$150 Challenge: The Final Day

Finally, the last day of our challenge. It's been a good month doing it together with the Hubby.

Here is a breakdown of what we spent for the whole month.

Gasoline: $61.39 (40.93%) One really can't survive in L.A. without a car.Food: $42.09 (28.06%) Thanks to the free employee meals, we saved a lot.
Cosmetics: $24.57 (16.38%)  I was so glad even with these purchases, we still made it!
Others: $11.00 (7.33%) which include:
         Medicine: $5.00 (3.33%)
         Entertainment and fun: $3.25 (2.17%)
         Laundry: $2.75 (1.83%)
Money remaining: $10.95 (7.3%)

The challenge has been fun with the Hubby doing it with me. He has been coorperative.

We will bring forward the remaining money into our eating out fund, which will start in November. From now on, we will limit $100 per month for eating out from January to August and October, September another $150 Challenge month,  $300 for November and December for $200. We need to do this because sometimes we ended up spending more than $500 per month for eating out only, which is definitely very unhealthy practise.

And thank you to all of you who have been patiently supporting us this month. ^_^ I hope you had fun together "with us".

XOXO, Fish Fish

$150 Challenge: Day 30

We are almost there. 1 more day, and we can conquer our challenge this month.

Worked 10.5 hrs today. But I am not feeling tired, except for my legs. The sales at dinner was double lunch time.

A lot of people dressed in a fancy way, since there was a Halloween party 5 shops away. We had a greedy group of customers (three of them) who spent $50 on food, yet only tipped $3, and took two-hand full of trick or treat candy each person (which only meant for the little kids). So shameless!

Seriously, these people need to work in a restaurant to know how the business operates. Ok, better turn off my waiter's rant mode again. I need to finish this and enjoy my mask and shower time.

Remaining fund: $10.95.
No money spent!

So proud of ourselves. Halloween party tomorrow!! Just 5 min away from our house.

XOXO, Fish Fish

$150 Challenge: Day 29

Lalala~~~ two more days and we can accomplish our mission.

But we spent a lot on food today. It is better this way, since the Hubby has a strong tendency to eat snack. With bread, peanut butter and Cheetos at home, no excuse for him to buy some small portion overpriced snacks!

We bought 5 items.
The Hubby's mini M&M and mini Snickers $0.40
Sara Lee 100% Whole wheat bread $2.29 (Saved $1.70)
Skippy Extra Chunky Peanut Butter $2.50 (Saved $1.19)
Cheetos Limited Edition Mighty Zingers $0.99 (Saved $2.00)
Barilla Spaghetti Rigati $1.00 (Saved 1.19).
Total spent: $7.18 (Saved $6.08)

With that, we only have $10.95 remain. I forbid the Hubby and me to spend anymore money for tomorrow and Sunday. He wants to buy coffee tomorrow, I suggested he just go to World's Market and Sprout for his free coffee, like he did today. :P Better, make his own at home. An excuse for him to use his expresso machine.



Lunch picture: Handmade noodle. :P It was ok. The gluten network was not good. But edible. The soup and the other ingredients were yummy though.




Dinner. Love this one. My first time trying a Spaghetti Rigati, I actually prefer this over normal round spaghetti. Sugar cured country ham was browned with olive oil. Frozen zucchini and tomato were shimmered to soft. The fluid from these vege was added with Marsala wine, flour, powdered white pepper and garlic chips. Our patio basil leaves for garnishing.

It was awesome. The salty and sweet ham added such a good flavor to the whole plate.

Weekends with a lot of Halloween fun is coming. ^_^

XOXO, Fish Fish

IHCC: Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge

This week's theme over at I Heart Cooking Clubs is "Chocolate Cravings." Oh yes, I have chocolate cravings. Often. But, I have to admit, it was hard for me to find a chocolate Giada recipe that was crave-worthy. So many of hers are combined with espresso, and, while I can tolerate it sometimes, I am not a coffee fan. So, I finally settled on this one chocolate recipe that I had bookmarked back when I had cable and would watch Giada's show almost every day. I wanted to save it for the holiday season, but I guess testing it out beforehand is a good idea.

I made the Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge recipe, which is available on Food Network's website. It's easy to make. Very easy to make. Dangerously easy to make. Why is it dangerous? Because this stuff is GOOD! I would venture to say that the sea salt is NOT optional. It completely takes this fudge and elevates it to something special, something out of the ordinary, and something totally addictive. Sweet from the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk, warming from the cinnamon, and salty from the sea salt. The flavors all pop in your mouth, and before you know it, you're reaching for a second piece. My advice: Cut them in very very small squares so you won't feel so bad about going back for more.

Be sure to hop over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to see what other folks made for their chocolate craving week.

Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge

from FoodNetwork.com

Butter, for greasing the pan
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound (about 2 cups) bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate chips (recommended: Ghiradelli) see Cook's Note
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
Kosher or flake salt, optional

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, about 14-inches long and 7-inches wide, allowing the excess to overhang the sides. Set aside.

In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk,

cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick).

Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge.

Remove the fudge to a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.

IHCC: Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge

This week's theme over at I Heart Cooking Clubs is "Chocolate Cravings." Oh yes, I have chocolate cravings. Often. But, I have to admit, it was hard for me to find a chocolate Giada recipe that was crave-worthy. So many of hers are combined with espresso, and, while I can tolerate it sometimes, I am not a coffee fan. So, I finally settled on this one chocolate recipe that I had bookmarked back when I had cable and would watch Giada's show almost every day. I wanted to save it for the holiday season, but I guess testing it out beforehand is a good idea.

I made the Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge recipe, which is available on Food Network's website. It's easy to make. Very easy to make. Dangerously easy to make. Why is it dangerous? Because this stuff is GOOD! I would venture to say that the sea salt is NOT optional. It completely takes this fudge and elevates it to something special, something out of the ordinary, and something totally addictive. Sweet from the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk, warming from the cinnamon, and salty from the sea salt. The flavors all pop in your mouth, and before you know it, you're reaching for a second piece. My advice: Cut them in very very small squares so you won't feel so bad about going back for more.

Be sure to hop over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to see what other folks made for their chocolate craving week.

Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge

from FoodNetwork.com

Butter, for greasing the pan
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound (about 2 cups) bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate chips (recommended: Ghiradelli) see Cook's Note
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
Kosher or flake salt, optional

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, about 14-inches long and 7-inches wide, allowing the excess to overhang the sides. Set aside.

In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk,

cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick).

Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge.

Remove the fudge to a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.

$150 Challenge: Day 28

The Hubby spent money again today on foods. Hmmm... I should have bought another loaf of bread, that would have saved us more money.

He spent $1 on burrito and 40 cents on a pack of cheese cracker.

Ok, I'll just go to get some bread and peanut butter tomorrow. All I am asking now is we have at least $10 remaining at the end of our challenge.

Dear Hubby, can you make it happen?

Anyway, I am happy that today I got a free deluxe sample on skincare. ;) Thank you Origins. Hop over to my beauty blog if you are interested with the details.

I went to deposit my paycheck and tips. ^_^ Watching the figure in my bank account increasing is great for mind peace. I am the type of person the more I work, the less I spend. When I am jobless, I tend to spend a lot to release the stress. And eating a lot too.

Here is our fund update.

Day starts: $19.53
Day ends: $18.13

3 more days!

XOXO, Fish Fish

$150 Challenge: Day 27

Update: Just got to know the Hubby spent $1 on Hawaiian Bread. So yeah, our fund is $1 less. Yike!

Woolala~~~ I am excited for my challenge to come to an end soon.

Another day of not too good tips. Got to know the tips that we earn for a week is equal to what they earn in another branch. *sigh*

Oh well, I am taking this place as my means to get training.

I was not really in a good mood this morning, quite a lot of things happened. But by the end of the day, when I decided not to care for these things, I felt more relax.

On a good note, my face condition is recovering. I love love love my well-trust skincare. It is expensive, but seeing how fast they heals my face, I guess it worth the money. I almost forgot how smooth my skin was during the days I used them in a daily basis.

We did not spend a single cent again today. I promise myself to focus on job applications for tomorrow and Friday. And, a proper beauty post in my beauty blog. :P

Here is an update of our fund.
Day starts: $20.53
Day ends: $20.53 $19.53

XOXO, Fish Fish

$150 Challenge: Day 26

I finally finished watching the drama that I was hooked. Warned the Hubby no more taking out other dramas to show me, as I know I will not stop until I have finished the whole thing.

I need to put take care of a few priorities in my life now, so time to focus on those. A paper to finish, submit more applications to find a career, and read more books, not the entertainment types, but the intellectual types, that will help to make my brain active again. Do more workout, have a healthy sleeping habit and maintain a well-balanced lifestyle. Read less blogs.

Another day at work later, here is the update of my remaining fund up to yesterday.

Day starts: $20.53
Day ends: $20.53

I can see how much foods in our fridge and cabinet have reduced. I don't remember the last time we could actually reach to the back of our cabinet.

Maybe it is time for a huge Fall cleaning. ;)

5 more days. Yes.

XOXO, Fish Fish

Daring Bakers: Doughnuts

This is my first ever Daring Bakers Challenge. And, let me tell you, it turned out worlds better for me than my first Daring Cooks Challenge. The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

I can already see that this challenge is going to be a total "gateway drug" for me. See, I've always had this fear of deep frying. But, we pulled out the Fry Daddy for the occasion and found that, really, frying isn't so bad. And the results were soooo good. Too good.

Let's start from the beginning. I chose the pumpkin doughnut recipe from the ones Lori had posted. Since it was a crisp fall day when I decided to tackle the challenge, it seemed appropriate. Mixing the dough was easy--no different than any other dough. Waiting while the dough chilled was not easy. It never is. Waiting is not my strong suit.

I didn't have biscuit cutters, so I ended up using a juice glass for the "big" cut, and a shooter for the hole. They turned out just fine using these instruments, and it made me feel better that I didn't have to buy new equipment for the challenge.

As always, patting out the dough, cutting it, gathering the scraps, and re-patting them out got tedious. This is why I hate cut-out cookies. I know, at some point, I'm going to have to get used to the idea. Kids, in my experience, love using cookie cutters, and I really want to be the kind of mom that will let my child choose the recipes we bake together, regardless of the procedure. So, I'm thinking I need to warm up to the roll-and-cut process in the next few years.

The end result was amazing doughnuts. They had a crunch on the outside, and a soft, chewy cake texture on the inside. I ate way too many on the first day. By the second day, they had lost the crunchy exterior. Still, they were better than any store-bought doughnut I could buy--even in the little bakery down the road that specializes in doughnuts.

I should mention that I left my doughnuts completely unadorned. No glaze. No powdered sugar. Nothing. I just felt like that would be gilding the lily.

And, so I've made my gateway recipe. Now I find myself daydreaming about cider doughnuts, chocolate doughnuts, gingerbread doughnuts, yeasted doughnuts, jelly doughnuts...Oh my, Daring Bakers, what have you done to me?

Cost: $0.21 for 1 doughnut and 2 doughnut holes

Yup, you read that right. You get 1 doughnut AND two doughnut holes for just 21 cents. Next time you go to that big chain, think about how high their mark-up must be!

Daring Bakers: Doughnuts

This is my first ever Daring Bakers Challenge. And, let me tell you, it turned out worlds better for me than my first Daring Cooks Challenge. The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

I can already see that this challenge is going to be a total "gateway drug" for me. See, I've always had this fear of deep frying. But, we pulled out the Fry Daddy for the occasion and found that, really, frying isn't so bad. And the results were soooo good. Too good.

Let's start from the beginning. I chose the pumpkin doughnut recipe from the ones Lori had posted. Since it was a crisp fall day when I decided to tackle the challenge, it seemed appropriate. Mixing the dough was easy--no different than any other dough. Waiting while the dough chilled was not easy. It never is. Waiting is not my strong suit.

I didn't have biscuit cutters, so I ended up using a juice glass for the "big" cut, and a shooter for the hole. They turned out just fine using these instruments, and it made me feel better that I didn't have to buy new equipment for the challenge.

As always, patting out the dough, cutting it, gathering the scraps, and re-patting them out got tedious. This is why I hate cut-out cookies. I know, at some point, I'm going to have to get used to the idea. Kids, in my experience, love using cookie cutters, and I really want to be the kind of mom that will let my child choose the recipes we bake together, regardless of the procedure. So, I'm thinking I need to warm up to the roll-and-cut process in the next few years.

The end result was amazing doughnuts. They had a crunch on the outside, and a soft, chewy cake texture on the inside. I ate way too many on the first day. By the second day, they had lost the crunchy exterior. Still, they were better than any store-bought doughnut I could buy--even in the little bakery down the road that specializes in doughnuts.

I should mention that I left my doughnuts completely unadorned. No glaze. No powdered sugar. Nothing. I just felt like that would be gilding the lily.

And, so I've made my gateway recipe. Now I find myself daydreaming about cider doughnuts, chocolate doughnuts, gingerbread doughnuts, yeasted doughnuts, jelly doughnuts...Oh my, Daring Bakers, what have you done to me?

Cost: $0.21 for 1 doughnut and 2 doughnut holes

Yup, you read that right. You get 1 doughnut AND two doughnut holes for just 21 cents. Next time you go to that big chain, think about how high their mark-up must be!

Daring Bakers' Challenge - October 2010: Doughnuts

I have never been comfortable with making breads at all, and this month's DB challenge got me facing my fear. Our challenge this month - doughnuts! Yes, doughnuts are delicious; one of the best comfort foods ever, but I would rather buy from a shop than make it myself because I'm not confident in the arena of any yeast product.

However, there's a reason why I joined DB. It's to push my boundaries in baking, and face making pastries, desserts or bread that I wouldn't normally do. So here I am... baker!

Blog-checking lines: The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

Since our host provided four recipes to choose from, I've decided to choose Kate Neumann's bomboloni recipe. Bomboloni is a Tuscan version of filled doughnuts, except that the filling is piped on the top of the doughnuts instead of the sides, which we normally see with filled doughnuts.

I've psyched myself for this challenge; I wasn't anxious at all when I was making the dough for the bomboloni. I was also following the recipe down to a tee. I guess even if I was mentally ready to face the doughnut challenge, I was subconsciously nervous. Hence, it showed on my doughnuts. When I bake, I normally use my instinct to see if things are going smoothly, but in this case, I was so glued in with the recipe. I didnt' trust my judgement when I saw that my yeast might not have foamed up the way it should. I just continued following the recipe.

As a result, my doughnut was a flop. I was only able to make half of what the actual yield for the recipe should produce. My doughnuts came out really dense and heavy, but the taste was still good. So I decided to still continue filling and glazing my bombolonis.

So for my bomboloni, I dusted their top with powdered sugar, then filled them with pastry cream. For the glaze, I piped alternate circles of dark chocolate and white chocolate ganache. The taste of the final bomboloni was really really good! The only down side was how heavy the actual doughnut was. I guess practice makes perfect; I would definitely be making another batch at some point. This time, I'll trust myself when I think something is not right before it becomes too late.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

$150 Challenge: Day 25

Today is an emo day for my coworker and me.

I am getting fed up with most of the customers quality of our restaurant. I am going to find a 2nd part time job, once my face crisis is cleared.

Imagine our average tips today was only 8.7% for noon! Doesn't matter how good our service were, these people can never be satisfied. Luckily I still have Saturdays to earn a little bit more.

But I am still glad I worked in a worse condition, because I know when I get the experience, and be able to work in a more proper restaurant with different level of customers quality, it will worth the hardship now.

Anyway, another successful day of our challenge.

Day starts: $20.53
Day ends:$20.53

^_^

XOXO, Fish Fish

$150 Challenge: Day 24

Just a very short update before I go to work.

Yesterday was our most boring Sunday at home. We did not even go out of the house one step. :P Blame it on the Hubby, I was suggesting to rent a movie to watch from Red Box using my free promo coupon, instead he introduced me a whole 50 episodes series of a drama. I am totally hooked. So, our dating was done at home, cooking remaining foods. He planned to make bread, but since we don't have yeast and eggs at home, we gave up the idea. Maybe next week.

Another thing is making me sad now. I don't know if it is because of the new BB cream that I tried, or because of the sauna-like condition that I experienced for the whole Saturday at work, my face had the worst breakout I have ever had. I don't even dare to go to submit another part time that I planned earlier. Please let me recover quick. I beliebe it is the BB cream since I have never used one before, and my face does not feel itchy. Now I just have to use my well-trusted skincare and no makeup for a few days, hopefully it will go back to my normal skin condition.

The Hubby nearly scared me when he said he need to go to a dentist appointment on Saturday. And he took $20 to go. I was a bit mad he did not tell me earlier, or else we could cut down the sausage we bought. Turned out he was pulling my legs, since the dentist visit was covered by the insurance fully. *phew~~~*

1 more week, and we are done with this challenge! Yeah! Did not spend any money on a Sunday. ^_^

Day starts: $20.53
Day ends: $20.53

XOXO: Fish Fish

$150 Challenge: Day 23

Another long and very busy day at work. I am very exhausted now after 12 hr work, but I just have to tell this incident today.

*waiter's rant mode on*

I have never felt so pissed about a customer like I did today. But I did remain my cool, although I did not smile a her the whole time. What can I say, a very inconsiderate, selfish and rude lady. I didn't even want to serve her, and thanks to my coworker I don't have to deal with her that much.

Basically, we were at our peak time, busy with so many customers eating, settling checks and leaving the tables.

Earlier, there was 4 empty seats at the sushi counter, I asked if she would like to sit there, but she insisted a booth or table. I told her it would take some time, she said ok. So I gave the counter seats to the next two customers.

After about 15 min, she appeared again, and said, "Hey, there is a table empty already." I told her I know, but I have to deal with the bill first. But she said, "Why can't you clean the table for us now?" I told her will be soon, just a few more minutes as I have two checks on my hand to settle the paying. She could not wait, and started to say, "That's not a proper way to do business, you have to clean the empty table first."

F***! For the first time, I was cursing this word inside me, and instantly, I am not smiling at her at all from that point onward. I just cleaned the table for her, and let her sit down. While the other customers just looked at her bewilderedly. A few customers even felt sorry for me. Oh well, some people just think they are on top of everything.

I did not go to take her order. My coworker did deal with her, and she even wanted to just shove the food in front of her face. But that was not it, she requested more than 10 times my coworker to bring every single thing to her. Like a napkin, a small dish, refill water, a sauce, etc... all at different times!!

Since my coworker does not speak Mandarin, she had been trying to call me instead all the time, doesn't matter I pretend not hearing her, after she called me for the 5th time. Then, I would just attended her at minimal courtesy by giving her what she wanted. I am very amazed with her "thick face" though. The husband kept telling her, "It's ok, we don't really need that." But she just insisted my friend to must bring that. Like instead of asking for two boes, she just request for one box at a time!! F***!

My poor coworker had to deal with another pain in the ass customer at the same time, while I have to deal with all the customers at the front part.

Seriously, I don't care if she is not coming anymore, in fact, we will be more than happy if she decided to do so. In fact, one of my customer made a remark about she should just go to eat in somewhere else instead of making such a big fuss for waiting for a few more minutes. A few customers waited for more than 30 min, and they didn't even make a single complain, and say, "It's ok, we know you guys are very busy." Talking about different level of courtesy.

Ok, I think enough of this kind of people. Our dinner time was super busy, but at least we don't have extra hard to deal with customers. Instead, most of the customers are very nice tonight. Thank you all for making my day better at the end of the day.

Ah, I am glad I have an off day tomorrow. *heart* But I am stressed with my face condition now, I think my new BB cream (1st try yesterday) caused myself break out very badly now. :(

Anyway, the Hubby spent $1 on buying a McCoffee.

So, here is a track of our remaining fund.
Day start: $21.53
Day end: $20.53

XOXO, Fish Fish

$150 Challenge: Day 22

Just a very short update on what I spent yesterday.

$5 on medicione refill.
$0.19 on a banana.
$1.99 on a pack of sausage
$0.40 on the Hubby's snack
Total: $7.58

Day start: $29.11
Day end: $21.53

XOXO, Fish Fish

IHCC: Italian White Bean, Pancetta and Tortellini Soup

I recently stumbled upon I Heart Cooking Clubs. I love the idea of getting to know one author/chef really well during a six-month period. I just wish I had found the group earlier, when they were focusing on Mark Bittman or Nigella Lawson. Right now, their focus is Giada De Laurentiis. Given this fact, I'm thinking I'll participate every now and then, but I just can't commit to six months of Giada.

That said, when I saw that this week was "Potluck," I figured I would play along. I pulled out my cookbook specifically looking for a soup. Why a soup? Well, I spent last Friday through about Wednesday with the worst cold I've had in about two years. I know I'm lucky to have gone that long without it. I had a remarkably healthy pregnancy, and my immune system seemed to be in tip-top shape for the first ten months of my son's life. So, I was pretty frustrated when I got sick, as unused to the situation as I had become. It certainly didn't help that I was sick and running on Advil Cold & Sinus for my brother-in-law's wedding.

Anyway, all that aside, I chose the Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup. I find it kind of interesting that Swiss chard is not mentioned in the name of the recipe. The greens definitely featured prominently in the end result.

This was my first time using pancetta. It did not disappoint. The pancetta infused the whole soup with a rich, meaty undertone. Without it, I think the soup would have been lackluster, like so many of the other "beans and greens" soups I have made over the years. As much as I hate to admit it, I need some highly flavored meat (bacon, pancetta, chorizo) to make my greens palatable.

The soup turned out more than "palatable." It was filling, warming, and deeply nourishing in a "good for the soul" kind of way. I wish I had had this recipe on hand when I was a CSA member toting home huge bunches of chard and kale and collards every week. Now at least I know a good way to get in my greens.

Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup

adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis

3 Tbs olive oil

4 oz pancetta, chopped

3 shallots, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups chopped Swiss chard

6 cups chicken broth

1 (9 oz) package frozen cheese tortellini

freshly ground black pepper

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, shallots, carrot, and garlic and cook until the pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, Swiss chard, and broth.

Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the tortellini and cook 8 minutes, until just tender. Season with pepper and serve.

Makes 5 servings

Cost: $3.22 per serving

IHCC: Italian White Bean, Pancetta and Tortellini Soup

I recently stumbled upon I Heart Cooking Clubs. I love the idea of getting to know one author/chef really well during a six-month period. I just wish I had found the group earlier, when they were focusing on Mark Bittman or Nigella Lawson. Right now, their focus is Giada De Laurentiis. Given this fact, I'm thinking I'll participate every now and then, but I just can't commit to six months of Giada.

That said, when I saw that this week was "Potluck," I figured I would play along. I pulled out my cookbook specifically looking for a soup. Why a soup? Well, I spent last Friday through about Wednesday with the worst cold I've had in about two years. I know I'm lucky to have gone that long without it. I had a remarkably healthy pregnancy, and my immune system seemed to be in tip-top shape for the first ten months of my son's life. So, I was pretty frustrated when I got sick, as unused to the situation as I had become. It certainly didn't help that I was sick and running on Advil Cold & Sinus for my brother-in-law's wedding.

Anyway, all that aside, I chose the Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup. I find it kind of interesting that Swiss chard is not mentioned in the name of the recipe. The greens definitely featured prominently in the end result.

This was my first time using pancetta. It did not disappoint. The pancetta infused the whole soup with a rich, meaty undertone. Without it, I think the soup would have been lackluster, like so many of the other "beans and greens" soups I have made over the years. As much as I hate to admit it, I need some highly flavored meat (bacon, pancetta, chorizo) to make my greens palatable.

The soup turned out more than "palatable." It was filling, warming, and deeply nourishing in a "good for the soul" kind of way. I wish I had had this recipe on hand when I was a CSA member toting home huge bunches of chard and kale and collards every week. Now at least I know a good way to get in my greens.

Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup

adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis

3 Tbs olive oil

4 oz pancetta, chopped

3 shallots, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups chopped Swiss chard

6 cups chicken broth

1 (9 oz) package frozen cheese tortellini

freshly ground black pepper

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, shallots, carrot, and garlic and cook until the pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, Swiss chard, and broth.

Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the tortellini and cook 8 minutes, until just tender. Season with pepper and serve.

Makes 5 servings

Cost: $3.22 per serving

$150 Challenge: Day 21

Another day without sun. Cold. Making ones lazy to go out.

Made a lentil soup and chicken with asparagus tonight. Roti canai was our carb. With guilt, I just had to fry some spring rolls and keropok to heal my crave for some sinful munching.

Then, in the middle of the night, the Hubby just popped out of the bedroom munching on a Vietnamese sandwich. -_-""" Sometimes I think I am married to a Peter Pan, seriously.

Glad that this is another day without expenditure.

Day starts: $29.11
Day ends: $29.11
Dinner for tonight: Pureed soup with lentil, tomatoes, zucchini and onion powder, seasoned with paprika powder and tumeric powder. Used some light soysauce and 1/4 cube of chicken cube for create the savoriness. Stir fried asparagus with chicken, flavored with wine. Pan fried two frozen roti canai for the Hubby while 1/2 piece for myself only, as I think I consumed too much carb earlier.

We are running out of peanut butter. Gosh! Didn't even know that we finished that quite fast. I think I am also addictive to milk tea lately.

XOXO, Fish Fish

First Cookbook Lovers Unite: Open-Face Veggie Sandwiches

I recently started a new blogging group for people who love their printed cookbooks as much as I do. Cookbook Lovers Unite will have a theme every other week to make a recipe from a cookbook and then blog about and share. The first theme is "Your First Love." I wanted to hear what books started the obsession for other cookbook addicts.

My first cookbook love wasn't the first cookbook I ever owned. It wasn't even the second or third. Just as your first love isn't necessarily your first date, it took a few books before I found the one that started it all.

The Horn of the Moon Cookbook started it all for me. I'm not sure why. It's such an unassuming book. The cover is a drawing. There are no pictures in the book at all--just some line drawings and text. The author is not a celebrity. No one was promoting the book in a magazine, on a display in front of the store, or with a show on The Food Network. Nope, it was just a regular old book on a used bookstore shelf, and somehow it caught my attention.

It was the weekend of October 18-20, 2002 when I found the book. I know the date because it was my one-year anniversary with my boyfriend (now my husband). We had gone up to Vermont to see a concert, and stayed with friends who lived in Burlington. While we were wandering in downtown Burlington, in the bitter, biting wind, we ducked into a used bookstore. While browsing, I spied The Horn of the Moon, and something drew me to it. I bought it, after consulting with my boyfriend, not knowing that it would change me.

I read the cookbook cover to cover in the following months, marking recipes I wanted to try to make. This was no small step for me. I come from a family that doesn't like to cook. That's putting it nicely. My mother CAN cook--and what she makes she makes quite well--but she hates the process. My grandmothers? Don't make me laugh. At my wedding shower, everyone gave me a recipe card with a special dish from her kitchen. I don't have one from my Grandma because she couldn't think of a single thing that she cooks--she just orders take out or (more likely) goes to a restaurant. So, I wasn't from the cooks. But, I was determined to try, and this book was going to be my gateway.

These open-face sandwiches were my first foray into the cooking world. Kurt and I made them over and over and over again. We were so proud of our accomplishment. (Looking back, of course, this is an incredibly simple recipe, but we were just beginners.) To this day, the smell of broccoli and thyme sauteing reminds me of our tiny, crammed apartment in Somerville, MA. It reminds me of cozy meals around our tiny table, of cooking in a galley kitchen so cramped that we could barely work back-to-back. It reminds me of brisk November days, walking the half mile to the grocery store, and then walking back carrying the bags, and how warm my cheeks would feel when I got back into the apartment and turned on the stove. This recipe reminds me of the early days of living together, and learning to cook together.

It's amazing to me that this one innocent-looking book sparked the cookbook collection that I have now--that the 200-plus cookbooks in my house all sprang from that one impulse buy in Vermont.

Here's to beginnings--of a lifelong love of cookbooks, of a relationship that is now nine years old, and of a new blogging group where we can share the joy of the printed cookbook.

Broccoli Mushroom Sandwich with Three Cheeses

adapted from Horn of the Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan

1 Tbs olive oil

2 cups chopped broccoli

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/4 tsp salt

4 slices rye bread

1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese (I use much less)

8 small slices mozzarella cheese

8 small slices cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil, then broccoli and thyme. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and salt and cook until just barely tender. Remove from heat and drain any excess juices.

Place bread on a cookie sheet. Top each piece of bread with the broccoli-mushroom mixture. Spread the blue cheese over, followed by slices of mozzarella, and then cheddar. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve open-face.

Makes 4 servings.

Cost: $2.61 per sandwich

First Cookbook Lovers Unite: Open-Face Veggie Sandwiches

I recently started a new blogging group for people who love their printed cookbooks as much as I do. Cookbook Lovers Unite will have a theme every other week to make a recipe from a cookbook and then blog about and share. The first theme is "Your First Love." I wanted to hear what books started the obsession for other cookbook addicts.

My first cookbook love wasn't the first cookbook I ever owned. It wasn't even the second or third. Just as your first love isn't necessarily your first date, it took a few books before I found the one that started it all.

The Horn of the Moon Cookbook started it all for me. I'm not sure why. It's such an unassuming book. The cover is a drawing. There are no pictures in the book at all--just some line drawings and text. The author is not a celebrity. No one was promoting the book in a magazine, on a display in front of the store, or with a show on The Food Network. Nope, it was just a regular old book on a used bookstore shelf, and somehow it caught my attention.

It was the weekend of October 18-20, 2002 when I found the book. I know the date because it was my one-year anniversary with my boyfriend (now my husband). We had gone up to Vermont to see a concert, and stayed with friends who lived in Burlington. While we were wandering in downtown Burlington, in the bitter, biting wind, we ducked into a used bookstore. While browsing, I spied The Horn of the Moon, and something drew me to it. I bought it, after consulting with my boyfriend, not knowing that it would change me.

I read the cookbook cover to cover in the following months, marking recipes I wanted to try to make. This was no small step for me. I come from a family that doesn't like to cook. That's putting it nicely. My mother CAN cook--and what she makes she makes quite well--but she hates the process. My grandmothers? Don't make me laugh. At my wedding shower, everyone gave me a recipe card with a special dish from her kitchen. I don't have one from my Grandma because she couldn't think of a single thing that she cooks--she just orders take out or (more likely) goes to a restaurant. So, I wasn't from the cooks. But, I was determined to try, and this book was going to be my gateway.

These open-face sandwiches were my first foray into the cooking world. Kurt and I made them over and over and over again. We were so proud of our accomplishment. (Looking back, of course, this is an incredibly simple recipe, but we were just beginners.) To this day, the smell of broccoli and thyme sauteing reminds me of our tiny, crammed apartment in Somerville, MA. It reminds me of cozy meals around our tiny table, of cooking in a galley kitchen so cramped that we could barely work back-to-back. It reminds me of brisk November days, walking the half mile to the grocery store, and then walking back carrying the bags, and how warm my cheeks would feel when I got back into the apartment and turned on the stove. This recipe reminds me of the early days of living together, and learning to cook together.

It's amazing to me that this one innocent-looking book sparked the cookbook collection that I have now--that the 200-plus cookbooks in my house all sprang from that one impulse buy in Vermont.

Here's to beginnings--of a lifelong love of cookbooks, of a relationship that is now nine years old, and of a new blogging group where we can share the joy of the printed cookbook.

Broccoli Mushroom Sandwich with Three Cheeses

adapted from Horn of the Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan

1 Tbs olive oil

2 cups chopped broccoli

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/4 tsp salt

4 slices rye bread

1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese (I use much less)

8 small slices mozzarella cheese

8 small slices cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil, then broccoli and thyme. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and salt and cook until just barely tender. Remove from heat and drain any excess juices.

Place bread on a cookie sheet. Top each piece of bread with the broccoli-mushroom mixture. Spread the blue cheese over, followed by slices of mozzarella, and then cheddar. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve open-face.

Makes 4 servings.

Cost: $2.61 per sandwich

$150 Challenge: Day 20

I was tired and forgot to update my challenge last night. The business last night was bad, and worse, we had to replace extra $2 for the account balance at the end of the day, and we hardly earn any tips. There was $2 lack of a stack of $1 notes which was supposed to be a $20, but after counting three times, it was still $18. Must be the mistake from last night (since I know the person who do the counting don't count the bundled $1 notes, but I have no proof). So from now on, going to make sure I recalculate everything from the night before to make sure it is not our mistake.

Anyway, no money was spent yesterday.

Day starts: $29.11
Day ends: $29.11
Money spent: Nada

XOXO, Fish Fish

Current Obsession: Swimming Pool Cakes!

Click on the photo to see who made it. Swimming pool cakes, so hilarious and crazy and fantastic!!!

Fondant Cake - Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Filling

I got a good news from my friend recently; she's going to tie the knot this December! Oh, I could see her eyes glow as she was telling me the news over coffee. I was so made up for her, so I decided to make a cake for her (she does love her sweets) to send my best wishes.

This cake is a 2 layered 5 inch chocolate butter cake with chocolate buttercream filling. For the chocolate cake itself, I made use of a third of my Lemon Cake recipe. Then to change it into chocolate cake, I substituted 28% of the amount of flour with cocoa powder, and scraped off all the lemon components in the recipe. As for the buttercream, I used a third of my Swiss Buttercream recipe, and simply added 30g of melted chocolate. You got to make sure though that the melted chocolate is not to hot that it could melt the buttercream, but at the same time not so cool that when added to the buttercream, it would just solidify into tiny clumps.

For the fondant, I used a third of my Marshmallow Fondant recipe. I actually picked out pink marshmallows for this one to give my fondant an instant light pink hue.

So another fondant project, another 'over the moon' amateur fondant cake decorator! I'm really getting so enthused with this; I'm even thinking of buying myself some playdough to practice molding! 

Bisous bisou,

Charlotte

$150 Challenge: Day 19

Just came back from work. Slow day again. Rainy day makes Southern California more lazy to go out, I suppose.

The Hubby is working late again tonight. Decided to ditch my gym tonight, just want to relax and cook some dinner at home, watching my favorite TV program, and getting ready for another long day at work tomorrow.

Promise myself to submit at least two new job applications this Friday. *crosses my fingers*

Anyway, I spent a lot of money today! Oh gosh, our fund is getting less so much in a single day. But it is for good reason, to fill up my gasoline. The gasoline today's is 20 cents more expensive per gallon than the last time I refilled it. Ended up paying $36.91 for almost 12 gallons gasoline. I used it for work and 2 short-distance outings. So in average, I sepnd about $3.50 per day to go to work. Not too bad, but I hope I don't have to take over someone's else half-day again, it is just not worth it, rather do the whole day shifts.

Also, the Hubby spent $1 on buying breakfast today, while I stock up another whole wheat bread ($2) and margarine ($0.99).

So, here is the remaining fund we have, not much remaining. But the big spender (our gasoline) have been settled, so we are pretty confidence to be able to make it until end of this month. In fact, I am hoping we can have at least $20 remaining by the end of the challenge. ;)

Here is the update (retyped some of the amount for past few days as I missed out an expense).
Day start: $70.01
Day end: $29.11
Money spent: $40.90

Ok, no more spending for the next four days!

XOXO, Fish Fish

Skoda Fabia Advert - Humongous Car Cake!

I just want to share this extremely amazing car advert. I think this could be my favourite advertisement of all time. When you're feeling sad... you simply tune in to this wonderful ad, and then you won't feel so bad! Enjoy! :)

Behind the scenes.

I hope that one day I could be part of a project like this!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Daring Cooks: Stuffed Grape Leaves

Today is my first Daring Cooks Challenge. Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. And, boy, was it a challenge...

Not that the recipe itself was so hard to make. It definitely had more steps than I'm used to lately. And it had some techniques I haven't tried before--weighing down the rolls with a Pyrex dish comes to mind. But, really, the challenge, for me, was to make something I've never tried before, and, quite frankly, never really had the inclination to.

Let me tell you, I did NOT feel any more inclined toward this after smelling the grape leaves. Picture driving near the ocean on a really humid day. The kind of day where the ocean doesn't smell fresh and clean anymore--it smells salty and fetid. I remember those kinds of days back when I lived on Long Island--when I would be driving down by the beach and think, "My goodness, something smells rotten!" Yeah. That's how the grape leaves smelled.

And THEN, as I'm carefully pulling each leaf apart from the others, since they were packed so tightly in the jar, I find a dead, preserved ladybug. I'm not kidding. There was no mistaking what it was. It was still intact, and red and black (though the red had slightly faded). At that point, I seriously considered scrapping the whole project. But, I found the insect on the very last leaf I had unraveled, so I trudged on and tried not to think about it too hard.

The results were, well...disgusting. I'm sorry. I understand that this might have been to some people's taste. It just wasn't to mine. The whole house reeked from the grape leaves, and you can't taste without using your nose. The texture was okay, but it was just a spiced meatball wrapped in an unappetizing leaf. No thanks.

I hope everyone else had fun with the challenge, and that their results were more pleasing to their palates. As for me, I'll try next month's challenge and see where it takes me. I guess Daring means risking failure or disappointment. The recipe worked just fine, it was just my personal preferences that failed me. Better luck next month, I guess.

Daring Cooks: Stuffed Grape Leaves

Today is my first Daring Cooks Challenge. Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. And, boy, was it a challenge...

Not that the recipe itself was so hard to make. It definitely had more steps than I'm used to lately. And it had some techniques I haven't tried before--weighing down the rolls with a Pyrex dish comes to mind. But, really, the challenge, for me, was to make something I've never tried before, and, quite frankly, never really had the inclination to.

Let me tell you, I did NOT feel any more inclined toward this after smelling the grape leaves. Picture driving near the ocean on a really humid day. The kind of day where the ocean doesn't smell fresh and clean anymore--it smells salty and fetid. I remember those kinds of days back when I lived on Long Island--when I would be driving down by the beach and think, "My goodness, something smells rotten!" Yeah. That's how the grape leaves smelled.

And THEN, as I'm carefully pulling each leaf apart from the others, since they were packed so tightly in the jar, I find a dead, preserved ladybug. I'm not kidding. There was no mistaking what it was. It was still intact, and red and black (though the red had slightly faded). At that point, I seriously considered scrapping the whole project. But, I found the insect on the very last leaf I had unraveled, so I trudged on and tried not to think about it too hard.

The results were, well...disgusting. I'm sorry. I understand that this might have been to some people's taste. It just wasn't to mine. The whole house reeked from the grape leaves, and you can't taste without using your nose. The texture was okay, but it was just a spiced meatball wrapped in an unappetizing leaf. No thanks.

I hope everyone else had fun with the challenge, and that their results were more pleasing to their palates. As for me, I'll try next month's challenge and see where it takes me. I guess Daring means risking failure or disappointment. The recipe worked just fine, it was just my personal preferences that failed me. Better luck next month, I guess.

Fondant Cake - Purple Yam Cake with Coconut Cream Filling

So I went into the realms of the artistic side of baking again... My 'July fondant cake project' has completely overwhelmed me; the satisfaction of finishing a work of art was addictive. I have been constantly gushing over my fondant cake for the past two months... I know, I know, self-praising! But hey, people who know me knows I'm very critical of myself, so self-complimenting is a rarity. So I think I have a free pass on being self-absorbed occasionally! Anyway, I've moved on. I've created my new obsession, my teacup cake project!

I have always been fascinated with teacups, or tea sets for that matter. So I took that as an inspiration for my cake. At first, I was being ambitious, and I was thinking of making a floral porcelain like teacup cake. But after some reality check, I settled on a simple casual teacup design.

As for the inspiration of the cake itself, it came from my recent trip from the Philippines. One of my favourite cakes is ube cake (purple yam cake), so when I was back home, I purchased a bottle of purple yam flavouring. The filling, I chose coconut cream filling simply because coconut compliments purple yam really well.

Now for the baking side of this post, you'll need:

• Three inch round purple yam cake; I used a third of the Lemon Cake recipe, and took out all the lemon related ingredients, then replaced it with about 1/2 tsp purple yam flavouring.


• Coconut cream filling; I made pastry cream, but used coconut milk instead of milk.


• Swiss buttercream.

For a quick run through on the cake assembly (Detailed version --> 'July fondant cake project'):

1. Put the filling in between layers of the cake. Make sure to pipe the perimeter of the cake with buttercream as a guide of the thickness of your filling, and as a protection to stop the filling oozing out of the cake.


2. Spread the filling, and make sure it's level with the buttercream guide.


3. Now you have your filled cakes. I suggest chilling the cake for at least 30 minutes to make the whole cake less delicate, but if you're saving time you can skip the chilling part.


4. Carve the cake to your desired shape; in my case teacup.


5. Coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream; this will help keep the crumbs intact (hence, crumb coating). Chill the cake until the buttercream doesn't smudge on your fingers when touched; maybe around 30 minutes.


6. Do the second coating of buttercream. This time thicker, and the purpose is to shape the cake as perfect as you can, so as to make a nice smooth silhouette once the fondant is draped over. Make sure to chill the cake until the buttercream is set before covering with fondant.

So cake is now done. Time to decorate! I used Marshmallow Fondant for decorating for two reasons. First, it's hard to find the ingredients to make a proper fondant here in Korea; second, I think marshmallow fondant has a nicer taste compared to a proper fondant. Decorating with fondant is almost like playing with playdough. Now I wasn't exactly good with sculpting playdough when I was a kid, so fondant cake decorating isn't exactly an easy task for me. However, I really like playing with fondant; just too bad I don't have many people to feed so I can't really attempt to make three tiers of cakes.

For now, I'm happy with making mini fondant projects. Plus, I have a long long way to go, and loads of improvement to do. I know my teacup cake is not the most polished art, but for an amateur starter, I'm happy with what I've created!

Now I have to consider if I'm going to do more fondant cakes in the near future, because if I am, I have to start thinking of investing on cake decorating tools. Trust me, I don't have any sorts of cake decorating tools in making this project as well as my first fondant cake project; I just made use of whatever I have in my tiny cozy kitchen.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

The Cranberry Sauce Conundrum

I have a really bad habit of letting food go to waste. I know it's a terrible thing to do, and I feel guilty every single time I throw away uneaten food that has gone bad in the refrigerator. I'm trying very hard to mend my ways, but sometimes it just isn't easy.

The other night, I had half a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce in the fridge. I had tried to use half of it in a recipe that failed miserably (not the recipe's fault--we had an ingredient go bad and didn't realized until it was too late in the process. We ended up eating grilled cheese for dinner that night.). So, there sat half a can of cranberry sauce. To be completely honest, the jelled consistency of the stuff grosses me out. But, keeping in mind that I have been trying so hard not to throw food away, I started looking for a recipe to use it up.

There is a new-ish website out there called Eat Your Books. I signed up for a lifetime membership back in May. Basically, they index cookbooks. You create a bookshelf with the cookbooks you own, and viola--you have a searchable database of the recipes on your cookbook shelves. Right now, only about 50% of my cookbooks are indexed. That's still a lot of recipes to search from--according to the website, when I log in, exactly 22.465 recipes, to be exact.

I performed such a search and found the perfect recipe to use up the cranberry sauce. As a bonus, it would also use the juice of the orange that was sitting in fridge, divested of its zest. The recipe was for Orange Cranberry Muffins from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food.

So, I quickly mixed together the streusel topping, whipped up the muffin batter, scooped them out, sprinkled the topping on as well as I could (the muffin cups were over-full, so it was hard to make the streusel stick), and popped them in the oven in time to sit down and watch an episode of The Big Bang Theory on DVD. While I watched the hilarious antics of the ever-endearing nerds, my house started to smell ridiculously good. The kind of good that makes your stomach rumble and your mouth water, even though you just ate dinner an hour ago.

These muffins were a wonderful solution to my cranberry sauce problem. As a matter of fact, they were such a good solution that they have created their own problem. When I make them next, what will I do with the other half of the can of cranberry sauce? I guess that just remains to be seen. In the meantime, I would strongly urge you to make these muffins when you get the chance. They have the perfect fall/harvest taste. They are tender, and buttery, with a subtle crunch from the streusel topping. And, every now and then, if you are lucky, you bite into one of the whole cranberries, which gives you a joyful tart pop on the palate.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

adapted from I'm Just Here for More Food

The Streusel:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped almonds

3 Tbs butter

The Muffins:

8 Tbs unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp orange extract

1/2 cup plain yogurt

orange juice from 1 orange

3/4 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce

1. Mix streusel ingredients until cohesive, but still crumbly.

2. Preheat oven to 350, and grease a muffin tin.

3. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.

4. Cream together the butter and sugar.

5. Add the eggs and mix until combined.

6. Add remaining wet ingredients. Then dump all the wet ingredients into the dry. (I do this the other way around--dumping the dry into the wet, and I'm not sure it makes any difference. Alton would probably disagree, though.)

7. Scoop the batter into 12 muffin cups. The book says to fill them to the top. Mine crested over the top. They still turned out great.

8. Sprinkle with streusel topping.

9. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

10. Allow muffins to cool before taking out of the tins.

Yield: 12 muffins

Cost: $0.36 per muffin