City Kitchen Chronicles: An Omelette

City Kitchen Chronicles is a bi-weekly column about living frugally in Manhattan. It's penned by the lovely Jaime.Today I bring you a recipe – which didn’t start out as a recipe or an attempt at anything other than a quick, healthy breakfast – that was so good that when I got up to take my plate to the sink I said, out loud, in my empty apartment, “Holy crap that was good!”But to backtrack a bit... I think I’ve written before of my love and appreciation for beet greens. Love because they’re tasty. Appreciation because they’re healthy and, if you’re lucky, free.Beet greens are my very own urban foraging. No, I’m not picking them wild in the park and growing from cracks in the sidewalk. I’m foraging them, discarded, from the refuse crates under...

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Posted in: Breakfast,City Kitchen Chronicles,Eggs,Vegetarian

Tuesday Megalinks: The Day After Edition

Ask Metafilter: How can I update my menu without breaking the bank?FireStyle is really, really good at staying within a tightly-defined monthly food budget, but he (or she) is bored to tears with the dinner lineups. Here, he (or she) asks for menu help and gets it in spades. Tons of good suggestions from AskMeta readers.Ask Metafilter: What’s Your Secret Tip for Saving Money at the Grocery Store?Call me crazy, but this thread seemed especially relevant today. It’s a compendium of all the tricks floating around the web, plus a few you might not have heard of. (Thanks to Get Rich Slowly for the link.)Baltimore Sun: 'Ace of Cakes' fans have a thing for bakery artist Geof ManthorneDuff’s 2nd banana has become Charm City’s First Stud. What I love...

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Posted in: Links

Parmesan Crisps: Good Things

As I write this, the economy is collapsing, our presidential hopefuls are becoming increasingly venomous, the 2008 New York Mets are embarking on a not-entirely unexpected early vacation, and Earth is getting used to the absence of one Mr. Paul Newman, who will henceforth be lighting up the Great Beyond with those beautiful baby blues.How was everyone else’s weekend?In all seriousness, mine was good, but it’s getting a little tougher to remain optimistic in the face of bigger, badder issues. Between 24-hour news channels and the internet’s constant flow of depressing information, catastrophes are being hurtled at us more frequently, and the accompanying commentary is louder and nastier than ever before. Good times.Howevah, sweet readers, to...

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Posted in: 15 Minutes or Less,Desserts and Snacks,Vegetarian

Grape and Feta Salad with Rosemary: Salad for Salad Haters

I am not a salad girl.Sure, I’ll order a side salad on occasion. And in days gone by, I frequented a local deli for their thoroughly filling version of Caesar’s greenery. Yet, I never, ever seek out salads at restaurants, and will only rarely throw one together as part of dinner. In general, I believe for a salad to be really good, it has to be drenched with pecans, cranberries, cheese, and dressing, OR located on top of a burger.Don’t ask, then, why Serious Eats/Cook Illustrated’s Grape and Feta Salad with Rosemary salad appealed to me. I have no idea. As a beleaguered Mets fan (who was at last night’s game and almost froze to death but does not regret it ONE SINGLE BIT), I’ve been making a lot of strange, emotional decisions lately. Like...

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Posted in: 15 Minutes or Less,Sides,Vegetarian

Veggie Might: Don’t Fear the Bean Curd (Tofu!)

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.With the popularity of shock-cuisine shows like No Reservations and Bizarre Foods, eating insects, entrails, and genitalia is all the rage. Not that it’s anything new. My family has been eating livermush for years, but no one is signing my dad up for sixteen episodes on TLC. My mom just regaled me with a delightful story of her first haggis experience, and well, I doubt Bourdain is interested in a sidekick who also enjoys canned olives.But I don’t get it. Why is feasting on guts and bugs considered adventurous, but no one on Top Chef would dare cook a vegetarian entrée even when given an all vegetable menu? Is tofu really that disgusting?...

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Posted in: Cooking,Veggie Might

CHG Favorites of the Week

Food Blog of the WeekIn the Kitchen and On the Road With DorieWhile she only updates it a few times a month, this lovely blog from cookbook author/baking expert Greenspan is a relaxing, worthwhile escape from the frenzy of the usual web browsing. Also, there’s Bacon-Cheddar Quickbread with Dried Pears. To quote the bard, “NOM NOM NOM.”Food Comedy of the WeekCreative Food SculpturesThe things people can do with a head of lettuce will amaze you and wow your surrounding office workers. My favorite – the pic on the right. Oh, the humanity!Food Quote of the Week"Too few people understand a really good sandwich." –James BeardFood Quote of the Week #2"I am not a glutton. I am an explorer of food." – Erma BombeckFood Quote of the Week #3"Could we have...

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Posted in: Links

15 Reasons I Gain(ed) Weight (And Two Reasons I Didn’t)

Get Fit Slowly posted a great piece last week called "A Dinner Conversation," wherein blogger Macdaddy described exactly how and why he put on the pounds. Essentially, he recalled a pattern of poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle choices established at an early age. Today, it’s taking all his resources and know-how to correct those learned behaviors, but he’s doing it. (Viva la him!)Macdaddy’s story inspired me to think of my own reasons for gaining weight. Because, make no mistake – eating is a physical action, but the motivations behind overeating are largely emotional. (Or at least, that’s what Oprah says.) Those mental hangups made this a difficult post to write, because it forced me to confront some of my shortcomings, like carelessness,...

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Posted in: About Cheap Healthy Good,Health

Tuesday Megalinks

Aprovechar: 6 Unconventional Elements of My Weight LossReally neat observations on the unexpected side effects of Sally’s lifestyle changes. Number one? She doesn’t watch TV anymore, and she’s much happier for it. Nice read. (Thanks to Get Fit Slowly for the link.)Blunt Money: 45 Jars of Spaghetti Sauce LaterIn which bulk shopping is taken to its natural extreme, with excellent results. Hey, if you’re gonna use it, there’s no harm in stocking up, right?Casual Kitchen: Ten Tips to Save Money on Spices and Seasonings - The Spice Series, Part 2More excellent tips from Dan about avoiding spice-related rip-off. Trick #5, “…and Don’t Worry About ‘Spice Fade’” is controversial, but well-argued.Culinate: Learning to Cook - Everybody has to start somewhereWriter...

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Posted in: Links

Black Bean Brownies: Bride of Frankenfood

I rejoined Weight Watchers for the 45,000th time recently, to knock off those final 10 pounds that continue to be the bane of my existence. As a repeated on-and-off member, I’m intimately familiar with their online message boards, no doubt one of the best tools for meeting-shy dieters (sorry … lifestyle changers) like myself. Thread frequenters are a supportive crew, and you’ll find no better cheerleaders than those who know exactly what you’re going through.Occasionally, though, some of their recipe suggestions kind of freak me out. Don’t get me wrong – there’s a cornucopia of excellent-looking meals, made from fresh ingredients and ingeniously altered to take less of a toll on one’s waistline. Yet, ultra-processed creations abound as well,...

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Posted in: Desserts and Snacks,Vegetarian

Tzatziki Poetry Corner (Plus a Tzatziki Recipe)

Today, I will be expressing my feelings for Kalyn’s Kitchen’s tzatziki entirely in haiku.Tzatziki, so cold.With cucumber and lemon.Good on all food, yo.Goes with souvlaki,pita, gyros, cereal.'kay, not that last one.Sweet tzatziki,exceedingly hard to spell.Must look up online.Versatilityis thy name, low-fat yogurt.My stomach, it smiles.Dill weed, finally,I have found a use for you.You spoil so quickly.Ate it all this week.Boyfriend asks for other dip.I say “tough cookies.”Please, dearest readers.Excuse my photography.I suck at pictures.And that’s it for this week’s edition of Poetry Corner. Yet, before we adjourn to our recipe, a few notes:1) Here’s something I learned: 3 cups of regular low-fat yogurt, when drained, will turn into 2 cups of...

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Posted in: Dips and Sauces,Vegetarian

Veggie Might: Camp Stove Veggie Chili

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.Greetings from Stunning Jackson Hole, Wyoming™.I’ve used that phrase so many times in the past few days I’ve decided to trademark it. Or at least the Jackson tourism board should start giving me commission. Either way, I’m writing this post after four days the shadow of the Grand Tetons, and I still can’t believe my eyes.As you may have guessed, I’m on vacation. One of my good friends from college, AD, lives here in Jackson. An East Coast transplant with an outdoorsy streak, she’s done a great job of acclimating to the western life and extreme weather of high mountain country. Of course, she’s also hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, so there’s...

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Posted in: Chili,Mains,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

CHG Favorites of the Week

Food Blog of the WeekThe Amateur GourmetAdam D. Roberts waxes poetic about all things food, often to hilarious effect. His most popular post, “Chutzpah, Truffles, and Alain Ducasse,” deserves every accolade out there, and his most recent, the stomach-churning “My Worst Restaurant Experience, Ever” will make you thank your lucky stars you only found part of a rubber glove in a burger once.Food Comedy of the WeekAnal Retentive ChefThe late, great Phil Hartman would have been 60 next week. In tribute, here’s one of his greatest creations.Food Organization of the WeekCapital Area Food Bank of TexasHurricane Ike devastated large swaths of the Lone Star State, and CAFBT is right in there, helping with aid and supplies. You can donate on their site, and follow their progress through their excellent...

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Posted in: Links

Angus Anguish: Is Angus Beef Worth the Money?

Within the last few years, Angus beef has leapt beyond a little known, well-respected meat to an omnipresent leviathan. From Food Lion to McDonald’s to that dinky Irish Pub half a block from the bank, it’s become the go-to beef for discerning (and not-so-discerning) dining establishments, as well as freezers across our fair nation. In fact, the way things are going, it’s just a matter of time before lunch ladies offer Angus Tacos instead of Mystery Meat Tacos on Taco Tuesdays.But what exactly IS Angus beef? Why has it become so popular lately? Does it really taste better than regular beef? Is it healthier? Is it worth paying higher prices for? Let’s discuss.Q: What is Angus beef?A: It’s not, as some have suggested, bovine anus. Nor is it a...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Dining Out,Frugality

City Kitchen Chronicles: There is No Free Breakfast

by JaimeLast week I got the chance to represent CHG at the Starbucks Better Breakfast Hour, a blogger event described to us as “the opportunity to chat with other bloggers about breakfast trends and the importance of starting off your morning with a healthy routine,” but, let’s be honest, I saw as, “ooh, free breakfast and maybe I’ll meet Adam Roberts.”Adam Roberts wasn’t there but Ed Levine was! And he was awesome. And there was also a lot of breakfasty food to try and good conversation on healthy vs. healthier, and a lot of me thinking about marketing. And I got a free Americano. (The thing about Starbucks generously upgrading your tall Americano to a grande is that while that’s nice and all, it also means you’re getting double the caffeine!...

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Posted in: City Kitchen Chronicles,Dining Out,Frugality,Health