Egg Beaters - Deal of the Day

It looks like egg, smells like egg, hey, it even taste like egg! This Deal of the Day is close enough to the real thing to almost fool The 99 Cent Chef. If you did not see it poured from its carton -- the end result being a yellow, firm and fluffy plate of eggs before you -- it could pass for fresh scrambled. Don't add salt; this 15 oz. carton of "Cheese & Chive" flavored Egg Beaters has enough. Just add some pepper.

Made with real egg whites and way too many chemicals and additives (just read the ingredients label), this low-fat, low cholesterol, morning protein pleaser tastes fine. It is a quick scramble, but does not easily form into an omelet -- not fluffy enough; yokes are sorely missed. Because it is made with egg whites, you still need to use non-stick pans with a drizzle of oil or oil-spray. The carton carries enough for about four servings -- not bad. I've seen it in a couple of neighborhood 99c only Stores cold deli cases for the last couple of weeks, in Cheese & Chive and Garden Vegetable flavors.

After cooking and plating Cheese & Chive flavored Egg Beaters, I actually felt crunch from biting into a chive! -- although, just a one-time crunch. The most disappointing flavor was cheese. Not much, and certainly not the creamy, melting clots of cheese you get in a real egg and cheese scramble.

The texture and taste of the eggs are surprisingly fresh.

It seems every new scientific "egg study" comes back contradicting the last one. Are eggs good cholesterol or bad? Is it good fat or bad? While Cheese & Chive Egg Beaters is a low-calorie breakfast alternative, this Chef will stick with the real thing.
On a scale from 1 to 9, 9 being best
-- I give it a 6.

Indian Corn with Pork

The Chef was curious about Indian corn in the can, especially a 2 lb. one for 99.99 cents. I went with an old reliable combination of inexpensive meaty country style pork ribs (99 cents a pound this week at Albersons Grocery Store) slow cooked with the corn, and adding a layer of flavor with enchilada sauce. Indian corn is really just another name for hominy - plump cooked corn kernals tasting halfway between sweet corn and grits. It is bland on it's own, like a potato, so it works best combinded with other ingredients like chicken or added into a soup. This hearty dish is simple to make, just load it into a 350 degree oven and come back 3-4 hours later.

Ingredients (serves 4)
3-4 lbs. of country style pork ribs or chicken
1 large 29oz. can of Indian corn or hominy - drained
1 15oz. can of enchilada sauce - red or green
1 small onion chopped - optional
2 tbsp. of chopped garlic - fresh or jar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim some of the fat from pork ribs. Drain Indian corn and add to roasting pan with pork ribs. Add enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook covered 2 hours, then 1 to 2 more hours uncovered until pork is fork tender. When done remove and skim off fat.
For chicken, cook uncovered for about 2 hours. Pierce chicken in thickest part with a knife or fork, and done when juices run clear.

Cherry Tomatoes & Sausage with Pasta

Cherry tomatoes pop in your mouth with a more intense flavor than regular full size ones. In April, the Chef featured them in his 2 minute Salad video. Now allow The 99 Cent Chef to liven up a typical boring tomato sauce.
When paired with sausage and pasta, these intense pellets of concentrated tomato essence create a colorful rich texture. The last cooking step -- deglazing the pan with red wine, pasta water and a pat of butter -- creates a rich delectable tomato sauce. My Italian budget entree uses ingredients I picked up at the Hollywood 99c only Store.

You can use any sausage on sale, and a small carton of cherry tomatoes comes cheap. If you have a little onion and bell pepper you need to use up, add these too.
Cherry tomatoes begin to soften after 15 minutes of cooking and become even sweeter. Crush about half of them to thicken sauce, but be careful, because they squirt when squashed. The Chef's cherry tomato sauce is an adaptable addition to your favorite pasta recipes. Use any favorite protein on sale, or just leave out the meat and add seasonal veggies for a lively vegetarian ratatouille-style pasta sauce. All ingredients featured in this recipe are inexpensive at any market, so make a low-priced meal of it!

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 carton cherry tomatoes - about 16 ounces or 2 cups
Sausage - your favorite on sale, about 1 lb.
1 small onion and 1/2 bell pepper chopped - for vegetarian, use any seasonal favorites.
1 tbsp. chopped garlic - fresh or jar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup of red or white wine - photos shows red (optional, or use chicken/veggie stock).
1 cup of pasta water - reserved from cooked pasta
Slice of butter - thickens sauce (optional)
Fresh herbs if you have them - about 1 tablespoon total if dried, including parsley, oregano, sage and basil.
Salt and pepper to taste - minimal salt is needed, as sausage is salty enough.
3/4 package of your favorite pasta - cook per package directions


Directions
Boil water for pasta and cook per package directions. After draining pasta, reserve 1 cup pasta water to add for sauce. Add olive oil to heating pan and brown sliced sausage for about 5-10 minutes. Add any aromatic veggies, including bell pepper and onion. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine or stock. Add pasta water, butter, tomatoes - salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce sauce by half. Break up about half of the cherry tomatoes with your cooking spoon or spatula as they soften -- but be careful -- they squirt! Finish up by adding herbs you have on hand. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Mexi/Turkey Burger

Just in time for the 4th of July weekend this budget burger, based on South-of-the-border ingredients, is one hot summer palate pleaser. Combining ground turkey with Mexican chorizo renders a typical dry flavorless turkey burger into a moist spicy one. Poultry must be cooked well-done, but don't worry because chorizo has a high fat content, so your Mexi/turkey burger will come out moist.

Mexican chorizo is soft ground and uncooked -- unlike Spanish chorizo, which is cured hard like salami. Mexican chorizo has a deep flavored red chile taste -- spiced with paprika, Mexican oregano, garlic powder and a minimal amount of red pepper heat. It is sold on sale at local Latin markets and in the cold deli case of my neighborhood 99c only Store in 10 oz. casings of ground pork or beef. The Chef suggests mixing one part chorizo with 3 parts ground turkey. This will also help firm up typically mushy ground poultry and keep it from drooping through your barbecue grill grate. Top the Chef's Mexi/turkey burger with crumbled queso fresco cheese (still being carried in 99c only Stores) and your favorite 99.99 cent salsa.
Chorizo freezes well, and the rest can be sauteed and then scrambled into eggs for a filling breakfast taco or burrito. This inexpensive pairing of chorizo and ground turkey adds up to a delectable budget barbecue that must be paired with an ice cold cerveza.

Ingredients (makes 4 burgers)
1 lb. ground turkey (or chicken)
5 ounces of chorizo - 1/2 package
Salt and pepper to taste

Burger Fixings
Buns, salsa, avocado, lettuce, tomato and your favorite cheese. Make it your own with any favorite toppings.

Directions
Coat grill with non-stick spray or oil and heat. Thoroughly mix ground turkey and chorizo. Form into burger patties, season and cook on grill until well-done (cut into burger to check that middle is not raw and soft). I used a gas grill and it took about 15 minutes total. Watch for fire flare-ups as chorizo has a high fat content. Melt your favorite cheese on patty then dress the burger with salsa and any of your favorite toppings. The Chef's Mexi-burger tastes just as good frying-pan sauteed indoors.

Mackerel Potato Salad & A Polo Match - Video

Summer is here and the time is right for potato salad and a picnic. May The 99 Cent Chef recommend a pleasant outing to Will Rogers' Polo Club? Take winding, tree-lined Sunset Boulevard into Pacific Palisades for an equestrian game gazing picnic. And what goes more splendidly with croquet played on horseback than The Chef's Mackerel Potato Salad?

On the first day of summer The Chef took a group including his wife, her parents, and, visiting from Austin, his sister Denise and her husband Dale, to a 9:30 a.m. polo match at Will Rogers State Historical Park. Parking is eight dollars, but well worth it for 4 hours of equestrian entertainment -- the event itself is open to the public and ticket-free. You decamp with your picnic basket and lawn chairs, and yes, beer or wine is allowed, to find a spot along the emerald green field - flanked by a small hill on one side and an eucalyptus tree shaded area next to the announcer's booth on the other side. If you have not watched a polo match before, think of mallet-wielding soccer players on horseback, dressed ever so elegantly in field boots, thundering down the field swatting at a softball-sized polo ball. You can go to willrogerspolo.org and click here for instructions on the art of the polo match. The main website gives you directions to Will Rogers State Park and Saturday and Sunday polo game times, which run until October.
You can take a break from the polo matches with a hike in the park or a tour of Will Rogers' cowboy-styled residence. Below is the Chef's video visit to a Will Rogers Polo Club Match.

Will Rogers Polo Match - Video

Play it here. The video runs 2 minutes, 29 seconds.

Now on to the main food event -- Mackerel Potato Salad. The Chef offers a German style vinegar/mustard dressing mixed into yellow potatoes and packaged mackerel, both bought on sale at this 99c only Store. You can use any canned fish in water including sardines, salmon, herring or tuna, often on sale at any market. Chopped green onion adds color and crunch. You can serve this potato salad warm or cold, and it complements sandwiches and beer.

Ingredients (serves about 4)
2 lbs. gold potatoes - or substitute red or white small potatoes
2 whole green onions chopped
3 tbsp. dijon mustard
3 tbsp. cider vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. sugar or substitute (taste for sweetness)
1 tbsp. dried dill (2 tbsp. if fresh chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
5 oz.of cooked jack mackerel from can or pouch - ok to substitute any tinned fish in water





Directions
Chop potatoes into about 1 inch pieces with or without skin on. Add to low boiling water for about 10-15 minutes. Done when easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside while preparing dressing. Whisk together mustard, oil, sugar, and vinegar. Mix together potatoes, dressing, and dill and season with salt and pepper. Finally, drain and lightly mix in fish, trying to keep fish as larger flakes. Serve warm or chilled.


By the way, many California parks will be fee free for a couple of weekends this summer:
July 18-19, 2009
August 15-16, 2009
Click here for info -- Will Rogers State Historical Park is not on the list :(
Thanks for the heads up Bargain Babe.

Click here to embed or view video on youtube.

Deal of the Day - Boca Meatless Chili

Boca Meatless Chili please come back! I found a box in my freezer, bought a couple of months ago from this 99c only Store, gave it a quick zapping, and boy, is it good. I keep looking for it to return, but to no avail. If you find it at your local store, let my readers know!
Deli case frozen, this quick lunch dish is a great Deal of the Day. Made with red and black beans in a chili sauce, it's surprisingly spicy for a mainstream frozen entree. While only recently exposed to a vegetarian Boca Burger, this Chef is impressed with the Boca brand.
The meat substitute pieces are tiny and a little spongy, but has a good taste; it's certainly a pleasant light alternative to heavy oily canned meat chili. The broth is somewhat thin, but flavorful, and having beans that are not mush is a nice change of pace. Chunks of onion and bell pepper blend well with the Anaheim chile and tomato sauce. The serving is small but adequate for a light vegetarian lunch, and well worth the 99.99 cents the Chef paid. On a scale from one to nine, the Chef gives it an eight.

Mexican Mole Chicken

Mexican mole is a complex mix of many flavors and comes in a rainbow of colors. When The Chef goes to Tijuana a favorite stop is a stall market off the main drag of Avenida Revolucion with a mryiad of moles in clear plastic hampers ready to be scooped out. These pastes of green, red and dark brown are intensely flavored with spices, nuts and chocolate. Most restaurant moles are of the dark brown variety.
This Chef picked up a small ready-to-use jar on sale at his local Latin market for $1.99 - you get about 8 servings out of an eight ounce jar, so this mole fits the budget. Use your favorite discounted cuts of chicken. The store-bought brand of Dona Maria has a peanut/chocolate flavor with a slight spicy chile bite and is quite tasty. This is a one-pot dish that tastes better reheated the next day and goes well with rice and a salad.

Ingredients (serves 3 - 4)
1/2 of an 8 oz. jar of mole

3-4 chicken quarters or chicken breasts (skin on or off)
1 1/2 cups of water or broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large deep pan or pot, dissolve and mix mole into hot water. Add chicken and bake uncovered for 2 hours (breast meat needs less time, about 1 1/2 hours, just pierce meat with a fork; juices should run clear). Remove and place on stove top. Spoon out as much grease as possible. Heat mole and chicken for about 15 minutes on the stove top at a low simmer. Reduce by half to thicken. Serve with white or brown rice to help soak up all the delicious mole.