Apparently posting regularly has not worked out (as I predicted.) I only get to cook about once a week (if that.) Maybe I should try posting while whatever-it-is is cooking instead of doing homework. That would be be a good decision right?

Upcoming should be the ridiculously low-fat lasagna I made a few weeks ago and homemade popcorn (my addiction as of late.)

Until then, back to finishing a month and a half's worth of laundry and homework!

Salmon and Cucumber Salad with Dijion-Lime Vinaigrette

I haven't been to the grocery store lately, so I had to make do with what I had. I was pleasantly surprised with how good this was (mainly the vinaigrette because I knew how everything else would taste.) It went quite well with the fish and would make a good veggie dip.

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 Salmon fillet (I bought a bag of individually packaged frozen fillets awhile ago)
• Vinaigrette (Directions and ingredients below)

Thaw the fillet under running water (if packaged) and use a paper towel to dry it a bit. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and toss it on an indoor grill. Why foil? Because it makes less of a mess to clean on my grill. While it's cooking, thinly slice the cucumber and either arrange neatly on a plate or dump in a bowl. I was going to dump mine in a bowl, but then the salmon took more than 2 minutes to grill. Therefore, I have a pretty picture you see above!

Once the salmon is done, place the fillet in the center of the cucumbers and drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Dig in!

To make the vinaigrette (mine is a quartered version of one found in Paula Deen's book):

• 1.5 oz olive oil
• 1.5 oz canola oil
• 1 oz red wine vinegar (I didn't have any so I used apple cider vinegar)
• 2 TBS Dijon mustard (more or less to taste)
• A little less than a tablespoon of lime juice
• A little less than a tablespoon of soy sauce
• Pinch of dried thyme
• Pinch of dried basil
• Pinch of dried rosemary
• Couple pinches of dried parsley
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• Random dumping of garlic powder to taste (I was supposed to use crushed garlic, again, none on hand)
  

Whisk everything together. Yay it's done!

Vanilla Yogurt

This is actually my second attempt at making yogurt in my slow cooker. I got the idea from here. By the way, I love that site. She doesn't update nearly as much which makes me rather sad. However I love my slow cooker that much more thanks to her endeavors.

Back to the yogurt. It turned out great the first time, but was a little bit runnier than I would have liked. This time I'm getting rid of all of the whey to make it thicker.

You will need:
*8 cups or a half-gallon of skim milk (apparently you can make it with other milks, including rice milk)
*1 cup plain, store bought yogurt with active cultures (I thought all yogurt had active cultures...)
*1 packet of unflavored gelatin
*8 TBS of sweetener. ( I use generic Splenda; can't afford the real stuff and I don't like sugar)
*2 TBS vanilla extract. The fake stuff works just fine, but if you want to be fancy get real extract.
*4 qt or larger slow cooker (I have a 6 qt)
*1 bath towel
*Cheesecloth

Heat the milk in the slow cooker for 2.5 hours on low. Go work out/take a shower/think about doing homework/etc.
Turn off the heat and let cool for 3 hours or until the temp is down to about 112 F. Taking it out of the heating part helps it cool faster, just make sure not to set the stoneware on any cool surfaces. See list of to-do items above.
When the milk is cool enough, remove 2 cups and place in a mixing bowl. Whisk gelatin, sweetener, and vanilla extract (one at a time) in to the milk that is still in the slow cooker. Then whisk the yogurt into the milk in the mixing bowl. Whisk the mixing bowl milk back into the slow cooker milk. If you have taken the stoneware out, put it back in the heating element. Wrap with the towel (my professor says you don't actually have to do this, but it gives me something to do with my unmatching bath towels.) Let sit for at least 8 hours. The longer it sits the tangier it will be.
After it is done sitting, check to make sure it has solidified somewhat. If it hasn't, I'm sorry I failed you. Please hang up and try again. If it has, line a metal strainer with cheese cloth and place over a bowl. Spoon yogurt into the cheese cloth and let it do its thing. Most of the whey should drain out and you can dump cloth contents into whatever container you're going to keep it in. Put cheesecloth back into strainer (or line with new cloth) and repeat until all the yummy yummy yogurt has been strained. Stir the stuff once it's in the container(s).
Label your container with the date. If you're anything like me, you forget when you've made things and this will at least warn you that the contents may appear yucky.
Serve with fruit, granola, or plain. To me it tastes just like the light n fit stuff I used to spend too much money on.

Blueberry-Oatmeal Scones

I have rediscovered my love for scones. Since I leave for work around 6:45 AM, I really don't like getting up much before 6:30. Thus, I have to eat breakfast in the car. I got sick of spending money on granola bars or eating dry cereal, and I realized scones would be perfect. One of these fills me right up. Though some days I eat two. I keep a baggie of them on the passenger seat so I don't have to worry about starving on my hour or so long drive to work (and so they don't all get eaten by boyfriend and company before Monday morning.) I have adapted this recipe by replacing the butter with applesauce and by using skim milk instead of buttermilk. Healthy, right?

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
• 4.5 oz unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk plus additional for brushing (I used the fake stuff: 1 tablespoon lemon juice with enough skim milk to make 1 cup.)
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries. Thawed if frozen. I'm sure you could also use dried.
  

• Preheat oven to 425ºF, rack should be in the middle.
• Mix together flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I used a pastry blender to get it all mixed. Mix in 1 cup oats. Add applesauce and stir until mixture is fairly blended.
  

• Gently stir in blueberries. Add buttermilk a little bit at a time and stir with a fork until a dough just forms. Gently knead on a floured surface 6 times.
• Pat into a 9-inch square (1/2 inch thick). Cut into 9 (3-inch) squares. Cut each square diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet.
• Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and oats. Bake until golden brown, about 13 minutes.
• Eat half the batch, then realize that you won't have enough for breakfast next week if you keep eating them now. Have one more scone while you're putting them in a storage container.
  

*Pictures to come!*

Let's get ready to... maybe do something.

This is my attempt at a blog. One that I actually update. We'll see how well that works out.

My goal is to post recipes that I've tried, that are easy (and cheap) enough for a graduate student to make. I usually have to adapt recipes because I either a. don't want to go to the store or b. can't afford to. That is just about everyone, right?

I'm also trying to eat healthier (no more butter, red meat, cheese, etc.) so don't expect to find anything with heavy cream or ground beef here. If you do happen to find something, yell at me; my mom lives 1000 miles away.