Recipes

Turkey Breasts
2 boneless turkey breast halves, skin on (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)
prepare with butter pushed under skin
450 degrees for 45 minutes
Let rest for 10 minutes

Dinner Baked Potato
1 large potato per person
Current favorite recipe: coat with olive oil, bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes, then microwave for 3 minutes to finish the inside to fully cooked
sour cream, diced green onions, butter, "grated Mexican mix cheese" (Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheeses)

Macaroni & Cheese (ala Katherine)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Cheddar + Parmesan (or other combination of cheese)
In a sauté pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize.
Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.
When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup cheese, nutmeg and ground pepper.

Italian Meat Sauce (ala Katherine)
2 TB olive oil

2 tsp red hot chili pepper (more if you want it to be super spicy)

4-8 cloves of garlic - minced (depends on how much you love garlic)

1 c chopped onion (approx 1 large white or yellow onion or 4-7 shallots)

1 1/2 c chopped carrots

1 c chopped celery OPTIONAL

1 TB dried Italian seasoning (any combo of oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc.)

1 lb ground pork

1 lb spicy Italian sausage (casings removed)

3/4 c heavy cream (whole milk works too)

3/4 c full-bodied red wine (Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel)

1 32-oz can crushed tomatoes

3-5 Bay leaves

1 TB beef or chicken bouillon OPTIONAL

Salt & pepper to taste

Lemon pepper OPTIONAL

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven (or large pot with lid), add olive oil, red hot chili pepper, garlic and chopped onion. Turn on heat to medium / medium high and cook the onions 'til they've started to soften. Stir and mix periodically so that the onions and garlic don't stick to the bottom. Cook for ~3 minutes.
Add carrots and stir. If you're using celery, add that as well. Stir periodically to soften. Cook for ~5-8 minutes, just make sure they don't get mushy or stick to the bottom.
Add Italian seasoning and stir. Cook for ~1 minute.
Add pork. Break pork apart and mix with other ingredients. Stir occasionally and cook until no longer pink. ~ 10 minutes.
Add heavy cream and stir. Cook for ~10 minutes until the cream is absorbed by the pork or evaporated away.
Add red wine and stir. Cook for ~10 minutes.
Add can of crushed tomatoes and Bay leaves. Give it a stir. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook low and slow covered for ~30-45 minutes. The longer the better. Taste periodically. This is when I add salt & pepper (and bouillon and optional lemon pepper) to adjust seasoning.

Serve with spaghetti, penne, etc.

Top with Parmesan, fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley.

Spinach and Mushroom Frittata breakfast Casserole (ala Katherine)
4 large eggs
3 large egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red hot pepper flakes OPTIONAL
1/2 bag of frozen chopped spinach
8 oz sliced white (or brown) button mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup minced onion (or shallots)

1 square baking dish sprayed with vegetable oil

    Directions:
    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg whites with 1/2 tsp of salt. Set aside.
    3. In a large non-sick skillet pan, add 2 tsp olive oil, the onions and pepper flakes
        and put onto the stove on a medium flame. Stir and let the pepper flakes release
        their heat into the oil for ~ 2 minutes.
    4. Add frozen spinach to pan and defrost/cook in pan - no need to thaw/defrost/squeeze
        out extra water. Cook until the spinach is no longer frozen and the water has
        evaporated. About 8-10 minutes. Pour contents of pan into the baking dish and set aside..
    5. Add 1 tsp olive oil to pan, garlic and sliced mushrooms. Add a couple of shakes of
        pepper flakes to the mushrooms. Stir often til they give off most of their liquid and
        they shrink in size. About 5 minutes. Add spinach back to pan and give it a quick stir
        with the mushrooms. Then pour both into the baking dish.
    6. Beat the eggs one more time to make sure they're creamy and pour into the baking dish.
    7. Bake for about 25 minutes until eggs have set.

Curried Egg Salad (Click Here for Link from Epicurious):
1/4 cup bottled mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
3 to 4 drops of Tabasco, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons bottled mango chutney, chopped
6 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
3 scallions, chopped

Directions:
In a bowl stir together the mayonnaise, the curry powder, the celery salt, the Tabasco, the cumin, the mustard, the lemon juice, and the chutney. Stir in the eggs, the celery, and the scallions and season the salad with salt and pepper.

SOMETHING TO TRY:
Sweet Potato

Ground turkey

Red spicy tomato salsa

Green tomatillo salsa

Sour cream

Gyeran Jjim (Korean Steamed Silken Eggs)

Ingredients (Serves 2 people as a side dish):
3 eggs, beaten
water (1:1 water:egg ratio)
1 tsp salted shrimp*
1/2 tsp gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped into thin rings
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp crushed toasted sesame seeds

*Note: For a vegetarian version, salted shrimp can be substituted with sea salt.
Start with 1/2 -2/3 tsp of sea salt. You can always add more to taste once cooked.

Directions:
In a pot that would fit a steamer basket/insert, bring about an inch of water to a boil. While the water is heating up, lightly beat the eggs in a bowl. Stir in rest of the ingredients. Transfer to a ramekin (or other “steamer-safe” bowl).

Place the bowl in the steamer basket/insert and lower it into the pot. Steam for 10 minutes covered with tight-fitting lid. Alternatively, you can microwave it for 3-4 minutes – covered. Remove from heat. It will still be jiggly when you give it a light shake. Let stand for a few minutes. Don’t overcook! It should have a custard/flan-like texture. If it looks spongy, you have overcooked it.

Meals and Ideas:

Dinner Steaks
Filet Mignon 6 oz cuts from Draegers (222 East 4th Avenue San Mateo, CA)
Small baked potatoes with sour cream and green onions
Caesar salad
Carrot Cake and ice cream for dessert

Dinner Crab Louie & Extra Crab Legs
1 large crab louie from "Nicks" for each 2 people
1 extra "cracked crab"
Garlic bread (homemade)
For 4 or more people, extra Linguini in Marinara (red) sauce with meatballs

Dinner Paxti's Pizza Take Out
Deep dish Paxti's Pizza
- Favorite = Pepperoni, fresh sliced mushrooms, black olives
- Caliente = Spanish Chorizo, Hot Coppa, jalapeños
- Spinach Pesto with Chicken = Chicken, fresh spinach and basil-garlic-Parmesan pesto

Lunch BBQ Gorilla
Take out from Gorilla BBQ
Martinelli's individual serving sparkling apple juice

Lunch Simple Sandwiches
Sandwiches - multi-grain bread, mayonnaise, sliced turkey, cheese (tomatoes and lettuce optional)
Half an apple, or left over fruit salad
Martinelli's individual serving sparkling apple juice

Breakfast Cheesy Eggs & Bacon & Croissant
2.5 eggs per person, scrambled, mixed in Mexican grated cheese (Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheeses)
fry up a pan of bacon or sausage
cook scrambled eggs in leftover bacon grease
heat croissants up in oven
fresh fruit salad
Individual Odwalla Orange Juice

Breakfast French Toast & Fried Egg & Bacon
bread dipped in egg batter fried
bacon or sausage
one fried egg per person
"real" maple syrup

Delicious Breakfast "Sausage and Egg Casserole"
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sweet sausage, casings removed
1 pound Italian hot (spicy) sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

5 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup half and half
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sauté
sausage in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until brown and
cooked through, breaking up with back of fork into small pieces, about
10 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add sun-dried
tomatoes and 2 tablespoons parsley; stir 1 minute. Spread sausage
mixture in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and
refrigerate.)

Whisk eggs, egg yolks, half and half, whipping cream, 1 1/2 cups
cheese, and salt in large bowl to blend well. Pour egg mixture over
sausage mixture in dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 2
tablespoons parsley over. Bake until top of casserole is golden brown
and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let
stand 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sausage-and-Egg-Casserole-with-Sun-Dried-Tomatoes-and-Mozzarella-106411

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cidla/i_have_13_until_my_next_pay_check_in_15_weeks_so/c0ssm6d
Article Text (language cleaned of the worst swear words):
"Take a lesson from the Puerto Ricans. Millions of us have managed to survive in one of the most 
expensive cities on earth with recipes like this:  Find a supermarket that has black beans on sale. 
Buy as much as you can. Then buy 5 or so pounds of Carolina rice, a bag of onions, a few bulbs of
garlic, and a box of Goya Sazon.

Set 2 cups of water to boil
Dick around on reddit until the water is boiling
Throw in one cup of rice, turn the heat down to simmer and lid that shit
Slice up a small onion
Smash up a clove of garlic
Throw some olive oil or butter into a HOT pan.
Throw the onions and garlic into the pan and fry them till the onion gets glassy. Throw some salt in there.
Grind some pepper in there for good luck.
Toss in half a packet of Sazon and stir till you get a paste. Now you have a ghetto sofrito.
Dump in your can of beans bean juice and all.
Stir that shit up.

Add a pinch of Cayenne pepper so you remember that you have a set of cojones
Set that shit on simmer

Your rice is done.
Throw the beans on top.
Win

You should get at least 2 meals out of one can of beans, and if your lucky you
can get black beans 2 for $1. Adding the cost of the Garlic, Sazon and a small
onion and you still eat a tasty, hearty, relatively healthy meal for less than $1.

Now. You are a growing lad. You need MEAT
OK, first of all, screw eating hotdogs. There is a much, much tastier option that
has kept millions of starving boriquas alive for generations: PORK SHOULDER.

In my neighborhood in Brooklyn, Pork shoulder is 79 cents a pound.
That's right. 79 cents. A package of hot dogs at $2.50 is more than
double the price and has offal and all sorts of vile shit inside.

Buy yourself a nice meaty pork shoulder. 5 lbs should do nicely.
Bring that bad boy home and get out a long, thin knife.

In a pilon (that's a mortar and pestle gringo) smash up a few cloves
of Garlic, some sazon, some, salt, some pepper, and some oil. Grind
it up GOOD. Now you have another ghetto sofrito.

Take your knife and stab some holes in the pig. Twist the knife
around so the holes get nice and wide. Now, take some of your sofrito
and stuff it into the holes. Don't be shy blanco, ram it in there.
Use the remainder to roughly coat the outside of the pig. RUB IT.
CARESS IT. This pig died so that you may eat. Salt that shit all
over the outside and crack some pepper on there.

Set your oven for ~300 degrees
Throw the pork in skin side up and WAIT.
It's going to take like 45 minutes a pound...

A warning: The smell is going to drive you INSANE. You have to wait
this part out. Farm work is the best cure. After an an hour and a half,
jab it with a meat thermometer, but remember to not rest it on the bone,
or you will get a bad reading.

You should be at around 150-160 degrees. Now comes the fun part.
CRANK the stove up to 400 degrees. This will give you an orgasmic,
crispy skin that will make your pork rinds taste like year old
carboard comparison.

At 170 ish? Pull that bad boy out, but DON'T carve it up. You need
to wait at least ten minutes otherwise all those sweet, sweet
pig juices will dribble the hell out. WAIT.

Congratulations. You just made Pernil. A five pound Pernil
should give you meat for at least a week. SAVOR IT BROTHER. SAVOR IT

Edit: Forgot the best and cheapest recipe!!!

TOSTONES!!!!!!!!!
Screw me. Green plantains are usually like 5 for a damn dollar!
Here's my mom's recipe:

Fry up some bacon. Set the bacon aside and save that lovely, glistening fat.
Take a plantain and run a knife down the side and split the skin off
without breaking the plantain. This takes a bit of practice.

Slice up the plantain into ~1/3 inch thick slices. Throw them
into a bowl of ice water. You have a fry daddy? You're golden papi.
No? Pour around half an inch of oil into a frying pan. Corn oil
works best, olive oil smokes too easily. Get that shit hot!
Throw in your bacon grease.

Take your sliced up plantains out of the ice water and drain
them or even pat them with a paper towel till they're dry.

Fry em up until they just turn golden.
Throw them in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Now, here is where you become a MAN: Get yourself a flat
bottom glass and a cutting board or a plate. Throw some flour
on there. Smash the plantains with the cup. You may need
a spatula to get them off the board...

Fry em AGAIN until they are golden and crispy
Make all three of these things together and you have
an incredibly delicious and cheap meal!

*TLDR; Learn the lessons of my people: The Nuyoricans. (New York Puerto Ricans)
We have survived for DECADES on no money in one of the most expensive cities on the planet.

Recipes & Meals

Recipes:

Meals and Ideas: