I knew that groceries would be expensive in Manhattan. They were expensive in NJ so thought the difference would be negligible. It was not.

Here’s my first shopping trip on the upper west side:

Grated parm: $3.91
Grapes @ $2.69/lb: $5.33
100% whole grain bread: $3.99
Jarred Pesto: $3.59
Unsalted butter: $4.39
Cottage Cheese: $3.79
Strawberries: $3.99
Nellie’s Natural Eggs: $2.69
Chicken breasts: $6.01

Now, let’s compare this to the prices of some of these at a central New Jersey Wegman’s super market:

Cottage Cheese: $2.99
Unsalted Butter: $2.79
Strawberries: $2.49
Eggs: $3.69
Grapes @ $2.49/lb
Pesto: $2.49
Bread: $2.69

Shopping Around

Now, I am sure that the prices are cheaper in the outer boroughs and plan to experiment with that at some point. There might also be cheaper grocery stores 20-30 blocks away, but then convenience and time becomes a factor as well.

Because of these prices, I have been a bit deterred from cooking at home. I did make a vodka sauce last week but the can of stewed tomatoes (14 oz) was $1.99.

Also, remember that storage space is extremely limited. Even if I could carry home a month’s worth of groceries, I have no place to put them! For this reason, I have begun buying groceries by meal, which creates added costs as well.

I have yet to figure out the most cost effective method of eating (groceries vs take out) and will have to visit some more near by markets for a better cost comparison.

Readers…

How have you handled higher-than-expected grocery costs?

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I was looking through a friend’s pasta cookbook when I saw a recipe that used strawberries, balsamic vinegar & canned tomatoes to make a pasta sauce. I had never thought of strawberries being used in that way and was immediately intrigued.

Fast forward to several months later, I stumbled upon this article about the strawberry pasta sauce. After just buying some strawberries recently, I decided to have a kitchen experiment of my own and give it a shot.

Honestly, I had my doubts, but the result turned out much better than I expected!

Note: I didn’t measure anything.

Strawberry Pasta Sauce

1. Slice up strawberries (I cut them into thirds) and cook in olive oil over medium heat
2. Add balsamic vinegar. Reduce
3. Add 1 can of pureed tomatoes & a bit of pasta water. Simmer.
4. Season with salt & pepper to taste
5. Serve over pasta with parmesan

It really is that simple. I felt it didn’t need many other spices although kosher salt & ground pepper really did help.

This is a great, quick recipe when you’re in the mood for something different!

Readers

What surprising food combinations have you had success with?

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With busy schedules, finding time to cook, especially if you do not enjoy it, can be difficult. Many “quick and easy” recipes are subjectively so. Numerous steps and ingredients can be overwhelming to someone who is used to take-out. When cooking solely for yourself, things like plating and appearance can take a back seat to quickness.

For those of you who don’t know, I spend a minimum of 13 hours a day doing work activities (including commuting) and am never home before 7p. Although I do enjoy cooking, I do not want it to occupy my entire evening. Since I am only cooking for myself, the quicker the meal is to make, the better.

Some might scoff that this isn’t a recipe at all, but we all have to start somewhere. Putting together this easypeasy pesto pasta (say that three times fast!) is still better than take-out.

Yes, I know fresh-made pesto will taste better, but it’s winter. And sometimes, there just is not time for that.

What You Need

1/4 box pasta (pick your favorite type)
2T (to taste) Pesto (Classico is good; Your local grocery store deli probably sells some as well)
Parmesan Cheese

What You Do

1. Prepare pasta as usual. Drain.
2. Stir in Pesto
3. Stir in Parmesan cheese

In under 15 minutes with absolutely no hard work and dirtying only one pot, you will have an absolutely delicious dinner. It reheats well so make extra to use it for lunch the following day.

Additions

If you have the time, you can get fancy by grilling chicken on a george foreman while the pasta water is boling, then cut that up and stir it into the pasta with pesto.

You can also add vegetables like broccoli in with the pasta and chicken.

Readers…

What is your favorite go-to meal after a long day?

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As part of my 2011 goals, I said that I would try one new recipe a week. Here’s this weeks adapted from AllRecipes.

I didn’t actually measure much of the ingredients. Instead I mixed everything together to taste, then added the chicken and made sure it was covered. The chicken does come out tasting pretty balsamic-y but I loved the taste even without searing it beforehand. It came out great on the foreman, though I am sure you could also sear full breasts on the stove then bake with potatoes/vegetables to add even more flavor to your meal. Even better, plan ahead and marinate the chicken overnight. As usual, he longer you marinate the better the flavor but mine were in for 20 minutes and tasted great!

What You Need
1/2C Balsamic Vinegar
1T Soy Sauce
1t Brown Sugar
1t Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper to taste

What You Do

1. Mix all ingredients together and marinate 3 thin sliced chicken breasts.
2. Remove chicken from marinade and put onto a pre-heated Foreman grill for several minutes.
3. Eat!

Side Dish
I served this with a super quick side of white rice. I created bonus flavor by adding 1t of Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Stock to the rice water along with 1/2T of butter. Microwave some frozen vegetables and you have a relatively healthy meal in under 30 minutes! No joke!

Change It Up

This recipe can be as simple or complex as you’d like it to be. I went the simple route because I work late and wanted something quick, easy and filling to make for dinner. If you’d like to jazz this up, feel free to tell us what you did in the comments!

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This is my go-to recipe for get-togethers. It is fast, easy, fairly affordable and all homemade. This combination is a huge crowd pleaser.

Let’s start with the pita chips. You can flavor them however you like and I encourage you to experiment with different seasonings and flavors that you like. Usually, I just stick with salt and some garlic powder then offer several dips to kick up the flavor. I have spread pesto on them as well. This is totally up to you.

Pita Chips

2 Packages of Pita Bread (white or whole wheat)
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper

1. Brush olive oil on a piece of pita to coat.
2. Sprinkle seasonings to cover. Using a pizza cutter (this is the easiest method, knife will work just the same), cut each piece of pita into 8ths.
3. Arrange closely but flat on a baking sheet.

Bake 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown

Now onto the dip! It’s best to make this dip the night before as giving the flavors time to mix together really improves the taste. I have used both canned and fresh jalapenos and really don’t see much of a difference since it is mainly used to offset the creaminess. Use the amount of jalapenos to your preference of spiciness. Kick this up with hotter peppers.

Parmesan Jalapeno Dip

2 Packages of Cream Cheese
1C Mayonnaise
1C Parmesan Cheese
2 Cans Jalapeno Peppers (3-4 Fresh Peppers)

1. Mix the cream cheese and mayo.
2. Add in the chopped, de-seeded peppers, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
3. Store in the fridge overnight. Set out to room temperature, stir and enjoy!

People are going to love you.

What is your favorite recipe when hosting a party at your home?

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Pumpkin is underrated.

It is an easy to work with ingredient that provides a subtle flavor that goes easily with everything; namely chocolate.

There simply are not enough pumpkin/chocolate combos in food. So here is my contribution to the pumpkin world.

These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are very quick to make and will be gone as soon as you set them on the table, so be sure to make a double batch.

Ingredients

1/4C vegetable oil
3/4C brown sugar
2 eggs

1C canned pumpkin
1/4C water

1 1/2C flour
3/4t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
3/4t cloves
1t cinnamon
1/2t nutmeg
1/4t salt

1/2C semi-sweet chocolate chips (4 baking squares chopped)

Directions

1. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. Mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.

Bake in a greased muffin pan at 375 degrees for 20 minutes for normal muffins
Bake in a greased mini muffin pan at 350 for 15 min for mini muffins

Notes

First, I want to make it clear that these are addictive! You’ve been warned.

I never use chocolate chips in any of my baked goods. I always stock up on baking squares when they are on sale then simply chop up 4-5 squares into little chocolate bits and add that to my batter. For these muffins I used 4 squares and that seemed to be a perfect amount.

I made two batches of these (because the first batch was gone in literally minutes). However, I used up all my cinnamon in that first batch so I switched up the second batch. I omitted the cinnamon completely and didn’t measure the other spices. I used about 1t of cloves and a hair less than that of the nutmeg. Both versions, cinnamon and cinnamon-less, came out fantastic! I actually preferred the more clove flavor which complemented the pumpkin perfectly and helped to counter the sweetness. They were definitely more flavorful than sweet (and I’m not a huge cloves fan either). The key to these, is the moisture. They taste so moist and rich on the inside. The regular sized muffins more so but the mini ones are more fun to eat.

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?

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This was my first attempt at red velvet cake and it came out extremely delicious! This recipe is easy to follow and pretty foolproof. Just be sure to mix the cocoa and food coloring thoroughly so the color is solid and not streaky.

The frosting is absolutely wonderful! I had never made frosting in this way but I plan to use it for most of my future cakes. I liked using white sugar instead of powdered as it did not come off as thick or sweet but still tasted and looked great. This is the traditional frosting for red velvet cake and it seems to fit better than cream cheese frosting.

I started with this recipe from AllRecipes and made my own changes so please follow below.

What You Need

What You Do

Cupcakes

1. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa and food coloring into a paste. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, salt and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the vegetable oil and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in cocoa mixture. Combine flour and baking powder then beat in buttermilk mixture alternately with flour mixture, just until incorporated.
4. Pour batter into two greased cupcake pans.
5. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes.

Classic Frosting

1. In a saucepan, combine the milk and flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, then stir in the cooled milk/flour mixture, beating until icing reaches spreading consistency.

Enjoy!

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Quesadillas are not only quick and easy, but also flexible!

What You Need (Core)
2 Tortillas
Shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, your preference)
Mexican seasoning (you better use mine!)

What You Do (3 Options)
1. Toaster Oven: Put quesadilla in toaster oven and toast until cheese melts
2. Oven: Put quesadilla on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10 mins or until cheese melts
3. Stove Top: With olive oil on a pan, place your quesadilla and cook for ~10 minutes then flip

Add-Ins
Chicken
Rice
Corn
Peppers
Onions
Black beans
Anything!

This recipe is so flexible it’s ridiculous! You can add pretty much any vegetable inside your quesadilla, just allow for longer cooking times. I suggest sprinkling the mexican seasoning on any of the additional items you prepare. Rub it on the chicken, sprinkle over peppers, etc. If you get the quesadilla pretty stuffed, just one or two triangles will be more than enough to fill you up. Feel free to serve with sour cream and guacamole as well.

Share your favorite quesadilla combinations!

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These pancakes have the perfect amount of flavor and density. It is more common for me to have beer than milk on hand, so I directly substitute the two. I actually prefer the flavor as it creates a perfect counter to the sweetness. You barely need any toppings on these lil’ pancakes. They melt in your mouth, are a perfect texture and a perfect sweetness.

What You Need

1 egg
1C white or wheat flour
3/4C Yeungling (or any light-medium flavored beer)
1T white sugar
2T vegetable oil
3t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 capful of vanilla

What You Do

1. Beat egg with a fork until fluffy
2. Beat in everything else just until smooth
3. Grease a frying pan with butter/oil and pour 1/4C of batter into pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon then cook as normal.

Once you try these, let me know what you think!

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These oatmeal cookies are simply amazing! They do not have raisins (yay!) and do not have chocolate (sadness) but are still tasty and sweet.

The key ingredient here are Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips. They may be hard to find. The only grocery store in my central New Jersey area that carries them is Wegman’s. I usually stock up on them when I go.

Here’s the recipe!

What You Need

2 sticks of butter, softened
1C brown sugar
1/3C white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2t vanilla

1 1/2C flour
1t baking soda
2 1/2C quick oats
1pkg Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips

What You Do

1. Beat butter and sugars until creamy; Add eggs and vanilla
2. Stir in flour and baking soda
3. Stir in oats and cinnamon chips

Bake at 325 for 12 minutes.

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