Loaded Potato Soup

5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 strips bacon, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 white onion, diced
1/2 c butter, room temperature
Salt
Pepper
Half and Half
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Scallions
Sour Cream

Cook potatoes in salted water until fork-tender. Meanwhile, saute bacon pieces until crispy. Remove from pan. In bacon grease, saute garlic and onion until onion is translucent, but not browned. Drain, and set aside. Drain potatoes, then return to pan. Mash with a hand-masher, adding in butter, then salt, pepper, and cheese as desired. Stir in onion and garlic, then half and half until soup is desired consistency. Keep over low heat until heated through. Granish with bacon, sliced scallions and sour cream.

12 Days of Giveaways

Alaska Coupon Diva is doing 12 days of giveaways. If you're in AK, check it out here!!!

Pumpkin Butter

Thank you, Libby's!

15 oz can pumpkin
2/3 c packed brown sugar
¼ c honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over med-high heat; reduce heat to low. Stirring frequently, cook on low 20-25 minutes, until thickened. Refrigerate in an air-tight container up to two months.

Makes 2 cups

Kielbasa Pasta Salad

Pretty good! I'm sure having kielbasa will make my husband happy. :)

1 lb. kielbasa, sliced
1 lb. pasta (I used macaroni)
1 lb. frozen mixed veggies, thawed (I used a mixed bag of broccoli, green beans, carrots, red pepper, red beans, white beans, and garbanzo beans)
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix, prepared

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute kielbasa in a skillet until browned to your liking. Combine cooked pasta, kielbasa and thawed veggies in a large bowl. Pour entire bottle of prepared dressing over top. Toss well. Refrigerate.

Rachael Ray's Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta

I changed it just a tad. My daughter had the sauce as soup, because she's been asking for pumpkin soup for a while now. I had it over pasta.

1 lb pasta
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 c chicken broth
15 oz pumpkin puree
1/2 c cream
hot sauce (I didn't use this)
freshly ground nutmeg
2 pinches cinnamon
*Salt & pepper
8 sage leaves, thinly sliced
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Boil pasta. Saute shallots and garlic in oil over medium heat. Stir in broth, then pumpkin until smooth, then cream, then spices. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5-6 minutes to let sauce thicken a little. Stir in sage. Toss sauce with pasta. Top with a generous amount of cheese.

*I very, very rarely salt my food, but I felt like this needed a generous dose of salt to bring the flavors out.

My daughter LOVED her soup, so I kept the sauce separate, so she can have more soup tomorrow.

Pasta Bake

Yum!

8 oz. bow tie pasta
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c diced green pepper
1/2 c sliced mushrooms
2 tsp dried basil
3 garlic cloves, minced
26 oz spaghetti sauce
1 c shredded Parmesan cheese
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Cook pasta according to package directions. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Drain pasta. Pour half of pasta into baking dish. Top with half of each remaining ingredient. Repeat layers. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

*Pepperoni is delicious in this!

Apple Oatmeal

Thanks to Once a Month Mom! She's created another hit! :)

1 c old-fashioned oats
1 red apple, cored and diced
2 c milk
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1-2 hours (mine was done in one hour.)

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken, Chicken & Rice Casserole

Visit here for a tutorial with pictures, and for broth making instructions.

Whole chickens are inexpensive and delicious, and you can make a good amount of broth from them, saving you even more money!

1 whole chicken
salt
pepper

Empty chicken cavity. Rinse chicken. Place into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Remove and slice or shred. Enjoy!

After dinner, I went ahead and made tomorrow's dinner:

Chicken & Rice Casserole

Shredded chicken
Frozen chopped broccoli
1 bag Ready Rice, Long Grain & Wild, cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
Shredded cheddar

Mix rice, chicken, broccoli and soup in a sprayed baking dish. Bake, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Remove foil, and sprinkle casserole with cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

*It will only be my daughter and I again tomorrow night, so I just used about 1 c chicken, 1 c broccoli, 1/2 bag rice (leftover from tonight), and half of the can of soup. I put it into a loaf pan, then into the fridge. Remove from fridge 20 minutes before baking.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I got this recipe from my friend Shannon, then tweaked it a bit. Yummy!

1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained
24 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sour cream
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
Dash of hot pepper sauce

Beat cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, artichokes, garlic powder, lemon juice and hot sauce. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Creamy chicken & noodles

Adapted from Once a Month Mom.

4 cups shredded cooked chicken
12 oz egg noddles
26 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 ladle-full water
Garlic salt
Onion powder
Black pepper

Boil egg noodles; drain. In a stock pan, heat chicken, soup, water and seasonings over medium heat, until hot. Stir in noodles. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Chicken

Yum! That's all I can say! We had this over rice, with broccoli on the side. Can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow!

Recipe adapted from Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2/3 c white vinegar
1/4 c lemon-lime soda

Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with brown sugar, pepper, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and soda. Cover; cook on low 6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Thank goodness for $5 dinners! I've never roasted pumpkin seeds. Man, I've been missing out! I tried it for the first time tonight, and I can't stop eating them! :) I only used salt, and they're excellent. Enjoy the flavors of fall!

Easy Slow Cooker Roast

Easiest thing ever.

3-4 lb. beef roast
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 c water

Place roast into the slow cooker. Stir soup into 1/2 c water, then pour over roast. Cover; cook on low 8 hours, or until cooked through.

I shredded all of the meat, and divided it into three bags for the freezer. All of the "drippings" were poured into a bowl, then put into the fridge. The next morning I spooned off the fat, then divided the liquid into two containers for the freezer. This will all make for super easy meals later! If you want the roast that night, you can add potatoes, onions and carrots to the slow cooker before putting in the roast and soup/water.

Honey chicken legs & Homemade applesauce

My friend Molly was on Facebook this morning asking about applesauce. Immediately I wanted to make some. SO easy and delicious! Tonight's chicken is inspired by $5 dinners.

2 lbs chicken legs (I got them on sale for $0.91/lb!)
1/2 c honey
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp minced garlic

Place chicken in a gallon bag. Whisk together honey, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon and garlic. Pour over chicken. Seal bag, and shake. Let sit in fridge for 30+ minutes (ours sat for two hours.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish, and pour whatever marinade remains in the bag over the chicken. Bake for one hour.

5 red apples
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 c water
cinnamon (optional)

Peel apples, remove core, and dice. Place into a slow cooker. Pour lemon juice and water over apples, and stir to coat. Add cinnamon as desired. Stir. Cover; cook on low 4-6 hours, until apples are very soft. Mash with a potato masher. Chill in refrigerator.

*I added too much water, so I used a slotted spoon to remove the apples, then mashed them in a separate dish. I've scaled down the amount of water here to what appears to be the correct amount. :)

Pasta with Pink Sauce

As I said earlier, I'm on day seven of a cold. I've been exhausted. Twice I put something in the slow cooker, once I went through the drive-thru, and the rest of the meals have been pulled from the freezer. Tonight was the first night that I've cooked in a week, if you can even call this that. ;) The groceries that I bought last weekend are still sitting on the counter. In that pile, is my good deal of last week. The store up the street had Classico sauce 2/$5 PLUS you got two boxes of pasta for free if you bought two sauces. So, this meal (which will feed us twice) was only $2.50 total! Can't wait to tell hubby that his dinner was only $1.25! :)

1 lb. pasta (I used bow-tie)
24 oz. meat-less spaghetti sauce (store-bought or homemade)
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

Boil pasta in salted water. Meanwhile, heat sauce in a sauce pan. When warm (but not yet hot), stir in heavy cream. Heat through, without boiling. Toss pasta and sauce together, and enjoy!

*Usually I'd make French bread in the bread machine during naptime, so that it was hot and ready for dinner, but I'm just not feeling it today. Maybe next time.

Blech.

I am on day seven of being sick. I am not enjoying it.

More food later.

Slow Cooker Poppyseed Chicken

This was very cheap, very easy, filling and good.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts ($1.29 on sale)
1 bottle Creamy Poppyseed salad dressing ($0.98 on sale)
1 lb. fresh broccoli florets ($0.98 on sale)
1 lb. pasta ($0.99)

Place chicken in slow cooker, then pour dressing over top. Cover; cook on low 4-6 hours (my chicken was frozen, and was still done in just under four hours, so watch the chicken more than the time.) Set a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Add broccoli to slow cooker, and return cover. Serve chicken, broccoli and "sauce" over cooked pasta.

Total: $4.24
We had enough to make at least two meals out of this, so it comes in at $2.12 (or LESS)PER MEAL. :)

Baked Pork & Apples

Photo courtesy of onceamonthmom.com

Delicious! We've had this a few times, and we're always scraping out every last bite that we can. Yes, it's that good! Thanks to Once a Month Mom!

Baked Pork and Apples

4 large pork chops
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 granny smith apples, cored and sliced thickly
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cold butter, diced small

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Brown pork chops in oil on both sides. Place apple slices in a greased baking dish. Top with brown sugar and cinnamon, then dot with butter. Top with browned pork chops. Cover with foil, and bake for 1.5 hours.

Great with rice, rolls, broccoli and/or sweet potatoes!

Chicken Pie

I got this from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook, which I absolutely love! This is definitely a favorite in my house. We serve it with buttery buttermilk mashed potatoes and rolls.

3 c shredded cooked chicken
2 c chicken broth (I use one can + 1/4 c water)
1 can (10 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 c self-rising flour
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 c buttermilk, well shaken
1/2 c butter, melted

Place chicken in a 2-quart casserole dish. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine broth and soup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Pour over chicken. In a separate bowl, combine flour and pepper. Stir in buttermilk and butter. Pour over chicken, but do not stir. Bake 45 minutes, until crust is browned and soup is bubbly.

Unfried Chicken Legs

Tonight we tried something based off of The Happy Housewife's Unfried chicken legs. They are very versatile, and we all really liked them! Here's our version:

2 lbs chicken legs
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c cornflake crumbs
3/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat chicken legs in butter. Pour cornflake crumbs, paprika and garlic powder into a gallon bag, seal, and shake to combine. Place buttered chicken legs into mixture in gallon bag. Seal and shake well, until all pieces are well coated. Place chicken legs into a baking dish, then bake for one hour.

You can add/change the spices SO MANY different ways. Use your imagination!

Harvest Chicken Soup

Remember my Harvest Chicken? I made the leftovers into a soup. I diced the chicken, then poured the rest of the casserole into a large saucepan (including the broth). I then added a handful of diced onion, 1 small diced zucchini, 1 tsp chicken bouillon granules, 1 can of chicken broth, and one broth can full of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer at least 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

One of the things that I always ask my Mom to make for me when we're visiting is her spaghetti sauce. If my parents are visiting us, she makes extra and leaves it for me in the freezer. Another reason to love my Mom! We're having the last batch of frozen sauce from their summer visit for dinner tonight.

1.5-2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
garlic
2 bay leaves
oregano (1-2 tsp)
Salt & pepper, to taste
sugar(1 tsp)
1 large can tomato sauce
1 medium sized can tomato paste


Brown beef, onion and garlic together. Drain, then return to pan. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and all other ingredients. When sauce begins to bubble, lower heat. Cover, simmer at least 30 minutes. Adjust oregano, sugar, salt & pepper as needed. Tastes best after simmering all day!

Sandwich bread

I LOVE my bread machine. We use it at least twice a week. It's nothing fancy, but it's fabulous. :) Right now my Sunbeam is busy making sandwich bread. It took me just a few minutes to put everything in, and will go on it's own for a few hours. The house will smell wonderful, and the bread will be about 1/3 less than if I'd bought it in the store. AND, I can add whatever I want to it (Parmesan cheese, herbs, sesame seeds, etc.)

1 c water
2 tbsp soft butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp non-fat milk powder
3 tbsp sugar
3 cups bread flour
6 tsp vital wheat gluten
3/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Sift together bread flour and gluten. Add ingredients to bread machine in order suggested by the manufacturer (mine suggests the order in which the ingredients are listed above), turn it on, and wait for the delicious smell!

Harvest Chicken

Adapted from Swanson's

This meal cost us under $8, and will feed us for two meals, so it's less than $4/meal. Good deal!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 c frozen green beans
1 c chicken broth
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bag Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (we used Long grain & Wild)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Brown chicken in oil for five minutes on each side. Meanwhile, spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. In dish, mix together sweet potatoes, green beans, broth, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Top with chicken. Cover, then bake for one hour, until chicken is cooked through and sweet potatoes are tender. Microwave rice for 90 seconds. Enjoy!

Homemade pizza & breadsticks

1.5 c hot water
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c honey
2 tsp salt
4.5 c flour
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1.5 tsp garlic salt
2 tbsp quick yeast
15 oz. can tomato sauce
6 oz. can seasoned tomato paste
Pinch of sugar
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Place hot water, then olive oil, then honey, then salt, then flour, then seasoning, then garlic, then yeast into a bread machine. Set on the dough cycle. When complete, divide dough in half. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together tomato paste, tomato sauce and sugar to make pizza sauce. With oiled hands, press one half into desired pizza shape. Top with pizza sauce, then cheese. Oil hands again, then press remaining half of dough into a rectangle. Cut into strips, and place on a baking pan. Bake pizza and breadsticks for 15-25 minutes, until dough is done. Use remaining pizza sauce as a dip for breadsticks.

Lemon butter scallops and broccoli

4 tbsp butter
1 large lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. bay scallops
2 heads broccoli

Steam broccoli; keep warm. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic 1-2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Remove 2 tbsp of the sauce, and stir it into the broccoli. Add scallops to pan. Saute until opaque, 3-5 minutes.

Baked Ziti

This is the BEST baked ziti I've ever had! I got the recipe from a friend, who got it from Cooks Illustrated. It was really, REALLY good. It wasn't dried out on top and mushy in the middle like all of the other baked ziti I've had. I added 1/2 lb. pork sausage that I browned with a generous dose of Italian Seasoning. We will be having this again. Often.

Baked Ziti

1 pound 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 pound ziti or penne
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, about 7 minutes (the pasta will finish cooking in the oven). Drain pasta and leave in colander. Do not wash the large pot.


2. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil and oregano, and sugar; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Take off heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.


3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream and transfer mixture to the now-empty large pot the pasta cooked in. Set the pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato mixture, and half of the mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.


4. Transfer mixture to a 9X13 baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes.


5. Remove foil and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Mexican breakfast pie

adapted from $5 dinners

4 large flour tortillas, torn into pieces
6 eggs
1/4 c milk
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Cilantro to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheddar

Place tortilla pieces in a Pam-sprayed pie plate. Whisk together egg, milk, onion, tomato, garlic, cilantro, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over tortilla pieces. Sprinkle with a handful of cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.

*Next time I make this I'll add green onions as well, and maybe some bell pepper.

Grilled Chicken & Home Cookin'

Simple Grilled Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 c butter, melted
Creole seasoning

Stir Creole seasoning into melted butter. Brush over chicken generously and often while grilling. It's that simple!

Country dinner

2 lbs. leftover ham chunks
4 baking potatoes
2 cans green beans, undrained
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 c whole kernel corn
1 egg
1/3 c milk

Place ham into a slow cooker, then whole potatoes, then green beans. Set on low, and cook 6-8 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir together corn muffin mix, corn, egg and milk. Pour into a greased 8x8 dish or pie plate. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with soft butter.

Zucchini Bread & Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Zucchini Nut Bread

3 eggs
2 c sugar
1 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 c grated zucchini (w/skin)
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 c chopped nuts
1/2 c golden raisins (optional)

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar, oil and vanilla. Fold in zucchini. Add dry ingredients, then nuts and raisins. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans.  Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.
Makes two loaves.
(I eat one, freeze one.)

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish.

Beat at low speed until blended:
1.5 c sugar
1 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Increase speed to high. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and add:
2.5 c flour
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Beat until blended. Increase speed to medium for one minute.

Fold in:
2 c shredded zucchini
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans

Pour into prepared dish. Bake 40-45 minutes.

(I used an 8x8 dish and a loaf pan, because a 9x13 is too much for us. We'll eat the loaf now, and freeze the 8x8 for later.)

Waffle Casserole

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Fast Fix Family Food cookbook

This is like a McGriddle, but a little healthier and in a baking dish.

6 frozen low-fat waffles, toasted, then cut into cubes
1 lb. reduced-fat pork sausage, browned and drained
2 c skim milk
6 eggs (use egg substitute to make it even lower fat)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dry ground mustard
1 c reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Pure maple syrup

Layer half of the waffle squares on the bottom of a greased 8x8 baking dish. Top with half of the sausage, then 1/2 c cheese. Repeat layers. Whisk together milk, eggs, pepper and dry mustard. Pour over sausage layers. Cover and refrigerate 4-24 hours.

Remove dish from refrigerator, and let sit 30 minutes. Then bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until egg is set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the casserole comes out clean. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Top individual servings with maple syrup.

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Bake

8 corn tortillas, torn
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 tbsp butter
1 packet Sazon Goya without Annato
8 oz. Velveeta
1 can diced green chilies
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Spray a baking dish with Pam. Layer half of the tortilla pieces on bottom of dish.

Saute chicken with seasoning in butter until cooked through. Meanwhile, melt Velveeta. Add diced chilies and the melted Velveeta to chicken. Mix well. Pour over tortilla pieces. Top with remaining tortilla pieces. Sprinkle with 1 c cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

*Next time that I make this I'm going to get a can of enchilada sauce, and let it warm on the stove while the dish bakes, then spoon it over individual servings.

Hamburger Casserole, Lemon Chicken & Pasta

The hamburger casserole reminded me of Hamburger Helper, but not as salty, and my husband said that it's better. :) I'm not a Hamburger Helper fan. We had the lemon chicken the night before last, and we all really liked it.

Hamburger Casserole

1 lb. lean ground beef
Salt & pepper
1/2 c onion, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can tomato sauce
1 package Kraft Macaroni & Cheese mix
Shredded cheddar

Brown beef with onion and celery. Drain; return to skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste, soup and tomato sauce. Simmer. Cook pasta; drain. Add pasta and cheese mix to meat mixture. Stir well. Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Top with shredded cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.


Lemon Chicken and Pasta
adapted from $5 dinners

3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice
2 pinches salt & pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lb. penne pasta

Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour over chicken in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Refrigerate 2 hours. Pour into a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook pasta. Slice or dice chicken, and toss with hot pasta and remaining marinade.

*I added 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp flour, and couple of tbsp of milk to the marinade before I mixed it in with the chicken and pasta.

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

adapted from allrecipes.com

2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1/2 onion, sliced or diced
1/3 c French dressing
1 can cranberry sauce
1-2 tbsp flour

Place onion in the bottom of a crockpot. Place pork on top. Mix together dressing and cranberry sauce. Pour over pork. Cook on low 8 hours. Remove pork. Whisk flour into sauce in crockpot. Return pork to crockpot. Serve over rice.

German Vegetable Soup

It's only in the 50's here today, so what's better than soup simmering on the stove all day?

German Vegetable Soup
adapted from Kate Gosselin (of Jon & Kate +8)

1 leftover ham bone, with a little meat
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can green beans
1 can corn
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 c spatzle

In a large stock pot, cover ham bone with water. Boil for 1.5 hours. Remove bone from pot. Remove meat from bone, mince, and return to pot. Discard bone.

Add onion, carrot, celery, potato, green beans, corn, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and Italian seasoning. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer 1-2 hours.

Stir in spatzle. Simmer 30-60 minutes, stirring frequently.

Fresh Cherry Cobbler

I've had a LOT of yummy stuff recently, but haven't had time to post, as we've had company for a few weeks now. I'll get it all up as soon as I can!

Fresh Cherry Cobbler
adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 c butter
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 c milk

2 c pitted cherries
3/4 c sugar
1 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in a 8x8 baking dish, then place into oven to melt.

Stir together 1 c flour, 1 c sugar and 1 tsp baking powder. Stir in milk. Pour over melted butter. Do not stir.

Rinse out batter bowl, and dry.

Pour cherries into bowl. Toss with 3/4 c sugar and 1 tbsp flour. Pour over batter in baking dish. Do not stir.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the cobbler should come out clean.

Curried Split Peas and Rice

This is based off a recipe from the $5 dinners website. It was really good! I think that my two year old ate more than I did!

Ingredients
1 cup split peas
1.5 cup brown rice
1.5 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 c diced onion
3 minced garlic cloves
3 tsp curry powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

Soak dried peas for 8 hours.

In a saucepan, cover peas with water. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 20-30 minutes, until peas are tender. Drain. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions.

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil. Stir in curry powder, cumin and salt. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in peas. Cook another 2 minutes. Serve over rice.

1. Soak split peas overnight or heat to boiling, turn off heat and let stand for 1 hour. After 1 hour, bring to boil (I added another 1/2-1 cup of water). Then simmer about 30-45 minutes, until soft. 2. In skillet, saute 2 T canola oil with chopped onion and crushed garlic cloves about 4-5 minutes. Add curry powder/paste, cumin and salt. Saute another minute or 2. Mix in the cooked split peas. Saute 1 more minute to allow flavors to mix. Remove from heat. Serve over rice.
3. Cook 1 cup rice in 2 1/4 cups of water. Bring water to a boil. Add rice. Return water to a boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

This is a Bisquick recipe. It is VERY easy, and it's a kid (and husband) favorite!

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 c diced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder (my addition)
1 c shredded cheddar
1/2 c Bisquick
1 c milk
2 eggs

Brown beef and onion. Drain. Stir in salt and garlic powder. Pour into a greased 9" pie plate. Top with cheese. Whisk together Bisquick, milk and eggs. Pour into pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

I served this with sweet corn and peaches.

Slow Roasted Sticky Chicken

Photo courtesy allrecipes.com

This is the BEST chicken! Thanks to my sister for the recipe!

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, quartered
1 (4 pound) whole chicken

Mix salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic pepper together in a small bowl.

Clean chicken, removing parts, and pat try. Rub inside and out with spice mixture. Place onion inside cavity. Place chicken inside a gallon bag, or double wrap in plastic wrap. Regrigerate 4-6 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered 3.5-4.5 hours, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees. No need to baste. Let stand 10 minutes.

I served this with mashed potatoes with half and half, garlic & Parmesan, and canned green beans.

Turkey Meatloaf, Roasted Root Vegetables & Swiss Chard

All three of these were new recipes. Tonight was also apparently healthy night. ;) We all liked the turkey meatloaf (my husband ate four thick slices) and the veggies. He didn't like the greens, unfortunately. The veggies were all from the farmer's market on Tuesday. Next time I won't use the turnips. None of us loved them. Oh, well. :)

Turkey Meatloaf

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp EACH salt and pepper
1/4 chicken broth
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp tomato paste
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 c seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 c ketchup
3-4 tbsp ketchup

Saute onion with salt and pepper in olive oil, over medium-low heat, until translucent, about 15 minutes. Stir in broth, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Cool to room temperature.

Using your hands, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, 1/2 c ketchup, and onion mixture. Shape into a rectangular loaf and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread 3-4 tbsp ketchup evenly over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Roasted Root Vegetables

2 carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
3 potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
2 white turnips, peeled, cut into chunks
4 red beets, peeled, cut into chunks
1 onion, halved, then halves cut into quarters
5 garlic cloves, halved
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Italian seasoning

Place veggies on a baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Drizzle with olive oil, then toss with your hands to coat. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Sauteed Swiss Chard

3 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard
5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute garlic for one minute. Add Swiss chard. Cook for about five minutes, until soft yet crisp. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.


Oh, and we had blueberry shortcake for dessert! :)

Shopping trips

Fred Meyer:

Disney Sparkle Princess Doll
Disney Princess Bath Beauty Doll
Table cloth
2 Lays potato chips
2 Ground turkey breast
2 lbs. blueberries
2.75 lbs. Alaskan crab legs
Coleman insulated shopping tote
12 premium annuals (pansies and snap dragons)

Spent: $47.55
Saved: $32.46

Carrs:

2 Pepsi max 2-liters
8 bottles Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
8 bags Goldfish crackers
Family size box Honey Bunches of Ots
Family size box Corn Chex
2 lbs. Kraft Singles
1 gallon milk
1 doz. eggs
32 oz. Vanilla cinnamon creamer
32 oz. Vanilla caramel creamer
8 1 lb. bags frozen vegetables
2 cans of frozen juice
Hot dog buns
1 lb. dry baby lima beans
8 ears sweet corn

Spent: $46.28
Saved: 76.84

Farmer's Market:

Bunch Swiss Chard
Bunch red beets
Bunch white turnips
Bunch onions
Jar of cranberry jelly
Jar of wildberry jelly
Jar of apple butter
Loaf of apple cinnamon whole wheat honey bread
3 German pastries
Large bottle of Rosemary Wild Blueberry vinegar

Spent: $36.00

Total Spent: $129.83
Total Saved: $109.30

We have $150 budgeted for two weeks, and we're good on meat. The leftover $20.17 will be used for more milk and fruit. I'll bake our bread in the bread machine.

Tonight for dinner we had a mish-mash of food. We had sweet corn, some of the apple bread, the German pastries, and half of a cantaloupe from last week. We've decided to have whatever we pick up at the Farmer's Market on whatever nights we go. Eat it while it's fresh!

$5 dinner

I didn't want to cook tonight, so here was our cheapo dinner...

2 Totino's cheese pizzas
1/8 of a watermelon
Broccoli

$5 for four people, and it took me all of three minutes. Yay for relaxation!

Quick Caramel Sticky Buns

Inexpensive, and very good! Serves ten for a brunch, but my husband, daughter and I almost finish it when we eat it on it's own. My husband usually eats half! :)

1/2 c butter
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp water
2 10-oz. cans biscuits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Coat bottom and sides of an ungreased Bundt pan with two tablespoons of the melted butter. Sprinkle three tablespoons of the nuts over the bottom of the prepared pan. To remaining butter, add nuts, brown sugar and water; heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Separate biscuits into twenty biscuits. Cut each biscuit in half, and roll into a ball. Place 20 balls into prepared Bundt pan. Drizzle half of the caramel sauce over the balls. Repeat layers.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Invert immediately onto a plate, and remove from pan.

Serves 10.

Lentils and Rice

This was served to me many times by a Panamanian friend. Very yummy, healthy, easy, and cheap! It's good alone, or served with fried plantains or an avocado salad.

Ingredients

1 c lentils
1 c rice
1 large tomato, diced
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp dried cilantro
Salt*

Soak lentils overnight. Drain before cooking.

Place lentils and rice in a large saucepan. Cover with water, plus about 1". Bring to a boil. Add tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, and salt. Cover; simmer for about an hour.

*There is no measurement for the salt. Use to taste. I usually use little to no salt when I cook, but for this dish I use a very generous amount.

You can change this recipe so many ways. Tonight I added another tbsp cilantro, some cumin and a can of Rotel. I put sour cream on top of it for my daughter.

Keilbasa two ways

Ingredients:

1 lb. turkey kielbasa
3 slices bacon
3 large potatoes
3 large carrots
3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Grill method:
Dice bacon, potatoes, carrots and garlic. Place in a grill basket lined with foil & sprayed with Pam. Put basket and whole kielbasa onto grill. Cook until kielbasa is heated through and vegetables are tender, stirring vegetables occasionally.

Stove top method:
Slice kielbasa, potatoes and carrots, mince garlic. Fry bacon in a large skillet. Move to paper towels; do not drain grease. Add kielbasa, potatoes, carrots and garlic to grease in skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and kielbasa is browned. Crumble bacon over top.

Creamy Ranch Chicken (Crockpot recipe)

1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
1 lb. chicken breasts (boneless skinless)
Egg noodles

Mix first five ingredients. Pour over chicken in a slow cooker. Cook on high 3-4 hours, or low 6-8 hours. Serve over hot egg noodles.

*I also added 1 can drained corn.

Crockpot Pasta & Chicken Sausage

Yay for easy dinners!

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 box penne pasta
1 lb. chicken & asiago sausage (or whatever you prefer)

Pour about one cup of the spaghetti sauce into a crockpot. Pour pasta over sauce. Slice sausage over pasta. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over sausage, then fill empty jar 1/2 full, and pour over crockpot. Cook on high 1 hour, then low 1-3 hours, until done. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Two new recipes

Quick Tuna Noodle Salad

7 oz penne pasta
6 oz can tuna in water, drained
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
3 oz mozzarella cheese, diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse under cold water. Pour into a medium bowl. Add tomatoes and cheese. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

Add tuna to pasta mixture. With a whisk, mix lemon juice and olive oil. Pour over tuna mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Bacon Breakfast Casserole

8 slices bacon
5 slices wheat bread, torn into pieces
2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
6 eggs
2 c milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fry bacon, drain, and crumble. In a greased 9x13 baking dish, layer bread, 1 c cheese, and bacon pieces. Beat eggs, milk, salt & pepper together. Pour egg mixture over layers. Top with remaining 1c cheese. Bake 30 minutes, until lightly browned, edges are bubbly, and center is set.

Simple Salsa

This isn't my usual salsa recipe, but I had a serious craving for salsa tonight, so I figured I'd use what was on hand, and see what I came up with. Not too bad, very quick and simple.

1 can Ro-tel, drained
14-15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c cilantro, minced
Juice of 1/2 a small lemon
Salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients. Chill before serving, if desired.

Oatmeal Cookie Cake

Unfortunately we haven't had anything wonderful this week. I tried a few new recipes, and didn't much care for any of them. Ugh. And I HATE throwing food away! Anyway, I made a treat for my husband today, and he'll be lucky to get any of it. ;)

Oatmeal Cookie Cake

3/4 c flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c butter, at room temperature
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 c uncooked oatmeal
1/2 c dried cherries (I used dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Beat butter with an electric mixer on low until smooth. Slowly pour in sugar in an even stream, mixing on high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Pour in brown sugar, mixing until incorporated.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. Slowly beat in flour until incorporated. Stir in oatmeal, then dried fruit.

Pour mixture into a greased 8x8 baking dish, and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the center is set.

Alternately, freeze dough for up to two weeks for later use, or scoop batter out by the tablespoonful to make cookies (bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are set).

Fast & Fresh Pasta

Thanks to Sara Snow!

1 lb. spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
28 oz. diced tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
2-3 tbsp capers
1 lb. fresh spinach, stems removed, chopped

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes, oregano, basil and capers. Simmer 10 minutes. Add chopped spinach; cook until wilted. Toss with cooked pasta.

Serves 4.

Winter Vegetable Soup

This is a Trisha Yearwood recipe. (I love everything that we've had out of her cookbook!)

28 oz chicken broth
14 oz diced tomatoes
8 oz baby Lima beans (I used a 14 oz. bag)
3 red potatoes, peeled and diced (I used 4 potatoes)
12 oz creamed corn

Stir broth, tomatoes, beans and potatoes together in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in creamed corn.

I made this for lunch today, and served it with cornbread. Very simple, quick, and easy!

Happy Easter!

I hope that everyone had a fabulous, blessed day!

Super Moist Turkey

adapted from Trisha Yearwood

12 lb. turkey
1 onion, quartered
1 stalk celery, cut into thirds
1 carrot, cut into thirds
1/2 c butter, softened
Salt
Pepper
Poultry seasoning
1.5 c boiling water

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Clean and dry turkey, then place in a large roasting pan. (You MUST use a roasting pan with a lid!) Season inside and out with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Put half of butter inside cavity, then add onions, carrots and celery. Rub remaining butter on outside of turkey. Pour boiling water around base of turkey. Immediately cover and put pan into oven.

Bake at 500 degrees for one hour. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR AT ANY TIME after the turkey is put into the oven! Let turkey sit in oven until oven is cooled, 4-6 hours.

*Today we are using a 13 lb. turkey, so I am roasting at 500 for 1:20, then turning off the oven and letting it sit.

This is the juiciest turkey EVER. Even my turkey-hating husband LOVES it!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

---

1/4 c butter, softened
4 oz fat free cream cheese, softened
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add 1 c sugar, beating well. Add egg; beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder & salt. Stir into butter mixture. Stir in vanilla. Fold in berries. Pour into a sprayed 9" round cake pan. Combine 2 tbsp sugar with 1.5 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake 1 hour. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 8 servings

We made this on Tuesday night after dinner, baked and cooled it while we watched a movie, then refrigerated it overnight. In the morning we just cut it and microwaved the slices for 20 seconds before serving. It was SO good! We may be eating again on Easter even though we just had it yesterday!

Grilled steak, baked corn, creamy potatoes

Last night we went out to dinner at the local BBQ joint. Yummy!

Tonight we had a yummy, filling meal.

Grilled steak:

2 NY strip steaks
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. rosemary

Mix garlic, thyme, basil & rosemary. Rub into steak, then grill to desired doneness.

Baked corn:

4 ears corn, shucked
4 tbsp butter, softened
1.5 tsp Mrs. Dash (any flavor, we used Original)

Mix butter and seasoning. Spread evenly over corn. Wrap ears individually in foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, turning occasionally.

Creamy potatoes:

2.5 pounds gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 c butter, softened
3/4 c buttermilk
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain; return to pan. Mash with potato masher. Stir in butter, buttermilk and cheese. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

We have about 4 cups of mashed potatoes left. We plan on using them tomorrow morning for potato pancakes. Yum!

Mexican wrap bake

1 c instant rice
1 can Ro-tel
water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c frozen corn
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp cilantro
6 flour tortillas
1 c Mexican cheese
scallions
sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain liquid from Ro-tel into a measuring cup. Add enough water to make 1 c. Pour into a large sauce pan; add cumin and rice. Bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes.

Stir in Ro-tel, black beans, corn and cilantro. Heat through.

Distribute mixture over six tortillas. Wrap burrito-style, and place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with cheese, and bake 20 minutes.

Serve with chopped scallions and sour cream.

*Would be great with guacamole, hot sauce, salsa verde, salsa, etc.

Welcome, April

So, I haven't posted for a while because a) things have been nuts at home, and b) no one is reading anyway. LOL! Anyhow, welcome Spring! It doesn't much look like April here since there is still snow covering the ground, but it is finally getting above freezing here.

We're trying to still get stuffed unpacked from our move, my husband's schedule has been nuts, and I've been spending lots of playtime with the toddler. :)

With the move comes a new budget, and we're still trying to adjust. My goal is to end up with us spending no more than $326/month on groceries. We usually spend $300 every two weeks, so this will be a HUGE adjustment. I figure that the next three paychecks will still be close to that, while I try to adjust our menus and stockpile a bit. Doing this while eating HEALTHY foods will likely be a challenge. Wish us luck!

Tonight we'll be trying a new Mexican recipe that I thought up this morning. I'll let you know how it goes!

Ritz Chicken Casserole

Ritz Chicken Casserole

1 lb. chicken breats
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1/4-1/2 c milk (depending on how creamy you'd like it)
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1 stick butter, melted

Boil chicken; shred. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and milk. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Mix crackers and butter, then pour over casserole. Bake an additional five minutes.

*I sometimes do only half of the crackers and butter.

Serve with rice or potatoes.

*Also good with a little garlic salt and pepper added in when mixing chicken & soups.



Parsley potatoes

4 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dried parsley

Boil potatoes; drain. Top with butter and parsley.

Crock pot beef roast

Tonight for dinner we'll be having a super-easy roast in the crockpot.

3-4 lb. beef roast
2 lg. potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
30-40 baby carrots
1 medium onion
12 oz beer
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Slice onions, and place in bottom of crockpot. Salt and pepper roast, then place on top of onions. Top with potatoes, carrots, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Pour beer over beef and vegetables. Cook on low 8 hours. Serve with crusty bread.

Bacon topped everything

For dinner tonight we pan-fried some bratwurst. On the side we had pan-fried pierogies and oven roasted cauliflower. Then we topped it all with bacon. Not the healthiest meal in the world, but delicious!

5 bratwurst links
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 box frozen pieroges (or 12 homemade)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 head cauliflower (florets, chopped)
1 lg clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix cauliflower florets, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour onto a baking stone. Bake for 25 minutes.

Begin cooking bratwurst in pan, according to package directions.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in pierogies, and cook, turning often, until browned and crispy.

Plate the bratwurst, pierogies and cauliflower. Top with crumbled bacon.

Enjoy!

Beginning

I am not sure if anyone will even be interested in this, but I would like to do it for myself. It's just an easy place for me to collect my recipes, make notations about them, and remark on a few things in life.