One of the things you tell us you like most about Fix, Freeze, Feast is that we’ve kept the ingredients simple and common. Yes, we like to push the envelope a bit by encouraging you to try ingredients you normally wouldn’t, like mango chutney or red curry paste. But on the whole, our recipes call for basic ingredients sure to be found at your local grocer.

Just because we call for the basics, though, don’t forget to add personal touches to these recipes. Make them with ingredients you like! Last weekend I experimented with Lindsay’s Granola. Now I must say, despite owning several pair of Birkenstocks, I am not a granola eating gal. Ironic, isn’t it?

The granola recipes I’ve seen all seem to have shredded coconut and dates–two lead balloon ingredients at my house. So for years I avoided granola. Last weekend though, I decided to apply my own advice to Lindsay’s granola, tailoring it to our tastes and nutritional goals.

One nutritional resolution I’ve made is to increase the good Omega fats in our diet. Much has been written about Omega-3s and Omega-6s of late. I won’t rehash that information. If you aren’t up to date on the latest, check out this piece from the Harvard School of Public Heath on these important nutrients.

These 2 goals together helped me tailor the Granola:

1) Substituted 1 C. flaxseeds and 1 C. flaxseed meal for the 2 cups toasted sesame seeds. Flaxseeds are rich in Omega-3s;

2) Substituted 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup walnuts for 1 cup almonds. Pecan we like; walnuts are rich in Omega-3s;

3) Chose Canola oil as the vegetable oil. Canola is also high in Omega-3s.

4) Left out coconut completely.

5) Added 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds for a little color and fun. I read at Wikipedia that in ancient lore sesame seeds prolonged beauty and vitality. I guess that assumes you have both in the first place. Even so, I’m sure that little tablespoon will do just the trick!
The Granola has been received well by my family. It’s handy to have available for snacks. Have you noticed those granola fruit parfaits at stores and coffee shops for sale that layer fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola? I have been making these at home. They’re so simple! Here’s one I put together this morning. It serves 1. Simply repeat for additional servings.

Strawberry Granola Parfait

4 frozen strawberries, softened and sliced
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons Granola

Spread strawberry slices in the bottom of a bowl. Top with 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt. Do not cover the strawberries completely–let some color through. Sprinkle with Granola.

Serves 1.

You can make this with other types of fruit also. I’ve used raspberries and bananas. It’s a great way to use up your less than perfect looking fruits and clear out those frozen berries to make room for this year’s crop. My kids are fussy about even the most minor blemish on a banana, but I can sneak it past them in these tasty, nutritious parfaits.

Don’t give up on recipes just because of a few ingredients. With a little creativity, you can tailor and transform most any recipes into a family favorite.

It’s been a very restful and relaxing holiday season for me. I have been able to enjoy time with family and friends as well as test new recipes, do some stitching, and play many rounds of UNO.

I’ve also had time to consider how 2007 ended up and what I might like to explore and blog about this year. One thing I keep on noticing is how much prices are rising. I kept meticulous receipts my gasoline expenses this year and it’s price rose again by 20%. In 2006, it rose 28%. Next year pundits are predicting a rise of only 10%.

Some prices have stayed stable, like pork and sugar. Other prices for the basics, like wheat flour, I noted rose over 10% in 2007. I could hardly believe my eyes this holiday season when I saw an 8×8 pan of cornbread with a price tag of $4.99. And a baguette with a little garlic or Parmesan costing $5.00 too. A salad entree with grilled chicken strips at my local sit-down restaurant is now $10.99, up from $8.99 earlier in 2007. And I could go on and on.

It won’t surprise you that I believe the best way to control escalating food costs is to eat more at home, planning and making meals ahead. After all, Lindsay and I wrote a book about it! But beyond the freezer, there are many more ways to extend your food dollar.

The best budget stretchers PLAN TO USE LEFTOVERS. Leftovers get a bad rap but they can be delicious. Have you noticed what you throw out? One recent study done in England noted that in the average household, 1/3 of food purchased is thrown out. And, half of that is still edible.

Were food waste to be studied here in the US, I would expect higher numbers across the board. But let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that we’re the same. If the average American’s annual spending on food at home is $1347.00, as it was in 2004, then that means that $400 dollars worth of food goes out with the trash–$200 of which could be saved and eaten. Multiply $200 by the number of people in your household to calculate your annual savings. For my family, that’s $800.00 a year. Now we’re talking about real money!

So what do can a person do?

1. Over one week, make notes about what you are throwing out. Are the bananas rotten? Does that leftover broccoli go untouched? How about that diced onion you chopped but didn’t use? What about that 2 cups of leftovers from the Mediterranean chicken you made? Jot down a few notes.

2. Buy less. Sometimes you can just buy and cook less of those food that go unused. For example, if you’re always tossing out bananas, buy fewer of them. Cooking less of an ingredient can help too. Maybe 1 1/2 cups, rather than 2, would be a better quantity for your family. Remember the first rule of waste reduction is REDUCE, reuse, recycle. Buying less will save you money.

3. Start a leftovers recipe binder. Organize your binder by ingredient and try to gather 3 recipes for each. Don’t just focus on dinners: recipes for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks will be helpful to have on hand too.

This winter I’ve committed to finding 3 recipes for each of the foods I want to use up. For example, I noticed that anytime I cook one of the whole chickens from Fix, Freeze, Feast, I end up with 2 cups of pulled, cooked meat to use in leftovers. So I started the search for recipe ideas and ended up pulling out my old cookbooks and scouring them for ideas to use it up. Many older cookbooks offer tried and true recipes that you can easily update to fit our modern tastes. One such heirloom recipe (below), I cooked for my family and my daughter asked me if we could have it once a week! If you plan ahead, leftovers don’t have to be bland or boring.

4. Freeze it! In your leftovers binder, make a note of ingredients that can go straight from the cutting board to the freezer without blanching or further processing. It drives me crazy when a recipe calls for 1/2 a can of tomato paste or 1 chipotle chili. It’s tempting to throw the rest of the cans away but their contents can be frozen, thawed, and used later. So can the extra onions and peppers you diced; the 1/2 cup of cheese you shredded but didn’t use; or, that 1/2 eaten banana from the kids’ lunch.

5. Organize your cupboards or pantry. I made a bold move in September and reorganized my cupboards by type of cooking. So instead of having a all of my spices, all of my oils, vinegars, and canned goods together, I assigned cupboard space by cooking genre. Now I have an international shelf, which contains the spices, vinegars, oils, and canned goods I frequently use in international dishes. I have a baking section with my oils, extracts, flours, sugars, and baking spices. Finally, I have devoted the prime cupboard real estate (those I don’t need a step ladder for), to my most frequently used spices, canned goods, etc. The items I use less often have been given a spot in the nosebleed section.

These changes have really worked for me. I was able to see that I had 3 bottles of rice vinegar and 2 bottles of toasted sesame oil, to name a few. Some of them I was able to combine into one bottle, thereby freeing up shelf space. Others I have targeted to use up. I’m now down to only one of everything. Keeping your kitchen storage spaces functional and organized will keep you from buying ingredients you already have.

HEIRLOOM RECIPES–

This recipe is from Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook, published in 1965. The original is listed first, as written in the book. The second recipe shows my change that reduce the fat and sodium. Both recipes are to make and eat the same day. I am continuing to work on this recipe though and hope to come up with an easy freezer version later in the year.

(Heirloom) Individual Chicken-Ham Pies

Rice Crust

3 tblsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 tblsp. chopped parsley

2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 c. diced cooked chicken
1 c. diced cooked ham
2/3 c. grated Cheddar cheese

Melt butter; add flour and blend. Add chicken broth and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixtures comes to a boil and is thickened. Add parsley, salt, pepper, chicken and ham.

Pour into rice-lined tart pans. Sprinkle the reserved cup of rice mixture over tops of pies. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in a moderate oven (350F) 20 minutes. Serve in tart pans.

Rice Crust: 5 c. cooked rice, 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 c. melted butter, 1 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper. Reserve 1 c. mixture. Pat remaining rice mixture over bottom and on sides of 6 greased 6″ tart pans.

New Individual Chicken-Ham Pies

An eye-catching way to use up your left over chicken. If you don’t want to invest in a set of small pans, try looking for 6-inch paper baking molds from World Cuisine. They are about $0.50 each. When you decide to invest in permanent pans, I recommend Martha Stewart’s Cast Iron Au Gratin for this dish. Though more expensive, they will last for years and, because they are cast iron, can be passed down.

Rice Crust (below)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons Fox Point Seasoning
2 cups cooked chicken (Urban Garlic or Mediterranean Chicken from Fix, Freeze, Feast work well)
1 (6- to 7-) ounce package sliced ham, diced
1/2 cup reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and Fox Point Seasoning and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 7-10 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and add chicken and ham.

Spoon chicken and ham mixture into rice-lined gratin or paper baking molds. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until warmed through and cheese is melted. Serve in gratin or baking molds.

Rice Crust: Combine 5 cups cooked white basmati rice; 4 egg whites; 1/3 cup unsalted butter; 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread the rice over the bottom and sides of greased gratin or baking molds.