Fusion On The Fly

A most delicious and nutritious Cabbage Soup

2011-11-29T17:13:00.000-05:00

I have made so many variations of cabbage soup. Because of the high vitamin C content I made it often when I did the diet on the Food Stamp Budget.

I was repeatedly asked for the recipe...and I had none as I tended to use what was in the house or the garden. There were enormous variations and they were all good.

I finally got over my cabbage fatigue and decided to tackle a huge pot of it and create an actual recipe.

I needed to practice chopping with my left hand and spent most of the day on the vegetables with this one. (Long story, but I've limited use of my right hand at the moment)

A food processor will save time however and if you have one and are pressed go ahead and use it. One can also use frozen vegetables.

This is a huge pot of soup and it makes at least 12 more than ample portions. The total cost is not bad. It is under 20 for the pot and there is so much soup to eat and freeze.

It is also HIGHLY nutritious with one cup giving you all the C you need for one day. This version is vegetarian, however if you have meat stock and want to use it feel free. In fact you can vary it any way you like.

1 large cabbage shredded
Half bunch celery finely diced
4 onions chopped
1 head garlic chopped
2 green pepper finely chopped
1 large bunch of swiss chard with the leaves shredded and the stalks finely chopped
1 large cauliflower chopped
1 lb. green beans cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 small cans of crushed tomatoes
6 eggs
Olive Oil
2 gallons of water
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Cayenne
Turmeric

In your largest stockpan slowly saute the onion, celery, and green pepper. In New Orleans this is known as the holy trinity and it makes a great flavorful base for your soup.

Let it simmer for a while until the onion begins to caramelize. Then add in the chopped head of garlic and continue to stir as it develops it's aroma. When the garlic is soft add two gallons of water or stock.

When it comes to a boil turn it to simmer and add the tomatoes and cabbage. Simmer for an hour and then dump in all the other ingredients.

Now you start to season. Do NOT be shy with the salt. You will need a bit of it, keep adding til it tastes right and then put in about a tablespoon of all the other seasonings and taste, taste, taste and make any adjustments you like.

When all the vegetables are tender bring back to a boil and whisk in the raw egg. It will cook in strings and give you much needed protein and B vitamins.

Serve with bread, popovers or whatever you have.

Make often over the winter season to keep your bodies brimming with good nutrition.

Apologies and a Mahmudiye Recipe

2011-09-20T16:57:00.001-04:00

I must apologize to my faithful readers that I ended this week early. I will post some more budget recipes including a super soup that is nutritionally loaded.

My world exploded early this week with phone calls, meetings, interviews etc. and I just could not manage to keep tracking and posting.

Mahmudiye

Another Turkish dish.

Iwas a lucky man, to be visiting Istanbul at the time of the year when every night endedwith a feast as we broke fast, I probably had the best possible food in everyhousehold I was in.

WhenI was told we were being served chicken with grapes my stomach did a turn. Itdid not sound good at all.

HoweverMustafa was quite excited about sharing this dish with me so being a culinarydetective I asked if I might come early and watch him prepare it.

“Yesmy brother, we will make it together.”

Ihave reduced his quantities as he was making it for 18 people, however theproportions are quite right and I encourage you to try this odd soundingrecipe.

Becausewhen it comes to chicken with grapes my brother Mustafa knows his stuff. He toldme that he typically makes this dish for a small crowd he uses boneless,skinless chicken cut into cubes. Feel free to bone your chicken.

Iprefer it cooked on the bone, but hacked. I find a butcher who can do a Chineseduck cut for the chicken so it is in very small pieces. 1 hacked chicken servessix amply.

1chicken cut into little pieces with or without bones, skin removed and saved

2+1tbsp butter

30pearl onions, peeled (Listen to Sandra Lee for once in your life and buy themfrozen, they are a pain to peel)

12dry apricots finely chopped

30seedless grapes

11/2 tablespoon honey

11/2 tablespoons lemon juice

11/2 cups chicken broth

1-teaspooncinnamon

3ounces slivered almonds

Salt

Pepper

Sautethe chicken in 2/3 of the butter in a Dutch oven. When brown add the pearlonions, the apricots, the honey, the lemon juice the broth and some salt andpepper. Put a lid on it and cook for about 40 minutes, make sure it is done.When fully cooked sprinkle on the cinnamon and stir again.

Warmthe rest of the butter in a pan and toast the almonds and the grapes. Spoon thechicken to a serving dish and garnish with almonds and grapes.

6 very nice servings at 465 calories each.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Part 2 Day 5

2011-09-17T23:52:00.004-04:00

Coffee with cream .34
Grapes .70

Not a complete breakfast by any means. Have I told you that this has been a mad busy week and I am eating for speed; during the day anyway.

Lunch was cabbage soup and a Vietnamese baguette with a sausage. I pulled the soup from the freezer and had a lot of it...delicious.
Sausage .99
Soup 1.24
Bread .25
Total 2.48
Once I total my week I think this indulgence will be okay.

Today's recipe: Spaghetti with chicken livers

There is a Tuscan dish made with spaghetti, pancetta, chicken liver and cream. I was not in the mood for anything creamy so I made my own version and it was incredibly delicious. Serves 4

8 ounces spaghetti .76
1 lb chicken livers .99
4 bunches green onions 1.00
4 cups Swiss chard finely chopped 1.69
1 head of garlic chopped .25
Olive oil
Splash of pasta water, stock or white wine if you have it.
Garnish of parsley or basil if you have it.

Put your water on to boil. Clean your liver in water and cut off any fatty or spongy bits. Section into bite sized pieces.

Salt your liver and put a splash of olive oil into the pan. When the oil is very hot sear the outside of the liver (Do NOT overcook) they should still be rare inside. Remove and lower heat, add another splash of oil and the chopped garlic, saute very low while the pasta cooks.

Drain pasta and turn the heat up on the garlic, Toss in the chard and the pasta and toss. Add a splash of water, wine or stock and then the chopped scallion and the chicken liver. Toss together and serve with a bit of garnish if you have it.

This along with the cabbage soup gave me close to a home run for my daily nutrition. Chicken liver is an inexpensive protein source that is loaded in a good way. As for $$ 1.17 per serving.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Part 2 Day 4

2011-09-16T23:22:00.002-04:00

For Breakfast

Coffee with cream .34
Grapes (about 8 oz) .70

I wanted more to eat but needed to time my food for a dinner with a friend who eats dinner 3 hours earlier than is my custom.

For lunch I had a leftover quail. 1.41

Dinner was a different story. I prepared a meal at a friend's house. A Sezchaun pork dish. He had purchased the ingredients but it was not an expensive dish to make. I cost it out and it fits the food stamp budget when preparing for 4. It may be cheaper for Asian families who will have some of the ingredients in house.

8 ounces of pork (any cheap cut) shoulder can be had at 2.99 a pound or 1.50
ginger root .25
Soy sauce
Baby Bok Choy (1 lb) .79 at Asian markets
Scallions .33
Sweet Red pepper .99
Fermented black beans .25 (A jar will cost about .99 and you use 1/4 jar)
Hot pepper
Rice .20

Marinate the pork for about an hour in soy with ginger grated or diced.

Get a wok or pan very hot with oil, it should just begin to smoke. Toss in pork and stir to brown and cook. When done add in the vegetables holding back the scallions. When vegetables are hot throw in the black beans and scallions and a few tosses with the spatula and you are ready to serve with rice. 1.07 per serving.

To bump the nutrition higher feel free to augment with other vegetables, chard will give you E, Carrots A.

1, 252 calories.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget part 2 day 3

2011-09-14T23:50:00.001-04:00

'Twas a busy day. I began with coffee and berries.
Coffee with cream .34
Blackberries .99

Then shopping. I would encourage any of you on a budget to seek out ethnic stores in your area if you have them. Often deals can be found that won't be in the grocery chains. I found 6 qail (frozen) on sale for 5.99. That makes them 1.00 per bird. Quail on a food stamp budget? Yes!

For lunch I had a Polish Keilbasa with some cheese and a tortilla. All rolled up it tasted great but I should have had an apple or something with it.

Tortilla. 20
Cheese .31
Keilbasa .99
Total 1.50

Quail for 6
6 Quail 5.99
1 Lemon .20
1 bunch Rosemary .69
Salt
Garlic clove diced
Bunch Chinese broccoli .80
4 carrots .80
Rice for 6 .20
Total 1.41 per serving

Take the quail and marinate them in the lemon with the rosemary, salt and a little garlic for a few hours or overnight.

Sear the quail in a very hot pan or wok with a little oil remove when crisp but still pink at the bone. Toss in the vegetables and a little soy sauce if you like stir til crisp tender and serve with quail and rice.

A meal like this will not make you feel that you are on a budget.

I did okay on nutrition but way too low on calories.
1,233 calories.

Below is a recipe sent by my sister Elaine. Saurkraut in addition to being a wonderful tasty food is filled with probiotics and very healthy to eat.

Put about 4 lbs of sauerkraut (never on sale, but usually about $1.10 per pound) in a colander with and fill with cold water. Repeat after the water drains - 2 or three times.

Fry about ½ a pound of the cheapest fattiest bacony stuff you can find in the biggest pan you have with a couple of onions. Remove bacon when it is crisp.

Squeeze water out of sauerkraut and add to the bacon fat. Stir. Repeat until all sauerkraut is added.

Add a big bottle of the cheapest vermouth you can find to the sauerkraut mixture. And the crumbled bacon. Also add (wrapped in cheesecloth – if you don’t have cheesecloth add an ounce or two of gin, eliminate the juniper berries, and be prepared to scrounge out the bay leaves - 10-20 juniper berries, a couple of bay leaves, some thyme, and whatever else works well with pork and sauerkraut. Now add the pork you’ve purchased on the cheap. I’ve got some chops at $1.49 per lb. (family pack on sale compared to $3.99 today), brats at $1.99 per pound, ham at $.089 per pound, and ribs at $.089 per pound.

Cook for a day or two or three. Serve with boiled potatoes and a green, green salad. Maybe some tomatoes.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Part 2 Day 3

2011-09-14T23:25:00.001-04:00

I had a lot going on today and I did something I typically do not do. Unconscious eating.

I had people coming in and out and had the rest of the bread with goat cheese bit by bit by bit by bit along with a black plum, and far too much tea. I had to count the bags.
Coffee with cream .34
6 cups of tea .18
Bread .44
Goat Cheese .50
Total 1.46

Then later after the last of the work men left I had some of the salami.
.30

No proper lunch. I did not get to thinking about the gym until late in the day and I had a proper lunch at 5:00, some of the pork from Monday.
With Rice 1.24

Of course even though I had something ready to cook for dinner I was not hungry and waited until the only reasonable thing to eat was popcorn with butter.
Popcorn .11
Butter .30
Total .41

The bottom line is that my day was a nutrition and caloric disaster. However I did promise a recipe a day that fits the budget and this is one that does it. It links you to the basic congee recipe. When you have only bits and scraps in the house at the end of the month this soup will take them all. Think if like stone soup. There is almost nothing you can put in it that will ruin it. Any bit of vegetable meat or flavor just makes it better. You can use up all the bits in the refrigerator and depending on what those bits are it can be highly nutritious.

Back to mine...2,066 calories with this to show for it.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Part 2 Day 2

2011-09-13T23:59:00.000-04:00

I will add up my totals at the end of the week, since this is a short term 2nd project. I will continue to give the price per meal.

I know I am eating less than I can and am going to consciously eat more. I understand why; it is the same fear someone who is using a snap card has, the fear of running out before the end of the month. I don't want to exhaust my funds before the end of the week so I am buying and consuming consciously.

Before I made coffee I started some bread. I did a yogurt,yeast, flour and sugar starter with warm water and let it bubble while I got my breakfast.

Coffee with cream .34
A huge black plum .50
Salami (yes I made it myself and it was just dry enough to slice).30
Cheese .31
Total 1.45

I ended up making a baguette of a sort out of the starter and had about 1/3 of it (still warm) for lunch with some Goat Cheese and a fresh tomato.
Goat Cheese .25 (1 oz)
Tomato .20
Baguette .22

Dinner...Pistachio Pesto with vegetables for 4.

Before I give you this recipe please make substitutions, no basil, use parsley, no snow peas, use cabbage or broccoli. Recipes are just blueprints and I don't want you to think you can't make a substitution. It will come out great with whatever ingredient tweaking you might make.

1 cup pistachios 2.50
Thai Basil 1/2 bunch .55
Olive oil about 4 tablespoons (part of the .33 daily)
Salt

Pulse in food processor. That's it your pasta sauce is ready.

Chop 4 roma tomatoes for garnish .80
Put on water to boil and ad 8 ounces of pasta .76
Ready 4 cups of vegetables I used pea pods and shoots 1.00

Put the pesto in a warm bowl and the vegetables in the pasta water for the final minute or so to cook with the pasta. Temper the pesto with a little pasta water, drain, toss and top with chopped tomato. You have a fresh, gorgeous meal. This comes to 1.41 per serving. With all the vegetables the serving appears massive but is reasonable on the calorie scale.

II know I have the funds so I will try to eat more and see how close I can come to maxing out my nutrition tomorrow. 1,412 calories.

Living on a Food Stamp budget Part 2 Day 1

2011-09-12T23:42:00.003-04:00

I learned that everyone else began this yesterday and my pledge is off for one day.

I have always marched to the beat of a different drummer so today it is.

I begin the day with 4.39 and get an e mail that includes some critical comments from someone named hungry girl. I won't quote her as someone was re-blogging her notes and I can't find her blog.

However her complaints if I understand them correctly are that I ate too much fresh food during the two months I did this originally and I did not mention Smart and Final as a source for cheap food, specifically their mixed bag of apples and oranges for 5.99 at 5 lbs.

After my breakfast of
Coffee .34 (with cream cost)
Rice (leftover)
Chinese broccoli .23
2 poached eggs .20
Blueberries .99
Total 1.76

I set out for Smart and Final. IF you buy huge quantities of certain foods of uncertain provenance there are a few deals here. They advertise heavily that they take WIC and EBT (food stamp) cards and then they proceed to overcharge for many items.

Roma tomatoes at .99 per pound range from .33 to .79 at cheaper stores.

Their big flyer touts bananas at .50 per pound but around the corner they are .39.

That mixed bag of fruit the poor girl lives on was disgusting. Red Delicious (They are red) and Granny Smith apples and naval oranges. All obviously from cold storage and not fresh looking at 1.20 a pound very overpriced.

At stores right around the corner I found a lot of fresh local fruit for .99 a pound, black plums, grapes, Nectarines, white peaches, Kiwi, and Pluots.

Stupid and Overpriced, not smart and final.For poor girl's sake I hope whatever area she is living in opens up soon with a better option than this store.

I had a doctor's appointment so I had more snack than lunch. A soft pretzel I had baked yesterday with extra cayenne and onion powder and some cheese.
Pretzel (Ingredient based) .22
Cheese 1.5 ounce .46
Tea .03
Total .71

I set out to make a highly nutritious dinner for 4. This recipe is open to total interpretation. If you have soy sauce, hot pepper, and any kind of basil you can make a reasonable facsimile.

Twice cooked Sezchaun pork with vegetables

1/2 pound pork finely chopped 1.95
1/2 bunch Thai Basil .55
1 large onion .20
Ginger root sliced .22
Thai pepper .07 (3 are enough, or some cayenne if you don't have fresh hot peppers)
1 lb. Green beans cut into thirds .79
1/2lb Chinese Broccoli .40
12 small Garden Zucchini .10
Garden Swiss chard .10
1 large carrot sliced .20
Seasonings include garlic, sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce or an anchovy if you have it. 4.58 total divided by 4 is 1.14.

You can use the toughest cheapest cut of pork. I used some shoulder (Berkshire Heirloom organic, thus the 3.99 pound price). Chop the pork into small pieces or give it a quick grind in the food processor.

Put in a very hot pan to brown. When brown add in 1 cup water a sprinkle of sugar and about 1/4 cup of soy sauce. While it is simmering add in the ginger, hot peppers and chopped garlic. Let simmer til tender and filled with flavor. With a slotted spoon remove the pork leaving behind any liquid and fat.

Get a wok or a large pan sizzling hot. Toss in the onions when they just begin to soften add the rest of the vegetables, when they are hot toss in the pork mixture, mix thoroughly and taste, add more soy if needed.

Serve with rice, noodles or in lettuce cups.

With my 1.14 meal I had .10 worth of rice making my evening total 1.24. Under budget and the variety of vegetables boosted my nutrition to a decent level.

Keep in mind that you can use ANY vegetables you can get at a good price.

Tomorrow we will use the rest of the basil.

I had 1,453 calories but did not spend every dime so I could have eaten more, however I feel quite satisfied.

Living on a Food Stamp budget with a new Agenda

2011-09-11T14:55:00.005-04:00

Dear Readers,

Next week people are being challenged all over the country to live on 4.72 a day. This is the recently adjusted figure that the average food stamp recipient has to live on.

The two months I committed to the original food stamp project were physically and mentally exhausting. Since more than one of you has challenged me to do it again and for only one week I will take it on.

However I won't just list what I eat and nutrition content, I will daily publish a recipe that will attempt to pack as much nutrition into the dish as possible.

Again I will deduct .33 for oil and seasonings in house. This gives me 1.46 per meal. For that extra .23 I am going to look purposefully for foods that will bump up the nutrition content so that what I share can be used by any family or person struggling with balancing $$ and nutrition.

I have regained 3 of the 7 lbs I lost on the original project and I am feeling quite well. I can do this.

I give anyone and everyone permission to re-print or re-blog any recipe I come up with this week if you can share it with someone whom it might help.

For those who want to read the original journey begin at July 1.

I am also going to put a shout out to my big sister who is on a tight budget with her daughter and an excellent chef. Elaine if you have a recipe to share, send it to me and we can add it to the collection.

The Dear Abby of the Food World

2011-09-09T16:21:00.000-04:00

I am sharing this very sweet letter in it's entirety as well as the recipes and budget I came up with.

Dear Karl,

I know you are not the Dear Abby of the Food World but I am hoping you can help.

I am a student and my husband has finished school and is working now. We have no money as you can guess.

His family is Italian and his mother has welcomed us into their home many times for some amazing meals in the past year since we were married. Friends gave us the nicest plank dining table which we normally use as my desk with dining corner but in a fit of madness (I was drunk) I invited my in laws to dinner and now I have less than a week to prepare. With the whole family I am cooking for 8.

In the pantry I have ramen and some great olive oil my husband's Uncle sent over from Tuscany and I made the idiot mistake of asking my father in law what is favorite foods were and he said Veal and started naming all the veal dishes he loves.

My husband says they will be happy with spaghetti, garlic and oil and not to worry but I am worried.

We set a budget of 25.00 and how am I going to feed 8 people for 25.00 but since you are good at budgets can you help?

Who could say no to this stressed and breathless woman? Not me.

First of all, relax. If they invite you over often they probably like you and they would be happy with a bowl of pasta. Every Italian I know is happy with a pasta, but I understand you want to do more, but let's keep it simple.

Have you ever been to a hotel brunch buffet? The ads always show crab legs on ice but when you get there the first table is always bread and pastry and bagels and you can't resist. Then when you finally get your 5th plate you turn the corner and finally you spot the crab, but you are so stuffed you barely take anything.

Learn from the hotels. Fill 'em with cheap carbs and then bring out the meat.

Ask for help. Say to your Mother in law..."You always serve the nicest wine, I've no idea what to serve to you can you give me some advice?

She will offer to bring the wine, let her.

Call up the other guests when someone asks if they can bring anything ask for a dessert. People love to bring things, allow them to help.

Now let's plan a meal.

You are going to need.
Bread 1.99
Garlic 1.00
Chickpeas .99
2 lbs pasta 2.50
1 bunch swiss chard 1.99
2 lbs veal stew meat 14.00
1 large can peeled tomatoes 1.49
4 carrots .79
4 celery stalks .99
2 onion .40
Bottle cooking wine 2.00
Total 28.14 In full retail San Francisco prices. Careful shopping can probably bring this down a bit. Can you make it work?

Appetizer:
Puree the chickpeas with a little oil and garlic, a touch of salt and some red pepper flakes and serve with thinly sliced bread. Easy.

Make two pounds of spaghetti with garlic and oil and put in the chopped swiss chard. Serve family style.

Now a Tuscan Veal Stew
2 lbs veal stew meat, cut into small cubes and dry the meat.
4 carrots
4 celery stalks
4 onions all cut into pieces.
2 garlic cloves chopped
A little fresh or dried Rosemary if you have it
1 can tomatoes chopped
Bottle of Red (two buck chuck is a fine cooking wine)
Olive oil, salt and pepper.
Warm the olive oil and brown the meat. Then toss in the garlic, onion and vegetables. Saute for a few minutes then the wine and tomatoes. Let it reduce a little. Cover the saucepan and cook very gently until the meat is tender, about two hours.

It is that simple. Your guests will be carb filled and a small portion is all they will need. You might even get the veal for less, ask your butcher.

If you can squeeze out a few more dollars add a salad.

The Simplicity of Sauce

2011-09-06T14:49:00.000-04:00

There is a discussion today on the Huffington Post that began as a criticism of 'celebrity' sauces.

Outraged people are appalled at the suggestion that they make a sauce because the readers need to know THEIR TIME IS VALUABLE and they should not be criticized for paying 8 dollars for a jar of Mario's or Rau's sauce.

Can we criticize them for being unable to think beyond the tomato?

As Julia Child once said..."If you have butter, you have a sauce." she was speaking of fish but the same can be said of pasta.

Yesterday I was back and forth in e mail with friends who live in Italy asking for recipes, suggestions for a pizza oven and sharing memories.

For dinner I felt like having a pasta. I had a little bit of a lot of things and made the most wonderful sauce. I will share the recipe, but I would encourage you to do the same, make your own when you have a little bit of a lot of things. I foraged in the garden, the cupboards and the refrigerator and the resulting pesto was so delicious I would make it again on purpose.

1/2 cup fresh peas
A few mint leaves
A handful of basil
A few sage leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup smoked almonds
3 garlic cloves
1 tomato chopped
A handful of swiss chard

All the ingredients were put in the food processor and made into a pasta and then into a bowl. I cooked the pasta (penne) and tossed it with the chard (uncooked but the hot pasta wilted it) and garnished with the chopped fresh tomato.

Both of us were much happier with this dish than we would have been at a BBQ eating a bad hot dog.

Think beyond the tomato and see what you can create.

Mushroom Carbonara

2011-09-02T14:27:00.000-04:00

After a few days of eating the simplest, easiest foods I realized that I was really not eating enough. While broccoli, nectarines, tomatoes and cucumbers were good for me.

How do I put this gently. I have reached an age where one has to choose between the face and the waist. While doing my ear hair check (yes men do this, some of us obsessively) I realized that I was looking a little haggard. Time for a pasta.

I didn't want bacon, so I created a vegetarian version of this classic.

This recipe is for one or eight servings. Just add more of each ingredient per serving.

1 cup mushrooms
1/4 sliced onion
1 egg
1 ounces grated Parmesan
Black pepper
A little salt
Pasta water
Olive Oil
2 oz pasta (Fettuccine is nice but any pasta you have will work)

Beat your egg and cheese in a small bowl. Grate some black pepper and add a little salt into the mix. Put your water on to boil and saute your mushrooms in olive oil. I like the mushrooms to cook way down and get a little brown on them, when they reach that point I add the onion and saute until soft.

Before draining your pasta reserve some of the water, it may be needed as part of your sauce.

Pour the drained pasta into the mushroom/onion mix and toss over heat until well blended. TURN HEAT OFF. If you leave it on you may scramble your eggs.

Take a few tablespoons of the pasta water and beat it into your egg mix. Gently begin to slowly pour the egg over the pasta and mushrooms and toss. Add more water if needed.

When pasta is fully coated, serve. More cheese can be added. A little parsley from the garden is also a nice touch.

Somtimes a tomato need be nothing more than a tomato

2011-09-01T13:28:00.000-04:00

If you search the archives you will find a plethora of recipes from over the years. Those of you who came here to read about he Food Stamp Budget you can begin on July 1 and read as much as you like.

I have gotten many of your e-mail encouraging me to get back to recipe creation and posting and I will, but I am finding that this week my tastes are very simple.

I have found myself eating rather an enormous amount of fruits and vegetables, not with pasta, in a soup or with rice.

Yesterday breakfast I dined on a nectarine and toast, lunch was at a Chinese restaurant and a huge plate of vegetables, no rice.

Dinner was a 22 oz. tomato. I sliced it and it filled a large dinner plate. I scattered a few capers and some sliced olives on it, gave it a light sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of oil and dined.

There is no dish I could have created that would have improved in any way upon that incredible tomato.

Back on a Regular budget with new awareness

2011-08-30T14:46:00.000-04:00

The day after the event I was so tired. I had a little bit of some of the leftovers but no proper meal. I thought I would have duck and red wine and a feast and I just wasn't into it.

I ate less food for so long the idea of a large meal right now is sickening.

Yesterday I had bits of things but no real meal at all until dinner.

I craved broccoli. I took an entire head of broccoli, a yellow pepper and some onion and did a quick stir fry in the wok, adding in fermented black beans and hot chili garlic sauce. I had a huge bowl of spicy vegetables with no rice. It was just what I needed.

Thus far this morning I have had two nectarines and coffee. As we go forward and I can stand to proof them as recipes I will post some of the items I came up with at a low serving cost that can be shared with families struggling with this issue.

The 12 hour cookathon

2011-08-28T23:06:00.000-04:00

Pictured Laurie R. King, Author...with me, on the left one of our wonderful volunteers from the Chef's program Ricky King (no relation)

I am so tired and so satisfied with yesterday that if asked, I would do it all over again, here or in any city that needed the help.

The biggest highlight was the generosity of the people attending. Some brought entire bags filled with food, others gave generously with funds.

I have to give thanks to our great guests. Lucy Jane Bledsoe did reading from her new book The Big Bang Symphony, a riveting novel and one with a major character is a chef...in Antarctica. She was tremendous fun and brought dulce de leche, the caramel made in Argentina. We melted some chocolate into it and dipped berries. Later when I got a challenge of mincemeat and tomatilas I used the rest of the caramel and the above two challenge ingredients into a rice pudding, that was surprisingly tasty. Not a spoonful was left in the hall.

Alan May, a friend of mine for almost 3 decades and a brilliant artist was the one with the tomatillas. He stayed a good long time and we were able to make some nice vegetarian dishes including his favorite Penne with Pesto.

Earlier in the morning Amy Mac was there from Trader Joe's and we did a spaghetti carbonara using Trader Joe's seaweed. It was really good.

When Laurie R. King came by she did a short reading from her first Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russel novel The Beekeepers Apprentice and challenged with with Stilton, nectarines and honey. Did I make the obvious choice? No. I made a creamy stilton and nectarine sauce with honey and paired it with tortellini and pistachios. It was so good I would make it again.

I had great fun with Danny Bowein from Mission Chinese, he brought an easy challenge and a more difficult one. He makes a chili sauce at his restaurant that is unlike any I have ever had before, it contains (among other ingredients) fermented black beans, so it's spicy and savory and with the Sechaun peppercorns makes the tongue tingle. What could I do but braised pork belly with the bitter melon(the more difficult challenge)flavored with ginger, 5 spice and that amazing sauce.

He was so much fun. The Rev Dana stepped in and played interviewer for a few minutes drawing out some of his remarkable history.

Oh, my friends it was not over. We had audience challenges, David Lynch holding a wine tasting while the Rev. took over and got him talking, I stayed for part of that and took a short break. I sat down for a few minutes, heaven.

Melanie Vigh joined us, she is a chef with a fascinating history, half of her childhood in Hungary, a stint as a chef in Mexico and currently at Guerra Meats handling the deli and catering department.

She took over and I was happy to hand her the floor. She prepared the most delicious moist, sinful salmon, she gave it a short marinade, seared it, served it on a bed of cashew and grape rice with curry and topped it with mango salsa. I would say it was the best dish of the day. I just ate little bites throughout the day but if I could have kept the salmon from the crowd I would have made one of those filets mine.

Afterwards I made a mushroom risotto, the way I learned way back when in Venice and many other dishes throughout the day. A Food bank challenge to use rice and beans differently resulted in a beautiful congee, a sunflower seed lasagna..and more.

When the crowd thinned out later in the evening we had a few items still to share with the food bank from our generous donors. I got the Rev. River some opened items to use in his street ministry/food program and dropped others off and a local church that feeds a small crowd on Sunday.

A lot of people are going to be fed. When you share food, you share love. That my friends is what the world needs now.

I promised to finish up my food stamp budget log and I ask forgivness. I spend 14 hours shopping for the donated pantry items on Friday and Saturday was pretty busy as well, and I don't really remember what I ate on Friday, except a bagel at the church maybe 10 hours after breakfast.

It's 9:25 and I have not eaten

2011-08-27T00:35:00.000-04:00

I may be off to bed soon after having a bite.

Saturday the 27th from 10 a.m to 10 p.m. I will be at St. Luke's cooking for anyone and everyone who walks through the door with a donation for the food bank. Guests and members of the public will be surprising me all day with challenge ingredients. St. Luke's is located at Clay and Van Ness in the City of San Francisco.

I challenge all my readers (and they have increased dramatically since this project began)to twitter, facebook, call and e mail anyone you know in the Bay area. If you are here yourself come down and say hi. I want the coffers to overflow with donated food.

I promise to faithfully write of my last two days on this project but I just finished the pantry shopping which began 11 hours ago and I am beat.

Thanks again to Trader Joe's (Amy Mac we love you!)Grocery Outlet (West 4th on Berkeley, go there trust me your $$ will go very far)Guerro's Meats on Taravel (Come watch Chef Vigh when she joins me at 7:00)Safeway and Le Beau market in Nob Hill. Your generosity was overwhelming.

I hope to meet many of those of you who have followed me on this journey and I thank you for your e mail and comments. It takes a village and I feel very much a part of one right now.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 21

2011-08-25T23:13:00.005-04:00

The Huffington Post article about one week of my life on this budget has hit. Read it here.

Praise and condemnation in fairly equal measure. As is typical on the net, many of the comments skimmed, rather than read and know not of what they speak. I answer a few and clarify a couple of assumptions. Despite the choice to live on this budget I am who I am. I don't apologize for that.

It is almost noon and I have only had coffee. My e-mail box overflows. Some critical, some lovely, but that is to be expected.

I finally fried the rest of the chicken I had purchased the other day. I knew it would be okay to overspend because I have an event tonight and dinner will be served.
Chicken 2.66
Garden Salad .10
This mornings coffee .30
Total 3.06

I spent the day in a meeting and the evening at the Chef's program at ECS. It was graduation night.

I talked to a lot of the students. One of the most inspirational is a woman who spent 30 years on the streets as a heroin addict. With the help of ECS she stayed clean and learned a trade. After 6 months she is ready for the job market. How can you not love people who have come from all kinds of hardship and still manage to work hard, learn a trade and do so without being bitter?

The article I referenced in the first paragraph has taken on a life of it's own. Right now I can't even begin to address all the comments and e-mails it has generated.

In two days I have to cook for 12 hours, so it is time for sleep. I will factor in the rest of my food and nutrition tomorrow.

Y'all take care now.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 20

2011-08-24T23:20:00.000-04:00

For those who are still coming here to offer help on Saturday read here.

An apple a day, it won't hurt.

Since I have begun this project I have lost 5 lbs,and despite regular workout some of it is muscle. My chest is one inch smaller.

I got my blood work back.

My sodium and potassium are out of balance causing water retention.

Despite not eating any significant sugar, my blood sugar and triglycerides are both higher than they should be.

My cholesterol, while still very low,is higher than it was and the ratio is off.

My blood count (Iron in the blood) is far too high.

While I am not fat my percentage of fat vs. muscle has increased. My body fat was at 11% and is now at 14%.

I have a lot of advantages compared to many who have no choice but to live on this budget. I am a chef, I have a garden, I had a birthday last month and meals out so my diet has had more nutrition and variance than many who have no choice but to eat the cheapest, day in and day out.

I admit to being bored by it. I am sick of many of the foods that work in this budget. I am ready for it to be over.

For many who live this way it may never be over. We have few jobs in the U.S. and the jobs we have often pay so little food is a luxury.

When I say I've walked a mile in my brother's shoes I know that my shoes have custom insoles and by comparison are more comfortable.

I begin my day with 6.78.

I still have leftover ham so I fry it with two eggs and make some Rye Toast.

Coffee .30
Ham leftover
Rye from Gail
Butter .15
2 eggs .40
Total .85

I wasn't hungry when I decided I needed a snack. I just got it into my head that I had not had any fruit yet and not much in the vegetable arena so I had two apples and peanut butter.

Apples (more fruit from Gail)
Peanut butter .21
Second pot of coffee .30
Total .51

I had no appetite for lunch but after the gym was seriously hungry. I stopped at the store on the way home and they had a polish sausage sample station. I ate several slices, pretty much enough to qualify as one link. It was good and the lady kept telling me to have more.

For dinner I added bacon, green beans, and mushrooms and the second half of yesterday's onion to some of the sauce from the other day. I barely needed pasta. That was a great meal.
Tomato Sauce (free tomatoes)
Pasta .19
Green beans .44
Mushrooms .50
Onion .10
Iced Tea .03
Total 1.26

Day Total 2.62, yet I feel as if I ate well. 1.692 calories and okay on the nutrition scale.

I carry over 4.16

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 19

2011-08-23T23:19:00.001-04:00

I can't wait for this to be over. I am tired of cabbage, and beans, and rice and even pasta. I want smoked salmon and fresh fish and a Caesar Salad with extra anchovies. Instead I begin my day with 5.85.

I have the last of the nectarines from Cathy and a cup of coffee.
coffee .30

I am hungry, but not hungry and tired of so many things. I finally settle on a ham sandwich with ham leftover from the party. I add half an onion.

Rye From Gail
Mayo (The rest of what I made the other day)
Ham from party
Onion Half .10
3 glasses of iced tea .09

Total .19

And out I head. I have a lot of stops before the gym and eventually I am hungry. No desire to ride home so I have some pork rinds. Not a health food, but a filling one and no sugar.
Rinds .99
I do admit to liking them. Puffy fat and skin, what could be wrong?

At home I am fussy yet again not wanting what I have and I have an abundance. I finally re-heat some of the lamb with extra garlic and green beans and have it with rice and some of the red beans. I feel stuffed.
Lamb leftover
Rice .15
1/2 serving of Red Beans 1.10
Total 1.25

Day Total 2.73
Calories 1,541

Nutrition is pretty horrible for the day. 3.12 to carry over. I need to find a way to enjoy it.

I have blood work coming in that will update me on my health while walking a mile in uncomfortable shoes.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 18

2011-08-22T23:23:00.002-04:00

I begin the day with 9.13 and feel like a millionaire.

I make a fruit salad with the fruit Cathy brought from the farm, two nectarines, a big peach, and some strawberries. I eat the whole thing with a cup of coffe, my only cost being...
Coffee .30

Then breakfast is more leftovers. I take some of the lamb left from the party and warm it stuff it in a tortilla and top with yogurt, Really good.
Lamb leftover
Yogurt .40
Tortillas .48

Total .88

I could not make it home for lunch and finally broke down and had a substandard San Francisco bagel with cream cheese.
1.75

At home I really spent my largess. I made fried chicken. I bought an organic chicken at 7.99 which will make at least 3 meals. 2.66 per.

I heavily seasoned and fried a few pieces. I am so tired of skinny bitches who roll chicken and bran cereal and pop it in the oven and say 'it is just like fried.' Those skinny bitches have not had fried chicken in decades and have forgotten what that crisp succulent taste is really like. I had it with rice and a half portion of red beans, along with the first of the zucchini from the garden.
Rice .15
Chicken 2.66
Beans 1.10
Zucchini .10

Total 4.01

6.94 see how easy it is to double the budget when you have a few extra dollars. Would you say I had an extreme or indulgent eating day?

2,306 calories, the chicken drove me over the top.

I carry over 2.19

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 17

2011-08-21T11:32:00.001-04:00

I begin my day with 8:71 and a house full of leftovers from yesterday's party.

For breakfast I dined on a ham salad sandwich and more of the strawberries. My only cost was
Coffee .30
Mayo (Yes, I made it myself) .20

Total .50

For lunch I had some of the cabbage soup for the nutrition hit it gives me. I had to throw out the last of the soba with cabbage and peanut sauce. The cabbage had begun to ferment. It did not smell well.
Soup .24
Iced tea .03
Noodles (food waste) .29
Total .56

I used some of my largess for a couple of treats today. Andoulle sausage to go with my red beans and a bar of amazing Belgian chocolate. Since I don't want to calculate square by square I am going to take the hit for the chocolate all at once.
Chocolate 1.99

Dinner was a great meal of sauce from the gift tomatoes, leftover turkey meatballs and pasta. My only cost was the pasta at
.19
Plus more birthday wine.

1,623 calories

Total 3.24

I carry over 5.47...but you should know.

I made red beans today.
Onion .20
Green pepper .44
Celery .26
Red beans .50
Pinto beans .50
Andouille sausage 6.99
Rich succulent ham stock from leftover bone, both free and priceless.

To a total of 8.89 for the pot.

I think it is 4 nice servings and it will come to 2.22 a serving. This will kill my overage but make me very happy. Expensive but worth it.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 16

2011-08-20T23:40:00.000-04:00

Come Saturday morning I have an extra 3.11 giving me a day total of 6.77.

I begin to wonder just how many people are going to write me before this is over to tell me that poor people should not drink soda or buy a birthday cake for their child.

You see, you can get a generic mix for under a dollar making the cost of the cake under 2.00 and because the poor are clearly lazy they buy cakes at Costco which is a waste of public funds.

Really?

Is that really such a big deal?

Our government gives billions to private contractors to set up our wars. We give billions to the oil companies the most profitable in the word and there are those among you who really worry about whether a poor person bakes or buys a cake?

Okay...so I had breakfast. More delicious strawberries from Gail. Then more of the rice and beans from last night with extra cheese and more fresh tortillas.
Rice and Beans Leftover
Strawberries gift
Cheese .31
Coffee. 30
Chips .40
Total 1.01

For lunch I had cabbage soup.
Soup .24
Iced tea .03
Total .27

And off to the party. I catered the party and at 5:00 took off my jacket and transitioned to guest. Except for carving the meat I was pretty much done.

I ate very little. The stuffed potatoes with the cheese and bacon were good and I had a few. Some ham right off the bone, a little leg of lamb, one glass of wine and one of champagne. I did not even taste the rest of the food. It wasn't until the party was over that I began to get hungry. I went back for more ham. A really good ham is addictive.

When I got home and made popcorn with butter as a before bed snack.

Butter .30
Popcorn .11
Iced Tea .03
Total .44

1,944 calories. Total 1.72.
I have an extra 5.05 for tomorrow.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2, Day 15

2011-08-19T23:35:00.000-04:00

I begin with 5.76. I love free food.

Today a bit thanks goes to Amy Mac at Trader Joe's in Stonestown who arranged for Trader Joe's to be a very generous sponsor of the event on the 27th.

Breakfast is a few of Gail's strawberries, coffee, a few bites of chorizo and cabbage soup.

Coffee .30
Chorizo 0.00
Strawberries 0.00
Cabbage soup .24
Total .54
I made the cabbage soup ahead of time and her is the cost breakdown.

Small cabbage .92
Onion .20
2 tomatoes .40
Bulk Lentils .46
Chicken stock .40

Total for pot 2.38 and I have at least 10 servings. So I gave it .24 a serving.

I ran home for an rich and delicious lunch. Spaghetti carbonara with two eggs and 3 slices of bacon. With 1/2 cup frozen peas.

2 eggs .40
Spaghetti .19
3 slices bacon .66
Parm .37 for one ounce
Peas .25
1.87

Apple from Gail 0.00.

My calories may end up through the roof. Thanks to Virgin Mobile's LACK of customer service department I spent much of last night on hold. First I fried fresh corn tortillas and turned them into chips that I ate with Rick's Salsa. I ate a lot of chips. Finally once customer service disconnected me with no resolution I made a Mexican thing with a Chinese cooking technique.

Wok fried rice and beans. WOW...this was good eats.

Chips (10 tortillas) .40
Rice leftover
Beans .50
Cheese .31
Salsa gift
Total 1.21

2,027 calories. Total 2.65

A pretty strong showing in the nutrition department.

Living on A Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 14

2011-08-18T23:41:00.001-04:00

See that cute puppet. It is from the Grocery Depot,one of our sponsors for the event on the 27th. They will all be featured in this space as we move forward.

I begin may day with 3.20 and a cup of coffee.
.30

In addition I toast some of the pide from yesterday and have it with butter.
.15

Breakfast total .45

And I was off. I had to get to Sausilito to head to the Farm Market to get supplies for a party I am catering Saturday.

I am doing a party for Gail's mother and I did the prep at her house, she bought extra food so I made BLT's for lunch. Rye, amazing tomatoes, Great bacon, crisp lettuce and Cilantro pesto. Wow! Great lunch and my cost.
0.00

All day long as I did the prep I had a bite of this, a taste of that. I just spend 45 minutes detailing the ingredients and amounts on fitday. I spent more time tracking the food, than eating it.

Gail is like my Jewish big sister. Otherwise she would be Jewish mother. All day long she kept putting things in a bag for me to take home. I get home and there is a bounty of riches, strawberries from the market this morning the rest of the Rye bread, apples and some of the turkey meatballs I had made for her dinner.

I feel like a fat pig.

I used those meatballs and made a little sauce with pasta. Big meal for 9:00 p.m. (It was a long day)

Pasta.19
Sauce (from fresh tomatoes).45
Total .64
Day Total 1.10

This leaves me with 2.10 to carry over into the morrow and a lot of food given to me.

I only hope that at least some of the families struggling with a food stamp budget have friends who upon occasion load them up with turkey meatballs and strawberries.

My painstakingly calculated calories are 2,083.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 13

2011-08-17T23:38:00.004-04:00

I begin my day with 3.83. I am wakened by a phone, but I am hungry so I prepare breakfast quietly and wait for the call to be over before I start chomping down. Liver, bacon and onion Sandwich. AWESOME.

Coffee .30
Grapes .40
Toast .69
Liver .57
1/2 onion .20
2 slices bacon .44
Total 2.60

I run into a friend at the store and his wife bakes, she comes running in with a loaf of pide, which she is baking for Ramadan. Fresh warm bread. Yea!
Lunch Free Bread

I cooked some meat ahead and heavily spiced it, it turned into a sort of a taco.

Meat .72
Tortillas .16
Cheese .31
Tomatoes .20
Yogurt .20
Onion .10
Total 1.69

4.29 Even at only two real meals I go over. I am now .46 over again.

I have gotten so bad with this budget I really should consider running for congress.

A confession must be made. Despite my heavy calorie consumption yesterday I forgot to include the wine in my calculations. I am adding it to today's calories. In addition there was one glass still in the bottle which I had tonight.

This gives me 1,981 calories, and fairly rotten nutrition except for my Iron.

Tomorrow I am in Marin prepping for a party so I've no idea what I will be eating. I've planned ahead with a soup for when I get home.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 12

2011-08-16T23:55:00.001-04:00

I have 3.49 to begin.

Strange morning, strange dreams. When I awake I have only coffee. I get lost in email and Julia Child on u-tube and it is noon before I have breakfast.

I got more grapes at .99 a pound but eat only a few. I have toast eggs and bacon, more expensive bacon than before. I got lazy and bought it at Safeway.

Coffee .30
Toast .69
2 eggs .40
3 slices of bacon .66
Grapes .19
Total 2.24

I have almost blown my daily budget.

But good news comes SF Foodie has published one of the articles. Read it and link it anywhere you can think of.

For lunch I had only some of yesterday's mock congee.
2 cups .38

I raced home from the gym and made a quick pasta. I was hungry but I did take the time to cut some chard in the garden and wash it while the water boiled.

Garlic, oil, chard. Bliss.

Chard. 10
Pasta .19
Total .29

But the evening is not over a friend drops by with wine. I have to offer something and the usual things I might offer are not in the house. So I make popcorn with butter. It is great with Italian wine.

Popcorn .11
Butter .30
Total .41
Total 3.32

And I total my day. I have .17 in the positive column to take into tomorrow. YEA!

When I began I had no real idea how difficult this would be. By buying some thins in bulk and some things daily I am making it work, but I will be so happy when it is over. I cannot imagine trying to do this for a whole family and telling a child that we can only afford for him or her to have two cups of soup for lunch.

I had 2,289 calories. Quite a few for so little food. It was the butter ,oil, and white bread. And it's okay. This was my former normal, although obtained via healthier means.

Living on A Food Stamp Budget Day 11

2011-08-15T23:37:00.002-04:00

Busy busy day. I will save some of the details for the Huffington Post. I began my diary this morning as a food informant.

I begin my day with 3.29.
I made dirty rice for breakfast, a whole lot of seasoning the chicken I had picked from the bones and rice. It cost .92 to make but I ate only half.
Dirty Rice .46
Coffee .30
Total .76

I ate a portion of the soba noodles with peanut sauce before leaving the house. Cheap lunch .29.

I came home from an interview with SF Foodie and a gym trip HUNGRY. I had a can of cream of chicken soup left on my doorstep with a note. This item is always in stock at the local food pantry, not surprising as it is the kind of thing people would donate. I am asked to work with it and come up with a recipe. For my Asian neighbor I knew Tuna noodle casserole would not do. It was soup so I made soup...a congee lite.

Leftover dirty rice .46
Stock from yesterday .40
Chard from the garden .10
Total for the pot .96.

Per cup that came to .19
I had 3 cups.
Total .57

And onto dinner I took 3 ounces of the Halal beef some broccoli, some pea shoots and rice.
Meat .72
Broccoli .88
Rice .15
Pea shoot .09
Total 1.84

The beef was some of the best I have had and the meal came together beautifully. I am afraid of what my day total will be.
Total 3.46

I reduced my deficit down to .17. I will make it. I have to say that this meal made me feel really good.

My calories came in at 1,573 with about half of them from the rice. I had a lot of rice today. But so what, it is calories that make you fat not carbohydrates. Trust me when I tell you at this calorie level I am not carrying extra weight around.

I am happy that I have a muti-vitamin to take every day along with extra C. Without that I am not sure my energy would be as high as it is.

To be a Food Challenger

2011-08-15T08:11:00.000-04:00

Send me an e mail at WilderKJ@gmail.com and I will send you the details about what you need to do to be a challenger

Thanks to Leah Garchick for running the item this morning

If you want to help and are not able to be a food challenger read This It takes a village or a town like San Francisco to make this happen

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 10

2011-08-14T23:20:00.000-04:00

I have 1.39 to make up today but I have a few leftovers that have been accounted for so those are free eats.

I begin my day with 2.27.

Breakfast
Grapes .50
Coffee .30
Small portion of fried rice with a touch of last night's beef and veg .FREE
Total .80

It is a big deficit and unlike the Federal Reserve I can't just go and print more money.

Lunch was a portion of the soba with peanut sauce and cabbage. Really delicious lunch.
Total .29

I am not hungry but my energy is a bit low today. Nonetheless I am heading for the gym. I may skip cardio so as not to provoke my appetite.

Yesterday I bought 3 organic chicken carcasses complete with feet. I want to thank all of you who like your chicken boneless. You allow me to make great soups. I spent 1.77 on chicken bones. I salted and roasted the bones and then picked off of the bones two cups of meat, then made enough stock for as least two soups. I will give the chicken .77 and each measure of stock .50 to account for the entire cost.

When you have a good stock you can put most anything into it and make a great meal. Vegetables, beans, noodles, tomatoes, rice, and lentils. I've learned that cabbage is a great source of C and carrots a great source of A and are two of the cheapest vegetables you can eat. They may well make an appearance in one of the soups.

I went to the gym and despite skipping cardio I came home with a ravenous appetite. I had one hard boiled egg. I could have eaten much more but I stopped at one.
Egg .20

I was saved by a neighbor who came by with a chicken drumstick. She had taught me Japanese cooking and was trying out Southern fried chicken for guests. She made a few pieces ahead 'to see if they were good'.

It was very crisp, lightly spiced (I tend to use more red pepper) moist and not greasy. I offered my congratulations as I devoured it.

I feel much better.
FREE!!

I proceeded with my planned dinner. I is easier to eat well when you are not feeling the need to eat NOW!

I picked a huge salad from the garden and had the last of the pork sauce with pasta. Now I feel almost stuffed, but in a good way.

Salad .10
Sauce 1.06
Pasta .19
Total 1.35

Day total 2.64
This brings my deficit down to .37

1,798 calories (it was the chicken)

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 9

2011-08-13T23:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had 2,400 readers from the Netherlands. I always wonder if someone is linking me in these countries where readership suddenly bumps up.

I begin with 3.24

For breakfast I had some more of those black grapes and some coffee.
Coffee .30
Grapes .50
Total .80

...and for lunch
Meat 1.21
4 tortillas .16
2 scallion .10
Garden lettuce .10
Yogurt .20
Total 1.77

I am worried about this budget and how to maintain it for another two weeks without skipping meals.

I made a dish I have not yet eaten. Soba noodles in spicy peanut sauce. If you have peanut butter, water and some hot sauce and soy it is easy to make a peanut sauce. If you have garlic it is even better. Saute the garlic, add peanut butter a lot of hot sauce, a little water to get to the right consistency and cook with a whisk. Finish with Soy. Taste great every time.

Soba noodle .40
Peanut butter (2 servings).42
Shredded cabbage .25
The last of the scallions .40
Total 1.47
I can get at least 5 servings out of it making the per serving cost .29 cents.

That works for me.

I thawed some more of the Halal Beef I bought at the beginning of last month. At .24 an ounce I will be weighing my meat carefully at dinner time.

You see, I had a 4 dumpling snack. I took out some of the frozen ones. At .15 each my snack...
.60

Dinner was an exceptionally good beef stir fry. The meat was still partially frozen allowing me to very thinly slice it. I stir fried it with the last of the cabbage and an onion, with a touch of soy and a few fermented black beans it was really good.

Meat (3 oz) .72
Cabbage . 25
Onion .20
Peanut noodles .29
Dinner 1.46

While I know I am over again today I have some of the dinner fry left over and some of the rice from the other night which will give me a free meal since the cost has been accounted for. Hopefully I can make it all up tomorrow.
Today's dollar total 4.63
ACK!!

I carry a deficit of 1.39 into tomorrow. I am behaving like George Bush, spending and then adding it up. Unfortunately I will not have Barak Obama to take the blame. I am on my own here.

Here I am overspending and only managed to get 1,417 calories out of it.

Living on A Food Stamp Budget Month 2, Day 8

2011-08-12T23:27:00.000-04:00

I begin my day with 3.94.

I had an early meeting in San Rafael and had never driven there so I was up early for coffee. I had no appetite but made myself eat hash browns and bacon. I'd intended an egg but forgot to cook it and when the potatoes were crisp it was time to eat. I had a touch of yogurt with the potatoes.

Coffee .30
Yogurt .20
Potatoes .30
Bacon .60
Total 1.40

I came home for lunch despite a busy day and had more of the pasta with pork.
Sauce 1.06
Pasta .19
Iced Tea .03
Total 1.28

The garden has had a chance to recover from my grazing so I was able to harvest a large dinner salad which was followed by some of the lamb curry which I had frozen and rice.

Salad .10
Lamb Curry 1.43
Rice .15
Total 1.68

1.472 calories and I spent 4.36. Tomorrow I have a deficit of .42 to make up.

It did not seem like I ate that much, but it is very easy to go over. I can see how families get caught short at the end of the month and rely on the food pantries stocked by the Food Bank.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 7

2011-08-11T01:48:00.000-04:00

I begin my day with 3.72.

I've not lost any more weight than the two pounds. I think my body is used to fewer calories and my metabolic rate is a bit lower than it was. I also do less cardio because at the reduced calorie consumption I have found it tires me rather than energizes me.

Coffee went up in price. I had to purchase a different bean than what I was using and it cost more. My tiny pot is now .30 a serving.

Breakfast
Coffee .30
Grapes .50
2 Turkey Quessadillas rescued from the freezer 1.30
Total 2.10

I had to check back to month 1 day 17 to reference the cost of these delicious beauties.

And I was off...I had a meeting at St. Luke's (You didn't think I was putting this whole event on the 27th together by myself did you) and we went over all that needs to be done and confirmed and checked and listed.

And then I dropped by the Chef's program at Episcopal Community Services. This is an amazing program. Led by Chef Bill Taylor they cram two years of instruction into three months. The chefs then go into a 3 month internship and are thus prepared for a job. I was incredibly impressed with the skill level of the chefs in the program. From knife skills to beautiful plating it was clear that these students were there to excel.

Today was the cookoff between the students who had finished the three month program and the interns who had finished their various internships.

Each was given a basked of the same foods and invited to use dried fruits, nuts, cheeses and pantry items to create a meal.

Both teams played it a little safe with salad and stuffed pork loin but there were some standout tastes, and platings.

Our Intern graduate team produced one of the best dinner rolls I have ever eaten. It had a great slightly chewy texture, a good crumb, a beautiful developed flavor and they were served warm. I had 3.

The Intern team also had an exceptional side dish with their pork a Quinoa with nuts and feta cheese. I ate every bite of that.

However out student team had beautiful plates and some really great ideas and execution. They wrote out the menu on brown bags and filled the bags with delicious bread sticks. They sugared cashews and used them atop rice with a mustard sauce. Their dessert won them the competition (it was close)Figs, poached in a citrus sauce and the sauce had been flavored with citrus rind and honey and a bay leaf. None of us could identify the flavor, it was almost like Campari. I was stuffed from all the bread plus the two meals yet I still managed half of the dessert and I scooped up all the sauce with my spoon. The figs had been posed atop a slice of poached apple. The plating was beautiful.

I walked away with enormous respect for the instructors and the students. The students in this program have come from homelessness, drug rehab, prison and other disadvantaged circumstances. The one thing they have in common is that they have all decided that they want a better life and were willing to work HARD to get it.

It is hard to imagine that I got hungry later, but in fact I did. At 9:30 I found myself wanting food, quickly. I took the other half of yesterday's pork and cabbage, ground it a second time in the processor to give it a fine texture 2.22 and to that a can of tomatoes .97 to a total of 3.19. I used 1/3 of it with my standard two ounces of pasta and had a delicious, if heavy late meal.
Sauce 1.06
Pasta .19
Iced Tea .03
Total 1.28

Day total 3.38

Though I did not eat two complete meals at lunch, some of it was just a few bites when I added up all those bites plus my meals I consumed 2,733 calories. WOW.

I have an extra .28 for tomorrow.

Living on a Food Stamp budget Month 2 Day 6

2011-08-10T23:32:00.001-04:00

Today I am grateful to be eating on 3.66 per day. Last night on Anderson Cooper he reported on the East African drought. People are starving to death, millions. Due to political reason little aid reaches these areas and nothing of substance has been done to change the patterns and assist in making the people self sufficient.

Despite the malnutrition of the mothers babies are born every day, many of whom never make it to adulthood or even childhood. With every shipment of food we need to send birth control. In addition to teaching people how to grow sustainable food (when not in drought)we need to teach them the importance of not overpopulating a land that cannot support the population.

I begin my day with 3.94 and I feel rich and fortunate.

I finally caught up with my e mail for the last weekend. I have gotten a lot of criticism and one reader took me to task for not eating more oatmeal, bananas and lentils as they are cheap and nutritious.

While she is not wrong, except for the occasional lentil soup I tend to forget them. I've never been a big oatmeal or banana eater. So Kathy I am sorry to disappoint but I am who I am.

For breakfast I had....
Coffee .25
1/2 pound of black grapes .50
Total .75

At lunch spaghetti carbonara
2 oz pasta .19
3 slices bacon .60
One egg .20
1 ounce Parmesan cheese .37
Total 1.36

...and more chefs to see. I've a lot of 'confirmations' from chefs to participate on the 27th but when it comes to choosing a time they melt into the woodwork. I am in the process of chasing people down to finalize the schedule.

As a result I was introduced to another chef's guilty pleasure; Pork rinds and salsa. While I hate to admit it, this is a good snack.

I looked in my refrigerator before I went back out to the gym. I had corn tortillas, in my basket a really ripe tomato, garden lettuce that had been washed and not much else.

At Guerra's meats I picked up a pound of ground pork for 3.99. (Their wonderful prepared foods and catering chef will be joining us on the 27th, and they have promised to provide us with the Thanksgiving turkey for that date.)I then dropped by the farm market for some cabbage and onions and then...

I made tacos. Really good tacos. I cooked the pork with some cabbage and onion and removed half; to the rest I added a tomato and some seasoning. I stuffed this into the corn tortillas with yogurt, green onion and garden lettuce. I ate well, now let's total it up.

Pork 3.99
Cabbage (1/4 head) .25
Onion .20
Total 4.44

Half of that or 2.22 stayed in the pan and I added....
1 tomato .20 giving us 2.42. I ate half of the 2.42 tonight.

Meat 1.21
4 tortillas .16
2 scallion .10
Garden lettuce .10
Yogurt .20
Total 1.77

An expensive meal. My day total was 3.88 giving me a walloping .06 to carry into tomorrow.

As you can see I did well with certain categories and not so well in others. 1,817.00 calories.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 5

2011-08-09T23:57:00.002-04:00

If you read the birthday post you will understand about the 'lost weekend'.

I begin the day with my 3.66.

I have a new fear of fat. All of my brothers are carrying around too many pounds and one is borderline obese. Seeing two of them for the first time in decades frightened me a bit. While it is possible fat is not in my genetic makeup I am not taking any chances.

For breakfast I had the last of the strawberries, which I admit were a little tired so I sliced them and sauteed them a bit topping them with a touch of yogurt. That and coffee were it.

Coffee .25
Berries .50
Yogurt .20
Total .95

By lunch I was hungry and despite a little travel bloat I opted for pasta with garlic and oil. I went to the garden for vegetables and added masses of chard and some snow peas along with a little parmesan.

This is the simplest of Italian dishes and one of the most difficult to make. You have to get the garlic just right, that barely tan color without any serious browning. Garlic turns bitter when overcooked and can be sharp when undercooked. I got a perfect balance today and tossed with the chard and peas some of the much needed vegetable.

Pasta .19
Garden Vegetables .10
Parmesan cheese .37
Total .63
The oil and garlic fall into the .33 a day I set aside for seasonings and oil. I needed very little oil, it is best to coat all the strands but the pasta should not be swimming in olive oil.

My motorbike needed a small repair so while it was at the mechanic I walked down to the Mission to shop.

Certain communities are very fortunate to have entrepreneurs in their midst who open stores to cater to them. In both Spanish and Asian communities you can find locally owned stores with an abundance of inexpensive vegetables along with a whole host of native ingredients to play with.

I remember in New York, when I lived in Harlem had no locally owned businesses that provided fresh healthy food but Spanish Harlem had a whole host of them with the myriad of peppers and vegetables spilling out of the bins. I would take my bike to Spanish Harlem or the Subway to Chinatown for great food.

San Francisco has the Mission and I got lucky. Locally grown organic black grapes for .99 a pound. Green beans for .33 a pound. Gorgeous local bacon that came to .20 a slice.

So for dinner I had a feast. I cut 3 slices of bacon into tiny bits and browned them. I added in some of the Puttanesca I had pulled from the freezer and cooked a pound of green beans in the bacony sauce.

It was a salt fest, which for me is an ideal dinner. I ate the entire pound of green beans. With a little rice I was very happy.

Green beans .33
Puttanesca sauce .77
Rice .10
Bacon .60
Total 1.80

I made up some of the nutrition I had been lacking but probably under did it on the calories with only 1,406. Too few calories can be as bad as too many so tomorrow I will bump that up a bit. My day total 3.38 I carry over .28.

One of the things I have mentioned before is finding the balance between calories and nutrition. I did much better on nutrition today and as a result had too few calories.

My Mother's 80th birthday party

2011-08-08T23:39:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

I reserved money from my budget to make the point that if a person or a family is on either food stamps or a very tight budget travel can be a difficult proposition.

Many of us take vacations and family visits for granted, but imagine wanting to have that and not having the means, or the ability to feed yourself if you leave home.

For some people this is a reality.

As I have said many times I am fortunate. My sister Elaine arranged a surprise 80th birthday for my mother this past weekend.

I squirreled all the funds I could from my food budget but ultimately it was not enough. I gave myself 10 dollars a day to eat on and did manage to do that.

On the way I had a (very bad) 3.95 sandwich in the Denver Airport that purported to be an egg, bacon and cheese. The egg was a round spongy thing that resembled egg only in color, the cheese, not cheese at all but an American slice of disgusting blandness the bacon barely there and with no discernible taste and the sourdough roll, not sour and with the texture of a hamburger bun. The culinary offender was schlotzskys. Should you be in their proximity be warned. Even with masses of a very bland mustard breakfast was tasteless.

Nonetheless my baby brother treated to a late dinner on Saturday and my Mother a lovely breakfast on Monday I was able to keep my 10.00 budget intact.

Via Priceline I managed a hotel for 19.00 per day and a rental car for 13.00.

It was a budgetary sound weekend and my mother was delighted and very surprised. She is 80 the way most people are 50, with energy and love to spare. Over 150 people attended her party.

She still works as a director of activities at a senior condominium. It was very touching to see how very loved and respected she is.

I would have told mentioned what was up except it would have ruined the surprise. As it turns out she reads this space and is highly supportive of my efforts. She is all about sharing food.

So readers beginning tomorrow morning I am back on a strict food stamp budget. I carry no money over and will be starting fresh with my 3.66 a day.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 4

2011-08-04T23:28:00.000-04:00

I begin my day with 10.33.

I am purposely trying to hold back some money for the weekend.

If you are a family trying to get by and someone is coming to visit you will need extra food. Many of us would not think too much about feeding a friend or relative for a few days but on a strict budget money has to be set aside to make this happen. It often means the mother of the household will eat less so that food can be held back for the guest.

So I am making do with less as I have something coming up.

I begin my day not with coffee but soup. I woke up with a headache (possible low salt) and a serious asthma attack and slowly sipping salty soup seriously soothes.
.89

Two hours later I had coffee and breakfast.
Coffee .25
3 eggs .60
Hash Browns .32
Morning total 2.06

...and the phone rings. It is Mj my beautiful friend from Paris and she is in San Francisco and wants to see me. Of course I drop everything and run to Chinatown to meet her and show her around.

We have lunch at Capital, a great lunch spot and while I was in the bathroom she paid the check. I protested (I had surplus) and then promised to treat us to coffee later. The meal was delicious. A great bit of mixed crisp vegetable with shreds of beef in a spicy sauce.

It was a wonderful day. I played tourist when she could walk no more we got coffee. IF you stay out of Starbucks you can get two small and delicious cups of coffee for 3.00, she had hot, I had iced. A big chunk of my weekend surplus is gone. Ce la vie.

Remember Month 1 day 17
I put some of that sauce in the freezer and had it tonight with pasta. Beef and tomatoes, so very American, so very good.
Sauce .77
Pasta .19
Strawberries .50 (1/3 pound)

It was not as good as it was the first time. My salt mill fell apart when I attempted to grind a bit more into the sauce. I spooned it out but it was still a little over salted. I love salt so it was okay for me but I would not have served it to guests.

I was quite worried about missing the gym but considering the caloric content of the day, 1,475 it might have been a good thing.
My total was 7.41.

For many of you lunch out and a cup of coffee are no big deal. Think about the people who have to save money from a food budget to enjoy such a luxury. Wherever you are open up your heart a little bit.

I now only have 2.92 to carry over so my weekend experiment may be a bust. I will report whatever happens.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 day 3

2011-08-03T23:33:00.000-04:00

For those who are still asking me how they can help read this.

I begin my day with 9.80.

Coffee. 25

Hours go by as I respond to e mail make phone calls and realize I have missed a proper breakfast. I made pasta with some of the puttanesca sauce from the other day.
Sauce .72
Pasta .19
Iced tea .03
Total .94

And back to work I went. I am back and forth between chefs, authors, grocery stores, and volunteers and it is good I devote my day to this as it is a full time job.

Before heading out for a very late workout I had 4 more of the enchiladas with extra cheese.

4 enchiladas 1.08
Iced tea .03
Extra cheese .31
Total 1.42

And then the gym and the store. When I stopped for some fresh vegetables there was an amazing sale on potatoes. So I got some really nice new potatoes for very little.

I came home and instead of eating broccoli or something I made hash browns and had them with yogurt.
The potatoes .32
Yogurt .20
Total .52

Not a highly nutritious day, carb heavy and it felt like a milllion calories because of the filling choices but it came to 1, 672 calories.

Total 3.13
I carry over 6.67.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 2

2011-08-02T23:34:00.000-04:00

I begin my day with 9.88

Since I have begun this project I have noticed an increase in readers from outside the United States. By 10 a.m. this morning I had had over 1,000 views from other countries. Among the highest were Spain, The Phillipines, Panama and Jordon.

I had an almost free breakfast; Strawberries and the last of the dumplings from Saturday in the stock made from the duck bones. Plus coffee.

Coffee .25
Strawberries .50

I was out running around today, and at one point I could not take it anymore. I stopped into a coffee shop and got a toasted buttered bagel .99. They put some cream cheese on the plate but since I did not order it they did not charge me for it.

I was really hungry and happy to be eating but there is no such thing as a GOOD bagel made in San Francisco. They are all soft like a hamburger bun. Even worse, in Minnesota there is a place that makes them with glazes like doughnuts and they are almost as light a donut. Bagels need to be dense and chewy. Why does most of this country not get how to make them?

Remember the vegetables from the other night? I heated the rest of them and tossed in some noodles and garlic. I had this with the remainder of the birthday wine.
Vegetables 1.26
Chinese noodles .25
total 1.51
Day Total 3.74
1,719 calories

I carry over 6.14

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Month 2 Day 1

2011-08-01T23:22:00.001-04:00

I begin with 8.95.

I quickly start to diminish that amount by having two coffee this morning.
.50

I had no appetite so I delayed eating until I could manage it. More leftovers were on the menu. I had 8 of the dumplings with the rest of the leftover green bean tofu mix. (tofu was fermented and non GMO).

I was full for a long time. As a late lunch I had a can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup.
.89

Canned soup is not a common food in my house. On month one I dropped two pounds and am having trouble keeping my sodium at normal levels. This soup at one can a day for a few days is enough to restore sodium. I don't know why it works better than extra salt on food, but it does. I take it like medicine in that sense.

At dinner time I wanted to get rid of the leftover chicken, and in the process created more leftovers.

I made enchiladas out of the leftover chicken. The corn tortillas were cheap .33. The sauce was a can of tomatoes with a lot of seasoning .97. I used a lot of cheese 1.86 (6 oz.)and two fresh tomatoes .40.

This made 13 enchiladas. I created a new leftover!!

My cost came to .27 per enchilada. I had 3 for dinner with iced tea.
3 enchilada .81
Iced tea .03

I also had some of the birthday wine I had opened the other night. No cost but calories.

After dinner I had a third of a pound of strawberries.
.50
1,558 calories and I feel stuffed. My body is getting used to less food.

2.73 day cost.

I carry over 6.22

How you can help

2011-08-01T13:17:00.000-04:00

Dear Reader,

I have been getting e mail from folks all over asking how they can help. While it certainly helps if you live in San Francisco or have contacts here; read the following and if something applies to you then do it.

To benefit the SF Food bank; on August 27, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. I will be hosting a Cookathon, Iron Chef style. I will be cooking for 12 hours in front of a live audience and there will be constant tastings. Admission to this event is a donation of food for the SF Food Bank. We are inviting Local Chefs, Actors, Artists, Athletes, Writers and others to drop by with a mystery ingredient to challenge me. Let me explain where I can use help.

1. I would love to have you there, you and all your friends. If you are on Facebook you can confirm attendance on this page I'll be there We have 12 hours to fill with watchers so do bring friends, as many as you can. The event is at St. Luke's Church on Van Ness and Clay 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

2. I am trying to get 24 'celebrities' of various types to surprise me with mystery ingredients. Who do you know in the Bay Area? Actor? Athlete? Musician? Writer? Chef? and if you don't know anyone directly who are you six degrees of separation from? I am new in this town and need those contacts. I can be reached at WilderKJ@gmail.com and I would love to have all my confirmations by Friday in time for the press release.

3. You can always send a donation. This links to a donate now button for a paypal donation or a cheque can be sent to St. Luke's, 1755 Clay Street, SF CA 94109, just mark Thanksgiving in November on the memo line. After we take care of any unexpected expenses to produce the event any remaining funds go directly to the Food Bank. The entire amount is tax deductible.

4. If you have some time on the day of the event and want to volunteer that would be great too. You can hand out food samples or greet our guests or....about a hundred different things. Just e-mail me and we will schedule the time.

It takes a village....and a global village linked by computers can do a lot.

Feel free to share or link anywhere you like.

Karl Wilder

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 31

2011-07-31T23:48:00.001-04:00

I begin my day with 6.71.

I had no coffee in the house. I started my day at half mast and stayed there. Throughout the day I did consume 5 glasses of iced tea.
.15

Breakfast was a dim sum ie leftover dumplings along with leftover sliced chicken. (Penny sent me home with far to much leftover chicken).
0.00

Lunch was dumplings in some of the duck stock I made from the duck bones. Again cost...
0.00

I am eating this way for two reasons.

1. I have all these wonderful leftovers and I don't want them to spoil.

2. Many families on assistance programs are out of $$ by the end of the month and get something from a food pantry or whatever they can scrounge.

However prior to heading to St. Luke's Church to meet Roam and spend some time in the audience at their free concert Check out Sunday Night Mic. And it's free! The sound in the room is very warm and mellow, the new sound system is just right. You don't have to be of any particular religion to go and enjoy the music.

On the way there I stopped at Big Apple Market on Polk at Clay and they had some really good deals on vegetables and I was craving veg. I counted my pocket change and made a deal with myself I could spent only the change.

For 2.06 I got a nice broccoli, a huge onion, a carrot, and a large container of mushrooms.

I stir fried them, adding the rest of the head of cabbage I had in the house. .25 and had them with a large portion of rice .22 and some of the leftover chicken. I ate half.

Dinner Total 1.27
Day Total 1.42

Hopefully this chart will reproduce so that you can see exactly what nutrition I got out of my 1,373 calories

5.29 to carry over.

There is a reason I will share next week as to why I am being so restrictive with the $$. They will be spent.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 30

2011-07-30T23:49:00.000-04:00

I begin today with 4.85 which seems like a fortune to me at this point.

I begin my day with fruit and coffee.
Nectarine .54
Coffee .25
Total .79

I know that I will be having dinner with friends and they eat early so I am trying to stave off hunger until I do an early lunch.

For me the best lunch to stave off hunger is pasta, so I made a sauce, a real puttanesca.
Can tomatoes .97
Can anchovies .89
Olives .39
Capers .40
Garlic .25
2.90 divided by 4 is 72 cents a serving.
Sauce .72
Pasta .19
Total .91

Off to take care of my day until Dumpling time.

My friend Penny makes legendary dumplings. When spoken about people use reverent tones. She agreed to give me a lesson.

Rule 1. never use a food processor, it makes a paste. Chop every tiny morsel by hand then stir with chopsticks.

Rule 2. Spoons are no good for filling dumplings they pack the ingredients too tight and they they expand and can break in the water. Use chopsticks and keep filling loose.

Rule 3. After filling dumplings seal twice, once with water and finger an a second time by giving dumpling a two handed hug that crimps it.

Delicious, loaded with Chinese leek, ginger, and pork.

But there were only a portion of what we were to dine upon.

Penny made a dish of fermented tofu and long beans with garlic, shrimp with cabbage (I ate the shrimp heads)and a roast chicken. I made Sezchaun braised pork belly, (Cathy bought the belly) and a green salad from my garden (.10) Cathy also bought a roast duck that I deboned(Those bones go in the soup pot)

It was such a feast of abundance and everything was so delicious I went from dish to dish and ate far too much.Plus wine...we had wine.

This was followed by some sugar free ice cream. Despite feeling stuffed my calories for the day were only 1,718.
My cost was nothing for the day 1.80. My vitamin D went way over 100% as a result of those shrimp heads.

I am fortunate to be eating often with friends but this is the point for many families where they would be out of the month's budget and at the local food pantry for whatever they can hobble together to fill them for the weekend.

I carry over 3.05

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 29

2011-07-29T23:57:00.001-04:00

I woke up SORE. The kind of stiffness that makes you hobble. So hobble I did into the kitchen where I wondered where my 4.09 would go today.

My nectarine was not ripe and I had no other fruit in the house so I made myself content with coffee and turkey fried rice with scallion.

Coffee .25
Rice Leftover
Turkey 1.00
Scallion (half the bunch).17
Total 1.42

For lunch I had only the leftover strawberry rhubarb pie.

I had a lot of running around to do. I am trying to get chefs to commit for the Cookathon on the 27th, so I was running around all afternoon doing my best to catch them when they were not overly busy. I got a lot of maybe and a few yes but no specific time commitment yet. Via e mail I hope to pin them all to a time before the press release goes out.

I won't say who, but one very well respected and rather brilliant chef had just opened a bag of Nacho Doritos and poured them into a bowl on his desk. We talked about our junk food moments and he invited me to have some and of course I did. What is the rule? I don't say no to free food. My health was not improved.

Pie and Doritos. Hmmm...the nutritionist in me is cringing.

Home and still mad sore from yesterday's class and workout I opened a bottle of the birthday wine. I am now sipping a glass of liquid painkiller; all the while thinking pie, Doritos and wine. What a day.

My widely publicized comments about McDonalds on the Huffington post got me a phone call from a local franchise owner. I now have an invitation to come to his McDonalds and taste as many things as I like. He wants me to see that the food is filling and delicious. I don't know if I can do it. I will think about it.I know that I say I never turn down free food, but the idea of eating this stuff makes me feel a little sick.

As to my dinner I blame the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I often have the radio on and all week the hosts have been talking about the Gilroy Garlic Festival. It is not in my budget to go there and gorge on garlic treats so I've no choice but to make them.

I made a pasta with garlic and oil and threw everything I had into it. The rest of the pea shoots, chard, parsley and basil from the garden along with the two small ripe tomatoes. Oh...and I used half a head of garlic...it was good.
Pasta .19
Garden Veg .10
Pea Shoots .50
Garlic .25 (.25 is the cost of a whole head but I used the rest a couple of hours later so have to pay the whole cost)
Iced Tea .03
Wine Birthday gift.
Total 1.07

But my eating was not done for the night. Popcorn with butter and it was GARLIC butter. (The cats dont' mind)
Popcorn .11
Butter .30

Total .41

Day total 2.90
Calories 1,900

I did okay...plenty of Iron, protein, Vitamin A, good E.

I carry over 1.19.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 28

2011-07-28T23:50:00.001-04:00

I was up at the crack of dawn; alright half past crack but early.

One of the trainers at my gym was teaching his first class and he asked me to take it. He promised that it was going to be BOOT CAMP, a lot of repetitive exercise and no choreography.

I can dance. I learn it the moves slowly and painfully and once I have them, I'm good.

Classes at gyms however are another matter. I can't understand the silly sing song voice so many instructors use, especially with the overloud music, and I don't want to step right, step left, up down in a room full of strangers.

Beginning my day with 4.56 I ate.

Anyway...I got up and had coffee, turkey and a potato that had been pre-boiled. I threw the potato in the skillet with the turkey and it was something like hash, but was fast and I needed fuel.

Coffee .25
Potato .11
Turkey 1.00
Total 1.36

The class was not bad, but there were some silly exercises that involved too much movement; Crawling push ups...Walking lunges?

Sorry...I will do them in one place thanks.

But it got me up and moving early in the day and that is not a bad thing.

I was also ravenous when I got home. 8 dumplings (I've kept them in the freezer) at .15 each
1.20

I wanted iced tea but was out of ice. I went out and had a couple of meetings and got home ravenous yet again. (Now I know why those aerobics junkies always get so fat)I ate the leftover pizza so my cost was 0.

I went out...I had a lot going on today and got some vegetables and a nectarine. I KNOW I have not been eating enough veg but I had to shop and price carefully.

I came home and started to feel a bit down. I wished I had the stuff to make chicken soup but decided to put some extra garlic into my pork belly to kill any bug I might have been exposed to.

I did a braise of the pork belly with a lot of garlic, chard and sugar snaps from the garden, and Pea shoots. Excellent and very filling.

4 ounces pork belly.70 (2.79 a pound this time)
Garden Veg .10
Pea Shoots .50
1/2 head garlic .12
Rice .15 (I made a lot of rice)
Total 1.57

I posted a photo of pea shoots at the top of the page. If you have never tasted them, head to an Asian market. They are in season and a wonderful taste treat.

1,974 calories with better nutrition than I would have guessed on a day without fruit.
Day Total 4.13

I carry over .43

Living on a Food Stamp budget Day 27

2011-07-27T23:19:00.001-04:00

I begin with 3.49

I had a plan today and had to have a good breakfast. I took the leftover rice from the other night's curry and fried it with Turkey, soy sauce and capers. This along with 3 plums and coffee started my day.
Coffee .25
Capers .20
Rice (leftover)
Turkey 1.00
Plums .66
Total 2.11...not good but very filling.

And I was off.

Yesterday I got into a heated discussion with GOPMommy on Huffington post. Read Here

She claims that her father died and she and her siblings lived with her mother in a car and the ONLY food choices were McDonald's or a Candy bar from a gas station; therefore McDonald's is a savior for the poor.

I do support the use of food benefit cards at restaurants because there are seniors who can't fend for themselves and others on food assistance who have no facility to cook. A hot meal, even one that is calorie dense and nutritionally void is better than going hungry.

I do not buy the idea that having no kitchen restricts you to candy or McDonalds.

Today I set off for St. Anthony's to talk to some of the people who know first hand what this experience is like.

I chatted up a few folks as they exited. One thing I can say for certain is that this food program is a lifesaver in a very literal sense for a lot of people living on the margins. The food, the staff, the whole sense of community was praised.

So what do people who have no kitchens eat when they are on food assistance. A few mentioned dried fruit. One said he always keeps nuts around. One woman said she keeps bananas in her pocket and 'those bars, you know the bars.'

Finally I met a man whom we will call Max. He is a Vietnam vet on disability; he has both physical and mental issues. He offered to show me his pantry.

He lived in a very small apartment. An SRO with a twin bed, small closet, and at the foot of the bed housed what looked quite similar to a military foot locker.

He said he used his Snap card once for a Subway sandwich but it gave him indigestion. I asked if he ever used it for McDonalds or other fast food.

"Are you kidding, that stuff will kill you."

He unlocked his metal box and lined up along one side were his medications. In the middle a few memento and on the far right a small food store.

In it was Trader Joe's peanut butter, some cheese, re-wrapped in wax paper ("It molds in the plastic.")along with a bag of apples, Ak Mak Crackers and a few cherry tomatoes in a plastic container, along with a container of instant coffee. He had an electric tea kettle sitting on a shelf. No hot plates are allowed in the rooms.

"Not much left, my benefits come on the 10th but I still have money on the card. When the apples are gone I'll take the walk to Joe's."

He walks to the South of Market location of Trader Joe's twice weekly. It is a decent walk and there is only so much he can carry but he likes their food and they always have a good deal on a bag of fruit.In the mornings he has instant coffee and fruit with some peanut butter and crackers. Then he makes the trip to line up for lunch. He likes to be early because if they run short they serve hot dogs and the meals are a high point of his day.

He tries to keep enough money on hand to eat Chinese lunch at 5.00 a plate a couple times a month when Doctor's appointments interfere with lunch. In the evenings he usually has some cheese and on shopping days has pre-packaged sliced meat. He won't keep it around otherwise because he won't risk food spoiling.

He said several times that he feels better off than most. When the clementine oranges are in season he buys a case with his benefit card and puts them in his pockets to share.

Despite his problems he is organized and neat and capable of budgeting his benefits as long as he stays on his medication. We chatted for a little while but then he started to get tired and to repeat himself. It was time for a nap.

I didn't ask his age and it was hard to tell by looking. His hard live was etched on his face.

Having a kitchen makes a difference. No matter how organized and efficient one is the ability to heat food (for anyone who is not a raw vegan)is a big plus.

I felt very grateful to come home to my kitchen and heat some soup. I had new appreciation for my cup of potato leek with cabbage.
1 cup .48

And on with my day I went. I went to the gym appreciating that I could and then met my dear Arthur who was taking me out for pizza. My friends in San Francisco make a birthday a month long celebration and who am I to say no to pizza.

After a gorgeous glass of wine and several slices of Delfina's incredible pizza I was sated, the remainder was packed into a to go box.

Not content to merely have me full he wanted to stop for pie. Offer me a cupcake and even on this budget I will turn my back, but a piece of pie from Chile Pie and I get very happy. I managed to eat half of my slice of strawberry rhubarb. The filling was tart and fruity and the crusty totally melt in your mouth.

If we are going to allow food benefit cards to be used for food why is the program restricted to fast food chains. Why not open it up so Max can get his Chinese or even a piece of pie for his birthday?

At 2,227 I had no calorie deficit today. It lagged in the nutrition department but I got my B6 and B12 in spades.

Day total (thanks to dinner out) 2.59 giving me .90 to carry into the morrow.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 26

2011-07-26T23:16:00.001-04:00

Remember that Turkey I started a while back? I said I could get 16 meals out of it at 1.00 a portion.

Last night I pulled a carton of it out of the freezer. To freeze cooked turkey it is best to cover it with broth and put a layer of fat on the top. This creates a seal and eliminates freezer burn.

I begin my day with 3.64.

I had my breakfast early.
Cherries (free)
Coffee .25
Turkey Sandwich 1.04

I had baked a loaf of European style black bread which brings my bread cost down to .02 a slice. It is much better than the commercial Rye I began the month with at .10 a slice.

None of you should be intimidated by bread. You don't need a bread machine. If you have flour, water and yeast there is nothing to prevent it from becoming bread. Inexperienced bakers can look for the no knead recipes that are really easy and tasty.

For lunch I had the remainder of the tomato cheese bread thing I made yesterday. With an iced tea.
.47

I got a great deal on some cheddar and had half a grilled cheese sandwich as a pre-gym snack, I got to the gym late, too early for dinner but too hungry not to have something.
1 oz cheese .24
1 slice bread .02

Dinner was opulent. I knew that I needed vegetables but at the same time I was seriously hungry. On went the water for pasta as I ran to the garden.

I used half the remaining cabbage sauteed with a bit of garlic. 1 slice of bacon, several anchovies, capers, and two egg yolks. A carbonara on steroids or sodium as was the the real case. AWESOME.
Pasta .19
Garden veg .10
Capers .20
Eggs .40
Anchovies .46
Cabbage .25
1 slice bacon .19
Total 1.60
Day Total 3.81

I now have a deficit of .17 to make up.

With only 1,427 calories to show for it.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 25

2011-07-25T23:55:00.001-04:00

I begin the day with a negative .26 taking my 3.66 to 3.40.

For breakfast I had my coffee, free cherries, and the last of the Mac and Cheese frozen entree along with 3 slices of bacon.

Coffee. 25
Mac and Cheese .50
Bacon .57
Total 1.32

No savings here.

I did lunch on the cheap. I am baking bread today so I pulled some of the dough and made a flat bread. I rubbed it with garlic and tomato and put a little cheese on it along with an envelope of 'Mock Duck' a free sample from a Chinese Grocer. This mushroom based concoction tasted nothing like duck at all, however it did taste like mushrooms so it worked.

Bread base .06
Tomato .20
2 oz cheese .62
Fake meat .00

Total for dish .88

I only ate half with an iced tea so lunch total
.47

For dinner I had the second portion of the brilliant curry with rice and I added some sugar snaps from the garden to the dish. With rice and snap peas 1.63.

My day total 3.42 leaving me with only a .02 deficit and unlike all the President's horses and all the President's men I can make up my deficit.

1,902 calories but I am grateful to my multi vitamin. I almost never get enough C or E.

Thanksgiving in August...Why I am doing it.

2011-07-25T14:43:00.000-04:00

To Donate to Thanksgiving in August follow the link to St. Luke's

I have had more readers and more e mail since I have begun this food stamp budget pledge than in all my years of having a web site.

I apologize that so many of your e mail have not been answered but I will use this forum to answer the most common question...why?

When I was a young teen my mother finally divorced her husband. He was an incredibly abusive man. She was left with 5 kids and a mountain of debt.

She worked harder than I have ever seen any woman work. She took a second and then a third job and my Lioness of a mother did this to make sure than none of her children ever went to bed hungry.

I got it then, and I get it more now, how much it means to a mother to be able to care for her children.

What about Mothers today? Even two parent families might not be able to work three jobs, or even find one. If they do find one the wages are likely to be too low to pay rent, utilities and keep them going. Some get food assistance from the Snap program and some rely on food banks. Some do a combination of both.

NO parent in our country of abundance should have to see their kids hungry. Nor should any senior or unemployed or disabled person fall through the cracks and not be able to make it.

If we do not care for and love our brothers and sisters on this planet then why are we here?

I have heard opinion after opinion on why the poor need birth control, why they need nutrition education, why they need to plan better and why they need to plant gardens. I say to the people who send me these missives...why don't you give to Planned Parenthood? Why don't you volunteer to teach nutrition? Why don't you organize a class on budgets and planning? Why don't you teach gardening and donate some seeds?

I don't have solutions for all of the problems. I don't have answers for all of the questions.

I do have the ability to raise awareness and bring in some food during a time when donations typically fall way down.

With the help of The Rev Dana Corsello and Bill Rowe at St. Luke's I have the opportunity to plan a day for those of us who have abundance to be thankful and share with our brothers and sisters who have need.

No matter where you are in the world you can help. Donate Now if you have the means. Give something to your local food bank if you can.

I don't believe any of our politicians care about anything other then their own well being.

Remember the story of stone soup; Every villager brought what little he had to the pot until the pot was brimming and everyone was fed. Every little bit helps.

Living on A Food Stamp Budget Day 24

2011-07-24T23:31:00.002-04:00

I begin my day .-12 in the hole, giving me 3.54 to begin my day.

Last night I got a lovely invitation. My friend Katherine was going to be driving down from Sacramento and hosting a breakfast at her Father's house. I was only too happy to accept the invitation.

I made a loaf of European Style black bread to take at a cost of
.60

The brunch was not until 9:30 so when I woke up I had coffee with some crackers and peanut butter.

Coffee .25
Peanut butter and crackers .46
Morning Total 1.31

She made an awesome brunch with bacon, ham, fruit salad, Egg omelet with cheese and sausage and doughnuts which I skipped because of the sugar.

I needed little lunch and got by with two cups of the potato/leek/cabbage soup.
.96

I finally made an amazing curry. All it takes is no recipe.

I spend time in India trying to learn the cuisine as I traveled. I collected recipes and wrote down methods. I was always astonished at how quickly some of the women would take spices, mash them into oil, add vegetables and meat and make an awesome dish.

I finally got it right. I grabbed every seasoning I own that is used in Indian cuisine. I crushed everything from cardamom to mustard seed in the oil, I added the meat, and masses of turmeric and hot peppers and somehow made the best curry of my life.

The vegetables I used were what was on sale cheap. With one pound of lamb(4.50) and sale vegetables The dish came to 1.43 per serving with rice
1.53

While it is over the individual meal budget it can work and I will make it work. I put two servings in the freezer and have another on for tomorrow night.

It is without question the best meal I have made since this project began. While I could still use a little more Vitamin E, the day came in decently, the increased fruit and veg account for that.

I am now .26 in the hole. While it does not sound like a lot it means something will have to be given up.

My calories today were 1,976.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 23

2011-07-23T23:24:00.000-04:00

On the Huffington Post website I was asked where I could possibly get yogurt that only cost .20.

Just to clear that up I am not eating a whole container of yogurt each time I mention it. I bought a large container of full fat, plain Greek style yogurt on sale for 1.99. 1/10th of that container is assigned a value of .20;While it is not a lot of yogurt and not a 'serving' the little bit tastes great on fruit.

...and I had more this morning. I begin my day with 4.25.

Coffee .25
Nectarine .50
Yogurt .20
Breakfast Total .95

A reader asked me to try some of the cheap frozen meals because she used them and they 'filled her kids up'. I can't review them all but there is a site that does Michelina's and Banquet are among those reviewed and commonly available for 1.00.

I did purchase a couple and they sat in my full freezer for a couple of weeks while I got up the courage to try one. I don't have a microwave so the Banquet Mac and Cheese took a long time to cook in the oven, but eventually it thawed and was done.

I ate half of it. I didn't feel so much full as bloated. The ingredient list reads like a science experiment and it has a lot of ingredients my body is not used to. It was salty and cheesy and did not have an unpleasant taste. My advice would be to make your own and freeze it in blocks. If you make 6 servings or more at once you can beat their price and you need not include a science experiment in the dish.
Cost .50

Last night I made a Farm Market Potato Leek Cabbage soup. Leeks, 2.00, 1 large potato .38, 1/2 of a small cabbage .50, Turkey stock 1.00. I got 8 large cups out of this making it cost .48 a cup.

Though not hungry I began a lamb curry for either tonight or tomorrow and had an asthma attack so hot soup was in order. 2 cups
.96

I had a reader who asked me to use more cabbage and share how. Cabbage is cheap and very nutritious and one of my favorite vegetables. Get away from the idea it can only be boiled and served with corned beef and treat it like any other vegetable.

I came home to more soup. Salt water really, bouillon cubes and a few noodles. It reminded me of Campbell's but the price was right.
.24

For dinner I tried another one of those frozen meals a reader requested I try. This one was a Celeste Pepperoni Pizza for one. It did have a list of chemical ingredients, but with a lot of hot red pepper was tasty and did not leave me bloated.
1.25
3 glasses of iced tea .09

...and two hours later I was hungry so popcorn with butter was in order.
.38

Considering that I had two frozen items the nutrition was not bad. C and E were low but nutrition powerhouses like cabbage kicked it all up a notch.

I end my day with -.12
12 cents in the hole, and not a lot of food. I think that frozen foods while cheap are not a good value either calorie or nutrition wise. They can make you full(or bloated) but the lesson is clear that planning ahead is really the only way to work this out. I have two more frozen meals to try and we will see how those days go.
Total Calories 1,662

Living on a Food Stamp budget Day 22

2011-07-22T23:24:00.000-04:00

I keep being asked why? Why do this? Why be so strict? Why not have some wine and not take it out of my budget. I appreciate all the e mail and I will devote some space over the weekend to the why?

I begin my day with 4.14

For the moment we are back coping with day 22.

ODD morning. I had a meeting at St. Lukes' to discuss plans for the 27th today and was surprised by a delicious lunch.

Before I left the house I had my coffee and some cherries from a neighbor (next door apples are ripening on the trees and I can't wait)

Coffee .25
Cherries free.

I followed this with the rest of the lasagna like thing from the other day.
.81

I was surprised with lunch at the meeting. Bill had made a wonderful Arugula salad with a lemon dressing and sliced strawberries. This along with bread and goat cheese. Though I had just eaten I had some anyway. On this program I never say no to free food, especially when it is delicious.

I had a little running around to do and folks to see and got to the gym late. My workout took the last of my blood sugar and I crashed.

I got a quessadilla from a taco Truck, loaded with hot salsa.
1.00

For dinner I took the time to go to the garden and cut down a bunch of chard which I sauteed in oil and garlic. It was a LOT of chard, but when cooked a small starter, but very delicious.

Then once again pasta with keilbasa.
Pasta combo 1.39
Chard .10

While my eating was random in a sense I did okay in the vitamin department. At 2,105 calories I am not wasting away any time soon.

I am left with .59 to carry over into the morrow if I can manage NOT to run out and buy chocolate.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 21

2011-07-21T23:51:00.000-04:00

I begin my day with 4.39

I have been getting some e-mail accusing me of starving myself. There are readers who think I am getting far too few calories. My daily average since I began is 1,814 per day. While I have lost a bit of weight I am not at an unhealthy weight and after yesterday's pizza binge feel as if I could take on the world.

I began my day with coffee, nectarine and a little yogurt.
Coffee .25
Yogurt .20
1/2 Nectarine .25
Total .70

For lunch I had the rest of the meat/rice mix with some chard and snowpeas from the garden stirred in along with two poached eggs.
.82

One of my neighbors saw me when I went out and rushed over to bring me some rice Idli batter she had made. She knew I had gotten a shot in my knee because of some pretty serious joint pain and she made some Idli with hot chilis, turmeric, and garlic to help heal me.

I know that Idli is typically steamed but I don't have a steamer for it. I have had the leftover fried so I prepared it like a pancake. Wow was it good. I made two cakes and had them with a couple of pats of butter, so now feel stuffed.

Idli is essentially a batter made from ground lentil, rice and baking soda. Water and seasonings are added and the resulting 'bread' is delicious. I feel like I need a nap.
Butter .15
Second Coffee .25
ldli

The above is a link to a recipe for those of you who want to make it. It is a very inexpensive dish made in the south of India. I remember feasting on them when I was at an Indian wedding.

One thing I have noticed in eating less is that when I get hungry, it is real hunger, not appetite.

When hungry I tend to make poorer food choices. I have lettuce in the garden that I can go out, harvest, wash, dry and dress and I could begin my meal with a nice salad. Since I did not plan ahead to prepare my ravenous appetite has me making a pasta and skipping the salad entirely.

People often ask why those on food assistance don't eat more fruits and vegetables. Cost is one factor, but the need for quick gratification might be another. When HUNGRY it is difficult to take the time to prepare what might be a more healthful meal.

That smoked Kielbasa I bought at the beginning of the month for the split pea soup made it's return as I used a serrated knife to slice through a link. I ground two tomatoes in the food processor, sauteed the sausage threw in the tomato and some seasoning and in 20 minutes I was eating spaghetti with sausage. While the chef in me knows this is not a traditional Italian sauce, the eater in me knows how good it is.
Sausage .99
Pasta .19
Tomatoes .40

I must admit that some of my eating is surprising to me. I am craving meat like never before. Prior to this I ate many more fruits and vegetables and often went without meat for some pretty long periods of time. Now I crave it like never before. Eating less has turned on something primal in me.

...And the eating continued as I had a big bowl of popcorn with salt and butter. I got the organic popcorn and it is more expensive per serving.

Popcorn .11
Butter .30

Calories 1,638
Cost 3.91

I did great with B12 but everything else from A to Calcium was lacking.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 20

2011-07-20T23:51:00.001-04:00

I begin my day with 7.31.

On this budget I feel as if I have a fortune. I don't know if I am adapting to less food or fighting something off. Today is the second day I've had no appetite.

I began with 1/2 a nectarine and coffee.
.50

Then I had half of the meat and rice mixture from last night (yes half of half) with a poached egg.
.52

I knew I'd not had enough to eat to effectively work out so I got creative with the leftover meat sauce. I made a crepe/lasagna noodle thing and rolled it with cheese and the leftover sauce.
Total cost 1.61, I ate half
.81

On the way home from the gym I stopped and bought half and half. I normally get raw cream, I prefer dairy to be unpasteurized, however for cost reasons I settled on no BST hormones non organic.
.99

I am taking the entire cost of the container out of today's budget because I want to add it to my coffee with impunity and without measuring.

Then I crashed. That total low blood sugar thing that made me feel as if I would pass out. M&M's came to my rescue (with peanuts)
1.00

Suddenly today had become expensive. I rode home on my sugar high and quickly re-heated some of the split pea from the beginning of the month that had been frozen.
I had one cup.
.23

And quickly my appetite returned, not in that 'I could eat' way but in that ravenous 'me need food' way.

I got out the yeast, sugar, vinegar, flour and proceeded to make a batch of quick pizza dough. I ran out for a small pepperoni, came back grated cheese made sauce from two tomatoes, pre-baked the crust slightly dressed the pizza, got it in the hottest oven possible and topped it with garden basil. I intended to eat half, it was not small.

I ate the entire pie. I loved the book French Women don't get fat. One of the things she says is that you rarely enjoy more than 3 bites of any food. The first one is the taste, the second one satisfies, the third one is the last and the last is always the best. She is right about this when it comes to many food, but dead wrong when it comes to pizza. Every single bite is the absolute best and the last one is just sad. I could have easily eaten a second one. It satisfied something very primal in me. Total cost. 2.75

It was a lot of my budget and I feel so much better for having done it.
Day total 6.80
Calories 2,409
I carry over .73

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 19

2011-07-19T23:04:00.000-04:00

My energy is down today. I feel like one of the walking dead. Still I begin the day with 6.92.

Nonetheless I rouse myself and make a pot of coffee.
.25
A nectarine
.50

I do phone work and some editing and can barely rouse myself. I consider a second pot of coffee but decide lunch is in order.
More pasta and sauce.
Pasta .19
Sauce .77

And the gym. Despite my low energy I put myself through a full workout with somewhat lighter weights than usual and drop by a friend's place on the way home.

He had some fully loaded Chili Cheese Ruffles potato chips. I ate some. They tasted neither of Chili nor cheese, but they were leaden with salt and I love salt.

At home I had a proper snack of more of the turkey broth with the rice and chickpea etc.
.46

It is now time for dinner and I am hungry and unmotivated to do much about it. But into the kitchen I will go nonetheless.

I had purchased some ground beef and it was in the freezer. The great thing about knowing a butcher is that you can buy small quantities. I like grass fed/finished beef and the Marin County grass fed ground meat is 5.99 a pound; However two ounces is .74. When you use beef that has almost no fat two ounces is the same as 4 of fatty waterlogged meat.

I browned the frozen meat and broke it apart and made a basil beef.

Beef .74
Basil .10
Chard .10
Sugar Snaps .10
Broccoli .25
Onion .10
Rice .10
The basil came from pinching a plant back and I count it as a seasoning and it is included in the .33 a day for seasoning and oil. All of the veg I have assigned a value of .10 to came from the garden. I am grateful for that garden.

I ate all the vegetables and half of the beef and rice, plus an iced tea .03 so dinner;
1.10

1,721 calories
And I carry over 3.65, almost a day's worth of food. I find myself plotting how to spend my largess; cream for coffee?

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 18

2011-07-18T23:31:00.000-04:00

Both via e mail and in the comments section I have been challenged to continue this pledge until the 27th of August when I do the Cookathon for the San Francisco Food Bank.

I have decided to do so. Since I have begun this project my website has record readership so I am clearly hitting a note with people.

There is one person I need hear no more about however. I have been getting e mail from all over the US about one individual. According to my e mail she wears a fur coat and drives either a Mercedes or a BMW. She has 5 to 7 kids and when using her food assistance buys crab legs, lobster and steak. Food far beyond the means of those who witness her. She clearly travels very quickly as she seems to manage to go from city to city on a daily basis. Possibly Santa lends her his sleigh on his 364 days off.

Of course she does not exist but people write of this fictional character as if she were real and either they or a friend SAW her.

Here is the reality.

Most people on food assistance work at low paid jobs. The 'entitlements' are really an employer supplement which allows the rich to pay ever lower wages. They live on the edge and are well meaning honest people who need a hand. Others are seniors whose SS payments can't cover all the expenses of living. They are frugal and careful.

Rant over.

Today I begin with 5.53.

Coffee .25
Nectarine .50

And then I went for the pasta. I've an event in Oakland to drive to today so I wanted a full breakfast.
Pasta .19
Sauce .77

I am a big fan of pasta in the morning. Pizza as well if the truth be told.

Baking bread is cheap. I am not suggesting that every mother on food assistance has the time or energy to do it, however for the ones who do it costs much less to make bread at home.

In San Francisco a good loaf of Rye costs over 5.00. I got a cheaper one but it was not great.

Today I baked a loaf of Rye. Cost .56 cents in ingredients.

So I drive to Oakland to the home of my friend Iris. What a spread she made.

We began with the Rye Bread, Parmesan crackers, blueberry crusted goat cheese and vegetarian chopped liver. The veg chopped liver was amazingly delicious, it tasted nothing like liver to me, but it was a dish I would make in a heartbeat. Wonderful, and healthy.

Then we grilled asparagus and onions along with a major piece of salmon. This was served with both a carrot salad and a wild rice salad.

Dessert was blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and watermelon yogurt along with a few chocolate.

This was a feast with so many foods I love. Healthy and delicious.

When I accept social invitations it takes me off the budget (when food is provided) but if you were on food stamps and eating limited food would you not accept every invite that came along?

I would, therefore I do.

My nutrition needs were covered. That vitamin A I was lacking is being more than made up.

Thus I carry over 3.26; If I keep going this way I may be able to afford cream for my coffee. I am tired of drinking it black.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 17

2011-07-17T23:33:00.001-04:00

I begin my day with 6.31.

I ate so much yesterday that this morning I had only coffee.
.25 and the rest of the fruit salad.
.47

I made 8 quesadillas from leftover turkey (much of which I froze)
8 tortillas .80
4 ounces of cheese 1.24
Two servings of turkey 2.00
Small zucchini grated .34
1 tomato chopped .20
1 can chickpeas .57
.65 each

I put several in the freezer to join most of the leftover turkey and happily consumed two of them. They were absolutely delicious.

Lunch 1.30

Before hitting the gym I dropped by the Famer's Market at the Marina. They often having end of day sales. I picked up some nectarines and apricots and some incredible picholine olives. They are delicious. The container was 3.00 and I downed 1/3 of them already. I love olives.
Snack
1.00

Post gym snack two more cups of soup.
.46

I put some of this soup in the freezer so that on the day I wish I had more...I will.

I made a sauce. Last night I saw a Wild Boar Ragu on the menu at Delfina and it got me thinking. Today I made a sauce that was somewhere between a Ragu and a Bolognese and pure unctious deliciousness.

5 Ounces of that Halal beef I stuck in the freezer. (hand minced, the food processor died on me)
1.24
5 ounces of house cured pancetta (the 2.49 lb. pork belly)
.78
15 carrots
1.50
1 onion
.10
1 Head of garlic (yea a whole head)
.25

.77 cents a serving (I am assuming 5 but might get 6 out of the pot.)
It cooked for about 3 hours and blew me away, it was so good.

Pasta .19

Followed by the rest of last night's chocolate cake.

1, 255 calories. I don't feel hungry but that is not a lot of food. I got decent nutrition with plenty of Vitamin A today.

I carry over 1.87 to tomorrow.

Living on a Food Stamp budget Day 16

2011-07-16T23:32:00.001-04:00

I made a fruit salad. I have 5.50 to play with and that is a lot of food.

I used half of yesterday's banana .10
An apricot .34
A huge Nectarine .50
With coffee I ate half of it.
Coffee .25
Fruit .47
Breakfast total .73

And like a log I sat. I finally realized I needed to eat more and get some salt. Two cups of yesterday's soup followed. .46

And for lunch a turkey sandwich.
Turkey 1.00
Half tomato .10
Pita bread .10

Lunch total 1.20

My energy is not great today but I got a workout in. After the gym I had a snack of peanut butter and crackers. .46

I am being taken out to dinner for my birthday which was now a week ago. I don't celebrate birthdays but it is hard to keep others from marking it.

I had too much to eat for this second celebration. The bread was my downfall. Delfina serves this most wonderful country loaf and I had 6 slices, some with butter and some with my fresh, marinated anchovies, served with a few greens and a radish.

This was followed by an onglet, my favorite cut of beef, wonderfully red in the center with a demi glace' and yes fries.

And wine, did I mention I had a glass of wine?

While I really need to permanently end my relationship to sugar I also had a small scoop of sour cherry ice cream and half of a small flourless chocolate cake.

For anyone who thinks I have had too few calories I had 2,874 today. Even though we ate early there is no way I will have a snack tonight. I had enough protein and Iron for 3 days today.

I carry over 2.65

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 15

2011-07-15T23:25:00.001-04:00

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In my case it seems to often be the most expensive. I begin the day with 5.02 but may use it all.

Most days I wake up HUNGRY and start with fruit right away that requires no prep and move onto something more serious. Today I made quesadillas with leftover veg from last night, cheese, and turkey. Delicious.

Coffee .25
1/2 banana .09
3 tortillas .30
Turkey 1.00
Cheese .31
Leftover veg .00

Total 1.95

I skipped lunch. I wasn't really hungry when it came time to leave the house. My scooter was being repaired and I had to pick it up, rather than drive into town and back out to the Sunset I decided to go directly to the gym. I carried a few of the Tortilla chips .15 along with some extra salt and had that as a quick snack.

My workout was subpar. I noticed that I was taking long rests between sets. I didn't feel hungry specifically but just low energy.

Dinner was EARLY. I made a soup with some of the turkey stock, broccoli, chickpeas and the last of the leftover rice.

Turkey stock 1.00
Broccoli .99
Chickpeas (the remainder of the can) .28
Total for the pot 2.27. The pot has a good 10 to 12 cups. I had two cups.

.46

Then I took the rest of last night's pork chop, half a tomato, a tortilla and some cheese and made a quesadilla.

Tomato 1/2 .10
Cheese .31
Pork (leftover)
Tortilla .10
Iced tea .03

Dinner total 1.00

It is not even 8:00 as I write the above so let's see if my eating is finished for the night or if snacking rears it's ugly head.

And rear it's head it did. I try not to eat late because it always leads to snacking. I quelled my appetite with popcorn and salt.
.08

1,526 calories
Day total 3.18

I carry over 1.84

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 14

2011-07-14T23:04:00.000-04:00

I begin the day with 5.43 and the day is Bastille Day.

When it comes to food I have always gone to the French classics and today I always make a special dish.

I had decided that the most economical would be to make a Provencal tart with olives, onions and anchovies. But I had no anchovies so I did without. Last night while I had the turkey bones simmering I made a pastry crust.

I made more crust than I needed so this morning I pinched off a bit, rolled it out and stuffed it with cheese calzone style. It truly tasted like and resembled an empanada when baked. That and the last quarter of a pomegranate comprised my breakfast.

Coffee .25
Last 1/4 of the pomegranate .50
Cheese empanada .40

Total 1.15

At lunch I had the last of the too expensive but very delicious baguettes with Turkey.

Baguette .60
Turkey 1.00
Iced Tea .03
Total 1.63

For dinner I contributed the olive and onion tart, big green salad from the garden and snow peas from the garden.
Tart 1.19
Salad and peas .10
Total 1.29

Now my friend also had pork, corn,(organic, I won't eat GMO corn) Brussels sprouts, and some wine so we feasted. He then drug out chocolate ice cream with sauce. This is the second time this month I have had ice cream and it had been YEARS prior to this.

Calories 1,832 and a reasonably nutritious day. I have had several e mails of concern telling me that my carb and protein balance is way off. I just did a two week summary and I am getting more than enough protein and only 38% of my calories have come from carbohydrate sources.

Carry over 1.36

Living on a Food Stamp budget Day 13

2011-07-14T00:41:00.000-04:00

6.39 to begin the day.

I made a favorite breakfast. Rice and peas with bacon, egg and mushrooms. I also had coffee and 1/2 a pomegranate.

Coffee .25
Pomegranate .99
Rice (still more leftovers from Friday)
Chickpeas .28 (half a can from Costco)
1 egg .20
2 Slices Bacon .32
Mushrooms .25

Total 2.29

This VERY filling breakfast gave me over 700 calories and a nice nutrition base to begin the day.

I had a lot going on today and had a late lunch. 6 of those wonderful pork dumplings and some chard from the garden.

Dumplings .90
Chard .10

Total 1.00

I roasted the turkey for tonight. I paid 16.00 so will give it a value of 1.00 per serving until it is either gone or I am eating soup.

While waiting for the rice to cook (yes more rice)I had a couple of carrots from the Farmer's Market. It was a real job today to discover what organic goodies I could afford and what needed to be left behind. I actually counted the carrots in my 2.00 bunch and when I realized it was 20 (small)I grabbed it. .10 a carrot, happy days.

Dinner.

Turkey 1.00
Rice .10
Carrots .20
Iced tea .03
Total 1.33

Vegetarians and Vegans do not read this.

My calorie count may be off today because I spatchcocked the turkey so that it would lay flat and did a different roast. I found a method where you leave it in a 500 degree oven for one hour, turn the oven off and do not open the door for two hours. They claimed it would be perfect. The skin was perfect, the meat a touch dry.

The reason the calories might be wrong is that the skin was so crisp and wonderful I ate the skin of the entire bird with maybe an ounce of meat. I wrapped rice in patches of crisp skin and had a feast. I suspect that I had close to 3,000 calories based on skin consumption but fitday does not have a Turkey, skin only option.

My fitday calories are 1,600. Looking at my nutrition totals I should have had more veg and less skin today.

Day Total 4.62

Carry over 1.77.

Living on a Food Stamp budget Day 12

2011-07-12T23:40:00.000-04:00

7.24 to begin

I think I am getting too used to being stingy with myself.

My energy is pretty stable and I have no problems with it flagging at the gym, though I do suspect a little weight loss. Nothing feels tight.

I began my day with coffee .25
Baguette .60
Peanut butter and fig jam .33

Total 1.18

At lunch I dove right into the pasta with the sausage sauce and added black olives.
Sauce .66
Pasta .16
Olives .59
Iced Tea .03
Total 1.44

I've been dropping by to talk to restaurants about chef participation for the event on August 27th and today had a small plate of calamari ceviche shoved in my face with a command 'taste this'. It was really good, and free.

After the gym I did a tiny shopping and bought corn chips. What can I say I had a coupon. I tend to avoid any and all products that contain corn because most corn is genetically modified and in my humble opinion dangerous to eat. However these chips are the Non GMO organic white corn and it was 1.00 off and due to expire on the 15th. Not only that but the normal price is 2.49 for one pound so that with the coupon they become .15 a serving. I don't eat many at once. With corn chips, toilet paper and tortillas I drove home.

Once corn chips are in the house they demand to be opened and eaten. So I had a snack.
Corn Chips .15
1 oz cheese .39
The rest of yesterday's tomato and feta .35
Iced Tea .03
Total .92

For dinner I had the rest of the pork belly. This time I cooked it in garlic and salt with enough water to braise and then crisped it. Along with this I had some broccoli. I had made rice and peas, which is a favorite of mine but did not eat it. Pork and veg were enough.
Pork Belly .63
Broccoli .33 (1/3 of a large head)
Iced tea .03
Total .97

Total 4.51

Carry over 2.73
1,800 calories and my E and C are up there from food sources.

Day 11 Living on a Food Stamp Budget

2011-07-12T00:37:00.000-04:00

I begin my day with 7.07.

Not that long ago I probably spent close to 10.00 a day on food without much thought. The idea of 7.07 is very exciting to me. I could have a second coffee, a pomegranate, even some nice cheese. Or I can continue to eat modestly knowing that this small amount will diminish over time with tiny extras like popcorn with butter.

I had the strangest mini breakfast. I woke up hungry and while the coffee brewed I sauteed mushrooms .50 worth and boiled some noodles. I salted the noodles and had them with the mushrooms and coffee .25. It was a very odd thing to eat but I craved it. I find that a lot, I now have cravings.

I believe that cravings often have a link to poor nutrition. When eating well and across the spectrum I have things I prefer but no cravings.

And the strange eating continued. I steamed 8 pork dumplings (40 for 3.99) so .80.

And then in my grazing patter I had 1/4 of a pomegranate and some yogurt .70 for both.

I have eaten more meat than is typical for me. I became hyper aware of protein when I was told that it is the one thing people relying on food banks get little of.

The strange eating continued as I polished off the final 3 black bean taquitos from my coupon day. Cost 0.00.

I saw my upstairs neighbor Sylvia and she pushed some leftover baguette on me. I chopped a tomato and added 1 oz. of feta and had half of the tomato/feta on the toasted baguette. Total .20 for tomato and .31 for cheese but since only half was consumed.

Snack .35

My turkey is still part frozen so I picked up some more pork belly on sale today. The fatty goodness is braising now and the smell permeating the house.

And I dined. I really ate a nice meal.
Pork Belly .63
Ginger .10
Wonderful snow peas from the garden .10
Leftover rice .00
2 iced tea .06

This is the most satisfying economical meal I have come up with.

My day total was 3.49 and I felt like I really ate well if oddly.

1,864 calories.

Thank you for the e mails of concern but I am taking a multi vitamin and extra C in liquid form. My vitamin E is not being met on a regular basis by my diet but otherwise I do okay with my averages over a couple of days.

I carry forward 3.58.

Living on a food stamp budget day 10

2011-07-10T23:40:00.001-04:00

Thanks to leftovers and a birthday dinner I begin my day with 7.17.

This seems to me to be a wealth of riches. I've no doubt it will disappear quickly.

Coffee began my day. I had it while I made a

I had two servings of cabbage soup
.48 and a small coffee at breakfast, .25.

I found extremely ripe figs on sale and made a fresh jam with them along with a little sliced ginger for punch and some lemon. It comes to .12 a two tablespoon serving. It is a little strange to track the cost of ingredients and measure the finished product to determine final price, but I am getting used to it.

I had a mini baquette .60 with jam .12 and two ounces of feta cheese crumbled on it .62. An expensive snack but a seriously delicious one.

This was followed by a big salad.

I splurged making a warm bacon dressing with two slices of bacon and topping it with a poached egg which I broke and tossed into the dressing.

Greens .10
Egg.20
Bacon .38

At the end of the day at the Farmers market I got tomatoes 5 for a dollar (some of the farmers sell dollar bags) and a very small but organic turkey for 15.00. Thanks to the fact that the rancher had run out of ice and was not driving back til morning. If you are on a budget it is a good idea to hit some farm markets at the end of the day. Bargains can often be had and in S.F. some of the markets do the dollar bags and you get amazing quality for very few $$.

I've already had dinner, and early which puts me at a risk for snacking but I had a second serving of the pasta with a sausage and tomato sauce. This time I garnished with chopped fresh tomato and mushrooms from my dollar bags.

Sauce .66
Pasta .19
Tomato .20
Mushrooms .20

Total 1.35

...and snack I did. I know better than to have dinner at 6:00 but around 9 I made popcorn. The cost of home popped corn is small but I used butter.

Popcorn .08
Butter .30

How many of you use butter be it on toast, or popcorn without considering the cost? For a person on food stamps even butter has a real cost and nothing can be eaten casually.

Day total 3.76 carry over 3.41.

1,579 calories and a pretty nutritious day.

Living on a Food Stamp budget Day 9

2011-07-09T23:40:00.002-04:00

After my gorge last night first thing this morning I only wanted coffee. .25

I took the time to look at the nutrition averages. Except for C we don't need a full allotment of every vitamin every day as it can average out.

My A, and E are too low and not averaging out. My calcium is also low, but on any diet I don't eat much calcium. I have great bone density so I don't worry about it. The idea of drinking milk makes me gag.

Eventually I got around to eating party leftovers with a glass of iced tea. .03

The pork and rice were very nice re-heated. I then took my self a nap and when I awoke I had a second spot of coffee .25 and the remainder of the banana cream pie.

Finally I roused myself for a little weightlifting at the gym, ending my workout with a nice bloody nose that came out of nowhere. With a nose stuffed with tissue I motored home and had a taste of a chicken soup recipe sent to me by a reader. It was essentially doctored up bouillon. To me it tasted like salty garlic water with some noodles but the cost .15 was more than right. It did satisfy my salt craving and the massive amounts of sodium I have to consume can only be helped by bouillon.

For dinner I made a sauce. I have learned that 3.99 a pound is pretty much the max I can pay for any meat so I bought a link of hot sausage at Whole Paycheck on Haight Street. I came home and made a great pasta sauce. 4 very abundant servings.

1 sausage 1.48
1 can tomatoes .97
Head of garlic .20

Total 2.65, since garlic was my primary seasoning I used a whole head of it. I love garlic and it was great.

Simple sauce. Brown the sausage with the chopped garlic, add the tomatoes and some water. Season with salt and pepper, simmer and as it reduces use a potato masher to break up tomato chunks and sausage. Toss with pasta. Great, simple, cheap.

Per Serving .66
Pasta .16

1.714 calories.
Nutrition excellent except A and E again.

Living on a food stamp budget day 8

2011-07-08T23:23:00.000-04:00

I must confess it is my birthday. I tend to eschew acknowledging them as they might put a clue into my brain to begin to age and I am opposed to that. However too many people in San Francisco know so I can't hide the date.

The lovely part is having dinner cooked for me. Tonight I will likely have massive calories none of which will come out of my food stamp budget. To those of you who have e-mailed me worrying that I am not getting enough to eat. Worry not. I am not wasting away by any means.

Knowing that I had a noon meeting close to my gym I ate a big breakfast to tide me over until what may be a late lunch/snack.

2 eggs with rice (rice was leftover from the pork belly dinner and previously cooked and accounted for) .40
2 slices of bacon .32
1 small baguette .60
Coffee .25
2 figs .48

Total 2.05

This is a great example of how little it takes to blow a budget. While I can make it up in the budget; it is important to realize that ONE nice breakfast is not a possibility for many living on food stamps.

On CNN today was a list of the world's most expensive cities. They make some real comparisons in prices. As an example they say a loaf of bread 7.61 in Moscow and 6.06 in New York. WHAT bread are they buying?

In New York I can get fresh baked Rye for 2.99, a baguette for 1.29. I sent an e mail to a friend in Moscow who is a big fan of the black bread a sort of a sourdough Rye. When I did the math it turns out he is paying 3.99 for a loaf. CNN WHAT bread did you buy?

Bread rant over. After a meeting with St. Luke's Church and the San Francisco Food Bank I took a quick run home and had some of the beef stew from earlier in the week. 1.08

I went back to St. Luke's for another short meeting and then a big workout at the gym and onto a birthday dinner.

Turning older has no appeal but a meal like this, amazing.

There were healthy appetizers and I had a few of them, but it was the pretzels and blue cheese dip that captured me.

This was followed by an Asian chicken salad with a sesame dressing.

And then...the star of the evening. There is a Szechaun pork dish with green onions that blows me away and that was served with broccoli and white rice.

I feasted. I was blown away at how good it was. This along with 2 1/2 glasses of wine more than took care of my calories for the day.

And then dessert. A brilliant banana cream pie, not overly sweet and seriously delicious. If you are in San Francisco check out ChilePies

I consumed 2,523 calories with okay nutrition and more than twice the protein I need.

I spent (due to the birthday)3.13.

I will do the math for the past two days later to see where I am.

Living on a Food Stamp Budget Day 7

2011-07-07T23:13:00.000-04:00

Today is a strange day.

I had an early meeting so I quickly had some coffee and peanut butter crackers.

Coffee .25
Peanut butter and crackers .46

Total .71

When I got home around 11 a.m. I was HUNGRY. Yesterday was National Fried Chicken day (Who knew?)I picked up 6 chicken wings which came to almost a pound, and cut them into sections saving the wing tips for the soup pot. I heavily seasoned and fried the meaty parts for a total of 1.27.

I predict a heavy snack in my future, and I totally need some more vegetables.

I seem to be at the store daily as I am paranoid about buying too much ahead. Today I made a run for some soap to wash dishes and the sample...Macaroni and Cheese and not the nasty stuff from a box but the good frozen stuff baked, not microwaved. I tried both varieties the 'regular' and the Fontina. I said I could not decide which I liked better and took two more samples. It was a good snack.

I came home and went for the last of the chicken soup .75.

I did a hard and heavy workout and came home with a real appetite. I took last night's pork skin and put it in a hot skillet until it puffed. Pork rinds. A very good snack and 0.00 as the cost was accounted for in yesterdays pork purchase.

I then had a small baguette .60
and two ounces of cheese at .78

It is astonishing to me how quickly this all adds up. I am not eating record amounts of food.

So we had a salad from the garden .10.

Day total 4.21

With my carryover from yesterday I am not over budget. I have .14 cents to carry into today.

1,606 calories and it is a very good thing I am taking a multivitamin because today I did a lousy job getting it all covered.

Living on a Food Stamp budget day 6

2011-07-06T23:33:00.001-04:00

Eating on a food stamp budget is not easy. I began the day with a cup of cabbage soup. It has a lot of vitamin C, some protein and B vitamins. Who says you can't eat soup in the morning? This was followed by peanut butter,crackers and coffee.

Cabbage soup .24
Peanut butter .21
1 oz of whole wheat crackers .25
Coffee .25

Total .95

I made an absolute favorite for lunch. I admit to scaling down the recipe a bit but there was no loss of flavor.

Spaghetti Carbonara.

2 oz pasta .19
1 slice American bacon .16
One egg .20
1 ounce Parmesan cheese .37
Garden vegetables .10

Total 1.02

This is an easy preparation. Mix egg with cheese in bowl and season with black pepper.

Chop vegetables into a colander I used sugar snaps and green onions. Fry the bacon reserving the fat.

If you are worried about scrambled eggs you can put a touch of the pasta water in the egg to temper it. Pour the cooked pasta into the colander over the vegetables warming them. Toss in the bacon fat, turn the heat off of the skillet and gently toss the egg and cheese over the pasta.

It makes a very filling lunch.

After I went to the gym I was hungry but I decided to ignore it and headed out for cat food. At the grocery was one of those food demos and this lady had black bean taquitos. I tasted a small bite and she asked me how I liked it. I told the truth;"It was gummy and gross".

"I know they are awful this way. I was supposed to have an electric skillet but they sent over a microwave and they are really gross in the microwave. Here's a coupon, take some home and fry them and you will see how good they are."

I looked at the coupon before stuffing it into my pocket and it was not the typical cents off. It was one FREE package. No way I am turning down free food.

So I brought them home and fried them in a little oil turning them 'til all sides were crisp and she was right. They were not bad at all. I ate 3 and it was a nice post gym snack.

Taquitos 0.00

I am going to have to start looking at coupons more carefully.

Pork belly is often a good deal. It can be found at Spanish and Asian butchers. I prefer butchers because they cut to order and give you the amount you want. 2.49 a pound. Done.

I made an absolute favorite food last night. Braised pork belly with scallion and rice. Very calorie dense and very filling.

I prepared it with ginger, hot peppers, a little 5 spice and some backyard scallions.

The belly was .62 for 4 ounces
Ginger .22
Hot peppers .12
Rice .10
Iced tea .03

Total 1.09

2,068 calories for the day and fairly nutritious. 3.06 with .60 to carry over to tomorrow. I learned very quickly that it takes little to consume those extra pennies.

I got an e mail asking me what I would be eating if I had not taken this pledge. I would eat a lot more fruit. The fruits I like tend not to be cheap.

Living on a Food Stamp budget Day 5

2011-07-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

I had a rotten night's sleep. Again with the fireworks all night long. I love living by the beach, but it is a natural location for every amateur arsonist to practice exploding things; and they did, all night long.

After a restless night I was up at 6. Yesterday I had made a cabbage soup with a tiny bit of the beef, part of a cabbage and tomatoes. I had two cups of soup at 6:30 in the morning. When I feel cruddy for any reason I want soup.

Then I went back to bed and got a couple of hours of much needed sleep.

When I woke I made coffee and had an apple with peanut butter. Jessica at SF Food bank had told me that adequate protein was often difficult on food stamps so one of my purchases was a jar of natural peanut butter. The apple was free from a neighbor who grows them.

Cabbage Soup .48 (for two cups)
Coffee .25
Peanut butter .21 (for two tablespoons)

Total .94

Due to the apple and cabbage my nutrition is getting better coverage and I am at 510 calories.

And then lunch. I was hungry at lunch time and still had some of the quasi puttanesca sauce that made an appearance on pizza yesterday.

Pasta .16
Sauce .65

Lunch total .81

I did a hard work out but still was not feeling 100%, but I had planned for this and made a pot of chicken soup. Not much to it, chicken bones, water, a few garden vegetables, salt and noodles. The pot cost 3.00.

After my workout I ate half the pot. It was just what I needed. I ate half the pot.

Snack 1.50

...and then dinner. I had leftover beef stew.

One portion 1.08
Egg Noodles .10

Later in the evening a friend of mine whom I met back in Australia called and wanted to come over(he is divorcing and it ain't pretty). I said sure but don't bring booze. I was feeling too out of it imbibe.

Instead he brought soda, sweetened with sugar and not corn syrup so at the moment I am on a sugar a caffeine high. It will quickly fade and I am hoping for a deep restful night's sleep.

Today I went .04 over so there is no more balance to carry into the morrow.

I feel like I had plenty to eat and did way better with my balance of nutrition.1,578 calories which is not making me feel deprived in any way.

The 4th of July on a food stamp budget

2011-07-04T23:49:00.000-04:00

I woke up several times last night and was both hungry and tired when I got up this morning. Firworks were being blasted all around me during the night which led to a very disturbed sleep.

I went right for the toasted cheese.
2 slice rye .20
1 oz. cheddar .39
1 small pot coffee .25
Two figs .48

It takes so little to reach 1.32

And while the coffee helped I see a nap in my future as tonight may be worst than last night with the noise.

Maybe it is because it is the 4th of July but I suddenly had a craving for potato chips. I eat them upon rare occasion with a sandwich; not often because of the calories.

I went trotting down to my local Safeway to see if it was an affordable addition to my diet. Ruffles were on sale 2 bags for 5.00, but the manager said I could get one at 2.50. I looked at the weight 5 ounces. That would be over 7.50 a pound.

I could not justify 7.50 a pound for a few potatoes. Nothing I cane eat right now can come in at 7.50 a pound. Wow those companies must make a fortune.

Tired makes me hungry so I had 1/2 oz of cheddar.

Snack .20

367 calories so far.

I need a nap sooner rather than later.

I woke up hungry. Before hitting the gym (yes even on July 4th) I made a small batch of zucchini tempura .60 and an iced tea .03.

A 63 cent lunch is a good thing,and it satisfied my craving for fried salt.

I got an e mail this afternoon with a LONG conversation from the datalounge about how the members of this site would subsist on 3.66. There were some very good ideas and I was happy to see some of these gentlemen had decided to take the challenge themselves. He did not include a link to my site so this is being spread on it's own. That makes me very happy.

While I am still tired (nothing to do with the diet, and everything to do with the fireworks) I am off to lift some heavy things.

I took a nap. Finally rest, and I woke up hungry. I made a pizza with some of the quasi puttanesca and a little jack cheese.

Pizza 1.25
Iced Tea .03

Later I went to a friend's to see the fireworks from his roof and had a little wine and a few peanuts.

I need to make more of an effort to get some C and E from my foods. I also think that I need some more calories.

1,291 for the day. 3.43 was my money total and since I was starting with 4.16 I can carry over 73 cents.

Living on a Food Stamp budget day 3

2011-07-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

Now that some of the shopping for month long staples and cost per serving has been calculated my task seemed somewhat easier.

Then a lovely change of plans knocked on my door. My upstairs neighbor was going to be out all day and had purchased some shrimp that would spoil if not eaten. So before breakfast 5 ounces of shrimp was gifted to me.

I know that she tends to keep food long after I would throw it out so I quickly rinsed them and smelled and tasted. Not spoiled. They were the very tiny pre-cooked ones but a very large amount. 5 ounces.

Pasta for breakfast became the plan. This is not an unusual menu item for my breakfast. I had planned a version of a Carbonara as my Sunday brunch so instead I grabbed a portion of last night's Puttanesca and warmed it with the shrimp. 2 ounces of pasta and I was set.

2 figs .48
Pasta (2 ounces) .16
5 ounces of shrimp 0.0
Sauce .65
Iced Tea .03

Breakfast total 1.32; Clearly I am taking advantage of yesterday's savings. Even with that I could not do coffee with this breakfast. Tea sufficed yet I missed my coffee.

I have a nice protein bump and a lot of Vitamin D in my system. I feel pretty good and quite full.

I went to the beach, yes it was actually that warm in San Francisco. When I got back I had a late lunch of two cups of split pea soup. .46
One iced tea. .03
And one Fig .24

Total .73

Earlier today I began slow cooking one pound of the beef along with onion, garlic, celery, a few tomatoes from the garden and a bottle of two buck chuck. (It works in a stew.)

I pureed the spent vegetables to thicken the gravy and added swiss chard and arugula also from the garden.

It made 6 generous portions (some of which I will likely freeze for later in the month)

1 serving beef stew 1.08
Rice .10
Fig .24

Total 1.42 an expensive dinner.

My day total 3.47

My calorie total 1,439.00

I got twice the protein I needed and scored fairly well across the chart for my nutrition needs and I feel satisfied. Plus I have .50 to carry into tomorrow.

I am being super cautious about costs right now as I have been warned that the end of the month is the hardest. Since I get bored eating the same thing I plan on freezing some items (like some of tonight's stew) to have at the end of the month.

Living on a Food Stamp budget a different way of shopping

2011-07-02T12:41:00.004-04:00

With little left in the house I did my first shopping with my budget in mind. I ran out before breakfast.

I learned something about bacon, it is not standard. Packages that appear to be the same size vary from 12 to 16 ounces, and that can make a big difference. I bought a pound and counted 16 nice slices in that pound making it affordable.

I refused to compromise on eggs. Because chickens do eat their own waste when they are in crowded conditions I wanted free range, organic from a farm I know gives them space. Fortunately I found them on sale for 2.39 a dozen so I bought two dozen.

Today's breakfast
1/4 pomegranate .50
Small pot of coffee .25
2 eggs .20
1 slice of bacon .19
1 slice dry rye toast .10

Total 1.24

I got an e mail from a reader informing me that food stamps are meant to be a supplement NOT the only source of food.

Agreed; that is what they are meant to be. Unfortunately for many they ARE the only source of food other than the food bank as their income does not allow additional purchases.

And while I have only consumed 420 calories I have had almost half the protein I need for the day and more than half of the B12.

I did a second shopping at Costco and bought much less than I had anticipated. I did not want to blow much of my months budget on large quantities and found myself standing in the aisle calculating amounts/servings/additional ingredients needed and bypassing much of what I had thought I would purchase.

My first find was a big jar of olives at a great price. The second was tea bags that would bring my iced tea cost to .03 for a big glass.

I rejoiced when I found some grass fed Halal stew meat at a great price. The quantity was reasonable and I can easily use it all. I had someone ask me what Halal meant and she seemed offended at the explanation and called me a Muslim lover as she wheeled away.

Yes ma'am I am absolutely a Muslim lover. I've even been known to love a few Christians and Jews.

For lunch I am enjoying a split pea soup that I made using, onion, carrot, half a pound of split peas and water. I finished it with some seasoning and 2 smoked Keilbasa. 8 cups at .23 a serving.

I had two cups of this at lunch along with the other half of the can of tuna without all the extras like bread and tomatoes and it came to .65.

2 cups soup .46
Tuna Salad .65

Lunch total 1.11

Right now I am just over 800 calories and my B6 and B12 are covered as well as my protein.

I spent much of the day planning and shopping and as often happens when I focus too much on food. I lose my appetite. At dinner time I did not want anything I had planned so I ate 1/4 of a fennel bulb.

I suffer from low blood sugar and sodium so skipping meals is not an option so I finally went into the kitchen and make a quick pasta. It had similar flavor to a puttanesca but lacked the capers, to make up for it I doubled up on the garlic.

With one can of tomatoes and a can of anchovies some olives and garlic I made enough sauce for 4 servings bringing the sauce to .65.
Pasta (two ounces) .16
Fennel .25
Iced Tea .03

Total 114.

Day total 3.49 leaving me .40 to carry over into today.

I did not do a great job of covering my vitamins such as C and the day was 1,485 calories, about half what I need.

I am a chef with a nutrition background. Can you just imagine how difficult this is for a busy Mother to deal with?

Living on a Food Stamp budget Day 1

2011-07-02T00:50:00.001-04:00

I began with breakfast.

I admit to eating first and calculating costs after.

1 very small pot of coffee .25
1/2 Pomegranate .99
2 slices rye bread .20
1 oz cheddar cheese .39

As you can see even this meager breakfast came to 1.83 and put me over budget. Since I am going out tonight I will have an extra 1.33 to play with so I can make my daily budget but already I have an idea of how hard this will be.

I must admit that this toasted cheese sandwich typically would include bacon, tomato and a poached egg to dip it into. This is not an option on a food stamp budget.

When lunchtime rolled around I was hungry. I learned just how expensive a tuna fish sandwich is.

I used tuna, onion, a few olives, lettuce and tomato from the garden, rye bread and 1/2 roast pepper.

The total cost of one sandwich...1.60 (Since even garden goods are not free I assigned a value of .10 for the lettuce and tomato).

It is a good thing I am not cooking at home tonight as I would have .23 cents to carry over into dinner.

Since I am eating with Lynda and her family I can carry over those funds into tomorrow giving myself 3.89.

What I have had prior to my free dinner contains less than 700 calories and except for vitamin C which is at 94%; it is not nutritionally complete.

Keeping in mind that I typically eat 2,200 calories per day, I am going to have to do some careful thinking and planning as I go on.

I have been using food stock that was in the house and calculating costs today. In a couple of days I will (except for oil and seasonings) be shopping for new food and keeping to this budget.

At Lynda and Tom's I cooked with the kids and we had an abundant dinner. Salad with radish and avocado, two portions of pasta with pistachio pesto, that was made with garlic, oil, parsley, arugula, basil and pistachios and ice cream with raspberries. This along with two glasses of excellent Cab. (Even just a passable glass of wine will end up being one dollar's worth of food so it will be a while until I see wine again)

I am stuffed.

2,026 calories for the day (most of them off budget)with a much better nutritional balance.

I wonder how many food stamp families are so fortunate as to be invited out for an abundant meal packed with nutrition?

Tomorrow I will be balancing calories, nutrition and costs, in essence the real challenge begins.

Living on a Food Stamp budget

2011-07-01T11:44:00.000-04:00

On August 27th I will be doing a chef challenge marathon at St. Luke's church on Van Ness at Clay. Yesterday I met with Jessica at the S.F. Food Bank to discuss some of what we will be doing.

I learned that a family on food stamps has on average 1.33 to spend per meal. I decided to spend a month taking the food stamp challenge.

I went over the costs and what I spend and decided that if I wanted to use oil and seasonings that I would have to bring that number down to 1.22 per meal for fresh ingredients.

I will not be subjecting anyone else in the household to this experiment so I will be cooking for one which is an additional challenge.

Anything bought in bulk would have to be used before the end of the month. I will have to cook individual meals or one large meal and eat leftovers no matter how tired I become of them.

This is not unique; Many seniors live alone and struggle with cooking for one every day. This is also true of young mothers whose child is breastfeeding or on formula.

I currently weigh 155 lbs at just barely over 5 feet 4 inches. My chest is 42 inches and my waist just under 30. I do work out and will continue to all month.

I offer this information so that I can see if I lose or gain or if the muscle to fat proportion changes.

I am also getting a blood test today to measure my blood sugar and blood sodium levels.

My goal is to keep my health stable.

I am fortunate in that I spent a few months working as a teacher for Raw Satisfaction. The food budget was very small. I had to create a 5 course meal for 6 people for $30.00. That is 1 dollar per course. As you can imagine this was a difficult task. I found the cheapest stores in the city and you can imagine how often I bought natural or organic on that budget.

My current task is even harder in that all of those courses or one course has to be 1.22 and I will try to be nutritionally complete.

I will monitor my nutrition and caloric intake via http://www.fitday.com

I am also fortunate in that this month is my birthday and I have a lot of wonderful friends in San Francisco who will be inviting me over for dinner or taking me out. On those days I can spend my 3.66 on breakfast and lunch.

I will do my best to post daily or close to it. And I begin.

Breakfast.

Fusion On The Fly West Coast

2011-06-29T20:27:00.002-04:00

Fusion on the fly West Coast events are coming soon. Watch this space for details.

Homemade Tortillas

2011-05-28T14:14:00.000-04:00

I will be perfectly honest.

The only reason I made tortillas last night was because I did not want to put my shoes back on and go out for them. I had been shown how many years ago and pulled out a grey bit of paper from my files and gave it a try.

Since the measurements were by the hand and bowlful I adapted them to be accurate and having no lard in the house used butter. WOW...butt works. Inauthentic may, but seriously delicious.

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter melted in
3/4 cup water

Mix flour and salt in a bowl and melt your butter into your water.

Stir into dough mixing very well. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. Then break off dough in small balls.

If you want a large tortilla you can roll the dough very thinly, a smaller one you can press between your hands until thin. They don't have to be perfect rounds.

Put on a medium hot skillet and when it begins to puff turn over. They cook in about a minute keep warm to stuff.

I had a sirloin flap in the house that I grilled and sliced and stuffed my mini tacos with steak, onion and cilantro.

Having some tortilla dough left this morning I made a few with melted cheese to have with eggs.

These are so good I may never buy them again.

The Lamb of God vs. the Ham of God

2011-04-20T14:36:00.000-04:00

Easter dinner.

It seems to be traditional for both religious and non-religious families and why not since the celebration pre-dates Christianity.

I won't get into the history of the Easter Egg (google Nimrod and his lost body parts for the story on that one) but let's talk about ham vs. lamb.

The eating of the pig dates back to the goddess Istar (pronounced Easter) who required that the seasoned leg (ham?) be eaten because her son Tammuz was killed by a pig.

All good pagans should therefore eat ham.

I am in the lamb camp. To me a roast leg of lamb makes for a very special meal and with this marinade you might find that even the "I don't like lamb" camp changes their minds.

40 chopped garlic cloves
1 red onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons salt
2 cups of lemon or lime juice

Rub garlic and spice mix onto the lamb getting garlic into every crevice. Put into a plastic bag with the juice and squeeze out all the air so the lamb is immersed. Marinate from one to three days.

Remove meat from bag and let rest at room temperature for at least one hour before roasting. I like it rare to but use a thermometer and roast to your desired temperature.

CousCous with apricots and almonds

2011-04-13T14:42:00.000-04:00

I want to announce to my loyal readers I am now the Executive Chef at Raw Satisfaction cooking school in San Francisco. I hope that you are learning from my web site and that those of you who can will have the chance to pick up some tips directly.

This is a very common Cous Cous preparation and I don’t know where I had it first. I do know I loved it. It works as a base for lamb stew or it just lovely on it’s own as a light lunch

1/2-cup couscous (Acini di Pepe works)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-cup hot water
6 dry apricots soak the apricots in water overnight, cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons pistachios, crushed out of the shell
2 tablespoons almonds, sliced toasted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Salt
Pepper

Saute the onion with olive oil. Add the couscous and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the water, apricots, salt and pepper. Cook for about 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat. Turn the heat off, cover the lid. Let it rest for 20 minutes and at the end, all the water will evaporate. Toss in the pistachios, almonds and mint. Stir with a fork and serve while still warm.

Makes 2 servings at 390 calories each. This makes it a great base to serve with a small amount of chicken or lamb stew.

I don’t know how much nutrition you expect from pasta with a few nuts but it does have over 30% of the vitamin E you need.

Turkish Ezme with rice noodle

2011-02-24T12:57:00.001-05:00

Ezme with rice noodle

Turkish Asian Fusion…one of the most wonderful things about Istanbul is that it has parts in both Europe and Asia. Any student of history can tell you all of the groups that have gone through and lived in the trade route hub. Fortunately for us this means there have been an enormous number of influences to their cuisine.

2 oz of rice noodles soaked in warm water

10 lettuce cups

Sun Dried tomato powder (a pinch)

1 oz smoked almond powder

4 medium sized tomatoes (In the Summer whatever you have on your vine, in the winter the Roma is a good choice)

4 to 6 spring onions or scallions

1 Red pepper

1 or 2 hot peppers

Juice of one lemon

1 to 3 cloves garlic (depending on strength, Gilroy garlic tends towards sweetness so more can be used)

1/4 cup olive oil (more or less depending on the juiciness of the produce)

Cilantro or parsley (I like the cilantro kick but those sensitive to it can substitute parsley)

I teaspoon pomegranate syrup or concentrate

Roughly chop all of the vegetables and put into the food processor. Mix well and let rest.

*Option: The vegetables can be roasted if you want a deeper mellower flavor.

*Option: The ingredients can be finely chopped with a knife if you have no food processor.

Remove the rice noodles from the water bath and rinse with cold water. Let drain and drape in lettuce cups.

Spoon Ezme over the rice noodle. Sprinkle with tomato powder and crushed almonds. Garnish with additional Cilantro or parsley.

There will be leftover Ezme. You can make additional rice cups or let sit over night in the refrigerator and use as a dip with pita, a sandwich spread; or my favorite…tossed with fresh greens as a salad dressing.

Lamb Meatballs Rachel Ray

2011-01-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

I have not been putting a lot of new material out lately and I apologize for that. It is not that I have not been cooking in fact the opposite is true, I have been cooking a lot.

When I don't update I get more e mail than when I do. Yesterday I got one that rankled me a bit. It was not the first.

"I know you hate Rachel Ray BUT if you are very busy you can put out some recipes for very busy people and we don't care if you open a few cans or packages to make things simple, all of us do."

I did a search...to date I have received over 1000 e mail referencing my supposed hatred for Rachel Ray. I DO NOT HATE RACHEL RAY, in fact I like much of what she has done.

I wrote a column criticizing her for the constant used of canned/boxed stock and her claim that it makes people think you have been cooking all day. To me it tastes like you used a boxed shortcut. Rachel Ray is a big girl, she is on the Food Network and widely syndicated. I admire her for bringing new choices to the masses. Suggesting lamb instead of beef has probably opened the tastes of thousands of midwestern families that had previously not considered such 'exotic' meat.

Now that this has been clarified let me dedicate a recipe to Rachel and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you use home made stock. However this is one recipe that can deal with stock from box and after you use it for the meatballs it can make a good soup.

Yuvarelakia

These are really great meatballs and the cooking method renders them nice and lean.

1-pound ground lamb

1 very finely diced medium onion

4 cloves of garlic

8 tablespoons of barley crushed in the food processor

4 tablespoons fresh parsley diced

2 tablespoons fresh mint diced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2 eggs

1-teaspoon salt

8 cups of STRONG beef or chicken or veal stock

1 coarsely chopped onion

2 celery stalks diced

2 carrots sliced

1 cup Greek yogurt

Juice of one lemon

Squeeze the lemon juice into the yogurt and set aside while you make your meatballs.

Combine the lamb, onion, garlic, barley and herbs in a bowl and mix with hands. Add in the egg and mix again.

Shape into small walnut sized balls. (At this point I like to fry a tiny one to taste for salt and seasonings, adjusting as needed) Set aside.

Bring your stock to a boil with the onion, carrot and celery. Add the meatballs to the boiling stock turn to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

With a slotted spoon divide meatballs and vegetables in bowls and top with lemon yogurt.

Save the stock and refrigerate, the next day remove the fat and you will have a killer soup stock ready to go.

With half the protein needed and more than 100% of the B12 with an excellent showing across the nutrition board this is a great choice. At only 500 calories a serving it is one you can prepare often.

2010-12-06T17:34:00.000-05:00

I must apologize for not updating this for a while. I have gotten all the e mails of concern that were sent and I do appreciate them. I made a transition from the Dominican Republic to San Francisco and time flew more quickly than I had realized.

One of the most wonderful things about being here is the fresh crab. It is crab season and I have been getting a lot of those delicious creatures. I take them into the backyard with a hammer and a nutcracker and go to town.

Via Facebook one of you asked me for a favorite crab recipe, they are all my favorite however ...I do love the crab cake.

I do not like a cake with too much bread in it so taking a cue from the Chinese dumpling I reconfigured the crab cake to be breadless and I think you will agree delicious.

1 lb picked and shelled crab
1/4 pound shrimp shelled and veined
1 large bunch of scallion chopped
1 garlic clove
4 egg whites beaten stiff
1 tablespoon mustard
Salt and Pepper

Grind the shrimp with half of the scallions and the garlic clove into a paste into the food processor. Mix the other ingredients into the shrimp paste and then the stiff egg whites into the mix.

Make into small patties (big ones will fall apart) and fry in a mix of butter and oil until crisp on the outside. Serve them with whatever sauce or dip you like. I prefer mine naked.

What's in your refrigerator?

2010-10-14T15:50:00.000-04:00

Last night mine had precious little.

I had an unexpected dinner guest....it was just one of those things. We were having a glass of wine and chatting and I said stay for dinner without thinking what I had in the house.

I have been pushing myself to get a bit thinner, my life has been on the sedentary side so I am keeping my pantry purposefully lean.

A big salad was no problem and in the frig I had exactly two slices of bacon and some cabbage. In the basket onions and garlic and some spaghetti.

What emerged was a dish I plan to make again and again. It was so simple and so simply delicious I know I will crave it.

4 cups finely shredded napa cabbage (4 cups uncooked)
2 medium onions one red one white, halved and very thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 strips of bacon finely chopped, fat reserved
4 oz. of spaghetti
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Crisp the bacon and reserve the fat, to this fat add the olive oil and saute the onions til creamy, then add in the garlic and cabbage.The cabbage will wilt and shrink to about 50% of it's volume. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook your pasta in boiling salted water and before draining reserve some of the water.

Toss the pasta in the cabbage and add just enough of the cooking water to make it blend well. Serve in warm bowls.

I served this with a Beaujolais Cru, which was turned out to be a great choice. Wipe all thoughts of the Thanksgiving NEW Beaujolais from you mind. The Cru is a much more mature and finished wine.

The best news was that this lovely bowl of pasta was only 450 calories so I won't be needing those jeans with the elastic waistband anytime soon.

Goulash Soup

2010-09-16T16:05:00.000-04:00

On my first visit to Budapest I ignored the Goulash and Goulashsoup on the menus at first. I in ignorance thought the hamburger meat sour cream mixture my mother had served over noodles was Goulash, and I did not much care for it.

One night in a small bar I saw most of the patrons seriously working on these steaming bowls that smelled divine. I told the waiter I would have what they were having and when he presented it at the table…goulashsoup. It was served with a really hearty Rye bread and a chunk of excellent butter.

After that it became a staple of mine and I found that it was like Gumbo in the south. Every chef made it slightly differently. I could not taste them all, but I did my best.

You need about 4 hours to make this but once started it requires little attention.

3 large onions finely chopped

3 cloves garlic finely diced

3 tablespoons bacon fat or oil

3 pounds of cubed beef (chuck or another fatty collegin rich cut)

3 veal shank bones (oven browned)

3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

6 carrots peeled can cut into thin rounds

3 parsnips peeled and cut into thin rounds

3 medium potatoes finely diced

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

3 Hungarian wax or banana peppers diced

3 tablespoons Hungarian hot paprika (use less if you are not into spicy food)

Salt to taste

Dry the meat chunks and brown in a large Dutch oven. Remove when browned and add in the onions stirring til they reach a light gold color, salt the beef and the onions and add the beef back to the pot. Add in all of the sweet and one tablespoon of the hot paprika and stir til fully coated.

Add veal bones and garlic and fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until meat is fully tender, about 3 hours. Check the liquid level periodically to make sure the meat is all immersed.

When the meat is fully tender add in the vegetables and potatoes along with the caraway seeds and the rest of the hot paprika. Remove your veal bones and TASTE your soup. You may need more salt, more water, taste and adjust.

The vegetables will take about 30 minutes to cook and become tender and then you can serve.

Break Fast Salad

2010-09-09T18:23:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what this salad is called, and despite several e-mail to Istanbul I am still none the wiser. I had it along with a delicious lentil soup to break fast during Ramazan a few years ago. I got the recipe and even my hostess does not have a name for it…"It is a common salad we make often during the holiday. "

I found that a lot in travels, various regions had dishes that they just made, common, typical and wonderful.

1 cup green olives

1 head of Romaine lettuce finely chopped

2 carrot grated

1/2 cup of walnuts chopped small, but not quite a paste.

Dressing

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves

Put the salad and carrots in a bowl. Mix the dressing in the food processor. Toss with the dressing then add in the olives and walnuts and toss again. Plate and serve.

If it is pomegranate season it makes a nice garnish to sprinkle each salad with a few fresh seeds. At 4 servings this is just under 350 calories a plate. The calories come from the olive oil and the nuts, but I don’t recommend reducing either. This salad has close to 100% of the Vitamin A and 50% of the Vitamin C you need. As with most foods in Turkey it is typically delicious.

Khoresh Fesenjan (Chicken Stew with Pomegranate Sauce)

2010-08-23T17:23:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago I spent Ramadan in Istanbul. Though I am not a religious person I was frequently invited to break fast with my Turkish family which extended to include everyone I met. Having the same parents is not required to adopt a brother. I am not kidding, I have never in my life experienced such warmth and hospitality.

Of course I collected recipes as I had some of the most wonderful food of my life. Breaking fast is an ancient tradition and the recipes at this time of year make every meal a party. Most nights there was Pide bread and lentil soup at the beginning then any number of meze followed by a main course. This was one of my absolute favorites.

Whatever your religion or lack thereof it would not hurt to fast for a a day and be doubly grateful for your food as you break bread with friends.

Chicken with a thick walnut and pomegranate sauce.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, cut up

2 white onions, thinly sliced

2 stalks of chopped celery

1/2 pound walnuts, toasted and finely

ground in a food processor

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups pomegranate juice

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon corriander

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken and onions in skillet, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in pureed walnuts, celery, salt, pomegranate juice, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in 1/4 cup warm water.) Taste for salt and seasoning and serve with Basmati Rice.

Ginger Lime Pork Belly

2010-08-19T14:06:00.000-04:00

Currently I am staying in a tiny hotel room on the beach in a tiny town in the Dominican Republic. I have one skillet, one larger pot, two plates and two wine glasses.

I cut everything with a serrated steak knife and cook on a two burner stovetop.

That does not mean I am not eating well.

Traditionally when I have made pork belly I have done it in a Szechaun style with 5 spice rub and a slow braise. It takes a lot of prep and seasoning and I have limited ingredients in my little room. However I did come up with a wonderful and simple way to cook this awesome meat.

1 lb of pork belly (serves two to 4)
1/8 cup brown sugar
A good amount of salt and black pepper

Cut the belly into bite sized pieces and rub with the sugar salt and pepper mixture. Leave for one day refrigerated uncovered.

Brown the meat in a little oil and remove from the pan in the remaining fat we will make our sauce.

Juice of 3 limes
2 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup of finely chopped ginger
1 onion sliced thin
1 clove of garlic
Some hot red pepper

Add the onion to the fat and when soft the garlic and ginger, then all of the liquid and hot pepper. Turn the flame to low and cover to braise.

Cook for about two hours, checking liquid level and stirring periodically. Uncover and let the sauce reduce to a glaze, taste for seasoning and serve with vegetables over rice. Succulent, fatty, tangy and delicious.

What more can one ask from life.

Chicken with Leeks

2010-08-11T12:43:00.000-04:00

Chicken and onions are natural companions. The flavors go so well together.

This entry however is among my new favorites. Made for me by a French Chef in Santo Domingo this very simple dish elevates both the chicken and the leek. It takes slightly more than an hour to prepare and most of that time it is just sitting in the oven so you can make a salad and have a glass of wine.

1 small to medium chicken 3 to 4 pounds
8 leeks, sliced and cleaned
1 medium carrot chopped
4 celery ribs finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 bottle of wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil and butter

Brown a cut up, lightly salted bird in olive over medium heat in a dutch oven or other oven proof pan. Remove and dump in one stick of butter (1/4 lb; do NOT use margarine) and turn the heat down add the leeks and slowly soften them. Add your garlic and continue to stir until fragrant, throw in the carrot, celery and chicken. Cover with one bottle of white wine (unoaked) and place in the oven at 350 for an hour.

Remove from oven and with a slotted spoon remove chicken from leek mixture. Place on a platter in the oven to keep warm.

Reduce the sauce by two thirds. Taste for salt and adjust. Give several grinds of black pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and make your guests very happy. Serve with buttered noodles or even rice if you like.

Summer Lamb Stew

2010-07-06T16:33:00.002-04:00

At Flor de Cabrera we have no choice but to buy our lamb whole and butcher it ourselves (in the photograph are two of my sous chefs Jairo and Wilson, both excellent butchers), but those of you who live near a grocery store can buy stew meat and quickly make a lovely summer stew that along with salad and a bottle of Rose will make for a lovely evening.

1 lb. boneless lamb stew meat (make sure it has some fat, not too lean)
2 white onion diced
2 clove garlic diced
2 cups of chopped greens: Bok Choy or Swiss Chard or even Spinach
1/2 pound of sugar snap peas
1/2 pound fresh peas (They are best when you shell them yourselves.)
1 bottle of drinkable unoaked white wine (Chenin Blanc does nicely)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Brown your meat in the oil and remove from pan, saute the onion until very soft add in the meat and the wine and garlic. Simmer for two hours on stovetop or 350 oven.

When the lamb is tender and ready to eat stir in your peas and greens and cook only for a few minutes. Have a good bread to mop up the sauce and a very good wine...Rose, or maybe a Boujolais Village slightly chilled and enjoy the summer night.

how to make a roe butter

2010-07-01T16:11:00.001-04:00

In the summer I make a lot of seafood (Summer is year round in the Dominican) and nothing pairs with with seafood quite like a good butter and lemon sauce. When you want to knock that flavor profile up a notch and give your sauce a little complexity let's talk fish eggs. For this the cheap Roland in grocery aisle or the carp roe from Chinatown will do just fine. No big dollars are needed to get big taste.

For 8 to 10 servings take 1/4 pound of butter and melt it along with 4 anchovies. Add 1/8 (amount can vary) of cheap caviar and pulse the melted butter, anchovy, caviar mix in the blender, put back on the stove and warm just before serving the fish.

Pour the butter on the filet and give it a big squeeze of fresh lime juice and serve. If you have a little parsley or chopped basil toss it on as well.

In a restaurant you could easily pay 30 bucks for something that takes all of 5 minutes to make.

I don't care if you don't like anchovies, they add both salt and a complexity of flavor so stop thinking about hairy little filets and just go for it.

What to eat when you don't want to eat your vegetables?

2010-06-07T18:03:00.000-04:00

Way back when I wrote the syndicated FitnessGuru colum I began to sound like a broken record. Eat your vegetables was my constant rejoinder.

Someone wrote in and asked about lipo...I told him to eat his vegetables.

Folks wrote in about the idiotic Atkins diet...No one ever got fat on too much broccoli I would tell them.

When the silly cleanse drink became popular...You want to cleanse...get some fiber, eat your vegetables.

And on this site I have said it over and over again. It is the best advice your mother ever gave you...organic is best, but whatever you do eat your vegetables. Pound by pound they are one of the best values in the markets and for your health they are indespensable.

I recently had a night when I was very tired and broccoli just seemed like more chewing than I was capable of. I wanted nothing more than to pig out on pasta...BUT

I drank my vegetables instead and this soup is really good. It helps to have a good blender or food processor but you get your vegies and it is practically without calories.

6 cups strong chicken stock
1 large head broccili
1 bunch asparaus (I used white but green is fine)
1 garlic clove chopped
1 huge handful fresh basil

Simmer all the veg and the garlic in the broth til tender, put the veg and a couple cups of stock in the blender along with the basil and puree the _____ out of it. It is so smooth you can drink it from a cup, no cream needs to be added.

I had half one night and half the next, but you can share with a friend...if you like.

Beans, hold the rice

2010-05-18T11:18:00.001-04:00

Dominican rice frightens me. I don't trust any form of white rice that takes more than 20 minutes to cook.

In addition to taking forever to stew/steam it contains massive quantities of oil (Crisco, the nasty stuff) and feels a bit like lead in my stomach. The gardeners and maids and all the manual laborers here at the Villa MUST have rice and beans at lunch, I cannot substitute potatoes or pasta (They can be served in addition) but rice and beans every day 7 days a week is the fuel that keeps them going. Far be it from me to change such rigid rules, but I don't have to eat the stuff.

The beans however are quite good and served with a Basmati or Jasmine rice (or no rice at all) I love them.

I do admit to switching heart clogging hydrogenated fat for olive oil and pushing Goya products. In the states Goya is fairly readily available and their products are pretty good, but any brand you have will work.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• One 8-ounce can tomato sauce (such as Goya Spanish style)
• 2 teaspoons adobo (seasoned salt) plus a little salt and pepper if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon Goya Sazon plus a little shake of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 medium bunch fresh cilantro, including stems, roughly chopped (optional)
• 2 cups (1 pound) dried red beans, soaked overnight in 1 quart cold water, drained

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients.

Saute the onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add the oregano, bay leaves, tomato sauce, adobo, and Sazon.

Bring to a simmer and add the cilantro (if using) and beans, adding enough water to cover (about 3 cups).

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook 1 1/2 hours, covered, until the beans are tender enough to mash between two fingers. Puree a couple of cups of the beans and mix back in with the whole ones to make a great bean soup. If you must serve with rice, but realize you are a culinary chiche.

Parrot Fish Sezchaun Style

2010-04-26T18:22:00.000-04:00

This is the fish I bought, named for it's bright blue colors it comes in hues from bright red to this blue.
I bought the fish as soon as he was finished scaling and cooked it soon after. I had the camera to take a photo of the finished dish as it looks so beautiful on the plate, but the battery died and the fish was ready to be eaten. I will give you all the steps to have your fish standing on the plate, drizzled lightly with sauce, it's crispy goodness ready to serve.

1 small whole fish per person (Parrot or your local freshest fish)
Salt
All purpose flour for dredging
Peanut oil for frying

Take the fish and with a pair of kitchen shears trim any fins or exterior nasty bits. I trim the tail and cut a slit into at at the level of the mouth.

With a sharp knife cut through the fish 3 slats on each side. Lightly salt on both sides and dredge in flour. Now get your butchers twine and cut a piece long enough to wrap around the fish, wedge the twine in the fish's mouth and bring around looping into the slat on the tail curling the fish and tying tightly.

The fish should stand up on a plate at this point with both sides exposed. If it does not redo the twine tighter until the fish is in a half circle and can stand, this is important to the presentation. Once all your fish are tied and standing put on a sheet uncovered in the refrigerator until time to fry.

The Sauce

3 green onions finely minced
1 clove garlic minced
1 inch piece ginger peeled and minced
1 finely chopped HOT chili
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix all ingredients and let rest until fish is fried. This is enough to lightly drizzle 4 fish.

If you don't have a deep fryer large enough for up to 4 fish (or as many as you are serving) get a large heavy bottomed pan and fill with enough peanut oil to completely immerse 4 fish. Heat oil to 400 and SLOWLY put the fish in the oil one by one making sure they don't stick together.

Take the sauce and put in a pan and put on a low heat, just to warm it.

Fry the fish for at least 10 minutes, you want crisp, golden and fully cooked and to fully cook it takes longer than you might think. Gently remove with a strainer to a rack to drain, carefully cut and remove the string disturbing as little crust as possible.

Gently lift your beautiful dish and stand it on plates, light drizzle with sauce over the top of the spine.
Then garnish with
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped chives

Serve.

THIS will impress your guests.

Spaghettini Pescatore

2010-04-19T11:00:00.001-04:00

One of the many pleasures of being in a new country is the chance to link up with old friends. I went to Santa Domingo to meet with an old friend and his wife. Originally from Italy they live here now and run a successful import/export business.

My head already a sea of languages as I try to immerse myself in Spanish had to go back to Italian. We met for dinner at http://www.labriciola.com.do/.

Does Santa Domingo have a 5 star Italian Restaurant?

It does and this was a fine meal. The chef did what the best Italian Chefs have always done. He took what was local and made an amazing meal. Inspired by his inspiration I have created a dish that can be made anywhere there is fresh or frozen seafood. There is nothing wrong with the frozen, most shrimp, even those you buy fresh have been frozen. It is often done on the boat and retains the quality and texture.

This meal will require you to make a fish stock. Do not be afraid of this, it is much easier than it sounds. Just follow the steps and you will have success.

Go to your fishmonger and get as many fish heads as he will give you (No Salmon or Tuna) along with two pounds of shrimp, with the heads if you can get them.

Peel and behead your shrimp and place the peels and heads in a pot with a little hot oil. They will quickly turn pink, when they do add a chopped onion, two crushed cloves of garlic and two tablespoons of tomato paste. Lightly brown it and then add 10 cups of water and your fish heads. Turn to a simmer and leave alone for 90 minutes checking periodically. Resist the temptation to add salt as this stock will be very reduced when you turn it into sauce and it can be seasoned at that time.

After about 90 minutes come back and remove the fish heads and bones with slotted spoon leaving the shrimp. Bring back to a boil until you have about 4 cups of liquid. Cool and puree. That's right grind it all up. Then put through a fine sieve so all the large solids are removed.

Simmer and reduce to about two cups.

Keep on a simmer and it will continue to reduce slightly while you make your pasta.

Put a huge pot on to boil with a lot of salt. Grab 1 lb of Spaghettini.

Sauce
Slightly less than two cups of strong fish stock
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 anchovies finely diced.
The shrimp you have retained and if you like some Calamari cut into rings and baby Octopus if available. The amounts can vary.

Once you have added the butter and cream throw in the seafood on a very low heat. Drain the pasta and turn the heat up on your sauce, finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.

Serve.

Resist the temptation to garnish with cheese, if you would like a garnish a few bread crumbs toasted in butter are enough.

Garlic Frites

2010-04-15T08:05:00.003-04:00

One of the great pleasures about being in Farm Country in The Dominican Republic is the food. The produce is absolutely fresh and as in everywhere the soil, the variety and the rain make a difference to the final taste.

California forgive me but the garlic is better than Gilroy Garlic. Gilroy garlic is known for lacking the harsh edge and being very food friendly, but the Dominican is strong and also sweet. Finely chopped or in a paste this is a garlic to be savored....even raw....and paired with the local potato...let's talk.

Most of the restaurants and Villas around here use the frozen french fries. Typically imported from the states, I find they leave much to be desired. The potatoes are of a high moisture content, which is not surprising considering the rainfall. I was not sure how they would fry as locally they are eaten boiled or in a puree for the most part.

Out comes the knife and once again I am playing with my food.

1/2 large potato per person (Idaho is fine if you can't get the Dominican style)
1 clove of garlic per person finely chopped
1 tsp. of fresh parsley per person finely chopped
Salt
Oil for frying

Cut potatoes into fries, if you have a press or a mandolin the job will be easier but it takes only minutes with a knife. Put in a bowl and cover with water and refrigerate for at least an hour.

When you are ready to fry, remove from oil and place in a dry towel to remove excess moisture. Slowly lower into oil at 350 to 375 (Peanut Oil is preferred)

Fry until they are light tan. Take them out and let them rest above the oil. They can rest for 20 minutes or all day. What happens is that the interior of the potato steams this way and gives you a very soft creamy texture beneath the crisp bite. This is the secret the Belgian frites have used for years. When you are preparing for a crowd this is especially helpful as the final fry is so very fast.

Put into a final fry until crisp, when hot sprinkle liberally with salt, drain and toss into a bowl and toss in the garlic and parsley.

Now tell me those are not the best fries you have ever had. They beat those nasty processed McDonald's fries by miles and miles.

Or if you don't want to go to all that work you can vacation here and I will be happy to make them for you.

Crisp Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta for Rhonda

2010-04-12T08:48:00.000-04:00

This is one of the simplest and my personal favorite way to make the sprouts. Typically only seen on Thanksgiving tables I guarantee once you have made them this way you will want them again and again.

1/4 pound pancetta (cut into very small pieces)
1 lb. Brussels Sprouts (rough chopped like very large cole slaw)
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Crisp the Pancetta (bacon can be used if not available) and remove from pan, add a little olive oil and get the pan very hot. Toss in the sprouts and stir them quickly. You want a crisp brown bit without softening the sprouts. This will only take a minute or two. Quickly give a short pour of the balsamic, add the Pancetta back in, toss and serve.

Dominican fried Chicken (Chicharrones de Pollo)

2010-03-25T11:51:00.000-04:00

I have arrived in the Dominican Republic and soon will take over as Chef at the Flor de Cabrera.
The Villa and grounds are beautiful beyond words. I hope to see many of my readers here as visitors.

I actually adapted this recipe when I was at The Country Club in New Orleans, but it is Dominican in origin so perfectly appropriate for the second day of my residence in Paradise. This recipe will feed a small party....but it is so good you may want to double the marinade and chicken so that you have leftovers.

2 whole chickens cut up. I like the hacked chicken for this...small pieces work best to absorb flavor and fry quickly.
Marinade:
1 cup lime juice
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
8 cloves garlic (minced)
Seasoned Flour Coating:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne or black pepper or more if you like.
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
Peanut oil for frying

Combine marinade ingredients in a large plastic bowl or zipper bag. Add chicken and marinate for 3 hours or overnight. The longer the marinade the stronger the lime and garlic.
Combine flour and seasonings in a separate plastic bowl or zipper bag.
Coat the marinated chicken with the seasoned flour mixture and let rest on a try in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Place peanut oil for frying into a deep frying pan, or use a deep fryer. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fry chicken in batches, until golden brown outside and completely cooked inside (about 6 minutes per side for the dark meat, slightly less for the breast).
Place chicken on a rack to drain and keep warm until ready to serve.

Tomato Shooters

2010-02-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

I used to think that a craving was my body's way of telling me what it needed and that I should indulge my craving and that it was healthy, even necessary to do so. I now know my body as the liar it truly is, if my body had it's way I would have a 40 inch waist instead of a 30.

Tonight after leaving Looped with Valerie Harper (Brilliant Performance) I went to the subway station at 44th and passed John's Pizza. My body started to scream about how much it needed a pizza and suddenly I was ravenous.

However once home I realized I did need to eat something so I looked in frig and pantry to see what I might yield. I had some super ripe cherry tomatoes and a little whole milk mozzarella, but I did not need a pizza. (I still wanted a pizza)

The result of my playing with my food is one of the easiest appetizers you will ever make, or use them to perk up a salad. My 'recipe" was for the 12 tomatoes worth I made, but clearly you can make as many or as few as you like.

12 cherry tomatoes halved
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Mozzarella cheese grated
Anchovies as desired

Place the sliced tomatoes close together on a baking pan this will keep them from tipping over and you won't have to cut their bottoms off.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and oregano. If you are going to make the anchovy version drape half an anchovy over each at this point, otherwise sprinkle lightly with cheese and put in a very hot oven or under a broiler for a few minutes, stay with them.

All you really want is a slight warming of the tomato and the cheese to melt. If you made them for company you can slide a toothpick half way in like a little tomato sucker, if you made them for yourself plop them one by one into your mouth and feel virtuous for not having pizza.

Spaghetti with Onions

2010-02-23T12:38:00.001-05:00

One of the most rewarding things I do is recipe reconstruction.

Using remembered tastes and descriptions along with information about the chef I can often re-create the recipe and give a client a childhood favorite again.

Recently I got stumped...really stumped. Sicilian Granmothers can do that to me upon occasion.

Spaghetti with onions, his Sicilian Great-Grandmother made it and he loved it, but other than spaghetti and onions he had no idea what went into it. No tomatoes for sure, and it was his favorite. She died when he was 11 and no one else in the family knew exactly how to make it. For 30 years this man has been craving this dish and my first 8 attempts were failures.

In order to finally 'get it' I had to go back to Sicilian basics...and some French ones. Eventually it came out that when Sicilian Grandpa had died Grandma married a Frenchman.

Meaty taste, no visible meat....lots of onions....

By George I finally got it.

1 lb. onions thinly sliced
1/4 lb butter
1/2 pound romano cheese finely grated
8 anchovies
Salt
Red Pepper flakes
Buttered bread crumbs (toasted)
1 cup finely chopped parsley

Take 1/2 of the butter and melt it and brown and caramelize the onions on a low flame. It will take close to an hour. Add salt and pepper and mush in the anchovies.

Bring salted water to a boil, cook spaghetti to al dente and reserve some of the pasta water. Toss your spaghetti with your onions adding the red pepper and parsley as you go. Now the rest of the butter and the cheese, tossing as you add. Taste...if you need more salt or pepper do it now. Use a little pasta water if it is dry.

Serve in warm bowls with bread crumbs on top.

I just have a feeling that one day the French man began to make an onion soup and the Sicilian woman decided to turn it into a pasta. However it came about...it is fusion at it's finest.

The Bitter Ball, Party of One

2010-02-12T12:50:00.000-05:00

The Bitter Ball began at the Country Club in New Orleans, it was a party for anyone and everyone who had ever been hurt by love. It was of course held on Valentine's Day.

It was a lot of fun and it was picked up by one of my clients who did a Bitter Ball in Palm Springs and then one in Vegas. Both menus were a lot of fun.

One of my readers, recently divorced asked for a Bitter Ball recipe for this year. The premise behind the food is that it be made with ingredients that are on the bitter side and/or ingredients that make you stink, and be repulsive to anyone with romantic intentions.

For those of you who are happily partnered and cooking for your partner or family...run an ingredient search, there are a multitude of recipes on this site for you.

This is dedicated to anyone and everyone who has ever been hurt by love.

Pork and Kim Chee Noodles

1/4 pound ground pork
1 small chopped onion
1/4 pound brussel sprouts quartered
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (add more if you like it hot)
1 large handful shredded basil
1/2 cup Hot Kim Chee chopped

2 ounces any noodles cooked and put in ice water to stop cooking (Asian are great but if you have pasta, use it)

The sauce....

10 cloves garlic chopped
A little neutral oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Brown pork and onion, add the sprouts, soy sauce, hot pepper and toss in noodles. In another pan barely warm the garlic and add in the vinegar. Toss the Kim Chee with the noodles in your wok or pan along with the basil. Plate and drizzle vinegar garlic sauce.

This is a very delicious and STRONG tasting dish. The next day you will reek of garlic and fermented cabbage and isn't that what being bitter is all about. You are now ready to go to the movies and not have anyone sit in front of you, next to you, behind you...generally within 8 feet. Breathe deeply and get extra butter on your popcorn.