String Cheese

For anyone who likes string cheese, Broulim's is currently having a sale on the Western Family brand. It is 5/$1.00, which is a really good deal.
Also, I linked to the Broulim's blog {both times I said the name}, where they tell you about the sales every week, have coupons, etc. and right now there is a coupon on the side bar for $1.00 off 2 lbs any brand of cheese.

Shredded Cheese Sale

Ladies,
Broulims has shredded cheese for only $1 this week. Sale ends October 20th. I hope I posted this right Tari. Let me know if I didn't. I am not very good at blogging.

October 2009 Recipe Exchange

Hot Dog Special

Submitted by Jessica Cedeño

So here is my recipe for "Hot Dog Special", Roberto's all time favorite, it is more on the Hispanic side when it comes to taste and texture and its my Mom's recipe. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:

One package of Hot Dogs
One medium tomato
One half of an onion
Long grain enriched rice cooked
Sazon (which is annato food seasoning) one packet or about a tablespoon
Vegetable Oil
Ketchup
Water

Start by slicing tomato and cutting it into thin strips. Then thinly slice the onion. Then take your hot dogs (about 6-8 of them), and cut them (like you would to put in with mac & cheese). In a large skillet on medium high heat, put vegetable oil enough to cover skillet and once hot, put in the sliced onion and tomato and top with sazon. Let it simmer for about five minutes. Then add hot dogs and a splash of water and cover. Wait about five to ten minutes, once you see that the hot dogs are close to being done, uncover and squeeze some ketchup on top, enough to slightly cover it all. Mix it all together and put lid back on. Wait another five minutes or so until the hot dogs are really done. Take off heat. Serve with white rice! Enjoy!

Hamburger & Garlic Stroganoff

From Robin Brewer, Submitted by Jessica Harwood

Makes: 4-6 servings

½ cup onion

1 clove garlic

¼ cup butter

1 lb. ground beef

2 Tbsp. flour

¼ tsp. pepper

1 can mushrooms (I use stems & pieces)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

2 tsp. salt

Saute onion and garlic in butter over medium heat. Add meat and brown. Add flour, salt and pepper and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes. Add soup; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream, heat through. Serve over rice or noodles.

Curried Black Beans and Rice

Submitted by Jessica Harwood

Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people

1 T. Oil
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. Curry powder (more or less depending on your preference
1 lb ground sausage (you can easily substitute beef, chicken, or turkey)
3/4 cup chicken broth (or 2-3 boullion cubes crushed in hot water)
2 (16 oz.) cans black beans drained
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups uncooked Rice

Rinse your rice and cook as directed in your rice cooker or pot, however you prefer. While your rice is cooking, saute onion in oil with the curry powder. Add sausage. Cook about 5 minutes. Add broth and beans. Cook 4-5 minutes longer. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Doritos Casserole

Submitted by Jessica Harwood

1 pkg. Cooler Ranch Doritos chips

2 cans chili

2 can cream of mushroom soup

Shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350^oF. Crush Doritos chips into bottom on 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix chili and cream of mushroom soup together; pour over Doritos. Cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and inside is warm (approximately 15 minutes).

Ranch Chicken

From Jenni Gardner, Submitted by Jessica Harwood

Number of chicken breasts you want

Bottle of ranch dressing

Bacon bits

Provolone cheese.

Directions:
Thaw the chicken, rinse it, then place in a pan that you have spread the bottom of with Ranch dressing. Smother the top of the chicken with ranch and place in oven at about 350^oF. Cook until chicken is nearly done, then sprinkle with bacon bits and place the cheese on the chicken. Continue to cook until done.

Tater Tot Casserole

Submitted by Jessica Harwood

Tater tots

Chicken or turkey, cooked and cut into chunks

Cream of chicken soup

Milk

Shredded Cheese

Place tater tots on bottom of baking pan. Mix cream of chicken soup and milk together until very creamy. Add chicken and pour over tater tots. Top with cheese. Bake at 400^oF for 30 minutes.

(Note by Tari: I’ve seen ground beef used too, just use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken)

Tasty 2-step Chicken

From Campbell’s Kitchen, Submitted by Jessica Harwood

Prep/Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

4 boneless chicken breast halves

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 can (10-3/4oz) cream of mushroom soup

½ cup water

Brown chicken in hot oil in skillet. Add soup and water. Cover and simmer until done.

Tip: Also great with 98% fat free cream of mushroom, cream of chicken Dijon and tomato with roasted garlic and herbs soups. Or use cream of mushroom with roasted garlic or cream of chicken with Herbs soup with ½ cup milk instead of water.

Goulash

Submitted by Monica Hokanson

1 cup of dried macaroni pasta, cooked
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 lb of browned hamburger
Shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together and heat on the stove. I like to add some spices like oregano, basil, salt, etc to taste. You can also add vegetables; corn works really well. It makes great leftovers, it's easy, and very inexpensive!

Macaroni Tuna Casserole

Submitted by Jennifer Lee

12 oz large elbow macaroni

1 can tuna, drained

1 can cream of mushroom

1/2 soup can of milk

garlic powder (to taste)

shredded cheese

Boil macaroni according to instructions. In seperate bowl, combine tuna, cream of mushroom, milk, and garlic powder. Drain macaroni, then add to mixture and put in the bottom of glass casserole pan. Top with cheese and put in oven at 350 degrees until cheese melts.

Fruited Barbeque Chicken

Submitted by Michelle Bell

29 oz. tomato sauce
20 oz. can of unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. instant minced onion
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 lbs. chicken, skinned and cubed (I never cube them and it still cooks just fine)
11 oz. can madarin oranges (I actually put two cans in)

Combine all ingredients except chicken and oranges. Add chicken pieces. Cover. Cook on High for 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in oranges. Serve over hot rice.

Potato Sloppy Joe Bake

Submitted by Carlee Francis

1 lb. ground beef

1 can sloppy joe sauce

1 can condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted

1 pack of 30-32 oz. frozen cubed hash browns-preferably thawed

1 cup shredded cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450.

Brown beef in skillet and drain. Add sloppy joe sauce and soup. Place hash browns in greased 13x9x2 pan. Top with beef mixture. Cover and bake for 20 min. Uncover and bake for 10 min. Sprinkle top with cheese. Yield: 6-8 servings

Tuna Casserole

Submitted by Amanda Haderlie

1 package of noodles (I use egg noodles)

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can of tuna fish

½ a package of peas

Water (add enough water to make the mixture kind of runny)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Cook the noodles and while they are cooking mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Then mix the noodles in and put in a casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until heated through. If you want you can add crushed potato chips on top.

Lentil Soup

Submitted by Mallory Watkins

(Sorry, this is almost all to taste, but here's the gist of it.)

1 medium carrot, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

tomato, it can be freshly diced, tomato sauce, or tomato paste

1 - 2 cups of chicken broth

1/5 lb. dry lentils

lime juice

cumin

1/2 link of kielbasa, chopped or sliced

1. In medium sauce pan, saute carrot, onion, and tomato (if fresh) in a little butter until tender. Add chicken broth (and tomato sauce/paste if using).
2. Add lentils and bring to soft boil. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally. IF AT ANY TIME THE WATER BOILS DOWN BELOW THE TOP OF THE LENTILS, ADD MORE. (This may happen multiple times.)
3. After simmering for a matter of minutes, add a good squirt of lime juice and the chopped/sliced kielbasa. Allow to continue simmering. Sprinkle cumin over top of lentils and stir. Let simmer continue.
4. The lentils will simmer for about 25 minutes. There should be enough liquid in the pot when you serve to meet the top of the lentils.

I'll be honest with you, not everyone likes lentils, including my father and various of Mike's co-workers. But they are very cheap. I think really what it comes down to is finding a recipe for them that you like. I don't like most lentils, but once I found this particular combination, I started to eat a lot more of them.

Alfredo Sauce

Submitted by Mallory Watkins

We eat it over fettuccine, and sometimes we mix in some coarsely chopped broccoli tops. Just to warn you, my family has always called this "heart attack on a plate" so you probably shouldn't have it once a week or more.

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter
2/3 - 1 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. cream (or milk, I've even used skim for this, and it's a little healthier)
1 egg, beaten
ground pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add Parmesan to melted butter while stirring with a whisk.
3. Turn heat to low, and stir in milk.
4. Stir in egg and add pepper.

That's it! This makes enough for about one pound of fettuccine. If you only have a couple mouths to feed like I do, I suggest making a whole batch and saving out half of it in a mason jar or something for next time. It'll hold in the fridge for two or three weeks.

Dinner in the Swiss Alps

Submitted by Jessica Smith

Potatoes

Corn

Hamburger patties

1 can stewed tomatoes

Seasonings of your liking

Start with putting potatoes in boiling water to make mashed potatoes. Meanwhile, cook hamburger patties in a skillet until brown. Add one can of stewed tomatoes and let simmer. I always add seasonings (and usually switch it up every time!) Here are some ideas of seasonings for the hamburger mixture (garlic salt, oregano, and greek seasoning, etc.)

Once the tomatoes and hamburger patties have simmered for a while then serve with mashed potatoes and corn and anything else you want. It is really easy (you can just leave it while doing other things) and is very refreshing.

Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole

Submitted by Jessica Smith

2 lbs. chicken breast, cooked
8 oz. sour cream
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 rolls of crushed Ritz crackers
2 tbs. poppy seeds
1 stick of butter
6 servings of rice cooked

Cook the rice and spread on the bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Spread shredded or cubed cooked chicken over rice. Mix sour cream and cream of chicken and spread on top of chicken and rice. Spread Ritz crackers, then butter, then poppy seeds on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Mmmm..... tasty!

Anytime Muffins

Submitted by Tari McDonald

These are a great option for bread to accompany any meal. They are really cheap, easy, and fast to make!

1 Egg
1/2 C. oil
2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp salt
1 C. Milk

Mix all the wet ingredients first. Sift together dry ingredients and mix until blended well. Fill muffin tin either lined or greased 2/3 full . Bake at 400* for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
makes 1 dozen.

You can also fill muffin cup 1/2 way add a spoonful of your favorite jam and then top with remaining batter for a yummy jelly filled muffin.

Clean-Out-Your-Cupboards Soup

Submitted by Tari McDonald

This recipe is mostly just a guideline. The vegetables can be fresh, canned, frozen or dehydrated. Don’t be afraid to use what you have… that’s the point! Here are some ideas of what might be lurking in your pantry:

Potatoes

Carrots

Celery

Onion

Zucchini or other squash

Tomatoes or tomato sauce or tomato paste

Canned or rehydrated beans

Cooked Meat

Seasonings (I like to use bay leaf in my soups, and then I’ll usually use salt and pepper and dried parsley)

Fill large pot with water and bring to a boil. In the mean time, dice all of the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Boil everything together until the potatoes and carrots are done. You can add pasta to the soup as well, but you don’t want to add it until the potatoes are almost done so it doesn’t over cook. That’s it! This is really healthy and helps stretch what you have on hand to avoid a trip to the store. (If you use the bay leaf, remember to remove it from the soup before serving.)

French Bread Pizza

Submitted by Tari McDonald

1 loaf of French bread

1 jar or can of either pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Any desired pizza toppings (i.e. pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, etc.)

Cut bread in half lengthwise and lay “face up” on baking sheet. Dress like you would a pizza; put sauce down, followed by cheese and any toppings you are using. Broil in your oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Welcome!

Hello sisters! I hope you all will use this blog as a way to share ideas about budgeting for groceries, to spread news about great sales, and to pass along great recipes. Please use appropriate labels so that your posts are easy to find in the archives.

Also, don't forget about our next meeting on Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 pm. It will probably be in Rockland's lounge again, but I'll let you know for sure as we get closer. Our theme will be comfort foods for winter warmth. As we discussed at our last meeting, everyone will make one of their favorite foods to make during the winter that helps them stay warm (i.e. soups, casseroles, baking to get the oven on, etc.) and also bring 1 copy of the recipe to share. We'll then compile the recipes and send everyone a copy (and probably post them on this blog, too). I think we'll also be discussing briefly how to properly freeze food so that we can better enjoy these warm and yummy foods throughout the winter. Anyways, be thinking of what recipe you want to share!