Coupons

Someone told me that the Sunday paper had a coupon for a dollar off the salad dressing that was on sale at Albertsoms last week. Had they told me I would have passed it on.
That's what the comment section is for. I don't get the paper and ro buy the paper just for the coupon would not have been cost effective. That was still a really good price.

I have had people pass coupons to me while I was in a store that they weren't going to use. Random act of kindness. I have done it too. It just made my day!!!

On to a series of designer food recipes adjusted to be on the cheap. The book is making it easy from the food network. I got it used. Try 1/2 price books if you want
It.

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic and garlic


2 T olive oil
Salt, pepper
2 chicken breast, boned and cut in half.
2 T EACH of flour and butter
5 cloves garlic , smashed
Rosemary
1/2cup balsamic vinegar
1 2/3 cup chicken broth


In frypan, brown the chicken in the oil on both sides. Place chicken in a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees 12-15 minutes until chicken tests done.

Mix the flour and butter to form a paste.

Add the rosemary and garlic to the frypan and toast slightly.
Stir on vinegar, deglazing the pan. Cook about one minute.
Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Whisk in butter mixture.
Simmer 1minute.

Serve sauce over chicken.

Serve with oven roasted root veggies


Notes

Balsamic vinegar is a splurge. Sometimes you can get it at the dollar store. Make your own chicken broth and freeze it. Pit it in old fashioned ice cube trays. Then pop out into a zip lock.

Use any root veggies that are in season. Cut into uniform sizes, toss with olive oil and rosemary and roast in the oven. Any degree from 350 to 400 degrees works. I usually let the meat I am cooking dictate the temp. this makes best use of the oven .


We knew it was fall when my mother made meatloaf, baked potatoes and acorn squash for dinner. She made it all in the oven. She would bring the squash down to my dads workshop and put it in the vice to cut it in half lengthwise. Then filled it with butter and brown sugar. these days if you poke it with a fork several times, you can microwave it for 2 or 3 minutes and soften it enough to cut it in half.

Meals that are entirely cooked at one rime in the oven saves power and makes for easier cleanup too.


Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

Pork medallions with apple horseradish sauce

Another recipe from food nw cb, adjusted to be in the cheap.

I still have pork medallions in the freezer from when pork loin was two dollars a pound.

Panko bread crumbs can be made by using French bread, hotdog or hamburger buns, a good way to use the extra hamburger bun from getting hebrew national hot dogs.

Applesauce can be made from small apples on sale.

Pork medallions with apple horseradish sauce.


2 large eggs, beaten

1cup bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper and dried thyme


Dredge pork medallions 1/2 to 1 in thick in egg and then bread crumbs

Fry pork in oil until both sides are brown. Place in a bakimg pan and continue cooking at 350 until pork tests done.

Sauce:

1 cup apple sauce
1/4cup sour cream
3 - 4 Tbls horseradish, drained well. ( place in sieve and squeeze out the juice.
Salt


Serve with baked potato and a green salad.


Thanks for sropping by

Please share.

Jane

Tortilla soup

Adapted fom Make it easy cook book, food network.

Sauté in olive oil until tender

1 medium chopped onion
2cloves garlic or 1/2 tspn garlic powder
1T chili powder
Salt and pepper.


Add 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, simmer 10 minutes

Add
1cup corn and cook 5 minutes more.

Remove from heat, and add

1ripe tomato, chopped
1cup shredded cooked chicken

Garnish with cilantro, lime juice and tortilla chips


NOTE

Imstead of a fresh tomato if tomatoes are not in season, reduce chicken stock by the 16
Ounces that are in a diced tomato can. I got diced tomatoes with lime for 60 cents at big lots.

Tortilla chips can be made by trying flour or corn tortillas and draining on a paper towel or brown bag.

Use frozen corn, canned corn, or microwave a fresh corn cob when it is in season and cut it off the cob. Leftover corn?


Thanks for sropping by


Jane

Adjusting recipes

There are a lot of restraunt dishes and high end popular dishes than can be made on the cheap without sacrificing taste. Sometimes one high end ingredient splurge can make a real difference; or substitute a cheaper ingredient that is a close match. Arugula on a sandwich can become spinach. Ask yourself, what can I use instead. Celery can substitute for fennel.

Capers can last a long time in the fridge and a little bit goes a long ways.
Bottled lemon juice is a lot cheaper than squeezing your own juice.

Artichoke, potato and chorizo tortilla

Artichokes are cheaper at big lots , chorizo at grocery outlet. Sometimes it is frozen. You can make it vegetarian by getting soy chorizo at Trader Joe's.

3 ounces chorizo, or other sausage
1medium potato diced
12 ounces artichoke hearts, marinated, rinsed and drained.
Salt
Oregano
8 eggs
1cup cheese, grated
1red pepper, sauté in olive oil.


Use an oven proof fry pan

Cook 3 ounces of chorizo until done. Remove from pan. Cook 1 medium potato diced, artichokes, Salt and oregano until potato is done. add sausage.
Whisk eggs with salt and pepper.

Take the skillet off the heat . Add the eggs and stir until eggs begin to set.
Top with cheese and red peppers.

Put the skillet under the broiler for two minutes or until the eggs are set.

Slide the tortilla onto a cutting board and slice into wedges.


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Chicken pesto pannini

I am watching food network,. They had chicken pesto panini on semi homemade. What a wonderful idea.

My cheap version of chicken pesto panini

Rustic French bread

Pesto (see older blog)
Sliced chicken breast
Mayo
Spinach
Sliced white cheese
Sliced tomato, seeded

Cut French bread in half

Spread each side with pesto and mayo.
Layer white cheese on each side.
Layer spinach on one side, tomato on the other
Spread both sides of chicken breast with pesto and place in middle of sandwich.
Close sandwich.

Toast on both sides.

Grill with a weight on one side at a time, or use a grill press or stovetop grill.


Thanks for stopping by


Jane

Please share

Meals from the adds

I'm running late this morning, so this will be quick! LOL

Meals from this weeks adds. Last days of summer

I'm finding lots of meats this week albeit not as cheap as they have been in the past.

Good hot dogs are on sale everywhere, my best guess is because of the holiday.
I, however, haven't seen buns cheap? Corn on the cob is really cheap at QFC.

1) Brats, oven roasted potatoes or corn on the cob, roasted peppers, coleslaw

2). Hot dogs and buns, potato salad, veggie sticks, apple pie

3)Quiche , mixed greens with rasp. Vinaigrette and strawberries, Youhert and granola parfait.

4). BBQ spareribs, potato salad, green salad, coleslaw, French bread.

5). Steak salad, French bread

6). Tuna melts, French fries , salad

7). stir fry shrimp, rice,

Meat prices are creeping up, especially chicken and beef.Buying Sirloin roast at 2.75 a pound is a good way to Hedge yourself. By buying two and grinding your hamburger you can save yourself a bundle. It turns out to be really lean hamburger and far less than the 4 plus dollars a pound for the good stuff.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Jane

Grocery Adds for August 29th

Grocery Adds for August 29th.

It doesn't seem like summer should be over. Lets hope for a great September.


Safeways:
JFu
Lucerne Ice Cream 1.99
Kraft Singles 1.79
Gala Apples 3/2.99
Hamburber buns .99
salad blends 1.00


corn 3/1.00
80 per cent hamburger 2.49
Hebrew National 2.99

5 dollar Fridays
Boston Cream Cake 5.00

Chicken leg quarters .79
Milk .99 Coupon


Albertsons


Berries 2.99
Hillshire Farm sausage BIGI Identical only 2/5.99

TOP

Sirloin Tip Roast BIGI 2.75
Country Style Ribs BIGI 1.50
Medium cheddar cheese 3.99 Coupon
Milk 2.50
Hebrew National 2.50* Thurs-Sun only
London Broil 3.00
Zucchini 1.00


QFC

Corn 10/3.00
Strawberries 1.99
Hebrew Nationals 3.00
cottage cheese 1.00

Remember to strike through everything that is more expensive elsewhere and cross off anything that you don't need or use.

Pick two stores.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

MY 100th Blog

This is my 100 th blog. Thank you for stopping by.

Just a couple of notes:

Salad dressing is a dollar at Albertsoms...even the fancy ones.
Betty Crocker instant sweet potatoes are .79 at grocery outlet. I think that BC has discontinued them, and they are really good and easy to make. Probably at that price, cheaper than from scratch. One package has two three servings pouches. It has a short pull date, don't get overstocked.

Now is generally the time that can goods go on sale, about the time of the new canning season. I haven't seen that happening.

We went to the fresh food market ( by the old k mart). Some of the veggies and fruit were cheaper, and some not. Celery was cheaper, as well as red peppers and green peppers. Odd sixes pears were79 cents a pound.

Cheese is at Costco now in 2.5 pound bricks at less than two dollars a pound.

Remember, to stay at a 1/2 price pace, set goals for the cost of certain things. I want a dollar a pound for veggies and fruit.I want two fifty a pound for meat, and two dollars a pound for cheese. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I have to average to make it. fresh veggies are harder to stick to your guns on. One year I was waiting for strawberries to go down in price...we didn't get strawberries that year! LOL
Corn is up again this year, but cherries are down. You just have to be flexible.

Night before last we had brats, oven roasted red potatoes, roasted red and green peppers, coleslaw and French bread with parm cheese and parsley.

The brats were on five dollar Friday, there were ten big brats, enough for two " typical" families. Red potatoes were .40 cents a pound. Peppers were1.00 for both, the coleslaw was .80. And the bread was .60. For a total of 5.50 a meal.

Brats and coleslaw were from Safeways. the bread was from the bakery outlet, the peppers were from the grocery outlet. I got red potatoes from WinCo for two dollars for five pounds.

By careful shopping and averaging your meals, you can eat five dollar meals and still have a more expensive cut of meat every so often. Most of the time our kids would have rather had pizza, tacos, Dagwood sandwiches, or a casserole.
Cooking what the kids like, providing that they like a variety of foods, just makes life easier. We did interject a new veggie or dish ever so often so that they were introduced to a variety of foods.

I used to have a weekly calendar with large journalimg blocks next to each day on my computer. I would fill in the meals when I got home from the grocery store. It enabled me to let the kids know what was off limits for snacking because it was part of dinner.One week my son wrangled an invitation to dinner at the neighbor kids house. He had done so because he didn't like what was on Wednesdays dinner menu. I cranked out the menus with no intension of sticking to a rigid schedule. He missed the Dagwood sandwich night! LOL

Most of the time, the shows that talk about ten and twenty dollar dinners, have some good information on them. I find that their prices don't march the prices in the pacific northwest. I can get most of the ingredients cheaper; a few are more expensive here.

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Please share this blog with a friend.

Next time, the grocery ads.

1/2 Price Food Budget, Really ?

In case you just dropped in, this blog is about eating on the cheap. I want to save 1/2 on food. I try for the savings amount on the bottom of my slip to be at least as much as I spent. My budget is half of the USDA stats.

I can make five dollar dinners based on a "typical" family of two parents and two school age children. I attempt to keep a middle of the road attitude on fat and sugar.

In order to meet this criteria, I don't buy many ready made foods. Picky eaters are not part of my plan. Allowing a child to be a picky eater is doing them a dis-service. It's not giving them the opportunity to try new foods and enjoy natures bounty. There are children that are allergic to some foods, and that you have to deal with. Don't make a rod for your or their future spouses back by allowing a picky eater to be picky. Keep trying to introduce foods to them. Some of what I wasn't fond of as a child, I actually like now.

Staying on a 1/2 price budget in these times of meat prices rising weekly, will take a good amount of flexibility. You have to learn to roll with the grocery ads. Taking advantage of what's in season and what you can find that is on a special price.
Buying in bulk lowers your price and gives you more variety. If you divide the meat into family sized portions, you can freeze them and pull a variety of meats from the freezer.

I suspect that we will eat a few more vegetarian meals and more fish.

There are a few principles that allow you to meet the 1/2 price criteria.

1) never pay full price for food. Develop a spread sheet or a small spiral notebook to keep track of prices of the things you buy often. For is, that would be canned beans, tomatoes, pasta, tuna, refried beans, pasta sauce, instant mashed potatoes.
When they get to the rock bottom price, I buy as many as the store will let me, as many as I need to restock my shelf, or as many as I can afford. If it is something that h I use once a week I keep about a six months supply. If I use it once a month I keep 4 or 5. If it is something like mustard, mayo or salad dressing, I keep one ahead. Going to the store to buy two days worth of food at a time is the worst thing you canDo for your budget. You pay full price and are subjected to impulse buys.
You need to go to more than one store a week and get in and get out. pretty much stick to your list. The more time you spend in a store, the more you spend.

2) Plan. Sit down after you finish putting away the groceries and crank out seven main dishes from what's in the freezer and refer and what you just bought. If you have to think of the answer to the " What's for dinner? " question after a long day, it's a sure way to fall into the let's order pizza trap.

3). Learn to cook from scratch quickly. Buying ready made food is almost always a budget buster. Ditto single serving packages. There are lots of techniques that get you done fast. Spend more time on the front side of the DINNER ON THE TABLE TRAIN and less on back end. You get paid for shopping, you do not get paid cooking.

4) develop your own recipe book of entrees that your family will eat that use low cost sources of protein. Chicken, pork, tuna, beans, cheese, some beef, some shellfish
And fish.

One of the ways that I save time on scratch cooking is to cook bulk meat shortly after I bring it home. I portion control it and put it on labeled freezer bags.

Roast chicken can be split into two breast portions or a breast portion and cubes.
And thigh and leg portions. Make stock from the bones.

Hamburger purchased or ground at home in bulk can be made into a meatloaf, taco meat, meatballs or Salisbury steak, or hamburger patties, or crumbles.

Pork loin can be roasted and sliced thin for BBQ sandwiches or sliced thicker dor reheated roast. It can be cubed and slow cooked for stew or tips over rice.

Sirloin roast can be roasted , having roast beef dinner one day and the rest sliced thin for a jus sandwiches. It can be ground raw for hamburger with less fat and cheaper than ground 7 percent hamburger.

Cooking a bulk batch of meat uses less power, takes almost no more time, and you only have to do the dishes once. LOL

I usually try to tell you the good buys at the grocery stores based on our newspaper adds, and what you can do with them. I try to find recipes that take advantage of low cost ingredients that taste good and slip in a few techniques along the way.

Thanks for stopping by, please share this blog spot.

Jane

Stretching the meat dollar

Anyone that has ever grocery shopped knows that protein is your most expensive food
Group. Even the vegetarians pay dearly for their soy meat want a be 's.

The drought only promises that it will be more costly.

MOCK TENDERLOINS

3/4 lb ground beef
1cup cooked rice
1/2 cup minced onion
1T. W sauce
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients. Shape into patties. Wrap with bacon. Secure with toothpick.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until meat tests done.


Eggplant Parmesean

1 small eggplant, about 3/4 of a pound

Salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs
Vegetable oil
2cups pasta sauce
4 ounces white cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese


1) peel and slice eggplant 1/4 inch thick

2) sprinkle both sides with salt and let stand 30 minutes

3) rince and pat dry


4) bread eggplant with egg wash and then breadcrumbs and fry until golden in batches.
Drain on paper towels

Heat pasta sauce in pan on stove

Layer in 9x 9 pan

Eggplant, sauce, motte and parm. Repeat layers

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes



Thanks stopping by

Please share this blog

Jane

The cheaper better for you alternative.

I ran into a young mother recently that was servimg her children hamburger helper, a store bought fruit cup and a box drink for dinner. This turned out to be more than ten dollars for dinner.

What could she have done instead with little or no extra effort.

1) make hamburger patties with the hamburger.
2) substitute American cheese slices instead of the milk used in the hamburger helper.
3) substitute herbal ice tea for the juice box.
4) use the money spent on the juice box for hamburger buns. ( sometimes they are free at the bread outlet)
5) instead of the fruit cup full of more syrup than fruit. Make a mixed berry cup.

More nutrition, less money a winning combo; and less time than the hamburger helper.


Thanks for stopping by


Jane

Ps. I just bought black raspberry herbal tea for 6 cents a bag. That's .18 for a pitcher of ice tea Box drinks were on SALE at albertsons for .30 cents each. 1.20 for four of them. And the boxed stuff has 16 grams of carbs ( sugar).

Odds and ends

This is about odds and ends of observations this week.

Many of the retro recipes I have " dug up" have more fat than we are used to in this age of healthy cooking. While it is a good thing to eat healthy, I think you can go overboard and fall into a tasteless food trap. As in anything, moderation is the key. My nutritionist told me that a skim of butter on my toast was better than a spread. The more dense the "butter" is, the worse it is for you.

Many of the recipes that call for butter can have olive oil instead. That doesn't work for baking, but we eat actual desert rarely in this house. Fruit or ice cream is more the norm. There are low fat and sugar ice creams out there that are really fairly good.

One restaurant we went to lately served balsamic vinegar and olive oil instead of butter for French bread.

When I make meal plans, I try to balance more fatty meals with less fatty ones. Using a smaller portion of fatty meats is another trick.

If you defat hamburger crumbles before you make taco meat, or meat for a casserole or pasta sauce, it can have less fat than a boneless, skinless chicken breast. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water. It is easier to stay on a diet if you don't think that you are being deprived.

We eat far more meat in this country than other countries. Cutting down on portions is a good way to save the health and the budget.

A four ounce portion is adequate. If you have growing ACTIVE children, they are ok to carb up, they burn them off. A couch potato, not so much LOL.

It will be interesting to see what effect the drought has on our food prices.
Like our grandmothers during the great depression and the second world war, I suspect we will adjust and come out victorious.

One of the main rules of keeping on a strict food budget is to find dinners that your family loves and plan . Plans can be flexible, but you have to have a plan.

This blog is based on less that 1992 stats for grocery shopping budget...the thrifty plan. It s all about careful shopping, using up what you buy, and not paying full price.

If you spend more time on the front end and less time on the back end of the MEAL
ON THE TABLE train , you will be better off.

You get "paid" for shopping wisely, No one pays you for cooking.

More recipes tomorrow, I promise LOL

Thanks for stopping by

Jane


Please share this blog.

Meals from the shopping trip

Safeways was the store of choice this week. I'll fill in at grocery outlet tomorrow.

Meals from the specials

1)baked salmon, corn on the cob, Waldorf lettuce salad w balsamic vinaigrette.

2) stuffed zucchini with shrimp. Green salad

3) red potatoes, brats, peppers crusty bread

4) hamburgers, fries, coleslaw

5) Mac and cheese, broccoli

6) pesto salad, green salad, sliced London broil

7) quiche, spinach salad, rolls


Note:

London broil from last week.
Brats, salmon and shrimp on 5 dollar Fridays, shrimp additional percent off on. Just for u. Coleslaw, spinach, fruit on sale and 3 dollars off 15 just for you includes 3 for a dollar corn on the cob.

Thanks for stopping by
Please share this blog.

Jane

1970's main dishes on the cheap

The earliest USDA stats I can fimd in my notebook is 1992...twenty years ago. The "typical American family" of four-- mom, dad, and two school aged children is listed at thrifty for 358.50 and liberal at 693.20.


APPLE PUDDING CAKE with cinnamon butter sauce

Cake

1cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1cup flour
1 tsp soda
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

2medium cookimg apples, chopped

Sauce

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/3cup /2 and 1/2 cream
1/2tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8 or 9 inch square pan
Cream brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy
Beat in egg.
Stir in dry ingredients
Fold in apple

Spread in pan

Bake 25 to 35 minutes until cake tests done

Before serving
Heat sauce ingredients until butter is melted and sauce is warm. Serve over cake.


Note:
You could also dust top of cake with powdered sugar and omit the sauce

SESAME CHICKEN WITH NOODLES

Sauce ingredients ( make two batches. Save one for the end)

2 T soy sauce
1 1/2 T sugar
2tsp olive oil
2tsp vinegar
1tsp cornstarch
2drops hot chili oil


2chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into 1/8 inch strips

1/4 cup orange juice
1cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup celery, sliced diagonally.
2cloves garlic


4 ounces broken spaghetti, cooked

In shallow non metal dish, place one batch of sauce.

Marinate the chicken in the sauce. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour

Heat a skillet over high heat. Add 1 T oil. Remove the chicken from marinade with a slotted spoon and stir fry. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. You may have to do it in batches. Transfer chicken to plate and keep warm.

Add the orange juice to the skillet. Deglaze pan. Add veggies, cover and cook for 3minutes. Add the second sauce mixture and the chicken. Cook 1minute until sauce thickens. add cooked spaghetti.

NOTE.
Chilli oil is at the dollar store
It is a good way to use up the spaghetti in the bottom of the box, or spagetti now comes broken on purpose.
Oranges are on sale this week as is chicken.

Tomorrow. Mock tenderloins. Meat ball casserole, country pork burgers

Thanks for stopping by...and please share this blog.

Jane

Chicken and corn

Chicken is less than a dollar a pound still. Beef is rising rapidly in cost. pork is falling right in line. The secret to groceries on the cheap is to get the cheapest prices you can and be flexible. Take advantage of what is on sale that week.

Peppery corn soup

4 slices bacon.
2T oil
1large onion, finely chopped
2stalks celery, finely chopped
2carrots, peeled and diced
1poumd potatoes, peeled and diced
Salt
Pepper

2 cups chicken stock
2cups milk

2cups corn

Red pepper flakes

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1T cilantro or parsley or chives


1) fry bacon and set aside to drain on paper towels

2) sauté chopped vegetables, EXCEPT the potatoes

3) add potatoes, salt pepper and stock.

4) lower the heat and Simmer avoutn15 minutes untilmpotatoes are tender.

5) add milk and corn. Heat 5 minutes.

6) add red pepper flakes and cheese.

7) garnish with bacon crumbles and chives or cilantro.

NOTE: You can use hot peppers instead of red pepper flakes. I am still trying to find cheaper chilies in a can.
Vegetables are a buck at QFC this week. Chicken stock can be made from the bones after
You roast the chicken.


Mexican Potato cheese soup

3T chillies ( canned)
3 T butter

1large onion, chopped

4 medium potatoes, 1/2 inch cubes

1 large red pepper, cores, seeded, and thinly sliced
2cloves garlic

4cups chicken stock
Bay leaf
Salt
1-1/4 tsp cumin

1cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream

2cups shredded cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1) sauté onion in butter
2) add potatoes, red pepper, and garlic. Stir fry for 2minutes
3) add stock, bay leaf and salt, bring to boil, reduce heat and cook until potatoes are tender.

4) puree the soup, chili and cumin.
5) return the soup to the pan. Stir in milk and sour cream. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Don't let milk curdle.

Ladle in bowls and garnish with cheese and cilantro


Note: You could also add shrimp. Shrimp is frequently on five dollar friday at Safeways. You could reduce the amount of cheese on top of the soup bowls. I still haven't found a solution to the high price of chilies except red pepper flakes.

You can use a stick blender, a blender ( in batches, not to full) or a food processor to puree soup.

I would serve either soup with a piece of good crusty bread or a cheese biscuit or beer bread.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Please share my blog with a friend

Jane

This weeks adds

Albertsons

Chicken breasts or thighs 1.00

Salad 1.00
Salad dressing 1.00
Blues 2.00 pint
Zucchini .99
Taco shells 1.00
Taco saucr1.00
Corn 2/1.00
Celery .89 bunch

QFC

Cake mix .99
Frozen vrggies1.00
Top round 3.25 end price ( BIGI)


TOP

Bottom round 2.97
Green beans .89
Onions .33
Tomatoes 1.00
Beans .79

Safeways

Grapes .99
Salad 1.00
Oranges1.00
Fryers .89

Five dollar Fridays

Pizza
Cookies
Salmon


97 percent hamburger 3.99
Peppers 1.99 lb
Strawberries 1.99


Just for you
Klondike bars 2.49
Sausage 2.49

Dont forget to cross off anything that is cheaper elsewhere , and anything that you don't need or want. Bring coupons if it is necessary. Download any you need to on your store cards. Decide from what's left which two stores you are going to.



That's all. It is getting g harder and harder to find protein sources.
Note that top roast is 2.97. And good hamburger is 3.99. That's about a dollar a pound difference. grind 5 pounds in about 20 minutes and you are making 15 dollars an hour.
And you are getting better hamburger.


Thanks for stopping by


Jane

Spam and other almost FREE food.

Yesterday I deleted my blog. It was about spam and other despicable things in my life.

There are two definitions of spam. One is a food product that is full of fat;the other
Is a cyber term and it is full of of $&@!. I don't like either of them crammed down my throat. I can choose not to buy the canned version,I can't refuse the other one.Google has no provision to block spam or porn.

Consequently, I am writing in the dark, what you want to read is a mystery.

Enough said.

The other almost FREE foods in the Pacific Northwest this time of year is zucchini and blackberries.

Blackberries grow wild , they can be used in about any fruit desert recipe. Pie, cobbler, as a sauce over ice cream or pancakes or in a mixed berry fruit cup.

Zucchini is in any gardeners garden. Sometimes they get away from us and grow to enormous proportions. They are still good for zucchini bread or muffins. chocolate zucchini cake is a great way to get kids of all ages to eat a veggie.

From my retro cookbook. This recipe was from a dear lady that spent her life enriching the life of sick seniors.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

In bowl combine
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa, unsweetened
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2tsp soda
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
In separate bowl cream until light
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
Add 3 eggs, one at a time
Continue beating until well mixed and light and fluffy
Stir in
2cups unpeeled, grated zucchini. ( no seeds)
2tsp grated orange peel
2tsp vanilla

Alternately, stir in dry ingredients and
1/2cup milk
1cup walnuts
Pour into greased and floured bundt pan
Bake at 350 1 hour or until tests done.
or bake in a 9x13 for 45 minutes.
Allow to cool 15 minutes.
If using bundt pan, remove from pan and glaze
You can also put the glaze on the 9x13 in the pan

Glaze( optional)
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1TBLS orange juice
1/2tsp graded orange peel
Add more juice if necessary

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

How much zucchini is in your garden?

This is the time of year when zucchini is real plentiful in your garden or your neighbors garden.

Zucchini with shrimp

8 small zucchini
2T butter
1green onion, minced
1tsp paprika
2medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
Salt, pepper
1/2pound peeled small shrimp
2T parm

For sauce:

2T butter
2T flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup parm
1/2tsp Dijon type mustard

Wash zucchini and trim each end, but do not peel.
Blanch in boiling salted water for 5minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water.
Cutna thin lengthwise slice from each zucchini. Scoop out pulp.
Chop pulp .

Melt butter in saucepan . Add green onion and cook until soft, but not brown.
Add paprika, zuchinni flesh and tomatoes. Salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp.

Arrange zucchini boats in casserole dish. Fill with shrimp mixture.

Make a white sauce with listed ingredients. Take off the heat and add mustard and parm.


Pour sauce over zucchini . Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 425 for ten minutes.

NOTE: zucchini is in season and inexpensive if not in your garden.
Shrimp has been on 5 dollar Friday at Safeways a lot lately.

Twice baked Potatoes with ham and cheese

4large baking potatoes, baked
1cup ham cubes
10 ounces frozen corn.
Small onion chopped
1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt

1cup white cheese grated ( 4 ounces)
1/2 tsp cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400
Halve the potatoes lengthwise. Leaving a shell, scoop out potato.
Mash potatoes well. Add jam, corn, onion , yogurt,1/2 the cheese and the seasonings

Fill the potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Arrange potatoes in 9x13 pan
Bake 25- 30 minutes. Broil 1-2 min until brown.

Use a broiler pan if necessary .

Serves4.


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Jane

And yet more retro recipes

More retro recipes.

SAUSAGE AND POTATO PIE

2T olive. Oil

1red pepper, core, seed, and cut into 1/4 inch strips

1med zucchini sliced thinly

2tsp minced garlic

1/2tsp black pepper

1/4cup chopped basil OR parsley OR 2tsp dry basil

1pound bulk sausage or ham

3medium russet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced

1cup grated parm

2cups grated white cheese, jack, morts, or cheddar 1/2 pound

Preheat oven to 425.

Sauté red peppers, and zucchini in 1T oil until tender. Add garlic. Add spices and sauté 2min Longer. Add cooked and defatted sausage.

Toss potatoes in remaining 1T oil. Place 1/4 of the potatoes, over aping slightly in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Place a third of the meat mixture on top of the potatoes.

Place 1/3 Of both cheeses on top, making the third layer.
Repeat layers, ending with a layer of potato.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5- 10 min longer until potatoes are crisp. Cool 5-10 minutes.

Calories 500
Protein 27 grams
Carbs 17
FAt 36 ( before defatting)
cholesterol 91mg

to defat ground meat ( takes away about 17 percent of the fat) according tonwhat I read.

Fry meat until no longer pink. Drain in colander over sink. Pour boiling water over the meat . Return to clean pan and heat through.

Mexican ground beef salad

Layer
Crisp corn tortilla ( nacho chips?)
lettuce chopped
Taco meat
Red pepper
Avocado
Jalapeño peppers
Grated Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese

Use oil and vinegar dressing.
Salsa, lime juice?

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Google: Janes cheap groceries

Top foods charity cookbook

Top foods has a charity cookbook out for .99 cents, the sole proceeds going to northwest harvest.

Really good tasting recipes, some are pricy, some are doable on a budget

Grilled romaine with Roma tomatoes and parm dressing.
Nutrients in berries

Chicken breasts with black olives, lemon and fennel. Either splurge on fennel or substitute celery.

Shrimp and Brie Mac and cheese. --Brie is sometimes cheap at grocery outlet, shrimp is 5 buck Friday at Safeway often.

Orange glazed shrimp skewers with chipolte veggie medley...I don't know chipolte, figure a substitute if you need to. Kids.. You could use olive oil and herbs.

Burgers burgers burgers

Salad with romaine with shrimp and watermelon

More recipes, but they are pricey.


That's all

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Please share and comment so I can tell who is real and who is not. Lol. Thanks

Jane