4 cups wholewheat bread flour (or regular wholewheat flour with 6tsp wheat gluten), add 1tsp salt. Mix 2tbsp molasses into 1cup slightly warm water (NOT hot - it will kill the yeast), stir in 1.5tsp (1/2tbsp, 7.5ml) dried yeast and let it sit for a few minutes until the yeast starts frothing. Add this yeasty molasses mixture to the flour, along with 1/2 cup milk (I substituted half-and-half and omitted the butter), 1tbsp oil or melted butter, 1/2cup water and mix thoroughly. It will be very sticky. I often use a spatula or wooden spoon for this part, working the liquids into the flour from the side of the bowl into the center. The more you handle the dough, the more gluten (which is what holds the air bubbles in place when the bread is cooked), which is a good thing in this case (if you were making pastry or scones or biscuits, you don't want the gluten because it makes these baked items tough and leathery and stodgy). Cover the bowl with a plate/baking tray so no air gets in, and leave it for 1-2 hours in a warm place (again, NOT hot) until it has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen (or "proved"), dust a tiny bit of flour over the top and beat it down so all the bubbles deflate. Form the dough into a ball, sprinkle a generous amount of flour over a clean surface and roll the entire ball in the flour to get it completely covered so you can knead it without getting dough stuck in between your knuckles. Use your knuckles and the heels of your palms to stretch the dough out repeatedly (take a look at a Youtube demo for "kneading dough" if you're unsure).

Preheat your oven to 350-400F (I am very approximate, sorry!). Lightly grease (use the inside of a used butter wrapper - that's how lightly I mean!) a baking tray or loaf tin, and dust a generous amount of flour over the top. Tip the tray/tin at a slight angle and gently tap it so the flour slides down the tray, sticking to the oiled surface. Try to get all the tray covered in a thin layer of flour, it will prevent your bread welding itself to the pan!

Arrange your bread into whatever shape you want: I tend to make tiny round rolls (1-2inch balls) or long loaves (remember to make deep slashes in the top of them so as to allow the inside to cook and the crust to expand while baking). Sometimes I glaze the top with milk or beaten egg yolk and sprinkle sesame/poppy seeds or rolled oats over the top, but not very often: my bread is very plain and rustic-looking. After shaping, leave to stand for ~15min before putting them into the oven. Do not open the door during the first 10 minutes of cooking otherwise your bread will collapse and never recover.

How to check the bread is cooked: tap the top and underside (prying it gently away from the pan) lightly with your fingertip. If it makes a sound and the crust is just rigid enough to not give way, it is probably done. Remove from the pan after 2 minutes out of the oven, place on a wire rack (or at least, prop each loaf/roll up against something so that air can circulate around it) and cover with a clean dishcloth so it doesn't dry out. It's a fine balance trying to prevent it drying out vs getting soggy. This is what works for me!

People like to help out

Yesterday evening I visited a friend who's moving out of her apartment and giving away a motley assortment of clothes, kitchen items, crafts and furniture. I felt a little vulture-like but she reassured me that she was happier for her stuff to find a home with friends than to all go to Goodwill. I am now the proud owner of two pairs of perfectly-fitting pants, a super cute hat I'd always coveted, a ridiculously bright miniskirt, and some plant pots and potting soil to grow my own herbs or chilis.

She also donated some cardstock that will come in very handy making gift boxes or display cards for my jewelry, and some scrapbooking paper that will go to another crafty friend of mine.

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Needing to do laundry, I walked the 2 blocks to a different set of friends, bearing gifts of homemade granola (I substituted a generous handful of coconut for all the seeds and nuts this time) by way of thanks. They have recently been salvaging bags of perfectly edible (and delicious, high-quality) bread from behind a local bakery (a.k.a. dumpster-diving). The name suggests getting covered head-to-toe in disgusting goop, but it's more akin to plucking out the garbage-bag full of today's bread from the top of the trash can. They'll give me a loaf next time they go on such an excursion. Part of me wishes that local businesses would donate their food waste to homeless shelters or charities for the less-fortunate, or at least compost it instead of sending it straight to landfill without a second thought.

Love those leftovers!

Last week I made macaroni and cheese for the friends I'm staying with at the moment, and served it with oven-roasted tomatoes, peppers and garlic. I made enough of the cheese sauce (approximate recipe below) for a 2-serving meal later in the week also.

A couple of days later, I made a lentil stew with Mediterranean herbs, and served it with flatbreads (I keep these in the freezer and just take out one or two as needed, toasting them in the oven), hummus, celery and slow-roasted onions. My friend brought round some delicious marinated lamb from Trader Joe's.

The resulting concoction:
At the end of the week, this is what I did (and it was DELICIOUS): in an oven-proof dish, I put the cooked lamb (cut into little pieces) and poured the remaining lentil stew (around 1-2 cups) over the top. I cooked up some (again, a cup or two) macaroni until al dente, mixed it with the 1 cup of cheese sauce left over, spread this over the lentil+lamb mixture, then sprinkled some cheese over the top and baked it for ~20mins at ~350F.

Oven-baked MACARONI AND CHEESE
(fairly approximate - I have made this so many times I never use a recipe any more)

Cheese sauce: melt 2tbsp butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Add 2-4tbsp all-purpose flour and mix well. It will be quite solid but still goopy enough to bubble and fry at the edges of each lump. After 2-3 minutes, turn down the heat and add 1/4cup milk (NOT skim - the texture of the sauce is weird and horrible and gritty if you do this), stirring constantly, using a wooden spoon or spatula to smear out the lumps and mix everything into a consistently smooth sauce. Add another 1/4 cup milk and do the same thing. Repeat until you've added a total 2 cups milk, then turn the heat up to medium, stirring constantly (well, at least every 30 seconds) with a whisk or spatula to prevent lumps forming (or worse, burning to the bottom of the pan) until it thickens to the consistency of melted ice cream. This is called the roux method of making a sauce: cooking the flour in butter then adding some liquid and heating it until it thickens. At this stage it is called a white sauce (in England), similar to a Bechamel sauce. I add a 1/4tsp Dijon mustard and 1 cup grated full-flavored cheese (e.g. sharp cheddar, or one of the hard Parmesan-type cheeses (Romano, Grana Padano, Parmiggiano Reggiano etc)), a pinch of salt, and stir well. Remove the pan from the heat. Don't worry about stray lumps of cheese, they'll melt in of their own accord. You can freeze or refrigerate any of the sauce at this point, if you want to make it in advance.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 380-400F, boil a pan of water and cook the macaroni according to instructions on the packet, to the point where it's al dente (i.e. not so hard it leaves funny chewy bits in your teeth, but still quite firm). The best way to do this is to keep trying pieces of the pasta after about 5 minutes in the pan.

Drain the pasta well, and tip into a large oven-proof dish. Mix in a generous amount of the sauce, and sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Some people like 1-2tsp breadcrumbs too. Bake for approximately 20mins (if everything is warm, ~30mins if the sauce/cooked pasta is cold to start off with), then put under the broiler for 2-3mins, checking constantly to make sure it isn't burning or catching fire.

Serve with leafy salad and roasted red vegetables (a wonderfully intense complement to the rich creaminess of the mac+cheese).

My story: part 1

I moved back to L.A. 10 days ago, from a few months away in the UK and the Bay area. My budget is very very tight, since I do not have a paid job and my savings (such as they are) are dwindling rapidly. I am living a hand-to-mouth existence, prevailing on the kindness of friends for a roof over my head each night, and searching for Environmental Science related employment.

$10 a day is to cover food, transport and other daily necessities. My cell phone plan, which is awesome and one of the best deals around (from t-mobile) costs me an extra $1.50 a day on top of this, but $11.50 a day just doesn't have the same ring to it. Forgive me.

I have a tiny notebook I carry with me everywhere, in which I write down everything I have spent, or that I plan/need to spend (e.g. on public transit or entry fees to networking events).

In this book I also write down what food I have in the refrigerator/cupboard, and try to use up what I have instead of succumbing to whimsical temptations. This makes for a lot of creative meal combinations!

Key ways to stick within a very tight budget:

(1) Prepare your own food. I am comfortable in the kitchen and love to experiment with recipes, and often don't actually use a recipe, but for some people this can be very daunting! I'll be posting some recipes and pointing out some fantastic resources.

(2) Shop around for the best prices. For example, most produce is way cheaper at farmers markets than in grocery stores, is better quality and lasts longer. Buy grains/rice/granola/flour/nuts/dried fruit/baking ingredients from the bulk bins at "health food" stores: you can buy just the amount you need if you are trying an ingredient for the first time or don't have anywhere to store it. Look out for the special offers at pharmacies and larger stores: name brands are often just as good, and if a label says "2 for $5", you are often able to buy just one at $2.50.

(3) write everything down. You may be able to fool yourself, but the numbers on the page will not. Or, you can withdraw a few days' worth of cash from the ATM and keep it in your wallet with a sticky note or scrap of used paper reminding you that this is to last you until Thursday, for example. But it is really helpful to be aware of exactly where your money trickles away to.

(4) use up old stuff before buying new stuff! I am terrible at hoarding things. I have a ton of half-empty sunscreen/moisturizer bottles, pens and pencils, tins of chickpeas/tomatoes

(5) earn your treats. For example, if I sell a pair of earrings I've made or a shirt I just don't wear any more, that money goes towards fun stuff. eBay, Craigslist and Etsy are great for this sort of thing. Check out my Etsy store (it's called jewelsbyfrankie) for some of the things I do. If there is enough money left in my budget for the day, I treat myself to a nice coffee from Peets.

(6) keep at it. Each day is a new day. $2 over budget one day is fine, write it down and adjust your plans accordingly: tomorrow is now an $8 day!