This weeks ads. 8/14/2012

This weeks ads as pueny as they are.

Albertsons

Chicken thighs or legs .99
Peaches .99
Chicken leg quarters .89. **
Strawberries 4lbs for 7.99


TOP

London broil bigi. 2.75 lb net cost
Cherries 1.98 pound
80 percent ground beef 2.49
Grapes 2.00
Carrots 2lbs 1.00

Green pepper .69

QFC

Peaches.99
Corn 2/.88


Safeways

Peaches .97
Blues2.99
Pot roast 2.49
80 per cent ground beef 2.49

5 buck FRIDAYS

Bar cake
BIG sandwich
Ground turkey
Shrimp


Strawberries 1.99
16 ounces salsa 2.50


That's it.
Again, there is not much out there.

Safeways has just for you. If they have the three dollars off 15.00 worth of veggies, they will be a lot cheaper than other places. 2.75 for London broil is probably cheaper for ground meat because the fat will be a lot less.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Cornbread revisited

After researching for the tamale pie, infound corn muffin mixes at a variety of costs.

A mix from a well known eatery is a dollar at the dollar store. The small quick one is .89 at Albertsons.

I suspect that the price of cornmeal will rise and a mix might be your hedge on higher prices. None the less, here is a recipe for corn bread mix from scratch.

CORN BREAD MIX

2 cups yellow cornmeal
2cups flour
6 T sugar
5 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt

Mix ingredients together. Store in an air tight container . Shelf life 2 months
Enough mix for 28 or 9 inch square pans of cornbread.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400
Place 2 1/4 cups mix in bowl. Make a well.
Whisk 1cup milk,
1/4 cup veg oil
2slightly beaten eggs.

Stir just enough to mix.
Pour into greased 8x8 pan.
Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Variation:
Add 1tsp chili powder, 1tsp unsweatened cocoa powder, and 1/8 tsp EACH of cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper to sry ingredients.

Make as above with 1cup milk, 1/4 cup veg oil, 1 slightly beaten egg, 1can drained chillies, and 1/2 cup grated cheese.

Poor batter into 9x9 greased baking pan . Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Mexican cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer. Serves 9.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share my blog

Jane

My retro personal cookbook

I dug out my personal cookbook from the seventies. I discovered " new" recipes that I forgot about.

I can remember tvp And chicory when coffee was scarce. I remember making my own bean sprouts and trying to cook soy beans...that was a bust!LOL

But there are a lot of recipes that have stood the test of time.

Sometimes a little special touch will make a regular meal special. that's what people pay big bucks for at a fancy restraunt.

Pepper butter
1/3 cup butter
2T parsley
1/4tsp red pepper flakes
1/4tsp pepper
1/8 tap garlic powder

Cilantro lime butter
1/3 cup butter
1T cilantro
1tsp lime peel

dijon dressing
8 ounces sour cream
1/2cup milk
2T Dijon mustard
1T parsley
1/2tsp dill

Blue cheese butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup blue cheese
1T parsley
1tsp dry basil
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped

On another note

MAGIC APPLE PIE
1egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/2cup flour
Pinch of salt
1apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins or craisens

In mixing bowl, beat egg and remaining ingredients EXCEPT
Apple and raisins. Fold in apple and raisins. Spread into a 9 inch pie pan that as been greased. Bake 350 for 25-30 minutes. Or until golden and toothpick in center comes out clean. Serve with whip cream or ice cream

Basic salsa

1clove garlic
1pound ripe plum tomatoes, coded, finely diced, but not peeled.
1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup of EITHER cilantro, parsley, or 1/2 tsp ground coriander.
1T lime juice
1-4 tsp salt

Blanch garlic and mince.
Add the rest of the ingredients and let set at room temp for 1 hour. Transfer to a covered jar and refrigerate up to 10 days.

Depending on how much you have to pay for tomatoes,salsa could be cheaper store bought.
Lime and lemon juice is cheaper in a bottle and keeps a long time.
Cilantro vutter would taste good on chicken breast.
Blue cheese butter would be good on beef.

Thanks for stopping by
Please share this blog.
Jane

Re discover quick breads

Quick breads have been given a bad rap lately. They are a good source of fruit and vegetables and can be a good source of fiber.

Cheddar chive muffins. A good add to a meal that has no or little protein.

1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup mashed potato flakes
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 2/3 cup flour
3T sugar
3 T total of chives and parsley

1Tbls bakimg powder
Tsp salt

In a saucepan, bring milk to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in potato flakes.
Let stand 2 min. Whip until smooth. cool slightly. Beat in egg, oil and cheese.
Combine dry ingredients, stir into potato mixture. Batter will be thick

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done.


orange nut bread

1 large naval orange
3 cups flour
1cup sugar
1Tbaking powder
1/2tsp salt
1egg
1cup milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Peel orange. Place orange peel in saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, drain. Cover peel again with water and cook 3 minutes longer. Drain and chop finely chop peel.

In mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In separate bowl, combine milk and egg, and stir into dry ingredients. Fold in orange peel and nuts. Turn into loaf pan that has been greased and floured. Bake at 350 50 to 60 minutes or until done.


Thanks for stopping by
Please share with a friend. Google Jane grocery cheap.

Jane

And you buy your groceries WHERE? Part 2

A prime example of always having one eye open for a good buy. We went looking for a larger baby toy bucket. The dollar store one has been repurposed to the pantry. That is the result of one spoiled grand baby! LOL

What I found was a brand name diced tomatoes for .60 cents. The same tomatoes that were a buck on sale a few weeks past. The tomato paste was .40. My target price is .50 for diced tomatoes and .50 for tomato paste.

I finally got a bucket for 60 percent off at Joannes.

I have not got a post in the last two days. I think that something is broken.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Dinners under 9.00 adjusted LOL

Family Circle this month as nine dollar dinners. They are priced at that amount because I am sure that they are using NYC prices. At any rate, with minor adjustments and careful shopping, I am sure we can reduce their costs. At least they aren't clove studded bologna. Lol

1) slow cooker brisket BBQ chili.
Uses chuck roast cut into 2 inch pieces. any beef that can stand up well to slow cookimg can be used. What's on sale? Omit the molasses and use a substitute, use white beans instead of butter beans, omit the lime wedges, lime juice is cheaper.

2) Rotini with sautéed chicken sausage and vegetables
Use chicken sausage *. Regular rotini, homemade chicken broth or vegetable stock, cut and seeded tomatoes and dry basil unless younhave itnin your garden.

* chicken sausage with cheese and artichokesnis usually on sale at grocery outlet.

Asian beef and lentil sloppy joes
I'm sorry, that just sounds Barry to me. And considering that not one person hit on my sloppy joe blog, I choose to skip this one. Lol

Chutney Pork Chops and Cousxous

Make chutney, use your own Broth, omit the apple juice and add more broth unless you drink a lot of apple juice, or find it cheap. It has too many carbs for me.

Baked Flounder and herbed panko

Use any white fish that is cheap. Costco has some frozen reasonable. Panko is coarse bread crumbs. You can season them yourself. Cream cheese is on sale frequently, check your per ounce prices. Use chopped, seeded tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes. Do as have morenflesh and are frequently less per pound.

A simple fish dish is to spray the bottom of a baking pan with cooking spray. Slice potatoes and arrange in the bottom of the pan. Top with sliced tomatoes and drizzle w olive oil. Bake at 400 until potatoes are almost tender. Add a white fish and continue baking until fish is done. Sprinkle w herbs.

Almost any recipe can be made more economical with a few substitutions and careful shopping. Now, that being said, I have yet to find a replacement for lobster! LOL

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Please share with a friend.

Let's talk sloppy joe's

While researching sloppy Joe,s I discovered that there are many different takes on them. I have always used a recipe I found in a women's magazine years ago. It has ingredients I always have on hand and is easy and cheap. What more can you ask for?

Canned mix is over two dollars last I looked and you still have to add hamburger.
Buns are often on sale in the summer. They are cheaper at the bakery outlet.

Taste of home ultimate freezer cookbook.

Salsa sloppy joes. Pg 72

Sloppy joes

1 pound ground beef, cooked and de fatted
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3/4 cup water
1can tomato soup
Hot pepper sauce to taste.

Sauté veggies in oil. Add meat. Water and soup. Simmer. Add hot pepper sauce if desired.

Janes sloppy joes on the cheap

1pound ground beef, cooked and de fatted
2/3 cup catsup
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Put all ingredients in a frying pan. Heat for 10 minutes until flavors meld.


Note: catsup is a dollar at the dollar store. You can mix part ground turkeynwith ground beef. Didn't work at my house because my husband screamed foul play! Lol.

I usually serve them with salads, sweet potato fries, or veggie platter.

Thanks for stopping by
Please share this blog with friends.

Jane

Four plus one is five. 8/10/2012

I thought we might talk about four people, one meal five bucks and go through the process of pre shopping.


Take a piece of computer paper. Divide it in four. Place the name of each grocery store add at the top of the page.

Go through the adds and write anything that you eat that is a good buy.
86 the pre made, high priced garbage.

Then go through and cross of anything that is a cheaper price elsewhere, or that you already have enough of.

Make meals from your stock on hand and what you bought.

1) Sirloin Tip Roast, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, Broccoli


2) Roast Beef A Jus sandwiches, green salad with grapes, apple, and walnuts .
raspberry vinegrette.

3) Chicken drumsticks, coleslaw, oven baked steak fries.

4) Mac and Cheese, Broccolli

5) spareribs, corn of the cob, coleslaw , beer bread

6) Quiche, designer lettuce salad with strawberries.

7) Shrimp stir fry. rice. ( brocolli, carrots, celery, red peppers, )

Notes: Shrimp is 5 bucks a pound at Safeways.
If you pick a protein that is less than 2.50 a pound (average) and don't buy expensive side dishes, you can pretty much figure on spending less than five dollars average.

The roast and the shrimp costs are being tempered by the quiche, mac and cheese, and the chicken.


Please share this blog.
Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

A rose by any other name

I just read an article by Jane E Brody on downsizing the food budget as she so eloquently put it. Her article was based on research and it was well written, but
Didn't day much more than what i have been saying.

She did warn against buying empty calories. The biggest culprit there is sugary drinks. She suggested chicken, eggs, beans,and lean ground beef for protein. Guess she hasn't heard of the other white meat! Lol.

She does advocate scratch cooking and if you were used to eating out a lot, buying the proper equipment to cook. Her stats look at 40 minutes a day in the kitchen.

I find it interestimg that she said that frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are better than fresh. They are not as cheap at times. She is working on the assumption that the frozen and canned products are picked at their peak and put up,and fresh have been sitting around the store.

I got peaches frozen for a dollar a pound. We paid the same amount last week for fresh and I didn't have to peel or slice them. We made the peaches and cream muffins. Next time, I would use part sour cream and part milk. Costco sour cream is really thick.
I probably wouldn't use the silicone muffin tins either.

Basically, Jane Brody in her article said that you can downsize your food budget and still eat healthy. I have been trying to show people how to do that in this blog.
Albeit not so eloquently.

I was really excited about my number of hits in this blog until I found out that half of them were spam. I am really trying to help people here. Please repost this site on your Facebook. People usually don't shout from the rooftops the state of their finances. By spreading the post, we can reach more of the people that might benefit from it.

Thanks for stopping by

Tomorrow..meals from the grocery ads.

Jane

How do you spell desert!

When I figure four plus one is five ( four people, one meal, five bucks). I don't include desert. Usually if we have desert it is fruit, or piece of a five dollar Friday cake. One cake lasts us all week. Yesterday I posted a white snack cake. Today I made blackberry sauce to put on it with some whip cream.

Sometimes if I have a main dish with little protein, we will have creme brûlée for desert.


Sweet cinnamon chips

2laege flour tortillas
3T butter
2Tsugar
1tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375

Stack tortillas on top of each other and cut into wedges. ( like pizza)
Melt butter
Mix cinnamon and sugar

Coat each side of a tortilla wedge with butter. Sprimkle with sugar mixture.
Place on baking sheet.

Bake until wedges just begin to crisp, about 8 minutes.

Cool slightly before serving about 2 minutes.

Drizzle with chocolate syrup, honey, or caramel.


chocolate bread pudding

1/2 stick butter
6 cups bread cubes
2cups heavy cream
1cup milk ( not skim)
5egg yolks
12 oz chocolate chips
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Butter 9x13 in pan.
Place breadcrumbs in prepared baking dish.
Melt 4 Tbs butter. Drizzle over bread crumbs.
Combine cream and milk in a sauce pan. Bring to just a boil over med heat.

Slightly beat egg yolks in a separate bowl.

When cream comes to a boil, remove from heat,add chocolate chips sugAr and vanilla. Stir until chocolate is melted. Add egg yolks and whisk well.

Ladle chocolate cream over bread cubes making sure all bread is covered.

Cover with foil and refrigerate up to 4 hours.

when ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dish from refrigerator and poke holes to vent. Bake an hour or until set. Cool 10-15 minutes before serving.


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

8/8 grocery ads

This weeks grocery ads

SAFEWAYS

5 buck Fridays
Lemon meringue pie
Crisco oil 64 ounces

Grapes .79
Boston cream cake 5.00
50 cookies 5.00

TOP
Sirloin tip roast 2.97
Drumsticks .97
pork chops 1.77
tomatoes 1.00
Potatoes 5.99!20 pounds
Coleslaw 1.00

QFC

Grapes .99
Broccoli .99
Milk 1/2 gal 3/5.00
Ribs1.98
Chili .88
Corn 2/.88

ALBERTSONS
Extra lean ground beef 2.49
Grapes 1.99
corn 2/1.00
BBQ sauce .79
Coffee 7.49
Taco shells .99

Thats all.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Zucchini and tomatoes. --summertime abundance

There are summertime jokes in the Pacific Northwest about the abundance of Zucchini .  It groes
well in this part of the country in giant proportions if not picked early. 

Stuffed Zucchini

2 medium zucchini
1/2 pound sausage
1/4 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 cup pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/5 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp italian seasoning.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds , leaving a 1/4 inch shell.
Chop pulp. set aside.

In skillet, brown meat and onion and add garlic.  Drain meat or use already cooked meat. 
Add pulp, breadcrumbs, seasoning and milk and fold together

Stuff shells.

Place in greased baking pan. Top shells with pasta sauce and cheese. Cover and  Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. 


Summer Pepper Soup. 

1 bacon strip
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cloves garlic
1T tomato paste
1/8 tsp paprika
3-4 drops red pepper sauce

1 cup chicken broth, divided
1T Butter
1T flour
1/2 cup half and half.
1/4 tsp salt

Cook bacon in skillet, remove to drain.  In drippings, cook pepper, onion and garlic. 
Stir in tomato paste , paprika and hot pepper sauce. 
Add 1/4 cup broth. 
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. 
Puree in blender or food processor. 

In sauce pan, melt butter and add flour to make a roux. Add remaining broth to bake a " white sauce"
Reduce heat to low, Gradually stir in pepper mixture and cream.  heat through.  Add bacon for garnish. 

2 servings.

NOTE: 
This is a case where if you can get the tomato red pepper soup at Costco for 6/10.00 it would be cheaper.  With the boxed soup, I add chopped tomatoes, blue cheese, and basil.  You could omit the bacon and add blue cheese and basil and add chopped tomatoes if you have them in the garden. 

Ordinaily,  the boxed soup is 3.50 or so at the regular grocery stores, and costco doesn't always carry the soup. 

Quick snack cake . ( serve with berries on top in the summer)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

In mixing bowl combine dry ingredients. 
Add wet ingredients.  beat for 1 minute. 
Pour into greased 9x9 pan. 
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes clean. 
Cool on wire rack.  

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Pasta primavera vs store bought

Last night I made Pesto Pasta Primavera.

8 ounces bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
1cup blanched, cut green beans
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into slices, halved and blanched.
2-3 Tbls. Pesto
1/2 can sliced black olives
1/2 cup tomatoes, cubed

Shaved parm for garnish.

Place pasta in bowl. Toss with enough pesto to coat.
Fold in remaining ingredients.


QFC had 1pound of pesto pasta for 4.99
That's about 2 cups. I made a five quart bowl for about 5.00.

Note! Costco has pesto for about 8.00 for 22 ounces.
Vinegar was 3.89 for two gallons.

Lets talk fruits and vegetables.

One of the ways to curb your grocery bill is to make use of the fruits and vegetables in season. Pretty much now we can have produce year round, but local fruits and veggies are cheapest in the summer.

Washington has an apple crop in the fall. We are getting a lot of berries this year and peaches are coming in. Corn is still high because it is coming from the mid West and has been high for a few years. Zucchini is always in abundance in the area. Growing a pot of herbs really is economical. My daughter bought some basil for a dish she was making. We rooted the basil and will plant it today.

Carrots continue to be inexpensive and Lettuce is locally grown.

Zucchini bread and CHOCOLATE zucchini bread is a favorite. Carrots are really versatile
From carrot cake and muffins, carrots with brown sugar and butter or gimgered. Carrot and celery sticks, a relish tray with peppers,broccoli, carrots, celery is always a hit
And a way to get veggies into picky eaters.

Bananas are cheapest at Costco and seem to be the same price there year around.

Apple spiced waffles

2 cups baking mix
2tsp cinnamon
1tsp nutmeg
2eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
6 T butter
1cup chopped, peeled apple.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in separate bow. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Do not over mix. Heat waffle iron and make waffles. Leftovers? Can be frozen. Freeze on a sheet pan and then put in bag and label with contents and date.


Peaches and cream muffins

1 egg
1/2 cup milk or sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
2tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1cup chopped peaches.

Combine dry ingredients.
Combine wet Ingredients , except peaches.
Fold together until mixture is moistened.
Fold in peaches.

Bake in muffin cups 3/4 full at 400 degrees for 20-25 min or until done.


Carrots. " baby carrots "are just regular carrots that have been processed.
when they are on sale, they are the same price or cheaper than whole carrots. Check your per pound prices.

Roasted carrots

1 pound carrots cut into 3 inch sticks apron 1/2 inches wide.
1 1/4 cups onion rings
4-6 cloves garlic
1T olive oil
Thyme, salt, pepper
1tsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish. Place carrots that are approx. 1/2 inch wide and 3-4 inches long In baking pan.

Add onion and garlic.
Drizzle with olive oil and salt, pepper and thyme.
Toss.

Roast up to 45 minutes , stirring every ten to fifteen minutes until tender.


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Meals from the ads

I have a lot of meat, and meat wasn't on sale much this week. I suspect that it won't be much because of the drought. All I bought was some spareribs and I am going to resort to my stock. I did buy a lot of fresh fruits and veggies , it's a wonderful time of the year for them.

OK meals

1) BBQ spareribs, potato salad, corn on cob, French bread, fruit cup

2) sausage quiche, leafy lettuce salad with berries and raspberry vinaigrette.

3) BBQ beef sandwiches, fruit cup, coleslaw, potato salad

4) BBQ chicken, fruit cup, coleslaw, potato salad, green salad

5) chicken salad: lettuce, apple, grapes, craisens, chicken breast cubes.
French bread

6) black bean tamale pie, lettuce salad. **

7) pesto pasta, salad , French bread. ( butter w slight skim of butter or brush with olive oil, add herbs or a shake of steak seasoning. Broil till toasted.



**. Black bean tamale pie

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can black beans, chopped and drained,
1cup salsa

1 package ( 8.5 ounces) corn muffin mix
1/4 cup milk
1egg
2cups cheddar cheese

Sour cream and ripe olives optional

In skillet, cook Onion and green pepper. Add cooked meat (or cook raw meat until no longer pink)

Add beans to skillet

In bowl, combine muffin mix, milk, egg, and 1 cup of the cheese.
Pour into greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 for 5 to 6 minutes.

Spoon meat mixture over crust. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until crust is golden brown.
Sprinkle w remaining cheese. Bake 1-2 minutes longer until cheese is melted. Guarnished with sour cream and black olives if desired. ( or add lettuce and tomato to the top).

Note: I suspect that an 8.5 ounce muffin mix is a small quick mix. I don't know how much they cost these days and haven't figured out a scratch recipe for it yet.


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Ok, it was WinCo for us

WinCo is a warehouse type store where you pack up your own foods. Some of the prices are a lot cheaper and some are not so much.

I got broccoli crowns for . 78 a pound.
Tomatoes for .98, celery for .68 a pound, large red pepper.69 cents and a green pepper for .48. Spinach was .98 a bunch. Taco shells were .98 . I amstill trying to find green chill is for less than a dollar a can.


Pasta sauce was up to .98.

Safeways had mixed berries for 11.98 and corn for 2/1.00. And if you spent 15.00, you got 3.00 off. Milk was 2.19 and ribs were 1.99.


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Recap and batch cooking

I thought I would recap the basics for any new readers once during the first week of the month.

The main idea of this to save 1/2 on your food bill. The USDA publishes stats on thrifty grocery costs based on ages of family members. The last ones I can find are from 2009.

The main " rules".

1) Never pay full price. There are exceptions, of course. If it is something you have to have, or you want a special treat, go for it. just make it the exception rather than the rule.

2) keep a log of things you frequently buy and where and how much you paid. You can use a spiral notebook, or an excel spread sheet. Go for the lowest price and stock up on that. Base your quantity on how often it goes on sale, the number of times in a week you use it and the sell by date on the package. Pasta for one, has a 8 year shelf life. STOCK UP.

3) Develop a personal cookbook of scratch main dishes that contain a low cost protein.

4) Cook from scratch rather than ready made, or boxes. The more processed something is, the less nutrients and the more expensive it is. Boxed meal mixes are about the most expensive food item in the store. At 2.09 cents a box, you are paying 13.28 a pound for the " cheese sauce" that has no cholesterol. You can get REALLY good cheese for 13.00 a pound! LOL. Don't buy snack food.

5) Plan your meals. Take stock of your refer and bread bin mid week and use up anything that might be getting OLD!?!. Croutons, breadcrumbs, soup stock. Pesto, banana bread. You get the gist. the what's for dinner syndrome after you have had a hard day is one of the quickest ways to fall off the budget wagon.


One of the ways to make dinner time cooking fast and easy is to batch cook.
It makes the time in the kitchen more efficient. if you can get an older child or a mate to help you, even more the better.


When you bring home the ground beef, or grind your own, " Process" it your self. I make meatloaf or meatballs, taco meat, hamburger crumbles, Salisbury steaks.
Put the product, except the meatloaf that you have for dinner that night, in family sized portions. Label and freeze them. I keep them in a metal box in the freezer so they don't get lost.

When you want a quick meal, pull the taco meat, thaw it in the microwave. While that is happening, chop tomatoes,get out the cheese and sour cream, and chop the lettuce. Open a can of refried beans and put in the microwave dish and heat through when meat is done. About 15 minutes total.

When roast is on sale, roast it off. Slice thin and freeze. You can run it under cold water to thaw (in food saver bag). Make a jus in a small frypan.when the meat has partially thawed, put in the a jus to warm. Meanwhile, put sandwich rolls in oven to toast, and make a green salad. I use brown and serve baguettes from franz. They have them at Costco and at the franz outlet.

I fry sausage purchased in bulk. Jimmy Dean is 6.89 at Costco now for three pounds.
De fat it and put it on portion sized bags in the freezer.

You can use it on pizza, in eggs,in soups.

Make good use of your crockpot. There is something really comforting about walkimg into the house and smelling dinner already cooked.

Thanks for stopping by. Please share this blog with a friend.

Jane

Recipes that use up the last bits.

I thought I would talk about using up things that are coming close to the yard waste
Bin.

one of our grandmothers tricks was to make banana bread from too ripe bananas . I use a recipe from the Bisquick cookbook that adds oatmeal and blueberries. It adds more texture and the errors add an extra pop of flavor.



Stradas use bread that is becoming stale. Stale bread also makes breadcrumbs, croutons, and dressing cubes. Note: I fry sausage when I get home from the store. Drain and defatted it and put it into 1/2 pound zip lock bags and freeze.

Sausage Pepper Strada

1 package of bulk sausage
1/2 small onion, chopped.
1/2 green or red pepper, chopped
4 cups bread cubes.( 6 slices)
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
Salt, pepper
1cup grated cheese

Sauté onion and pepper until limp. Add to sausage mixture.
Spread bread in a 9x13 pan. . Spread sausage mixture over bread.
Mix eggs, milk and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Pour eggs over the bread and sausage in the pan.

Poke with fork to moisten all the bread.
Cover pan and refrigerate at least hour, or overnight.

Bake at 375 uncovered for 55 minutes. If top is browning too quickly, cover with foil.

Dish will be brown and puffy and the eggs will be cooked.

Can be guarnished with salsa or a fine stream of maple syrup.


Twice Baked Potatoes

4 Potatoes, already baked

3 T butter

1/3cup sour cream

Salt pepper

1cup shredded cheese

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the potatoes, saving the potatoes and
Leaving 1/4 inch shell.

Add melted butter, sour cream and salt and pepper to the potato mixture.
Mash the potatoes.

On a baking sheet, place the shells and fill them with the potato mixture. Top each with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 30 min until heated through.



Thanks for stopping by

Jane

August 1st: This weeks grocery ads

This weeks grocery ads

QFC
Blueberries 4.99 - 2#
Peaches .98
corn 3/1.00
Pesto Pea Salad 4.99 lb: Compare to this weeks Pesto Salad recipe
Hebrew National Franks 2/ 6.00

TOP

Green Peppers .59
Spinach 1.00

SAFEWAYS

Country Ribs 1.99
Milk 2.49
Sub Sandwich FRI 5.00
Cookies FRI 5.00

Albertsons

Albertsons

grapes .99
cherries 1.99
milk 2.29
Bumble bee .78 Coupon


Not much out there, folks. I sense an alternative grocery store trip coming on LOL

What to do with pesto.

Pesto is an paste that can be used to flavor. Consisting of greens, hard cheese and nuts, it is fairly good for you.

One of the best summertime ways to beat the heat in the kitchen is to make several salads on the weekend and add a different entre for a few days. BBQ chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, sloppy joes, pork chops or a BBQ pork or beef sandwich. you are only limited by your imagination.


Pesto Salad

8 ounces of pasta. Like penne, or Bow ties., cooked and rapidly cooled.
1 stLk of celery, chopped.
1 cup tomatoes ( cherry, grape , or chopped and seeded tomatoes)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, ron ed in cold water to thaw.
1/4 cup pesto
Dash of garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Toss all ingredients together. Cover and chill.

NOTE

You can make an entre of this by leaving the pasta hot ( maybe spaghetti) and add cooked, diced chicken, and blanched veggies of choice. (tomato, asparagus, jullianed snow peas and or carrots, brocolli.) top with shaved parm.


Pesto Pizza.

Use stirred pestonas a base on pizza instead of tomato sauce. Layer. : crust,pesto, ham cubes ( or cooked chicken) motzzarella cheese, thin sliced seeded tomatoes, grated parm.

NOTE. Roma tomatoes are best because they are often less expensive and have more flesh and less seeds.

Pesto Mayo

Stir a teaspoon of pesto into a quarter cup of mayo. Use on chicken salad sandwiches.
Or whatever sounds good to you.

Pesto chicken pasta variation: use tomatoes, black olives, and cooked chicken.


You can use this pesto in any recipe that calls for basil pesto.

Next time: batch cooking.


Thanks for stopping by


Jane