Bread / Baguette recipe

This is literally one of the easiest ways to make baguettes at home, that won’t cost a small fortune (and is superhard to make). You only need a few basic ingredients to make this tasty bread.

 

Ingredients:

5dl water

2tbsp olive oil

13dl flour

2tsp salt

1 pack dry yeast

(1 egg) optional

 

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil and water to 37 degrees Celsius on the stove
2. Mix the hot water with the yeast to start up the yeast. Mix it in a large bowl or a kitchen aid.
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients well for at least 5 minutes in the kitchen aid. It shouldn’t stick to your fingers when you handle it.
4. Take it out of the kitchen aid and put the dough on a table, sprinkled with a little flour.
5. Knead the dough for a few minutes more and add some more flour if needed.
6. Put it back in the bowl, cover it with a baking towel and set it to rise for 60min. Don’t leave it too cold, or the yeast will die. The same thing applies if the opposite happens!
7. Heave the dough back on a floured table and cut it into 4 equally big pieces and form them into breads/baguettes. Do NOT knead the dough at this stage!
8. Put them on two baking trays, layered with oven paper. Sprinkle some flour on the bread and put baking towels over. Let rise for 30min
9. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Celsius while the bread is rising.
10. If you want you can brush the bread with the whisked egg, and then grind over some sea salt. It’s optional but adds some flavour.
11. Bake the bread in the middle of the oven, one tray at the time, for 15 minutes.
12. Let them cool on a cutting board, or something else – but not the baking tray.
13. Eat fresh and freeze the bread that won’t be used right away.

Presenting: The Poor Man’s guide to Coupons – season 1!

It is done! I can now proudly present season 1 of my upcoming blog series: The Poor Man’s Guide to Coupons – season 1 

It will be a beginners guide to using coupons as a person with limited means and not like all the middle class people you see on YouTube! The first season will be dedicated to the basic principals of couponing. I can also announce that there WILL a second season with even more basics and busting a couple of the most common myths about Couponing and extreme Couponing.

I can also give you an “Episode Guide” or a “Chapter List” of this season.

Episode Guide / Chapter List

1. What are coupons (and rebates) and why should you be using them?
2. Different types of rebates, coupons and deductions and how to combine them
3. The store’s own rebate-, loyalty-, and club card. Why you SHOULD use them!
4. Where do I get coupons?
5. How to read coupons to avoid doing it wrong
6. The shops’ sell cycles and own rebates in combination with your coupons.
7. Different store chains = different coupon policies. Learn to read them and memorize the most important parts.
8. Store your coupons correctly and keep them up to date
9. Couponers Anonymous 
10. Practical tips before, during and after a haul!

The first episode will be out in March!

Tikka Masala

This might not be the original version of tikka masala, but it’s a good one – one that I make every time I make tikka masala. If carrots and chickpeas aren’t cheap when you want to make it, feel free to add other vegetables – for example peas, cabbage, bell peppers etc.

Ingredients:

500gr chicken fillets

1 onion

1 can of chickpeas

1 carrot

3 cloves of garlic

1 can of coconut milk

5dl cream (1 pint/2cups)

2 cubes of chicken stock

1-2 packs of Tikka Masala spice pouches

Paprika powder, salt and turmeric

Butter to fry in

½dcl tomato purée

2tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

1. Grate the carrot, chop the onion finely and press the garlic cloves
2. Chop the chicken fillets to cubes
3. Empty the can of chickpeas in a strainer and rinse them with cold water to get rid of the salt water
4. Heat up a large frying pan or a cast iron skillet and fry all the vegetables, except the chickpeas until they’re brown
5. Add the chicken and let it get some color too, but it doesn’t have to ready in the center
6. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix it well.
7. Let it simmer for at least 10 minutes. Put in salt, paprika powder and turmeric to taste.

Presenting new Blog Series next month

Starting next month, I’ll be presenting two new blog series here on The Poor Man’s Guide to the Galaxy! The working titles on the series are:

1. The Poor Man’s Cheap Dishes from around the World 
2. The Poor Man’s Beginners Guide to Coupons

The first series (The Poor Man’s Cheap Dishes…) will contain traditional dishes from different cuisines around the world – that are cheap and relatively easy to make at home from scratch. I’ll be visiting, for example; 

• France
• Thailand 
• Mexico
• UK
• Finland
• Sweden
• China
• Japan

I’m currently collecting recipes, at least 10, from each cuisine – which will be tested, documented and presented here and on my YouTube channel.

The second series (The Poor Man’s Beginners…) will be a ten part blog series about the fundamentals of couponing, and a bit of extreme Couponing as well. We’ll dive into the world of coupons and sort out the basics in ten easy blog parts, accompanied by videos on my YouTube channel! 

I’m also in the planning stage of a couple of other things, but that will be revealed at a later date!
Stay tuned for more!

Curry sauce recipe

This is a basic, tasty recipe that I use all the time for different chicken dishes. It makes a lot of sauce, but you can easily freeze the sauce in small containers and use later. To make the sauce even tastier – put in the chicken fat that comes off the chicken, if you grill it in the oven. It really adds flavour!

To make this recipe vegan: use vegan butter, vegan milk and vegetable stock instead! (for vegetarian, use vegetable stock)

To make it gluten free: use corn starch instead of thickening/flour.

 

Ingredients:

3-4tbsp curry powder

2-3tsp turmeric

2 cubes of chicken stock

1 litre of cream

2tsp paprika powder

3tbsp butter

3tbsp flour

Salt, pepper

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the curry powder, turmeric and the paprika powder together in a small glass or a little bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and whisk in the flour. Make sure there are no lumps, it should be smooth.
3. Whisk in the stock cubes and the spices in to the mix.
4. Add the cream little by little and let the sauce thicken a bit before adding more.
5. Season with salt & pepper, if you want.
6. Let it simmer on low heat for a few minutes and make sure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Lasagna

A lot of people think that lasagna is a fancy, difficult and most of all: expensive dish to make. With proper planning it doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive at all, it will, however, be a bit time consuming – but it will be well worth it in the end! If you buy the ingredients while they’re on sale and/or with coupons, and adjust the vegetables in in to what’s cheap and in season, it will be a cheap but fancy meal.

 

Ingredients:

Minced meat sauce:

 

500gr minced meat

2-3tbsp flour/thickening

2 cubes of meat stock

2 cans of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce

2 tsp black pepper

0.5dcl tomato paste

1-2tbsp soy sauce

1 can of water (use the tomato can)

2 onions

1tbsp paprika powder

1tbsp oregano

4 cloves of garlic

 

Cheese sauce:

1 litre of milk or cream

3tbsps butter

3tbsps flour/thickening

300gr shredded cheese

Salt, pepper

 

1-2 packs of lasagna noodles

150gr shredded cheese (to go on top of the lasagna)

 

Recipe:

1. Start preheating the oven to about 200C
2. Peel and chop the onions finely
3. Heat a frying pan until very hot and put in the butter.
4. When the butter has stopped sizzling, put in the chopped onions and cook them until they’ve got a golden colour.
5. Put in the minced meat and brown it with the onions. Separate and chop up the meat until its fine and make sure it’s not pink.
6. Coat it with the thickening and stir it in
7. Add the rest of the ingredients for the Bolognese sauce and stir well!
8. Let it simmer for at least 15 minutes to get the flavours out and then put it aside to cool while you make the cheese sauce.
9. Melt the butter for the cheese sauce, on a hot stove, and put in the flour or thickening. Stir well, there shouldn’t be any lumps. I always use a whisker when I make the cheese sauce.
10. Gradually add the milk or cream and mix until it has thickened and then add more until it’s all in there.
11. Pull the sauce pan from the heat and carefully fold the grated cheese in to the sauce, until it has melted completely.
12. DO NOT put the cheese sauce back on the stove after you’ve put the cheese in, it’ll make it chewy and stringy.
13. Put out lasagna noodles at the bottom of the lasagna dish. Then put a layer of the minced meat sauce & a layer of the cheese sauce in there.
14. Putin another layer of lasagna noodles and repeat until there’s no more sauce
15. There should be cheese sauce on top.
16. Spread the shredded cheese on top.
17. Cover the dish in tin foil and make sure it’s wrapped tight over the top.
18. Bake it in the oven for 45 minutes on 200 Celsius.
19. Turn the heat down to 175 Celsius and let it be in there for another 20 – 30 minutes.

 

Serve on its own or with a light, fresh salad. Enjoy!

Poor man’s bread recipe

This recipe is probably one of the cheapest ways to make bread and if you really have no money, but have these ingredients, you can at least have something to eat! 

I don’t have exact measurements for this recipe, since I never make the same amount twice, but as long as it doesn’t stick to anything once you’ve mixed the ingredients together with your hands – you’re fine!
Ingredients 

Flour

Water

Olive oil/rape seed oil/any oil

Salt

(Baking soda, if you have it)
Instructions 

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl until it becomes a smooth dough that doesn’t stick to the bowl or you hands.
2. Form small balls from the dough, roll them out to round flatbreads and lay them on top of each other on a plate, with some flour in between to keep them from sticking to each other.
3. Fry them for a couple of minutes on each side in a hot frying pan. If you have butter or oil to fry in, use it, but it’s fine if you don’t.
4. Eat them fresh with whatever spreads you’ve got at home: jam, butter, cheese etc.

Pancake recipe

Ingredients 

4 eggs

8 dl milk

4 dl flour

1 tsp salt

Butter to fry in

Jam, sugar, ice cream, maple syrup 
Instructions 

1. Whisk the eggs, the flour, the salt and half of the milk together to a smooth batter. Make sure that there are no lumps.
2. Mix in the rest of the milk and whisk until well combined.
3. Set it aside to swell while you put a frying pan on to heat. Heat the frying pan until hot
4. Put some butter in the hot pan and wait until it’s stopped sizzling – that’s how you know the pan is hot enough.
5. Whisk the pancake mix a couple of times before using it.
6. Put 1dl of pancake mix in the pan and swirl it around to make an even pancake. 
7. Fry it a couple of minutes on each side and plate it.
8. Repeat with the rest of the mix.
9. Serve with jam, sugar, ice cream or maple syrup and a nice glass of milk 

Cheap ways to entertain yourself PART 1

When you’re like me and don’t have much money in the bank, it’s difficult to find things to do outside the house or apartment. This is why I’m always trying to find different & new, free if possible, attractions and amusements. Things that’ll get me outside instead of just sitting inside the house all day on my bum and be lazy. This is part one, and there will be more parts as I find things that you can do, and please leave a comment if you have tips and suggestions for me!

• Check the posters at your library for concerts, lectures, art shows etc that are cheap or even better – free!
• Sometimes your local food market/shop has special events to celebrate a new opening, a holiday or the chain’s birthday! When they do, there’s usually free food, happenings, deals and things for kids to do. Be sure to take full adtof this and make it a half or whole day’s outing. There are ofte good discounts on these days!
• Many libraries have CDs and films of different sorts, go and see if they have anything good and check them out! 
• Learn a new craft or get a new hobby by borrowing a few books from the library – why not teach yourself how to mend you own clothes or learn a new language?
• Get an allotment close by and start growing things!
• Once again, check at your library what kinds of local societies and clubs there are in your town or village. See if anything takes your fancy and join it.
• Join a study circle, or start one yourself if you can’t find what you’re looking for. Chances are that you’ll get a full group very fast as other people have looked for the same kind of group, but have been too lazy to start a study circle about the subject. Why not start a circle about self-sufficiency or a group where you can trade coupons with others?
• Go to flea markets and check them out – it doesn’t cost you anything unless you buy something.
• If you live close to the sea, pack a pick nick basket and go down to the beach for a day of sun, sand and swimming in the ocean.
• A lot of museums are free, almost free or have one day each week/month that’s admission free. Use this and pack a lunch box if it’s a bit far away.
• Host a Dutch-treat at your house for your friends or family. Cheap and a great way to meet up and is even more fun if you pick a theme for it.
• Download a film or documentary and watch it.
• Go to local markets and traveling carnivals. 

As I said, this is part 1 and remember to leave a comment with suggestions of things you can do on a budget or upcoming topics that you’d like to see!