Category: Creative Cookery

Foodies on a Budget: Check out these towns

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date October 15, 2014

Photos: Wallet © Andrey Kiselev, Food © Nikolai Sorokin | Both PhotoXpress.com Design: Carma Spence

wallet food — Photos: Wallet © Andrey Kiselev, Food © Nikolai Sorokin | Both from PhotoXpress.com Design: Carma Spence

WalletHub just released an in-depth analysis of 2014’s Best and Worst Foodie Cities for Your Wallet. Looking on the list, I found that my current home, Long Beach, Calif., ranked 51 on the list and my home town, Santa Rosa, Calif., ranked 71. Turns out the top city to eat on a budget is Orlando, Fla. … followed closely by Grand Rapids, Mich.

New Orleans, La., home of some of my favorite dishes such as beignets and fried catfish, ranks #7. To see the complete list, go here. The 150 most populated U.S. cities are ranked in order of Overall Rank, which is determined by “Wallet Wellnes” and “Diversity, Accessibility & Quality”.

You can also find on that page the following ranked listings:

Lowest & Highest Groceries — Houston has the lowest, go figure!
Lowest & Highest Average Beer & Wine Price — Milwaukee, Wis., is the best for beer & wine
Highest & Lowest Number of Restaurants per Capita — You’ll find more restaurants in San Francisco!
Highest & Lowest Ratio of Full-Service Restaurants to Fast-Food Establishments — My home town of Santa Rosa has more full-service than fast food restaurants, imagine that!
Highest & Lowest Number of Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Shops per Capita — If you like frozen dessert, go to Garden Grove, Calif!
Highest & Lowest Number of Craft Breweries & Wineries per Capita — Again, my home town of Santa Rosa, Calif, brings the best value for craft beer and wine lovers!
Highest & Lowest Number of Coffee Shops per Capita — Java lovers should head on over to San Francisco, Calif!
Highest & Lowest Gourmet Specialty Food Stores per Capita — Like gourmet? Visit Honolulu!

Tags budget, wallet-friendly

Creative Cookery Recipes

What to do with stale bread? Make Strata!

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 29, 2013

One of the timeless kitchen creativity questions is what to do with crusty, hard stale bread. French toast comes to mind first for me, but I don’t always want to have that for breakfast. Another option is a dish called Strata.

I had a bunch of hard rolls that had just gotten too, well, hard. I had some ground beef and didn’t really feel like hamburgers, so I went to the store to gather some ingredients to make a strata. They had sliced mushrooms and a spinach salad mix on clearance, and so the following recipe was born. De-lish!

Beef Strata with Mushrooms and Fresh Spinach

Tags Beef, stale bread, Strata

Creative Cookery

Pumpkin Gingerbread – An Experiment

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date December 22, 2012

I love to experiment with cooking and baking. In this video, I walk you through today’s experiment with pumpkin and Fresh & Easy’s Ginger Bread mix.

Mentioned in this video:

Tags baking, Bundt cake, Christmas, gingerbread, kitchen experimentation, pumpkin bread

Creative Cookery Special Occasions

Cooking for Two on Valentine’s Day

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date February 13, 2008

Photo via pixabay.com [CC0 Public Domain]

I always know when my special beau calls me on my cell phone, for it suddenly will start playing “our song.” Every time I hear it, my heart flutters.

Do you feel that way about your special someone? If you do, you might want to share a special meal for two tomorrow in celebration of Valentine’s Day. You could go out and enjoy dinner together at your favorite restaurant or the restaurant where you shared your first date.

But then, there is something about a home-cooked meal that says “I love you” even more than an nice restaurant. The good thing is that cooking for two can be done and can be a lot of fun if you pour your heart and soul into the meal planning and preparations. (Of course, if you’re just thinking about this today, you might be a bit pressed for time.) That’s why I’m posting this today (besides it being a Wednesday, the day I usually post).

Tags cooking for two, holidays, Valentine's Day

Creative Cookery Well Stocked Pantry

Experimenting with Goat’s Milk

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date September 12, 2007

Photo: Maryhere via MorgueFile.com

I was discussing dairy products with my mother the other day, when she said she prefers to use goat’s milk over cow’s milk. She said it is better for you and that it is easier to digest for those of us who are lactose intolerant.

So, when I was grocery shopping the other day, I bought a quart of goat’s milk. It tastes quite different from cow’s milk. For one, it has a tartness to it that I recognize from eating goat’s cheese. Also, and this may sound strange, but it kind of reminds me of the smell of human milk.

Anyway, I can attest that goat’s milk was easier for me to digest, but I think as a beverage it would be an acquired taste. I did like it with my breakfast cereal, though. The tartness offset the sweetness of the Honey Nut Cheerios I was mixing in with my Fiber One. 😉

Tags Experimentation, goat milk, non-dairy