Parmesan Potatoes

My husband discovered this recipe in our one and only cookbook when we were first married. He was going to school full time and I was the one working. So, he regularly found himself to be the one getting dinner started. We fell in love with the simplicity of this recipe and have been making these Parmesan Potatoes ever since.  I would imagine that you could substitute many other seasoning blends for the Parmesan cheese and they would be just as tasty.

Parmesan Potatoes

3 medium sized potatoes

3 Tbsp. melted butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Scrub potatoes and dry. Do not remove the skin. Thinly slice and lay out on a 10X15 cookie sheet, overlapping slightly. Brush with melted butter. Salt and pepper the potatoes. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450˚ for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Serve immediately.

This recipe was adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

Frugal Grocery Shopping

This morning I shuffled my routine a bit to do my weekly grocery shopping earlier than usual. I needed to stock up on some meat, and I have found that when I shop early, I can usually get some good deals on meat that has been “Reduced for Quick Sale.” Thankfully, I was able to get enough meat for the next couple of weeks for a great price.

I am often asked what I spend on groceries per week. But, I always hesitate to share that because every family is so different. What is a comfortable budget for me and my family may not be a comfortable budget for you and your family. Some people are alarmed at what we spend. That alarm can go either way, alarm that we spend so much or alarm that we spend so little.

On Friday, I will tell you about a book that I have been reading that catalogs how much families spend on food each week.  Do you dare to reveal your numbers? If so, please join the You Can Make That! Facebook Group and post how many people you feed and how much you spend each week.

Looking for more frugal grocery shopping tips? Check out the Frugal Tips page above.

This post has been linked to Frugal Tuesday Tip.

Reading Report

I read two more good books this week: one for myself and one out loud to the kids. If you have any reading recommendations, I would love it if you would share them in the comments below. To read more about my 2012 reading goals, click here.

The Quarter-Acre Farm: How I Kept the Patio, Lost the Lawn, and Fed My Family for a Year written by Spring Warren

Spring, an amateur gardener, makes a commitment to feed her family 75% of their food for a year. It seems unbelievably unrealistic to take on such a task in a suburban neighborhood with a small back yard. However, Spring plunges in and learns how to think like a farmer, cultivating her yard, and growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and raising chickens all while maintaining a good relationship with her neighbors. Her mishaps, blunders, and finally her achievements are enjoyable to read. And, she made me feel as if I could do the same thing and succeed. However, what I enjoyed most was the recipes that were included at the end of each chapter using her home grown produce. All were unique and born out of the necessity to consume what she grew without letting all of her hard work go to waste.

More Adventures of the Great Brain (Great Brain, Book 2) written by John D. Fitzgerald

This is the second book in the Great Brain series about Tom, an eleven year old in the late 1800’s. Tom uses his “Great Brain” to create elaborate schemes to swindle and profit from both kids and adults alike. He is a true con artist and his efforts create all kinds of chaos and confusion. But, his Great Brain is also known to help others in their time of need, taking on seemingly insurmountable tasks with ease. There are many moral lessons to be found in these books and my son, who is eight, has enjoyed The Great Brain series the most.

Monkey Bread

As I have told you before, I really enjoy the method for bread baking outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Over the weekend, I tried something new with my bread dough: Monkey Bread. In the past, I had made Monkey Bread using canned biscuits. But, I had not made it at all in the last couple of years due to our effort to eat more “real” foods. 

I used the Challah dough recipe with half white flour and half white whole wheat flour.  The dough was buttery and rich and it perfectly complimented the sweetness of the cinnamon and sugar. We had a great time grabbing bites directly from the serving platter and did not even bother with individual plates. I will make it exactly the same again next time.  And, believe me, there will be a next time.

Monkey Bread

2 lbs. Challah dough

1 cup sugar (white or raw)

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

½ cup melted butter

Form dough into walnut sized balls. You should have about 48. Stir together, in a shallow bowl, the sugar and cinnamon. Dip each ball of dough into the melted butter, then into the cinnamon and sugar. Place the dough balls in a bundt pan. Repeat until all of the dough is coated. Pour any remaining butter or cinnamon/sugar on top of the dough. Let rise for 30-45 minutes. (You will not see much additional rise.) Bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, and invert onto a large serving platter. Serve immediately.  

Note: You can find the Master Recipe for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, along with an instructional video, here.

Fudge Frosting

As promised, below you will find the recipe for the Fudge Frosting that I used on the Black Magic Cake. My friend, Stephanie, used to serve this frosting on top of chocolate cake every time we got together. Yes, every single time. Everyone loved it; all of the adults, and all of the kids. We no longer live close enough to enjoy getting together on a regular basis, but I am grateful for such good friends, good food, and the time we had to spend together.

Fudge Frosting

1 lb. pkg. confectioner’s sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ tsp. salt

1/3 cup hot coffee (or hot water)

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

Add sugar, cocoa, and salt to a mixing bowl. Add butter and begin mixing on medium speed. Slowly add vanilla and hot coffee/water until desired consistency is reached. Frost your favorite cake.

Recipe Note: This recipe frosts a 9X13 pan cake like the one pictured. For two 9 inch  layers, you will either need 1 1/2 recipe or, you will need to fill the center of the cake with fruit or jam. (Raspberry jam filling is my favorite!)

I imagine that this frosting would be excellent on the Banana Chip Cake posted earlier this week.

My Birthday Girl

Our oldest had a birthday this week, and that means cake! We typically only have cake with frosting on birthdays, so it is a real treat. This dark Black Magic Cake is the one that all three of my kids request for their birthdays. It is super simple, and it bakes up moist and delicious every time, without fail. And, of course, it tastes best with fudge frosting. So, today the cake recipe, and tomorrow I will post the recipe for the frosting.

Black Magic Cake

1 ¾ cup flour (white or white whole wheat)

2 cups sugar (white or raw)

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup cold coffee

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Measure all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium high speed until fully blended.

Pour into a greased 9X13 pan and bake at 350˚ for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, frost, and serve.

Or, pour into two 9” round pans and bake at 350˚ 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes, remove from pans, cool completely, frost, and serve.

This recipe was adapted from this one found on allrecipes.com.

Banana Chip Cake

After my near heart attack last week over wasted bananas, I pulled some frozen bananas out of my freezer and made Banana Chip Cake. This is the recipe I use most often when faced with black bananas. I especially like this recipe because I can mix it up quickly with a spoon and it easily stores right inside the pan without dirtying additional containers. This is breakfast food at our house; but, I imagine that it would be good with chocolate frosting on top as a dessert.

  

Banana Chip Cake

½ cup melted butter

1 cup raw sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium sized)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup mini chocolate chips

Stir together butter, sugar, eggs, bananas and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, and chocolate chips. Stir until combined. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan and bake at 350˚ for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  This can be served warm, however it stores well for later.