HO HO HO& Merry Christmas! This Cheap$kate Santa comes bearing GIFs not gifts, but you don't have to wait until the early morning of December 25th to open your pictorial presents!
'Tis the time of year where I set the table with a cornucopia of eye-popping delights for you to indulge in.
Have you been bad or good this year? Well, I'm not judgmental whether you've been a do-gooder or the naughty type, so read on.
While not a gift you can hold, you can watch my GIFs anytime. If you don't know what I'm taking about, just check out the animations below for an eyeful.
The letters, GIF, stands for Graphics Interchange Format and is a short video, graphic, or photo clip, that play in a loop, that is, it keeps repeating. There is usually no audio and the clips last for a few seconds each. You can read all about a GIF by clicking here.
I use GIFS to show a cooking technique; how a recipe looks as it bakes, fries or boils; the slicing or chopping of an ingredient; and sometimes I make them just for fun.
So keep on scrolling and feast your eyes on my 2017 roundup of GIFs past. And click on any recipe name to see the scrumptious recipe/review blog post.HappyHolidays!
Here are my first tomatoes of the season - right off the vine. I like to serve them uncooked, when the tomatoes are at maximum freshness and most juicy. This is when you taste all the flavor a tomato has to offer.
This cheap$kate gardener seldom has a bumper crop, but the ones I pick will be put to delicious use. If you don't have a garden, maybe you have a generous neighbor, a local fave farmers market, or if you are on the road and just pull over into a roadside veggie and fruit stand with a hand painted tomato sign.
So read on for the freshest tomato recipes that are just a slice away. And click on any recipe name to be directed to my blog post for the complete recipe text with photo illustrations.
For a fresh garden tomato just simply slice it and add a couple more ingredients. My favorite recipe is for a Caprese Salad that's composed of fresh mozzarella, a few basil leaves, salt, olive oil and of course, thick slices of fresh tomato.
Arrange the parts on a plate and serve at room temperature. Set out a plate for your guests, and be sure to have a couple bottles of wine ready to pour.
An Italian version of salsa on tortilla chips, are lightly marinated chopped tomatoes served on wedges of toast, that's called Bruschetta. Serve it as a crunchy appetizer.
Salads and large chunks of sliced homegrown tomatoes belong together. Go light on the salad dressing though, because you want that fresh tomato flavor to come through clearly.
I have a 2 Minute Salad made with easy-to-get ingredients, including canned chicken (okay to substitute canned tuna,) spinach, canned beets and tomato.
Click on any photo to see larger.
This cheap$kate salad travels well and can be quickly put together for lunch at your workplace.
My most unusual salad uses canned hearts of palm. I came up with Hearts of Palm Salad - Brazilian Style, because I keep seeing the mild tasting main ingredients on sale at my local 99c only Stores. If you have never tried heart of palm, then break yourself in with this fresh salad idea.
Another salad takes the crown for Best Classic Salad, my version of a Crab Louis Salad. While expensive ingredients are called for, I have found asparagus frequently on sale, and I use cheap fake crab, or krab.
Of course, if you are cooking to impress then use real lump crab meat.
Sauteed sliced steak, or feta cheese, on a salad needs a strong flavored tomato, and a garden tomato is up for the job in my Warm Steak and Armenian-Style salads, that feature pungent feta cheese.
Italian pasta sauces will not be much improved upon with a fresh garden tomato. However the exception is my Rustic Tomato Sauce with Pasta. The fresh tomato is added at the last minute and only cooked until it starts to collapse, but still at peak flavor.
A big fat tomato slice is what every sandwich requires, at least in my recipe book. I like tomato on my Breakfast Egg Sandwich, and even a wedge of tomato nestled in my Chicago-style Hot Dog.
A Summer Ceviche
made with krab, drained black beans, cucumber, tomato, onion, cilantro
and creamy avocado is my go-to patio party starter. Set out a big bowl of chips to scoop up my cool Krab Ceviche. And be sure to have some picante hot sauce at the ready.
I'll leave you with a bit of cheap$kate comedy about my video visit to a local garden nursery for free noshing on fruit picked fresh from the vine, including a beefsteak tomato. Bon appetit !
This recipe is Wife Approved and she actually makes it herself. I just kicked back and took a few photos so you can see how she does it.
I like Macaroni Salad anytime and this one couldn't be easier to do. Once you cook the macaroni, just cool it down then get to chopping a few veggies.
Juicy tomato and creamy avocado always go well together, and with the addition of fake krab you have a filling and winning Macaroni Salad - it's a standalone meal.
I can find tomatoes for less than a dollar per pound, especially smaller Roma and cherry tomatoes. Often tomatoes are semi-ripe and slightly hard. They improve in taste if you let them ripen on a counter for another day or two. Refrigerate when ripe.
Avocados are frequently on sale at my local Latin market.You want to plan ahead if avocados are hard and green, they may take a few days to soften for peak ripeness. And a trick I use is to keep ripe avocados in the refrigerator until read to use.
Fake crab, or krab, is carried by my local 99c only Stores, but since you only need half a pound for this recipe even regular markets often sell it for $2 to $3 dollars per pound - so it's still a cheap$kate seafood deal.
And pasta is a deal at any grocery store.
I use mayo a lot, so I always stock up when it's on sale. My local 99c only Store carries all kinds.
Click on any photo to see larger.
So there is no excuse not to make my latest recipe, Macaroni & Krab Salad with Avocado& Tomato, especially when it's Wife Approved! It travels well, so make plenty to bring to your next pot luck or party.
Ingredients
12 to 16 ounces of elbow macaroni - small or large elbow.
1 cup chopped tomtoes - about 2 to 4 tomatoes, depending on size. You can use any type of tomato even smaller and cheaper Roma or cherry tomatoes. Okay to add more to taste.
1 cup chopped avocado - about 2 avocados, depending on size. Okay to add more or less according to your budget.
8 ounces fake crab - okay to use more or less to your taste.
1 and 1/2 cups of mayo - I used light, but okay to use regular or any type you like. Add as much mayo as you like. May need to add more mayo for larger 16 ounce package of macaroni.
1 teaspoon of vinegar - use white or rice vinegar.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Extra flavor - half a teaspoon of dill (dry or fresh,) celery seed and dried mustard.
Water - enough to cover and boil macaroni.
Directions
Add water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add dried elbow macaroni and cook until desired tenderness, about 7 to 10 minutes. Okay to follow macaroni package directions.
After macaroni is tender, drain it and cool macaroni down with cold water -- so the cooking stops before macaroni becomes to mushy.
Add macaroni to a large bowl. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to macaroni.
Add mayo. Mix and taste to see if it's creamy enough for you. Add more mayo if necessary.
Chop tomatoes and avocado.
My wife likes to "brighten up" chopped tomato with a dash of vinegar, salt and pepper.
Shred or slice krab. See below under Hindsight to reconstitute krab if it's mealy and dried out from freezing.
Add chopped tomatoes, krab and avocados. Lightly mix all ingredients. Be careful when mixing, if avocado is very soft. Okay to add avocado last, so you don't smash it up.
Serve right away, or refrigerate for a few hours to chill. Avocado will start to brown the next day, so best to try and finish Macaroni & Krab Salad with Avocado& Tomato in a couple of days; or just set aside the unpeeled avocado and add fresh chunks before serving.
Hindsight
You can make this Macaroni Salad without krab. To keep it vegetarian use a vegan mayo.
If you prepare Macaroni & Krab Salad with Avocado& Tomato far ahead of time make sure to check for desired creaminess to see if mayo holds up. You may need to add a tablespoon or so more.
Sometime kab can be tough or mealy, especially when frozen and
defrosted. To bring krab back to life, add it to a bowl and just drizzle
on half a teaspoon of water over defrosted krab. Cover it with a paper
towel or napkin and microwave in 10 second increments. Stir krab and
repeat if necessary. You just want a slightly warm and soften krab. Be careful not to overcook krab or it becomes mushy.
