Tasty Tours: Good Eats in Australia

That's right, I was lucky enough to go to Sydney last week! It was amazing, beautiful, and ridiculously expensive. I saw a Caesar salad that cost $25! Granted, the exchange rate reduces that, but only slightly.

Here are some of the tastier meals I had:

Prosciutto and rocket pizza -- It didn't taste like what I expected, but I love having my salad on my pizza!

Lamb shank -- There was this nice little lounge near my hotel called Oscar's that had nice dinner specials. For example, on Sunday, I got a steak and ale with mashed potatoes and a salad for $12. This meal was $15 with a glass of house red. And I really liked the red too!

There were a few food habits that I found very interesting in Australia. First, bread for sandwiches are buttered and dusted with salt and pepper before any other condiments are added. Ketchup, even Heinz, tastes sweeter and more 'earthly,' maybe with nutmeg or something added. You can get your French fries (chips) with regular or chicken-flavored salt.

Tasty food and a beautiful country!

Food find: Bambu Thai

I went out with coworkers to Bambu Thai in Elmhurst for a birthday and the food was delicious. The sauces were tasty and authentic. I had an excellent lunch special of pad Thai with chicken for $7.50 that was a large portion seasoned well with a generous dose of crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro. But my favorite part of this place by far is that they serve all your food in boats! Love it.

Stand Mixer Not-Sunday: Cheddar cheesy braided bread

This bread was out of this world amazing. I got the recipe from The Frugal Girl and it was fantastic. She specifically mentioned that ALDI cheddar cheese works just fine, which is great, since that's usually what I use. Here's her recipe:

3.5 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon salt1 cup water

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese

In mixer bowl, combine 1.5 cups flour with the sugar, yeast, and salt. Heat water and milk to 120 degrees F, and add to dry ingredients. Beat for 3 minutes, and add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead in cheese, 1/2 cup at a time. Place kneaded dough into a bowl, cover with a wet tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled.
Punch dough down and divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-14 inch rope. Braid three ropes together and place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining three ropes. Cover braids and let rise until doubled, 30-45 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack.

A stand mixer for this recipe is pretty critical. I also let my bread cold-rise in the fridge, which I think imparts better flavor. Also, I found the easiest way to knead the cheese into the bread was to take a little portion of the cheese, stick it in the middle and fold it onto itself. My bread wasn't as brown on top, but a little egg wash could fix that.

I'm going to try to this dough as a roll/bagel type concoction too.

Cooking with Kelly: Brunch!

Despite my distinct dislike of morning as a general concept (I prefer to skip them entirely by sleeping through them) I *heart* brunch. We recently had a friend over for brunch, which is cost effective and delicious. It's also great because you can dress up simple ingredients for an impressive presentation.

We served mimosas (mmmm), frittata, roasted potatoes and banana bread. Here's the breakdown:

For the mimosas, it's just one part orange juice to three parts champagne. Bubbly and delicious.

This particular frittata was a bacon, cheddar, onion and turkey number. I cooked five slices of bacon, drained the fat and chopped up the bacon, then caramelized one small finely diced onion. I then added four slices of chopped turkey and added the bacon back. Then, I poured in eight eggs slightly beaten with a quarter cup of milk. I also added a teaspoon of Italian seasoning and a pinch of ground pepper and salt. I mixed a cup of shredded cheese in with the eggs too. After the eggs started to set up, I put it in an oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I topped it with more cheese before serving and served it with light sour cream.

And finally, for the potatoes, I scrubbed four russet potatoes and microwaved them for three minutes. Then, I chopped them and cooked them in one tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of rosemary, stirring often, until golden.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Cooking with Kelly: Roasted Turkey Breast with Vegetables

I recently got an awesome deal on a turkey breast that's been sitting in my freezer ever since. I've never made a turkey breast, but when the price is free for a seven-pound turkey breast, I'll give it a try.

And I must say, this is some of my best work!

After defrosting for three days in the fridge with a bowl underneath, I rinsed the turkey breast and removed the neck. I patted it dry with paper towels, the thoroughly salt and peppered the inside and outside. I place one half stick of softened butter under the skin and sprayed the outside skin with a cooking oil. Then, I sprinkled on about 1/4 teaspoon each of steak seasoning and poultry seasoning. I also added about a half teaspoon of paprika.

I placed the turkey breast in a cooking bag made for turkeys. Yes, it's taking the easy way, but it speeds up both the cooking and clean-up process, so I'm all for it.

I also added a pound of diced red potatoes, three large sliced carrots and one small onion, sliced.

I cooked the whole thing for two hours at 325 degrees, then let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

There was a lot left over, but I have big plans for all this. It's only saving if you use it all!

September Savings: Winterize

Energy is money and when we're talking about gas in the winter, we're talking about big money. It's starting to get pretty chilly here in Illinois, but most of you will have a few more weeks to complete the winterization process. On the first day that it dips below 50 degrees, walk around your house with a burning incense stick. Go by windows and doors to see where there are drafts. Add weathering strips around your doors where needed. If you have really crappy windows, you may want to cover your windows and sliding glass doors with plastic sheeting.

A storm door can help insulate doors too. And you can always make draft dodgers to lay along your windows. And you can purchase guards for the bottom of your exterior doors that are self adhesive to reduce drafts there. The experts also recommend placing a protective barrier over your AC unit. Make sure you have a fresh furnace filter too. I purchase the cheapest one and replace it each month on the first of the month. If you haven't had your furnace cleaned and inspected in the last two years, it's a smart investment to make before it's really cold.

Don't forget to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors while you're at it. And add an emergency kit to your home and car, if you don't have one.

September Savings: Learn to Sew

You don't have to be able to make a suit from scratch, but some basic skills will save you big. If you find a great skirt but it's too long, it's nice to know how to shorten it. It's also useful to know how to sew on a button and repair torn clothing. And a few simple home projects can easily be completed in an hour, such as a blanket, pillow, table cloth or draft dodger. It's also rewarding to have a productive hobby that could potentially save you money instead of costing you money. Homemade gift possibilities abound, too, when you own a sewing machine and know just a few things about sewing.

You can get started here. Another possibility is to check out your local library, high school or community college. Often they have classes for adults that meet for just an evening or a few weeks. You'll find that these classes will pay for themselves, especially if you find a sewing maching on Craigslist and begin doing your own clothing repairs.