Believe it or not, there are a few good things that have come out of the economic situation of our country over the last few years. One of them being a return to home cooking and revisiting the "waste not want" mentality many of our parents had ingrained during their own upbringing. I often roast a whole chicken and bulk up dinner with extra vegetables and sides, so I’ll have leftovers to use in tacos another night. Not only does this save money on the grocery bill, but it also makes for a quicker weeknight meal since the chicken is already cooked and just needs seasoning.

The same theory can even be applied to “supporting” ingredients and items we might easily discard, like day-old bakery-bought bread. Whether you like them big and chunky or tiny and bite-size, homemade croutons are a delicious departure from their packaged counterpart. This version comes together very quickly on the stovetop instead of the oven. Another bonus, you can use the food processor attachment of your stand mixer to pulse them into homemade seasoned breadcrumbs.

Parmesan Skillet Croutons
makes about one cup

1 cup diced day-old baguette (small or large dice depending on your preference)
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl until bread cubes are well coated.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add seasoned bread cubes to pan and cook, turning occasionally, until golden all over, about 5 to 7 minutes for ¼-inch diced cubes. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I’m not one for whole-wheat flour. There’s something about the earthy flavor and it tends to make denser baked goods. Luckily I found a nice compromise at my local farmers’ market a few weekends ago: organic “half-white” flour. According to the producer, Farmer Ground Flour, this type is common in Europe, and is a blend of white and whole-wheat flours. The label describes it as a “medium protein bread flour that retains some of the bran and germ”. The texture is lighter than both whole-wheat and regular all-purpose white flour, without a discernible earthy aroma. Sounds like a win-win to me.

I used it to make a lemon-glazed raspberry cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday and then decided to tinker with my blueberry muffin recipe a few days later. I’m happy to report the result is a lighter, more delicate crumb and delicious with a smear of homemade butter. The only problem is it’s quite expensive at $5 for a two pound bag ($10 for five pounds). A more economical substitute can be made by sifting equal parts whole-wheat pastry flour and white flour.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Makes 18 standard size muffins

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1 stick butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line one 12-cup and 6-cup muffin tin with recycled paper liner, or coat with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, sift the whole-wheat flour and 1 cup of the white flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and lemon zest and whisk to combine; set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the eggs until well combined. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beating until just combined.
4. Toss blueberries with remaining tablespoon of flour. Fold blueberries into batter. Evenly spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (it will be very thick) and bake until golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm or let cool completely in baking pan.

Something about winter screams pantry cooking. Perhaps it’s the arctic temperatures, or maybe it’s the thought of having to trudge through the snow. Whatever the reason, having a well-stock cupboard—that includes sauces and seasonings, and veggies in the crisper make for an easy dinner solution. On this particular night I had some carrots and broccoli on hand. Since it was a school day, stopping by the fish market for some shrimp was no biggie—it’s around the corner. Now I had all I needed to make a peanuty noodle dish.

I’m normally a stickler for tradition, and was going to buy real Chinese egg noodles to make this…except they were $3.19 for an 8-ounce bag. Instead I opted for a one pound box of Barilla on sale for only 99 cents (yes, a good deal, indeed). Next time, I will keep my eyes peeled in case those other noodles go on sale so I can stock up. The other great thing about this dish, besides saving money on inferior takeout, is it comes together mostly in one pot. The same water I used to boil the pasta, was also used to cook the vegetables and poach the shrimp. As a matter of fact, this dish is delicious served at room temperature, so you can even skip the last step and just toss the sauce and cooked ingredients together in a serving bowl.

Noodles with Shrimp, Veggies & Peanut Sauce
serves 4 to 6

1/2 pound dry pasta, cooked al dente according to package directions
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup vegetable stock
Chili flakes, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 pound shrimp
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, using package directions for al dente doneness.
2. Meanwhile, add the peanut butter, sugar, soy cause, sesame oil, fish sauce, lime juice and vegetable stock to the food processor attachment on your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Pulse until combined, and it’s okay if there’s a few chunks of peanuts. Season with chili flakes, salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
3. Once pasta is done, use metal tongs to transfer cooked spaghetti to a strainer, reserving the pot of boiling water. Rinse pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process. Bring water in pot back to a boil. Add carrots and broccoli and cook until tender, but firm, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add shrimp, cover pot with lid and turn off heat. Let sit until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon. Discard water.
4. In a large skillet or wok, warm peanut sauce over medium heat. Add cooked pasta, vegetables and shrimp, tossing to coat well. Serve garnished with sliced scallions.

Root vegetables—the staple of winter farmer’s markets here in the Northeast. Well, good news is just when you thought you’d had enough of them, I’ve got a new recipe that will leave you loving them all over again. What if I told you a handful of carrots, celery, onions and a few other easy-to-find ingredients could save you over $100 in grocery shopping? Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about a pantry staple: homemade stock.

We’ve all resorted to store-bought stock, whether in a pinch, or simply for ease and convenience. With a little planning, you can make enough vegetable stock to feed an army, yet it’ll only take up a small bit of real estate in your fridge or freezer. Have you ever made split pea soup off the back of the bean bag? The one my husband first started making many moons ago called for a packet of bouillon—the powdered concentration equivalent to canned broth basically. Now you can skip the cans and packets and head straight to the kitchen to make your own all-natural, preservative-free version to use in soups, stews, risottos…really the possibilities are endless.

Homemade Vegetable Bouillon
makes one quart concentrated or 48 quarts diluted

Two things to remember with this recipe: 1) a little goes a long way and 2) you're essentially curing the vegetables in salt, so that’s why you need so much of it to start. Depending on the size of your Cuisinart food processor, you may need to make this in two batches, or just halve the recipe.

4 carrots, trimmed, scrubbed & cut into large pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 leek, white part only, sliced
1 small onion, peeled & quartered
10 sun-dried tomato halves
1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms (caps & stems), cleaned & quartered
2 cloves garlic
generous handful of fresh parsley, including stems
7 ounces salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it forms a wet paste and is well combined. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or separate into smaller portions to store in the freezer. To use, combine one measured teaspoon with one cup boiling water, adding more water as necessary to adjust to your liking.