10 Minutes Lemon Cake

This is a certified delicious lemon cake, it is extremely easy and fast to make, with very frugal means. It is very refreshing and a great choice for summer parties. 

Ingredients for batter:

5 eggs 

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup all purpose flower

1 tbs baking powder

1/4 cup vegetable oil

the juice of one lemon

butter for the baking pan

Ingredients for frosting:

2 packs of 8 oz cream cheese

juice from 2 lemons

1 cup confectioner sugar

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup milk

10 Minutes Lemon Cake

This is a certified delicious lemon cake, it is extremely easy and fast to make, with very frugal means. It is very refreshing and a great choice for summer parties. 

Ingredients for batter:

5 eggs 

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup all purpose flower

1 tbs baking powder

1/4 cup vegetable oil

the juice of one lemon

butter for the baking pan

Ingredients for frosting:

2 packs of 8 oz cream cheese

juice from 2 lemons

1 cup confectioner sugar

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup milk

S'mores

This is a recipe of deconstructed S'mores. 

It starts with the usual ingredients: graham crackers, chocolate (in the form of semi-sweet chips) and marshmallows.

To make the cookies even tastier, there also can be added walnuts and raisins to the mix.

All the ingredients are added to the melted chocolate chips. The graham crackers are broken into one inch pieces.

The mixture should look something like this ...

All the mixture is rolled into a salami shape using plastic film and it is let to set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. 

The delicious deconstructed S'mores should look something like this ...

Homemade Fries

The best fries I have ever had are those homemade. They have the right amount of crunchiness, the right amount of salt, no aftertaste, and they are bottomless!

Making homemade fries does not require, in my opinion, any special equipment in the kitchen. I use a large stainless steel frying pan, a couple cups of oil (canola, vegetable or sunflower oil), and a hot stove.

1. First, I wash, peel, and cut the the potatoes into thin, half an inch strips. I recommend golden   potatoes because they are less starchy and the fries will be more crunchy in the end. For a considerable portion of fries I use one lbs of potatoes. I usually make 5 lbs of potatoes!

2. After cutting the potatoes into strips, I put them into a strainer and I give them a good wash under running water. I try to drain them really, really well afterwards.

3. To prevent the fries from sticking, the secret is to get the frying pan really hot before adding the oil. The stove should be set at medium-high temperature.

4. I use two cups of oil for a large frying pan. The oil has to fill about half of the frying pan.

5. When the oil is really hot, I carefully add the potatoes. I don't use a thermometer but I can usually tell when the oil is hot enough. I try not to crowd the potatoes into the pan too much.

6. I live the potatoes alone for about five minutes. I turn them slightly with a big spatula. They will need to be turned one more time after another 3 minutes or so. At this point, I usually keep an eye on them to make sure they cook evenly and don't burn.

7. One batch of fries should be done in about 10 minutes from start to finish.

8. I use a strainer spatula to gather all the fries from the pan. Once the delicious fries are dumped onto a large plate, I add some salt or top them with grated cheese. I use a large flat plate instead of a bowl so the fries don't sweat and lose crunchiness.

9. For the following batches, I add a little more oil to the pan.

Make Your Own Lunch Meat

Making your own flavorful and healthy lunch meat is really, really easy! No no nitrates or preservers!
It is also a frugal way to pack your own lunch.

1. Pick an inexpensive pork shoulder meat.
2. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Rub all that mixture onto the meat.
3. Preheat the oven to 300 F.
4. Put the seasoned meat in a broil pan.
5. Add two cups of water to the pan.
6. Cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil and bake for three hours.
7. Let cool before using it for sandwiches.

It is really tender and delicious. It lasts for a week in the fridge. At our house, we cannot get enough of it!

My Take on Pork Stew

Lentils and Potatoes Soup

For rainy days, a light and delicious meatless soup. I can never get enough of this healthy soup.

Ingredients:
1 big onion
3 carrots
4 medium size potatoes
3 sticks celery
2 cups green lentils
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

Saute onions with celery and finely dices carrots (I usually grate the carrots).

Add the the lentils and saute them for a 4-5 minutes.

Add 7-8 cups of water and the tomato sauce. Towards the end, add the potatoes cut into small cubes.

Tomato and Barley Soup

The Most Delicious Chili

The most delicious chili on a cold winter day!

This is a recipe I love to make. You just put everything in the pot and wait for dinner to be ready. No fuss, no muss. I serve it at casual dinners (i.e. close family) especially in the winter.

INGREDIENTS (the quantities do not have to be exact):

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 big onion
5 very small red and yellow bell peppers (red and/or green pepper work great for this recipe)
4 cloves of garlic (more can be used for the more adventurous)
3 big carrots
5-6 scallions
1 can of black beans (any color beans work)
1 medium size can of tomato sauce
salt, pepper, crushed red pepper for everyone's taste

1. First, I browned the ground beef for about 10 minutes. I removed the browned ground beef and in the same pan I added 3 tablespoons of olive oil in which I sauteed the onion with a little salt and one teaspoon of sugar.

2. I added the rest of the chopped vegetables. Some frozen corn could also go in the pot but I am all out today myself.

3. I let everything cook for about 10 minutes at medium-high heat.

4. I added the browned ground beef to the vegetables. This cooked for five minutes at medium-high heat.

5. I added about 4 cups of chicken broth, just enough to cover everything in the pot. The chicken broth can always be replaced by any other type of broths or use just plain water.

6. I reduced the heat to medium-low for about 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.

7. At this point I added the tomato sauce and the beans (washed and strained).

8. I let everything on the stove for 20 more minutes at medium-low heat.

The chili is done!

9. I like to serve it with grated cheese or sour cream, topped with shallots.
Yummy! It doesn't feel like it's 2F outside anymore !

Delicious Vegan Apple Strudel

 

1. Ingredients for the dough: 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cup water,  1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 tbsp salt.

2.  Make the dough and put it in the fridge for 1/2 hour

3. Peel and grate the apples (2 lbs)  

4. Add a 2/3 cup sugar and cook on the stove until most of the juice from the apples evaporates. (I used gala apples, granny apples need more sugar.)

5. Stretch the dough as thin as possible with the rolling pin (the apple cider vinegar gives the dough elasticity). Brush the sheet of dough with vegetable oil

7. Add the apples composition and roll the dough from both sides to the center. The dough will bake evenly inside when this technique is used.

8. Sprinkle a tbsp of sugar over the strudel and place on parchment paper in a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for one hour until golden brown