The two Italian cookbooks on the ends really don’t get much use. The workhorse is the Joy of Cooking. I use it constantly and think it is the best present for any newlyweds who want an all purpose cook book. I use its pancake recipe every Saturday morning.
I adore Robert Arbor’s book for its recipes, but more for it insight into French life. Also ditto for Viana La Place’s La Bella Cucina — terrific insight into life in Italy.

The white binder is where I keep all of my recipes — a must grab in a fire. It contains family recipes passed down and my tried-and-true well-loved recipes.

DC,

I forgot, I have a bunch of spices/herbs in jars in the drawer underneath the other spices (I put those old Bonne Maman jars to use with my bulk spice purchases):

SUNDAY

Menu:
Breakfast:
(There is about 2 tablespoons of yogurt underneath the fruit):

Lunch:
Some summer sausage slices, pepper jack cheese slices; wheat thins

Snack:
I had some slices of parmiggiano reggiano

Dinner:
Rigatoni with Italian sausage sauce; green salad; wine

Fixins:

1 1/2 pounds Italian Sausage
1 can 28 oz whole tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
16 oz tomato sauce
1/2 onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/3 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Brown onion, sausage and garlic in olive oil, taking care not to burn garlic (I usually put it in last).
Add other ingredients and simmer.

Serve over rigatoni noodles.

Pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter, very cold and cut into pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
3-4 Tbsp. nonfat milk or very cold water

Filling:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Spanish onions, cut into 1/2 inch strips
4 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
8 oz Camembert cheese, cut into 1/4 inch strips

1. Combine flour, butter, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse 6 to 8 times until mixture resembles coarse meal (I used kitchen aid mixer). Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse just until mixture forms a ball. Remove dough and shape into a 5-inch disk: wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, prepare filling. In 2 large saute pans (or in batches) divide oil and onions and cook slowly over medium low heat until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Add bacon and cook until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in rosemary, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cool in pan.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap dough and let sit on floured parchment paper until just pliable, 10 to 15 minutes. Roll dough with a floured rolling pin only in forward and backward motions; rotate dough a quarter turn with every roll, making sure dough is not sticking until it is 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick and 11 inches in diameter.
* I don’t have a rolling pin. I wash a wine bottle with soap and water, dry it, flour it and use that.

4. Place half of Camembert cheese in center of dough in a pattern resembling spokes of a wheel. Top with cooled onion mixture, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. Place remaining cheese strips on onions in the same pattern and carefully fold up edges of crust, pleating slightly. Slide tart with parchment onto a large rimless baking sheet; place on the center of the rack of the oven. Bake until crust is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. If onions are browning too much, cover them with foil, but not crust. Remove tart from oven; cool at least 20 minutes before moving off baking sheet or serving.

Target T - BR skirt (thrifted) - Liz Claibourne boots (consign) - Silver hoops

Menu:
Breakfast: slice homemade bread toasted with butter
Lunch: chips and salsa, salami and cheese chunks in a romaine salad
Dinner: Roast chicken; salad; wine

This recipe was found in my husband’s p90x book — you know, that one you’ve seen on the infomercials? It works. He lost 40 pounds the first go round. Now if he gains 5-10 pounds, he goes back on it and viola! weight is gone. It is an INTENSE work out, though.

Anyway, here is the recipe for

Lemon Garlic Chicken

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
4 chopped garlic cloves
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, lemon wedges, parsley

1. combine first four ingredients and add chicken. cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning at least once.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

3. Arrange chicken in a shallow roasting pan. Pour marinade over the chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper

4. Bake for 20 minutes, basting occassionally. Then bake another 20 minutes more.

* I usually cook it longer because I have little kids and need it very well done! Also, you may want to cover it with foil after you stop basting, otherwise in my oven, it sucks up all the marinade and dries it out.

gray tee (target) -- black turtleneck (Gap, thrifted but still had store tags on) -- Levis -- black boots (consignment) -- leopard print dangly earrings (garage sale)

Menu:
Breakfast: toast with butter; cafe au lait
Snack: Met a friend for a latte at the neighborhood cafe
Lunch: chips and salsa; carrots*
Dinner: Trader’s Pie (see recipe below); no wine*

* I’m on day 3 of a cruddy migraine and just lost my appetite a bit.

Trader’s Pie

2 – 9″ pie crusts
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 – 10 oz package frozen broccoli
1 1/4 cups milk
3 oz cream cheese
2 TBL flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 egg
4 oz sliced Monterey Jack cheese
1 TBL milk

Directions: Brown beef and onion. Drain. Set aside. Cook broccoli according to package directions; drain. In another saucepan, combine 1 1/4 cups milk, cream cheese, flour and salts. Cook and stir until smooth. Beat egg. Add a little hot mixture to egg. Then add egg to hot mixture. Add beef and broccoli. Pour into pie crust. Top with cheese. Cover with crust. Seal and flute. Prick top with fork. Brush top with 1 TBL milk. Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

black sweater (casual corner, thrifted) -- red pashmina (little italy, NYC) -- Levis (Macy's) -- black snow boots (Kamik, NYC) -- silver hoops

MENU:
Breakfast: slice homemade bread toasted with butter
Lunch: sandwich with turkey, hot pepper jack cheese, jack daniels spicy mustard
Dinner: Chili made by my neighbor with her delicious cornbread, also potato gratin I made and wine

I’m pretty sure I saw the recipe for the gratin from the FC list. Basically I slice potatoes and layer them with small pieces of butter, salt and pepper to fill a loaf pan (I don’t have an au gratin dish) and then pour some heavy cream over them. Bake at 350 for about an hour until crispy!

I spent last night reading Sarah’s Key (as mentioned on my nighstand post). I absolutely love it. All you francophiles who read my blog should head to their nearest library and get it. It alternates between modern day Paris and Paris in 1942. It is about the holocaust, so it is not a light read. During the modern day bits, the heroine is an American journalist and francophile who married a French man.  I can’t get enough of this book.

navy tee (Gap) -- black merino wool sweater (Casual Corner, thrifted) -- Levis -- black boots (Liz Claiborne, thrifted) -- silver hoops, silver necklace

Menu:
Breakfast: slice of homemade bread toasted with butter: cafe au lait

snack Oatmeal cookie. Pardon my tangent for a moment: I am trying to get back to my “no snacking” mindset. I snack every morning this winter. It is partly because I am working at home and sitting at the computer it is easy to go mindlessly grab a snack and partly winter doldrums. I need to get back to no snacking. Even though I’m not gaining weight from it. I still have a few extra pounds that make some of my clothes not fit as well and have made some not fit at all!

Lunch: leftover pasta from last night.*
Dinner: Chicken cutlets breaded in cornmeal and fried, frozen corn heated, green salad, wine

* I made penne pasta with asparagus in a creamy sauce. I basically cut up the asparagus in 1 inch spears, put it into the pasta water for the last 4 minutes then drained and mixed with 4 tbl butter, 1 cup heavy cream, a pinch of cinnamon and 1 cup fresh grated parm. had a green salad and wine with it

Movies/TV

Now that I’m done watching the Battlestar Galactica series on Netflix, I’ve begun watching an HBO series called Rome. My friend from Verona, Italy, recommended this about a year ago. I am on the third disc and it is just starting to get really interesting because Caesar just met Cleopatra. I used to be obssessed with Cleopatra and read everything I could about her, including fiction stories based on her life.

Also, I don’t admit this to many people I know, but I am a sucker for The Bachelor series and watch that every Monday. Other than that and watching moview, I don’t watch any TV. I’m too interested in reading all the good books near my nightstand. Oh, I do occasionally watch the BBC news in the mornings.

Vodka Pasta from Trattoria by Patricia Wells

1/4 cup olive oil
4 plump minced garlic gloves
1/2 tsp red pepper
sea salt
One 28 oz can tomatoes in juice
One pound penne
2 tablespoons vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup snipped Italian Parsley

Combine oil, garlic, pepper and salt and coat with oil. Cook over medium heat until garlic is gold, but not brown. Crush tomatoes into skillet. Simmer, uncovered about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile in 6 quarts of boiling water, add 3 tablespoons salt and cook penne until al dente
Add pasta to tomato sauce. Toss. Add vodka. Toss. Add cream. Toss. Cover, reduce heat to low and let sit 1-2 minutes. Add parsley. Toss. Add to warmed, shallow pasta bowls and serve immediately. Traditionally, cheese is not served with this dish.

Outfit:

Black pants (Banana Republic thrifted)

black top (Rebecca Beeson, consignment)

Black cashmere cardigan (Ann Taylor, ebay)

Black/Turquoise/Pink scarf (Target)

Black boots (Etienne Aigner, Macys’)

Menu:

Breakfast: pumpkin pie; toast; cafe au lait

Lunch: Turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing at church

Dinner: Nachos and wine

Finances:

$117 at Target. I don’t like shopping on Sundays, but I had a migraine yesterday and used up my last Excedrin Migraine AND ran out of handsoap for the bathroom, so I stopped in before church. I bought my kids Xmas presents; bought advil, excedrin migraine, deodarant, hand soap, vitamins

SIGNATURE DISHES
I can’t recall which French Chic Lifestyle book I read this in, but I have adopted the philosophy that it is critical to have a few signature dishes I can whip up either for my family or for company and have complete confidence they will turn out terrifically.

I have my signature salad I always make (romaine lettuce with mushed avocado and homemade honey-mustard vinaigrette); a pasta recipe I received from my future sister-in-law (I named it in her honor — the Bosso Sauce-O); and a few other dishes.

This is one meal I would like to share with you. I make it every time I feel a surge of love and appreciation for my in-laws and want to have them over for dinner. My FIL, God bless him, doesn’t like Italian food, which I just think is plain ole’ crazy talk. I am Italian-American and make a lot of Italian food, so this is something non-Italian I make especially for him.

I made this for my inlaws last night (roast, mashed potatoes, salad, fresh bread) we had wine and then pumpkin pie for dessert. Yum.

Another beautiful part of this menu plan is that it can be made ahead of time. I love being able to socialize and not be stuck in the kitchen furiously working to finish dinner. It also allows me to do most of the kitchen cleanup ahead of time.

note: I am very forgetful, so if I have shared this recipe before forgive me. If I have, I don’t believe I have shared them together as a meal plan!

Krissie’s Roast

 (this recipe and the potatoes are named after an old friend who provided the recipes after I enjoyed them at her home)

1 (5 lb) eye of round roast
1/4 cup salad oil (I use olive oil)
2 TBL lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 cup wine vinegar (I use red wine vinegar)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients and turn meat at least once a day for up to 3 days.

Cook, uncovered with marinade in dutch oven at 250 degrees for 3 hours. Refrigerate overnight. (I serve hot that day). Refrigerate overnight. Slice thin and serve with heated marinade. I put on the table that night with meat.

Garnish with parsley and cherry tomatoes.

Also freezes well.

Last night, I took the roast out about 30 minutes early, tented it with foil and then sliced it for dinner.

Serve with:

Krissie’s Mashed Potato Casserole

This is also a hit at every holiday dinner.

8 large potatoes (I use about 16 and double the entire recipe)
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 TBL butter

Peel potatoes, cook until tender and then mash (I just mix them in my kitchen aid blender)

Beat cream cheese and sour cream together, then beat into potatoes. Add garlic salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into a buttered, shallow 3-4 quart casserole. Dot with butter.

(Last night I did the potatoes a little bit ahead of time and then stuck them in the oven with the roast until guests arrived)

However, if you are making them way ahead of time, cover and chill up to three days. To reheat, bring to room temp, cover and bake in 400 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.

 As you can see every available surface in my bedroom is being used for clothes drying!

Outfit:

Teal tee (J.Crew)

Turquoise sweater (consignment)

Levis

black boots (consignment)

turquoise/black/pink scarf (Target)

Menu:

Breakfast: banana; 1/4 slice pizza; two oatmeal cookies; cafe au lait

Lunch: carrots, slices of parmesan; grapes; oatmeal cookies (I desperately need to get to the store!)

Dinner: balsamic chicken; romaine salad with avocado and honey mustard dressing; wine; fresh bread with butter

Balsamic Chicken:

Mix 1/4 cup dijon with 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, three minced garlic cloves; juice of one lemon and salt and pepper. Marinate chicken thighs or other chicken parts in it at least for an hour or two, turning at least once. Bake at 400 for about an hour.

Finances:

$0

Today I’m doing laundry (hanging to dry, washing, ironing); baking oatmeal cookies and applying for online freelance work.

I think my blog is taking (at least for now) a frugal chic slant. I am obsessed with money and the lack thereof. I have about $4,000 due in November for bills, mortgage, food, and so far have about $300 toward it. Yikes.

I have had some freelance assignments this month and also have a finance blog I have been making money on by writing inane articles on subjects people pay me for. Not much money — maybe about $40 a month, but way better than nothing.

I have a dilemma, though: I signed up this blog — La bella figura – to see what would happen and got my first bite yesterday — but I didn’t like the subject they wanted me to write about — I just didn’t think it would be of interest to any of my readers. I also worry about “polluting” this blog. I just put my feelers out to see what would happen. What do all of you think of me writing an occasional article on an assigned subject?

I would make sure it would be of interest to readers first. I was thinking I could categorize it under something special so you could ignore it if you wanted knowing it was really a paid ad or that I should just scrap the whole idea … I know lots of bloggers do this, but  not sure how I feel about this. My finance blog was set up exclusively to do that so that’s a whole different story.

I’m really trying to make money/save money and live chicly, but frugally. My husband and I don’t want a new or bigger car or a new or bigger house — we just want time to experience life. We were the ones in the SF Bay Area who were completely content to live together in a a 500 square foot studio apartment and felt like we had everything we needed.

We are trying to get back to that spot (emotionally not physically) and this time with two kids along the way. I once read about an artist who said when he was growing up his family often didn’t have money, but they were always able to afford piano lessons for the kids. They made this a priority above owning anything else. I want to raise my kids this way, that we would rather help pay for them to learn an art or pursue a passion than accumulate more stuff.

 I think I need to chronicle this journey in my blog.

 Here are some of my efforts to live frugally:

I have two falling apart drying racks to dry my clothes — one of them is — honest to God — at a 45 degree angle on one side so everything slants that way, but it still works for now.

I have taken all my kids feetie pajamas and cut the feet off. I realized I needed to do this after one child woke in the middle of the night crying that her legs hurt because she couldn’t straighten out her feet — poor thing.

I am a fiend on craigs list. This week I sold an antique clawfoot bathtub, a vintage toy box, tap shoes.

I save and re-use (yes I am THAT woman) ziplock type bags. For starters, I despise plastic, so avoid it at all costs, but find it is useful for a few things so when I come across one (I never buy them) I re-use them.

I have bought one shower liner years ago. About once a month I wash it in bleach with the shower curtain and rehang it. I don’t understand people who just throw them away and get a new one just because it takes as much work to take the old one down and hang a new one as to just wash the old one.

I use everything up to the last ounce, whether it is food or another type of product. I cut open my proactiv cleansers and use my finger to get the remaining medicine, etc. out of it.

I rip my old flour sack dishtowels and use them as rags.

As most of you know I buy nearly all my clothes at the thrift store or a consignment shop. I also have bought lace curtains, a fancy kid clock, toys, photo frames, books, glasses, kids clothes, cloth napkins, doilies, dressers and art supplies there.

What do you do to live a frugally chic life?