Thanksgiving Day!! Now what do I do?

Okay, so the big day is here. You've got to get your dinner for 8 or 10 people together. Hopefully you prepared everything ahead of time according to schedule, and now it's just a matter of putting all those things together. If not...good luck.

This schedule is assuming a late lunch at around 2-3 pm. You can adjust timing according to what time you want to serve your meal. The pivotal part is the turkey and when it reaches a temperature of 170 degrees in the deepest part of the thigh. That will determine your dinner time and the timing of most of the other dishes.

8 a.m. - Rise and shine. If you haven't made your pies yet, hop to it!

9 a.m. - Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Rinse and pat your turkey dry. MAKE SURE YOU REMOVE  THE GIBLET BAG! The follow the additional directions below.

9:15 a.m. - Prepare the giblets for your gravy, if desire. See recipe link below. This takes time, so be sure to prep the giblets now for the preparation of the gravy later on in the day.

9:30 a.m. - Place turkey in the oven. Mix dressing ingredients and put in crock, turn on high.

10:00 a.m. - Turn the oven temp down to 375 degrees.

10:30 a.m. - If you're using the upside down method, flip your turkey breast side up now.

10:35 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Relax with a glass of wine and your family. Make your plan of attack for Black Friday.

12:30 p.m. - Take the rolls out of the fridge to rise (or if you didn't make them yesterday, make them now).

12:35 p.m. - Go back and relax some more (if you made your rolls ahead of time).

1:00 p.m. - Check your turkey temp with a meat thermometer. Shouuld register 170 degrees in the deepest part of the thigh. If not, keep cooking and check in 30 minutes.

1:30 p.m. - Check your turkey again. If it's ready, remove it from the oven. If not, keep baking until temp is reached. Then place your sweet potatoes in the oven. Reduce the oven temp to 350 and bake per recipe.

1:35 p.m. - Put potatoes on to boil. Cook for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Mash per directions below. Check on the dressing. If it's getting  set in the center, like a custard pie, turn it to low to keep warm.

1:45 p.m. - Melt 3 T each butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the green beans, the sliced onion and mushrooms to pan. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes or until onions are translucent and beans are crunchy/tender. Remove to serving plate and keep warm.

1:55 p.m. - Drain potatoes. Mash with 1/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup cream, 1/2 stick butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Adjust wet ingredients per your desire.

2:05 p.m. - Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and put the rolls in. Bake per directions.

2:10 p.m. - Make gravy per recipe below.

2:15 p.m. - Make sure you have everything out on the buffet table. You should have prepared: cranberry sauce, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, turkey, rolls and pies.

2:25 p.m. - Have everyone serve themselves, buffet style.

3:25 p.m. - Make everyone else clean up, and you sit down with a nice glass of wine and rest. You've had a busy day.

Giblet Gravy: I never make the stuff, I get the Campbell's gravy in a jar. But here's a link to a recipe that's pretty much exactly like my mom makes, so if your  Thanksgiving turkey and dressing just isn't the same without giblet gravy, give this a try.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/gravyrecipes/r/bl60722b.htm


TIPS FOR YOUR TURKEY:
I like to bake my turkey upside down for the first hour. It keeps the turkey breast very moist, but it's not always that pretty. So instead, this time we're just going to rub the turkey all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with black pepper, seasoned salt and garlice powder (if available). The to seal the skin and keep the bird moist, we're placing 1/2 stick of butter inside the cavity and baking at 500 degrees for the first 30-45 minutes. This should sear the skin so that the buttery steam moistens the breast from the inside out. A 16 lb bird shouuld fully cook in 3.5 to 4 hours, but always time your sides to your bird. Nothings worse than having all your sides turn cold because your turkey wasn't done in time.

Dressing, Sweet Potatoes and Pies, Oh My!

Today I'm going to give you the recipes for dressing, sweet potatoes and pies).

For the dressing, we're just going to prepare the cornbread and other dry ingredients today, then we'll mix everything together in a big bowl tomorrow and pour it into a buttered crockpot. The sweet potatoes we'll put together completely and store in the casserole dish we'll be cooking it in, so hopefully you have enough room in the fridge somewhere around that thawing turkey to put a casserole dish of pre-prepped sweet potatoes. If not, you can always cook them the night before and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes the day of (or if you're desperate you can nuke them for around 6-8 minutes, but I think the oven is better).

The Dressing

1 cup of the diced onion

1/2 cup of the diced celery

1 pan cornbread (1 box of jiffy made per package directions) 

8 slices white bread (wheat is okay, but it won't be quite as moist) 

1 1/2 tablespoons sage (or to taste...I actually taste it, even with the raw eggs. Call me crazy.) 

2 cans cream of chicken soup (actually, I like to use 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can cream of celery)

1 32 oz carton chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 beaten eggs

Butter the crock. Mix together all ingredients and pour into the crock. Cook on high 2-3 hours or low 5-6 hours. Keep watch on this. If it appears to be too thin while cooking it on low, bump it up to high. The dressing should not be soupy, nor should it be dry, but somewhere in between, like an English pudding (sort of a cross between custard and cake).

IN MAKING AHEAD:  Prepare your cornbread. After it cools, crumble it into fine crumbs. Toast the bread and crumble into fine crumbs. Add sage, salt and pepper. Store in a large zipper bag or bowl covered with plastic wrap until ready to prepare on Thanksgiving Day.

Sweet Potato Casserole

1 40 oz can Bruce's Yams (or sweet potatoes)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup whole milk or cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Drain the potatoes, mash with a fork and whip with a mixer until smooth (or as smooth as you can get it). Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a buttered 2 quart casserole or 13 x 9 inch pan. Mix together the topping ingredients (it's easiest to add the pecans last, after mixing the sugar, flour and butter together). Spread evenly on top of the potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (in 13 x 9 inch pan) or 45 minutes (in casserole).

TO MAKE AHEAD: Prepare the potatoes and place in the preferred dish. Cover with plastic wrap or casserole lid and place in the fridge until ready to cook. Prepare the topping and place in a zipper bag or covered bowl at room temperature. Remove from fridge and allow to warm up to room temp on the counter for 30 minutes. Top with the topping mixture and bake.

Pumpkin Pie

Okay, there's no better recipe than the Libby's recipe, so here's the link. I'm not even going to bother putting a different one out there.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/libbys-famous-pumpkin-pie/

Just note, you don't have to use the evaporated milk, you can use regular milk or half milk, half cream.

Here's a photo of my last year's pumpkin pie. Buy an extra box of crusts, or make your own, and you can do the little decorations. I used my well loved mini cutters from Pampered Chef.

Pecan Pie

1 unbaked pie crust

1 C light corn syrup

1 C firmly packed brown sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/3 C melted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 C pecans

Prepare your pie crust. Mix remaining ingredients and pour into the crust. Sprinkle top with pecans. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees or until the center is set (the very center, about a half dollar around, barely jiggles when you gently move the pan). Insert a toothpick in the center, and it will come our fairly clean when done. This is my dad's recipe, and he would spend tons of time arranging pecan halves in concentric rings over the top of the pie. He was very patient. Not me. Sometimes I even throw the pecans (chopped) into the batter and pour it all into the crust at once.

TIPS FOR PIES:  For crusts that don't shrink, add the filling to the crust, then refrigerate for 15 minutes before putting in the oven to bake. If your crust starts to get too brown, fold strips of foil and place over the edge of the crust. If your pumpkin pies tend to crack, bake them with a small pan of water in the oven to keep the tops moist. If you add pie crust decorations, brush them with an egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water, or some folks use milk. I've used both, and prefer the egg mixture.

The Rolls

Here's a link to one of my previous post with a quick yeast roll recipe. You can make these on Wednesday and put them in the fridge after cutting them. Then just bring them out of the fridge on Thanksgiving, allow them to rise until double somewhere warm near the oven, and bake per the recipe. You can also use this for cinnamon rolls, just roll the dough out after mixing, spread with a mixture of 1 cup brown sugar, 1 stick butter, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. roll up and slice. Place rolls in a 13 x 9 inch pan sprayed with cooking spray and place in the fridge. Let rise like the refrigerated rolls and bake per the usual directions. Top with a mixture of powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.

http://frugalmomdiner.blogspot.com/2011/09/menu-for-sunday-september-25-2011.html

Tomorrow, your turkey day prep list.

Tuesday is Cranberry Sauce day!

Okay, here's the recipe for the cranberry orange sauce. There are lots of recipes for this. Many use cinnamon, and it's a very rich flavor. But since not everyone likes that cinnamon flavor, this is a very simple cranberry sauce that includes orange juice and zest for a nice depth. You can make this up to a week ahead of time or the day of. It's really simple and takes about 15 minutes to make.

Cranberry Orange Sauce

1 12 oz package fresh cranberries
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

In a saucepan, mix together the water, juice, zest, sugar, salt and cinnamon (if desired). Bring to a boil, then reduce to low simmer and cook until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add the cranberries and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 7-8 minutes. Place sauce in a container and allow to cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating. Take out and bring to room temperature before serving.

Prep Day - OR - How to tackle that Thanksgiving dinner without killing yourself

Here we go, getting ready to do the prep work for all of our dishes. Today, chop, chop, chop and outlining of what to prep when.

First, the chopping:

• Dice one and a half of the three onions (cut one onion in half lengthwise, from root to top). Store in a zipper bag or tightly closed container in the fridge.
• Cut the remaining whole onion in half lengthwise, then slice the one and one-half onions crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Store in a zipper bag or tightly closed container in the fridge.
• Dice 4 stalks celery. Store in a container in the fridge.

Now, for the prep schedule:

Sunday: Chop and dice per above, bake cornbread according to package directions then crumble into fine crumbs and store in zipper container at room temp, snap ends of green beans and store in plastic bag in crisper drawer of fridge, slice mushrooms and place back into brown paper bag in crisper drawer
Tuesday: Make cranberry sauce, store in sealed container in fridge.
Wednesday: Prep sweet potato casserole, peel and chop potatoes (leave in salted water to prevent browning), bake pies, prep dinner rolls and put in fridge after rising (recipes will be posted on Monday and Tuesday).
Turkey Day: Cook!

Menu and shopping list for Thanksgiving

Okay, here we go. Below is the menu and the shopping list. I'll have the actual cost of the meal later, but for now just let me say; be careful where you get that turkey. You can get some great bargains on your Thanksgiving bird by looking at the deals at your local supermarkets. Some have whole turkeys for as low as 49 or 59 cents a pound. For a 20 pound turkey, that's only 10 bucks! Others do the "scratch my back..." philosophy and offer a free turkey if you buy groceries, or $10 off a turkey if you use your store card. Go for the best deal you can find.

And don't be sucked in by that Butterball commercial. They're expensive, and you can have just as good an outcome with that cheap or free bird you can get at your local market or discount store. All you need are some softened butter, herbs and two hands you aren't afraid of getting a little greasy. Look at it this way; at least you'll get nice soft hands after you shove all that butter under the turkey skin.

So, without further ado, here's the complete, traditional Thanksgiving menu for 8:

Turkey
Slow-cooker dressing
mashed potatoes with giblet gravy
sweet potato casserole
green beans sauteed with mushrooms and onion
fresh cranberry sauce with orange zest
dinner rolls
sage butter
pumpkin pie
pecan pie

Shopping List

MEAT
Turkey (about 2 lb per person, if you want leftovers, 1.5 if you don't)

PRODUCE
3 medium to large onions
5 lb bag russet potatoes (3 lbs will do, if it's on sale and cheaper)
1 bag fresh cranberries (12 oz)
1 orange
2 lb fresh green beans or 2 16oz packages frozen green beans
8 oz fresh mushrooms (buy in bulk, if possible, because that's cheaper than the packaged)
1 head celery
1 pkg fresh sage (usually in the salad fixins area of the supermarket)

DAIRY/REFRIGERATED SECTION
2 dozen eggs
1 lb butter
1/2 gallon whole milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 pkg Pillsbury pie crusts (not frozen, but in the refrigerator section)

MISC.
2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
1 loaf white bread
1 large (40 oz) can sweet potatoes (yes, canned...trust me)
1 15oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
32 oz box chicken broth
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 bottle white corn syrup (store brand is just as good as Karo)
1 small jar pumpkin pie spice (you can get this at the dollar store cheaper than the supermarket)
1 small tin dried sage (again, from the dollar store, unless you can find cheaper)
1 lb box brown sugar
2 cups shelled pecans, whole or chopped, doesn't matter
Yeast
Self Rising Flour

You may already have some of these things. If so, great. I did call for buying the pie crusts premade instead of making them. Two reasons for this. You're really going to be stressed for time, and making pie crust is simply something you can skip. And the second reason is, if you buy the refrigerated kind that's rolled up, you can unroll it into your own pan, crimp the edges as you would if you'd made the crust, and your guests will be none the wiser. And, I call for canned sweet potatoes for basically the same reason. Fresh ones can be a hassle, messy, and you just don't need the added time consumed when you're already stressed as it is.

NOW THE NUMBER ONE TIP:  If you bought a frozen turkey, take it out of the freezer NO LATER THAN SUNDAY NIGHT!!!  Place it in the bottom of your fridge to thaw for several days, or else you'll wind up with a still frozen bird on Thanksgiving morning, and nobody needs to try to thaw a bird at 5 a.m.

So, there's your shopping list. Tomorrow, we'll prep as much as we can ahead of time to give you even more time to relax on Thanksgiving.

ONE MORE TIP:
Take the fresh mushrooms out of the plastic bag and put them in a brown paper bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. This will keep them fresh and white, with no slimy brown spots before the big day.

Back in time for the holidays

It's been a while since I posted, and I've missed the challenge of making dollars stretch for our families. I've been trying to get our house ready to sell so we can seriously downsize. Our current home is just way too big, and I'm tired of dusting and vacuuming all the time when I could be writing. :-)

The holidays are upon us, and this week I'm going to share some foolproof, make-ahead and easy recipes to keep you out of the kitchen and visiting with family (or watching the game). They aren't all going to be completely frugal, but we should be able to keep that holiday meal cost down to a minimum by prepping ahead and making things from scratch (but with easier and less time consuming recipes). So, instead of that package of Stove Top, I'll share a slow cooker recipe for dressing that's way tastier and extremely easy.

Stay tuned and the first recipes, as well as a Thanksgiving menu, will be coming soon.

Friday Night Light - Vegetarian Lentil Soup

Okay, so I blew it. This recipe requires a couple things we didn't get, and one staple you may not have. We need a handful of spinach leaves (probably about 25 cents worth), a can of tomatoes (about 70 cents) and 2 bay leaves (a jar of leaves at the 99cent store is...99cents). Any of these can be omitted and the soup will still be good. We did buy fresh tomatoes this week, so you can just peel a couple of those, chop them up and throw them in the pot in place of the canned tomatoes. Like most recipes, this one can be tweatked in all kinds of ways.

Vegetarian Lentil Soup

3 T oil (olive oil works really well, but canola or veggie will do)

1 medium onion, chopped

3  carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp garlic powder)

1 T italian seasoning, rubbed

2 bay leaves

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped)

1 lb bag dry lentils, washed and sorted (look carefully for small stones that may sneak in)

8 C water

1/2 C spinach leaves, sliced (or 1 C frozen spinach, thawed and drained)

2 T vinegar or lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste (I start out with 1/2 tsp each)

Heat the oil in a stock pot. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add the garlic (only if using fresh) and bay leaves. Cook another 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (add the garlic powder now if using), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour. Add spinach leaves and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve hot with quick dinner rolls or corn bread.

TIPS: If you're not trying to be vegetarian, or you like a little meat with your soup, try adding diced smoked sausage, or brown some italian sausage and add. Also, substitute chicken stock for half of the water. These just add a little more flavor and texture if you're used to eating meaty meals.

TO PEEL TOMATOES: Fill a sauce pan 3/4 full with water. Bring water to a boil. Drop in tomatoes, one at a time, and allow to cook for about 10 seconds. Remove from the water and drop into a bowl of ice water. The peel will separate from the tomato and can be easily pulled off with a paring knife. If you're having problems peeling, place back in the water for 5-10 more seconds. Just be careful not to cook the tomato too much or the flesh will become mushy.

Thursday is curry day

Thing about curry is, you like it or you don't. There are many different types of curry powders available: red or yellow, Middle Eastern or Indian or Chinese or Thai. I prefer the Chinese yellow curry powders, and in general I try to buy them at an Asian market because that's where you'll get the largest variety and best quality. You can most likely buy a packet mix for curry in the Asian aisle of your local market, but why do that when you can just buy the curry powder and add some of your own ingredients?

Our curry today is pretty simple to make. Just chicken, onions and peas, served in a sauce made of chicken broth and curry powder. Served over rice, it makes an excellent meal. You can add whatever you like to it. Thinly sliced carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, and even chunks of potato go well in the dish. Coconut milk in place of the regular milk adds another depth of flavor. Try whatever sounds good to you.

Curry Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 C frozen green peas, thawed
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C milk
1 T curry powder (more if you like it spicy)
1 rounded T corn starch dissolved in 2 T water
1 T butter
2T olive oil

Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Heat 1 T of the oil in a non-stick wok or frying pan. Add the chicken and sauten until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pan and place in a dish, cover with foil. Add the 2nd T oil to the wok followed by the onions. Cook until almost translucent. Add the peas and saute for about 1 minute. Add the cooked chicken back to the pan. Stir in the chicken broth. Sprinkle the curry powder and stir until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly. When sauce thickens, add the 1 T butter (this will make the sauce rich and shiny). Salt and pepper to taste.

This is a little bit spicy. If you prefer less spice, go with only 1/2 T curry powder. You can always taste for spice and add more as you are preparing the dish.

Serve immediately over rice.

Serves 3-4

Wednesday is hump day - so let's do easy...

An easy, easy beef and veggie soup recipe to move toward the end of the week. We love soup, so the change in weather is great for us. We're going to use those beef shanks you bought (if you followed the list) and hopefully you found ones with lots of meat. If not, it's still a good flavor for a veggie soup. Those bones and marrow in the shank create a great tasting broth.

Beef and Veggie Soup

2 beef shanks (with lots of meat attached)
2 large carrots
1 medium onion
2 celery stalks
1 can tomatoes (italian style)
1 can beans (any type)
1 box (32oz) beef broth
1T oil or butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup rice or pasta (optional)

Heat the oil or butter in a chili pot (or my lovely dutch oven).  Sear the beef shanks on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side. While they are searing, chop the veggies into good sized chunks (whatever size you like). Once the shanks are browned on both sides, add the remaining ingredients except the beans and pasta or rice. Bring to a boil, reduce head and simmerfor 30 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer and additional 20 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot, cut the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Dice the meat into bite sized chunks and add back to the pot. Heat an additional 3-5 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Serve piping hot with crackers, rolls or cornbread. Serves 6.

TIP: If you've added too much salt, peel a potato, cut it into quarters and throw it in the pot. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes, then discard the potato chunks. The potato will absorb the excess salt.

For Tuesday? Homemade Mac-n-cheese

Tonight we're going to have our first vegetarian meal. Not vegan by any means, but meatless. Homemade mac and cheese isn't as easy as the box variety, but it's way more flavorful and filling and it only takes about 30 minutes (more if you like it baked). You can use any variety of pasta, from traditional elbow to rotini to gemelli to fusili. They all work well, but I do prefer the spiral types, like gemelli or rotini, because their ridges hold more of the creamy, cheesy sauce. You can use any combination of cheeses. I like to use a combo of Cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere, but at $8 for half a pound, gruyere is not in the frugal vocabulary, so cheddar and swiss will have to do for our purposes. And all cheddar is good, too.

Unfortunately I've never really found a good way to reheat the leftovers and make them taste as good as fresh, but if you're using this as the main part of your meal instead of a side, you don't really need to worry about that.

This recipe makes enough for 4-6 healthy-sized main courses or 6-8 large sides.Serve with steamed broccoli or any veggie or salad.

Macaroni and Cheese (adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

4 cups dried pasta
1 whole egg, beaten
4 T butter or oil
4 T flour
2-1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons mustard powder or 1 T prepared mustard (the mustard powder is best for this if you have it)
4 cups grated cheese (mixture of cheddar and swiss)
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or more to taste) 

Cook the pasta to a firm al dente (meaning, not quite ready to eat, still very firm when you bite into it). Drain and set aside. Be sure you salt the water you cook your pasta in with a good 2-3 teaspoons of salt. It does make a difference in the taste of the pasta. Just be sure you dissolve it in the water, because if it settles in the bottom of the pan it can cause pits in the metal.

In a large pot (I use my beloved Lodge enameled Dutch Oven), heat the butter/oil and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium heat until light brown (this is your roux for the sauce). Should take about 4-5 minutes, maybe a little more depending on your stove's definition of medium. Pour in the milk, add the mustard powder (or mustard), and whisk together until smooth. Cook  until very thick (5-10 minutes). Reduce heat to low.

Temper the egg with 1/2 cup sauce (meaning, slowly whisk the sauce into the beaten egg, which will warm up the egg and avoid scrambling it when you add it to the rest of your sauce). Pour the egg mixture into the sauce, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Stir until smooth. Add the cheese (s) and stir until completely melted.

Add the salt and pepper, or more to taste. Pour in the drained pasta and stir until well combined.
Serve immediately or pour the mixture into a buttered casserole, top with extra cheese, and bake for at 350 degrees until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling.

Menu for Monday? PIZZA!

I think I've found the best pizza dough recipe. It's pretty easy to do, takes only 30 minutes to rise (although I like to give it an hour if I have time), and takes only 12 minutes or so to bake. It's best if you have a pizza stone and some cornmeal to dist it with, but if you don't, a cookie sheet and a little flour will do. We bought some pepperoni, bell pepper and onion to top with. If you like red sauce, you'll need some spaghetti sauce or make up a little tomato sauce and italian seasoning. But I like to just drizzle with a little olive oil.


Monday's Menu
Breakfast: pancakes, syrup, juice
Lunch: Meatloaf sandwiches
Dinner: Pizza

Pizza Dough (recipe from http://www.cooks.com/)

4 cups bread or all purpose flour 

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (105-110 degrees)
1 packet active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar, or 1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup milk or 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven 450°F.

In a large bowl, mixe the flour and salt, stir to combine well. Set aside.

Combine the lukewarm water, sugar or honey and yeast. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes. Allow to foam (or proof, this lets you know if your yeast is still active. If it doesn't foam, throw it out and try again, your water probably wasn't quite warm enough or was too hot).

Next, mix the starter (yeast water) and the milk or water with the flour mixture and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir together using a wooden spoon or clean hands.

Knead on a floured board for about 8 minutes or until you get a smooth elastic rubbery dough ball (or use your Kitchenaid and dough hook for the hard work, while you do something like get a salad together).

Set aside in bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil to keep the dough from drying out. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel.

Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes to an hour. Flatten dough and press out into a circle to fit the pan. Spread it out evenly, don't be afraid to lift underneath to stretch the dough. Sprinkle baking pan with cornmeal or flour. Top with spaghetti sauce or drizzle with olive oil. Add toppings such as mozzarella, pepperoni, veggies, etc.

Bake about 12-14 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning. When the bottom looks browned and the cheese is bubbly, it's ready.

This recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas, so either bake both, or refrigerate the dough to make bread sticks at a later date (like tomorrow, when I tell you how to make breadsticks with the leftover dough, if available).

Sunday's Menu 10-16-11 ...

... and grunt work for the week. I know I've said this before, but doing the grunt work on Sunday, when you may have a little extra time, makes the rest of the week so much easier.

Turkey meatloaf is on the menu for this Sunday. Along with Mashed potatoes and carrots. Everyone has their favorite meatloaf recipe, but I've included mine just in case. I used to use the Lipton's Onion Soup recipe, but this one is fairly easy and has a bit more nutritional value. I'm listing the meatloaf for lunch (a late breakfast and late lunch is our usual Sunday thing), and then we pick at the leftovers at dinnertime.

Sunday

Breakfast: French toast, syrup, fruit
Lunch: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots
Dinner: leftovers and a salad
Dessert: Mixed berries with yogurt


Turkey Meatloaf

2 lb ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 bell pepper, finely diced
2/3 C ketchup
2 eggs
3/4 oatmeal
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients (use your hands, they're your best mixers). Shape into a loaf and place in an 5x8 loaf pan that has been coated with cooking spray (it'll help clean-up). Bake 45-60 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160. Remove from oven. Top with an additional squirt of ketchup, place back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting.

This is easy to change up. Sometimes I decrease the ketchup to 1/2 C and add a can of diced Italian style tomatoes, drained. I always keep a jar of freeze dried onions (not the French's fried onions, but actual dehydrated ones) in case I don't have any fresh ones. You can add about 1/4 cup of these instead. I've also added Rotel tomatoes or a can of diced green chiles. I love meatloaf because it's so versatile.

Shopping List for 10/15/11

Okay, here we go. I'm getting closer to the $60, at $64.78, so I'm hoping I didn't forget anything. I'm trying really hard not to, but I'm known by my husband to need to make a trip or two during the week for some little something I forgot at the market. Cross your fingers. I know I didn't put milk and juice on the list, because I don't have it listed for use. If you need that, unfortunately it'll cost a little more. I suggest getting frozen juice concentrate to save money, but I do love my Simply Orange and my Ocean Spray Cran-Grape...

Here we go. We have lots of recipes this week, from smoothies to pizza crust, so hopefully we have something for everyone. Happy shopping!

Meat/Poultry

Chicken breast, boneless/skinless 1.25 lb @ $3.99/lb  $4.98

Beef shanks 1.15 lb @3.49/lb  $4.51

Ground turkey 2 lb @ 1.40/lb $2.75

Dairy

Sharp cheddar 8 oz $2.50

Swiss 8oz $2.50

Mozzarella 8 oz $2.50

Yogurt, vanilla, 32oz $2.89

Eggs, 18 count, $2.39

Produce

Carrots 1 lb $0.74

Celery $1.47

Onion 2 medium @ 0.94/lb $1.43

Tomatoes Roma 3 medium @ 1.28/lb $0.87

Potatoes 5 lb bag $2.39

Lettuce $1.14/head

Bell pepper, 1, $0.78

Asparagus 1lb @ $1.84/lb

Broccoli crowns 1.94 lb @ 1.25/lb $2.43

bananas, 5 medium, $1.08

Strawberries, 16 oz, $2.50

Raspberries, 8oz, $2.50

Blueberries, 8 oz, $2.99

Other

Pepperoni  $2.50

Bbq sauce $1.88

Frozen peas $1.00

Curry powder $2.50 (small jar, in Asian section)

Lentils (1lb) $1.00

Macaroni or rotini $1.08

Yeast, quick rise, $0.87

Wheat bread, loaf, $1.25

Oatmeal, small box, $1.28

Chicken broth, 32oz, $1.48
Beef broth, 32 oz, $1.48
Small bag all purpose flour $1.28

Total:  $64.78

 

I'm baaaaack!

Spent a lovely few days in sunny Southern California, enjoying the beach, family and a great Tim Burton exhibit at the LA County Museum of Art. Now it's back to business. I'll post the shopping list for next week later on today. This week we're going to have a couple of vegetarian dinners, a nice curry that even the kids like, and, with fall weather getting cooler, a couple of soup recipes that are quick and easy.

Stay tuned for the new list.

K.

Coupon!! -- YoBaby organic yogurt

Just wanted to share this coupon link with you all for yogurt. Every $1 coupon used sends $1 to support a foundation aimed at improving nutrition for orphans, foster and adopted kids worldwide. Near and dear, since my daughter was adopted from Eastern Europe and, although they did the best they could, good nutrition wasn't as important as keeping their little bellies full. They just didn't have the funds for things like fruit and milk.

http://adoptionnutrition.org/yobaby-promotion/

Kim 

It's Friday!

I'll be out of pocket for a few days, so remember the rules when you shop. Look for sales. Look at the top shelves at the meat counter. Buy bulk where you can, but only if you'll eat all of it before it expires, and don't underestimate leftover chicken.

I'll be back in a few days, with a new shopping list next week.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday's Menu

Today is slow cooker day, so I'm sharing my slow cooker country style pork ribs recipe with you. It's really easy. You can use either boneless or bone-in (I prefer these), just make sure they're "country style". Not really sure what that means, other than the fact that they're mostly meat, little bone. There can also be a ton of fat, so if you have extra fatty ones, I recommend boiling them for 10-15 minutes before you place them in the cooker. Laying them on top of sliced onions not only helps prevent them from sticking to the pot, it also adds a lot of flavor to the sauce.

Slow Cooker Pork Ribs

2-3 lbs country style pork ribs

1 medium onion, sliced

1 C ketchup

1/3 C maple syrup (I never have it, so I add a little extra brown sugar, or even 1/4 C pancake syrup)

1/3 C brown sugar

1/3 C red wine vinegar (or whatever type you have on hand)

1 t garlic powder

1  t dry mustard (or 2 T prepared mustard)

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

Place the sliced onion on the bottom of the crock. Layer the ribs over the top. Mix remaining ingredients and spoon over the ribs. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat is tender. Serve with a tossed salad (or if you really want to do it up right, corn on the cob and baked beans).

This makes a really good sandwich the next day.

Wednesday's Menu 10-5-11

Okay, so today I was going to give you the recipe for my country pork ribs, but time's gotten away from me yet again, and you don't have time to slow cook them. SO, I'm going to move on to Sloppy Joes. Don't buy that canned stuff. It's so easy to do yourself, and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand all the time, so try making it from scratch. Just like homemade taco seasoning instead of the packets, homemade sloppy joe sauce is so much better tasting.

Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef (I use 80/20 like most burger joints, but you can use lean)

1/4 C finely diced onion

1/4 C finely diced green bell pepper (or 1 can diced chili peppers)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)

2 tsp prepared yellow mustard (or if you don't have it, vinegar)

3/4 cup ketchup

1 1/2 T brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)

1/8 tsp ground black pepper (or more to taste)

Brown the ground beef with the onion and bell pepper. Drain. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Serve over slices of bread or on hamburger buns. Makes 4-5 servings. Goes great with a side salad, corn or raw veggies. We sometimes have ours with fresh guacamole and chips.

Tuesday's Menu - lasagna

It's lasagna night! You can use the recipe on the box of noodles, or the recipe below. Either way, this can be made a day ahead, or it can be made a week or two ahead and frozen until you get ready to make it. Regardless of whether you're making it fresh or making it ahead, DON'T COOK THE NOODLES! It's not necessary to cook them, and it makes it harder and more time consuming to put the dish together. Just pull the noodles out of the box and layer them.

Later on, I'll share an easy recipe for making your own lasagna noodles, but for now let's used the pre-made boxed kind. I'm also using jarred pasta sauce instead of making my own because it was cheap at the store this week ($1.88 a jar for Prego) and I don't have a ton of time today to throw everything together. If you have a bit of hamburger for the sauce (half pound or so), or some frozen spinach (a cup or so, drained) for the cheese filling, add it in. If not, just have a cheese lasagna.

Lasagna

1 28-32 oz jar pasta sauce
2 C cottage cheese
1 15oz container low fat ricotta
8 oz shredded mozzarella (reserve 1/2 cup for top of lasagna)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 T vegetable oil or butter
2 eggs
1 16 oz pkg lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (of course leave this step until read to baket if you're making ahead). Saute the mushrooms and onions until caramelazed (medium to dark brown). Mix with the pasta sauce and set aside. Blend together cheeses and eggs (add thawed spinach at this point if using).

Layering: Pour about 1/2 C sauce onto bottom of 13 x 9 inch baking pan (I spray the pan with cooking spray). Tilt the pan to coat with the sauce. Add a layer of noodles, about 5. If needed, break noodle into pieces to fill in empty spots. Don't worry if the pan isn't entirely covered. Add half the cheese, followed by 1/3 of the sauce. Add another layer of noodles, cheese, sauce. Then noodles and finishing with sauce. Make sure the top layer of noodles is completely covered with sauce to keep them from drying out. At this point, you can put the covered lasagna in the fridge overnight or freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes. Top with reserved 1/2 cup cheese and bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Monday's Menu 10-3-11

Oy, sorry I'm late getting this post ready. Okay, here we go. Beef with broccoli is a favorite here in our house. Takes a littel prep time, but it's worth the effort. I par boil the broccoli just slightly so it's not quite as crunchy at the end, but if you like crunchy, then you can skip that step.

Traditional stir fry calls for more ingredients that we have on our shopping list, so I've put (optional) next to anything that can be left out if you either don't have it or don't want to make another stop to get it. Garlic cloves are fairly cheap, and they'll add a little depth to the stir fry if you have the time to get them. You can also add a coin sized slice of peeled fresh ginger (also cheap) for additional flavor. Oyster sauce is a little more expensive, but the flavor is rich and I use it all the time, even just to drizzle across asparagus. You can find it in the Asian section of your market, or if you're lucky enough to have an Asian market nearby, you can find it there at a much lower cost.

Beef Stir Fry

1 tablespoon vinegar (rice vinegar if available)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 pound lean beef, thinly sliced, cross grain

1 pound fresh broccoli, broken into florets

1 carrot, thinly sliced diagonally

2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced (optional)
2 T oil
3 cups cooked rice (brown or white)

Sauce:

2 tablespoons oyster sauce (optional)

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

Thickener:

1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a shallow dish. Add the beef and toss together. Marinate while preparing the other ingredients. Par boil the broccoli florets for about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the 2 T oil to a heated skillet or wok. Add the beef and stir fry until just done, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate, and add the veggies. Stir fry until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pan and veggies. Mix together the sauce ingredients (increasing soy sauce and water by 1 T each if not using oyster sauce). Stir together. Made a well in the center and add the cornstarch and water mixture. Continue to stir fry until sauce is thickened.

Serve immediately over rice.

It's National Frugal Day!!

So, it's officially Frugal Day! So, here are a few websites for coupons, along with a recipe for a frugal dessert using fruit leftover from last week. A tip for saving extra when you purchase things... If you have a store coupon for an item, go online and check to see if there's also a manufacturer's coupon. Most stores will allow you to use both, and you can save extra money when shopping for anything from toys to food items.

Also, if you have a smart phone, there are tons of coupon apps out there, Coupon Sherpa, Grocery Pal and Grocery IQ, just to name a few. Many stores have their own coupon apps as well, with the coupons bar coded so you can just show them the coupon on  your phone and they can scan them at checkout.

So, happy shopping! And happy eating the following Apple Galette. It's the easiest apple pie you'll ever make. If you want to make it even easier, buy a ready made pie crust, the kind in a roll, not in an aluminum pie plate. That's what I do, because I stink at making pie crust. Here's a photo. Unfortunately, I didn't get to photograph it before my family dug in, and this was all that's left. About a third of the pie. I think they liked it, though.

Apple Galette

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces (one stick)
3 tablespoons ice water (or more, depending on your weather)

Mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter in with a fork, or just dig your hands into it, crumbling the butter and flour up into tiny beads. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time (it really needs to be cold), and mix in with your hands until a soft dough begins to form. When you can make a ball with the dough, flatten it into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for at least a half hour. It's really important the butter and water be ice cold when making the dough, and try to prepare it as quickly as possible. You'll have a flakier dough this way.

The filling:
3 small apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
1/4 C water
1 T corn starch dissolved in 2 T water

Mix the first 4 ingredients together and allow to sit while the dough chills. Juices will be extracted from the apples. Pour into a saucepan, add 1/4 C water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook until very thick. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out the dough into a large circle, about 13-15 inches (or unroll your pre-made crust). It doesn't have to be beautiful, just kind of round. Place on a cookie sheet, pizza sheet or pizza stone. Spoon the apple mixture in the center, leaving about 3-4 inches all around the edge. Fold the edges toward the center, pinching any open edges together to hold in the juices. You should have an opening at the top of about 4 inches in diameter. Beat an egg with 2 T water. Brush on the pastry. Bake for around 30 minutes or until the crust is gold brown. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with a glaze made of powdered sugar mixed with enough water or milk to make a thin paste. Eat! Great warm or cold, with our without ice cream.

Coupon Websites:

http://www.coupons.com/

http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/

http://www.couponmom.com/

Menu for Sunday, October 2, 2011

Okay, here we go. Today I'm dragging out the crockpot and making some carnitas. It's so easy it's ridiculous. If you don't have a slow cooker, you can cook this on the back burner in a stock pot or stew pot at very low heat for about 2 hours. But the slow cooker works best for this recipe. And you can turn it on and forget it for about 6 hours, which is my kind of cooking.

A word about avocados... If you don't know how to pick them at the market, here's a couple of hints. Look for darker color. If they're bright olive green, they probably aren't read. Then grab one. Press gently with your thumb. If it feels slightly soft, not mushy, it's ready. If it give really easily, don't buy it. It's going to have brown spots. If it's hard as a rock, you can go ahead and buy it, but be prepared not to use it for several days. So, if you decide to make this recipe on, say, Thursday instead of Sunday, go ahead and buy the hard avocado and it'll probably be just right by then.

So, here we go with week 2:

Sunday's Menu

Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs, toast, juice
Lunch: We usually breakfast late and snack before an early dinner (cheese, fruit, raw veggies, PBJ, whatever)
Dinner: Carnitas, with corn tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce and cheese

Carnitas

2-3 lb pork loin roast
1/2 onion, sliced into rings
1 T cumin
1 T garlic powder
1 T salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano, rubbed
2 tsp onion powder
3/4 C chicken broth

Place the onion slices on the bottom of the slow cooker. Mix the spices together and rub into the roast. Place the roast on top of the onion rings. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pot (don't pour it over the roast). Cook for about 6 hours on low. If cooking on stovetop, cook 2-3 hours or until the roast is tender and shreds with a fork.

Shred and serve with heated tortillas, chopped tomato, onion, shredded cheese, sour cream and guacamole (recipe below).

Guacamole

2 avocados
1/2 large tomato, chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
Juice of 1/2 small lime
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Slice the avocado in half lengthwise, pull out the pit, then scoop the flesh out of the peel. Using a knife or fork, chop the avocado into small chunks (or mash if you prefer). Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. The lime juice will keep the avocado from turning brown (oxidizing). To store leftover guac, place plastic wrap down on the surface of the guac, carefully removing all air bubbles. Contact with air will make the dip turn brown on the surface. If it does turn brown, it's still okay, just mix it in.

Shopping List for 10/1/11

Okay, folks... How did you do last week? Anything left over, like a couple chicken quarters? We had some leftover chicken, which we'll be using later in the week for a quick chicken noodle soup. This week I'm not going to post full menus. I think you get the point of having something like french toast, scrambled eggs or cereal for breakfast, leftovers or sandwiches for lunch, etc. This week I'll share some recipes that make great second meals (such as carnitas) and some tried and true favorites that give you some leftovers (such as lasagna) and a couple of easy to throw together desserts and snacks.

Don't forget to look at that top shelf in the meat section. Many times you'll find the discounted meats there that are still good, they just need to move them off the shelves. Normally when I'm making beef broccoli (Monday), I'll buy a steak and freeze it for about 10 minutes, then it's easy to slice thin strips. This week I found steak that was trimmed and already sliced for stir-fry on that top shelf. It was less expensive that the steak, and I don't have to do any work. True, it's shelf date is tomorrow, but that's what  freezer is for. In addition to the beef, I also found boneless country style pork ribs (Wednesday), also discounted for quick sale. You know the rule of "If it's brown, but it down," so avoid the stuff that's gone too far and choose the nice red cuts.

Don't forget to share your own money saving tips in the comments section. Or if you have recipes you'd like to share with the ingredients we're using this week, feel free to share.

So here we go, week #2.

Shopping List

Meat
Beef steak, for stir fry, 3/4 lb  $3.54
Country style boneless pork ribs, 1.48 lb $4.59
Pork loin roast, 2 lb  $6.76
Ground beef, 1 lb 80/20  $2.99

Produce
Broccoli, 2 crowns, 99c per lb  $1.50
mushrooms, sliced,  $1.88
tomato, 3 large, 1.48/lb  $2.65
avocado, 2 medium $1.98
banana, 49c/lb $1.06
2 apples, 1.22/lb $1.33
lettuce, 1 head, $1.14
onion, 2 medium $.94
green onions, $1.12

Dairy
mozzarella, 8 oz, $2.28
cheddar, 8 oz, $2.28
2% cottage cheese, 24 oz, $1.88
riccotta, 15oz, $1.94
sour cream, $0.98
eggs, omega-3 enriched, 1 1/2 doz. $2.38

Other
lasagna noodles, 1 pkg  $1.58
wheat bread, 1 loaf  $1.25
corn tortillas, 18 count $1.02
peaches, canned $1
apple juice, 64 oz, $2.48 (100% juice, no sugar added)
peanut butter, smooth $2.88
jelly $1.82
rice crispy cereal $1.84
marshmallows $1.25
Prego pasta sauce, 2 jars, $3.76
chicken broth, 32 oz, $1.68
ketchup, 32 oz, $1.88
brown sugar, 1 lb box, $1

Total:  $66.66

New Post Coming -- Promise!

Hi there. Just got back from the market, but have to rush out for volleyball and soccer. I've done the shopping, I know what we're having, and I'll have everything posted when I get back from the games. So, hang on. The list is coming soon.

Thanks for your patience.

Kim

Saturday's Menu

Okay, so we've made it through a whole week. Tomorrow I'll be posting the shopping list for next week, but here's the menu for Saturday. You'll notice a meal off for good behavior. :-) Feel free to use it for lunch or dinner, just be careful of your budget when choosing where to go (I think we're on a Little Caesar's budget this week). If it's not in your budget to eat out, there should be chicken left to bake up. Or you can boil it and make a nice chicken broth for soup, meat for the soup and for a casserole or salad. But if you can work it in at all, take the time off. You'll need it for next week.


So, here you go. Stay tuned tomorrow for the shopping list. Have a wonderful weekend!

Saturday's Menu:

Breakfast: apple muffins (recipe below) with butter, juice or milk

Lunch: PIZZA or whatever the kids want. You’ve saved a little money, you’ve cooked all week, you deserve a meal off. Plus, you’re probably out shopping for next week and you're tired and hungry. Am I right? Or is it soccer day? Anyway, enjoy.

Dinner: pork chops with rice, peas and carrots

Apple muffins (makes 12 medium or 6-8 large)

2 cups self-rising flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup oil

1 cup chopped, peeled apple

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray cooking spray on 12 muffin cups, or line with cupcake papers. Stir together flour, sugar and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, stir together milk, egg and oil. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add apple, stirring gently. Spoon batter muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop). Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown and top of the muffins spring back when pressed lightly.


Streusel topping: Try mixing the following with a fork until crumbly and adding a rounded tablespoon of topping to each muffin before baking.

1/2 c. finely chopped nuts

1/2 c. sugar

2 Tbsp flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. butter, softened

Friday's Menu

Okay, we've almost made it through a whole week of our frugal menus. Friday will be another easy one this time. I'll try to have more variety next week, more interesting recipes. For now, it is what it is.

If you don't want to use your leftover chicken from Thursday for chicken salad sandwiches, try making a chicken salad out of it. Shred the chicken, toss it with shredded lettuce, tomato, celery and carrots. A quick dressing recipe is below (or use the dressing we bought for the week), along with easy and quick recipes for macaroni salad and beef vegetable soup. The rolls or biscuit recipes from earlier in the week go well with the soup.

I apologize for not adding beef broth to the shopping list. It goes for about $1.75 a quart for the store brand at most markets. It's not really necessary, just adds a nice flavor. You can also use bullion if you have it, but the tomato broth is fine.

Friday's Menu

Breakfast: oatmeal with butter and sugar, juice, milk

Lunch: sliced chicken sandwich and macaroni salad

Dinner:  beef and veggie soup, biscuits or rolls

Salad dressing (if you're opting for a a chicken and mixed vegetable salad rather than sandwiches)

2 T vinegar (I like to use red wine vinegar)
1 T sugar
1 T soy sauce (optional)
1 drop sesame oil (optional)
3 T vegetable oil

Place ingredients into a sealable container, then shake the heck out of it until it emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Simple Macaroni Salad

8 oz macaroni
1 can mixed vegetables
1/4 C finely diced onion
1/4 C finely diced pepper
1/4 C finely diced celery
1/2 C shredded cheese
1/2 to 3/4 C mayo, Miracle Whip, or other salad dressing
Salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp of each)
Cook macaroni according to package directions, the shortest recommended cooking time. Cool in a colander under cold running water. Add the remaining ingredients in order and toss until well blended.

Beef and Veggie Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
1 can tomatoes (Italian style)
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
32 oz beef broth OR 2 beef bullion cubes dissolved in 1 quart warm water (optional)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef. Place in large saucepan or stock pot, add remaining ingredients except salt and black pepper (if not using broth or bullion, add 4 cups water). Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are done. Salt and pepper to taste.

I also sometimes add diced potatoes, squash (only add in last 10 minutes of cook time), sometimes rice or noodles to stretch the meal. Occasionally, when I want a little bit heartier soup, I'll add diced beef instead of ground beef, and a can of tomato sauce.

Tips:

If you'd like to serve with the rolls or biscuits, prepare the dough before you start preparing the soup, then place the pan of prepared rolls on the stove next to your soup pot to rise. The heat from cooking the soup will aid in the rising of the dough. Even biscuit dough can benefit from this added rest time.

When using dried herbs and spices (like the Italian seasoning for the soup) rub them between your palms to release the oils and add flavor.

Thursday's Menu

Today's menu is very simple, so no real recipes. Instead, I'm including some links to my favorite recipe websites, cookbooks and kitchen gadget places.

My very favorite thing to cook with is an enameled, cast iron dutch oven. I could have gotten Le Creuset, at two hundred fifty bucks a pop, but that's just not me. I love my Calphalon, don't get me wrong, but spending that much on a single piece of kitchen equipment just is not something I'm wired to do. So, instead, I asked for the Lodge version at $50 for Christmas...and got 2 of them. Label me happy.

Anyway, this pot is one of the best pieces I've ever owned, and I use it all the time. It's so easy to clean it's ridiculous, and it' looks pretty on the stove (mine's island spice red). We're going to use it. We're going to use it a lot. I understand if you don't have one or can't afford one, just wanted to mention it in case you're making your wish list. You can just as easily use a stock pot or chili pot (or casserole dish, should something need to go in the oven.

So, with that thought, here's Thursday:

Thursday's Menu

Breakfast: banana pancakes, syrup, juice or milk

Lunch: egg salad in lettuce cups, sliced tomato

Dinner: baked chicken, carrots, rice

To bake the chicken, I preheat the oven to 375 F, place 3-4 of our wonderful chicken thigh and leg quarters on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, or whatever you like. Bake for about an hour, or until the skin is dark brown and crunchy.

If your family is smaller, like mine, you should have a quarter or so left over, and this can be used in casseroles, chicken salad, soup, whatever. As MS would say, it's a good thing.

I also like to add a tablespoon or two of chicken bullion crystals (or a couple cubes) to the rice while it's cooking for added flavor.

Links for my favorite places and things:

That wonderful dutch oven can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Cast-Iron-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1317233802&sr=8-4

My other favorite gadget shop:

http://www.surlatable.com/

My current favorite cookbooks:

http://www.amazon.com/Paula-Deens-My-First-Cookbook/dp/1416950338/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1317234738&sr=8-19

http://www.thegoodcook.com/celebrity-&-restaurants-books/tv-personalities-books/barefoot-contessa-back-to-basics-by-ina-garten-1031253115.html

My current favorite recipe place:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/main.aspx

Wednesday's Menu and Some Tips

The weather is starting to cool down a bit, so time to drag out that chili with beans recipe. We eat a lot of soups and stews at our house, along with the quick rolls or a pan of jalapeno cornbread (recipe coming next week). Chili is one of the favorites, it's easy, and it's inexpensive to make. We like to add toppings like grated cheese, chopped onions and tomatoes, and sour cream. I also sometimes add veggies like corn or hominy, and I've seen it (although I've never tried it) with green beans added. This really can stretch your food budget, allowing leftovers for lunch or for freezing. Chili freezes well in serving sizes for about 6 months.

The recipe I use is below. Very simple and quick. Hope you enjoy it. Please keep in mind that the recipes I post are for a family of four, with a little left over. If your family is larger, you may need to double the recipes, or you can serve over rice to feed a few more tummies. Now, for Wednesday's menu.

Wednesday

Breakfast: oatmeal with chopped apple and cinnamon sugar

Lunch: chicken salad sandwiches (or leftovers)

Dinner: chili, toppings, biscuits (recipe below) or quick rolls (recipe on Sunday's menu)

Kim's Quick and Easy Chili

1 lb ground beef

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 C diced green pepper (or can of diced green chilis, if you have them)

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (regular or chili ready)

1 can dark red kidney beans, undrained (or black beans if you like)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 ROUNDED Tbsp chili powder (Or more, to taste)

Brown the ground beef with the onion and pepper. Drain. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add additional chili powder if desired.

Serve with grated cheese, chopped tomato and chopped onion, if desired. Makes 4-6 servings.

Weight Watcher's points:  7 points per serving (if broken down into 6 servings), before cheese topping or rice (if used)


Biscuits

I'm linking you to a recipe for biscuits. I can't give my grandmother's secret recipe away. At least not just yet. But I think this one is good, too. You can use slightly softened butter in place of the shortening if you like, since we didn't purchase shortening this week.

Weight Watchers Points: A whopping 6 points for these babies, so stay away from them if you're dieting, or make sure it's a day when you have lots of points left in your plan.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/easy-biscuits/detail.aspx

Now for some tips for shopping:

1. Never buy pre-grated cheese. Not only is it more expensive (unless there's a sale), but it also often has additional ingrediets (like corn starch or even flour) to prevent the bits from sticking together (store brands are especially bad about this). You can buy the store brand block of cheese, stick it in the freezer for about 10 minutes, and it will grate easily. I buy a pound at a time and grate the whole thing when I get home from the market. Stored in a zipper bad in the fridge, it can be used for everything from casseroles to grilled sandwiches.

2. Be careful about buying that pound of cheese. Make sure the 8oz packages aren't on sale. When they are, you can often buy 2 8oz packages for less than the 16 oz.

3. Watch out for the packaging. I noticed recently that one store was selling a 2 lb bag of rice for $1.29, while their 5 lb bag (which should be less, right?) was a whopping $5.99. I could buy 3 of the 2 lb  packages for $3.87, for a total of 6 lbs of rice. Sheesh! Don't these people do math?

Tuesday's Menu and Recipe

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We certainly did. Daughter's teams won both volleyball matches and their soccer game, so there was great joy in our small household. Well, before the yardwork, anyway.

I just know everyone got their chicken cooked and veggies chopped over the weekend. Now we're ready for  Tuesday's menu. I've included recipes for the banana pancakes as well as the chicken spaghetti (which can be made with any pasta).

Chicken spaghetti is one of those old casserole recipes that most folks, kids especially, seem to love. I'm all for casseroles. They're a great timesaver, since you're basically dumping stuff into a pan and baking it, but they also have a tendency to be large recipes, so leftovers for lunches later in the week. Leftovers are always a good thing, especially when you're trying to stretch your budget. You can put pretty much anything in. If you like veggies, or you have some leftover veggies like peas and carrots, throw them in. The old fashioned casseroles can take almost anything.

And the pancakes... I make them in large batches and freeze whatever we don't eat in serving size batches in zipper sandwich bags. That way, if someone's hungry they can just pull a bag out of the freezer, nuke for 15 seconds or so, and eat something homemade instead of grabbing a bag of cookies.

Also, I grated that whole pound of cheese I bought, since I knew we were making a casserole, and that's what I'm using for the grilled cheese sandwiches. Just a 1/4 cup or so per sandwich.

Tuesday's Menu

Breakfast:  Banana pancakes, syrup, juice, milk

Lunch:   Grilled cheese sandwiches, celery/carrot sticks or sliced tomato

Dinner:   Chicken spaghetti (recipe below), cooked carrots or salad

Banana Pancakes

1 C self-rising flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 C milk

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 ripe bananas, mashed (peel, put in a zipper bag and squish, fun for kids to do)

Combine flour and sugar in one bowl. In a separate bowl, blend the "wet" ingredients: egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and mashed banana. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture. The batter will be a bit lumpy.

Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or oil lightly. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake (I use an ice cream or cookie scoop). Brown on one side. It'll be ready to flip when there are bubbles covering the surface and the top seems to being drying out slightly. Flip and brown on the other side, about a minute or so. Serve with warmed syrup.

Chicken Spaghetti

2 C cooked chicken
3 C dry spaghetti, broken into pieces (about 1-2 inches in length)
1 can Cream Of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 C finely diced green pepper(I often use a can of diced green chilis instead, if I have them)
1/2 C finely diced onion
1 C milk, pasta water, OR chicken broth (if available)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup additional grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook the pasta according to package directions, but cook until al dente rather than cooking it completely. It'll cook more in the oven. We like our onions and peppers a little crunchy, but if you don't, now's the time to saute them for a few minutes in a tiny bit of oil or butter. Mix the pasta with the remaining ingredients (except the additional cheese) until thoroughly combined. Spoon into a casserole or baking pan that has been coated with cooking spray or a little oil (this'll make cleaning it a lot easier). Bake for 40 minutes, sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Weight Watcher's points: 7 pointos per serving, 8 servings per recipe.

ADDED BONUS! This casserole can be made a frozen, uncooked, for a couple of months. So if you want to make an extra one for later, or if you want to cook ahead, go for it. Just pop it in the oven, still frozen, and add about 15 minutes to the cook time. It can also be kept refrigerated, uncooked, for several days.