Thursday morning my husband told me he wasn't feeling too good, and by Thursday afternoon, I wasn't either. Nothing serious, just the tired, achy, slightly stuffy slow onset of a virus. While I still had my wits about me, I dashed to the kitchen and made these concoctions - tonight, boy, am I glad I did.
Best-Ever Whole Wheat Bread
(for bread machines, although I'm sure you could make it the old fashioned way too)
3/4 c warm water
3/8 c milk (remember, we make our own soy) $.02
1 and 1/2T butter/margarine $.08
1/2 tsp salt
3 T brown sugar $.08
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 and 1/2 c whole wheat flour $.22
1 and 1/2 c white flour $.15
1 and 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast $.15
Fun variations: Add 1-2T grated orange peel, substitute applesauce for the butter and replace 2T of the water volume with apple juice concentrate (frozen works well), you can also add in 1/3 cup of raisins, sunflower seeds, or 2T flaxseed.
To Make: Add the ingredients in the order specified by your bread machine manual, then allow them to mix for about 3-4 minutes. By that point the butter should be combined and you can peek in the top to see if the liquid to dry ratio needs adjusting. If the ingredients are breaking up into separate chunks and there is extra flour visible, add 1T water and allow it to combine. If the ingredients are creating a sticky mass that is adhered to the sides of the loaf pan and the paddle, add 1T flour and allow it to combine. The goal is to have an elastic, coherent ball of dough. Too little water, and it will not rise all the way. Too much water, and it will balloon up and collapse.
Total Cost: $.65
Servings: 11 (3/4" slices)
Cost Per Serving: $.06
And of course, what does everyone make when they feel a cold coming on? Soup. I modified this soup from a Martha Stewart recipe that had more expensive versions of these ingredients, and it came out very nicely!
Sick Day Turkey Sausage Soup
3 sweet Italian Turkey Sausage (on sale for $1.99/lb) $1.19
14oz can of diced tomatoes (I used half of a 28oz can) $.60
1 bullion cube (to make 16oz broth) $.10
1 medium-sized sweet potato $.50
1/3 c diced onion $.17
1/2 box frozen chopped spinach $.35
2 cloves or 1tsp from a jar garlic $.06
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (or 1/2 tsp sage and rosemary)
To Make: Freeze the sausage at least partially to make it easier to chop into neat coins, then drop them into an ungreased stockpot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until the sausage is completely browned. Then, add in the bullion/broth, the tomatoes with their juices, and the spices. Cover and bring to a boil. While you are waiting for it to boil, wash, peel, and dice the sweet potato, then add it to the boiling mixture. When the sweet potato feels almost done (will allow a fork to pierce it with a little pressure) add the spinach. I am lazy, so I just dumped the half a block in there and broke it up with my stirring spoon as it melted, but you could be responsible and let it thaw first. In either case, once the spinach is evenly distributed throughout the soup, reduce the heat to low and simmer 5-10 minutes.
Hints: If the soup tastes a little acrid for your palate, add 1T white sugar. If its too bland, add fresh ground black pepper and/or a shake of chili flakes. It Italian turkey sausage is not on sale at your supermarket, try substituting turkey breast or thighs. I also have a feeling that this soup would still be splendid if you left the meat out altogether and added canenelli beans instead.
Total Cost: $2.97
Number of Servings: 5 generous
Cost per Serving: $.59
And now, it's off to nurse my limping immune system with a good night's sleep!
P.S. If you haven't yet, check out my linked blogs under my profile. They're a lot of fun!
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