Nov 19th 2012

You know how certain foods are comfort foods because they are, and certain ones are because you grew up with them?
Well, I've been craving hamburger helper for months.  Wouldn't be too odd, except for the fact I've been a vegetarian now for around 12 years.

Last week, I decided to get a box of the mix, read all the ingredients, made sure I found a couple of mixes that were vegetarian and a can of kidney beans.

It worked.  Ended up more like a chili but it did the trick.

New product

Tofu pasta.  I can't believe it either.  So I had to buy it.   I have not tried it yet, the package is still sitting in my mother's fridge where I stupidly forgot it. So it's on the menu for tomorrow. 
Seriously, I was in the grocery hanging around the produce area which has become like a bar to me.  I'll explain later.  And spotted this next to the veggie burgers.  I was strangely drawn to it.  Weirded out slightly but drawn to it none the less.

And get this,  this package was only $1.89 Canadian.  Beauty.  We'll find out tomorrow if it was worth all that. 

Homemade slaw

1 large carrot 
1/4 red cabbage
3 tablespoons mayo
3 tablespoons sauerkraut

Julienne the carrot and shred the cabbage, mix all together


This can be made for under $13

Ramen Recipes

I had been doing another blog.  It was successful for what it was, but it put too much pressure on me.
The original theme was a food blog -soap opera.  I ended up dropping it but... here are a few of the ramen recipes I had posted on there.


Ramen #7 (originally posted on Friday April 30th 2010 on The Year I Lived Off Of Ramen Noodles)

2 cups water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 cup frozen vegetables (broccoli, onion, green beans, red peppers, mushroom)
1 serving of noodles
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
parsley
a half can of baby corn

Boil water, add frozen vegetables, add noodles, stir.
Add garlic, parsley and bouillon cube.  Stir.
Drain baby corn then add just as you are turning off the heat.  Stir and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Should serve 3.

I got the noodles in bulk at the Dollar Store.  What at first looked like two servings of noodles, turned out to actually be 8.  Which made it even better for the money.  One package was only $1,  and because it looked to be only two servings per package, I picked up three packages. So for $3 I got my money's worth.

Homemade Ramen  (Originally posted on March 15th 2010 on The Year I Lived Off Of Ramen Noodles) 

Photo by ME copyright hcvp'2010

You read the last post that my oven is dead.
There is one small working burner at this time.

Just enough for me to make a pot of something.

I went out to the grocery yesterday and bought a bag of noodles. Last night I made a small pot of homemade ramen.

3 cup water
1 medium onion sliced
1 cup frozen mixed veggies (carrots, celery, onion, red peppers)
1/2 cup frozen carrot coins
1/2 frozen Asian mixed veggies (broccoli, green beans, onion, mushroom)
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of salt
3 whole black peppercorns
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of marjoram
1 vegetable broth cube
2 handfuls of steamed broadcut noodles

Boil all ingredients EXCEPT the noodles for 20 minutes. Add extra water if needed, stirring every few minutes. Then add dry noodles. Stir turn off heat and serve.
This severs three.

Homemade nacho chips

Originally posted on my main blog Domestic and Damned on Oct 6th 2010

I very happily found a few episodes of Iron Chef American on youtube the other day.  One of the things that they did (it was Cat Cora who made it on Battle Cheddar)  was a homemade cracker using wonton wraps, chocolate and cumin.   She served it with a cheddar for a simple cheese and crackers.

It seemed perfectly easy.  You know what, it sort of was.   Only I had bought eggroll wraps instead of wonton ones thinking there wasn't a massive difference, and lacking a pastry/bbq brush, I simply used a knife to drip the melted chocolate on. and well anyone who's ever used cumin knows it smells like BO.  So stinky bitter crackers that tasted less bitter with large slices of old cheddar.
So here's me thinking,  let's replace the cumin with cinnamon for a sweet instead of savory flavour. Only I still did not have a pastry/bbq brush and had to remelt the chocolate as it hardened slightly.  It still came out bitter.  Mom actually tried the cinnamon ones.
I had sliced all the eggroll wraps already, so I just stuck the next handful in the oven without anything on them.  They turned out much better.

Mom agreed they needed something.  The rest of the package I took to mom's, found her pastry/bbq brush and added oil and salt and pepper.
Lovely!  Just lovely!

 Ingredients : 1 package eggroll wraps, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, pinch each salt and pepper 


Cut wraps in half,
Line ungreased cookie sheet with the wraps,
Brush oil over each,
Sprinkle salt and pepper over tray,
Bake at 350degrees for roughly 7minutes depending on your oven.

I plan on buying a package of wonton wraps today and trying them to see if there is a difference in taste or cooking time.

Red Pepper Soup

Photo by Kimberly Hulst copyright hcvp-09

Okay, So I spent the last few days cooking. Well, part of yesterday anyway as mom had a doctor's appointment in the morning.
Yesterday, I made a homemade red pepper soup. No recipe. It turned out fabulous. I just forgot to write it down as I went. Brilliant me. Here is a photo of it. Well a screen capture actually, as my digital camera was dead I had to use my video camera to get a video then turn it into a still. Which took more work then the actual soup.


1 stalk celery
1 large mushroom
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon butter.
3 cups water
1 red pepper
4 leaves fresh oregano
1 cup uncooked pasta
1/2 cup sliced green beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
extra water as needed.

Chop the celery and mushroom and saute them with the butter and garlic for 3 minutes, then add the water. Let simmer on medium heat for half hour.
Cut the pepper into strips and add it to your mix, stir and continue to simmer now on a lower heat for another half hour, pinch up the oregano leaves and add. Stir. continue simmering for another 15 minutes.
Add the green beans and the stewed tomatoes, stir, add extra water if needed, simmer for another 15 minutes then add uncooked pasta.
Let simmer with lid on for another half hour.

Should serve 6. This can be made for under $10

Menu: Aug 17th 2009

Photos by Kimberly Hulst copyright hcvp'09

I had decided to make my apple and potato dish today so I went off to mom's.
Why have I not been doing the cooking in my own little kitchen? Because mom has air conditioning.

While I was there, we decided to make a cheese cake as well. (photo of Me)


Apple and Potato


2 apples
2 large potatoes or 5 small ones
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons nutmeg

*peel potatoes and cut into smaller pieces (sliced or cubed it's up to you)
*peel apples and cut into smaller pieces (sliced or cubed it's up to you)
*slice onion

mix together in baking dish.
Spoon in butter
add nutmeg and mix all together

Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees



The cheesecake was a simple one. We used a Kraft recipe for No Bake cheese cake.

*Premade Graham cracker crust

227 ml cream cheese softened
1/3 c sugar
227 ml cool whip
375 ml cherry pie filling


Beat cream cheese and sugar
Stir in cool whip
Spoon into crust

Put in fridge for 3 hours

Spread on the pie filling




The apple and potato dish can be made for under $10
The Kraft No Bake Cheese Cake can be made for under $15

Menu: Aug 16th 2009

Photo copyright hcvp'09 by Kimberly Hulst


10 Minute Noodles

1 cup Eggplant
1 cup Mushrooms
Tomato
Onion
Peppers 1 Green and 1 Red
1/2 cup Pea Pods
1 cup Broccoli
1/2 cup Green Beans
1 Carrot
1/2 cup Celery
1/2 cupWater Chestnuts
1 cup Zucchini
3 cup Water
2 handfuls Steamed Noodles


Chop all but the pea pods and green beans.
Boil broccoli till tender, then add the rest of the vegetables and the noodles.
Boil for another few minutes.
Stir and serve.


I say 10 minutes for this dish because I used a cheat. Frozen mixed veggies. One half bag of stir fry veggies, one half bag of spaghetti mixed veggies. Boil them for about 5 minutes then add the noodles. If you use frozen you can make this meal for under $10.