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!

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!

This was my attempt to be very sneaky and get Sweet Pea to consume her loathed veggies. It worked... sort of. She had a full square right out of the oven. Cheap and some of my gal pals really enjoyed them as well, so they were a success all the way around. These are great for brunches, showers, or afternoon snacks.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup flour
1 tea salt
1 tea baking powder
1/2 tea garlic powder
1 onion, diced and sautéed, or 1/2 tea onion powder (to make it easier)
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 8oz package shredded sharp cheddar, or about two cups

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F

Reserve about 1/2 cup sharp cheddar then mix all the remaining ingredients together. Seems simple, I know.

Dump mixture into a greased baking dish (8x8 would be a good size) and top with the remaining half cup of cheddar

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Enjoy!

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!

My search is over! For years (or so it seems) I have been trying to find the perfect tomato soup recipe. I've tried too creamy ones, too tomatoey ones (yes, I know that's not a word but work with me), bland ones, hot ones, but to borrow the words of Goldilocks, this recipe was "just right". With the simple ingredients, it's surprising how yummy it is, and not to mention healthy- until you top it off with loads of good cheese and serve it up with fries-- heh heh...

Ingredients:
1 Tbs olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, grated
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock (I'm sure you can use chicken stock if you don't have veggie)
1 teaspoon basil (2 tsp if you're a basil fanatic like me)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional:
2 Tbs cream
Shredded cheese for topping

Directions:
Pour a round of oil into a pot

Add onions, garlic, and carrot and sauté until onions are clear

Pour in the whole can of tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Add basil and salt and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 15-20min to let the flavors combine.

With a blender or hand blender, blend (or as the Brits say, "whizz") the soup to a marinara type consistency. Add cream if you wish and top with cheese! Yummers!

Yes, yet another soup. I know, I know. But we've been so cold! I actually didn't even take a picture of this one because I didn't think it warranted keeping. I was wrong. This is a waaay quick soup that's really light, so it goes well with a gooey cheesy sandwhich. It's made with stuff I tend to have in my freezer so it's great for last minute, or to use up some frost-bitten items.

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tea garlic powder
1 cup frozen 3 pepper medley (cheaper way to get peppers at Trader Joe's or Tesco)
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup favorite salsa
4-5 cups vegetable broth (or chicken if you don't have veggie)
1 tea basil
1/4 tea cayenne pepper (if you're not already using hot salsa)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I know this isn't a typical frozen item, but I actually never know how to use up the whole bunch of cilantro before it gets wilty. So now I chop up the extra, ziploc it and throw it in the freezer. I'm lovin' this idea)

For optional topping:
crushed tortilla chips
shredded cheddar cheese
1 avocado, diced

Directions:
I was trying to come up with a soup quickly (I had some very hungry folks waiting) so I just threw everything into a pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes. If you have more time you could saute the garlic, corn, pepper and onions for a toastier flavor.

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!

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!