Wednesday ads

These are this weeks ads

SAFEWAYS

ham .99
Apples .88
Milk 2.69
Beef bottom round 2.99

FIVE DOLLAR FRIDAYS

Baby back ribs
Oranges, 8 pounds


TOP

MULTI DISCOUNT..BUY 4

Cream cheese .99
Shredded or singles 1.99


Pork loin 2.00
Turkey .69

Lean ground beef 3.99 ***

Pasta 1.00

Foccacia bread 3.99 ***


QFC

English cucumbers 1.00
Butter 2/5.00
Sour cream 1.00
Baby carrots .99


ALBERTSOMS

Ham .99
Coffee 7.99
Chicken .99
Canned veggies .69


notes ***. Roast is a dollar a pound less than the lean ground beef if I had to jace broind beef, I would gri d my own. The bread is no bargain, but the best bread I have ever eaten if you like hot peppers.

That's about all.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Thanks for stopping g

Skillet suppers

Following the theme of quick and easy.

CHICKEN AND NOODLES

1 pound cooked chicken cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1cup baby carrots, cut in half
1 cup frozen broccoli

2 ounces uncooked noodles ( 1 cup)
1-3/4 cups chicken broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Parsley to garnish

Sauté onions in olive oil until soft.

Add all ingredients to the skillet and bring to a boiling, reduce hest and simmer 10 minutes covered. Uncover and cook 5-8 minutes longer until veggies and noodles ar tender.

SPEGHETTI AND MEATBALLS, UPDATED


Pre-made meatballs

1/2 package speghetti

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can tomato sauce
4 ounces pesto
1 tsp oregano

1) cook and drain speghetti and heat meatballs in microwave.


2) heat sauce ingredients in a saucepan 10-15 minutes

3) place meatballs in sauce and add pasta.

Garnish with parsley and parmesan.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share


Jane

Monday madness 12/10

It's Monday the dreaded start of the work week. The holidays are fast approaching.

From Betty Crocker

Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes for a croud.

5 pounds of white potatoes, peeled and cut into one inch pieces

3 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup blue cheese
1cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

8 ounces sour cream
1tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp paprika

Chives to garnish if desired

1) cook potatoes and mash.

2) in bowl beat together cheeses, sour cream and salt.

3) mix the potatoes and cheese mixture , add milk if necessary to make right consistency.

4) put into greased pan. 9X 13. Bake at 350 for 35-0 minutes. Serves 24.

5 grams fat each. 135 calories.

This can be made ahead and baked later.



LOW FAT MINESTRONE

1 can EACH OF

28 ounces of tomatoes

14.5 ounces of great northern beans
Corn, drained
Kidney beans

2stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 medium onion , chopped
1 cup shredded cabbage,

1/2 cup elbow macaroni or broken spaghetti

1 1/4 cups water
1tsp Italian seasoning
2veg bouillon cubes
1 clove garlic, minced

Parmesan to guarnish

Place everything but the Parmesan in a 4 quart pan. Heatto boiling. Reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until macaroni and veggies are tender.

2 grams fat, 305 calories


Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Janet

Sunday notes

Last night we had pork roast and oven roasted root veggies. Both were cooked in the oven and took 30 minutes. I got some organizational work done in my studio while it Cooked. The roast was on sale at Safeways and I picked up garlic rosemary parmesan cheese at grocery outlet. I had to go get boxes at the dollar store so we stopped by the grocery outlet too. they usually have a good variety of cheeses. Sometimes they have bargains on them, but not all are on sale. The parmesan was .50. Because we had never tried it, I would rather have a small size. It was really good.

Parmesan Rice and Peas with bacon. From Betty Crocker Simple Home Cooking ,2006

2 slices bacon , chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked long grained rice
1 can chicken broth (14 ounces)
1/2 cup water
1cup frozen sweet peas
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp pepper

In a two quart saucepan, cook bacon until done. Add onion and stir one minute. Stir in rice until it is covered with bacon fat. Stir in broth and water. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about twenty minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Gently stir in peas. Cook one to two minutes until peas are hot. Stir in cheese and pepper.

Note.
I would use the bacon ends I got cheap. This would also work with instant brown rice.
I would use the Romano cheese that I already have and my chicken stock or better than bouillon .


Slow cooker pork stew

1-1-2 pounds pork cubes
1-1/2 cups carrots, cut into slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups peeled and cubed parsnips
1-1/2 cups peeled butternut squash
4 cups chicken broth

Sage, thyme, salt, pepper--1/2 tsp each
3T flour
1T butter

Brown meat on stove . Place om slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients except flour and butter.
Cook on low 7-8 hours.

Mix butter and flour to make paste. Stir into stew.
Cook on high for 30 minutes until Gravy is thickened.

Adapted from the same booklet as above.

Note. This would be a good Sunday dinner When you are busy with Christmas preparations.
I love the cook and walk away meals.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Suddenly Saturday

It's Saturday . I thought I would continue to post recipes that are easy because we all have extra things on our agenda for the holidays and easy food is a stress reducer!
the holidays are supposed to be for having fun with friends and family.

Oven Roasted Vegetables

1/2 pound baby carrots
1/4 pound mushrooms
1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 zucchini, cut into pieces
4 red potToes, cut into fourths

Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese

Place veggies on baking sheet with sides. Drizzle with olive oil. oss to coat veggies. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and cheese.

Bake at 450 for 30 minutes.


Taco Skillet Helper!

Mix together in skillet:

1 pound taco meat ( 12 ounces cooked meat)
1.5 cups water
1cup salsa
1can corn, drained well

Heat to boiling. Stir in 1-1/2 cups instant rice.
Bring back to a boil. Cover, take off neat and let stand 8 minutes.

Fluff rice.

Sprinkle with
3 ounces Mexican blend cheese
Cover and let stand until cheese is melted , about 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with lettuce and tomato.


Thanks for stoppimg by

Please share. The more people the blog touches, the more chance I have of helping someone!!

Jane

Finally Friday

It's finally Friday and I have a lot of errands to do. I just spent some four in the morning organizing my studio and purging.

On to food-- meals from the ads

My mix is 2 vegetarian, 2 chicken or pork, two beef and a fish. This assures a variety and enough of a mix to please everyone some of the time. Your mix may be different.




Chicken roasted
Hearty chicken soup

Tacos
Meatballs

Shrimp stir fry

Mac and cheese
Bean soup


Notes
Most of these meals are either fast or make ahead.

Once you have roasted the chicken and portioned it out, you have four meals partially made. The meatballs were done when you batch cooked the hamburger as was the taco meat. Stir fry is fast. Bean soup is a matter of throwing stuff in the slow cooker. That leaves scratch Mac and cheese.

Mac and cheese in the Slow cooker usually calls for evaporated milk. I am not too fond of evaporated milk so I would rather make it with a white sauce. I usually use a variety of cheeses. It's a good way to clean out the cheese drawer of bits and pieces,

I usually make a topping of breadcrumbs, Parmesean and parsley.

If you use rice with the meat balls, you can double batch it for the stir fried shrimp.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Thankful it is Thursday.

It's Thursday already. Time to clean out the fridge and note what we might need.
Some notes? A friend of mine made a cake that was really healthy. It was a spice cake mix and a small can of pumpkin. Cake mixes are on sale this week. She made it in a bunt pan, but I would bet it could be made in a 9x13 also or in cupcakes.


Chicken is on this week as well and it's cold and flu season...yuk.

Hearty Chicken Soup

1 cup total of chopped carrot, celery, and onion.

6 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 cups chicken cubes

Salt, pepper, poultry seasoning to taste.

1-1/4 cups dry egg noodles.

Parsley


In a large pan, sauté veggies in olive oil. Add broth, seasonings , chicken and noodles. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until noodles are tender.

Chicken Shepherd's Pie

Make white sauce with 3Tbs butter, and 3 Tbs flour and 2-1/4 cups milk. stir in two tsp poultry seasoning.

Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup cheese.

Add about 10 ounces of cooked chicken pieces and 1-1/2 cups of peas and carrots.

Put mixture in a 2quart greased baking dish. Top with ome package instant mashed potatoes, made up.

Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minuts before eating.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Wednesday , add day

The adds for this week.

Safeways

Chicken .99
Pears .99
Oranges .50
Pork shoulder roast 1.49

Stove top stuffing 1.99**

Raspberries 2.99

5 DOLLAR FRIDAY

SHREDDED CHEESE
ribs
Shrimp

TOP

Cake mix .99. ( buy for deal)
chocolate chips 1.49
Marshmallows .79 ***snowman soup alert
Chili 1.00

Dukes .69
Apples 1.00

ALBERTSONS
Raspberries 2.50
Grapes1.99
Lettuce .88
Apples .99 red delicious
Cheese, tillamock 5.49
Pears .99
Cake mix, Duncan Hines 100
Frosting 1.40

Buy 10--- 2.70
Sliced cheese
Tea
Chocolate!! Godiva. Stocking stutters?

Buy 10 - 1.70
Craisens

Buy 10- 2.20
Zero

QFC

Chicken .89
Apples .99
Broccoli, cauliflower .99
romas .99

Buy 2 Jimmy dean sausage for 6.00 and get free eggs

Retro and Costco cookbook

Last nights dinner. It was chili Mac from the Costco cookbook. We had nachos the night before, so I used the left over taco meat and chilies. Less than a five dollar meal.

Having a plan, but being flexible is the key. Without a plan, it is too easy to fall into the " let's order pizza " trap when you have had a long hard day.

Soup or stew in the crockpot is another tool to use when you know it's a hectic day. We all have busy lives and the holidays make life even more busy.


Last night we were talking about recipes from the sixties. Some of them my family never had. My mom was a stickler for basic food. She was of British decent and most everything was pretty basic and plain.

I remember beef stroganoff, Mac and cheese, tuna casserole, an omelet that she finished off in the oven so it puffed, clam chowder, meat balls with rice in them. We had liver with a red sauce, and spaghetti and braised beef on rice and hamburgers.

Mom would Bake bread pm Thursday's and we would have pizza in the mid fifties.

Some of these, I cook now and everyone likes them. ( except my daughter has become a vegetarian)!

Let's talk about almost free pizza. Keep a couple of freezer zip locks in your freezer door. Whenever you are chopping or cooking anything that goes on a pizza, set some aside in the bag. Veggies in one, meat in another. When you get enough to make a pizza, make the dough( see earlier post for easy recipe) and make a pizza. If you really want to be frugal, set a little pasta sauce aside too. Add Italian seasonings.

Guess that's all for today, I have to get to work on some other things.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Monday madness

OK, I decorated the house yesterday and I'm pooped! I thought I would talk about the Costco cookbook that I picked up last time I was shopping.

There wonderful pictures of all the recipes.

I can't copy the recipes, but here are a few. The cookbooks are free at Costco.

Nutella stuffed French toast
cinnamon pancakes with maple cream cheese glaze
spinach quiche
Egg stuffed tomatoes on an English muffin bed...don't know about that one!!
Muffins galore.

Mm. Can we say Christmas morning!!

My reader is out dead and I have to go in the other room to finish.

Black bean and corn salsa
Asparagus and Brie soup

Fresh tomato lemon pasta with walnuts ,olives and feta
Parmesan roasted steakhouse potatoes
Crunchy harvest salad with honey cider vinaigrette
Double blue spinach salad


Mac and cheese
gingered salmon
baked tilpa with tomato tRtar sauce
Tilpa with red pepper sauce
Ground beef and rots cassarole
Chilli Mac
Tex Mex chicken tort a


Peach and custard creme tart
French apple slices YUM!
Chocolate brownies with peppermint bark...sounds like Christmas to me"
Rice pitting with cherry sauce


And many many more. Remember if some ingredient is too expensive...substitute if you can, or splurge!

I'll be trying some of these recipes soon. Many are fairly low cost and healthy.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Two hundred Posts!

I can't believe this is the two hundredth post!

I got frozen peaches from Grocery Outlet for a buck a pound. I need to use them so I thought I would share a peach pie recipe.

Pastry for a double crust pie

5 cups frozen peaches, thawed and drained.
1T lemon juice
1cup sugar
1/4 cup tapioca
Pinch of salt
Butter, cold

Place bottom crust in pie pan.
In bowl, combine peaches, lemon juice, sugar and tapioca and salt.
Place in pie pan.
Dot with butter.
Place top crust on pie and flute,

Egg wash crust and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg.

Bake at 425 for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.


Twice baked Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1cup grated cheese
4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
1tsp Dijon mustard

1) bake potatoes , cut slice off top and scoop out the insides, leaving the shell.

2) In a bowl, mix the potato insides with butter, milk and mustard. Fold in the cheese and bacon. Sprinkle the top with green onion if desired. sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and potatoes are warm.

Time will depend on of you pre make the potatoes, or cook them write after you prepare them.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share.

Jane

The basics revisited

This blog is about groceries on the cheap. That doesn't mean cheap food, it means good food cheap. The USDA has stats in how much it should cost for a family to eat. It is based on ages and family size. I want to pay half. It is meals: better, cheaper, faster!


1/2 price groceries takes a three pronged approach at getting food on the table.
1) plan and organize 2) shop wisely 3) cook from scratch.

1) plan and organize
First, gather recipes that your family will eat that use low cost sources of protein.
Seven will do to start, but fourteen is better so you have variety. I want to average 5 bucks a dinner. I call it 4+1 = 5. Four people, one meal, five bucks.
Think pork, chicken, vegetarian and some beef. It getting harder because of rising food costs.

When you get home from the grocery shopping trip,plan 7 meals. It doesn't have to be a fancy meal plan-- just jot down 7 main dishes . Make a mental note of what was in the fridge before you went shopping and incorporate anything on the edge in your meals first. Store fresh food properly. There are a lot of storage solutions that keep your food fresh longer. They are well worth the investment.

About once mid week, take stock of the bread bin and fridge and do something with anything on the edge--incorporate it into the next meal,put it up, or as a last resort, throw it out. Bananas can become banana bread, stale bread can become bread crumbs or stuffing mix, vegetables can become stock.

2) shop wisely

The mantra here is not to get stuck paying full price. Make a list of staples you use frequently. In our house, that would be beans, cheese, re-fried beans, diced tomatoes,
Pasta sauce, some canned veggies,some tuna and pasta.

Keep track of how much you pay, where you bought it, and when you bought it. This can be in a small spiral notebook that you can carry with you, or on a spreadsheet. Mark the top of the page with the food and the size of the package. Then take a line to mark the date, the store, and the price you paid. Soon you will will see the lowest price for that product. You need then to buy 1) as many as you can afford 2) as many as the store allows, or as many as you need to maintain your stock, which ever comes first. If I use something once a week, I keep 24. If I use something once a month, I keep six.

When the ads come out, take a piece of paper draw limes to quarter it and top each quarter with the name of the store. Now go through the ads and write down the items and prices of anything on a good sale that you use and the price. Record the fruits and veggies you may need, and the meat prices that are low. Now, cross off anything
That is a higher price elsewhere,and anything that you already have an adequate supply of.

Now pick the two stores that have the best prices. Go there with your ads and list.
Get in, get your list, and get out. The longer you spend on a store, the more money you will spend. The grocery stores have spent a lot of research money to get you to impulse buy. Not all stores are created equal. There is a huge difference in prices, and no one store has low prices on everything. I used to work for a food wholesaler.
on
One grocery store has a 42 percent mark up. That is huge!

Don't overlook the stores that don't sell food for their main focus. Sometimes, they have the best prices. Always check pull dates. For example, I got diced tomatoes at Big Lots for .48. The same brand at QFC this week was 1.00 ON SALE. I think the regular price is 1.59. You can see that it would not take long to realize a big savings.

I am not advocating running across town to save .15. I plan my trips to the two stores to incorporate our other errands and maintain a tight circle so we don't waste gas. Going to the closest store for dinner foods every day or two is the worst thing you can do for your budget.

I have guidelines for meat and veggie purchases. I try for less than 2.50 a pound for meat, and a buck for veggies and fruit. It is not working lately with rising food prices. Balancing good nutrition goes along with this too.




3) Cook from scratch. :

One of the fastest ways to derail your budget is to buy ready-made or packaged mixes.

My daughter and I dissected a cheeseburger macaroni meal box. It had .20.8 cents worth of macaroni, and 1.57 ounces of a sauce mix. We paid 2.08 for the box. At that rate, the Cheese burger sauce mix cost 13.28 a pound. They have to list ingredients in order of volume. The first ingredient was cornstarch and the last was cheese whey and preservatives. I never met a cheese I didn't like, and I never met a cheese that had no cholesterol. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. You can buy REALLY good cheese for 13.28 a pound.

In most cases, there is a way to cook the same things just as fast and a whole lot cheaper. With few exceptions, scratch is better and less expensive without the preservatives. I don't think that re-fried beans and tortillas are worth making from scratch. The few times I make cake or brownies doesn't warrant scratch. I can get the mixes for a buck frequently.

Depending on the time of year, instant mashed potatoes are cheaper than scratch. I can sometimes get them for .50. Pasta sauce ( hunts) is as low as .75. You can't buy the tomato product that cheap!

There are styles of cooking that make scratch cooking fast cooking. The slow cooker is really your friend as is a pressure cooker. The new electronic ones have safety valves. Any food you can prep in a few minutes and put in the oven is fast food. You can be doing other things while dinner cooks.

If you spend time to precook meat when you have a less stressed time, you save a lot of time when things are busier. I cook and defat ground meat when I get home from the store, or the next day. You can roast a chicken, cut off the leg portion, and cut the breast in half. Serve half the breast for one meal, cut the rest of the breast meat in cubes for a pot pie or pasta, and freeze the leg portions to make another meal. Save the breast bones and the neck, etc for stock. Roast off a roast. Have a roast dinner, and then slice the rest of it thin for sandwiches-- either roast beef a jus or BBQ pork.

Making your own seasoning mixes, salad dressing and croutons and bread crumbs is a real money saver.

Basically, if you spend more time on the front end of the "get the meal on the table" train and less time on the back end, you will be better off. No one is paying you to cook, but you are being paid well to shop. The average family spends 150.00 a week on food. If you spend 75.00 and you spend an extra hour shopping, you are making 75.00 an hour. This is a concept nots everyone can grasp. If they don't have the money in their little hot hand, they can't see it! LOL. Another abstract is that you would have to earn 90.00 to spend that 75.00. Food for thought.

Thanks for stopping by.
Please share. The object of me writing this blog is to help people eat better for less. I know the unemployment rate is still high and there are people who have had to resort to getting food stamps. We have all had times when we have had to economize.
I hope you enjoy this blog and get what you can use out of it. Some people enjoy seeing a new recipe, or being reminded of an old one, some enjoy the time saving tips. But, whatever it is, I hope I am helping someone.

Jane

Finally Friday

IT's finally Friday! It's gettimg hard for me to think of things to write about. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I bought a new CROCKPOT and it didn't cook the food properly. My split pea soup was still crunchy after 8 hours cooking. I e mailed CROCKPOT company. They are sending me a new crockpot. Albeit by mule train....in 6-8 weeks, but at least they are sending me a new one. It pays not to be complacent.

BEEF STEW

2 pounds beef cubes
1 tsp minced garlic

4 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound red potatoes, cut into quarters.
1 med red pepper, chopped.

1can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup floor

1can tomato paste.
1cup beef broth


1) brown off beef with a teaspoon of minced garlic
2) add beef, and veggies to slow cooker .
3) pour tomatoes over the top.
4) make a slurry of the tomato paste, broth, and flour and pour into slow cooker.
5) season with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Stir mixture . Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until meat is done.

notes

Tomato paste os about .52 at Costco. It is .50 at grocery outlet. Red peppers are .50 at grocery outlet.

Beef is on sale at Safeways. You have to cut your own cubes.

Canned tomatoes are on sale this week. Note the range of prices.

I buy better than bouillon at Costco. A jar lasts a long time in the refer.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share with Facebook or twitter.

Jane

Meals from the ads /thursday

A lot of stores this week have canned tomatoes on sale. The range in price for the same product is .75 to a buck. QFC is the most expensive and Top is the least. That is twenty five percent off.


Meals

1) quiche , salad
2) salmon with root veggies
3) Mac and cheese, broccoli
4) roast chicken , mashed potatoes, green beans , salad
5) chicken potpie
6) Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, salad
7) braised beef tips, rice, waldorf salad,glazed carrots

Notes. Round steak is buyone get ome Safeways. Cut your one tips.
Chicken is on sale.
Eggs are on sale.
Salmon is on sale.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Wednesday grocery ads

Finally we have ads! Such as they are.

There are not many bargains out there!

Albertsons

Apples .78
Whole fryers .99
Chicken thighs .99

Tomatoes , diced .88 **
Pasta sauce .88 **

TOP
Tomatoes , diced .75**
Pasta sauce .75**

Salad .99

QFC

Berries . 99
Sirloin chops B1G1, nets 2.75
Hunts tomatoes 1.00**

Safeways

Round steak 2.50net B1G
pork loom rib 1.79
Milk 2.99
Reggs 1.69. Coupon
Tuna 1.00
JFU
Snack Crackers 1.99
Pasta sauce .89**
tomatoes.80**


That's about it. Note the ***. Price comparisons on tomato diced and pasta sauce.
Quite a large spread in prices.

Cold weather is coming, time for soups, chilling, and pasta!!

Thanks for stoppimg by
Please share

Jane

Tuesday

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Often I see somethimg on a cooking show or in a magazine and it will remind me of something my mother made, or give me an idea of how to make somethimg similar at low cost.


Shrimp Chowder

2cups total of onion, celery carrot and red peppers.
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2cups milk
1/2 pound shrimp ( cooked) and cleaned. (if large, cut I'm half)
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1cup vegetable broth
1cup corn.

In pan, sauté veggies In butter until soft. Stir I'm flour and gradually add milk to make a sauce.

Add potatoes, broth and corn and cook until potatoes are soft. ( the smaller the dice for the potatoes, the quicker they will cook. Duh! )

Add shrimp and heat for ten minutes or until it is heated through.


SAUSAGE SPLIT PEA SOUP

2celery ribs, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
16 ounces of split peas

Water

1/2 pound sausage, cooked and defatted

1 cup carrots, sliced.
2potatoes, peeled and cubed

Parsley, basil, salt and pepper

in a soup pot, Cook celery and onion in olive oil until tender.
Put peas in pot with 1.5 quarts water. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients and 3 cups water. Cook an additional 30 minutes until peas and veggies are tender.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Monday madness, November 26

And we start another week. 1 month until Christmas. December , I think, is the busiest month of the year. Some of us have December birthdays as well. I am going to attempt to ease the stress by posting ways to streamline time in the kitchen and gettimg ready for the holidays.

If you don't do it already, take time to sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and make lists and fill out your calendar. Your computer should have ome that you can print out and keep just for the holidays.

If you haven't gathered it yet, I am a big fan of the crockpot. I can put dimmer on early in the morning when it is less hectic, and have dinner ready when we are ready to eat. If we are coming in at odd times, we can all eat when it is convenient.

Making food ahead when you have a sane day helps too. If you already have the meat done, it is really fast to cook a starch and a veggie.


SLOPPY JOES IN THE SLOW COOKER

1 pound of ground beef or pork. ( about 12 ounces of cooked and defatted meat)

1/2 large onion, chopped
1tsp chopped garlic
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1stalk celery
1can beer
1/3 cup ketchup
2tsp mustard
1tsp chili powder
1tsp vinegar
Hot pepper sauce if desired

If you have not already cooked meat, cook meat until no longer pink and drain.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and cook on low 6-8 hours, or on high 3-4 hours.


Serve with hamburger buns and French fries or veggie sticks.


Thanks for stoppimg by

Please share with Facebook or twitter

Jane


To answer a question, Big Lots is an over stock store that sells everything from toys to food and everything in between. Trader Joes is a alternative food store that sells some regular food, but a lot of vegetarian and speciality foods for special therapeutic
Diets.

Notes on Sunday

It's Sunday. We are all pretty much full of turkey by now!LOL

I am assuming that the grocery ad people took the week off. I took the week off from serious shopping too. Because I stock up, I don't have to shop occasionally.


SLOW COOKER BEEF PAPRIKA

2 pound stew beef
2T paprika

1can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 3/4 cup beef stock
1 large onion, sliced
3 large carrots, cut up
1 red pepper, roasted and cut into strips

1/4 cup water mixed with 2T cornstarch. (slurry)

8 ounces of sour cream

Noodles, cooked and tossed with butter and parsley.

Sprinkle paprika over stew meat. Cut in smaller pieces if necessary.
Put in slow cooker.

Add next section of ingredients to slow cooker.
( tomatoes through peppers)

Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or high 5-6.
During the last 1/2 hour cooking time, add your cornstarch slurry.

When stew is ready, remove meat with a slotted spoon and add sour cream. Stir and place meat back in slow cooker, or transfer the entire dish to a serving dish.

Serve over the cooked noodles.

Note: sour cream is cheaper at Costco. If stew beef is expemsive, you can cut yournown from another cut of meat that is on sale.
I keep better than boullion in the refrigerator, it lasts long time and I always have chicken, beef, or veggie stock on hand. I can get the beef and chicken at Costco in a large container. The veggie is harder to find.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share on Facebook or twitter.

Jane

Suddenly Saturday

Ah, still no grocery ads. I didn't shop for groceries this week. We went to and I picked up a few Christmas presents and a few grocery items, it that was it. I always buy sour cream and butter at Costco. butter is cheaper if you get it in pound bricks. It is really easy to cut off a short cube and it uses less butter. tomato paste was .52 cents. Onions were 4 dollars a bag.

On a non food note, they have ponchos for little girls....flower power...for five bucks. They have a hood.

BLT Potato Soup

3 slices bacon
1T olive oil
1onion
6 tsp minced garlic
Salt
Pepper

4-5 new potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
3 cups chicken broth

2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
Parsley or chives

1) Dice the bacon and fry in the bottom of a Dutch oven, remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a brown paper bag.

Discard most of the fat. Add olive oil. Reduce heat and cook the onions until soft.
Add garlic, salt and pepper.

Add the chicken stock, 3 cupsnwater, and the potatoes.
Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes until they are tender. Add the tomatoes and cook 10 minutes longer.

Puree the soup. Add water if necessary to make the right consistency.

Guarnish with bacon and parsley.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share with Facebook or twitter.

Jane

Black Friday

Today is black Friday. I am not going anywhere near a store, except maybe my own! LOL

We are all stuffed from yesterday. It's leftover day for many of us.

There are still no grocery ads this week. I got a lot of black Friday ads.


Veggie Omelet.

1 onion, minced
3 tsp minced garlic

1 cup roasted vegetables. ( great use of leftovers or a stair step )

7 eggs
1/3 cup 1/2 and 1/2
Salt, pepper

1cup shredded cheese

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until just tender.
Add roasted vegetables and cook until they are warm.

Remove vegetable mixture from pan.

In bowl, mix together Eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Beat well.
Put egg mixture in pan. Cook 3. Minutes without stirring. Run a spatula around the edge of the pan to let the uncooked egg run under the cooked egg.

When egg is set, add vegetables on top, then the cheese.
Fold the omlet over and cook a few minutes until the cheese is melted.


Thanks for stopping by
Please share

Jane