The 99 Cent Chef: cheap$kate dining

Showing posts with label cheap$kate dining. Show all posts

Monday, December 9, 2019

2019 Christmas GIFs

HO HO HO & Merry Christmas! This Cheap$kate Santa comes bearing not gifts, but GIFs, so you don't have to wait until the early morning of December 25th to open your pictorial presents!

'Tis the time of year where I set the table with a cornucopia of eye-popping delights for you to over-indulge in.

Have you been bad or good this year? Well, I'm not judgmental whether you've been a do-gooder or the naughty type, so read on.

While not a brightly wrapped package sitting under the Christmas tree waiting to be opened, you can watch my GIFs anytime. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just check out the animations below for an eyeful.

White Castle Hamburgers - Review

The letters, GIF, stands for Graphics Interchange Format and is a short video, graphic, or photo clip. There is usually no audio, and a clip lasts for a few seconds. I make a GIF that plays in a loop, that is, it keeps repeating. You can read all about a GIF by clicking here.

I use GIFS to show how a recipe looks in compressed and speeded-up time as it bakes, fries or boils; the slicing or assembling of veggies, fruit, and meat; and sometimes I make them just for fun. As an example below, baking Pork Spare Ribs to tender takes about 4 hours but you can see it happen in a few seconds with my GIF.

So keep on scrolling and feast your eyes on my 2019 roundups of GIFs past. And click on any recipe name or food product to see the scrumptious recipe/review blog post -- so dig in.

Happy Holidays!

Easy Smoked Ribs

Mango Salsa, Mango Pancakes & Mango Yogurt

Del Monte Fresh Guac - Review

Deep Fried Frog Legs with the Swamp Chef

Louisiana Vacation - 2 slide shows

Sauteed Mushrooms

Coleslaw

Pepperoni Pizza by Oprah - Review

Gazpacho

Mom's Tex-Mex Chili Cheese Enchiladas

Kiwi & Yogurt

Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken - Ripoff Recipe

Mom's Cherry Pie

Scrambled Eggs with Mushrooms

National Donut Day

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Tomato Basil Chicken with Spinach - Cheap$kate Review

The overpowering flavor is basil, just like the title says, and that's a good thing. My latest Cheap$kate meal to review is all veggies and chicken, not a carb in sight. I have the feeling I will still be hungry after this taste test.

Tomato Basil Chicken with Spinach is by Smart Ones from Weight Watchers. I've had their frozen meals before and they usually get good marks.

frozen & zapped

I am a fan of basil whether it's Thai or Italian leaf. Pungent and aromatic this Deal of the Day's flavors are strong. Chunks of bell pepper, onion, spinach, and tomato round out the frozen entree veggie medley.

I like my sauteed veggies chunky, and this meal delivers, although a bit mushy, that's to be expected for a typical meal from the frozen deli case. I guess you could say it is like a rustic and light Italian tomato sauce.

There is not a lot of tomato sauce but what there is pungent with herbs, especially basil. A sprinkling of mild mozzarella cheese is a nice addition.

Spinach is also at the top of the ingredients list. It is tender, although a bit meager in the amount supplied. But I enjoyed what I tasted.

Surprisingly there is a generous amount of white meat chicken chunks. And they are tender and moist - way to go Smart Ones! And they use real breast meat, not ground and spongy loaf mixture.

The ingredients list is short which I like, just give me what's advertised, not a bunch of mystery preservatives.

Click on any photo to see larger.

And here are the nutrition specs for all you Weight Watchers -- I do like a light meal sometimes.

While this meal may not fill you up, it is fine for a light lunch or dinner. I cheated though Weight Watchers so sue me! I had to add a little rice to fill out the meal. I wanted something to soak up the sauce. I'm sure you could fudge your diet and add a small amount of your fave gluten-free grain or pasta.

So on the 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Weight Watchers Smart Ones Tomato, Basil, Chicken with Spinach a perfect 9!

You would be smart to pick up a few of these when they show up on sale in your frozen food deli case, of if you are L.A. local then watch out for them at the 99c only Store.

Friday, December 14, 2018

2018 Christmas GIFs

My cute taste testing niece Candyse.

The letters, GIF, stands for Graphics Interchange Format and is a short video, graphic, or photo clip. There is usually no audio, and a clip lasts for a few seconds. I make a GIF that plays in a loop, that is, it keeps repeating. You can read all about a GIF by clicking here.

I use GIFS to show how a recipe looks in compressed and speeded-up time as it bakes, fries or boils; the slicing or assembling of veggies, fruit, and meat; and sometimes I make them just for fun. As an example below, I peel a raw shrimp for Mom's Shrimp and Rice recipe.

So keep on scrolling and feast your eyes on my 2018 roundups of GIFs past. And click on any recipe name or food product to see the scrumptious recipe/review blog post.

Happy Holidays!