Oh, the delicious Avocado, Tomato, and Mozzarella salad. If I had to pick a current staple in my life (in terms of food, of course), this would be it. Contrary to the name, it's actually incredibly cheap to make, especially in England. I get Fresh mozzarella for 47p and tomatoes and avocado's at the market. And on rainy British days I like to dine on this and pretend I'm sitting in California sunshine.

Ingredients:
1 ball fresh Mozzarella
1 small hass avocado, or 1/2 of a large one (what they tend to sell in the States)
1 small tomato, juiced and diced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
a large pinch of fresh cilantro, or in the winter I use about 1/4tea dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

crusty bread on the side

Directions:
Dice and salt the mozzarella, avocado, and tomato

Sprinkle with lemon juice and cilantro/basil

Thats it! Enjoy! Sweet Pea won't touch this but she does like to steal my bread.

I wanted Panera. Specifically their broccoli and cheese soup. So instead of waiting until Panera tries to break into the UK market, I decided to make my own. I'll be making this lots and also avoiding long lunch lines when we move back to the States.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1/2 tea garlic powder
1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
2 cups broccoli florets cut into small florets

Crusty bread for dipping

Directions:
In a large pot pour a round of oil and sauté onion and minced garlic until onion is translucent.

Add carrot and flour and mix until veggies are evenly covered with flour

Add the stock and then the potatoes. Let simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Add milk cheese and broccoli and let soup simmer 10 minutes longer.

Soups up!

I remember learning about this soup in French class... "Soupe à l'Oignon" We'd have to say sentences in French like, "I would like the onion soup and my friend would like ham" ...very creative, and not to mention classy. This is definitely an onion soup and not something I crave lots of. But when the weather is cold, there's something so wonderful about warm oniony broth covered and baked with cheese. And lets face it, you can't get much cheaper than onion. By the way, I didn't absolutely cover the pictured soup with cheese because I figured if I was going to take a picture, one might as well get a glimpse of the soup. I'll be sure to cover and bake next time.

Ingredients:
2 T butter
7 onions any variety (I used red and yellow)
6 cups stock (veggie, chicken, beef... traditional is beef but whatever you fancy)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons sugar
Cheese for topping (swiss, mature cheddar, gruyère if it's not too $$)
1 loaf of ciabatta or crusty bread, cut into inch cubes


Optional:
1/2 cup white wine for chick or veggie broth or 1/2 cup red for beef broth

Directions:
In a large pot melt butter and add onion and garlic. Cook until onion becomes translucent.

Add whichever stock, rosemary, salt, sugar, and wine (if desired) and let simmer for 20-30 minutes

Ladle soup into oven proof bowls (mine at home are regular ceramic and they work fine)

This is where my picture is slightly deceiving, we don't have proper bowls in our student housing so I had to use a mini mug... Cut bread into inch squares and place on top of soup. Then top off with lots of cheese.

Put the cheese topped bowls under the broiler until cheese melts, keep a close eye because you don't want bowls to get too hot.

Enjoy the ooey gooey goodness!

Probably one of the best takeaways from our visit to Athens, Greece was our daily, very cheap, chicken gyro. My mouth just waters as I remember sitting along fountains or by ancient ruins and devouring this fine, saucy fare. Not only do we try to eat as cheaply as possible, we currently try to travel as cheaply as possible (hopefully that will change). This yummy Greek street food filled our bellies with flare and our favorite ingredient was the in-sandwich-fries. Wouldn't have thought to do that but who am I to argue with tradition? Cheap and I make this to reminisce over cheap Greek good eats (even if we couldn't seem to find any shade to enjoy this in).

Ingredients:
Chicken marinade:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 medium-sized chicken breasts, or 2 large chicken breasts

4 flat-breads
leafy greens
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup olives (green of black)
1 cup crumbled feta
french fries (we use leftover or freezer to make it simple)
Tzatziki Sauce

Directions:
Mix together marinade and then add chicken. Let chicken marinate for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450F

When chicken is done marinating, bake for 25-30 minutes (or until golden). You can use this time to chop up all your toppings

After chicken is done cooking, let it rest for 10 minutes and then cut into thin slices.

It's fun to set everything out and let folks pick any or all (which we prefer in the Cheap household) of the toppings they wish.

Enjoy!

The first time I had gnocchi was for my High School prom dinner. We ate at an Italian restaurant that was rumored to be run by the mafia (gotta love HS rumors). I had just finished my AP exams and had an hour to get ready for dinner. I probably looked like I got ready in an hour but boy did I have fun with my gang and the gnocchi kept me going until 3am. Gnocchi is traditionally made with potato, but Cheap and I prefer this fluffier and easier version.

Due to the sticky batter, I like to drop mine instead of rolling and slicing (which is another option you can try if you're a master at rolling sticky dough- icky) The pasta looks more uniform with the rolling but I like how rustic the drop version appears.

Ingredients:
1 8oz container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

Directions:
Strain the ricotta of any excess liquid

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. The dough will be a bit sticky. Add more flour if need be, but remember the more flour that's added the less fluffy the gnocchi becomes. Chill while you bring salted water to a boil over the stove.

Once water is boiling, I like to cover my fingertips in flour and pick up pinches of batter and drop them into the water. Make sure the water is boiling. (I have been known to use lukewarm water and consequently turn my gnocchi to mush- Cheap would deny it ever happened)

Let gnocchi boil until the pasta rises to the top. Let boil for a few minutes longer and then strain.

Top with favorite pasta topping- marinara, brown butter and sage, possibilities are endless..

A light and flavorful dish with a rather naughty name- that's why I left it in Italian. The dish was conjured up mid-1900's so I had nothing to do with the nomenclature. I made this with the leftover capers from the very tasty Chicken Piccata the other night. It's such an easy dish to prepare on nights where we don't want a lot to eat (like last night). The only difficulty was getting the olives in the actual dish before Cheap & Sweet Pea inhaled them all.

Ingredients:
6 oz Fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti, whatever...
2-3 Tbs Extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove , sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup cherry tomatoes , halved or Sun-Dried
1 Tbs capers
1/2 cup green or black olives, halved
Salt and pepper to taste

LOTS of grated Parmesan to top

Directions:
Boil pasta in heavily salted water until it reaches your desired consistency

Drain water and add everything else.

That's it.

Enjoy!

A Spanish Omelet. Or as we at the Cheap household like to call it, Tortilla de Patatas! ... well maybe not. We probably couldn't even pronounce that right because I went to French camp (yes, it's true). Rumor has it that this fine fare is served at bars and cafés as tapas in Spain. We enjoyed ours as dinner. And although I don't believe it's authentic, we topped ours with cheese. We just had to. Egg and potato just beg for cheddar. An easy dish that's fast to prepare!

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, cooked and diced (I like to oven-roast mine ahead of time)
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 6oz sliced chorizo sausage or casing removed and browned (depending on which type of chorizo you have)
5 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 teaspoon salt

Garlic Aioli:
which we spread unashamedly all over the omelet...
4 Tbs mayo (we used light)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
In a hot, oven-proof, oiled pan add garlic and onions and cook until onion is translucent

Add cooked potatoes and chorizo and continue to cook

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, spinach, salt, water. Pour mixture over cooking veggies and turn the stove down to low.

Let the eggs cook over the stove until you see the edges starting to firm up

Mix together mayo, lemon juice, and garlic powder and place to the side

Turn on broiler and place the omelet (pan and all) underneath. Watch the omelet until the middle firms up (should take about 5 min or less).

Serve it up and enjoy!

I had a hankering. I had a hankering for bacon, avocado, egg, and cheese... what was one to do? Whip up the slightly tedious Cobb Salad! I say "slightly tedious" because if you don't have any leftover chicken, bacon, or egg, one must cook up three items to enjoy the cobby goodness. But it is worth it, and made easier with leftovers (I had chicken and also a husband who loves to slice). And with basic ingredients it's cheap to make. To embellish with a brief (2 minute Google search) history, the Cobb Salad (cir. 1937) was created by famous LA restaurateur Robert Cobb for a Hollywood friend as a late night snack. The friend continued to ask for the "Cobb" Salad and a new Hollywood tradition had begun. I'm glad it did and Thank you Mr.Cobb.

Ingredients:
1 head of Romaine, chopped
5 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled
1-2 avocado's, diced
2 hard boiled eggs, finely diced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced (I had leftover breaded chicken, so that's what I used)
1/2 cup blue cheese or shredded cheddar cheese (traditionally it's blue but the overpowering flavor can ruin the salad if someone doesn't like it)


Optional Honey Mustard Dressing:
1/4 cup mayo (can definitely use light)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon favorite mustard
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
dash of salt

Directions:
Once everything is cooked (if need be), diced and shredded, the rest is easy!

Put chopped romaine into a salad bowl

Place crumbled bacon, diced avocados, diced eggs, diced tomatoes, sliced chicken, and shredded cheese in rows on top of the romaine lettuce (like picture above). Gotta love the Cobb presentation!

Serve with dressing on the side, honey mustard and ranch go well!

Cheap and I split this whole thing between the two of us. Needless to say we were quite hungry, and then quite full. But we enjoyed ourselves! Sweet Pea opted for cheese and bread-- I don't think salad is quite her thing yet...

Macaroni and cheese with caramelized onions on top, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Besides Cheap's Aunt's "Party Potatoes" this is my other potluck fave. Pasta and cheese...mmmmm...what a combo! And I have finally landed on a mac and cheese recipe that has lots of flavor. For some reason, past recipes I've tried have been too bland for my taste. With this one, Cheap and Sweet Pea were anxiously awaiting leftovers. Glad my fam likes awesome cheesy carbs as much as I!

Ingredients:
8 oz elbow macaroni or mini shells (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups or 8oz shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream (I recommend light for a more subtle sour cream flavor)
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F

Pour a round of oil onto a hot skillet and add onion. Let caramelize (takes about 10 minutes)

While the onions are cooking, dump pasta into a pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta to desired texture

While onions and pasta are cooking, mix together sour cream, milk, cottage cheese, parm, shredded sharp cheddar, and salt

Once pasta is done, strain water and then add pasta to the cheese mixture. Stir together.

In a greased 9x13, pour in pasta mixture and then top with caramelized onions from the skillet

Cover the dish with a pan (or foil or whatever) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from dish and bake for 10 more minutes. Dig in!

Now I've never been to Mexico, but I've had this soup a few times and always find it fab. I have fam that have actually been to the home of this delight so they would probably be the first to attest that this is not incredibly authentic, but it is still yummy. The soup actually provides a bright taste for cold winter days... in Mexico...hmmmmm. Maybe I should call this English Lime Soup with Mexican flare, but that just doesn't have the same ring to it and I don't think you find too many limes in the UK... Alright, I'm sticking with the original. The ingredients are pretty basic because we're keeping it cheap! (my only out-of-the-ordinary purchase was cilantro and limes, since England has something against selling lime juice in a bottle)

Ingredients:
7 cups chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped (or a 1 tea garlic powder)
2 tea oregano
1 tea basil
1 tea salt
1/4 tea cayenne pepper
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup corn
4 limes, or 8 Tbs lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Crumbled tortilla chips for the top (make sure you do this, it's sooo yummy. We didn't have chips the day I took this picture but I bought some for the leftovers and it was worth it.)
Shredded cheddar for topping

optional:
1 cup cooked rice (I like to add rice to make soup a little more filling)

Directions:
So I always feel as though my directions are missing something because they feel a bit brief...

Bring broth to a boil

Add all the ingredients.

Let simmer until all is cooked through.

Top with chips and cheese and serve.


Now I just need to figure out what to do with all my leftover cilantro...

"This is definitely blog worthy, you can quote me." -Cheap

Inspired by our value-brand ground beef that has been taking up space in our freezer, I decided to make a fun twist on an old-fashioned fave. I made this for dinner today and the only hard part was Sweet Pea vying for my attention while I was cooking. This dish is an excellent heart-warmer. I mean, you just can't go wrong with meat, potatoes, and cheese. In the end, Sweet Pea loved it too!

Ingredients:
1/2 pound meatballs (I made mine but you can use store bought or even just brown some ground beef)
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot or about 3/4cup, shredded
1 Tbs oil
1/4 cup flour
1 14oz can diced tomato, drained
3 cups chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tea dried basil
1/2 tea garlic powder
2 cups sharp cheddar
1 cup milk

Directions:
In a pot on med-high, sauté onion and carrot with a Tbs oil.

Add flour to pot and mix with carrot and onion (this will thicken the broth)

Add the 3 cups of chicken broth and potato and let simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 15 min.

Throw in drained tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, cheese, and cooked beef. Cook through.

Measure out 1 cup of milk and add a Tbs of soup mixture to the milk (to temper it so it won't curdle). Pour the milk into the soup. Once all is heated, serve and gobble it up!

This is a crowd pleaser for sure! Yummers!

Due to an unfortunate visit from the flu, I have had no desire to cook (nor eat) for the past few days. I'm at that point where nothing sounds good, but I'm hungry and so is my family. Thank you Chicken Noodle Soup for soothing a yucky tummy.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
1 tea garlic powder
1 Tbs dried basil (if you have real, use it!)
7 cups Chicken Stock (I use bouillon because it's cheap and easy)
1 1/2 cups egg noodles (or any noodles you have on hand)
1 large cooked chicken breast, shredded

Directions:
Pour stock into a pot and place on heat.

Throw your mirepoix- onion, carrot, and celery into the pot (and yes, I used a fancy term to feel smart and chef-like. I'm an Emeril fan. Learn more about the Mirepoix).

After a few minutes, add noodles and let cook.

When noodles are tender, add chicken, garlic and basil.

Once all is warm, gobble it up! I like to top mine with cheddar.


This was one of the few benefits to the flu. I seem to forget about this tasty option when all is well and guess what, it's cheap!

Thanks to my little Wednesday market down the road, I've been going avocado crazy. Sometimes they have five small avocado for £1 or three large ones for the same steal of a deal. I was hoping to make this dish last week but after baking my £1 avocados in the window (over the radiator- whoops!) I had to wait. This is a delectable dish, but it does need a carb along side.

Ingredients:
Serves 2

1 large avocado
4 Tbs favorite hummus
3 medium sized tomatoes
2 small onions
handful pitted black olives, I cut mine in half

Dressing:
2 Tbs oil
3 tea vinegar (I'd prefer balsamic or apple cider- but it doesn't really matter)
2 tea lemon juice
1 tea dried basil (if you have fresh basil... use it!)
1/2 tea garlic powder

Directions:
Chop onion and tomatoes and put under oven broiler until tips of veggies are singed

Mix dressing

Cut large avocado in half, get rid of the pit, and scoop each half out and onto a plate

Spoon hummus onto each avocado and top with olives and roasted veggies. Pour as much dressing as desired over the dish. Salt and pepper as needed. Dig in!

This is just a fun way to snap things up a bit. Cheap is a huge fan of hummus so we usually have some on hand. It looks impressive and tastes divine smeared onto the end of a baguette. Enjoy!

The Quesadilla is always a great standby. Everyone inevitably has one of those "before the market" type evenings, where you try to mix and match all the bits of food you have left. I can usually scrounge up tortillas in the freezer and some leftover cheese. From that point you can make "garbage quesadillas" filling the bad-boy with crazy leftovers or you can do something like this... (this might take a little more planning because I'm sure not all of you have chorizo in your freezer-I'm just a dried sausage freak)

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
4 large (burrito size) tortillas
2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 6in sausage of dried chorizo (give or take as much as you like)
2 cloves minced garlic or 1 tea garlic powder
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups frozen 3 pepper medley (I find this way cheaper than buying individual peppers. Trader Joe's for US, Tesco for UK)
1 cup frozen corn
salt to taste

Directions:

In a skillet add 1 Tbs oil and sauté chorizo, garlic, onion, pepper medley over hot/med-hot.

When sauté is beginning to brown, add corn. (I find that if you add corn with peppers/onion the corn dries out) Once peppers, onion, corn, etc.. are browned put the sauté to the side.

Put 1 tortilla on the hot skillet and add 1/2 cup cheese. Fill half side of the tortilla with the the sauté and fold tortilla over (like you would a taco).

Pan fry until cheese melts inside. Repeat with the other 3 tortillas.

The chorizo adds a nice surprise to these quesadillas and a little goes a long way with all the flavor chorizo has packed in side. We like to smother this dish with sour cream and salsa. The picture is pre-smother, obviously.

For some reason whenever I devour this (it's true) I imagine myself somewhere in Italy along the Mediterranean Sea, with my bronzed skin, sitting across a cafe table from my hubby. Then I wake up and take note that I am not in Italy, nor do I have skin that will ever remotely look bronzed. Oh well. This recipe was inspired by £1 basket of tomatoes from Gloucester Green Market, and Sainsbury's value brand Fresh Mozzarella for 47p. When I make this back in the States, I buy tomatoes and fresh mozzarella from Aldi (When available). This is a perfect Summer, or wishing-for-Summer salad.

The Ingredients:
(Serves 2 if this is your meal)
1 Fresh Mozzarella Ball
2 large tomatoes (or multiple small ones)
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have on hand)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (or whatever oil you have)
1 Tsp dried basil, or handful fresh basil

Goes perfectly with a baguette half (I use Sainsbury value part-baked baguettes for 37p, or Americans can buy them at Aldi as well)

What you will soon find out about me, I am a recipe interpreter. I believe recipes can and should be modified as to what you have in your pantry. Obviously not everything can be changed, but it's fun and cheap to fudge a little.

Directions:
Slice both the Mozzarella and tomatoes into thin slices. Stack alternatively the tomato and the mozzarella. In a small bowl mix oil (I used rapeseed/canola oil) and vinegar (used malt or would have used apple cider vinegar in the USA). For personal preference, I added a pinch of garlic powder and and lemon juice for a bit more zip. I sprinkled the salad with basil, salt, and then the dressing- and presto, an impressively easy dish that is just divine. I also added a wee bit of rosemary simply because it's growing in our rented backyard.

Kid rating:
My 18mo little girl, who will be called "Sweet Pea", loved this. But her tastes are weird. She likes curry, but not mac&cheese.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Halloumi. This fabulous cheese is originally from Cyprus and my brother would be happy to know that it was initially made during the Medieval Byzantine period. Jamie Oliver (via TV) introduced me to this fabulous cheese, and those of you in the States with the Food Network probably think I'm way behind the times. Anyway, this cheese has a high melting temperature so it can be fried. Yummy! I think this is my new favorite food. It's salty like feta but has less tang to it. The Halloumi was the most expensive part of the dish but Cheap and I feasted on this tasty meal for under £5 total for the two of us- still not too shabby. And I'll make this promise, I will be cooking more with my new darling cheese.

Ingredients:
Serves 4
1 cup couscous
2 cup boiling chicken stock
1 lrg zucchini cut into diagonal slices
2 hand-fulls of cherry tomatoes
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 lbs (or around 500g) halloumi cut into slices

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs vinegar
2 minced garlic cloves or 1/2 tea garlic powder
salt to taste

Directions:
Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add couscous. Cover and set to the side (off the burner)

Pour a round of oil into hot skillet and add onion to caramelize. Once onion is limp and translucent (10 minutes-ish) add zucchini, and tomatoes (cut-side-down). Let the veggies cook until roasted for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan to prepare stove for halloumi.

Add a wee bit more oil and add strips of halloumi to the pan.

While halloumi is cooking, mix dressing together.

When the halloumi is looking toasty on both sides(after about 5 minutes), place the veggies over the cooked couscous. Put the slices of halloumi on top of the veggies and pour dressing over the entire dish.

I'm telling you that this dish is fab. It will make you a halloumi fan(and couscous fan if you're not already). Both Cheap and Sweet Pea loved it. Actually, Sweet Pea loved making a cous cous mess all over herself. Enjoy!