I guess one of the reasons my Mom's food was so delicious was because she always kept things simple....
One of the most popular items on our family's Thanksgiving menu is the Sweet Potato Casserole. My sister has to make 2 of them just to have enough! It's is delicious, cheap, and oh, so easy to make!
No rise Beer Bread...Super Easy!
Crusty no-knead Bread Yummy!
So, I made 2 loaves of this, and 2 loaves of Beer Bread for the annual Halloween Party and they ate all of it! The first time I made it, I used self rising flour by mistake - epic fail! You have to use all purpose or bread flour.
Here is the recipe:
Here is the recipe:
Thanksgiving 3 week checklist
Don't panic, but 3 weeks from today, most of you will be putting Thanksgiving dinner on the table :)
Here are some things you should be looking for sales on that you can buy ahead of time:
- Turkey
- Cheese
- Butter
- Ham
- Baking Supplies (Sugar, Flour)
- Day old bread you can freeze for stuffing
- Plastic Plates/Cups
- Soda
- Canned soup for casseroles
- Frozen Pie Crust
- Frozen Roll Dough
- Nuts
- Table Decorations
Make your guest list and write out your full menu. If your guests are pitching in by bringing some of the food, then you can just cross those items off your master shopping list.
Now is also a good time to start your deep cleaning. It will make things much easier when things start getting crazy!
I would love to hear your ideas and recipes. You can leave them in the comments box below.
Mom's Super Easy Chili
Homemade Chili is probably the 1st thing Mom taught me to cook. Most of her recipes were quite simple...When you are feeding 11 people every day, you have to be able to stretch those dollars and also save time. I made this meal for my family for a little over six dollars. I know there are tons of Chili recipes out there with all kinds of different ingredients and types of meat, but this recipe has always been a real crowd pleaser, and I always get compliments!
I also made the yummy beer bread which set me back a little over a dollar! I will be posting this recipe up too!
I also made the yummy beer bread which set me back a little over a dollar! I will be posting this recipe up too!
Chili:
Prep time - 5 minutes
Cook time - 30 to 45 minutes
1 Lb. Ground Beef
2 - 15 oz. cans tomatoes
(I use the diced, but you can get the whole tomatoes and put them in the blender or use a stick blender right in the can)
2 - 15 oz. cans of chili beans
1 small onion
Cumin, Cilantro, Salt, Pepper
Brown your ground beef. Chop the onion, add to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and beans. Season to your taste with Cumin, Cilantro, Salt & Pepper (probably about a teaspoon of each to start). Simmer for about 30 Minutes.
I bought the ground beef in the 3 lb. chub and cut it into 3/1 lb. hunks and froze the other 2, so 2.66 for the meat. My local market had all of their canned goods on sale for .68, so I stocked up on those and used 4 of them - 2.72. I got 6 onions for .99 on the produce managers special rack and used 1 - .17. The bread cost me about 1.29 and we used 1/2 of it, so - .65. Total for meal - $6.20 and I have leftovers.
Shirley's Famous Potato Salad
When my family does Thanksgiving, there are 5 phases of eating...Appetizers, main course, dessert, sandwiches, then more dessert. It truly is an eating marathon!
The sandwich course would not be complete without my Mom's famous potato salad. The recipe is so simple that it really still surprises me that people say it's "The best potato salad they have ever eaten". The photographer from my grandson's 1st Birthday party even mentioned it in her blog:
" I absolutely LOVED all of the decorations, and the food was fabulous ... from "Donald & Daisy's Delicious Desserts" to "Hot-Diggity Bar-B Dogs" & "Pluto's Pizza"... and the best potato salad I have ever had ... hands down!"
Here is the post from LIFEShots Photography's Blog
Ok, so back to the recipe...here it is:
5 Lbs. Red Potatoes
1 Dozen Eggs
1 Small Onion
1 Jar Mayo
Salt & Pepper
Boil the potatoes (whole) until firm-tender (you don’t want them to overcook, or they will get mushy). Remove from pot to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to cool. Hard boil the eggs. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and dice into around ½ in. cubes. Peel the eggs and chop them up into the same bowl. Chop the onion finely and add to bowl. Add salt & pepper to your personal taste. Add the entire jar of Mayo in and mix it up with your freshly washed hands. Refrigerate.
Note: Sometimes I will have to add a little extra mayo.
The sandwich course would not be complete without my Mom's famous potato salad. The recipe is so simple that it really still surprises me that people say it's "The best potato salad they have ever eaten". The photographer from my grandson's 1st Birthday party even mentioned it in her blog:
" I absolutely LOVED all of the decorations, and the food was fabulous ... from "Donald & Daisy's Delicious Desserts" to "Hot-Diggity Bar-B Dogs" & "Pluto's Pizza"... and the best potato salad I have ever had ... hands down!"
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| Stephanie (LIFEShots Photography) did a great job including the photo of the potato salad above. |
Here is the post from LIFEShots Photography's Blog
Ok, so back to the recipe...here it is:
5 Lbs. Red Potatoes
1 Dozen Eggs
1 Small Onion
1 Jar Mayo
Salt & Pepper
Boil the potatoes (whole) until firm-tender (you don’t want them to overcook, or they will get mushy). Remove from pot to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to cool. Hard boil the eggs. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and dice into around ½ in. cubes. Peel the eggs and chop them up into the same bowl. Chop the onion finely and add to bowl. Add salt & pepper to your personal taste. Add the entire jar of Mayo in and mix it up with your freshly washed hands. Refrigerate.
Note: Sometimes I will have to add a little extra mayo.
Ball Gravy
Well, enough about me, let's talk cranberries shall we? One of the most popular staples at Thanksgiving dinner has to be the cranberries. Although I couldn't get enough of them as a child, I am not a big fan, but the people who DO like them, though, REALLY like them, so I make them :)
Some prefer the jellied kind, you know the ones that come in a can with the handy cutting marks down the side...
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| Photo provided by Flickr user busbeytheelder |
I will have to say, though, my favorite version of Cranberries has to be my Friend Terri A.'s Portofino Cranberry and Jell-o mold. It is so delicious, but unfortunately I don't have a photo, so you will just have to take my word for it! Here is the recipe:
Portofino Cranberry and Jello Mold
Ingredients:
2- 3 oz Packages Raspberry Jello
1 ¼ Cup Boiling Water
1 Can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple, undrained
1 Can 1# Whole Cranberry Sauce
¾ Cup Port Wine
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
8 oz. Package Cream Cheese
1 Cup Sour Cream
Directions:
1. Dissolve jello in boiling water
2. Stir in pineapple, cranberry sauce and wine
3. Chill until slightly thickened
4. Fold in nuts and turn into a 9X13 Pyrex. Chill until firm
5. Beat softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
6. Spread over set Jello mold and chill
Cut in squares and serve.
Thanks Terri!
If you have any recipes to share, just click on the "Thanksgiving Recipes" tab at the top and put it in the "Comments"
Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks from now until Turkey Day!
Buffalo Chicken Sammies
Monday I shared my White Chicken Chili meal. I saved one of the boiled Chicken Breasts to make these fun and delicious Buffalo Chicken "Sammies". Prep time - 10 Minutes Cook time - 20 to 25 minutes
I got the idea a few weeks back when I had unexpected guests. I grabbed some leftover chicken, cream cheese, bleu cheese salad dressing and some biscuits that I had in the fridge. This time I added shredded cheese and used the bigger "Grands" biscuits that I got on sale for 1.00.
Mix 4 oz. softened cream cheese, 4 oz. Bleu Cheese salad dressing, 4 oz. shredded cheese, and some hot sauce according to your taste.
Chop up your chicken breast meat and fold into the cheese mixture. I used the meat from 1 Chicken Breast (Bone-in) Then, spoon it onto flattened out biscuits like this:
I got the idea a few weeks back when I had unexpected guests. I grabbed some leftover chicken, cream cheese, bleu cheese salad dressing and some biscuits that I had in the fridge. This time I added shredded cheese and used the bigger "Grands" biscuits that I got on sale for 1.00.
Mix 4 oz. softened cream cheese, 4 oz. Bleu Cheese salad dressing, 4 oz. shredded cheese, and some hot sauce according to your taste.
Chop up your chicken breast meat and fold into the cheese mixture. I used the meat from 1 Chicken Breast (Bone-in) Then, spoon it onto flattened out biscuits like this:
pick up each biscuit by the edge of the dough and fold it over like a taco, making sure to tuck the filling inside, and then return it to the cookie sheet. (It's not as easy if you try to do this while it is on the pan)
Take a fork and go around the edges to seal.
Bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes or until nice and golden brown. Serve with Bleu Cheese, hot sauce and whatever else you like!
I served these with leftover White Chili...they cost me around 3.00 to make 8 of these. They are bigger than "Hot Pockets"...2 per person is pretty filling.
Thanksgiving Pre-Planning Guide
Thanksgiving is just 4 weeks away! Can you believe it? Since we are only in the planning stage, I felt it appropriate to start the series off with these tips:
Whether you are an amateur or a seasoned professional, planning and preparing a Thanksgiving feast is not as difficult as it sounds. Most of the foods you will prepare are similar to any other meal. The only difference is you will be doing it on a larger scale. When you have cooked as long as I have, you get a feel for how much food to make. Sometimes, I refer to a little cookbook I purchased years ago at my daughters school. In the back of the book it lists quantities to feed 100 people. I just do a little math according to how many I will be feeding.
Take a deep breath and follow these simple guidelines. You will be surprised at how easy it will be to produce a delicious meal for your family this Thanksgiving.
Follow me to Thanksgiving Dinner!
If you are not already following my blog, you may want to...starting tomorrow, I will be putting up all of my best Thanksgiving recipes & tips, along with time and money saving tricks. It's just a little more than 4 weeks away! Whether you are a seasoned professional or a first-timer, I am sure to have something for you. Just click the button in the left hand column, or subscribe to my feed.
The article above was written in the local paper about our Family's Thanksgiving dinner. That's my Mom...I learned from the best, and I have been cooking a full-blown Thanksgiving feast by myself for the past 26 years, using traditional family recipes along with others I have picked up along the way.
The article above was written in the local paper about our Family's Thanksgiving dinner. That's my Mom...I learned from the best, and I have been cooking a full-blown Thanksgiving feast by myself for the past 26 years, using traditional family recipes along with others I have picked up along the way.
Where's the Beef? Another yummy 6 dollar meal!
Gone are the days when we used ground beef to stretch our food dollars...It's almost cheaper to buy steak!
One of my favorite go-to meals for autumn is a big pot of homemade chili, but these days it's not very budget friendly, so I decided to make white chili using chicken instead. My local market had chicken breast on sale for .99 a lb. (one third the cost of ground beef). I got a 3 lb package for 3.21, and used 2 lbs. for the chili. They also had their canned beans on sale for .68 a can.
I asked my friend for her white chili recipe. It called for 2 cans of chicken broth, but I decided to use the stock from boiling the chicken with some bullion added instead. It tastes the same at a fraction of the cost. A jar of 25 bullion cubes costs 1.99, I used 4, so around .32 compared to 3.00 for 2 cans of chicken broth. NOTE: I also used more than 28 oz. of liquid because I thought it was too thick, so another benefit of not using the canned broth.
Last, but not least, I bought a loaf of pre-sliced french bread that was marked down to .78, and used half of it and froze the other half to use for another meal.
$2.14, for the chicken, 2.72 for the beans, .32 for the bullion, .33 for the onion, and .39 for the bread. Total for the meal $5.90, I fed my family of 3, plus my daughter had a friend for dinner, and I have half of it left over. (I made a double batch)
Here is the recipe for a double batch:
2 Tbsp. Olive oil (more or less...I used a little more. I just eyeballed it. You need enough to saute the onions)
2 small onions
6 Tbsp. flour
4 tsp. Cumin
I added a pinch of garlic powder, a pinch of cayenne, some salt and a sprinkle of ground oregano
2 - 14.5 oz. cans of chicken broth
3 c. chopped cooked chicken ( I didn't measure, I just used the meat off of 2 chicken breasts
4 cans Great Northern or Navy beans
Optional:
2 - 4 oz. cans chopped green chiles (I only say these are optional because I didn't have any, and the chili was delicious)
Garnishes - Monterey Jack Cheese, sour cream, salsa
Saute your onions in olive oil until they are transparent. Add your flour and cumin to make a roux. Slowly whisk the chicken broth into the roux. Stir in your un-drained beans, chicken, and any other spices you like in your chili. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, but keep an eye on it and stir frequently. Serve it with crackers, garlic bread, or anything else you may like.
One of my favorite go-to meals for autumn is a big pot of homemade chili, but these days it's not very budget friendly, so I decided to make white chili using chicken instead. My local market had chicken breast on sale for .99 a lb. (one third the cost of ground beef). I got a 3 lb package for 3.21, and used 2 lbs. for the chili. They also had their canned beans on sale for .68 a can.
I asked my friend for her white chili recipe. It called for 2 cans of chicken broth, but I decided to use the stock from boiling the chicken with some bullion added instead. It tastes the same at a fraction of the cost. A jar of 25 bullion cubes costs 1.99, I used 4, so around .32 compared to 3.00 for 2 cans of chicken broth. NOTE: I also used more than 28 oz. of liquid because I thought it was too thick, so another benefit of not using the canned broth.
Last, but not least, I bought a loaf of pre-sliced french bread that was marked down to .78, and used half of it and froze the other half to use for another meal.
$2.14, for the chicken, 2.72 for the beans, .32 for the bullion, .33 for the onion, and .39 for the bread. Total for the meal $5.90, I fed my family of 3, plus my daughter had a friend for dinner, and I have half of it left over. (I made a double batch)
Here is the recipe for a double batch:
2 Tbsp. Olive oil (more or less...I used a little more. I just eyeballed it. You need enough to saute the onions)
2 small onions
6 Tbsp. flour
4 tsp. Cumin
I added a pinch of garlic powder, a pinch of cayenne, some salt and a sprinkle of ground oregano
2 - 14.5 oz. cans of chicken broth
3 c. chopped cooked chicken ( I didn't measure, I just used the meat off of 2 chicken breasts
4 cans Great Northern or Navy beans
Optional:
2 - 4 oz. cans chopped green chiles (I only say these are optional because I didn't have any, and the chili was delicious)
Garnishes - Monterey Jack Cheese, sour cream, salsa
Saute your onions in olive oil until they are transparent. Add your flour and cumin to make a roux. Slowly whisk the chicken broth into the roux. Stir in your un-drained beans, chicken, and any other spices you like in your chili. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, but keep an eye on it and stir frequently. Serve it with crackers, garlic bread, or anything else you may like.
The Great Panko Debate
I have a few friends (and a couple of daughters) who think that it's not the "real" thing unless you pay a lot of money for it. That may hold true for designer handbags, but as far as things like breadcrumbs, well, breadcrumbs are just that...crumbs of bread.
Apparently there is a big debate about the increasingly popular Panko, or Japanese breadcrumbs. And by the way, Panko ( パン粉 ) in Japanese means breadcrumbs, so to say "Panko Breadcrumbs" is like saying "Breadcrumbs Breadcrumbs".
Many people say that there is a special process of zapping each crumb with electrodes to give it the flaky consistency. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I don't think that Japanese women had these devices in their kitchens back in the day. I will admit, there may be a particular type of bread they use, but for the most part, it seems to me that the coarse consistency and the fact that the crust is not used are the main differences between these, and traditional breadcrumbs.
After trying a dish prepared with Panko, I decided there must be a way to make it at home. A few weeks ago, I tried my hand at bread-making. It was a total flop. It turns out I used the wrong type of flour. Anyway, last week I tried again and it turned out beautifully! The only problem was, I didn't have a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup to go with it :( Now I have this big loaf of beautiful crusty bread that nobody wants to eat...so today, I am making my Panko.
First, I cut the crust off.
Then I tried one of the methods I read about, which was grating it. There was too much moisture still in the bread, so I cut it in cubes and went the food-processor route.
I only have a small one that I use to make, well breadcrumbs! It worked perfectly! Many methods I read about said to make sure you pulse it, but it was way too coarse. Just experiment with whatever bread you decide to use.
I spread the breadcrumbs out on a cookie sheet, and they are drying in my oven right now. I set the oven to "Warm" which is probably about 150 degrees.
Apparently there is a big debate about the increasingly popular Panko, or Japanese breadcrumbs. And by the way, Panko ( パン粉 ) in Japanese means breadcrumbs, so to say "Panko Breadcrumbs" is like saying "Breadcrumbs Breadcrumbs".
Many people say that there is a special process of zapping each crumb with electrodes to give it the flaky consistency. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I don't think that Japanese women had these devices in their kitchens back in the day. I will admit, there may be a particular type of bread they use, but for the most part, it seems to me that the coarse consistency and the fact that the crust is not used are the main differences between these, and traditional breadcrumbs.
After trying a dish prepared with Panko, I decided there must be a way to make it at home. A few weeks ago, I tried my hand at bread-making. It was a total flop. It turns out I used the wrong type of flour. Anyway, last week I tried again and it turned out beautifully! The only problem was, I didn't have a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup to go with it :( Now I have this big loaf of beautiful crusty bread that nobody wants to eat...so today, I am making my Panko.
First, I cut the crust off.
Then I tried one of the methods I read about, which was grating it. There was too much moisture still in the bread, so I cut it in cubes and went the food-processor route.
I spread the breadcrumbs out on a cookie sheet, and they are drying in my oven right now. I set the oven to "Warm" which is probably about 150 degrees.
I will let the crusts dry out and process them into traditional breadcrumbs. Total spent - $1.00
Check back and I will post up whatever dish I decide to make with the Panko. You can always subscribe or follow me!
Boston Market...NOT!
Talk about saving money! A meal like this at Boston Market would have cost $20.97. I had this on the table in less than 30 minutes, and it only cost me around 6 bucks.
I was crunched for time and couldn't think of anything decent for dinner that would be quick. As I was heading for the check-out, I noticed the rotisserie chickens were on sale for 3.99...Whew!, that saved me.
I grabbed one, and when I got home, I whipped up some mashed potatoes (about .50 to make), some mac & cheese (another .80), and a can of green beans (.59), and viola! Less than 30 minutes later we were sitting down to this great meal. (To be fair to Boston Market, we opted for white bread, but corn muffins would have set me back another 33 cents for a dozen.)
Total for the meal - $6.21 ( that would be with the corn muffins)
Per person price at Boston Market - $6.99
I easily could have fed 4 people with this meal.
Six dollar dinner
Sometimes people don't believe it when I tell them how cheaply I feed my family. I decided to start sharing some of my amazingly cheap dinners.
This is a meal I cooked for my husband, my daughter and me:
I bought these beautiful 1" thick pork chops on sale for just 3.31. I seared them off in a screaming hot iron skillet for about 5 minutes on each side, and then I finished them off in the oven til they reached 160 degrees. I made a quick pan gravy using a little flour to make a roux, then milk, salt and pepper.
I served them with stuffing (1.00), Corn on the cob (.99 from the produce manager's special rack), and applesauce (1.79, and we used 1/2 of the jar, so .90)
Total for this beautiful meal - $6.20 to feed 3 people!
If we were to eat this same meal out in a restaurant, it would cost well over $30 for the 3 of us.
This is a meal I cooked for my husband, my daughter and me:
I bought these beautiful 1" thick pork chops on sale for just 3.31. I seared them off in a screaming hot iron skillet for about 5 minutes on each side, and then I finished them off in the oven til they reached 160 degrees. I made a quick pan gravy using a little flour to make a roux, then milk, salt and pepper.
I served them with stuffing (1.00), Corn on the cob (.99 from the produce manager's special rack), and applesauce (1.79, and we used 1/2 of the jar, so .90)
Total for this beautiful meal - $6.20 to feed 3 people!
If we were to eat this same meal out in a restaurant, it would cost well over $30 for the 3 of us.
Easy, cheap chicken recipe - Chicken Franciase
Tired of the same old chicken recipes week after week? Here's something different and super easy to make!
Take your raw chicken tenders and put them in a big baggie with a couple big spoonfuls of flour and shake til coated.
In the meantime, whisk a couple eggs in a pie tin (or similar dish). Then, have another plate with flour.
Now melt a stick of butter or margarine in a frying pan.
Take the flour coated chicken tenders from the baggie, coat with egg, and then the other flour and carefully place the in the frying pan. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Just before serving, squeeze the lemon all over the chicken while the pan is still on the burner. (The butter will sizzle when you do this and it mixes with the lemon to make the lemon butter sauce.) Prepare to get compliments!
This is really good with fettucini alfredo and broccoli. You can buy the noodle side dishes for like a buck. I like to steam the broccoli, then transfer to a frying pan with oil & garlic. A little squeeze of lemon just before serving.
Your family will LOVE this chicken!
For My Local Friends:
Food City has chicken tenders on sale 1.99/lb., and locally grown broccoli 2/3.00!
Build a better mouse trap
Well, folks, it's that time of year again. It getting cold outside and the little mice are looking for refuge. Unfortunately, that means you may be hearing unwanted pitter-patter of tiny feet in your house.
Granted, mouse catching is not rocket science, but it can be tricky. If I thought in any way I could humanely capture a mouse and let it go without it turning around and coming right back in my house, I certainly would. I frequently catch spiders, grasshoppers, etc., that hitch-hike in on my family’s pants legs and let them live, but the mice like food & warmth, which I am not willing to provide. It's not that I don't like them; it's just that they make a mess and eat my food which I then have to throw away.As a rule, mice like to come in around the pipes under the sinks. This is why I keep a mouse trap set at all times under all of my sinks. I like to get them before they can get any farther.
Follow Me!
If you look in the left column, you will see "Join this site" button. It's an easy way to get back to my blog to learn how to pinch those pennies! You can easily join with any Google, Twitter, Yahoo, Aim, Netlog, or Open ID account!
I will be adding posts daily, so join today, and don't forget to tell all of your friends!
How I feed my family for less than $14.00 a day
Here is an example of how I feed my family of 3 on less than 14.00 a day. Sounds pretty impossible, right? Not if you think about it and make sure you always have certain staples in the house. The following is an example and breakdown of the actual costs to feed MY family. (I am not making this up.) If you really want to stretch those food dollars,
Feeding your family on a tight budget
Scenario: It’s the last week of the month. Your food budget is looking a little
skimpy. Don’t panic, I will give you
some tips on how to s-t-r-e-t-c-h those last few food dollars!
Some people may look at meal planning on a budget as a
chore. I prefer to look at it as a
challenge.
I could suggest that you eat ramen noodles if you are
running low on cash, but that would be irresponsible and flat-out bad
advice. Instead, I will offer up some
common sense ideas that should help you learn how to fill your belly without
breaking the bank.
How I saved 110.00 by making a phone call
A couple weeks ago, my husband ran out of 2 of his medicines. We were in the middle of changing insurance, so he was uninsured at the time. I wasn't really worried because one of his medicines (Plavix) had finally come out with a generic. I called CVS to see how much the cash price was for that, and one of his other medicines. I was shocked to hear that the generic Plavix was 109.00!
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