Make it or buy it? Edamame Hummus

Trader Joe's has all of these different kinds of hummus now. One of these, edamame hummus, looked particularly interesting to me. I love edamame. It's a superfood, so delicious and filling. Also, I love hummus. I had some frozen shelled edamame in the freezer left over from when I made edamame succotash a couple of months ago. So, I decided it was time. This is the recipe I followed.

Here's the breakdown:

1/2 pound Trader Joe's frozen shelled edamame // 8 oz @ $0.13/oz = $1.04
1/4 cup Ziyad tahini // 2.11 oz @ $0.25/oz = $0.53

1/4 cup water // 2.09 oz @ $0.00/oz = $0.00 (I don't pay for water, but you might)

3 tablespoons lemon juice // 1.57/oz @ $0.17/oz = $0.27

1 clove garlic, smashed // 1 oz @ $0.03/oz = $0.03

3/4 teaspooon Morton's kosher salt // 0.17 oz @ $0.06/oz = $0.01

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin // 0.10 oz @ $0.29/oz = $0.03

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander // 0.05 oz @ $0.22/oz = $0.01

3 tablespoons Trader Joe's extra-virgin olive oil // 1.43 oz @ $0.18/oz = $0.26

16.50 oz @ $0.13 per ounce = $2.17 

Trader Joe's offers an 8 oz package of edamame hummus for $2.49. So, if you buy it at Trader Joe's, it's $0.31/oz vs. homemade which is $0.13 per ounce. I say if you have a food processor of any kind of blender, make it at home. It's fresher and way cheaper. Sorry, I forgot how much my parsley cost, but it's optional. 

P-I-Z-Z-A!

Gimme Pizza! P-I-Z-Z-A!

We've been making pizza at home for a while. Actually, it's more my boyfriend's forte than mine as he used to work for one of those brick oven pizza places where he actually had to chop wood for the fire. We usually buy Trader Joe's premade dough that comes in a little baggy because it's priced at 99 cents which seems really cheap. However, being the sleuth that I am, I was curious how much better it would be if we made pizza dough at home and how much money would we save.

Country Benedicts

Country Benedict

We went out to brunch recently at a restaurant in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago called Tweet. We waited eons, so I had to re-feed the meter. It's also cash only, so we had to run to an ATM mid-meal, but it was worth it. One of the specials on the menu was the "Country Benedict" which was basically a biscuit cut in half with a poached egg and sausage patty on each half, smothered in sausage gravy. My boyfriend proclaimed it as the best thing ever, and wanted to perfect it for "home use" and make it forever. This weekend, we decided to try it.

Rolling out the dough

I used Mark Bittman's recipe from How to Cook Everything for yogurt biscuits (as a variation on buttermilk). I'm coming to realize that I can get by on 3 forms of dairy most of the time - butter, milk & plain yogurt. And if I perfect my yogurt making skills (I failed miserably because my house was too cold), milk and butter will suffice. Also, this was the first time I've ever made biscuits from scratch, so I decided to ask the experts in "making biscuits" - my cats. Too bad their paws are so small.

This fraggle rocks!

We really wanted to see the Jim Henson exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry before it wraps up on the 23rd. For those fortunate to have weekdays off, the museum is free this month. Unfortunately, we have to go on the weekend - which means we have to fork over $13 + the $5 for the exhibit. Chicago Public Library has a really awesome program called Kraft Great Kids Museum Passports. You don't have to have kids to get in. You can get in 4 adults with one card! Finding these elusive passes is like playing a really suspenseful game. I learned today that you gotta play that game with the phone. I called about 5 libraries within a 5 mile radius of my house and none of them had it. Then, my final call went to the Mayfair library at Lawrence & Elston. The woman on the other end of the phone said that there were 2 passes left. They won't place a hold on these, so I rushed to put on my coat and shoes and drove over to the branch which is about 2.3 miles from my house. It took a while during rush hour traffic, but I made it there and back in about 40 minutes. I probably spent $1 on gas. So, I saved our household $25. This means we might be able to GO OUT after the visit. How about that?

Sandwich for three quarters

Like I said I would do, I'm making a habit of going to my local market on my way home since it is right on the path from the train to my house.

Today I purchased:
Green Onions - $0.66 for 6
Romaine Lettuce - $1.49 for two heads
Sara Lee Ham - $2.07 ($3.99/lb on sale)
Kayem Roast Beef - $2.54 ($4.99/lb on sale)
Goya Dried Kidney Beans - $1.49 (1 lb bag)
Plum Tomatoes - $1.17 ($1.29/lb)
Bananas - $1.50 ($0.69/lb)
Green Beans - $1.15 ($2.49/lb)
Boar's Head Pepper Jack Cheese - $5.24 ($4.99/lb)
1 Lemon - $0.40 ea
With tax, my bill came to $18.37

I recently discovered the Food Network show $10 Dinners with Melissa D'Arabian. The show she was airing was called "Frugal French." So I decided to pick up some things to make Salad Nicoise. I already have tuna, eggs, oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, some olives, and some dried thyme (gonna have to work with dried). Let's see if I can make this dinner for 4 for $10. We'll have to have it twice this week, but that's OK.

In the meantime, I got some sandwich meat and cheese from the deli. I love going to the deli counter because it makes me feel old fashioned, sort of like having your gas pumped for you. I always get what's on special, so it's a surprise what lunch meat or cheese we'll have in the house every other week.

I came home and made a sandwich. I was hungry and cranky and now I feel better. This is how much it cost.

Ham Sandwich   
Ham - $0.38
Cheese - $0.18
Arnold Sandwich Thins - $0.14 (bought at the bread outlet)
Guesstimate on mayo and mustard $0.05 (this is probably a high guesstimate)
Total for sandwich $0.75

Less cranky, but still want something else to eat...

Cheers!

When I was in first grade, I had to do a poster board project as part of Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign. I had to outline all of the different drugs, including alcohol and cigarettes and talk about how they were bad. However, when it came to the alcohol portion, I was conflicted. I ended up saying "alcohol was bad unless you had one beer a day." That's because my father came home every night at 5 p.m., made himself a little crostini and had a glass of pilsner. I just couldn't prosecute my own father for some innocent beer drinking! Also, when my boyfriend was in elementary school, there was a lecture on the dangers of alcohol. He had a little experience with some curious childhood beer sippage. He raised his hand eagerly waiting for his chance to proclaim what he thought to be true and right. "I've had beer, and I don't understand why anyone would drink it. It's gross." He beamed as he was met with a round of applause from adults and children alike. Let's just say, when he became an adult, his taste buds magically transformed.

I'm OK with a little responsible drinking of alcohol. My parents always said it was an "acquired taste" and over the years, I have acquired it. And now, this taste costs me money because alcohol isn't cheaper than water. I can do $2.99 Charles Shaw from Trader Joe's, and have enjoyed some Target box wine. I can do some cheapish brand name bourbon like Jim Beam. Unfortunately, when it comes to beer, I really love trying out all of the different craft brews. When you're on a tight budget, any consumption of beer, wine or liquor can bring on a guilt trip of monumental proportions. However, along with coffee, it's one of those vices that makes life a little more enjoyable.

Did you know that in the state of Illinois, and many other states, you can shop at Costco and Sam's Club without a membership if you are purchasing alcohol? It has to do with old laws saying that establishments selling alcohol can't require membership or something like that. That being said, I kind of had to protest a little at Costco because employees seem conflicted over the issue. I did, however, make out with an amazing deal on a variety 24-pack of Two Brothers beers sans membership card for $24.99. Two Brothers is a local craft brewery in Warrenville, IL. Currently, the seasonal pack offers Domain DuPage, North Wind, Cane & Abel, and The Bitter End. If I purchased all of these at Chicago's discount liquor store Binny's, this pack would cost me:

Domain DuPage: $8.99
North Wind: Can't find a price anywhere, so let's say $8.99 as a minimum.
Cane & Able: $12.99
The Bitter End: $8.99
Total cost if purchased at another store: $39.96

I saved $14.97 + a bit of sales tax. The total cost of my purchase with tax was $28.23. It comes out to $1.18 per bottle. One of these beers at a bar up the street would be $4 or more + tip.

It's a great deal, makes me feel fancy and is cheaper than a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts. I'll allow it.

Time to use my getaway sticks

Rockwell Brown Line (http://www.chibarproject.com)

I am ashamed to admit that I live a little less than a mile from my train stop, but most days I find myself driving there. When it's cold outside, I procrastinate leaving the house and also dread making the walk in below freezing temperatures. However, I really miss the exercise and love listening to music with headphones and imagining my life has its own perfectly curated soundtrack. There's something really cool about watching an elderly Greek man cross the street to "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" by Bauhaus. Also, what a waste of gas. I probably drive about 1 mile each way when it's all said and done, and my 2000 Hyundai Elantra gets terrible city gas mileage (like 16 mpg terrible). So, if I drive there and back every morning it costs me $0.44 cents a day based on the current $3.50 per gallon cost of gasoline. I take the train downtown 3 times a week. If I cut this out, I could save $1.32 a week, about $5.72 a month or about $68.64 a year.

Are 15 minute walks any good for exercise? I thought you had to do 30 in one block or it was worthless. It turns out, it's not. I'm still getting the 30 minutes in a day that the American Heart Association recommends. Unfortunately, this isn't great for weight loss by using up stored fat, but it's better than nothing. The rest of the time, I need to use the exercise videos available on Netflix instant in my tiny living room. I really hate gyms. I'll never go. I really won't. And I have probably wasted $1,000 over the years on gym memberships, so I'm not going to do it to myself again.

Also, HarvesTime foods is on my walk home! Which means that 3 times a week, I am more likely to pop in and pick up fresh produce instead of making time and gas wasting trips in the car. All around, I think this is a good, if not completely and totally obvious plan. However, doing the analysis is a good motivator.