Slo Coast Cooking - by Elise Griffith
2013, 2012, and 2011 Columns
May, 2013 Make Your Own "Deli” Meats and Sides for May Gatherings
Ah, May… the fog of summer hasn't yet settled in, graduations, bridal showers, weddings and Memorial Day picnics are arriving as friends and family begin to congregate. Gatherings of people mean all those folks need to be fed. One restaurant luncheon at a recent family reunion cost more than $500, so I'd like to encourage readers to plan ahead for much more affordable alternatives.
April, 2013 Preparation for Easy, Healthy Meals in Spite of Higher Meat Prices
Warnings from the March sequester in D.C. said meat prices will rise. Yet you needn't worry! Careful shopping, combined with a little planning and preparation, will help you stretch your grocery dollars while still providing healthy, balanced meals. Think of it as making your own convenience food.,
March, 2013 Money Saving Breakfast Ideas with Oats
When my family first moved to California's beautiful Central Coast a decade ago,
it would've been impossible to imagine a box of cold cereal selling for more than
$5.00 or a gallon of milk costing as much as a gallon of gasoline. Fortunately, all
residents have a bounty of fresh options for breakfast on busy (or lazy) mornings
with a little preplanning. Homemade convenience for any meal is tailored to your
preferred tastes. It's both environmentally responsible, and very budget-
February 2013 Waste Not, Want Not Recipes in February
Growing up, waste was a dirty word in my household. I attribute this to the fact
that my mom was born at the end of the Great Depression, and her mother never, ever
threw anything away that might still have a use. Therefore, the only time my lovely,
classy, proper mom swore was when she was cleaning out the refrigerator and tossing
unintended science experiments into the trash bin. She was a busy, working mom for
most of those years and didn't have the time or energy to think up creative ways
to use up leftovers and produce before it grew moldy. If you find yourself in the
same predicament on a semi-
January 2013 Resolve to Shop, Cook, Share and Help Eliminate Local Hunger in 2013
Since my first column at Slo Coast Journal—indeed for many years beforehand—my personal mission has been about preparing healthy meals on a budget. Would it surprise you to know we have hungry among us on our beautiful coastline?
December, 2012 Healthier, Holiday Gifts-
One of my favorite holiday gifts from a few years ago was a batch of dried apple slices from a dear friend. You see, she'd acquired the apples from a neighbor with trees, had washed, cored and sliced the fruit very thin, drying them in her own oven. Her total cost? Not one penny, other than the cost of shipping her gifts. Yet the value (to me) was priceless! Why? Because I felt as if I were sharing a precious part of her life from a geographical distance of 3000 miles. Every time I used those dried apples in a recipe, she was present in my kitchen.
November, 2012 Beyond Roast Turkey and Trimmings in November
Since most magazines and many websites offer loads of recipes for Thanksgiving dinner,
this month's column will focus on the rest of the month. Let's face it, the holidays
are upon us… you want quick preparation; you need easy. If you begin with half an
onion, one pound of Kielbasa, three medium potatoes and two crowns of fresh broccoli,
you're well on your way to a savory, satisfying meal! The following step-
October, 2012 Wicked Good, Step-
Recently Spencer's Fresh markets had boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.99 per pound in value packs. One value pack holds five or six chicken breast pieces. Normally, I'd try to get several meals from that poultry meat in casseroles, soups, or stews, but I decided to "live it up" and spice things up for dinner. There's a limit to the amount of casserole my husband's willing to eat — and frankly, I felt my dinnertime repertoire has been leaning towards dull.
September, 2012 September is Back to Savings Month for Meals
Here's a math quiz question — If you purchased a 3.14 pound package of lean ground
beef for $4.05 ($1.29 per pound sale price 1 day before the sell by date), along
with a 1.35 pound package of Spencer's Own mild Italian sausage for $4.04 ($2.99
per pound as advertised), how many family-
August, 2012 Cook Up Some Curried Love: Beneficial Spices for Healing
The first recipe in this month's column is for a whole-
July, 2012 Smart Shopping Locally
Ah, yes, vanity. Why everyone knows that "Vanity, thy name is woman." And it makes sense — to most men We're very fortunate to live in an area where there's an abundance of fresh foods available throughout the year, much of it produced here in SLO County.
June, 2012 Simple Grilling for Less on the Coast
Memorial Weekend is the nationally celebrated beginning of "grill season" from coast
to coast. Those of us who live here are lucky enough to be able to grill year-
May, 2012 Garden Fresh Ideas for May… Including Homemade Marinara!
Did you catch April's article about an inspiring Morro Bay group who won Sunset magazine's One Block Challenge? Team Beach Tractors put together a first rate culinary celebration from foods they'd grown or raised on our cool, quiet strip of coastline.
April, 2012 Easy, Impressive Side Dish Recipes Meant To Be Shared
Back in the day, food co-
March, 2012 When Do Bulk Buys on Fresh Foods Make Sense?
Our strip of coastline might be considered a high cost of living area, yet we have a bounty of fresh foods available year round and some of the best neighbors anyone could wish for! Our next door neighbor volunteers every week at both the local Thursday Farmer's Market and the Friday Senior Food Program. Still active at 90, Boomer occasionally stops by with free, overflow produce. One recent delivery included a half crate of ripe grape tomatoes. You may be asking, "What on earth could I do with so many tomatoes?"
February, 2012 Your Deliciously Healthier February
Instead of dinner out at a crowded restaurant this Valentine's Day, how about a preparing
a special dinner in? Let's imagine your delectable meal is also chock full of vegetables,
power-
January, 2012 Slo Coast Cooking's "Eat Well For Less" New Year Challenge
Every New Year brings fresh goals for most folks. It's a bit like starting with a
freshly painted, empty room. You get to decide which pieces of furniture and decorative
embellishments you'd like to keep, what you'd rather dispose of. Millions of Americans
vow every January 1st that they're going to eat better in the coming year. After
the holidays, most of us are determined to save money. What if your goals are actually
possible long-
December, 2011 Simply Delicious Holidays with Slo Coast Cooking!
I'm dreaming of a laid-
November, 2011 Easy One Pot Soups and Stews
Were you able to get your FREE five pound bags of Russet potatoes from Cookie Crock
at the end of September and mid-
October, 2011 Welcome to Slo Coast Cooking!
We're very fortunate to live in an area where there's an abundance of fresh foods available throughout the year, much of it produced here in SLO County. From Cal Poly eggs to See Canyon apples, Arroyo Grande cabbage, Harris Ranch beef, or locally caught seafood, we have a wide variety of choices for delicious, healthy meals. California's coastal cooking is—in one word—FRESH