His cookbook, Farm to Fork (HarperCollins, 2010) is broken down, not by courses, but by foods: herbs, milk and dairy, leafy greens, etc., using proteins as supporting actors to the locally found produce in some recipes, while letting freshly caught fish and locally raised beef shine in others.

His recipe difficulty varies, but would probably not appeal to a beginning chef. But for someone who can find their way around a kitchen without too many problems, most of them are feasible.

Because the recipes are meant to be used with locally grown produce, you may have to use the book in a seasonal sense, saving certain recipes for when their main ingredients are in-season.

Lagasse’s book is not just full of recipes, but also instructs cooks how to do everything from make their own mozzarella cheese, preserving, pickling and the importance of his slogan, “buy fresh, buy local.”

You can purchase Farm to Fork, at Amazon.com or Emerils.com for $24.99.

Back in September, I moved to York, Pa. for a new job opportunity. And while I was introduced to a few places by some friendly faces, I hadn’t really even begun to scratch the surface of what is really available in this little metropolis.

And I know that I may be really far behind on this, I have just discovered the UrbanSpoon App on my BlackBerry. I was skeptical at first, since the first ‘spin’ I took brought up Chili’s as an option. But the more I played around with it, has given me the names of several restaurants I didn’t even know existed, and am now excited to try.

The app is FREE through your mobile app stores (all smartphones should have one), and can find whatever you’re looking for… be it a craving for Chinese, or something budget friendly. It also gives a review percentage of how many people have given the establishment favorable reviews.

While it is best used as a mobile app, you can also access UrbanSpoon through their website, www.urbanspoon.com. It will automatically detect the closest city to your location through your IP address.

This cookbook is successful because the recipes are user-friendly to everyone, even a beginning cook, but it isn’t dumbed-down by any means. It takes everyday food an gives it a gourmet twist without draining your wallet to do so. And with 200 recipes to choose from, it appeals to a wide range of cooks.

And unlike many cookbooks with gourmet recipes, it’s not intimidating. Even recipes such as Soy-Braised Salmon Steaks or Mediterranean-Style Beef-Stuffed Eggplant, are kept simple.

The ‘frugal’ part of the book is aimed to keep the price per serving relatively low, usually under $5. Which means meals in total can cost up to $20, but by cutting ingredients in half to make a meal just for two, or if you want to keep the remainder for leftovers, it can save money in the long run.

Kaufman and Small don’t just advise cooks simply by cheaper ingredients, but they aim to teach them how to always be a ‘frugal foodie’ by giving them the Ten Frugal Foodie Tips on how to save money in the kitchen, as well as the top ingredients for the Frugal Foodie’s pantry.

The book is available on Amazon for ‘frugal’ price of $14.95, that if you follow the books advice closely, will be made up for how much you save in the kitchen.

Happy Eating.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (pounded to 1/2 inch thickness)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup oil for frying, or as needed

Directions:

1. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour, egg and panko crumbs into separate shallow dishes.

2. Coat the chicken breasts in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip them into the egg, and then press into the panko crumbs until well coated on both sides.

3. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken in the hot oil, and cook 3 or 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Happy Eating.

Ingredients:

8-10 Roma tomatoes (seeded)
1 red onion
1 jalapeno pepper
2 medium cloves garlic
Juice of one lime
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Seed and dice tomatoes. Chop onion, jalapeno and garlic to a fine consistency. To these ingredients, add the fresh cilantro, salt, pepper, olive oil and lime. Mix well.

2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Best if served the next day.

Serve with tortilla chips, burritos, tacos or any Mexican dish. As with any dish, you may add or delete ingredients to suit your personal taste.

Happy Eating.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
5 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups thinly sliced escarole
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

Directions:

1. In medium bowl, combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion powder; shape into 3/4 inch balls.

2. In large saucepan, heat broth to boiling; stir in escarole, orzo pasta and meatballs. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Brie
1 package Cream Cheese
2 onions, chopped
1 + cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dill
1 tsp. brown sugar Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Remove rind from Brie and chop Brie into small pieces. Place in microwavable bowl with cream cheese, also chopped. Microwave on high until melted, stirring occasionally.

2. In skillet, cook onions in 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat til caramelized (approx 15-20 minutes.) Add garlic during last five minutes of cooking.

3. Add onion mixture to cheese mixture; blend well. Add dash of Worcestershire sauce, dill, sour cream and brown sugar. Mix well.

4. Serve warm with crostini.

Happy Eating.

*Note: You will need metal ‘Cannoli’ tubes for frying…

INGREDIENTS:

Shells
3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. shortening
2 eggs well beaten
2 tbsp. white vinegar
2 tbsp. cold water

Filling
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup citron finely chopped
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
Have 18 Cannoli tubes cut into 6 in. lengths.

1. Mix filling ingredients together and place in refrigerator to chill.

2. Sift together, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in shortening, stir in beaten eggs. Blend in vinegar and water a tbsp. at a time.

3. Knead dough 2 minutes, wrap in wax paper and chill for 30 minutes.

4. Set out a saucepan and heat 1 qt. oil to 360 degrees.

5. Using a cardboard oval 6 in. X 1 1/2 in. as a pattern, cut out Cannoli shells and wrap loosely around tubes. Seal with egg white.

6. Fry for 8 minutes, a few at a time.

7. Cool slightly and remove tubes and let cool completely.

8. Fill with ricotta filling – dust with confectionery sugar.

Happy Eating.

INGREDIENTS:

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 tbsp. milk
6 1/2 – 8 oz. crabmeat
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1/2 tbsp. horseradish
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soften cream cheese with milk. In a large bowl mix all ingredients until well combined.

2. Spread evenly in a square baking dish.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve warm with crackers.

Happy Eating.

BITE-SIZE GREEN TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. oregano
3 tbsp. salad oil (olive oil)
1 tbsp. crushed red pepper
5 cups water
5 cups white vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine water and vinegar, bring to boil. Cool and put into glass jar(s).

2. Add in salt, garlic, oregano, salad oil and crushed red peppers.

3. Cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, add to jars.

4. Seal and shake to dissolve salt. Store TWO months.

The next recipe is one that was submitted by my mom when we first built our cabin in Beaver River, NY.

HAM AND BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
2 (10 oz). packages frozen chopped broccoli
2 cups diced ham
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheese
3 cup milk
1 cup Bisquick
4 eggs
1 tsp. prepared mustard

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook broccoli as instructed on package. Once cooked, place in the bottom of an ungreased casserole dish.

2. Place ham over broccoli, sprinkle with shredded cheese.

3. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour into the dish.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Happy Eating.