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).