Tailgaiting

We faithfully attend the University of Louisvlle football games and I prepared this tasty dish when we stomped Cincinnati last week.

Philly Cheese Steak (It's Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby!)


Hoagie rolls-split, lightly toasted...you want them to still be soft

1/2 lb rib eye steak shaved (by your butcher) for each sandwich (I made 6 using 3 lbs)
Wet hands with olive oil and work the meat apart
add bout 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet, heat, add meat and then
add a liberal sprinkling of Lawry's seasoned salt
a dusting of Lawry's Garlic powder
pan fry until no longer pink

sauteed peppers and onions (2 large onions and 1 bell pepper sliced, plus one clove of garlic)
I also add a hot pepper, diced
Sauteed in butter and a little olive oil

Saute mushrooms if desired (Butter and a little Worcester sauce)

Provolone cheese

Line each bun with a slice (or 2) of provolone cheese
Place a liberal helping of meat on each bun
top with sauteed vegetables and another slice of cheese

Wrap in foil for easy transport to the game
Place in a glass casserole with a warming element
Delicious!

The Versatile Chicken Breast

Since I haven't had time to post in awhile I thought I provide a few easy chicken recipes. Once you've made these you won't need a recipe, they are THAT easy

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

enough frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts to feed your family

1 can cream of chicken condensed soup for every 6 breasts

1 container of sour cream for each can of soup

cumin, if desired to taste

Season with salt, pepper and cumin breasts to taste

place in crock pot on low setting

cover with soup

allow to cook all day

sauce may be thin so you can thicken with flour if necessary

add sour cream, stir to blend. Allow to warm as you prepare the rest of your meal

Serve over brown or white rice you prepared in the microwave. Served with a veggie or a salad

Make Extra, this is yummy!

Chicken Wallo

enough chicken tenders to serve your family

one egg, beaten

Italian flavored bread crumbs

olive and butter for sauteing

1/4 cup Italian dressing

Salt and pepper chicken tenders

dip in beaten egg, roll in bread crumbs

saute in butter with a little olive oil til nicely browned (do not need to be cooked thoroughly)

remove chicken and drain oil from pan

return tenders to the pan and add Italian dressing

allow to simmer until done

Serve with wild rice and a veggie. Easy and delicious

Chicken Wallo is great because it is tasty but you can make as much or as little as needed (just add more tenders and dressing). Kids love to take the leftover tenders in their lunch box

Skillet Cordon Bleu

Boneless chicken breasts, 1 per person, pounded until flat or use MARKET DAY Chicken Steaks

1 egg, beaten

Italian bread crumbs

Canadian bacon, thickly sliced and then cut into strips (I use 2 slices per every 3 breasts)

Swiss cheese slices

Salt and Pepper chicken

dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs

saute in olive oil until nicely browned and nearly done, with little pink remaining inside

Transfer to an oven safe baking dish

top with sliced Canadian Bacon and cheese

bake at 350 until done and cheese has melted

Outback Chicken

Chicken breast per person

bacon slices, cooked

Colby cheese

sauteed mushrooms (saute mushrooms in butter and add a TBS Worcester for flavor)

honey mustard dressing

Salt and pepper chicken

grill to desired done-ness

top with Honey Mustard dressing, bacon and cheese. Serve with additional Honey Mustard for dipping

Serve with a baked sweet potato and vegetable of your choice

No Worries!

Using ingredients you have on hand

Trying to come up with a quick dinner and wanting to use some cheese ravioli I perused allrecipes.com site http://allrecipes.com/Search/Ingredients.aspx recipe search. This site allowed me to indicate what ingredients I want included as well as excluded. I am not sure which cheese ravioli recipe I'll be making tonight but I DO know I will be using this site again to help me prepare dinner using what ingredients I have on hand!

Linguini with Smoked Salmon in Cream Sauce

I made this for dinner last night after Cross Country Practice and it took less than 30 minutes to get it on the table

8 oz dried linguine
6 oz smoked salmon (we smoke our own, shrink vac it and store in the fridge until we need it)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBS butter
1 cup whipping cream
1 TBS fresh dill weed
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
grated Parmesean cheese

Cok pasta accordng to package directions, drain, keep warm

Slice salmon into bitesixe thin strips, set aside

For sauce:
saute garlic and green onion in butter until tender
Add Salmon, cook for 1 minute
Stir in whiping cream, dill weed, lemon pepper (optional) and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

Top Pasta with sauce, sprinke with parmesean cheese. Enjoy!

Serve wth crusty bread and a fresh salad

Quickie Meals

With a little forethought and a fully stocked pantry or freezer you can get some wholesome meals on the table in a short amount of time. Studies indicate that families who dine together are healthier, perform better in school and are generally happier than their counterparts who are unable to share a meal together at least 4 nights per week. Isn't your family worth it?

Here is a handy list of some quick meals that you might be able to get on the table with fuss, planning and preparation:

hot dogs or brats
frozen pizza's
tacos
breakfast for dinner such as fried eggs or scrambles using left over veggies or french toast
frozen prepared meals such as lasagna, stir fry or Italian dishes-$$EXPENSE ALERT$$
Pasta with store-bought sauce
Salads-jazzed up with last nights leftover steak, chicken or seafood
Fried rice
Sloppy Joes
Quesidilla's-make with whatever you have in the pantry as filling
Previously frozen soups, chili's or casseroles
Sandwich's-BLTs, fried egg sandwich's, turkey clubs, hot ham and cheese, gourmet grilled cheese (great way to use up misc. slices of cheese varieties)
Mac and Cheese-dress it up with leftovers
Loaded baked potatoes (top with left over chili, broccoli and cheese, Ham and cheese, etc). Also a great way to use your left overs
Boxed bean and rice dishes to which I add smoked sausage
Anything rolled in a soft taco-peanut butter, lunch meat or more elaborate fillings. Also a great way to use up last nights rice by pairing it with other complimentary ingredients

My children's favorite is the muffin tray snack dinner
Fill each hole of muffin tin with cubed cheese, meat, veggies, snack crackers, raisins/peanuts, etc for a fun but nutritious meal.

And lastly-(GASP) the dreaded leftovers. Yes, folks, last nights dinner can be eaten!

Shrimp Boat Spaghetti

Shrimp Boat Spaghetti

4-6 shrimp per person
spaghetti, I use whole wheat
petite diced tomatoes (adjust size depending on number of servings)
small jar tomato sauce to thicken sauce if necessary
diced onion
diced green pepper, to taste
minced garlic
Cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
dash cinnamon

Defrost shrimp, remove shell and de-vein
Bring water to a boil, cook pasta until al dente'

In a large pan, saute onion and garlic until translucent
add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce
season with Cayenne, salt and pepper and cinnamon
Add shrimp and cook until done
Serve over pasta with a salad and garlic bread

Quiche'-it's whats for dinner tonight

I use a prepared FROZEN DEEP dish pie crust but if you want to make yur own crust a recipe follows
Turn the oven to 450 degrees and bake the pie crush for about 10 minutes (according to package directions)

Diced ham about 1/2 cup
1 cup shredded cheese (4 oz) I use cheddar
1/3 cup finely chopped onion, or 3 green onions, sliced (adds a nice color) OR
I use dehydrated as a time saver if I don't have any chopped in the fridge
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (preferred) but milk works too
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
dash nutmeg


1)Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
2)Sprinkle ham, cheese and onion in pie crust.
3)In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly; beat in remaining filling ingredients. Pour into quiche dish.
4)Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with fresh fruit or grilled asparagus and a pillsbury cresent roll for a complete meal.

Pastry
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
1.In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
2.Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
3.Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch quiche dish or glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in quiche dish. Unfold and ease into dish, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired.
4.Carefully line pastry with a double thickness of foil, gently pressing foil to bottom and side of pastry. Let foil extend over edge to prevent excessive browning. Bake 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and bake 2 to 4 minutes longer or until pastry just begins to brown and has become set. If crust bubbles, gently push bubbles down with back of spoon.

2 Easy meals for a busy week!

I am recovering nicely from arthroscopic surgery on my left shoulder. Physical therapy 3 times a day at home and 3 times a weeks at the therapists office, cross country and (finally, back to) work make for one tired mom.
Here are a few meal ideas for this Holiday week...

Smoked Chicken Quesidillas or Wraps
We smoked a chicken along with 2 racks of ribs which were used for tailgating on Saturday (YUM!). You can purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery. Pull the chicken from the and place on a soft taco, add cheese and pico de gallo if desired. If you don't have a quesidilla maker you can cook these in a skillet the way you would a grilled cheese. Just spray the soft taco with cooking spray. Use a small sauce pan as a weight. Easy and delicious when paired with guacamole, lettuce, fresh tomatoes and a fresh pico. Add some rice or beans and you have a meal.

Chicken Alfredo Tortellini
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add a bag of frozen cheese tortellini. Cook according to package instructions. Throw in some fresh broccoli and cook for one additional minute.
While the water is boiling, Grill a couple of chicken breasts and slice on the diagonal, set aside.
Drain tortellini and broccoli and place in a large pan, add a jar of Alfredo sauce (I use RAGU), add 1/4 cup water and a generous sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Heat
Serve with sliced chicken.

Mama's meatballs

As promised, a fantastic meatball recipe
This makse about 48 meatballs

Part of saving money is also in saving time
I make these meatballs when I have a free afternoon and freeze them for future use.

Mama's Meatballs
5 lbs ground chuck
5 eggs
2 cups Romano cheese, grated
4 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
3 heaping tablespoons minced fresh garlic
5 heaping tablespoons oregano
5 heaping tablespoons basil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients using your hands
Roll into balls a little larger than a golf ball
Cook in a skillet until lightly browned on all sides or freeze for future use.

Yummy! Bon Appetite!

Meal Planning

I love to eat! It is as simple as that. I have learned to cook delicious meals on a budget (of both time and money) and you can too! I budget $100 a week to feed a family of four. This money also covers household paper goods, cleaning and beauty supplies. If you'd like to reduce your stress when it comes to meal preparation, My Meal Planning Notebook may work for your household.

I am a compulsive list maker and have a notebook which I use for meal planning. This allows me to prepare delicious meals most nights of the week with 15 minutes or less of planning each week (not counting grocery shopping or preparation time).

The purpose of my meal planning notebook is 4 fold:
Home cooked meals save money.
It avoids food boredom by providing insight as to when we last had a specific meal.
It provides inspiration for what to prepare.
A few minutes of preparation reduces food costs,the time spent in the kitchen and my stress!

Home cooked meals save money and it is reported that families that eat at least 3 meals together a week are healthier, have stronger marriages, the school age children make better school grades and are less likely to engage in illicit drug use and underage drinking. What other reasons do you need?

To create your own notebook:

1) Use a small notebook (3ring or spiral) to collect your meal planning data. I use a 3 ring binder which I decorated with scrapbook paper, a set of tabbed dividers and a couple of manila file folders. Use whatever you have on hand and whatever system works for you!

2) Tabbed dividers are labeled by meal type (chicken, beef, pasta, fast and easy, grilled, crock pot, etc.) and placed in the front of the notebook. A final tab can be used for your monthly calendar or just list the days of the week and the date on a piece of notebook paper to record what meals you are going to prepare on what day.

3) For example, my PASTA page has Spaghetti and Meatballs, Pasta Carbonnera and Gib's Cajun Pasta and all other pasta recipes listed. I also record recipe page number if using a cookbook, when necessary.
Each general meal category has it's own list.
Some meals will be listed in several categories...this is OK.
These lists should be meals you will actually make.
If you have recipes that you want to experiment with, use a separate page to list those and add to your main page once they have passed your family's taste test and you are assured you can and want to prepare it!

4) Using a calendar page record the proposed meal on the corresponding day. Your family calendar could be substituted for this since it holds all your daily appointments and responsibilities, letting you know at a glance how much time you can devote to meal preparation and dining. If you will be eating out on a specific day, circle that date and pencil in where you will be dining (Dinner at Grandmas, Track banquet or Anniversary date, etc.) I cannot stress enough how important it is to coordinate your daily responsibilities with your meal plans. If you don't have time to cook a more elaborate meal one day, move it to a day when your schedule does permit it.

For example this week's calendar read
Monday: Chicken Pasta (takes about 40 minutes to prepare)
Tuesday: Hot dogs, Baseball game
Wednesday: Sloppy Joe's, CHOIR Concert
Thursday: Track Banquet
Friday: Outback style steaks
Saturday: Smoked Ribs and chicken

You could expand your list to include all side dishes if you feel that is necessary. Since I have a well stocked pantry, I do not feel the need to include that level of detail.

5) Now check the pantry and make a shopping list for any recipe items you do not have on hand. Purchase any needed items so you can easily prepare the meals you have planned. Nothing throws a monkey wrench into your meal preparation and forces you to order an expensive delivery pizza than being one critical ingredient short!

6) TO expand this idea I place clipped recipes by category in an accordion file (Chicken, pasta, crock pot,etc) which allows me to pull them out and place in my weekly file at the back of my notebook. It makes grocery list planning and recipe preparation a snap.

7) I also have a file of dishes that sound good. I like challenge myself to prepare a new meal at least once a month. They are not always "keepers" but it has been a successful way of expanding our recipe repertoire. I also keep a file labeled SUMMER and WINTER so when I have an abundance of squash, for example, I can go to that file for a new recipe.

8) If you enjoy cooking I'd like to suggest the following sites for recipes. Restaurant websites offer recipes on some of their dishes-search for your favorites

http://www.olivegarden.com/recipes

http://www.copycat-recipes.net/ offers copy cat recipes of many of your favorites

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/index.html

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/

If you employ a meal planning notebook I can assure you your family will enjoy better meals, at a lower cost and you will experience less stress. Bon appetite!




Here are a couple of shots of the menu planning notebook
It is attractive enough to sit out with the other cookbooks. The content is only notebook paper. I used an old notebook the kids had abandoned. Practically Free!

A well stocked Pantry

Getting food on the table in a short amount of time means you have to be prepared. A well stocked pantry will save you time and money in the long run!

It seems like every time I go to the grocery store the prices have risen yet again on the items I use most frequently. It is quite discouraging! And just today I had to pay $0.72 for a can of beef broth which, I can usually purchase on sale for 2/$1.00. I had to restock at the full price because I had "cleaned out the pantry, refusing to purchase items until the "cupboard was bare". I won't be doing that again!

Having a well stocked pantry accomplishes a few basic tenets of frugal cooking by keeping me out of the grocery store more than once a week and it allows me to purchase items in "bulk" when they are on sale. I always purchase enough of an item to tide me over until the next time it comes on sale. If you don't have an actual pantry in your kitchen an empty cabinet or a few shelves in the basement work fine as a substitute.

Determine what staples you use to prepare your meals and add or eliminate from my list to create your well stocked pantry. I have listed my pantry for our family of four and listed the minimum of each item I keep on hand. Volumes may differ according to your family size and personal food preferences. And remember, at any one time I may actually have 6 or 8 of each of these if (space permits) they are on sale.

Pasta sauce (I prefer Marinara-2 and Alfredo-2)
Canned tomatoes (homegrown, canned if possible)or 28 oz cans-2
Petite diced tomatoes-14 oz can-2
Canned tomato sauce, 28 oz-2 and 14 oz-2, 8 oz-2
Broth: Chicken 2, Beef, 2, Vegetable 1
Canned cream soups: Cream of Mushroom-2, Cream of Chicken-2
Canned Mushrooms-4
Soups your family enjoys for a quick lunch-6
Great Northern Beans-2
Home canned green beans-4
tuna-1, salmon-1
Brown rice -1, dried bean-1, white rice-1
Pastas-6
assorted boxed rice mixes-6 (I only purchase these when they are on sale for $1.00, when they retail for $2.19), grits
Dried onion soup mix-4, ranch dressing mix-1, taco seasoning-2
flour-1, sugar-1
assorted cereal
cake mix-2 (flavors of your choice), brownie mix or dessert mix-1
muffin mix-4
chocolate chips-2
peanut butter (no one but me likes jelly)
assorted nuts for baking
vegetable oil-1, olive oil-1
assorted spices, as needed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder
potatoes, onions and Sweet potatoes
pretzels, popcorn and crackers (I hate buying potato chips but my family holds me hostage),

I also stock my freezer when items come on sale
Whole chickens and chicken breasts
ground beef
shrimp and fish
meatballs and meatloaves I have prepared (I'll post a recipe in the future)
frozen vegetables (tomatoes, Lima beans, berries, diced potatoes, peppers, squash, etc.)
Butter
coffee
frozen pizzas-2, frozen dinners (Michelina's or Lean Cuisine for a a kids' lunch)-10
and a frozen pie crust or two

The fridge is stocked with condiments (ketchup, mayo, mustard, horseradish and assorted salad dressings, etc.) as well as milk,eggs, heavy cream, butter, sour cream and cheese. Lunch meat, fresh produce is purchased according to the weekly menu but we always have some apples on hand(they last a long time) and a large container of minced garlic in oil

We love to eat and I am always experimenting with new recipes. With a bit of planning, you can enjoy a delicious home-made meal, avoid a hefty pizza delivery fee and pocket the savings!

With a well stocked pantry you'll soon be eating better meals, enjoying them more and saving money! Bon Appetite!

Why Blog about Food?

I love to eat, I like to cook and nobody at my house complains about what I put on the table. My husband calls me the "Lady of Charm" after a foodie TV show he watched in Detroit when he was a kid. Friends ask me for recipes and advice on how to get a delicious meal on the table in under 30 minutes after a long hot cross country practice.

I hope to whet yuor appetite for more! Bon Appetite!