Barley, a frugal gal's secret weapon

I made a delicious barley and pea risotto, it was delicious and so easy to make, recipe follows...

Mujadarrah - it doesn't get more frugal than this incredibly tasty dish

I wanted to make something quick and tasty for my supper today, and in the spirit of my frugal blog, I remembered a great dish called Mujadarrah, basically lentils and rice with onions. Doesn't sound like much, does it, but it's one of those dishes where the end result far exceeds the sum of it's parts. It's a Middle Eastern dish, and I added a little curry powder to make it a little spicier, and a little more like the kind of Indian food that I love. I searched on the internet, as I always do, checking different recipes and trying to see a common thread. I concluded that the onions were a key part of the dish, and they have to be caramelized to give you the flavor you need to take the dish up another notch in flavor.

I would also say it's a good idea to make double the recipe because it keeps well, and can be a useful side dish.

Here is the recipe:


1 cup lentils, I used regular brown lentils ( do not use orange ones)
1 cup basmati brown rice
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.

All you do is add the oil to a pan, cook the onions, they need to be cooked brown, and whilst cooking the onions, cook the lentils. Add the lentil to a pan, add 4 cups of water, cook for about 15 minutes, add the rice to the pan, cook for another 10-15 minutes or so. Add the rice and lentils to the cooked onions, season well, and serve.

Napa Trip...not too much frugal food to be found...!

Well, as always happens, when I started my blog, I wasn't particularly busy, so I thought, what a lovely way to spend time, writing about food, and great foodie finds......but guess what....now I am super busy, and have been unable to give my blog the attention it deserves. As a friend said to me recently....it's either feast or famine, and that describes my life at the moment, and I suspect, a lot of other people's lives too. It's hard to find and maintain a balance.

Just got back from a gourmet trip up to Napa, visiting with my dear friend Erica, who has the most fabulous food blog, check it out....Bon Vivant, http://myculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/.

To be honest, there were not too many frugal finds up in sunny Napa, but what a foodfest we all had! Got to visit the C.I.A....(some would say I am on their wanted list??!!) which was fun, and had some delicious food, including a wonderful dinner at a hip noodle joint in oh-so-trendy Berkeley, look at the menu, not exactly your average run-of-the-mill noodle joint, don't you agree, http://www.noodletheory.com/. I had noodles with chicken and ginger, it was to-die-for, so fresh and vibrant, the ginger had a real bite to it.

Also went to Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc, in Yountville, for a small birthday celebration. It was everything you would expect a Keller joint to be, buzzing, trendy, fabulous decor, very minamalist actually. Check it out....http://www.adhocrestaurant.com/

The idea is you get the daily menu, and that's it, no choices at all, which I really think is a great way to try something different once in a while. A lovely evening was had by all, and I especially liked lusting after one of the adorably cute waiters!!

So, getting back to frugality.....Napa and frugality do not really go together well, but I did get to go to several amazing foodie heavens, in particular The Ferry Building, in San Francisco, and on a smaller scale, Ox Bow Market in Napa itself, where we shopped for salumi and a selection of 'bits', my family name for a hodge podge of food, served buffet style. Think french bread, olives, cheeses, salami, you get the picture.

http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/
http://www.oxbowpublicmarket.com/

Anyway, more later, when I am not so busy......

To Live and Eat in L.A.......

I was thinking recently, I get really excited when I discover a great deal on anything food related, and I always tell all my friends where they can buy very good chocolate at an amazing price......that would be Fresh n Easy, BTW. I purchased some of their own brand chocolate last week, only to discover upon unwrapping the bar, that inside there lurked Callebaut.........yes, I was so shocked, because a whole POUND of this delectable chocolat was a mere $3.99!!!!!!! Here is a link to the Callebaut website, http://www.bernardcallebaut.com/users/folder.asp

I was making a chocolate cake for my friends leaving soiree, so I was so happy when I discovered this..........

So, I thought I would share my finding with you all.........after all, sharing is caring, and we all need as much help as we can get right now, with gas prices sky rocketting ever upwards....

I don't know whether being a Brit has anything to do with my obsession with frugality. I was raised by a mother who had lived through rationing, during and after WWII, and I guess old habits die hard. I can still remember going shopping with my mom, helping her find the smallest piece of cheese in the chiller.......I still find myself doing this more often than not, and it makes me smile.

The aim of this blog, well, I haven't decided yet, but it will hopefully be fun, and maybe even might actually get read by someone other then me..... there might even be the odd photograph from time to time, but I have to start simply at first, after all, I am a blog virgin!

Just off to cook my steaks, and yes, they were a steal, from Vons!