So though this may be simple, there are many ways to make macaroni and cheese. I have a harder more old-fashioned, like my grandmother makes recipe for mac and cheese too that I will put up sometime later! This is for a quick side!
Money Savers:
So... since it is Tuesday night, anything that I put up from Publix will be over in about an hour when the close and the sales change for this next Publix week. So... it is probably about time for them to run the sale again for Kraft cheese 2/$4 and that is a great deal! Other than that, get the noodles on sale :)
INGREDIENTS:
about 1/4 a cup milk
1 package of shredded cheese (4 cups)
A package of elbow noodles
2 tbs butter
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cook the noodles as instuctioned on the box. Drain.
2. Melt the butter in the same pot as you cooked the noodles on a low heat setting.
3. Return the noodles to the pan. (keep on low/medium setting)
4. Add the cheese and about half the milk.
5. Stir until cheese melts.
**You kinda have to judge how cheesy you like it! You could see the pulled melted cheese in what I made tonight. But do it how you like. If you like it really creamy, add a little more milk.
REMEMBER: a little milk goes a long way!!! You don't need that much! If you add too much, you just end up with cheesy noodle soup!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Fiesta Salad
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 bunch green spring onions, chopped
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
lime juice (about two or three limes)
chopped cilantro (handful)!
Option: Add a little bit of watercress if desired for a little more healthy eating!
This sounds delicious and Linda noted it goes great with anything grilled! I can't wait to try it!
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 bunch green spring onions, chopped
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
lime juice (about two or three limes)
chopped cilantro (handful)!
Option: Add a little bit of watercress if desired for a little more healthy eating!
This sounds delicious and Linda noted it goes great with anything grilled! I can't wait to try it!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
So I have slacked this week... We ordered dominos last night. I feel like I cooked a good bit this week but some of it was recipes that are already up here. Oh, and my mother-in-laws chili recipe which I don't think will be posted here. Some recipes stay in the family :) If you come visit sometime, I'll make the chili. It does make for some great leftover chili-cheese dogs.
Thursday night, we made oven fried chicken tenders. Walt has been wanting some kind of fried chicken and this is the recipe that we decided to go with (of course, it is from my cookbook I got for Christmas). To go along with it, I had homemade french fries. This was a little bit of an experiment because I had never done them before and decided to just go for it without any kind of recipe (they turned out well and were really easy).
Money Savers:
Get the Crushed Cornflakes when they go BOGO at Publix! Also, you can use a Kellogg's manufacturer's coupon from the paper. Cereal coupons come all the time for different values.
The same goes for the butter! BOGO on Land of the Lakes was last week. When this comes around use the manufacturer's coupon too and stack up!
For clean up afterward, check out how you can get free dish washing soap from polkadotpantry.com. This site is $5.99 a month but you save a ton!! They give you the free, better than free, and ridiculously cheap items at stores in your area (target, walmart, walgreens, publix, kroger, riteaid, etc). You don't have to get the paper to get the deal. You can get coupons online or buy them in bulk! Check it out!
INGREDIENTS for the Oven Fried Chicken Tenders:
1 egg, beaten
3 tbs milk
1 1/4 cups crushed cornflakes or other rich round cracker (approximately 35)
**I used Ritz crackers and they worked really well. Make sure you get plenty of the crackers crushed. I think I will try it next time with the cornflakes for a little crunchier chicken. Very good with Ritz.
1 tsp crushed, dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbs butter (melted)
3 chicken breasts cut in strips ** I got about 3 strips out of each chicken breast. Just depends on how big you want the strips to be.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine the beaten egg and milk in a bowl.
2. Combine the cornflakes, salt, pepper, thyme, and paprika in a separate bowl. Stir in the melted butter.
3. Dip the chicken in the milk mixture and then coat with the flake mixture.
4. Place on cookie sheet in a single layer.
5. Bake, uncovered at 400 F for 10-12 minutes or until done.
**Do not turn tenders while baking!
INGREDIENTS for Homemade French Fries:
approximately 4 medium potatoes, peeled
cooking oil **I used canola oil. And you only need enough cover the bottom of the skillet about 1/4 inch thick.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut the potatoes into rectangular shapes. (approx 4-5 inches long and 1/4-1/3 inch thick)
**Best way I have found to do this is to make a large rectangle out of each potato by cutting a little straight off each long side. You can still cut what you took off to make it kinda rectangular and cook well.
2. Heat the oil on the stove in a medium skillet for about 5 minutes or until looks hot. You have to get to know your stove a little, but for mine it worked best somewhere between medium and medium-high.
**You want it hot enough to brown the outside but cool enough to do it slowly so the inside is cooked through.
3. Place a handful of potatoes in the oil, carefully. Allow them to cook about 3-4 minutes. Then flip each potato to the other side. Allow that side to cook 3-4 minutes as well.
**From here out, you have to kinda eye it. They should reach a golden brown. If you like them crunchy, let them sit a little longer. If you like them softer, turn the heat down some more and let them just cook longer!
4. Take off the skillet and put on a paper towel or something to absorb the extra grease. You can eat them as is, OR throw some seasoned salt on top! That's what we did :)
Enjoy!
ps. This is a pretty quick meal. You can have it ready in a little over 20 minutes.
Also, I got a tip to be careful with the salt! You might wanna measure it out to make sure it's not too much! :)
Thursday night, we made oven fried chicken tenders. Walt has been wanting some kind of fried chicken and this is the recipe that we decided to go with (of course, it is from my cookbook I got for Christmas). To go along with it, I had homemade french fries. This was a little bit of an experiment because I had never done them before and decided to just go for it without any kind of recipe (they turned out well and were really easy).
Money Savers:
Get the Crushed Cornflakes when they go BOGO at Publix! Also, you can use a Kellogg's manufacturer's coupon from the paper. Cereal coupons come all the time for different values.
The same goes for the butter! BOGO on Land of the Lakes was last week. When this comes around use the manufacturer's coupon too and stack up!
For clean up afterward, check out how you can get free dish washing soap from polkadotpantry.com. This site is $5.99 a month but you save a ton!! They give you the free, better than free, and ridiculously cheap items at stores in your area (target, walmart, walgreens, publix, kroger, riteaid, etc). You don't have to get the paper to get the deal. You can get coupons online or buy them in bulk! Check it out!
INGREDIENTS for the Oven Fried Chicken Tenders:
1 egg, beaten
3 tbs milk
1 1/4 cups crushed cornflakes or other rich round cracker (approximately 35)
**I used Ritz crackers and they worked really well. Make sure you get plenty of the crackers crushed. I think I will try it next time with the cornflakes for a little crunchier chicken. Very good with Ritz.
1 tsp crushed, dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbs butter (melted)
3 chicken breasts cut in strips ** I got about 3 strips out of each chicken breast. Just depends on how big you want the strips to be.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine the beaten egg and milk in a bowl.
2. Combine the cornflakes, salt, pepper, thyme, and paprika in a separate bowl. Stir in the melted butter.
3. Dip the chicken in the milk mixture and then coat with the flake mixture.
4. Place on cookie sheet in a single layer.
5. Bake, uncovered at 400 F for 10-12 minutes or until done.
**Do not turn tenders while baking!
INGREDIENTS for Homemade French Fries:
approximately 4 medium potatoes, peeled
cooking oil **I used canola oil. And you only need enough cover the bottom of the skillet about 1/4 inch thick.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut the potatoes into rectangular shapes. (approx 4-5 inches long and 1/4-1/3 inch thick)
**Best way I have found to do this is to make a large rectangle out of each potato by cutting a little straight off each long side. You can still cut what you took off to make it kinda rectangular and cook well.
2. Heat the oil on the stove in a medium skillet for about 5 minutes or until looks hot. You have to get to know your stove a little, but for mine it worked best somewhere between medium and medium-high.
**You want it hot enough to brown the outside but cool enough to do it slowly so the inside is cooked through.
3. Place a handful of potatoes in the oil, carefully. Allow them to cook about 3-4 minutes. Then flip each potato to the other side. Allow that side to cook 3-4 minutes as well.
**From here out, you have to kinda eye it. They should reach a golden brown. If you like them crunchy, let them sit a little longer. If you like them softer, turn the heat down some more and let them just cook longer!
4. Take off the skillet and put on a paper towel or something to absorb the extra grease. You can eat them as is, OR throw some seasoned salt on top! That's what we did :)
Enjoy!
ps. This is a pretty quick meal. You can have it ready in a little over 20 minutes.
Also, I got a tip to be careful with the salt! You might wanna measure it out to make sure it's not too much! :)
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tonight we are doing a recipe that gets reserved for special occasions. Cancel the reservations! By far, this is the best recipe we make! It's called "Feta Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breasts."
Money Savers:
Idaho Potatoes $2.99/ 5 lbs (save $1)
Green Giant canned green beans as low as $.40 a can!!! And it can be lower if you buy some different things in bulk!!! Check out polkadotpantry.com for details and more great deals through:
http://www.polkadotpantry.com/?affid=464&affref=other
INGREDIENTS:
8 tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbs dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
crumbled feta (one container)
4 slices of bacon, fried and drained
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and pour oil mixture over chicken.
4. Stuff each chicken breast with feta and one slice of bacon. Secure open sides with toothpicks.
**There are two ways to do this. I typically use thin chicken and fold it in half. If you have thicker chicken and skill, you can cut slits in the actual chicken. I tend to be able to get more feta and bacon in every bite with it folded!
5. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.
I am making mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls to go with this tonight! (hence the money saver potatoes and green beans) Have a great Valentine's Day! :-*
Money Savers:
Idaho Potatoes $2.99/ 5 lbs (save $1)
Green Giant canned green beans as low as $.40 a can!!! And it can be lower if you buy some different things in bulk!!! Check out polkadotpantry.com for details and more great deals through:
http://www.polkadotpantry.com/?affid=464&affref=other
INGREDIENTS:
8 tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbs dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
crumbled feta (one container)
4 slices of bacon, fried and drained
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and pour oil mixture over chicken.
4. Stuff each chicken breast with feta and one slice of bacon. Secure open sides with toothpicks.
**There are two ways to do this. I typically use thin chicken and fold it in half. If you have thicker chicken and skill, you can cut slits in the actual chicken. I tend to be able to get more feta and bacon in every bite with it folded!
5. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.
I am making mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls to go with this tonight! (hence the money saver potatoes and green beans) Have a great Valentine's Day! :-*
Sunday, February 13, 2011
I wasn't sure I was going to get a blog up this weekend between Star Wars watching, Catan playing, and Young couples dinner with church. However just before the deadline, I thought I would put something up. One of my favorite parts of the weekend is getting to make pancakes or waffles on Saturday morning! So I thought I would share the buttermilk pancake recipe. They are delicious!!!
Money Savers:
So... it's basic again and kinda hard to get good deals on! But, there is a coupon in walgreen's ad for $2.29 for a 4 lb bag of domino sugar! That's a pretty good price!
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/4 salt
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (if you want regular, just use regular milk and omit the baking soda. Increase the baking powder to 1 tsp)
3 tbs cooking oil (I just used vegetable oil)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt.
2. In another bowl, slightly beat the egg. Add the buttermilk and oil.
3. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir together until just moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy). If desired you can stir in a fruit! (The less you can stir the fluffier the pancakes!)
4. Pour about 1/4 a cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Spread the batter if necessary (I did. It made thick pancakes anyway! This helped keep them from being too thick.)
5. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Turn to second side when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm
**Mine didn't really bubbly because they were thick! So make sure that you watch it closely!
I hope you enjoy the pancake as much as I do on the weekends! :)
Money Savers:
So... it's basic again and kinda hard to get good deals on! But, there is a coupon in walgreen's ad for $2.29 for a 4 lb bag of domino sugar! That's a pretty good price!
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/4 salt
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (if you want regular, just use regular milk and omit the baking soda. Increase the baking powder to 1 tsp)
3 tbs cooking oil (I just used vegetable oil)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt.
2. In another bowl, slightly beat the egg. Add the buttermilk and oil.
3. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir together until just moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy). If desired you can stir in a fruit! (The less you can stir the fluffier the pancakes!)
4. Pour about 1/4 a cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Spread the batter if necessary (I did. It made thick pancakes anyway! This helped keep them from being too thick.)
5. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Turn to second side when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm
**Mine didn't really bubbly because they were thick! So make sure that you watch it closely!
I hope you enjoy the pancake as much as I do on the weekends! :)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I know it has been a few days. It is looking like the optimistic idea of putting up a recipe everyday may not happen. We will shoot for about every other day instead! (Remember, if you have a great recipe send it to me!!! Facebook or email!) Yesterday for dinner, I made medallions of pork with apples. It is another recipe from the cookbook Walt got for me. It also happens to be in the 20-minute section so it was a quick dinner!
Money Savers:
There is always some kinda of apple on sale at Publix. You will see what I say about the apples in this recipe but I think a sweet apple will work best!
INGREDIENTS:
1-lb pork tenderloin (I bought mine already cut because it was the better price and more convenient!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used my garlic press)
2 tbs olive oil or butter (I used the butter :) For healthly recipes, go with the olive oil)
20-ounce can sliced apples, drained
**soo... about the apples. I got just regular apples in water. No sugar added or anything. I think this was the part of the recipe that was lacking. I would either do fresh apples and let there be a little bit of a crunch to them. You also could get canned apples with sugar. I added sugar to the recipe when I put in the apples (probably like 1/4-1/2 cup).
2 tsp snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed (I used the dried from my spice rack)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut the pork crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. In a 12 inch skillet cook the garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat for 15 seconds. (I cooked it longer than that. Probably a minute or two.) Carefully place pork in the hot oil. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink in the center. (Mine took a lot longer than that... probably like 4-6 minutes on each side).
2. Add apples and thyme to skillet. Cook covered for 1 minutes or until apples are heated through. (I cooked it a good bit longer than this too. I guess you could say that mine wasn't really 20 minutes).
Good luck! Let me know if you try it and if you did anything differently! It was good enough to give it a shot, but I definitely think I will do the fresh apples next time and maybe add a little sugar :)
Money Savers:
There is always some kinda of apple on sale at Publix. You will see what I say about the apples in this recipe but I think a sweet apple will work best!
INGREDIENTS:
1-lb pork tenderloin (I bought mine already cut because it was the better price and more convenient!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used my garlic press)
2 tbs olive oil or butter (I used the butter :) For healthly recipes, go with the olive oil)
20-ounce can sliced apples, drained
**soo... about the apples. I got just regular apples in water. No sugar added or anything. I think this was the part of the recipe that was lacking. I would either do fresh apples and let there be a little bit of a crunch to them. You also could get canned apples with sugar. I added sugar to the recipe when I put in the apples (probably like 1/4-1/2 cup).
2 tsp snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed (I used the dried from my spice rack)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut the pork crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. In a 12 inch skillet cook the garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat for 15 seconds. (I cooked it longer than that. Probably a minute or two.) Carefully place pork in the hot oil. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink in the center. (Mine took a lot longer than that... probably like 4-6 minutes on each side).
2. Add apples and thyme to skillet. Cook covered for 1 minutes or until apples are heated through. (I cooked it a good bit longer than this too. I guess you could say that mine wasn't really 20 minutes).
Good luck! Let me know if you try it and if you did anything differently! It was good enough to give it a shot, but I definitely think I will do the fresh apples next time and maybe add a little sugar :)
Monday, February 7, 2011
So... I didn't get a post up this morning. But to my defense, I am a little sick. Thankfully, I am starting to feel better. However, I did still manage to get dinner in the crock pot (and thank goodness it was a crock pot recipe today!). I didn't want to post it before we tried it in case it wasn't good! This is another recipe from the cookbook that Walt got me for Christmas :). SUPER EASY! I had a hard time finding some of the ingredients so I just improvised and I think it worked out!
Money Savers:
It calls for cooking oil. I used vegetable oil but if you want you could use olive oil. $3 at Publix! (BOGO)
The meat!--I don't think it was necessarily on sale but it wasn't expensive! If my memory serves me right, it was about $4 for the pound!
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb boneless beef round steak (about 3/4 to 1 inch thick)
salt
black pepper
1 tbs cooking oil
14.5 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (undrained)
3 tbs Italian-style tomato paste (you can get a really small can)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
16 oz package of frozen pepper stir-fry vegetables (yellow, green, and red sweet peppers with onion)
**if you can't find Italian-style stewed tomatoes and tomato paste you can use 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed.
I was unable to find it. I actually used Mexican-style stewed tomatoes because I had them already and just regular tomato paste. I didn't use Italian seasoning either. So if you don't have it, don't sweat it!
**can't find the stir-fly veggies?
Me either! And I looked... I found frozen green bell peppers and used just them. Looking back, I think I will spend the little bit of extra money and just buy a fresh green and a fresh red pepper. The frozen bell pepper was diced a little small for what I would have liked. It will pair really well with the peppers!
**I added sugar... I know that might sound a little strange. I didn't add a lot but because I didn't have the sweetness from the yellow or sweet red pepper, I thought that I would add in a little of my own. It was probably just a little more than a tsp. I don't know if it made a big difference, but it tasted good!
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut the meat into four pieces and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown the meat on both sides in hot oil. Transfer to 3 1/2 - 4 qrt slow cooker (aka crock pot).
**Make sure you go with the 1 tbs oil... I just poured some in there and did WAY too much! It made quite a mess and you should have seen me this morning at 6 am dancing around the hot oil... Word to the wise.
**I cooked in on the stove on about medium to medium high. My stove gets a little hotter than most (I think?) so somewhere in that range. You might wanna start at medium and see how quickly it browns it!
2. In a bowl, stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour this mix over the meat in the crock pot. Top with the frozen veggies!
3. Now, you can sit back and relax! :) If you have time to let it cook 10-12 hours, set it on low. Otherwise you can set it on high for 5-6 hours! The longer the better in my book! It will be more tender!
The review:
It was definitely good! Like I said, I think I will get the fresh bell peppers next time and maybe add them in half way so they don't get too soggy. I like a little crunch! The meat was so tender it will fall apart when you try to get it out of the crock pot! We aren't big tomato people, so we didn't eat the stewed tomatoes but they were great flavoring!
I served it on top of rice and it was GREAT! I also made green beans. In attempts to be healthy, we don't eat a lot of bread. However, some dinner rolls would be perfect!
Money Savers:
It calls for cooking oil. I used vegetable oil but if you want you could use olive oil. $3 at Publix! (BOGO)
The meat!--I don't think it was necessarily on sale but it wasn't expensive! If my memory serves me right, it was about $4 for the pound!
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb boneless beef round steak (about 3/4 to 1 inch thick)
salt
black pepper
1 tbs cooking oil
14.5 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (undrained)
3 tbs Italian-style tomato paste (you can get a really small can)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
16 oz package of frozen pepper stir-fry vegetables (yellow, green, and red sweet peppers with onion)
**if you can't find Italian-style stewed tomatoes and tomato paste you can use 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed.
I was unable to find it. I actually used Mexican-style stewed tomatoes because I had them already and just regular tomato paste. I didn't use Italian seasoning either. So if you don't have it, don't sweat it!
**can't find the stir-fly veggies?
Me either! And I looked... I found frozen green bell peppers and used just them. Looking back, I think I will spend the little bit of extra money and just buy a fresh green and a fresh red pepper. The frozen bell pepper was diced a little small for what I would have liked. It will pair really well with the peppers!
**I added sugar... I know that might sound a little strange. I didn't add a lot but because I didn't have the sweetness from the yellow or sweet red pepper, I thought that I would add in a little of my own. It was probably just a little more than a tsp. I don't know if it made a big difference, but it tasted good!
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut the meat into four pieces and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown the meat on both sides in hot oil. Transfer to 3 1/2 - 4 qrt slow cooker (aka crock pot).
**Make sure you go with the 1 tbs oil... I just poured some in there and did WAY too much! It made quite a mess and you should have seen me this morning at 6 am dancing around the hot oil... Word to the wise.
**I cooked in on the stove on about medium to medium high. My stove gets a little hotter than most (I think?) so somewhere in that range. You might wanna start at medium and see how quickly it browns it!
2. In a bowl, stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour this mix over the meat in the crock pot. Top with the frozen veggies!
3. Now, you can sit back and relax! :) If you have time to let it cook 10-12 hours, set it on low. Otherwise you can set it on high for 5-6 hours! The longer the better in my book! It will be more tender!
The review:
It was definitely good! Like I said, I think I will get the fresh bell peppers next time and maybe add them in half way so they don't get too soggy. I like a little crunch! The meat was so tender it will fall apart when you try to get it out of the crock pot! We aren't big tomato people, so we didn't eat the stewed tomatoes but they were great flavoring!
I served it on top of rice and it was GREAT! I also made green beans. In attempts to be healthy, we don't eat a lot of bread. However, some dinner rolls would be perfect!