Tangy And Tasty Salsas

 Wamr weather brings out the chips and dips especially crunchy tortilla ones with bright,s sassy salsas. Nothing beats a homemade dip made with fresh ingredients. Best of all it can be made mild or very hot  or even something in the middle. Salsas are a fun addition to any Springtime party.

New contributor ,chef and author Rick Martinez gave three good salsa recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. One idea he recomends is taken from Mexican chefs is that it can be improvised. Making it should bring as much joy as eating it. Salsa is more than just a condiment even though its' name literally means sauce.I t's a quintessential part of the Mexican table - something that both tickles and gratifies the palate. A good one should add depth, poignancy and zest in spicy, sweet and sour flavors.How the salsa is ultimately made is up to its' maker.Anything is fair game. Just be sure to add tomatoes, tomatillos,garlic, white onion, herbs Chiles, and even avocados. Keep in mind that lime juice is only used in American salsa recipes ,Mexicans usually add a squeeze of limes on its own to dishes.,Another rule of thumb is use chiles that work for you.A good thing to remember is that the smaller the chile the hotter it will be.When shopping for fresh ones, look for ones with firm shiny skins., Dried chiles should be soft and pliant.

The salsa  recipes are just great for parties or even a light and fun dinner. There are tostadas de tinga de pollo or shredded chicken and salso toastadas. made with the two given recipes.This is a meaty one wit bacon and chicken (taken from rotisserie or home roasted chicken) Try one or both salsa recipes.. The pure jalapeno one is an easy but fiery one.It;s boiling them with water and kosher salt until they're softened and just holding their shape. You'll need a mortar and pestle or molcajete which can be bought at Amazon . They usually average around twenty-five dollars however there are more expensive and more authentic ones for around sixty dollars. You can also use a bowl and a potato masher too. Grind until a chunky paste forms.Add some of the reserved boiled water along with garlic powder. You could also make the aguacate ahumado This is one made with sweet Roma tomatoes, a medium avocado ,a chopped white onion and five chipotle Chiles along with adobo ones. Adobo sauce is also added. These are just chopped and mixed together. Serve right away although anything leftover (which there probably won;t be) can be stored in the fridge.

Salsas a just a great accompaniment to any Mexican dish or a big bowl of crunchy chips. Make these for the warm days ahead.They're great tfor parties or just simple snacking.

Sweet Treats For Less

 May is the time for parties and get togethers. Yet these can be expensive ,especially desserts. WHat to do? The old fashioned thing - make and bake yourself. You can have fun with with all sorts of treats from cakes to candy.

LIke yesterday with savory main courses and sides, a sumptuous dessert table is easy to create at home. This is  fun to do, especially to decorate. Customized sheet cakes are  very expensive at $28. at Acme while Wal-Mart sells one at a startling $24.96. A fully frosted and decorated vegan cake can go up to a jaw dropping $80. at the Vegan pastry Lab in Englewood, New Jersey(their cakes are phenomenal but stick to the occasional cupcake from them)THis is a time for bake your own.Before you bakes anything make sure you have the right pans. For a party think a throw away cake pans that makes for an easy cleanup. Also have a good cake carrier .Wal-Mart has the Mainstays cake and cupcakes carrier which makes it easy for you to transport dessert to any event. Also make sure your decorating Both Wal-Mart and Amazon has good prices on these and the icing bags. Home bakers can buy a fifteen piece cake decorating set for only $4.30. This a really complete set with cake scrapers to make wavy lines  and ruffles on the cakes sides like bakeries do.

As for the actual ingredients, it pays to shop around for the best prices for sugar and mixes. Again look to Wal-MArt for good prices and a good variety. The store seems to have almost every flavor of Duncan Hine's Dolly Parton's cakes and icing.They're is selling the mixes for $1.97 right now. These can be great for parties ,Create a chocolate covered strawberry treat by baking her strawberry cake and then frosting it with her chocolate frosting. You can create your own scratch cakes ,cupcakes and cookies.Target, Wal-mart and Acme have the cheapest prices on all purpose flour with Wal-Mart being the cheapest at $1.99  for a two pound bag. Target  has the  Good and Gathered unbleached variety at $2.59 for five pounds. What about confectioner's sugar.It's all important for creating perfect glazes and frostings. Acme has it in sale now for $2.49 a pound. ( heads up confectioner;s sugar or any sugar doesn't;t go bad,it will get lumpy and lose it;'s taste with age) As for frosting gels to write messages and names, Wal-Mart has the best bet at $1,56 a tube.As for other candy decorations, you can get creative with cheap bags of M&M,s Sour Patch kids and other small bite sized pieces.

Desserts can be made at a cost for any big shower or party. Best of all they';re fun to make and decorate. Save money by baking a fun slice or cupcake.

A Grand Party On A Budget

 May not only has flowers but also a ton of celebrations. From Mother's Day or grad parties and those showers and engagement parties., there will be planning and cooking for the entire month. The problem is the price of food. Even at at home party can be costly. The best bet is to budget wisely.

Of course the most important part of any party is the main course. What would be an elegant dish? Cornish hens with either an orange or lemon glaze. Keep in mind , due to their tininess one whole one is enough for a single person.  These can be bought as cheaply as $4.78  for one at Stop & Shop,If you're having a dinner for twenty them comes in at $95.60 which is much better than having a catered meal at $20 dollars a person. Another elegant crowd pleaser is shrimp. Again Acme has a ten ounce one for $5.99 .Buy five rings for just under thirty dollars at $29,95  You could also go to Acme again for their shrimp and crab legs platters which are a very good price at $24.99 each. The store will prepare it for you and include a centerpiece of lemon slices and cocktail sauce.  This is perfect for showers and small college graduation parties.A great hors' d'douevre is beef tips on toast. Look to Target to have them at $13.95  a pound. these are already seasoned with bourbon and black pepper so you don't have to worry about marinating them. Serve on buttered toast squares for an class bite.

Sides can be just as elegant and celebratory. Egg prices are going down so it is possible to create several different types of quiches.Even the drugstore Walgreens has a dozen going for $4.99. An average sized quiche needs six eggs so you can buy two dozen and make four quiches, These can be filled with everything  from various cheeses which you can buy at Lidl for a good price to fresh veggies and deviled or julienned ham.Mini beef Welllingtons may be a bit expensive to make (beef tenderloin will set you back sixteen to twenty dollars just for one package.) however you can create them will the less expensive but equally flavorful portabello mushrooms. Sliced portabellas are going or $2.99 a package at Wal-Mart. Chop these for the filling along with walnuts for more protein along with onions and garlic for more flavor. The mushrooms should be seared first for a smokier taste.Another elegant side, perfect for smaller gatherings is roasted asparagus. It's at its' cheapest right now at $2.99 at Acme and $2.97 at Wal-Mart. Roast them and serve  with a buttery lemon sauce.

Any type of party can be put together with budget pricing. It;s just shopping smart and knowing what to buy. The result is a Spring gathering that's full of elegant classic  foods.

Budget Barbecues

 it;s getting warmer all around the country and that means one thing : barbecues!!! Yet can anyone afford them with all these high prices? The answer is yes - if you budget wisely.

Luckily charcoal briquettes are quite affordable. Lowe's is selling A ten  pound bag for Royal Oak  for only $4.98. Buy three or four bags and store up for the season ahead.Acme has their Signature long burning brand for $6.99 . Buy a few of these for those barbecues that last well into the night. Can you save extra money by just using twigs from your yard?Yes!  Try to find either cherry or apple wood for imparting a fruity flavor or hickory.Before adding the twigs, light  twists of paper around the barbecue basin and then add the wood.Many home chefs may want to get a new barbecue yet are worried about the price. They shouldn'r fret. Walmart, Lowe's and even Kohls have small but sturdy grills for under thirty dollars. Walmart has  a seventeen inch one for  $19.87, Lowe;s has the good brand name Master Forge with a twenty four inches grilled for $24.72 while Kohl's' has a portable Cuinart  fourteen inch out door grill for $24.99. These can last you a good two seasons if you are careful and caring with them.

Every barbecue needs to have burgers and hot dogs. It's best to get the house brands before thinking about the national ones. Acme has their own parries for only $6.24 for four. WalMart has the best buy one hundred(!!!!) burgers for 4.98 from their Specollect brand. This is perfect if you;re throwing a graduation party or an informal bridal or baby shower.If you;re still watching your pennies, then think turkey burgers instead of beef. Again look to Wal-Mart for the best price on these. They have Shady Brook Farms turkey patties  for $5.94 for four. As for extras, always check Lidl and Aldi fro good bargains on ketchup and mustard. Lidl' 's brand of ketchup is richer than Heintz and more tomato-y tasting. With salads, macaroni is a cheap ingredient that can be dressed a number of ways. Try elbow macaroni with slices of pepperoni  along with sliced bell peppers and cherry tomatoes drenched in a homemade Italian dressing. You can make bowls of this to last well into the week for leftover eating. Potato salad is another cheap side that has dozens of fun varieties.

You can have a tasty and filling barbecue  for less. Budget wisely. Shop wisely. You;ll have a great meal for less.

Warm Weather Tastes

 The warmer weather brings the returns of many favorite's McDonal'd's frozen Cokes. Dairy Queen's Dilly Bars, Rit'a Italian ice, anything from the Jersey shore boardwalks. 

What's your favorite warm weather return food? Mine has to be MCDonald's frozen Coke and Bahr's frozen  chocolate covered banana from their ice cream stand. 

Let us know what yous is and get whatever it is and enjoy it!!!!!!

Beef- It's Still What's for Dinner

Could the carnivore life be making a comeback? It seems that way.More and more Americans are wanting beef on the supper table as well as on the lunch one. What used to be a vilified ingredient is now a much loved one.

Regular contributor Kim Severson delved into this in yesterday's New York times Wednesday Food section. Red meat has always been a staple of the American table, more so after the Second World War. meat consumption went up and Sundays were spent roasting London Broils in the oven or out on the grill come summer. The pace took off in the 1970's when fast food joints sprang up everywhere and hamburger consumption rose tremendously.Meat;s popular, in the ensuing decades either rose or fell , depending on the economy, health advice or dining trends.This was fine until I've years ago when meat consumption hit a wall. Now home chefs and diners wanted the new plant based - and meat tasting - substitutes. even editors at the recipe website Epicurious announced in 2021 that beef would be banished from all future content. They cited its' contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.That same year Daniel Humm of Manhattan's  eleven Madison Park would rid its' expensive ($335!!!!) tasting menus of all animal products. Other restaurants followed suit, giving health and environmentally conscious diners more plant based dishes.

What brought back the change then? It could be the keto diet that emphasizes meat or the Republican "bro" culture where red meat is king. It also has to do with Robert F> Kennedy Jr's endorsement of it. He also endorses fast foods like French fries to be fried in beef tallow. He claims tallow is better for the body than seed based oils. People who follow his Make America Healthy Again philosophy also believe this as they eliminate and preach about the evils of processed foods.One restaurant Steak N Shake is doing just that and RFK Jr and the MAGA podcaster Joe Rogen haven tried the tallow fried fries.In fact Rogen is  nothing but  a carnivore touting a diet devoid of vegetables and grains. experts say this can increase the risk of heart attacks and other health problems yet both men insist that it may be a healthier way of eating. There is no processed food. even liberals with a green agenda are embracing beef eating thanks to the nose to tail movement. It's better for the environment to eat all parts of the cow, similar to what the Europeans do. Grass fed beef is being embraced by everyone, Nicolette Hahn Niman, author or the 2014 book "Defending Beef" fights against the pollution caused by animal waste. (she also worked under Mr. Kennedy when he was an environmental lawyer).

Does this mean everyone should embrace beef and meat eating in general again. That's up to the individual and their beliefs, whether they be health or environmental. Just be wary.Meat eating does come with a lot of caveats.

Korean Comfort Food

 every country has it;s comfort food.It's eaten in childhood that brings joy til the adult year. Koreans have theirs in the form of noodles called jjangmyeon,These are black beans noodles that are not only flavorful but a jot to eat.

Regular contributor and chef, Eric KIm wrote about his childhood favorite in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Jjangmyeon  came from the Chinese zha Jiang mien wen Chinese immigrants to Korea made the dish in the early Twentieth Century.Over time the flavors has become sweeter and richer matching Korean tastes.It's hard to actually describe the flavor according to Chef Kim. It's both sweet and salty and there are variations that alter the ratio. He visited another Korean chef Keechang Kim of Dong Bo Sung in Fort Lee who slow cooks onions until they're caramelized and rendering pork fat into a cooking oil.It exudes a savory sweetness exemplified by the jet black fermented soybean paste chunjang. that'sfried in the fat , then thinned into a gravy for the noodles. CHunjan has long stood in the shadows of its' more popular cousins, gochujang and doengchang, both much used ingredients in Korean cuisine. It's different than them, resembling the taste of tiammian sauce, which is more sweet than hot.

Like other comfort foods.jjangmyeon has variations, albeit slight ones. For cookbook author Sarah Ahn, author of Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family recipes that means a splash of vinegar for acidity and a shake of gochugaru for heat, shaking up the dish's mellowness.It was a tip from her mother, Nam Soon, that surprised many Koreans  when she shared the recipe on social media. Vinegar really sin;t added to any Korean cuisine.Chef Kin's mother also has her own variation in the form of grated potato instead of the usual slurry of powdered starch and water to thicken the sauce without gloopiness.The potato's earthiness also adds to the dish's vegetal flavors.There is also charred cabbage along with the onion for flavor and substance.It also pays to get the right noodles namely the elastic and freshly made jiajang wheat noodles. Home chefs can buy these at any Asian grocery store.Regular pasta won;t work here. They;re first boiled and then rinsed off in cold water. to remove the clingy starch. They're then returned to the arm to warm up.

This is Korean comfort food.It's an easy make.It's also rich in flavor and satisfyingly good.