Miss Stokers Lasagna

Iva Lou Stoker made the wedding cake for my wedding receptions, so I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that she was the source for this tasty lasagna. I found her recipe in a fund raising cookbook from my mom's school.

And I know, I know, lasagna's not worth the work, but consider this - you can make about twice as much lasagna from scratch as you pay for to buy it frozen, and really it's not that hard to make. Just be sure to subtract 2-3 minutes from the cooking time when you boil the noodles. I learned that the hard way! If you cook them completely they will tear and be hard to work with. Letting them remain underdone makes them easier to handle and allows for the additional cooking in the oven. Rinse them in cold water to halt the cooking. That makes them easier to handle too!

Meat Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 to 1 lb sausage
1 tsp basil
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 (1lb) can of tomatoes
2 (6oz) cans of tomato paste
1/4 tsp oregano

Cheese Sauce:
2 eggs, beaten
3 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Also:
1lb mozzarella cheese slices
10 oz lasagna noodles, cooked and drained well

Brown meat; drain well. Add meat sauce ingredients and cook slowly uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. Combine ingredients for cheese filling.

Layer ingredients in a 3 quart oven-proof casserole in this order: noodles, cheese filling, mozaralla slices, meat sauce. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 for 30 mintues. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

(**Also great as leftovers! I usually half the recipe.)

Happy Thanksgiving : Sugared Cranberries

These little treats are sweet and tangy, they look great garnishing cakes, pies, or gelatins, and they are so easy to make. All you need is:

1 part granulated sugar
1 part water
1 part cranberries
Superfine sugar (AKA regular sugar that you ran through the food processor)

First make a simple syrup by mixing the water and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Stir so that the sugar dissolves and then bring it just to a simmer (**DON'T LET IT BOIL**). Take it off the heat, stir in the cranberries, then pour all of it into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it set overnight (or at least 8 hours).

Drain the syrup off the berries (don't rinse them!) and place the superfine sugar in a shallow dish. Add the cranberries and gently shake the dish so that they roll around and get coated in sugar. Move them to a pan so they can lay in a single layer. Assuming you aren't storing them in a bathroom (and that it isn't August in Florida), they will dry in about 1 hour.

The heat from the syrup will cook the cranberries just enough (if you boil them they will pop). Letting them sit in the syrup will make the sugar stick. The final result is a candied little berry that has a crispy sweet bite to contrast a cranberry's tartness. Trust me, you can't eat just one!

Writing in Chocolate

I discovered a new way to melt chocolate and use it for decorating. Chocolate melts at a very low temperature, which means you should never just put it in a pot and stick that pot on a burner. You can melt it in the microwave, but you have to pull it out every few seconds to stir and check it. The best way (most of the time) is to use a double boiler. Since you need very little heat you can boil the water, turn off the burner and then set the top of the boiler with the chocolate. You don't have to be there to check it or stir it, a few minutes later it will be ooey gooey.

I needed to melt chocolate, then put the melted chocolate in a baggie, snip off the end and "draw" with the chocolate. The double boiler was fine, but it wasted a lot of chocolate transfering it to the bag. So the next time I was in this situation I dropped some chocolate chips in a baggie and took out a dish rag. I got the dish rag wet and rang it out, then popped the rag into the microwave for about 30 seconds. Then I took the steaming hot rag and wrapped it around the baggie. Minutes later, the chocolate was melted in the bag! Voila! And no mess!

Chocolate Fix : Chocolate Chip Cake

If you're like me, the name of this cake alone will get you in the mood for baking! And what an easy cake this is - plus it is super duper moist. It's dusted with powdered sugar instead of being iced, so it's easy to transport when you need to bring something to a friend's house.

Chocolate Chip Cake*

1 package yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
4-5 tbsp grated German sweet chocolate (divided)
1-2 tbsp powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients on low until moistened. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips and 3 tbsp. of the grated chocolate. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.

Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes, test with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out the cake onto a wire rack and cool completely. Comine powdered sugar and remaining grated chocolate and sprinkle over the cake. YUM!

*Taste of Home, October/November 2002, pg. 36 - submitted by Abigail Crawford.

November 11 - December 8, 2006

Our Thanksgiving trip is in the middle of this meal plan.

11 S - Call FM Event (FBC "Country" Fair)
12 U - Potluck Dinner at Church (I'm bringing Chocolate Chip Cake)
13 M - Spicy Jamaican Jerk Chicken (BC 283), Potatoes, Carrot Sticks
14 T - Cheesy Meatball Skillet , Peas, Carrots
15 W - Church Dinner
16 R - Smothered Chicken (BC 295), Baked Potatoes, Broccoli
17 F - No Fuss Tex-Mex Rollups , Refried Beans
18 S - Grilled Chicken Quarters, Broccoli, Baked Potatoes
19 U - Pappas House Dinner (I'm bringing Eggnog Pumpkin Pie)
20 M - Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Salad
21 - 27 Thanksgiving Trip
28 T - Frozen Pizza!
29 W - Church Dinner
30 R - Spaghetti with Italian Sausage, Salad, Garlic Bread
1 F - Potstickers, Salad
2 S - Miss Stokers' Lasagna (PIE 38), Salad
3 U - L.O. Lasagna
4 M - Grilled Chicken, Creamy Orzo, Carrot Sticks
5 T - L.O. Spaghetti
6 W - Church Dinner
7 R - L.O. Potstickers, Carrots and Celery Amandine
8 F - Chipotle Cashew Chicken, Rice, Broccoli

(The link for Eggnog Pumpkin Pie requires a login, if you would like the recipe and don't have a login at Taste of Home, please leave a comment and I will get the recipe for you.)

Cooking Methods : Foil Packet Dinners

Cooking with foil packets is a clean and healthy way to cook. That said, it won't work for every meal, I think pork chops and steak need a little direct heat to give them some color and taste, but using chicken breast you can vary this method in a thousand ways.

To cook with a foil packet, work in layers. From the bottom up:

A big piece of aluminum foil (roughly a 15-18 in. sheet).
Rice right in the middle, but not too close to the sides, think a rectagle about 3 in. by 5 in. with the 3 in. side parallel to the long side of the foil.
A raw chicken breast
Dry seasonings
Sauce or Salad Dressing
Choose two chopped veggies
Shredded cheese

Fold up the long ends of the foil to make a tent over the mound of food. Crimp the foil so that it is sealed, then crimp the ends. Put the packet on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 deg. for 25-30 minutes.

When it's finished, just transfer the packet to a plate and pierce the foil a few times to release steam (away from your face, it's hot!)

Here's how I like to make foil packets, but be creative!

When I boil the rice water I add a chicken boillion cube. On top of the chicken breast I sprinkle ground cumin and cayenne pepper and drizzle on ranch dressing. I top it with broccoli florets and diced pepper (red, green, orange, whatevers handy). Finally, I love colby jack cheese.

Wouldn't it be easy to replace the dressing with spaghetti sauce and use mozarella - almost like chicken parmesan. Or you could use jasmine rice, teriyaki sauce, and snow peas for a sort of Asian packet. That's why this recipe is more of a method than a meal.

Comfort Food : Prairie Land Pot Roast

Pot Roast is such a forgiving dish. It's been said that it's impossible to overcook it, plus it's easy and cheap. The perfect meal for the novice cook.

Although there are many varieties, I like this version...

Prairie Land Pot Roast*

1 boneless beef chuck roast (or any big hunk of beef, bone or no bone, it won't matter once this thing's done)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 8 oz. bottle Catalina dressing (divided)
2 large onions, sliced
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 lb carrots, peepled, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Season both sides of beef with salt and pepper, brown in a big pot or dutch oven on both sides with 1/4 cup of the Catalina dressing. Add onions, stir to brown.

Add remaining dressing and vegetables and enough water to come 3/4 of the up the meat. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer at least 2 hours or until meat and veggies are tender.

Slice up the meat, sprinkle with parsley, enjoy! Serves about 8 - or 2 people for almost a week!

(Alternately you could throw everything in a crock pot after browning the meat, set on low for about 8 hours.)

* Mary Smith, Kraft Food and Family, Fall 2005, pg. 64.

On the Side : Garlic Bread to Write Home About

I wasn't expecting rave reviews about something as second fiddle as garlic bread, but last night at a house party I prepared this easy (and really cheap) garlic bread that got noticed!

What you need:

• 1 loaf (or however many loaves you need) of french bread fresh from the bakery
• a baking sheet
• a few garlic cloves, peeled
• some olive oil in a shallow bowl
• a basting brush
• salt
• pepper

What to do:

• arrange your oven so that the top rack is 6 inches below the broiler
• cut the bread diagonally (this matters) in 3/4 inch slices
• place bread on baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes on the first side, flip the bread over and broil another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes (watch it so it doesn't burn)
• cut a garlic clove in half (it works best with really big cloves) and rub the inside of the clove all over the bread
• brush each slice with olive oil
• sprinkle each slice with salt and pepper
• eat it...before someone else does

If you really like garlic-y garlic bread, this is the way to do it. I didn't expect rubbing a little raw garlic on hot bread would do much, but it really left its mark!

We also had some super yummy italian meatballs, and I will get the recipe and post it as well.

October 28 - November 10, 2006

I'm a little behind on meal plans! Here's what's cooking...

28 S – Chicken and Dumplings, Mixed Veggies
29 U – Frozen Pizza
30 M – Salmon Casserole , Mashed Potatoes
31 T – Call FM Event (Harvest Festival)
1 W – church dinner
2 R – Grilled Chicken Quarters, Scalloped Corn, Green Peas
3 F – Chicken Foil Packets
4 S – Call FM Event (UMC "Country" Fair)
5 U – Hot Wings, Sweet Potato Fries
6 M - Pork Loin with Potatoes, Broccoli, Carrots
7 T – BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Mac & Cheese, Baked Beans
8 W – church dinner
9 R – Hamburgers, Tater Tots, Carrots, Pickles, Olives
10 F – Tortellini Sausage Alfredo, Salad

In all honesty, I'm not using the recipes linked to the Salmon or the Corn, but I think they are somewhat generic recipes. If you happen to use one of those recipes and they happen to be spectacular, I'd like to know about it!

Pork Loin with Potatoes - sounds yummy doesn't it! It did to me too until I started pricing out the pork loin at the grocery store! Eating on a budget demands that you get a little creative. I'm going to substitute pork shoulder, which is still good and the leftovers will make yummy BBQ pork sandwiches.

Soups On: Tortellini Soup

Words that describe this dish? Cheap, Easy, Tasty

Tortellini Soup*

1/2 large sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup diced carrots (8 baby carrots or 2 medium carrots)
2 garlic cloves, diced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
4 cups chicken broth
9 oz fresh, frozen, or dry cheese tortellini
3 cups baby spinach (1/2 a bag) with stems removed

Saute pepper and carrots in a large pot coated with cooking spray for 4 minutes, add garlic saute 1 more minute. Add chicken broth and boil (gently) 5 minutes. Add tortellini and cook until tender. Remove from heat, add spinach and stir until it is wilted. Serve with crusty french bread.

*Parents Magazine, March 2006, pg. 164

September 30-October 13, 2006

30 S – Roast Chicken, Biscuits, Carrots, Green Beans
1 U – Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Mexican Couscous
2 M – Pasta with Pesto and Sausage, Salad, Garlic Bread
3 T – BBQ Steak with Dale Seasoning, Mac and Cheese, Green Peas
4 W – church dinner
5 R – Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Carrot Sticks
6 F – Teriyaki Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Carrots
7 S – Beef Fajitas, Grilled Veggies, Refried Beans
8 U – L.O. Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Carrot Sticks
9 M - Hot Wings, Sweet Potato Fries
10 T – Corn Dogs
11 W – church dinner
12 R – Eat with Family
13 F – "Ethnic" Food

No links this week. All this food is the sort of stuff you don't need a recipe for - except the Mexican Couscous and I got that recipe from a grocery store flyer. If you would like the recipe, please leave a comment and I will be happy to provide it.

The first two meals on this list are a combination meal called Rubber Chicken (scroll to the bottom of the page from this link). Basically you roast a whole chicken one day, serve it with a multitude of side dishes and pick off all the left over chicken for a 2nd chicken dish the next night. If one chicken won't feed your family, you might do the same thing with 2 chickens.

I'll be out of town after the 9th, so the 9th and 10th are "Bachelor Foods" Rob really likes! (He eats the Sweet Potato fries with italian dressing.) He'll be joining us on Thursday night at my parents house.

Friday night we're going out with my family for real country food - a bonafide fish farm in Leola, Arkansas - Dorey's Catfish Resturant. This place is located in the middle of nowhere (if I remember correctly, directions include "Turn off the Paved Road..."), but is a local smash-hit. It is packed out regularly and has real South Arkansas food. They even have a pet deer. I classified it as "Ethnic Food" - celebrate your own heritage by going out to a resturant that celebrates food the way your grandma would make it.

Hold the Food Coloring

Looking for a unique party game? Try, guess the secret icing igredient! What brings the green to the party in this turtle cake? Avocado!


Avocado has many applications beyond guacamole. And if you think you don't like the chunky green stuff, think of this - it has all the funky flavor of a butter bean, the taste is so mild that it can really only contribute texture and color. Need to ice a cake golf course green? Either buy two big bottles of food dye and start squirting or try this easy recipe:

Avocado Buttercream Icing *

2 small to medium avocados - diced
2 teaspoons freshly squeeze lemon juice
1 lb sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Combine avocado and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Slowly add the sugar until completely combined. Add extract and mix well. Icing will be sticky. If it's too thick add a little milk until you get the consistency you need.

The taste is lemony and not too sweet. It's not suitable for decorating, just icing the cake. Be sure to not cut the avocados until right before you are ready to make the icing. The avocado will turn brown unless it is combined with lemon juice.

*Alton Brown, Good Eats, Food Network, as posted on www.foodtv.com

The Skinny on Fat

Fat in foods is bad right? Well not always. A few years ago the battle was between saturated and unsaturated fats, now the drum beats loudest against trans-fats, but what's what and how do you know the difference? It's easy:

Unsaturated fats are fats that are liquid at room temperature - for example olive oil is an unsaturated fat.

Saturated fats are fats that are solid at room temperature - butter is a saturated fat.

Trans-fats are unsaturated fats that have been chemically changed so that they are solid at room temperature - shortening, for example, is a trans-fat. The trans-fat you hear a lot of ire towards is partially-hydrogenated soy-bean oil - if an ingredient list of a packaged food includes this trans-fat, it means that regular vegetable oil was chemically changed to a solid before being added so that the product would have a longer shelf life. Trans-fats are a little tricky. Margarine is an unsaturated fat - because it is made with vegetable oils, but it is solid, so it is a trans-fat.

We don't have to run scared from all fats. Our bodies need some fat. I think it helps to know how they work so that you know when you can use a healthier fat (like olive oil) in place of a less healthy fat. Sometimes only butter will do to achieve the results you want. Different fats melt at different temperatures and speeds. Shortening makes for a tender cookie, but butter adds taste. Mixing the two can give you both postive attributes. When frying using different kinds of fats can affect cooking speed because some fats can get hotter than others without burning.

September 16 - 29, 2006

16 S – Spicy BBQ Chicken, Southwestern Rice Salad, Deviled Eggs
17 U – L.O. Spaghetti, Garlic Bread
18 M – Simple Unfried Chicken, Baked Beans, Carrots, Biscuits
19 T – Taco in a Pan, Tortilla Chips
20 W – church dinner
21 R – Grilled Chicken, Shells with Tomato and Basil, Carrot Sticks
22 F – Roast Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Green Peas, Biscuits
23 S – Prairie Land Pot Roast
24 U – L.O. Prairie Land Pot Roast
25 M – Chicken Fried Steak, Green Peas, Carrots
26 T – 40 Cloves and a Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans
27 W – church dinner
28 R – Creamy Chicken Curry, Basmati Rice
29 F – Crispy Onion Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans

Making most of your food from scratch is not only a money saver, it's also a calorie cutter - or it can be! When you make your own foods you control what type of fats are used, how much salt is added, etc. You also can eliminate unnecessary and potentially unhealthy preservatives many convience foods contain.

I can't seem to make the hyperlinks work this week. If you would like the recipe to any of these meals, please leave a comment and I will help you out.

Comfort Food : Salisbury Steak

My experiences with Salisbury Steak as a child were only in the school lunch room. I can't remember ever having it at home. But when Taste of Home featured it in it's "Cooking for One or Two" section, they made it look so nice, I just had to give it a try. This is a scaled down recipe and only makes enough for two people. It can easily be doubled (tripled, etc.) for more people. It's fast, easy, and comfortingly meaty.

Salisbury Steak for Two*

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 envelope brown gravy mix (divided)
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

In a bowl, whisk egg and milk. Stir in bread crumbs, 1 tbsp gravy mix, and onion. Crumble meat over mixture and mix well. Shape into two patties about 3/4 inch thick. Broil 3-4 inches from heat for 6-7 minutes on each side until meat is no longer pink and temp is 160.

Add water and mustard to remaining gravy mix, mix well and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, server over patties.

(I like using panko, which are Japanese style bread crumbs in this recipe. They give the patties a little crispyness. I buy Sunluck Panko, it's in the same section as regular bread crumbs at my grocery store.)

*Taste of Home, Reiman Publishing, December/January 2006, pg. 56.

August 26 - September 15

We’ll be out of town for the first week of September, so this plan covers the next three weeks (omitting the days we’ll be out of town).

26 S – Cheesy Kielbasa Bake/Salad
27 U – Frozen Pizza/Salad
28 M – Cantonese Beef/Rice/Carrot Sticks
29 T – Egg Noodle Lasagna/Salad
30 W – church dinner
TRIP
7 R – Frozen Pizza
8 F – Spicy BBQ Chicken/Tater Tots/Lima Beans
9 S – Spaghetti/Garlic Bread/Peas
10 U – L.O. Spaghetti
11 M – Skillet Grilled Catfish/Cole Slaw/Tater Tots
12 T – Kentucky Grilled Chicken/Broccoli/Carrots
13 W – church dinner
14 R – Salisbury Steak/Mashed Potatoes/Broccoli
15 F – Baked Taco Chicken/Black Beans/Rice

I noticed another “plus” of the meal plan this week. Since I had to think about when I would buy ingredients, I had to take into consideration I might not be interested in cooking and doing dishes the night we get back from our trip! So instead of looking forward to a dinner of cheerios with milk, we’re having a nice hot pizza!

We do sometimes go to the trouble making our own pizza, but to tell the truth, it’s not cost effective. Our store brand pizzas are very good and cost less than $4.

p.s. Some of these links are to "Subscribers Only" recipes on www.tasteofhome.com, if you want the recipe, email me and I will send it to you.

Tastes Like Chicken : Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This is my mom's recipe and it's the only chicken recipe that I've ever had that is rich and creamy enough to resemble dessert.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

4 whole chicken breasts
2 tsps salt (divided)
16 oz cream cheese
2 cups milk
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (divided)
20 oz frozen broccoli
1 small can of french fried onion rings

Cover chicken and 1 tsp salt with water and simmer until tender. Bone chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Combine cream cheese, milk, 1 tsp salt, garlic powder, and 1 cup parmesan cheese in a saucepan and cook over medium heat to make a sauce. Cook broccoli as package directs and cut into bite sized pieces.

In a 9x13 glass dish, place all broccoli on the bottom, top with chicken and onion rings. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

Want to save money on this meal? Compare the price between fresh and frozen broccoli. Depending on the time of the year, fresh may be more economical. Also you can use 2 whole chickens instead of the breasts, but cutting it up will be more labor intensive. Breasts really work better here, but buy them on the bone since boiling them will make the meat fall off on its own. This makes a big bunch of casserole, consider cutting the recipe in half if there will be 4 or less people at your dinner table.

August 12-25, 2006

12 S - Chipotle Cashew Chicken/Rice/Broccoli
13 U – Corn Dogs/Broccoli/Carrot Sticks
14 M – Maple Baked Apple Chicken (KR Fall ‘05, 25)/ Green Beans/ Biscuits
15 T – Chunky Vegetable Lasagna (BC 372)/Garlic Bread
16 W – Church Dinner
17 R – Out with Family
18 F – Steak/Baked Potatoes/Carrot Sticks
19 S – Spicy Bean Soup/Cornbread
20 U - 40 Cloves and a Chicken/Baked Potatoes/Green Beans
21 M – Perfect Potstickers/Carrots and Celery Amandine
22 T – Beef Stew/Salad
23 W – Church Dinner
24 R – Citrus Crunch Chicken (KR Winter ’06, 39)/Salad
25 F – Teriyaki Noodles/Spicy Hot Wings

Are you prepared for hurricane season? I like to buy something special for my hurricane kit - some fancy cookies I'd never normally buy for example. Being out of power and running water is bad enough - at least be prepared to have something to eat that you know you'll like. Let's just say we found out the hard way we don't like southwestern corn chowder.

In the Cookie Jar : Raspberry Swirls

Not only are these cookies delicious, but they also have the benefit of being beautiful. They take a little more work than drop cookies, but they are not difficult to make - so don't let that stop you! It's not a part of the recipe, but I drizzled them with melted chocolate.

Raspberry Swirls

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
3 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 12 ounce jar seedless raspberry jam
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and extracts, mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Divide dough in half - roll each half into a 12 in. x 9 in. rectangle. Combine jam, coconut, and pecans; spread over rectangles. Carefully roll up starting with the long end, into a jelly roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate overnight or freeze 3 hours. Cut into 1/4 in. slices, bake on greased cookie sheets for 10-12 minutes at 375 - dough should be very light brown. Cool before eating (or the filling with melt your tongue!).

If you want to drizzle on chocolate, do that after they're cool.

July 29 - August 11, 2006

Before I sat down to plan this menu I did an inventory check of my fridge and pantry. I made note of what I already have on hand - especially anything that was in danger of going bad or seemed to be becoming a fixture. If you're pinching pennies in the kitchen, food you throw away is money you are wasting. I can't afford to do that. This is also a great time to cull any items that actually are past their prime. I noticed I had some barely touched apricot preserves and aging orange marmalade. You'll see their influence in this week's meals:

29 S - Spaghetti/Salad/Garlic Bread
30 U - In-a-Hurry Curry/Salad/Bread Sticks
31 M - Perfect Potstickers/Carrot 'n' Celery Amandine
1 T - Apricot Salsa Chicken/Rice/Broccoli
2 W - Church Dinner
3 R - Curry Chicken Pot Pie
4 F - Hamburgers/French Fries
5 S - Apricot Kielbasa Slices/Egg Noodles/Broccoli
6 U - L.O. Spaghetti/Salad/Garlic Bread
7 M - Beef Stew
8 T - Mandarin Orange Chicken/Rice/Green Beans
9 W - Church Dinner
10 R - Chicken Patties/Mac & Cheese/Carrot Sticks
11 F - Bruschetta Minute Steaks (Kraft, Sum'06, pg. 57)/Salad

When I go to the grocery store, I turn on my tunnel vision. If I want to buy something, it had better be on my list or it's not going home with me. I don't buy much in bulk and I don't stockpile for the sake of stockpiling. I buy what we need and make sure we eat it. It is tempting to buy extra of things that are on sale, but if that extra goes bad before we eat it - it's not saving us any money.

The recipe for the Bruschetta Minute Steaks is from Kraft's Food & Family magazine, which is free and published quarterly. The best thing about this magazine is that it gives a recipe with options to help customize your dinner (ex. : you could have regular lasagna or Mexican lasagna) - usually they give 4 different plans. You can subscribe with this link - do it! It's FREE!

Tastes Like Chicken : Crispy Onion Chicken

Let's face it - chicken is the white copy paper of the culinary world. But it's cheap and I don't think I've ever met anyone with a chicken allergy. Plain, unseasoned chicken is not particularly appetizing, fortunately there is so much you can do with chicken that you could eat it almost everyday. In fact, I think I know some people who do!

I like this SUPER EASY recipe.

Crispy Onion Chicken*

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 6oz. can of french fried onion rings (YUM!)

In a shallow bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. Dip chicken in mixture then coat with onions. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes (or til the juices run clear).

That's it! Since I currently have no need for 4 servings of chicken, I halved the recipe and used the leftover onion rings for baked potato toppings as a side dish (oh yeah, I also snacked on a few while I cooked...)

By the way, I have a personal aversion to Worstershire sauce, so I routinely replace it with Dale's Steak Sauce or soy sauce in recipes.

*Taste of Home 2004 Annual Recipes, edited by Jean Steiner. Reiman Media Group, Greendale, WI, 2003. Pg. 81.

New Cookbook!

I already have more cookbooks than anyone needs, but I'll gladly make room on my shelf for this one. My parents sent me this cookbook as a souviner from their recent trip to Mansfield, Missouri, home of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association. The book is The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook and includes many recipes that Laura actually cooked all updated for those of us who don't have a wood burning stove in the kitchen!

For the Little House buff, the cookbook is also full of beautiful photographs from the Mansfield home and various items from Laura's home. Evidentally although she is known worldwide as a popular children's writer, in Mansfield she was known as a great cook. I can't wait to try my hand at her famous gingerbread.

July 15-28, 2006

You might notice that some of these dinners are also on my last meal plan, we ended up eating alternate choices or having more left overs than I expected. I push meals ahead all the time. This week is heavy on condiments I may or may not have on hand. Because I pinched and used a good part of last time's budget on meat, I can restock some of the other ingredients and still stay within the budget.

15 S - Crispy Onion Chicken/Baked Potatoes/Green Beans
16 U - Pizza (Digiorno)/Carrot Sticks
17 M - Spicy BBQ Chicken/Broccoli/Corn
18 T - Meat Loaf for Three (PIE 38)/Tater Tots/Carrot Sticks
19 W - Church Dinner
20 R - Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters/Broccoli/Carrot Sticks
21 F - Sweetheart Steak/Baked Potatoes/Green Beans
22 S - Super Duper Chili/Corn Muffins, Salad
23 U - Chili Dogs/Salad
24 M - Hot Chicken Salad/Broccoli/Carrot Sticks
25 T - Pork Chops with Corn Bread Stuffing (BC 260)/Salad/Broccoli
26 W - Church Dinner
27 R - Sweetheart Chicken (using sauce from 21 F)/Salad/Baked Potatoes
28 F - Chicken Patties/Maccaroni & Cheese/Carrot Sticks

You don't have to spend outrageous amounts of money to have good dinners at home. Just be willing to put in a little time in food preparation. Unprocessed foods are cheap! I rarely spend more than 1/2 hour in food preparation (I don't count the time stuff bakes). I save time by freezing meats in the amounts I will use them.

In the Cookie Jar : Snickerdoodles

Not unlike most Americans, I have a sweet tooth. But when it strikes, I usually can't jump into the car and head for the ice cream shop. Instead I head to the kitchen to assess what I have in my pantry and thumb through my cookbooks to see what yummy treat I can create. Although I usually gravitate towards chocolate, I like these soft cookies because I always have all the ingredients on hand. Plus they make my house smell wonderful.

Snickerdoodles are similar to sugar cookies, but the cookie is rolled in cinnamon and sugar before being baked. The result is that as the cookie spreads out the cinnamon makes a crackly brown and white surface. The smell is strongly cinnamon and the outside is crunchy, but inside the cookie is incredibly soft. You can substitue the butter for margarine and save some fat, but you'll sacrifice the smooth butter taste. Like most cookie recipes, this one makes 4-5 dozen, so if you don't have a houseful of guests or kids, you can easily half the recipe or freeze half of the dough for another sweet tooth attack.

Snickerdoodles*

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 400 deg. In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, salt; mix well.

2. In small bowl, combing 2 tbsp sugar with cinnamon. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes, Immediately remove to cooling racks.

I used a 1 inch spring loaded scoop and it made perfectly sized balls. Also I recommend chilling your baking sheet (with dough on it) in the freezer for a couple of minutes to keep the dough from spreading too much in the oven.

No cream of tartar? Cream of tartar helps stabilize egg whites and give them a little extra puff. Usually in baked goods the rule is don't leave ingredients out ever ever ever. But, I didn't have any and added a little baking powder instead (about 1/2 tsp.) . I also beat my eggs until they were light and fluffy before adding them to the mix. You can beat them with a fork or use a mixer for about half a minute.

*Pillsbury Complete Cookbook, The Pillsbury Company. Clarkson Potter Publisher, New York, 2000. Pg. 416.

July 1 - 14, 2006

S 1 - L.O. Spaghetti/Garlic Bread/Salad
U 2 - L.O. Roast Pork and Rice/Peas/Carrots
M 3 - Mushroom Chicken & Yellow Rice/Green Beans
T 4 - Turkey Soup with Egg Noodles (may vary for holiday)
W 5 - Church Dinner
R 6 - Meat Loaf (PIE 38)/Tater Tots/Carrots
F 7 - Spicy BBQ Chicken (TOH, 6/06 pg.8)/Grilled Corn/Broccoli
S 8 - Lasagna (PIE 38)/Salad
U 9 - L.O. Lasagna/Salad
M 10 - Grilled Chicken Quarters/Broccoli/Carrots
T 11 - Italian Pepper Steak /Egg Noodles
W 12 - Church Dinner
R 13 - Crispy Onion Chicken (TOH 8/03 pg.29)/Baked Potatoes/Green Beans
F 14 - Roast Turkey Legs/Stuffing/Green Beans/Sweet Potatoes

To save money I'm using beef stew meat in the Pepper Steak. Also, our meat comes in a bulk economy order (see my blog about House of Meat)- so I don't get to choose which types of meat I get for all the meals. I plan around what's in the order.