The Stinky Sandwich

This is not for all tastes, as you will gather. But if you can get past the smell, you've got it licked.

2 slices of rye bread, toasted

Sliced limburger cheese

1 tin of sardines in mustard sauce

Mustard

Prepared horseradish

Sliced red onion

Pickle slices

Combine for a sandwich; one of the reasons to toast the bread is so you can pile it all high. Serve with cold beer (nonalcoholic if you're on the wagon).

Pasta con le Sarde (pasta with sardines)

If you really, deeply despise fish, you won't like this one. The rest of you who are more neutral might find that you really like this delicious and healthful pasta dish. You'll never regard sardines the same way.

This is a cheaper version of the traditional Sicilian recipe.

Ingredients:
Pasta, any kind. I usually use spaghetti, but macaroni works, too.
Fresh fennel, finely chopped
Onion, finely chopped
Garlic, sliced or minced
Olive oil
Tomato sauce
Fresh tomato, chopped
Raisins
Fennel seed
Italian herb blend, or basil, oregano, rosemary, etc.
Salt and black pepper, to taste. Easy on the salt is my advice.
White wine, just a splash. Dry vermouth will work, too.
A little mace (an expensive spice, but a little goes a long way)
Turmeric (the traditional Sicilian recipe calls for saffron -- but talk about expensive!)
Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Pine nuts, if you can find them. Optional for people like me with food allergies.
Capers
Sardines, in a tin or can, size according to how much of this you are making. Sardines in water will do. If they are in tomato sauce, use a little less of aforementioned tomato sauce.
The traditional recipe calls for fresh sardines. If you can get them, more power to you.
Anchovy filets, just a couple

Now the method:

Saute all the veggies in the olive oil, wine and seasonings. (If you found fresh, deboned sardines, saute them at this stage, too, until tender.) Cook the pasta al dente in the meantime.

Add the tomato sauce, then the sardines, if canned, then the anchovies. Bring to a simmer.

Combine with the pasta, and serve. I like Parmesan or Romano cheese sprinkled on mine. Fresh Italian parsley is a good topping, too. I recommend a good chardonnay for the wine.

P.S.: It's been suggested that smoked sardines work better for this. The traditional Sicilian recipe calls for fresh. If you can't find either, I recommend a shot of Liquid Smoke -- comes in bottles.

Also, celery with fennel seed added doesn't work too badly with this if you have trouble finding fresh fennel.

An Easy, Cheap, Good Sauce for Anything

Equal parts of:

mayonnaise

spicy brown mustard

prepared horseradish

Then add, to taste:

Tabasco or similar cayenne pepper hot sauce

minced garlic

dried tarragon leaves

Great with anything.

A Mexican Twist On Sweet Potatoes

Bake a large sweet potato. Again, microwaving is fine.

When tender, put it in a bowl and mash it up.

Add:
1 chipotle pepper, the kind that's canned in adobo sauce, mashed up with an appropriate amount of the sauce.

Minced garlic, to taste

Butter or non-trans-fat margarine, to taste

Brown sugar (optional, to taste)

Mix well, adding a bit of water to get to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Reheat, then enjoy. Also goes great with any meat entree.

An Asian Twist On Sweet Potatoes

Bake a large sweet potato. Microwaving is OK. When tender, mash up in a bowl.

Add:

Butter or margarine (the kind with no trans fat), to taste

Ginger, powdered is fine, to taste

Cloves, powdered, a modest shake

Minced garlic

Soy or tamari sauce, to taste

Cayenne pepper, just a sprinkle (optional)

Brown sugar (optional)

Mix well; add sprinkles of water while mixing, until consistency is like mashed potatoes. Reheat, and enjoy. Great with any meat entree.

Cilantro on a Sandwich? It's Better Than You Think

Ingredients:

A handful of fresh, washed cilantro

Two slices of whole-grain bread

Pimento cheese spread, the reduced-fat kind if you can find it

Slices of turkey breast

Mayonnaise, to taste.

Tomato slice, onion slice (both optional)

Combine in the obvious way to make a sandwich. Serve with Fritos or some other type of corn or tortilla chips, and salsa or a pickled jalapeno pepper. Or both. Muy picoso.

A Cheap and Easy Marinade

This works for any kind of steak, and for thick pork chops.

You'll need a plastic bag with a seal, size depending on the amount of meat you will marinade.

Pierce meat thoroughly with a fork, then put it in the bag. Add: vinegar from pickled jalapeno or serrano peppers; lemon juice (reconstituted will do for this); minced garlic (the cheap kind out of a jar will do); and Worchestershire sauce. The amounts will depend on the amount of meat, but go heavy on the jalapeno vinegar, and make sure all cuts are submerged.

Seal the bag and refrigerate at least 1-2 hours. Several hours is better. Then grill or broil to taste. No need for salt or pepper unless you really want them. Serve with whatever accompaniments you like. A glass of burgundy is also good with this.

Postscript: This works well with chicken, too.

Potatoes Tapenade

Get a few raw red potatoes and slice them. Quarter-inch slices work well.

Get some black olive tapenade. I recommend Mario brand.

Spread tapenade lightly on top of potato slices.

Put slices flat on a large, microwave-safe plate -- don't stack them -- cover with wax paper and nuke in the microwave until slices are tender.

Let them cool, and enjoy. Repeat process as needed. Makes a great potato side with any main course, or a great party snack.

Regarding Herbs And Spices

I largely learned to do meals like this while I was a graduate student, and usually almost broke. I used a dormitory kitchen. One other student noticed what I was doing and wanted to try it himself.

One day I found him simmering some tomato sauce for spaghetti. I asked him how he had seasoned it, because I couldn't smell oregano or basil.

He explained to me that those seasonings were just too expensive in the store. Well, it's not going to taste the same, I explained back before moving on.

What my bud didn't understand is that good flavor requires an investment. You don't have to buy a spice rack all in one visit to the store. Start with mixed herbs, like Italian seasoning. Buy herbs and spices one at a time, with each visit to the store. They will last a long time, and in the long run the cost is negligible.

How To Make Canned Pasta Taste Almost Like Restaurant Fare

This makes a cheap meal of some quality.

Cut up a green bell pepper into large wedges. Do the same with about half of a small onion. Slice a few cloves of fresh garlic. Chop up a roma tomato.

Put the veggies in a pot, add a little olive oil, then add a little red wine. Then add mixed Italian seasoning. If you don't have an herb blend, it would consist mainly of basil and oregano. Sage, fennel seed and just a little mace are good, too.

Saute until veggies are semi-crisp. Don't overcook.

Add a can of cheap pasta. I recommend Chef Boyardee overstuffed Italian sausage ravioli, but any kind will work. Mix gently. Turn heat down on stove and wait for mixture to heat all the way through.

Serve with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and sprinkle with crushed red peppers if you like the heat.

Pour yourself a glass of red wine, put on some classical music and imagine you're in an expensive Italian restaurant. It almost works.

Microwave Roasted Beets

Not many people like beets, but this simple approach might make you into a beet believer. Ingredients:

One large fresh beet per person, in a microwave-safe bowl.
Cooking spray, like Pam.
Butter, or good margarine without trans-fat (I recommend Brummel & Brown).
Salt and pepper.
Dill weed. (optional)

Place beets, trimmed to bulbs, in bowl, cover with wax paper or other safe microwave-containing element, but spray with a bit of cooking spray before covering. Also before covering, add a little water.

Nuke in the microwave, according to common sense. It should take at least several minutes. Test with fork or sharp knife.

When beets are tender, slice and serve with butter, salt, pepper and dill weed (if desired).

One of modern life's quick and simple pleasures. Goes great as a veggie side with any meat.

Sangrita Chaser For Tequila, Made Cheaply And Fast

This is a quick, easy way to do this. There's a better recipe, made via blender, with fresh ingredients. I will have that one for you all shortly.

Ingredients:

6 oz. orange juice, well-chilled.
6 oz. Snap-E-Tom tomato juice cocktail, well-chilled. Spicy Hot V-8 will do as a substitute. Snap-E-Tom, a Del Monte product, is hard to find.
Juice of one lime, or about that from a bottle of RealLime.
Mexican hot sauce, such as Cholula, to taste. A Sangrita is supposed to be "muy caliente."

Stir well, and make sure it's well-chilled in a tall glass.

Serve with shots of tequila and lime wedges. The chaser should be salty enough, but if your blood pressure is low, salt is optional.

Take a small gulp of tequila, (The Gulp of Mexico) and chase it with a larger gulp of the Sangrita. Repeat process, to taste.

If you want more tequila after you finish this -- well, I've never been to rehab ...

By the way, in case you care, this is a pretty traditional way that the good people of Mexico savor their tequila.

Eye-Opener 1: The Screwdriver

This drink should need little explanation.

Ingredients:
Orange juice, 6 oz. Just plain OJ.
Vodka, tequila or gin, 3 oz. No fancy labels needed.
Dash Angostura bitters (optional)
Squeeze from a lime wedge (optional)

The breakfast of champions -- if your idea of a champion is a dude with bloodshot eyes.

Statement Of Purpose

The vast majority of people, even in an affluent society like America, will never be rich. Most won't even be well off, as in upper middle-class. In fact, when you consider the whole planet, nearly two-thirds of the world's people are poor by U.S. standards.

But everyone needs a reason to get up in the morning. Good food, and for those able to indulge, good booze, are two very good reasons.

This blog is a mission to share my experiences about this. I have spent most of my life as a working-class American, either because my income was that low or I was so leveraged that I was unable to enjoy being middle-class. I will offer tips on how to enjoy food and drink on a working person's budget.