Menu Plan Monday ~ December 20

There’s only five days until Christmas.  It’s a busy time so menu planning is not something I want to have on my mind.  But we must eat and so that leaves me thinking of a plan.  Due to the crazy schedule this week things may need to be changed, but this is my tentative plan.

Sunday - leftover potato soup (made Saturday for lunch) topped with bacon and cheese
Due to the leeks, cheese, bacon, chicken broth, etc, this dish is a little more costly than most of our meals.  It is so delicious and we can get a few meals from it so it’s a nice treat and worth the cost involved.

Monday - Philly steak sandwiches with peppers and onions, Pierogies, apples (maybe homemade apple crisp?)
The Philly steaks were buy 1 get 1 free. This time I will use frozen peppers and onions because I purchased those buy 1 get 1 free this week at Food Lion and I had a coupon. The Piergies were purchased on sale at Harris Teeter and the apples need to be used asap.  The sub rolls were purchased today on the bakery clearance rack at Walmart.

Tuesday - tenderloin on the grill, salad, another side?, rice krispy treats, pizza, salad
The Freschetta pizzas were on eVIC special at Harris Teeter for only $2.97 each.  (Family will be visiting.)

Wednesday - Tyson chicken tenders, broccoli, rice  We went shopping because I had some good coupons to use so we stopped at Cook Out for a quick dinner.
I intentionally planned to have something easy because I will be cleaning and entertaining throughout the week.  This is the one day inbetween company.  I got the Tyson chicken tenders on sale and had a $1 coupon. We will probably use half of a bag which will cost $2. The frozen broccoli was buy 1 get 1 free and I had a coupon.

Thursday - oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
(Family visiting.)  I got the chicken on sale at Food Lion a few weeks ago for $1.79/lb.  The potatoes are buy 1 get 1 free at Food Lion this week.

Friday - something easy on Christmas Eve

Saturday - turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, corn, pie, etc.
My mom and dad will bring the ham. My brother and sister-in-law will bring the pie, gravy, and sodas. I got the turkey on sale at Thanksgiving for $.39/lb. I hope to find sweet potatoes on sale this week like I did at Thanksgiving.  Also, I hope to remember to take a picture of the sweet potato casserole this time.

Since we will be entertaining company this week, we will be going over our weekly food budget, but due to sales and coupons I know that we’ll still do pretty well. We will probably enjoy the Christmas leftovers for a few days next week which will help us get back on track.

What are you having for dinner this week?

For more weekly menus visit Organizing Junkie.

Wordless Wednesday: This Week’s Baking

This week I made 52 pumpkin muffins and 5 mini loaves. I used these as gifts for the teachers at school.

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

About 8 years ago I decided to make a sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving.  Since then, Thanksgiving and Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without it.  It is so yummy and receives lots of compliments.

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 5-6 good size sweet potatoes
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk*
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 bag marshmallows

1. Boil potatoes until soft throughout. (Some people like to cube theirs before boiling, but I like to boil my potatoes whole with the skins.  This will take about an hour. I also cover my potatoes so that they cook faster.)
2. Allow potatoes to cool for a little bit and remove skins.  (I use tongs to pull the potatoes from the water.  Sometimes I also use the tongs to pull the skins off while they’re hot and they cool much faster this way.)
3. In a large bowl mash the sweet potatoes.  This can be done with a fork or hand masher.
4. Combine mashed sweet potatoes, beaten eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add milk a little at a time and stir.  (You may not need the entire 1/2 cup.  Sometimes it depends upon the natural liquid in your potatoes.)  
5. Place sweet potato mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Smooth potato mixture to be level.
6. Bake at 350F degrees for about 35-45 minutes or until hot throughout.
7. Remove from oven and top with lots of marshmallows.
8. Bake another 10 minutes or so until marshmallows are brown.  Yummy!!!

Alternative topping:  If you prefer pecans instead of marshmallows, you can mix 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup chopped pecans, and 1/2 cup melted margarine.  Spread on top.

Make ahead tip:  To save time and oven space, make this dish the night before Thanksgiving or Christmas (without the marshmallows).  The day of the meal, bake or microwave the casserole until it’s hot (10 minutes or more in the microwave), top with marshmallows and bake 10-15 minutes until marshmallows are brown.

If you want a dish that will get eaten, then you should try this recipe.  Enjoy!  :)

Recipe Ideas for Leftover Turkey

One of the things I hear weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas are people concerned about the amount of turkey they’ll have left over.  They want to serve their family and guests turkey, but they’re hesitant because of the waste involved.  Rather than letting good food go to waste, try some of these ideas for your left over turkey.

Turkey and gravy - We had this one Friday night.  I simply made some gravy out of cornstarch and chicken boullion and warmed the turkey in the gravy.  I added some leftover sweet potatoes and rolls and made some green beans and mashed potatoes.  The kids enjoyed the meal.

Turkey sandwich - This one is a given, but it is one of my favorites. Some people like their sandwich with mayonnaise and onions.  I like mine with mustard on white bread.

Turkey salad - This is another family favorite.  I chop up some turkey, add some mayo, diced dill pickles, salt, and pepper, and it’s as good as chicken salad.  I also like to make ham salad.

Turkey and rice - Cook rice according to package directions, add desired seasonings.  Throw in some chopped turkey and some vegetables.  You might also like to make a gravy.

Turkey wraps - Add some turkey, cheese, and fresh vegetables to a lettuce slice or tortilla.

Turkey soup - There are many varieties of turkey soup. You could make a cream based soup or a Mexican style soup.  Use your favorite chicken soup recipe using turkey instead of chicken.

Turkey stock – Rather than purchasing chicken stock from the store, make your own and freeze it to use later in soups and stews.

Turkey pot pie – Chop up some turkey, add a bag of frozen vegetables, mix in some gravy, and top with a pie crust or pour on a liquid Bisquick mixture and bake.

Don’t forget to store your turkey properly.

Other resources:
Recipe Goldrush
All Recipes
National Turkey Federation
Healthy Eating Made Easy
Jennie O

What are your favorite turkey recipes?

image sxc.hu

Spiced Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing

My friend Heather posted a picture of her spiced cupcakes on facebook and I thought of you all.  She was kind enough to share the recipe with us.    These would be really cute as a dessert for Thanksgiving.

Spiced Cake:

• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put cupcake liners in cupcake pans. In a small mixing bowl whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground ginger. Cream the butter, sugar and salt in an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk alternately. Bake approximately 18 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean). Let cool completely.

In the meantime take 24 caramel candies ( the ones you can buy in a bag for a dollar) and pinch one end, and forming into a pie shape. Set aside.

Buttercream icing:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup shortening
• Pinch salt ( I like popcorn salter.. it is finer and dissolves easier)
• 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Beat the butter, shortening and salt together until creamy with an electric mixer. Add half the confectioners’ sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Combine the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Gradually beat in the remaining confectioners’ sugar alternating with the cream mixture until it is all incorporated and the frosting is light and fluffy.

Buy some premade fondant if you aren’t used to working with it . . . it is much easier! You can purchase it at any craft store or Walmart.

Roll the fondant out, use confectioners sugar to keep it from sticking. Place the caramels on the fondant and cut to size. Pinch the fondant onto the candy.

Ice the cupcakes, place the caramels onto them pushing down slightly. Then just add a “dollop” of buttercream to the top to complete the pumpkin pie look.

Thanks Heather for sharing!

images (c) Heather Waldron

Menu Plan Monday ~ November 8, 2010

I’ve been working on building up my stockpile this week.  I decided I better get busy on this week’s menu planning.  I skipped last week and felt like I was wandering around in the kitchen, unsure of what to do.  I want to be certain I have everything I need for this week’s meals and I want to utilize the things in the cabinets, so I needed to get back on track (again!).  Here’s what’s on this week’s dinner schedule:

Sunday:  tatertot casserole, green beans
dessert – cupcakes

Monday: crab cakes, scalloped potatoes, butternut squash soup
Even at half price, the crab meat was a bit expensive, but we’ll make up for the cost in the other meals this week.

Tuesday: taco soup

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: quiche, hashbrowns

Friday: homemade pizza

Saturday: chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, broccoli

This week, I am feeding dinner to my family of four for less than $35. I can do this by using coupons, shopping sales, and stockpiling items when they’re at rock bottom prices.

What are you having for dinner this week?

Menu Plan Monday – October 18

I haven’t been very successful lately at planning our menus.  Going back to work full-time has been very difficult.  Who wants to come home from a long day to homework, baths, laundry, cooking, dishes, and laundry?  It makes me tired just thinking about it.  But, I know that I need to be more organized because it makes the week go smoother. 

So far, here’s a list of what we’re having for dinner this week.  It may change, depending on sales, moods, or schedules.

Sunday – eggs, sausage, grits, toast, fruit

Monday – barbeque pork sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, baked fries, pear slices

Tuesday – pinto beans in the crock pot
I am soaking the beans Monday night and putting them in the crock pot (along with some ham scraps from the freezer) before I go to work Tuesday morning. I will freeze some of the leftover beans to use in future soups.

Wednesday – cheese ravioli

Thursday – tater tot casserole, green beans

Friday – something with chicken???

Saturday – leftovers

What are you having this week?

Chicken Enchilada Chili Recipe

If you’re like me, then several of your recipes are simply inspirations from things you have read or from other recipes. Such is the case with this chicken enchilada chili. Last week, I was visiting 5 Dollar Dinners and came across Erin’s recipe for this dish. It sounded good and definitely worth trying. I decided to modify it according to my family’s taste. Also, my husband and I enjoy having leftover chili and soups to use for lunches so I wanted to make the recipe go further.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of homemade or store bought beef broth (.25, super double coupon sale)
• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste  (.39)
• 3 tbsp of taco seasoning  (.15, on sale plus coupon)
• 1 tbsp of chili powder (.05)
• 1/2 diced onion (.10)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (.10)
• 1 15 oz can of red kidney beans, drained (.69)
• 2 15 oz cans of black beans, drained (1.38)
• 1 12 can of tomatoes with green chilies (.35, one sale and used .50 coupon)
• 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes (.55, stockpile price)
• 3-4 cups of cooked and shredded chicken from the freezer (.50, on sale for .19/lb)

Optional Toppings:

• sour cream (.75)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (.20, buy 1 get 1 free plus coupon)
• tortilla chips (1.00)

Instructions:

1. In a large 5 quart pot, wisk together the beef broth, tomato paste, and about 6 oz (one tomato paste can) of water.  Add diced onions and minced garlic.  Stir in taco seasoning and chili powder.
2. Add 2 cans of black beans, 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can tomatoes with green chilies, and 1 can of crushed tomatoes (I just put my diced tomatoes in the food processor).  Stir and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add cooked chicken. Cover, and simmer for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warm throughout.
4. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Other thoughts:

The total cost of this dish was around $6.50, but we ate it for a few days which helped us to save money on work lunches.  This dish made about 9-10 bowls of chili.
When I make this dish again, I will probably add one can of drained corn.
You can use less chicken. I made ours with a lot of chicken and it was so good.
When I make this recipe again, I hope to freeze some into lunch portions.
We enjoyed this recipe and it will definitely go in my recipe book to use during these upcoming months.

Today’s Freezer Cooking: Chicken Stew

Every now and then I like to do some batch cooking.  I try to use things that I have found on sale and with coupons.  This past week, Harris Teeter had chicken fryers on sale for $.57/lb. 

I decided to try the chicken stew after seeing the recipe on Southern Plate this week.  It reminded me of the Brunswick stew the women’s ministry at church would make for their winter fundraiser.  I would purchase extra quarts of the stew and freeze them.  I remember how good they tasted on a cold winter day. 

Tonight I gave the stew a try and it was yummy and filling.  I had a bowl for supper tonight and froze the rest for future lunches and dinners.  I also froze the remaining chicken broth to use for later use.  I feel a lot of satisfaction from batch cooking because I know it is saving our family time and money, plus it’s usually healthier foods.  If we’ve had a long day and I don’t feel like cooking, I know that I can come home and grab something from the freezer.  This avoids expensive and unhealthy meals from the drive-thru.  I made this pot of chicken stew for about $5.  

Do you enjoy batch cooking?  What are your favorite freezer meals?

Amazingly Delicious Carrot Cake

I was trying to think of a name for this post. Just plain ‘ole “Carrot Cake” doesn’t do it justice. This cake is delicious. I first made the cake when I was a teenager and living at home with my parents. Since that time, this recipe has been passed around to different family members and was also submitted by my mom to her church’s cookbook. Unbelievably, I had to copy the recipe from the church cookbook. I guess that’s what I get for not getting the recipe sooner.

And just because I feel like storytelling right now, I’ll continue with why this cake was made this month. This is one of those cakes that I save for special occasions. This month I celebrated a birthday. On my birthday, I tend to get a bit depressed; not because of my age, but because I feel lonely. We have no family that live in the same area as us, so I miss my family. This year I decided to avoid a crappy day and so I invited some family to come for the weekend. I got a firepit for my birthday and so we celebrated all day long with burritos, egg rolls, Asian chicken lettuce wraps, S’mores, and carrot cake. Because on you’re birthday, you’re not supposed to count calories!

~~~~~~~~~

Amazing Delicious Carrot Cake

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup chopped nuts (preferably pecans)
• 1 small can crushed pineapple

Mix oil, sugar, and eggs together. Add dry ingredients to mixture and blend. Add carrots, pineapple, and nuts. Mix well. Pour into greased 9×13 cake pan or use 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Bake at 325F for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool and ice.

Icing for Carrot Cake (Yes, I said we’re not counting calories!)

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 lb confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chopped nuts (preferably pecans)

Mix all icing ingredients together and spread over cake.

This cake must be refrigerated.

*I have found that the 9×13 cake is heavy and so I leave it in the pan and icing it that way. Otherwise, it is difficult to get it out of the pan.

Do you have a favorite carrot cake recipe?

Recipe source unknown.

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