dinner on a budget

We decided to do a pantry challenge during February and while there were a lot of pancake and baked potato dinners, I was also able to get a little creative. If you've never heard of a pantry challenge it's pretty much just using up everything you have in your kitchen. We did buy essentials which included some fruits and veggies/milk/eggs and orange juice.

My first favorite was adapted from a Jacque Pepin recipe and it was my first time cooking with asparagus. I always thought I hated asparagus but I am so glad I gave it another try. It is not just the weird veggie that makes your pee smell funny anymore!

This one is so, so easy. You want to start with one of those long links of smoked sausage. One was enough for the four of us but you can always double it. Then stop by the market and pick up some very fresh asparagus. I think thicker is better in case you overcook it. You want it to have a little crunch in the end. Finally, you'll need some country bread getting stale on the counter. Cut everything into bite sized pieces and throw it all into a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. Stir it every few minutes so that the sausage gets some color and the bread turns golden.

Give it some love, breathe it in and imagine you're cooking for your very cool friends on a rooftop in Barcelona. Then wipe the toddler drool off your sleeve, tell your kids that No, Kitty does not like it when you use a rubber band and a piece of yarn as a leash, and snap back into reality. I served it with cinnamon apples but it would be great with tapas style oven potatoes or a big salad. This meal was so good and ended up costing less than $5.

The next dinner was a little more complicated but you still only need a few simple items from your kitchen. We've been getting bone-in, skin on chicken thighs from Costco and can usually get three meals out of the one package. Don't forget to wash, pat dry and season with salt & pepper before you start. Pioneer Woman got me hooked on slow cooking chicken thighs and I adapted this recipe from one of hers. You can't go wrong with these simple steps:

1. Brown the chicken in an olive oil/butter combo (four at a time in a dutch oven) & remove with a slotted spoon

2. Remove as much fat as you and your muffin top are comfortable with and cook a diced onion until soft

3. Add some rice wine vinegar (or whatever you have), scrape up the brown bits, and reduce a little

4. Eyeball some ginger(fresh or powder), five spice seasoning, soy sauce, apricot jam (or whatever you have, except maybe strawberry jam...ooh if they make pineapple jam that would be really good) and the chicken with all the drippings

5. Add enough orange juice to just about cover the chicken

6. Bring it all to a boil, put the lid on and stick it in a 275-300 degree oven for a few hours (mine took a little under two but you can probably keep it in there up to four.) You really want the chicken to be falling off the bone.

You can serve it at this point over rice but I like to remove the chicken (keep warm with foil) and add some cornstarch mixed with water into the sauce to thicken it up. Then just put the chicken over the rice, add the sauce and sprinkle with something green for color.

I love it with green onions but basil or cilantro would be fun too. Again, it was a crowd pleaser and minus the pantry items, only costs about $4 for the whole meal. Here's the link to Ms. PW's other yummy recipe. It seems endlessly adaptable. Happy cooking!