4 star menu-for fewer than 4 bucks

Here are some simple items that can turn your everyday grocery list into something resembling a 4 star menu-for fewer than 4 bucks:

1. Off-Brand Orange Marmalade $2-3
Why spend the money on high-end (read: expensive) orange marmalade if you’re just using it as a glaze for meat or adding it into a dessert? To get the flavor benefit without the added cost, try adding orange marmalade to an oozing round of soft cheese that has been warmed in the oven, and then top it off with candied walnuts or toasted pine nuts. Serve with crackers. Also, mix with an equal part of mustard and rub on salmon, pork or chicken.

2. Fresh Dill $2-2.50
Some people think that being able to draw from a collection of herbs and spices is the secret to great cooking. That may be, but quality not quantity is the key to sealing your foodie cred. Those herbs that are browning away on your spice rack aren’t doing anything for a dish’s flavor profile. The trick to making effective use of any herbs is freshness and dill can add a delicious subtle touch to all sorts of dishes. Try mixing it with plain cream cheese and spread on crackers or bagel chips, topped with smoked salmon, diced tomatoes and red onions.

3. Asian Chili Paste $3.59
There’s nothing quite like the fiery high note of chili paste to give a dish depth and make it more interesting. Look for it in the market with the name Sambal Oelek. Sambal Oelek is unique as a flavoring ingredient because it is typically made up only of chilies with no other additives. Add lime and sugar and you’ve got sweet Indonesian dipping sauce. Add to mayo for an Asian aioli which makes a fab spread on toasted bread with any sandwich filling. Or serve alongside Gyoza (Japanese noodle dumplings).

4. Whole Grain Mustard $4.50
Move beyond the French’s and explore some more exotic mustard varieties. While there are a variety of mustards, from sweet honey to Chinese to Dijon available to you, Maille has a flavor and texture that adds interest to everything from sausage to deli sandwiches to salad dressings and sauces. And you only need a little. Make your own salad dressing: A dab of mustard, some red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a bit of honey can dress up even the most garden variety salad. Add herbs for variation.

5. Fresh Ginger Root $1.50
Ginger always seems to get overlooked in favor of its admittedly amazing cousin, garlic. But that’s a shame. Ginger has depth, round edges and an almost citric bite that, as Asian cooks have long known, goes great with fresh and cheap ingredients. Make a ginger dressing by combining ginger with sesame oil and rice vinegar and either mix by hand or in a blender. Add your dressing to a coleslaw mix to make an Asian slaw. Or serve it alongside Ahi Tuna Tartar for the kind of appetizer found in many high-end restaurants, no cooking required.

6. Risotto $4
It sounds fancy but Risotto takes less than 20 minutes to make and can be a great way to use up leftover vegetables, cheese or even seafood or sausage. Just add about 1/4 cup of whatever topping you like to each serving right before putting it on the plate. Classic combos include mushrooms and Parmesan, sausage and tomato or shrimp and peas.

7. Greek Yogurt $2
There’s no reason to use plain yogurt when you can get the rich, unsweetened Greek variety instead. Use in dips, cream sauces, roll-ups, and desserts. Combine with mint, garlic and lemon to taste and serve alongside hummus, pita and chopped veggies. You might not think so but Greek Yogurt is also perfect for cooking Indian style yogurt chicken.

8. Vinegar $1-1.50
Vinegar is cheap but it can transform ordinary root vegetables into taste sensations. Start with the cheapest carrots, beets and onions you can find and make pickles by briefly boiling them, then cooling in ice. Add vinegar and sugar and you’re done.

9. Eggs $2-4
Okay so even if you aren’t much of a gourmet, you’ve probably got eggs on hand and if not you definitely should. This staple is both versatile and still relatively inexpensive even if you go for the free-range or organic variety. But don’t be confined to serving them sunny side up or scrambled. Go gourmet by poaching them for an Eggs Benedict or Salad Lyonnaise (eggs on a frisee salad with bacon). Eggs can be added to casseroles, used as the binding agent in veggie burgers or make their way into a frittata for a festive Sunday brunch. For a quick frittata, beat 4 or 5 eggs, and then scramble slightly with spinach and mushrooms. Bake in the pan in the oven until solid.

Once you’ve got these ingredients stocked in your pantry, look to sites like GourmetSleuth.com, EzEating.net, or SimplyRecipes for more great ideas on what to do with them.

FROM MINT.COM

The best kitchen gadget .

The best kitchen gadget .
Originally uploaded by calamitysue

This is such a great gadget!

gordita presses

gordita presses
Originally uploaded by Texas to Mexico

Found these great little gordita presses in the Mercado Juarez, Torreon. They have many uses in the kitchen...panini, grilled cheeses, burgers, the list goes on. At 19 pesos each a real deal too!

Uploaded by Texas to Mexico on 13 Oct 07, 7.52AM PDT.

Got Lunch?

Got Lunch?
Originally uploaded by plecojan

This little guy's very cute, but there's something moderately disturbing about a chick mutilating an egg.

(TWTME Scavenger Hunt)

Uploaded by plecojan on 24 Sep 07, 7.14AM PDT.

design - steel bookmark

design - steel bookmark for italian restaurant
Originally uploaded by marcolucidi

steel bookmark made by myself (design and production) for my client (chef of italian restaurant www.ilplatina.it. The current price is 3€ (customisation available with surface printing or incision)

Uploaded by marcolucidi on 26 Mar 08, 10.15AM PDT.

My Two Most Used Kitchen Gadgets

My Two Most Used Kitchen Gadgets
Originally uploaded by Care_SMC

The whisk and the Pampered Chef chopper-upper thingamajig

Fresh Salsa

What you will need:
One chopper upper thingamajig (or a sharp knife and steady hand)
One bowl
One spoon
One pair rubber gloves (for handling the peppers)

Ingredients:
4-6 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
2-4 sorrento peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp minced fresh cilantro
4 green onions, finely chopped, greens included
1 tsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients and refridgerate for at least an hour before eating.

Then enjoy!

Uploaded by Care_SMC on 17 Aug 07, 4.52PM PDT.

Eatmecrunchy Bowl

I love gadgets that solve the big problems in life and what can be more troublesome than eating a bowl of soggy cereals in the morning. Yeah your first few spoonfuls might have their intended crunchiness but after that its all downhill and your morning meal gets soggier and soggier. But help is at hand, with the Eatmecrunchy Bowl.

The concept behind this revolutionary breakfast bowl is forehead-slappingly simple. A removable shelf covers 70% of the bowl’s base, holding the cereal above the milk. All you have to do is eat your cereal from the shelf-less section of the bowl where the cereal and milk meet, pushing the cereal in as required. Brilliant!

You can buy the Eatmecrunchy Bowl for $10.20 (£4.95) from Firebox, long may the crunchy breakfast continue.

Slip-In Cup Holder

Now here’s a home improvement idea that organizes space in your kitchen cabinets without the need for a single tool.

No nails, no screws…just instant space in your kitchen cabinets! Slide the slip-in cup holder over a shelf in your cabinet to quickly create an out-of-the-way place for up to a dozen cups, leaving extra storage space below.

The Slip-In Cup Holder retails for $7.95.

Roll & Store Pin

Get organized and neat with the Roll & Store Pin. This rolling pin features removable handles allowing for convenient storage of cookie cutters. Each rolling pin includes 9 fun shaped cookie cutters in assorted colors and shapes: red, orange and yellow; star, bunny rabbit, heart, duck, boy, girl, butterfly, and shamrock. Fill with ice to prevent dough from sticking when using the rolling pin. Dishwasher safe.

Edge Brownie Pan

For corner brownie fans and chewy edge lovers, it's a dream come true -- a gourmet brownie pan that adds two chewy edges to every serving! It's the Edge Brownie Pan from Baker's Edge, and it's the first (and only) brownie pan specifically designed for chewy edge lovers. The pan's patented sidewalls also improve baking performance by circulating heat evenly to the pan's middle, where food typically takes longer to bake. The size is just right -- 9" x 12" x 2", so it's a perfect fit for box mixes and most recipes for 9" x 9" and 9" x 13" conventional pans. The hefty cast aluminum construction adds durability and the unique recessed handles make the pan easy to grab when it's turned upside down. The pan also has a quality nonstick coating and smooth, round corners for quick and easy clean-up. Widely acclaimed for its innovation and quality since its launch in 2006, the Edge Brownie Pan has quickly become one of the most talked-about new products in bakeware. The pan has received rave reviews by more than 200 magazines, newspapers, and blogs. Units are individually boxed and come complete with a gourmet recipes insert and a custom nylon spatula.

Toast a logo

If you are tired with the ordinary type toaster that just toasts the bread with hint of anything special, then you could be looking for something like the Pop Art Toaster. Instead of just serving up a boring piece of over done toast, this toaster allows you to personalize each slice to suit your mood or the occasion that might be on a certain day, like birthdays or anniversaries.

Pop Art is a style of painting and printing which goes back to the sixties/seventies, however the toaster does not really produce a piece of art, but the pop part I suppose is where the toast pops up and the art is, well you get my drift here, it is all in the name.

The toaster itself is conventional apart from the fact that you are able to burn a pattern onto the toast, there are six designs so there is always a choice etc, this toaster puts the fun into breakfast this is especially when there are kids waiting for breakfast and you want encourage them to eat something healthy, with its simple operation and the plates are removable which means the pattern can be changed as you wish, makes this toaster an exciting addition to the kitchen.

The toaster features: 6 design plates, which create these patterns on your toast: double hearts, LUV U, flower, snowflake, cake and smiley face, 12 toasting levels, reheat and frozen, slide-out crumb tray, size 7-1/2Hx6-3/4Wx11L and comes in red, black, white, and blue.

The Pop Art toaster is priced at around $35

Talking Message Magnet

This is a cool fridge magnet, the Discovery Message Magnet Set, it functions as both a fridge magnet (not that a fridge magnet has any particular useful function) and you use it to record messages for different members of the family.

The message magnet has 6 buttons which are used to play/record 10 second messages to other people in the household. Each button is also a picture frame so you can personalise it accordingly. So next time you go to the pub you can leave a message for the kids “Do your homework!”, message for the mother-in-law “Do the ironing/flat hunting!” and a message for the partner “I’ll be back after last orders”.

The Discovery Channel is selling the message magnet for $19.95, thanks RGS for the tip.