Thursday, March 19, 2009

Chilighetti

This meal is a fast, easy and cheap way to use left overs

Items
1 can of chili (or 2 cups of home made chili)
4 cups of prepared whole wheat spaghetti
cheese for garnishing
hot sauce for taste
** optional: cut up small pieces of onion for garnishing

Prices and places
Chili--food storage
whole wheat spaghetti--Aldis for $1.69
Cheese--given to us from my mother
hot sauce--always in our food storage, because my family loves it

Recipe
1. Mix the spaghetti and chili together in a microwave safe container
place chili
2. place mixture in the microwave and cook for 3min and check if warm enough if not continue to heat for 3 more minutes
3. When meal is hot enough serve and allow individuals to place the cheese and hot sauce on their own meal ** optional: cut up small pieces of onion for garnishing

Friday, March 13, 2009

Upside Down Peach Cake

Kid friendly recipe, quick, cheap, easy and delicious.

Ingredients
1 1lb 13oz can of peaches in light syrup
1 vanilla cake mix
garnishing
cinnamon
cool whip or whipped cream

Places and prices
peaches in our food storage
cake mix food storage, but I'm sure I bought it on sale less than $2 a box

Recipe
1) preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) drain peaches and set a side the liquid and peaches
3) make cake mix using the directions on the box, but use the peach juice instead of water
4) take the peaches and arrange them on the bottom of a pan, covering the entire bottom
5) sprinkle the peaches lightly with cinnamon
6) pour the cake mix over the peaches
7) cook the cake as directed on the box
8) cool cake and flip onto a nice serving plate
9) serve with a little cool whip and sprinkle with cinnamon

Friday, March 6, 2009

Home Fries

Items
4 medium potatoes
1/2 medium onion
1/2 medium green pepper
5 Tablespoons Chili pepper (you can use more if you like spicy foods or you can add less)
2 shakes of red pepper flakes
3 shakes of garlic powder
salt to taste
cooking oil
Ketchup for serving

Places
Potatoes were purchased in January
Onion bought at Aldi's for $1.69 for a bag
green pepper---food storage in the freezer
seasoning always in the cupboard

Recipe
1) Cute potatoes, onion, green pepper into bite size pieces
2) place medium to large frying pan on the stove at medium heat with approx 4 tablespoons of oil, let the oil heat up. Once it's heated up add seasoning to the oil and than immediately add the potatoes
3) cook the potatoes until soft, add the onions and green peppers to pan and cook until onions and peppers are brown---you may some time during the cooking have to add a small amount of oil. Add it if the food starts to stick to the pan
4) when the onion and green pepper are cooked the Home Fries are done and ready to serve you can salt to potatoes to taste and serve with Ketchup

Person Note: this is a great food to serve at breakfast with eggs and sausage

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Sausage and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients
8 breakfast sausages link
2 cups of wild rice prepared
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
water

Places and Price
  1. breakfast sausages link--this was in our freezer and has been for at least 4 months, but originally we bought it from Swann's Home Delivery 32 sausages for approximately $7.75. These sausages hardly have any grease at all, their very high quality, as well as you just saved gas money because you had it delivered to your home.
  2. wild rice--food storage
  3. cream of mushroom and chicken soup--Aldis for $.49 a can
  4. celery--Aldis for $1.69
  5. onion---in out cupboard
Recipe
1. cut up onion and celery into small bite size
2. cook sausages until brown in a medium pan---you will be using this pan for the whole recipe
3. While the sausages are cooking empty both cans of soup, put the soup on the side for use later
4. fill both cans up with water--don't throw away the cans yet, they will be used later
5. After the sausages are brown add the water, onion and celery to the pan. Allow the onion and celery to cook until the onions are translucent.
6. After the onion and celery are finished cooking, drain them and the meat from the liquid, but keep the liquid on the side to be used in the soup later
7. place the liquid from step 6 into the cans that the soup came in. Use more water to completely fill up each can.
8. Place the water into the same pan that you've been cooking in. Bring to a boil. Add the soups into the water and whisk briskly until smooth looking---make sure you do not boil the soup, remember this is cream soup.
9. After the soup is smooth looking place the prepared wild rice, meat, celery and onions into the soup. Cook until every thing is nice and hot.

Personal Note: I would not recommend substituting other rice for the wild rice. Wild rice has a very distinctive textured and taste that fits well in this soup.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Ranch Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1/4 cup dried onion
1/8 cup dried carrots
3/4 cup of frozen peas
1 1/2 cups of ranch dressing
1/2 cup celery
3/4 box of spiral pasta
salt and black pepper to taste

Places
dried onion and dried carrots were in our food storage (LDS Bishops store house)
frozen peas were in our food storage (freezer)
ranch dressing was in our food storage
celery $1.69 (Aldis)
Pasta food storage

Recipe
1. Fill a medium pot with cold water and place over high heat
2. Once the water is boiling place all dry ingredients in the pot
3. Cook time for ingredients is based on cooking time on the pasta box
4. While the dry ingredients are cooking place frozen peas in the microwave and thaw them. After they are thawed drain and put on the side to be used later.
5. Cut the celery into small bite size and put on the side to be used later
6. After pasta mix is cooked drained, place in a bowl.
7. Combine the peas, pasta mix, celery and ranch dressing, and mix well. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
8. Place pasta salad in the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour to chill

Note: After pasta has sat in the refrigerator for some time, it soaks up the dressing, so you may want to add more dressing when you take it out before serving...be careful not to put too much dressing in.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Engish Muffin Pizzas

This is a recipe that my mom and I used to use when I was growing up. Somethings are difficult to give up, specially if they are so yummy

Items
4 Thomas English Multi-Grain Muffins
2 cup Spaghetti sauce (or pizza sauce)
1-2 cup Cheese (this depends how much cheese you like)
1 cup left over seasoned Meat (hamburger, peperoni, whatever you have around)
1/4 small onion (optional)

Place and Prices
Thomas English Multi-Grain Muffins
When we went shopping there was a special 3 for $3--so we stocked up and put some in the freezer and on this particular day if you bought at least $5 you got your choose of one of the following free items; loaf of bread, more English muffins (Wonder Bread Shop---they always have cheap bread here)
Spaghetti sauce
$0.99 a jar (Aldis)
Cheese
2 for $5 (Quality)---I usually don't buy cheese unless it's on sale
Meat
in our freezer from our family friends the Bunker's who are Free Range Farmers

Recipe
1. preheat oven at 350 degrees
2. cut onion and place on the side to be used later
3. cut English Muffins and place them on an ungreased pan in the oven at 350 degrees until lightly toasted
4. Prepare the muffins on the same pan that you toasted them on.
5. Layer the toasted muffins with sauce, cheese, meat and onion.
6. Place in pan in the over (350 degrees) and cook pizzas until the cheese looks melted

Personal Note: I think that this will easily become one our family favorites

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Cheesy Rice, Hamburger, and Broccoli


Simple and Delicious

Items
1 packet Lipton Rice Sides Cheddar Broccoli
1 cup cooked and seasoned hamburger
1 cup of frozen Broccoli
Franks Hot Sauce (optional, used for extra flavor if you like heat)

Places and Prices
all of the items were in our freezer and/or cupboard
the meat was given to us for a wedding gift by our dear friends the Bunker's----they are Free Range Rancher---the meat is organic and tastes just so wonderful

Recipe
1. On the stove top place 1 cup of frozen Broccoli and 1 1/2 cups of water and let cook.
2. Drain the broccoli when it is done, but save the water that you cooked it in.
3. Measure the water that you saved from the broccoli and use it to make the packet of Lipton Rice Sides Cheddar Broccoli---when I use the water/juice/liquid from what I cooked I call it a broth. This liquid adds flavor to the dish as well as doesn't waste any thing.
4. While your rice is cooking make sure that your hamburger and broccoli get heated
5. Add the meat, cooked broccoli and rice mixture together and serve right away
6. Allow individuals to add Franks Hot Sauce for themselves

Serving Size: 2 large adult bowls