National Coffee Day ☕️ & 🍩

 Wake up and smell the coffee, it's National Coffee Day on September 29. Google this day and see what specials your local coffee houses are offering.

At my first job out of high school, I drank my coffee black. Now I like milk and real sugar in my morning coffee.

And I went through a Coffee Creamers phase trying various flavors. They were loaded with sugar and gave you extra energy burst out the door. I've left those sugar bombs behind.

As high schoolers, we had half coffee and half milk with a lot of sugar. Of course, we were plied with more sugary cereals and pop-tarts, too.

I used to drink coffee at night when first I moved to Los Angeles, mainly to stay awake during my night classes in film and television, after my 9 to 5 job. Now I can't drink it at night as it interferes with my beauty sleep.

In my 20s I added boiling water to a cup of freeze-dried coffee from the jar, but now I go for ground coffee in a vacuum-sealed can from Ralph's grocery store. Sometimes I spring for fresh ground from whole beans carried at our local Trader Joe's grocery market. 

When I worked in film and TV our crew was furnished with Cappuccinos, Macchiatos, and Frappuccinos along with regular coffee. In my European travels with my late wife, Amy, I've had Americanos, Café au Lait, Irish Coffee, and Expressos. Click here to see the different types of coffee drinks explained.

My wife, Linda, prefers coffee from whole beans so I go with her selections these days -- as you can see I can handle any type of coffee, from 7-Eleven crusty burnt-flavored to a Starbucks frothy cappuccino!

For those who're lactose intolerant, there are many milk substitutes and I've tried a lot of them. I still haven't decided which one goes best with coffee. If you have a favorite then leave a comment and let us know!

One of my favorite song lyrics is from Carly Simons's top 40 hit "You're So Vain" and it goes: "I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee..."

And this Budget Barista likes coffee as much today as ever, especially when a free donut is offered on this auspicious day by Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. And they are introducing a coffee-glazed donut. and donut-flavored coffee -- too much of a good thing is right up my alley.

I like their plain glazed donuts the best. Other donut stores carry fancier and more extravagant ones, but for the price, Krispy Kreme is my go-to donut.

Orchid Donut by DK's Donuts in Santa Monica, California.

So on National Coffee Day, whether it's cloudy or sunny, get a steaming cup -- however, you like it!

Click on the above image to play my Coffee for Breakfast video.

Cauliflower Vegan Soup

For a colorful soup use purple Cauliflower. It tastes the same as regular white Cauliflower. 

I used purple Cauliflower because it was at my local 99c only Store on sale. I used to get them for a buck, but now they are in the $1.49 range for a whole Cauliflower.

For my deliciously quick and easy Vegan Cauliflower Soup use any color of Cauliflower you find cheaply. 

I only ate Cauliflower a little, but when it showed up at my local 99c only Store I felt I had to do something with it.

I made my Cauliflower Soup two ways, with milk or cream, and another way with Almond Milk. I enjoyed both versions. What follows is my vegan version.

I basically steam Cauliflower florets in a pot with sauteed onion and garlic until tender. I allow the steamed and tender veggies to cool down some then blend it all. 

After blending I return the Cauliflower Soup to the pot and add Almond Milk, season it with salt and pepper, and heat it through. It really is a simple recipe. 

If you do not have a blender, mash the cooked veggies with a potato masher or a large fork. Hey, it's a rustic soup then. 

I like veggie soup and my Cauliflower Vegan Soup will satisfy your vegetarian and non-vegetarian diners.

Cauliflower Soup - Video              Play it here. Video runs 4 minutes, 12 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here. 

Ingredients (about 2-3 servings)

• Cauliflower - 1 head of cauliflower. Broken apart in smaller florets. It's okay to use any color including white, yellow, and purple.
• 1/2 Onion - chopped.
• Garlic - 1 teaspoon chopped.
• Vegetable Oil - 1 tablespoon.
• Water - 1 cup.
• Milk Substitute - 1 cup. Use any favorite like almond, soy, oat, hemp, coconut, etc.
• Salt and Pepper - about half a teaspoon or to taste.

Directions

Add one tablespoon of oil to a pot over medium heat. Saute chopped onion for 2 to 3 minutes until soft. Add chopped garlic and saute for a minute.

Pour in a cup of water. Add Cauliflower florets to the pot with garlic, onion, and water. 

Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until Cauliflower florets are tender and easily pierced with a fork or knife.

After the Cauliflower is tender turn off the heat and allow the veggies and liquid to cool down for a few minutes. 

Add cooked, cooled veggies and liquid to a blender. Cover and blend until smooth, for about 1 minute. Make sure veggies and liquid are not hot when blending - things can get too hot to handle. 

It's okay to mash Cauliflower, onions, and garlic with a potato masher and even a large fork. You can mash ingredients roughly or finely.

Add one cup of milk substitute to a pot over medium heat. Add blended Cauliflower.

Finally salt and pepper to your taste. Heat Vegan Cauliflower Soup to a low simmer. 

Serve when warm or hot. It's okay to serve cooled and at room temperature. 

National Coffee Day ☕️ & 🍩

Wake up and smell the coffee, it's National Coffee Day on September 29. Google this day and see what specials your local coffee houses are offering.

At my first job out of high school, I drank my coffee black. Now I like milk and real sugar in my morning coffee.

And I went through a Coffee Creamers phase trying various flavors. They were loaded with sugar and gave you extra energy burst out the door. I've left those sugar bombs behind.

I used to drink coffee at night when first I moved to Los Angeles, mainly to stay awake during my night classes in film and television, after my 9 to 5 job. Now I can't drink it at night as it interferes with my beauty sleep.

In my 20s I added boiling water to a cup of freeze-dried coffee from the jar, but now I go for ground coffee in a vacuum-sealed can from Ralph's grocery store. Sometimes I spring for fresh ground from whole beans carried at our local Trader Joe's grocery market. 

When I worked in film and TV our crew was furnished with Cappuccinos, Macchiatos, and Frappuccinos along with regular coffee. In my European travels with my late wife, Amy, I've had Americanos, Café au Lait, Irish Coffee, and Expressos. Click here to see the different types of coffee drinks explained.

My wife, Linda, prefers coffee from whole beans so I go with her selections these days -- as you can see I can handle any type of coffee, from 7-Eleven crusty pot-flavored to a Starbucks frothy cappuccino!

For those who're lactose intolerant, there are many milk substitutes and I've tried a lot of them. I still haven't decided which one goes best with coffee. If you have a favorite then leave a comment and let us know!

One of my favorite song lyrics is from Carly Simons's top 40 hit "You're So Vain" and it goes: "I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee..."

And this Budget Barista likes coffee as much today as ever, especially when a free donut is offered on this auspicious day by Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. And they are introducing a coffee-glazed donut. and donut-flavored coffee -- too much of a good thing is right up my alley.

I like their plain glazed donuts the best. Other donut stores carry fancier and more extravagant ones, but for the price, Krispy Kreme is my go-to donut.

Orchid Donut by DK's Donuts in Santa Monica, California.

So on National Coffee Day, whether it's cloudy or sunny, get a steaming cup -- however, you like it!

Click on the above image to play my Coffee for Breakfast video.

National Coffee Day ☕️ & 🍩

 Wake up and smell the coffee, it's National Coffee Day on September 29. Google this day and see what specials your local coffee houses are offering.

At my first job out of high school, I drank my coffee black. Now I like milk and real sugar in my morning coffee.

And I went through a Coffee Creamers phase trying various flavors. They were loaded with sugar and gave you an extra energy burst out the door. I've left those sugar bombs behind.

I used to drink coffee at night when first I moved to Los Angeles, mainly to stay awake during my night classes in film and television, after my 9 to 5 job. Now I can't drink it at night as it interferes with my beauty sleep.

In my 20's I added boiling water to a cup of freeze-dried coffee from the jar, but now I go for ground coffee in a vacuum-sealed can from Ralph's grocery store. Sometimes I spring for fresh ground from whole beans carried at our local Trader Joe's grocery market. 

When I worked in film and TV our crew was furnished with Cappuccinos, Macchiatos, and Frappuccinos along with regular coffee. In my European travels with my late wife, Amy, I've had Americanos, Café au Lait, Irish Coffee, and Expressos. Click here to see the different types of coffee drinks explained.

My wife, Linda, prefers coffee from whole beans so I go with her selections these days -- as you can see I can handle any type of coffee, from 7-Eleven crusty pot-flavored to a Starbucks frothy cappuccino!

For those who're lactose intolerant, there are many milk substitutes and I've tried a lot of them. I still haven't decided which one goes best with coffee. If you have a favorite then leave a comment and let us know!

One of my favorite song lyrics is from Carly Simons's top 40 hit "You're So Vain" and it goes: "I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee..."

And this Budget Barista likes coffee as much today as ever, especially when a free donut is offered on this auspicious day by Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. And they are introducing a coffee-glazed donut. and donut-flavored coffee -- too much of a good thing is right up my alley.

I like their plain glazed donuts the best. Other donut stores carry fancier and extravagant ones, but for the price, Krispy Kreme is my go-to donut.

Orchid Donut by DK's Donuts in Santa Monica, California.

So on National Coffee Day, whether it's cloudy or sunny, get a steaming cup -- however, you like it!

Click on the above image to play my coffee for breakfast video.

Best Cheap$kate Food Finds of 2017

Deals Deals Deals - come and get 'em! Well, if you are a frequent visitor, you have seen some of these photos illustrating my delish recipes, and special Deal of the Day reviews like below (click on names to see the original review.)

 Egg & Smoked Gouda Breakfast Sandwich

Chipotle Lime Chicken

Ultimate Dessert Bar

I get comments all the time how awful dollar and 99 cent stores must be. I can't argue that, there's an abundance of dross and Frankenstein food stuffs -- hey, you get what you pay for. But I am a bottom feeder on a budget, with over a decade of blog experience picking out the best for less.

Click on any photo to see larger.

I gotta give it up to my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. Without them, my food blog would be anemic and barren. When I'm low on food, I will go to a regular grocery store for coffee and freshly baked bread, fresh seafood and specialty cuts of meat, but I always make time for a quick stop at my fave cheap$kate 99 cent and dollar stores for food deals.

99 thanks and keep stocking the shelves for starving students, hardworking minimum wage earners, retirees on a budget, single-parent families, and everyone else without much change to spare.

This is a case where you want to be an impulsive shopper - walk past one of these cheap$kate deals below, and by the time you get home, change your mind and head back to get the deal, well, it will likely be gone.

Here's what you're missing all you naysayers and snooty gourmands. Sometimes you gotta bite the bullet. But don't worry all my fellow penny-pinching gastronomers, the 99 Cent Chef has your back, or at least your stomach. So check out my:

Best Cheap$kate Food Finds of 2017

White Asparagus

It's Smoothie-time!

I love cherries the most, especially for 99.99 cents per pound!

Dollar Tree is strictly second string. Mainly they lack a deep bullpen of fresh veggies and fruit. But they do get on base often and sometime even hit a chintzy home run. Round the bases below for some of the budget finds  that will have you cheering from the cheap dinner table seats.

Looks like these great minds do think alike.

Biscotti & Coffee --  I sometimes satiate my sweet tooth in the morning.

Dollar Tree crackers and 99c only Store vegan cream cheese -- can we all get along? It's only a tenth of a penny that separates them. And these crackers by Greta would also pair nicely with my Homemade Clam Dip.

I've heard it said 99 cent Stores don't carry "organic" - well, eat your words.

  Happy Hour!

Mmmmm....chocolate.

And keep checking back for another year of scrumptious blog postings!