Saturday, June 16, 2007

CALLING ALL CHEFS

I have a challenge for you. Let me explain it.

This last winter, I visited our local food bank because they were looking for volunteer teachers. They wanted people who could help the food bank customers make meals out of the food they’ve been given. “So here’s a bag of peppers, and here are some great ways you can cook them….” That kind of thing. Even though I knew that creating simple recipes was something I would really love to do, I decided not to volunteer at that point because I was so incredibly busy.

Then my husband lost his job.

Then summer came, and I was out of a job.

Then on Tuesday, I became one of the food bank customers myself.

Finding those recipes is suddenly a very pressing matter.

So here is my challenge for you. Over the next few months, I’ll give you some ingredients and see what you can make out of them.

Challenge #1: You have one dollar and a 10-pound sack of potatoes. You do not need to use that dollar to buy: oil, salt, or pepper. Give me one recipe. Let’s see how creative you can be.

One thing I realized I could make was my Tortilla de Patatas recipe. One onion is 79 cents, and this recipe only calls for one tablespoon of chopped onion. Eggs are 99 cents a dozen, and this recipe calls for three.

What can you do?

7 comments:

Carissa said...

I would use the dollar to buy rosemary or basil seeds, grow my own herbs, and then make these:

Seasoned Potato Chips

cut very thin potato slices, brush them with olive oil, and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Flip slices, brush again, and then dust with salt, pepper, and basil or rosemary. Bake for another 10 minutes.

For pictures visit: http://carissakali.blogspot.com/2007/03/seasoned-potato-chips.html

Rebecita said...

I was going to make a similar suggestion of my favorite way to cook potatoes! I cut thick slices and bake at about 400, so they're roasted but not crunchy like chips. And where I live, rosemary grows like weeds everywhere you look, so it won't even cut into my dollar :)

Thanks for linking to my blog, by the way! I'm really overdue in updating, but I have lots of of recipes itching to be added...

The International Chef of Mystery said...

Yay! I am so glad to hear your ideas. I've made it halfway through my ten pound bag of potatoes, and I'm going to try your ideas next.

looopy said...

as far as the eggs in your tortillas recipe go, try to bank the money on egg replacer. it's about $5, but the can lasts forever and really works in recipes!

alternatively, the $1 would go pretty far if you buy spices in small amounts from a place like vitamin cottage or the spice shop (downtown denver). then you can make all kinds of fun spiced potatoes, or use your $1 on carrots and make this. . .

mashed carrots & potatoes
peel 4-5 lrg potatoes and 3-4 large carrots. cut in 1" pieces and cover with cold water in a large pot. set over high heat and boil until soft. drain most of the liquid, add 1 T oil (or butter) and smash. i use an electric mixer or beater thing to make them smoother than by hand. add salt & pepper to taste.

you can also use turnips instead of carrots to change things up. oh! you can also make potato gnocchi using flour (which i'll assume you have) and the egg replacer -- www.foodnetwork.com for recipe -- and boil in water, serving with an infused oil. okay, i'm thinking of more and more stuff but hopefully this is enough to start. ;)

when you're tired of the carbs, i'd also suggest that you spend $1 on gas and come to my house for a dinner that's not made of potatoes.

The International Chef of Mystery said...

Yummy! Thanks for adding your abundant ideas, Christine. Are you ready to tackle tofu?

xtinehlee said...

potato galette? a small container of milk, with some cheese (whatever's leftover and around the house), and egg...slice up the potatoes really really thin, scatter them in a casserole. meanwhile, puree the milk with cheese and one raw egg...pour over the potato slices and bake.

or of course mashed potatoes...

or twice baked potatoes..

mrm...i love potatoes. :)

CëRïSë said...

Wow, I'm late to this discussion, but of course there's always potato soup, which I eat a lot in the winter and which is mad cheap. An onion, a can of milk, and some canned or frozen corn can make a lot of potato soup, especially with creative seasonings (think dill or cumin seeds). Warm, savory, and very filling.