Thrifty Thighs with Potatoes

A great meal at a bargain price. This meal costs $6.64 and serves 4-6 people.

What you will need:

4 chicken thighs, washed and cleaned
1 onion, chopped
10 small red potatoes, cut in half
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon Seasame seed oil (about $2 at your local Asian market)
1 teaspoon of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of cayene pepper (or less if you want it mild)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette
dash of chili powder
2 tablespoons of Seasame ginger marinade
1 teaspoon of rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

1. For the chicken marinade combine seasame seed oil, Seasame marinade, balsamic vinaigrette, dash of chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir. Brush it on the chicken and set aside in a 9 by 13-inch cooking dish for 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Put a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and place chicken in it skin side down. Cook until the skin is brown and crisp. Return chicken to pan.
2. Place chicken in oven and let it cook until done, about 1/2 hour.
3. In the meantime, place a little olive oil in a pan. Once hot, stir in potatoes. Cook until browned and halfway done, about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms, onions, cayenne pepper, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook another 10 minutes or until done.

The dishes should be done at about the same time. Serve while hot.

Asian-style green beans with avocado and feta cheese

This is a recipe I made up in order to use up some leftover feta cheese. I experimented with the ingredients in my tiny studio apartment in Chicago and the results were pleasantly tasty. It has become a household favorite.

What you need:
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tablespoons of Seasame Ginger dressing or marinade (you can find this at almost any grocery store
1/2 onion, chopped
1 avocado, cubed into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup of feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add green beans and cook unil tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside. (you can also steam them if you prefer.)
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add onion and 1 tablespoon of the Seasame Ginger dressing. Cook until it is golden brown.
3. Turn down heat and add green beans and remaining Seasame Ginger dressing to the mixture. Stir well until the green beans start to warm up again.
4. Add avocado and stir in the mixture for 2 minutes.
5. Turn off heat and add feta cheese, stir and cover until ready to serve.
Add salt and pepper to taste

This makes a great side dish for seafood, nice topping for pasta or can be eaten as a meal on its own.

Hot Chicken Salad-- yum!

This recipe comes from the Food Network Web site. I saw it on the Paula Deen show and added a few of my own ingredients to make it even tastier.
What you'll need:

2 cups of cooked chicken breast meat, cubed (two chicken breasts is all you need) *
1 cup of diced celery
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1/2 cup of slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 cup of mayonase
1 cup of grated sharp Cheddar
2/3 cup of crushed potato chips or bread crumbs
1 cup of peas

* I boiled the chicken and froze the broth to use in a soup at a later date!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl combine chicken, dijon mustard, almonds, salt, pepper, paprika, lemon juice, celery, mayonase, cheddar and peas. Spray vegetable oil or cooking spray onto a dish. Put the mixture in a 13 by 9-inch (or 9 by 9-inch) dish. Spread the crushed chips or bread crumbs on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Enjoy!

Castilian Soup

I found this in a book called "Spanish Home Cooking" by Miriam Kelen.

What you need:
2 Tablespoons of olive oil

5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 chorizos, sliced (Johnsonville has them for $5.39 for five of them or visit a mexican carniceria)***
4 cups of water
2 cups of beef broth5 oz of ham, cubed*
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
4 eggs
2 or 3 (1/2 inch thick) slices of toasted day old bread, cubed (toast to dark to ensure they don't get too soggy in the soup)**

Serves 4-6

* The original recipe calls for serrano ham or prosciutto. But at $12.33/lb. at Rainbow, the proscuitto it is simply not worth it. It is cooked down and everyone at the table agreed that simple cubes of ham will do just fine. As for the serrano ham, I am sure it would be very expensive since it'd likely come from a specialty store.

** I bake my own bread, so the slices are as big as regular Wonder Bread pieces, but thicker. Do not use fluffy, processed bread for this dish because it will simply get too soggy in the soup. I suggest buying a hunk of french bread at Cub or Rainbow for $1.99.

*** You can usually find Johnsonville coupons in the paper. Also, check out this offer if you prefer to substitute the chorizo with the Italian sausage. http://www.johnsonville.com/home/events-promos.html

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden.

2. Add chorizo; brown. Add water, ham, salt and paprika. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and summer for 5 minutes.

3. Break eggs into a saucer (do not beat them). Slide eggs one by one gently into the soup. Arrange the bread cubes around the eggs. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the eggs are poached. Divide eggs in the soup or once in bowls (you can just put an egg in a ladle, cut it with a knife and return the pieces to the soup).Ladle into individual soup bowls and serve.