New Menu

We're eating from the pantry/freezer this week...little more than a week actually:)
Wednesday: Turkey salad sandwiches and green beans
Thursday: Potato salmon patties and canned fruit
Thursday night: velveeta rotel dip, butternut brownie pie
Friday: Blackeyed peas, cornbread, cabbage
Saturday: Pork chops, rice cups, corn
Sunday: Bubble pizza--sausage and bell pepper
Monday: Turkey Pot Pie
Tuesday: Taco lentils and rice  (add to my blog...woulda sworn it was on here for cheap eats)
Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner(bacon, hashbrowns, eggs...)
Thursday: Bean burritos w/ rice and salsa
Friday: Easy chili and cornbread


Lunches:
PB&J sandwiches
Ramens
Leftovers
Grilled cheese
Quesadillas
Hummus


Snacks:
Apples
Cuties
Crackers 
Jello
Cereal(we don't eat it for breakfast)


And to bake:
Zucchini bread
Pumpkin muffins

Barbecue pork and beans

2 tsp oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic(2 cloves)

2 cans (16 oz each) baked beans

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 Tbsp each cider vinegar and mustard

1/2 tsp each chili powder and ground cumin

3 1/2-4 inch thick chunk reserved pork loin(I made in last post but any chunk of pork would work)

Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet or saucepan.  Saute onion and garlic 3 minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients, except pork.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and over, simmer 15 minutes

Stir in chopped pork, cover and simmer 5 minutes more or until pork is heated through.  Serve with coleslaw and cornbread.

Spiced Pork Roast

I don't do much with roasts but the feed a family for $99 a week in Womans Day for August had this and I wanted to try it.

1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp each chili powder and paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 lb boneless center cut pork loin(mom gave me a roast so that's what I used)

Heat oven to 375.  Mix all ingredients and rub mixture over pork.  Place in small roasting pan.
Roast 50 minutes or until instant thermometer registers 150F.  Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Mac n Cheese with ham

Great way to use up leftover ham.  We had leftover cheese cubes from a cheese tray too so I used those in this also...love using up everything with no waste!!  This came from about.com originally.

6 tbsp butter
4 tbsps. flour
1 3/4 cups of half and half
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used half swiss and half cheddar to use up what I had but I wanna use all cheddar next time!)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 cups of diced ham
5 cups cooked macaroni
1 cup bread crumbs - half for the inside crunch and half for a topping
1/4 cup scallions, diced
pepper to taste

Using a large saucepan melt the butter and add the flour – stir and gradually stir in your half and half making sure to keep stirring as the entire mixture thickens.

Pour in your cooked macaroni. Add your shredded cheese and your Parmesan to the mixture - add half the bread crumbs and scallions, and add the cubes of ham.

Stir well and pour into a well greased casserole or baking dish.

Put the last of the bread crumbs on the top for a nice crunchy top layer. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until the top is crisp.

Peanut Butter Cup cookies

I've made these many times before but can't find them on my blog so I'm adding them.  I doubled this recipe and have been baking all day!  But the neighbors will have their gifts =)

• 
  
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.

Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.

Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Bagels...yes homemade bagels

Mmmmm the house smells like fresh bagels. It's heavenly!   And now I'm missing many bagels from the pan...the nerve!  ;o)

So now I'm thinking about what I can add in...cheddar, little chopped up onions...definitely will put in more salt.  And they're cheeeeeap to make yourself!

Okay I used the bread machine and this may not end up being my "go to" recipe for bagels but it's the first and therefore the best(so far).  This recipe is off allrecipes.com and some reviews said they needed 1 1/8 cup of water.  I did not...but all areas are different so look at the dough when it's all mixed together and make sure it's a ball...not too sticky and not too dry with flour still sitting around in the bread pan.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons white sugar 3 cups bread flour 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 quarts boiling water 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 tablespoon cornmeal 1 egg white 3 tablespoons poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting.
2.	When cycle is complete, let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.
3.	Cut dough into 9 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes.
4.	Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white, and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.
5.	Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until well browned.

Menu Monday

We are back on a tight budget to pay down bills so this week I printed out this menu so I could plan breakfasts and lunches too. Shopping list with prices added below.

Monday:
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Homemade pizza

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey
Lunch: Corrine-chicken burrito The rest of us pasta with sauce and homemade bagels
Dinner: Spiced pork roast, cornbread and cole slaw

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Malt o Meal
Lunch: Leftovers and pudding
Dinner: Breakfast for dinner(bacon, eggs etc)

Thursday:
Breakfast: Egg and cheese breakfast tacos
Lunch: PB&Js & prunes
Dinner: Pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, zucchini bread

Friday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes
Dinner: Beans w/ ham bone and cornbread

Saturday:
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Pot pies
Dinner: Grape leaves, hummus w/ tortilla chips

Sunday:
Breakfast: Malt o Meal
Lunch: Burritos
Dinner: Turkey pot pies and jello

Walmart:  (34.72)
Funyons 88cents(Justin and I were starving...bad planning on my part but such is life)
Flour--unbleached 1.78
Pot pies-4 at .58 each
Frozen peas 1.94
Frozen carrots .96
Chicken nugget 4.98
2 bread(some new wheat stuff...totally cheap but not going to be our usual since it's not 100% whole wheat) .75
Burritos-2 at .35 each
6 Ramens .15
dark chocolate and mint chocolate chips 1.78(okay I know I didn't need this at all but mint...and dark chocolate!)
Chicken lunch meat 2.94
1 pound cheddar cheese 3.78
Clementines 3.25
Kosher salt 1.34
Popping corn $4(didn't realize it was so much actually!)
Bleach 1.52

Kroger
I used coupons here and with their receipt I have no idea what the cost per item was...total was $38.61
2 boxes cheez-its
2 boxes club crackers
Minute rice-big box white rice
2 Minute rice chicken ready to serve
2 tubs Betty Crocker frosting
4 Adolphus latin rice pouches
2.5# granny smith apples
1.5 # ground chuck
4 medicated chapsticks
2 boxes 24 ct family size tea
Shaving cream
2 gallons milk
4 cans Grands biscuits
4 small sweet rolls(Pillsbury)
Coffee creamer

Grand total for the week $72.34 and a lot of this was just "stock" :)

Peanut Butter Honey Fudge

Found this one the Heavenly Homemakers blog.  Since I had all the ingredients I had to make it.

1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips(I used extra)

Put all in a small saucepan and heat until the chocolate chips are melted.  Cool completely, cut and serve.

Grape leaves

I absolutely LOVE grape leaves(dolmades)!  I've bought them occasionally and they just have rice. This is the recipe I've had since high school and I much prefer them with beef.  I expected the rest of the family to complain and was happily thinking I'd get them all to myself for the next few days but it turned out they loved them too and I had to share :o)
1 jar grape leaves
1 lb 80-90% lean beef
3/4 cup rice(long grain)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice

Mix meat with rice, salt and pepper.  I do this with my hands until it's well mixed.

Drain grape leaves and cut off small stem area.

 Put 1 tablespoon meat mixture onto ribbed side of grape leaf.  I used more than that here but 1 tablespoon each will use the entire jar of grape leaves.

Put meat on the stem side and roll over past meat then fold the ends in and continue rolling.

 Put rolled grape leaves in a large pot in a layer.

 To start the second layer turn the grape leaves 90 degrees.  Cover the grape leaves with water(pot about 3/4 full), add salt and cook 30 minutes on medium heat until rice is cooked.  Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and cook 5 more minutes.  Serve with plain yogurt or tzatziki(yogurt/sour milk, lemon and cucumber--I don't measure but there are good recipes at recipezaar).

Persimmon Cookies

These are such good cookies!  A soft muffin-y cookie with a mild but delicious spice flavor!  A recipe that Mandi ran across and shared with me:)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/it-must-be-thanksgiving-persimmon-cookies-2/
Ingredients


•½ cups Butter, Room Temperature

•1 cup Granulated Sugar

•1 whole Egg Beaten

•1 teaspoon Vanilla

•1 cup Persimmon Pulp

•½ teaspoons Lemon Juice

•2 cups Flour

•1 teaspoon Baking Powder

•1 teaspoon Baking Soda

•1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

•½ teaspoons Ground Cloves

•½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg

•1 cup Chopped Walnuts

•1 cup Raisins Or Chopped Dates

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla. Mix persimmon pulp with lemon juice and add to mixture. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices, mixing well. Add dates and nuts and stir together. Drop onto a cookie sheet by heaping teaspoonfuls. Bake for 10- 15 minutes. Cover unbaked batter in the bowl with waxed paper so that it does not turn dark.

Menu Monday

I'm posting it early just because it was fairly easy this time to get together:)  We fried five turkeys and have frozen most of it now so the main ingredient this week is not surprising...this starts after we've had our fill of regular leftovers and the sides are all gone....I love Thanksgiving!

Monday: Turkey vegetable soup w/ fresh made bread
Tuesday: Turkey spaghetti, green beans and fruit salad
Wednesday: Turkey enchiladas and beans
Thursday: Turkey bacon sandwiches w/ corn on the cob
Friday: Turkey pot pie
Saturday: Chinese turkey over rice
Sunday: Beef tips with rice

Other things to cook this week:
Pumpkin muffins
Persimmon cookies

Nanaimo bars

I made these for Thanksgiving.  The custard got soft really fast after coming out of the refrigerator and this time I used a chocolate mint cookie in the crust because I thought I was out of graham cracker crumbs(but wasn't...).  I much prefer the regular because the chocolate mint made them SO rich!  Good but rich.

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/nanaimo-bars-89644.aspx

6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. butter, softened, divided 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Crumbs 1 cup flaked coconut 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 2 Tbsp. BIRD'S Custard Powder 3 Tbsp. milk 2 cups icing sugar Make It!


MELT 2 chocolate squares as directed on package; pour into medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup butter; stir until melted. Blend in egg and vanilla. Stir in graham crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press onto bottom of 9-inch square pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.



MIX custard powder and milk with whisk in separate medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the remaining butter; beat until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition. Spread onto crust. Refrigerate 15 min.



MICROWAVE remaining chocolate and butter in microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM 2 to 3 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Spread over custard layer. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled before cutting into bars.

Meatless Monday

This was really good!  If you're not used to vegetarian meals or don't like them then I wouldn't try this but if you pay the price for vegetarian premade meals this is really good!  I didn't measure spices and am sure I added more of everything it called for and recommend doing the same.  I realize it looks like cat food but meatloaf never looks beautiful...I put ketchup on top for the fam and the boys even went back for seconds!

This came from Rhonda -frugal mommies group- on cafemom.


REALLY GOOD VEGETARIAN "MEAT"LOAF

2 cups water (I needed more than this)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup lentils

1 small onion, diced

1 cup quick-cooking oats

3/4 cup grated cheese (cheddar, swiss, jack or american)

1 egg, beaten

4 1/2 ounces barbecue sauce or tomato sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan. Add lentils and simmer covered 25-30 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of water is evaporated. Remove from heat. Drain and partially mash lentils. Scrape into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly. Stir in onion, oats and cheese until mixed. Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with Pam (non-stick cooking spray) or well-greased. Smooth top with back of spoon. Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes until top of loaf is dry, firm and golden brown. Cool in pan on rack for about 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges of pan then turn out loaf onto serving platter.

Menu Monday

Monday: Vegetarian "meatloaf", mashed potatoes, string beans
Tuesday: Quesadillas w/ taco meat
Wednesday: Tuna Casserole
Thursday: Frenc onion soup
Friday: Meatball subs
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: Beans and cornbread

Pancake Saturday

Since the kids started back to school I've made warm pancakes(or waffles) every Saturday morning.  These are the best so far...shoulda known to trust Ree:)  Still not IHOP(my ultimate goal is to never pay those insane prices to get my fix again) but light and fluffy and yummy!

Light and fluffy enough that 7 month old Willow got a whole one herself and Justin ate three!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/perfect-pancakes/
Ingredients


3 cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cake Flour

½ teaspoons Salt

3 Tablespoons Baking Powder

2 Tablespoons Sugar

2 cups Milk

2 whole Large Eggs

3 teaspoons Vanilla

4 Tablespoons Butter

Extra Butter

Maple Or Pancake Syrup(Mrs. Butterworths here...nothing like all those chemicals to wake up!!)

Preparation Instructions

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined. Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.

Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Serve with an obscene amount of butter and warm syrup.

Velveeta Tex-Mex Beef and Potatoes

I was looking for something different to make on my last menu and Tee sent this a few months ago.  It was really good and different!  There weren't any complaints from the kids(Justin did scoot all his red bell pepper pieces to the side).

VELVEETA Tex-Mex Beef and Potatoes


Prep Time:

10 min

Total Time:

45 min

Makes:

6 servings, about 1-1/3 cups each

What You Need!

1 lb. ground beef

1 red pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup water

4 cups frozen Southern-style hash browns (cubed not shredded variety)

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Make It!

HEAT oven to 350°F.

BROWN meat with peppers and onions in large skillet; drain. Return to skillet.

STIR in taco mix and water. Add potatoes, corn and VELVEETA; mix well. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish; cover.

BAKE 20 min.; stir. Bake, uncovered, 15 min. or until heated through.

TACO BELL® and HOME ORIGINALS® are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Use Your Stove

Brown meat with peppers and onions in large skillet; drain and return to skillet. Stir in taco mix, water, potatoes and corn; cover. Cook 5 to 7 min. or until potatoes are tender. Stir in VELVEETA; cook, uncovered, until VELVEETA is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally.

Persimmon bundt cake

This is the first thing I've baked with persimmon pulp this year--straight off recipezaar.com   With mom having such a bumper crop(501 on ONE tree!) I am happy to say all persimmons are off my counters now and this winter will be full of persimmon baking!

I did not use raisins because I didn't have any on hand but this cake still turned out great.  Very good spice cake!!

Persimmon Bundt Cake Recipe #86897


Got a lot of persimmons you don't know what to do with? Or have you always wanted to make something using this little-known fruit. Here's your chance to make a wonderful, flavourful Bundt cake that not only has luscious persimmons in it, but warm spices that make it extra-special.

by evelyn/athens

1¼ hours
20 min prep



SERVES 10



4 large ripe persimmons

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

3 extra large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

3/4 cup dried currant

confectioners' sugar

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Butter and flour Bundt pan.

Peel persimmons.

Press pulp through coarse sieve into medium bowl.

Measure 1 1/3 cups persimmon puree into small bowl.

Mix baking soda into puree and set aside.

Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (mixture will be grainy).

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Mix in vanilla.

Sift flour, cinnamon, salt, allspice and cloves into butter mixture; blend well using rubber spatula.

Mix in persimmon mixture, walnuts and currants.

Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester comes out clean, about 55 minutes.

Cook cake in pan on rack 5 minutes.

Turn out cake onto rack; cool completely.

Sift confectioners’ sugar over cake.

Mom's chili

Made this for the 1st time this week and it was a huge hit.  Will be a staple meal...served it over rice but crackers were really good too.

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
Gephart's chili powder
2 cans Ranch style beans, partly smashed with potato masher

Cook beef with onion, drain, add a little water and half bottle of chili powder.  Cook until meat has gotten the flavor color throughout.  Add beans and water(to your liking/thickness).  You can heat through and serve or let simmer as long as you'd like.

Menu Monday

The pantry is overflowing so I've made a list and am trying to use it up. I have managed to use up everything in the deep freeze, defrost it, clean it and put it back to use:)

Our menu for this week.

Banana Zucchini bread

3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup grated zucchini

2 bananas, mashed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch bread loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy.

Add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, grated zucchini, bananas, and vanilla; blend together until well combined.

Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the loaf pans on a wire rack before removing and serving.

Italian Herb Bread

This is out of my breadmaker recipe book and was really good. It smelled awesome baking:)

All ingredients at room temperature(70-80 degrees F)

9-11 ounces water

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons dried onion flakes

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsps active dry yeast

Select French setting.

Homemade Black Bean Burgers

For a vegetarian burger these were so good! I've tried a bunch of frozen ones and these blow them out of the water:)

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and
rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
3/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

**(After washing/draining beans let sit in the colander and after washing bell pepper and onion also let them sit awhile to drain completely so your burgers will stick together while grilling)**

If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6.
If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Buttery Bread Machine Rolls

These make 24 but I made 12 to fit our burgers:) They were sooo soft and nice!

Buttery Bread Machine Rolls Recipe #65340

2¼ hours 10 min prep
24 rolls
1 cup warm milk (70 to 80 degrees F.)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
In bread machine pan, put all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer.
Select dough setting.
When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide dough into 24 portions.
Shape dough into balls.
Place in a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Tofu Chili

This was a pretty good recipe. I still don't love tofu but this was definitely better than anything else I've tried. I cubed the tofu instead of crumbling it but crumbling is better.

Ingredients:
1/2 (12 ounce) package extra firm tofu
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (15.25 ounce) can black beans, undrained
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes,
undrained
1 quart water
Directions:
1.
In a medium bowl, crumble the tofu and toss with the chili powder and garlic.
2.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and saute the onion and celery until tender. Stir in the tofu mixture. Continue cooking about 5 minutes over low heat.
3.
Mix in the beans and stewed tomatoes. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 50 minutes.

Lentils and Spinach

This started as a recipe on allrecipes and after reading the reviews I decided to do a few things differently. Served this over diced potatoes(Justin's went over rice). If you don't already like Mediterranean food I wouldn't recommend this:)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced into 1/2 rings
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup lentils
4 cups water

2 (10 ounce) packages fresh spinach
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed

sour cream

lemon juice

Heat oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Saute onion for 10 minutes or so, until it begins to turn golden. Add minced garlic and saute for another minute or so.
Add lentils and water to the saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer about 35 minutes, until lentils are soft ( this may take less time, depending on your water and the lentils).
Add spinach, tomatoes, salt and cumin to the saucepan. Cover and simmer until all is heated, about ten minutes. Grind in plenty of pepper and press in extra garlic to taste.

Right before serving put on a dollop of sour cream and some lemon juice.

Crock Pot Pork Chops

I used bone-in pork chops and increased the liquid but it worked out great and they fell off the bone anyways! These are really good and easy!

Crock Pot Pork Chops

8 boneless pork chops (1/2 inch thick)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

In a large skillet, cook pork chops in oil until lightly browned on each side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in Crockpot. In a bowl, combine the soup, garlic, onion, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and pour over chops. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until meat juices run clear.

Spring Rolls

These were so inexpensive and easy! Justin was on the counter "helping" so I cooked the cabbage a little longer than I would have liked and then I pulled them out of the oven just a bit before they were quite crispy enough...one way or another they were still really good:) I wish I could remember where I found this recipe!

1 bag of coleslaw shreds (or shred your own cabbage - 4 cups raw)

2 chicken bullion cubes, or 2 tsp bullion powder

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp olive oil

Soy sauce

Egg roll wrappers (I found them at Walmart near the bagged salad for about $2.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Saute the cabbage, bullion and ginger in olive oil on high heat, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted but not mush. Add a couple splashes of soy sauce (remember both the bullion and soy sauce are salty, so you may want to taste.)

Lay a wrapper on the counter with a corner facing you. Put a couple tablespoons of the cabbage mixture 2 inches from that corner and fold the corner over it. Fold the side corners in and roll down to the farthest corner. (I guess you could also roll them like a baby burrito, if that makes you happier.) Place seam side down on an ungreased cookie sheet, or pizza pan, etc. Repeat for all 12 wrappers. Spray the rolls with olive oil or Pam (for browning.) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. They will be very hot when they come out, so it's a good idea to let them rest a few minutes.

Crustless Bacon and Cheese Quiche

YUM This was good!!! This was a recipe Tee sent into the recipe challenge group.

Crustless Bacon and Cheese Quiche
5 green onions, chopped, divided
1 tomato, chopped, divided
12 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
12 eggs
1/3 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Make It!
HEAT oven to 325ºF.
RESERVE 2 Tbsp. each onions and tomatoes. Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper towels; reserve 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Add mushrooms to skillet; cook and stir 2 min. or until tender. Remove from heat. Chop bacon. Add to skillet with onions and tomatoes; mix well.
BEAT eggs and sour cream with whisk until well blended. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish; top with bacon mixture and cheeses.
BAKE 30 min. or until center is set. Sprinkle with reserved onions and tomatoes. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve

SL Slow Cooked Orange Pork Roast Tacos

This sounded like a great way to make something besides the usual tacos with ground beef. I also never buy this cut of meat. It was good! I don't know that it was worth the price of buying orange marmalade but I would definitely cook another pork shoulder in the crockpot! Day two I shredded it and we had bbq sandwiches for lunch that were really good. To make this again I would start it the night before because at 8 hours it was nowhere near done. I removed the fat, turned it over and continued cooking it to get it done.

Also I used flour tortillas because we don't like corn.

SL Slow Cooked Orange Pork Roast Tacos

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

Ingredients

* 1 medium onion, chopped * 1 (10-pound) bone-in pork shoulder, picnic cut * 2 tablespoons soy sauce * 1 tablespoon chopped garlic * 2 teaspoons salt * 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper * 1 cup orange marmalade * 20 corn tortillas

Also buy:

LettuceTomatoesCheese

Directions

Place the onions in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Place the pork shoulder, fat and skin side up. in the slow cooker. In a medium bowl stir together soy sauce, garlic, salt pepper and orange marmalade. Pour mixture over the pork. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove shoulder to a serving platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Break up some of the meat with a fork and arrange on platter. Leave the rest of the meat on the bone to keep it warm and moist and let your guest pull it off the as they need it.

Wrap the tortillas in damp towels, 10 to a towel and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Set out pork and tortillas with Cabbage Slaw and have guests assemble their own tacos.

Weekly Menu

I get to go grocery shopping tomorrow night with no kids so it's time to get the menu and shopping list together. With the house bills we're still going frugal so while there's not a lot exciting it's all meals I know we like:)

Zesty Minestrone(new recipe for us...crockpot)
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/zesty-minestrone-104591.aspx

Weeknight Lasagna Toss
http://wheelofbrie.blogspot.com/2007/04/weeknight-lasagna-toss.html

Italian Mac
http://wheelofbrie.blogspot.com/2008/07/italian-mac.html

Breakfast for dinner:
hash browns with onions/peppers
bacon
scrambled eggs

Hot dog muffins
http://wheelofbrie.blogspot.com/2008/12/hot-dog-muffins.html

Meals if I need them:
Blackeyed peas and cornbread

Bean burritos & rice

Cheesecake

I got this off the box of Philadelphia cream cheese. It was not sweet enough for me at all but a little added sweetness it would be really good:) I didn't have any light to work with because  Hunter got home around 11pm from the Dynamos game so excuse the picture;)

2 (8 ounce) packages Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese , softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 prepared graham cracker crumb crust
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix until blended.Pour into crust.Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.Makes 8 servings
This recipe created by Kraft Foods.

Quick Pasta Carbonara

We all loved this! Definitely a keeper recipe!

PREP 20 min.
MAKES 4 servings
COST PER SERVING = $0.94*
what you need
½ lb. medium-size pasta
4 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, chopped
4 oz. (½ of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
½ cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
¾ cup milk
1 cup frozen or canned peas
½ tsp. garlic powder
make it
COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook bacon in large skillet until crisp; remove with slotted spoon to paper towels, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet.
ADD remaining ingredients to drippings; cook on low heat until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended and heated through.
DRAIN pasta; place in large bowl. Add cream cheese sauce and bacon; mix lightly.

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie

We had this twice last week...sooo easy!


PREP 10 min.
TOTAL 40 min.
MAKES 8 servings
COST PER SERVING = $0.90*
what you need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
½ cup chicken broth
1 lb. cooked Tyson® boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 3 cups)
16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
½ tsp. garlic salt
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 cup all-purpose baking mix
make it
HEAT oven to 400°F.
COOK cream cheese and broth in large saucepan on low heat until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently with whisk. Stir in chicken, vegetables and garlic salt.
SPOON into 9-inch pie plate. Beat egg and milk in medium bowl with whisk until well blended; stir in baking mix just until moistened. Spoon over chicken mixture. Place pie plate on baking sheet.
BAKE 25 to 30 min. or until golden brown.
* Cost per serving is based on approximate costs of ingredients

Quiche

I got this recipe off recipezaar.com and it was so good. I love that it can use up leftovers too! Instead of just making it to freeze I made two and put one in the freezer and baked the other for dinner. It took a long time to finish cooking in my oven but that could just be my oven's temperature issues. I used half a pound of "bulk" sausage, frozen spinach and half cheddar/half mozzarella. Everyone loved this except Corrine and I didn't even have her try it...she just had a sandwich for dinner instead:)

Quiche in a Bag (Oamc-Freezer Cooking) Recipe #290442

50 min 10 min prep

SERVES 6 -8

1 cup meat, any diced and browned (such as bacon, ham, chicken, sausage etc)
3/4 cup vegetable (thawed chopped spinach, broccoli, chopped green pepper)
1 cup cheese, shredded
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (use 1 tsp for a spicier kick)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Combine meat, vegetable, cheese, and onion. Place this mixture in a labeled 1-gallon freezer bag.
With a mixer or blender, combine the milk, eggs, Tabasco sauce, flour and baking powder.
Pour into the bag with the meat/vegetable mixture.
Seal and freeze.
To serve, thaw completely. Shake bag well and pour into a spray-treated or greased deep dish pie plate or quiche pan.
Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes, until lightly browned on top and well set in the center.
Cool about 5 minutes before serving.

Crispy Salsa Chicken

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 pouch SHAKE 'N BAKE Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix
1/2 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Make It!
HEAT oven to 400ºF.

COAT chicken with coating mix as directed on package. Place on baking sheet.

BAKE 20 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).

TOP with salsa and cheese. Bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

TACO BELL® and HOME ORIGINALS® are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp

Pretzel Dessert

We all loved this! Hunter and Corrine called it their new favorite:)

Ingredients
2 cups finely crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup pie filling (strawberry, blueberry, cherry, etc)
Directions
1In a 9x13 glass pan, combine pretzels, sugar, and butter; pat into bottom of pan.
2In a separate bowl, whip cream until fluffy and stiff.
3In a separate bowl beat cream cheese until smooth then add powdered sugar. Add whipped cream.
4Spread mixture evenly over crust. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Spread pie filling over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 more hours.

Beef Casserole

I've been loving stew beef so trying different recipes. This ended up being pricey with the mushrooms and cream..it was good but not good enough for the price.

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 large bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preparation:Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge or toss beef with flour mixture. Heat butter in a heavy skillet; brown beef cubes. Add tomatoes and mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes longer; add bay leaf, wine, allspice. Bring to a boil. Transfer to a 1 1/2-quart casserole; cover and bake at 350° for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until beef is tender. Stir in cream and bake 10 minutes longer.

Steak tips over rice

This was one of Mandi's choices for her week and was originally from southern plate. This was really good and you can't get much easier! I want to add salt next time and I used glass jars of gravy instead of cans to get around msg. I'll add a picture next time I make it.

1 Package Stew Meat
1 Can Beef Gravy
Rice, prepared according to package directions
Place stew meat in slow cooker, cover with beef gravy. Cook on low, 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. Serve over hot rice.

Pasta and smokie bake

I got this recipe from Shar and it was easy and so good

1 lb smokies, cut into small bites(I bought lil' smokies...14 ounce package)
1 jar (15 oz) spaghetti sauce---think mine was bigger
1 bag of pasta, cooked and drained--I think I used a 12 ounce box
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded cheese--I used cheddar
----------------
preheat oven 350 degrees
in greased qt baking dish combine
smokies (cook if needed, most are precooked) , sauce, penne pasta and parmesean cheese.
top with shredded cheese.
bake for 15-20 minutes

Mediterranean Mozza Chicken

This was soooo good! I'd been craving zucchini too:)

What You Need!
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 red onion, halved, sliced
1 zucchini, chopped
1/4 cup KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade
1/2 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted black olives
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Make It!

HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cover skillet with lid. Cook 5 to 7 min. on each side or until chicken is done (165ºF), adding onions and zucchini after 5 min.

ADD dressing, tomatoes and olives; cover. Cook on medium-low heat 2 min. or until heated through.

STIR mixture. Top with cheese; cover. Cook 2 min. or until cheese is melted.

Beef tips

This was sooooo good! I even got compliments from Corrine *gasp* This is recipe #17990 on recipezaar.

Beef tips
2 lbs cubed beef stew meat
1 onion, chopped
1 package brown gravy mix
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup water
In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat.
Saute the onion until translucent.
Add stew meat and cook on high heat until meat is browned on all sides (3-5 minutes). Pour 2 cups water, soy sauce, and worcestershire sauce into the skillet.
Stir in garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Bring to boil and reduce heat.
Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Then combine the gravy mix with 1 cup of water, mix thoroughly and stir into the meat. Bring to boil, stirring frequently until it slightly thickens.
Serve over egg noodles.

Hungarian Goulash

UPDATE: (May 09)We loved this!!! Would definitely double the meat part next time but I wouldn't double the noodles...just add a bit.
I got this from the 'zaar. It's going in the freezer as soon as it cools. I would double this if I made it again(if we like it)...will have to have a large salad or other side to be sure everyone gets full. Oh and I used 1/4 cup butter instead of shortening.

Hungarian Goulash Recipe #59805
3 hours 30 min prep

SERVES 6 -8

1/4 cup shortening
2 lbs beef chuck or beef round steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup sliced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup catsup
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 dash red cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup water
3 cups hot cooked noodles
Melt shortening in large skillet.
Add beef, onion and garlic; cook and stir until meat is brown and onion is tender.
Stir in catsup, Worcestershire, sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, cayenne and 1 1/2 cups water.
Cover; simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Blend flour and 1/4 cup water; stir gradually into meat mixture.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
Boil and stir 1 minute.
Serve over noodles.
To freeze: Assemble as directed. Cover and freeze.
To serve: Thaw in the fridge. Re-heat, covered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Sterling Burgers

This recipe is from my sweet sweet friend Shar. Once she puts it up on her blog I'll link to it:) I made this freezer friendly and will put those instructions at the end.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 chopped onion
BBQ sauce to taste
Cheddar cheese

Mix together beef, bread crumbs, egg and onion in a bowl. Form patties. Fry in skillet (or on the BBQ) until done (15-20min) in the last minute, add a spoonful of BBQ sauce on top of each burger, then a slice of cheddar cheese on each. Melt.. serve!

Freeze after making patties. Put wax paper between the patties and put them in a gallon ziploc. Then write this on the bag: Defrost in the fridge overnight. In the last minute of grilling add a spoonful of BBQ sauce on top and a slice of cheddar cheese.

Swiss Chicken Casserole

LOVE this!!!  I used double the cheese...

Swiss Chicken Casserole

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange chicken in a greased
12x8x2-inch baking dish. Top with Swiss cheese slices.
Combine soup and milk and stir well. Spoon mixture over
chicken and sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle butter over
crumbs. Cover and bake for 50 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Chilidog and tots casserole

I added 8 cut up hot dogs,, put it all in a 9X13 disposable casserole dish and froze it whole. The original recipe is below from the 'zaar.
*made this 4-27-09* The entire casserole is gone in one meal! I liked it but everyone else absolutely loved it.

Chili Tots Casserole Recipe #143773
There's something about the combo of these two fast food favorites. However, when you're scraping up pennies to afford rent, eating out isn't an option. This dish is affordable and great because you can make two and freeze one. Also, you can make this a Chili dog and tots casserole by adding bite-sized hot dog pieces to the chili and serving with buns.
by Redneck Epicurean
50 min | 15 min prep

2 casseroles

1 lb ground beef (optional)
2 (15 ounce) cans chili without beans
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (32 ounce) bag tater tots
Cook the beef and drain.
Stir in the chili and heat through.
Pour into 2 8" sprayed square baking dishes.
Sprinkle with the cheese and top with the tater tots.
Cover and freeze one casserole for up to three months.
Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.
To use the frozen casserole: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hrs or until heated through.

King Ranch Casserole

This made a really good sized casserole dish full. I'm not sure about the chili powder but the rest looks really good!
Made 4/9/09--wouldn't make this again...it wasn't bad but it was spicy and the tortillas didn't hold up well to freezing and baking.

1 cup Onions -- diced
1 cup Green Bell Peppers -- diced
1/2 pound Mushrooms
1/4 cup Butter or Margarine
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 pound Cheddar Cheese -- shredded
2 cups Chicken -- cooked and diced
1 can Tomatoes with Green Chilis
1 clove Garlic -- minced
2 tablespoon Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Chicken Broth
12 Corn Tortillas -- torn into quarters

In a large pan, sauté onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms in butter, Add soups, tomatoes & chilies, garlic, chili powder, and chicken broth. Line bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with pieces of tortillas. Spread half the chicken over the tortillas and top with half of the sauce, then half of the cheese. Cover with another layer of torn corn tortillas, and repeat the chicken, sauce and cheese layers. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 6

(When freezing, put in freezer after assembling casserole, and bake when ready to eat.)