Now before anyone freaks out, this meal isn’t meatless as in vegetarian.  Carbonara uses bacon, eggs, and cheese to create a rich, filling pasta dish without relying on a more expensive protein source.  This was my first time trying it and now I know why this dish is so popular!  It is such an easy and fast meal as well as luxurious and satisfying.

One of the ways to keep grocery costs low is to buy seasonal fruits and vegetables.  Asparagus and strawberries are coming into season and can be gotten for a good price at the grocery store.   The addition of asparagus spears keeps this pasta from feeling too heavy but it still needs a nice light salad as an accompaniment.  I served it with a Strawberry Salad, one of my favorite sweet and tangy salads.

Click here for the recipe »

Since we can’t shake hands or hug or whisper on the phone to each other under the covers, here it is:  I don’t LOVE to cook. Just so we are clear, I will internet yell it: I DO NOT LOVE TO COOK.   I can hear your collective gasps of surprise and shock.  I mean I write a cooking blog, right?  It is true though, I pretty much only cook because I have to.  I cook because I think it is an important aspect of having a family.  I cook because I can’t afford to eat out.  I cook because I love to eat and mostly I love to eat good food.  I cook because my kids say, “Mommy you are the best cooker ever” when I cook.  It is hard though sometimes.  I have to force myself into the kitchen to start most of the time.  I have a terrible time planning meals (as you may know) and being inspired.  The purpose behind chaos in the kitchen, originally, was that all around me were people who needed to cook-for whatever reason: expenses, family, hunger-but had no idea what to make or where to start.  I didn’t want them to settle for expensive convenience foods or fast foods.  I wanted them it know that it doesn’t have to be hard to cook nice meals.

Now, with the economy the way that it is I think even more people who have never had an interest in cooking are taking to the internet to try to figure out ways to cut their eating out and grocery bills.  Thus, Blogging the Recession is my way of renewing my mission.  To prove that it is not hard, or expensive, to cook good food at home.  Even those of us who-after a long day at work, and kids, and cleaning, and school-really have no desire to cook can still muster up enough energy to spend 30 minutes or so making a real meal out of real food that tastes wonderful.  Or we shall at least have planned ahead and stashed homemade, from scratch food in the freezer to heat and eat. Now, for being subjected to my lecture all about me I will offer you links to some actual food you may have missed in the last year (yes we are approaching the blog-o-versary).  Warning image heavy post. Click here for the recipe »

Back to the budget recipes!  Since a dozen locally produced, cage free eggs only costs $2.19 in our area, it makes sense to try to fill out of meals with protein from eggs as often as possible.  I am not the hugest fan of quiche or frittatas so when I need to make a meal out of eggs I fall back on a family favorite: fried rice.  Rounded out with bowls of egg drop soup and steamed edamame or sugar snap peas, it is a fun, cheap meal.  I have covered fried rice before in budget-minded posts back before most of you were reading so I direct you there for some great fried rice tips.   Here, I will guide you through a little restaurant style egg drop soup.

If you have ever tried to make egg drop soup at home and have been disappointed because the egg seems to “blow up” in the boiling chicken broth and not make the pretty ribbons you get at restaurants, then you are in good hands.  I have been disappointed many a time by homemade egg drop soup-one of my favorites during cold and flu season.  The soup is too thin, not yellow enough, not eggy enough or the egg is flaky rather than in billowy ribbons.  We finally figured out the secret and I will share it with you!

Click here for the recipe »

Sorry to all my friends using Internet Explorer.  Here is the invisible post.

I was introduced to Spezzatino Magazine by one of my long time Internet idols.  The magazine is a gorgeous, fun tribute to food, cooking, and eating but the very best part is that all proceeds go to the Healthy Food Bank.  The photography is beautiful, and the articles are all intelligent and interesting.  It is really a magazine that you can feel good about supporting and, as a volunteer, contributing to.  I was honored to contribute a piece to their Comfort Food edition.  After the jump is my humble writing and a recipe, but if you really want to read some good articles-and know you are helping people at the same time-subscribe now.

Also, I have added the option to subscribe by email to chaos in the kitchen’s updates.  Just follow the link under “Follow Along!” on the right column and you will start receiving updates in your inbox, if that’s your thing.  This is purely just another option for people who might not dig RSS readers, it is not a way to steal your email and spam you.

Click here for the recipe »