​Eggplant is one of my favorite veggies because it is easy to cook and you can make a number of different dishes with it. This time I thought about stacking them and fill them with something. A light bulb in my head said girl, make a yummy stew ground pork, fill the layers and top them with parmigiana Reggiano cheese. Hello!
 
Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Approximate Cost: $6.86 or $2.29 per serving
Difficulty Level:         Easy __X__ Intermediate ____ Advanced
Servings: 3
 
Ingredients
1 medium size (1 lb.) eggplant ($1.75)
1 tbsp. sea or kosher salt (.10)
1 tbsp. olive oil to shallow fry the eggplant slices (.35)
1 egg white whisked (.16)
 
½ lb. ground pork ($2.35)
½ tbsp. Angie’s dried seasoning (.35)
1 tsp. olive oil to cook the ground pork (.35)
1 tbsp. dried onion and 1 tbsp. of dried garlic flakes or powder (.50)
2 tbsp. diced fire roasted tomatoes (.35)
1 tbsp. tomato sauce (.25)
1 tbsp. Spanish olives (.35)
 
Directions
Wash, cut the eggplant in ½ inch slices, set them in a wire rack, sprinkle with salt generously on both sides to make them sweat. (That takes any bitter away from them)
Season the ground pork with ½ tbsp. Angie’s dried seasoning.
Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to a skillet to cook the ground pork. And break the pork pieces.
Add the dried onion, garlic, and when almost done, add the roasted diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir until blend and add the olives and chopped parsley or any other herb you may have at home.
Go back to the eggplant, wash the salt quickly and pat them dry completely.
Brush them with egg white.
Shallow fry them 2 or 3 disks at a time in a skillet with olive oil. Set aside to drain.
Ready to arrange your sandwich by adding a handful of spinach to a plate, top with an eggplant disk, top with ground pork and cheese, cover with another disk and do it all over again.

Another chicken tenders dish that you can elevate by wrapping the tenders with bacon. The dish is not complicated at all, cooks in no time and tastes amazing. By the way, have you noticed that is also ridiculously economical at $4.74/serving? Try it.
 
Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: About 35 minutes
Approximate Cost: $18.95 or $4.74 per serving
Difficulty Level:    X     Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced
Servings: 4
 
Ingredients for the Herb Pasta
12 chicken tenders ($8.50)
12 slices of bacon (plus) ($2.25)
1 lb. of Premium Quality Angel Hair pasta ($2.45)
2 tbsp. Olive oil (.65)
5 garlic cloves, chopped (.30)
1 large onion chopped (.45)
1 tbsp. chopped Cilantro (.15)
1 tbsp. chopped Oregano (.15)
1 tbsp. chopped Parsley (.15)
1 tbsp. chopped Basil (.15)
½ tbsp. chopped Rosemary (.15)
1 tbsp. chopped Scallions (.15)
1 tbsp. Lemon pepper (.30)
¼ cup Lemon Juice (.15)
1 cup chicken broth – more as needed ($1.00)
¼ cup white wine ($2.00)
Some of the bacon drippings saved when you baked the tenders.
 
Directions
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Season the tenders with lemon pepper evenly to taste. Wrap them in bacon placing them in a greased grill tray, seam side down. (Usually, one slice will be enough to wrap the tenders; however, if needed, add more.)
 
Bake for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is done and the bacon crispy.
 
In med heat, add olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until light golden.
Add all the chopped herbs and cook for about 1 minute.
Carefully, add white wine, lemon juice, lemon pepper, chicken broth, and cook for about four minutes until some of the liquid evaporate. Reduce the heat to med low.
Cook the pasta according to the pack directions. Keep warm until the tenders are done.
Drain the pasta and add to the herbs sauce. Mix well, you are looking for a moisty yummy comforting look. Therefore, to adjust the desired texture, add more chicken broth and bacon drippings to taste for extra flavor.
Chop more scallions and basil to garnish before serving.
 
Note: The flavors are so good that I did not use Parmigiano Reggiano cheese as I always do, however, you are welcome to use any cheese of your choice.

This is yet another meal that not only tastes delicious but you can cook it in no time. You could easily make it when you really want a meal that looks appealing and smells amazing, especially, when friends are coming over, smile.
 
Oh, and don’t be intimidated by the ingredients list, only 3 of them are important, the others are basic.
  
Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: Under 30 minutes
Approximate Cost: $22.30 or $5.58 per serving
Difficulty Level:    X     Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced
Servings: 4 (three pieces per serving)
 
Ingredients
12 chicken tenders ($8.50)
12 slices of bacon (plus) ($2.25)
12 Baby Bella mushrooms sliced ($1.45)
5 garlic cloves, chopped (.30)
1 large onion chopped (.45)
2 tbsps. capers (drained) (.25)
½ cup red wine ($2.00)
½ cup beef stock ($1.00)
1 tbsp. Lemon pepper (.30)
2 cups Quinoa ($2.65)
2 Avocados ($2.50)
2 tbsp. Olive oil (.65)
 
Directions
Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.
 
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Season the tenders with lemon pepper evenly to taste, wrap them in bacon place them in a greased grill rack-tray, seam side down. (Usually, one slice will be enough to wrap the tenders; however, if needed, add more.)
 
Bake for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is done and the bacon crispy.
 
Meantime, add the olive oil to a skillet to sauté the chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms until golden brown.
 
When done, remove from stove and carefully, add the wine. Bring it back to a boil and add the beef stock and capers. Reduce the heat to simmer until the sauce thickens a bit.
 
HACK: (Or you can mix 1 tsp. of cornstarch with 1 tbsp. of water, add it to the sauce and bring it to a quick boil again to thicken the sauce quicker.)
 
By now your tenders are done, your quinoa is ready and all you need to do is to transfer the tenders into the sauce, slice the avocados and cut some herbs from your garden to garnish the plates. Enjoy!

My Cami did it again. Last year she made chocolate macaroons and I posted them. This year, she has been busy making meringue’s and asked me; Bela, do you want me to make some to post them in your Blog? I replied, of course baby lets’ do this. So here they are, Cami’s Meringues and her recipe, I am so proud! Enjoy.
HAPPY 13th BIRTHDAY tomorrow CAMI.
 
Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: Prep 25 minutes, Cook and rest for 2 hours
Approximate Cost: $3.58 or .10 cents a piece
Difficulty Level:   __X__ Intermediate 
Servings: 35 +
 
Meringue recipe: By Cami Fuerst

Ingredients
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar (.15)
3/4 cup sugar (.40)
3 egg (only use the whites at room temperature) (.48)
1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract ($1.45)
¼ cup of chocolate chips (optional) (.95)
1 tbsp. Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup (optional) we did not use cocoa powder) (.15)

Directions for the Vanilla, Baby Chocolate Chips and Swirl Merengue’s:
1.) Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit

2.) Crack 3 egg, into a medium sized bowl (use only the whites). Mix until it forms stiff peaks.

3.) Add the cream of tartar and mix until blends. (DON'T over mix).

4.) Gradually pour in the sugar a tablespoon at a time and mix until the batter becomes shiny and has stiff peaks.

5.) Now add in vanilla extract.

6.) Next, grab a baking tray and cover it with parchment paper.
At this point if you want to make my chocolate swirl meringue’s, please divide the batter in three. Use one third for regular (white) vanilla meringue’s. Then use one third to fold in the baby chocolate chips; and use the final third to pipe into the parchment paper mold, add a slight drop of Dark Chocolate Syrup and with a toothpick, move around to create the swirl.

7.) Grab 2 spoons and spoon the meringue batter, one meringue at a time, onto the tray, each meringue should be about the size of an egg. Or spoon some of the batter into a plastic bag; remove the air completely, cut a tiny hole in one corner and pipe your meringue’s onto the parchment tray. (This will not work with the batter that you added baby chocolate chips, for that one, just spoon it onto the tray.)

8.) Pop the meringues in the oven and let them cook at 250 degrees for 1 hour. After the 1 hour is up, turn off the oven. (BUT DON'T OPEN THE OVEN!) Leave the meringues in the oven for an hour until they become completely dry on the top.


9.) Eat and enjoy!!! Cami.
 
 
 

With this hurricane Irma bringing so much rain, I felt it was time for a comforting soup. Lentils came to mind immediately; and they are one of the most nutritious legumes available. They cook fast and can be eaten in stews with pork or chicken; in salads, and soups. Today, I decided to cook my lentils with rotisserie lemon pepper chicken as well as rotisserie homemade chicken stock.  Delicious!
 
Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 45 minutes to one hour
Approximate Cost: $10.44 or $2.61 per serving
Difficulty Level:         Easy __X__ Intermediate ____ Advanced
Servings: 4
 
Ingredients to make the Lentil Stew ($7.89)
2 cups of organic green dried lentils ($1.89)
8 cups of homemade chicken stock (0)
2 plus chicken or beef powdered flavor bouillon (.65)
2 stalks Chopped celery (.35)
2 tbsp. minced dried onion (.65)
Rotisserie chicken ($2.00)
1 tbsp. olive oil (.35)
2 ears of fresh bi-color corn ($2.00)
 
Ingredients to make Stock: ($2.55)
1 cup Herbs: I used basil, flat leave parsley and Cuban oregano (.65)
1 large onion (.40)
5 cloves of fresh garlic (.80)
3 celery stalks (.35)
3 sweet peppers “ajicitos” (.35)
8 cups of water (0)
 
Directions to make the Lentil Soup
Sort and rinse the lentils.
In a large stock pot, add the 8 cups of water or use chicken stock instead. Add one bouillon, the lentils and corn.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and then cover with the lid tilted for about 45 minutes until tender.
(This time however, I used my pressure cooker and since it cooks faster, my lentils were done in about 20 minutes. It all depends on your stove, mine is gas and cooks very well).
While the lentils soften, work with the rotisserie chicken, remove all skin and the bones.
(You will need both thighs for the stew). Chop or shred the thighs and set aside to add to the lentils.
In a skillet with olive oil, sauté the chopped celery, when golden brown, add the chicken, 1 powdered bouillon and carefully, add about a cup of the lentils water or chicken stock if you have it in the fridge). Taste to adjust the salt, you may keep it as is, or add more bouillon powder to taste. Bring to a boil and pour the whole thing into the lentils stock pot.
Bring to another light boil and if the lentils are tender to your like, you are ready to plate.
 
Directions to make the chicken stock
In a stock pot add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and sauté all the stock listed ingredients.
Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Reduce and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from stove and when the stock is at room temperature, strain to obtain a clean liquid stock.
Refrigerate and use within a week in soups, stews, beans or warm broth with a sandwich.
 
HACK:
Save the 2 breasts for chicken salad and/or sandwiches on another day.
Save the 2 drums for a snack lunch any day you wish, smile.
Save all the bones to make stock to use during the week. 

I never get enough of frittatas, especially if they come with crostini’s and fresh fruits. They are also one of the easiest and nice looking breakfast to make. Today, I used an old school, comfort food ingredient, Spam. SERIOUSLY? YEP!  Don’t have time now? No worries, plan to make it over the weekend to reward yourself and your family, they will love you even more.
 
Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Approximate Cost: $11.05 or $2.76 per serving
Difficulty Level:     X    Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced
Servings: 4 large pieces or 8 smaller portions (smile)
 
Ingredients
5 to 6 large Eggs (.80)
¼ cup milk or cream (.35)
1 ½ tsp. Adobo (.15)
2 tbsp. dried onions (.30)
10 baby new potatoes (cooked, and diced or cubed small) ($1.25)
½ of a 7-oz. can of Spam dice in miniature piece ($1.00)
1 ½ cup of Mexican Four Cheeses blend ($2.25)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter stick (.45)
Assorted fruits, strawberries and blueberries ($2.75)
French bread (1.75)
 
Directions
Wash, dice and cook the potatoes in a saucepan until tender.
 
Dice the Spam and cook in med low in a non-stick skillet until brown. Drain any fat and set aside.

In large bowl, add eggs, milk, Adobo, dried onions and whisk until all ingredients are mixed, then add the cheese and stir to mix.
 
In the non-stick skillet where you brown the Spam, add ½ tbsp. of unsalted butter until it melts, then pour the egg mixture. Cover and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes in low heat until the frittata top is set and cooked. I have a frittata skillet so is easier to flip it without risks to drop it, smile.
 
Prepare your crostini bread with the unsalted butter leftover (you don’t need that much salt anyway, the Spam and Adobo made your quota, ha, ha, ha).
 
NOTE: You can sprinkle extra cheese on top of each frittata when serving.