Breadsticks, oh my!

On Saturday, I made breadsticks for a birthday party dinner for one of my friends. I hadn't made them in a long time, but knew it wouldn't be a problem.

Anyway, I remembered that breadsticks use a slightly different recipe than my normal bread recipe. So, I went to Pinterest. And boy am I glad I did! This recipe is so easy and incredibly delicious and I highly recommend you try it.

A few things I did:

1. I doubled the recipe because it was for a party. It still worked perfectly!
2. I made a couple rolls out of it and they were great for sandwiches.
3. I made a seasoned butter to brush over them. I did use a brush instead of dipping. Easier cleanup and with brushing, I was able to go ahead and brush them, then when completely cooled, packaged them up for transport to the party. They did not get soggy!
      I used garlic powder, a little Parmesan cheese and an Italian salad seasoning blend.

These will definitely be in a regular rotation of bread making for me.

Something Old, Something New

Do you like to try new foods?
We do!

Do you like to try your hand at cooking new foods?
I do!

Tonight's Menu:

Curried Masala Chicken
Saffron Rice
Onion Bhaji
Roasted Asparagus

Now, I've made Chicken Curry many times, and a few different ways. We love curry here. I've also made Saffron rice, but tried a different method tonight...think I'll stick with my own way.

I've roasted Asparagus many, many times. Roasted vegetables are probably my favorite way to eat them. Roasting just brings out the natural sweetness without removing any of the natural flavors or dispensing with the flavors all-together (depending on how you cook them). With the exception of potatoes for a mash, I don't "boil" vegetables.

Onion Bhaji is something I've eaten, but never cooked before. Tonight, we had a real treat. I cooked something new and we all reaped the benefit. And what a yummy benefit it was! Take a look and give it a try - it's super easy.

The recipe I used is found at A Saucy Kitchen.  I made slight changes, by doubling the amount of Cumin, Turmeric, Chili (even added some crushed Red Chilis) and Salt. We like our food to be full of flavor and thought these would do well to punch it up a bit.

Ingredients out and ready to get started. (Oops Cilantro isn't out)

Onions, sliced thin and separated.

Mixed the batter (it is thick) 

First round of frying (original recipe) 

All done, after adding more of the spices and salt. 

Dinner, ready to serve! 

Curry Chicken, Roasted Asparagus

Saffron Rice, Onion Bhaji

Getting more for less...

Was thinking about blogging today on my food blog and realized, I don't have to have separate blogs for travel and cooking. This blog's title is Vistas, Vittles and Venues. It can handle all of it. So, hold on to your hats, it's about to get food-y in here!

In a renewed effort to increase our savings and cut back on our spending, I've been purposefully cooking more at home and we're eating out less. It's no surprise that this definitely saves money. And with only a little practice, what you cook at home is just as good if not better than what you can get in a restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I understand the desire to be treated out with no worries of the cleanup. But, we've chosen to allow those moments to become more special by having fewer of them.

So, here is my most recent:

Flank Steak Taco Dinner
Salsa
Guacamole
Rice
Beans
Corn Salad
Cascades Sour Cream

How we did the Steak~
Allow it to sit on the counter (in packaging or on a plate) to come to room temperature (30 min.)
Season generously with Salt and Pepper, both sides
Squeeze Lime juice over steak
Heat an Iron Skillet (or other skillet) on Medium High. Allow it to get hot before adding a Tablespoon or 2 of oil. Then lay the steak into the pan and sear for 3-4 minutes. Turn the steak over and sear on the other side another 3-4 minutes. Depending on thickness of your steak, and the doneness you prefer, it may need a few more minutes on each side. When done, remove to cutting board and allow to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. This made enough for 3 people plus 1 more meal.

We reheat our tortillas over open flame on our gas stove.

The next day, I seared and cooked a chicken breast (same seasoning, same method but covered the pan and reduced the heat to med-low to allow the chicken plenty of cooking time without burning) and we fed 3 again. The next day we had just enough left over to make quesadillas (6 of them) for lunch. All I had to do was add one more can of beans. We still have salsa left to have as a snack tonight or tomorrow and some beans to add to our soup beans for tomorrow night.

This meal (which made 3 meals for 3 people) total cost was less than $15.00! That's 2 suppers and 1 lunch people!

Hmmm, wonder what Vista or Venue we're going to get to visit with all the money we'll be saving?